PoV: Rhea Hart (Our main girl with the unique Mawile and Eevee … and a fortitude issue)
I loosely follow this map as a visual guide; the creator made it in paint?!?! It’s insane! Some errors here and there, but I follow its design for the most part. Areas can be further apart, come cities are in the wrong places or not listed, and the regions aren’t nearly so close. The best map I’ve found, though!
Recap:
Our poor Wooloo Girls, Sam, Hannah, and Jade, had something terrible happen to them … the paparazzi. Something didn’t quite add up with how the girls were feeling during and after the progression of that *ahem* ‘interview’ and they probably said enough to be worried about, but how will our girls find out? Will it hurt their relationship or is Rhea more understanding of the circumstances?
We return to Rhea, who’s still recovering from Mya’s extreme draw on her relatively unstretched fortitudes, forcing her to take it easy until Viridian. Mya and Nova have to stay in their pokeballs, which puts a lot of stress on Amira and Mallory until they get there.
Oh, no … well, let us see how the girls handle it…
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Thomas Dahl, Merpmerp, Tarodan, Seigfried589, Martynas Samsonas, Jared Larkin, Saradel Sania, and my other Patrons!
5:37 A.M. June 11, Friday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)
Events: The start of the 3rd day of the First Preliminary Match Week for the Kanto & Johto Summer Indigo Cup. Many tourists are traveling through Pallet and Viridian to arrive at Silver City for the big tournament while also supporting the Summer Bronze League kick-off.
Rhea stretched out as she awoke, hearing movement close by. Cracking open an eye, she blinked to adjust her vision. It was still dark outside from what she could see from the cracks of the pulled blinds; twisting to her back under her warm blankets, she saw the bathroom light on.
Fuzzy mind working through a yawn, Rhea saw Amira’s bed was made and empty; the alarm clock beside her bed showed 5:37 A.M., a full 23 minutes before she’d normally get up. Releasing a soft moan, she sat up, smacking her dry mouth before taking a drink from the cup she’d prepared the night before.
Lori was still fast asleep, her blankets thrown half-off the bed to show most of her skin, the left strap of her white and dark blue striped scoop bikini pulled to the side with her nighttime movements, and cheeky high waist bottoms on display. Gables was hanging over her right foot, almost falling off the bed.
Nova was stirring in her pokéball as Mya wished her good morning, already awake, and with Nova’s rise, Mya appeared to get ready for bed.
Good morning… are you two okay? Returning the internal greeting, Rhea grunted softly, scooting to the bed’s side to twist around and get a few good pops in.
They both responded in the positive, confusing her a little.
Okay… uh, are you taking shifts?
Another positive response gave her an answer; they were preparing their schedules to stand guard at night while the other was out during the day. Mya appeared to have drawn the nighttime stick.
Unbinding her high bun, she shook out her hair, rolling around her neck; she’d slept like a babe after the spa’s wonderful massage and felt well-rested for a day of hiking. Picking up her phone from the built-in dresser charger, she brushed her long blonde locks to the side to fall back on her pillow with a sigh.
A message from her mother was the only text that wasn’t just wishing her well.
10:13 P.M. Hey, lil’ Swablu, umm… so, I was thinking about your little girlfriends, and… I really liked them, so… I might have called a few connections to get some fun stuff to thank them for protecting you… because of my miscalculation! I’ll leave the package at Oak’s office for safekeeping. Loves you, and hope you feel better soon!
Rhea’s lips tightened into a line.
Called a few connections… she always leaves everything to be a surprise. It is kind of fun that way, though.
She giggled softly, swapping to the news. Few stories hit the daily release this early; typically, the big morning articles and gossip would come in around 6:30 A.M. to 7:30 A.M. Sure enough, most of the news was just speculations on the current top Bronze-tier contenders.
One of the niche sports that had become a bit more popular as of late was the speedrunning community; young upstart Trainers competing to see who could complete the Bronze-tier Badge Challenge the fastest, and it appeared to have a decent betting pool this year.
Kevin MacLerie from the Galar region appeared to have traveled all night with Finnik Buchanan and Nealson Vass, his speedrunning team; for some reason, Kevin was getting most of the attention.
Their parents were all within the Platinum-tier range, and they were getting some recognition after making it to the Xanadu Nursery at 5 A.M., seven minutes before the next team, and over a day before most teams were projected to have made it to the halfway point to Viridian.
However, the next article that came in at 5:07 A.M. would undoubtedly cause a bigger uproar. Amy and Olivia’s team appeared to join the speedrunning community because the two Sinnoh girls with their partner, Isabella, had arrived next.
Amy was probably the one pushing the girls to do it, and Rhea couldn’t see the first-place team holding their lead long with those types of girls on their butts. With relatives like Maylene, Candice, and Flannery, all very physically active High Master Gym Leaders, their physical Allocation gave them a pretty decent advantage in the speedrunning competition.
The thing that impressed Rhea was the speed at which they would have had to travel after the Starter Award matches; the Galar group had more than a five-hour head start on the gang.
Of course, there were many more speculations being tossed around about her getting upvoted on the Gossip App, which made her sigh. She’d gotten a bit of satisfaction over the years from keeping up with the latest celebrity news or viral events but didn’t really expect to be on there herself.
The current big topics related to her were the background of Mya, her second Pokémon, and questions regarding her pokéball. Evidently, more than one girl wanted information on the pink and purple-themed devices and a shocking number of guys. No one had an answer, though, and most just theorized it was a prototype brand or custom-built Ultra Ball.
There was one mention of her having a Master Ball, with the guy freaking out about it, but most were just calling him a troll. She’d never heard of a Master Ball before her mother explained it, and any Master-tier Trainers would likely speak to other masters, not talk about it online.
A few tags were linked to the post, trying to debunk his claim; it looked like Master Balls had been an internet conspiracy theory for some time with pokéball enthusiasts. Obviously, not false, but a well-guarded secret within the individual region’s Indigo League and the big companies, probably constrained by the League itself.
Rhea smiled while tuning in to Jason’s private Pikabook profile; she hadn’t been too into the social media platform, but since his mother was really big into it, it made sense why both her kids would be.
Some of his posts made her giggle, watching a short video of Len’s Chimchar sitting on a pile of logs and leaves they’d gathered to start the fire using his small burning tail. Sunny could be seen in the backdrop, high in a tree branch while looking out for danger; Jason edited the picture with a few filters to make him seem more imposing with the text underneath You steppin’ up to me? Huh, Punk?
Flipping through the bits of humor Jason added in his first pose, she followed their journey back, studying the Pokémon he saw, posting to an album every new one he caught sight of, as seemed to be a Pikabook tradition that was catching on.
Pondering if she should start posting on her somewhat barren account, she decided it might be fun to keep connected. Making a peace symbol while taking a selfie with her two pokéballs on the desk, Rhea posted her first update in forever. “Just got up! Feelin’ good for a day of hiking!”
Honestly, she was still sore, but it was manageable, unlike how she felt after the match with Mya. Yet, after more than forty hours of rest with her Pokémon in their pokéballs, she was handling it much better; it wouldn’t be the case if she had them come out, though.
A weak smile lifted her lips as the hearts and comments flew in.
Bianca: (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~ Morning looks good on ya, Cutie! You getting on Pikabook now?!
Dad: （°0°）Rhea + Pikabook?! @Christie
Grandpa Drake: Swwwaabbbluuu!!! :’’))
Annila: Oh, goodness, Rhea?! I can’t wait to see your photos!
Katelin (>_<): Woah! Sweet, we get to keep up to date on your progress first hand! Now, if only we could get your brother in on this! ಠﭛಠ
Mom: Hold up! Sweetie! I should get on Pikabook more >_>
Grandpa Drake: YES, CHRISTIE!!! YES!!!
Great Grandma Carolina: (✪‿✪)ノ Family?! Lil’ Cindy’s been getting me up to date on this Pikabook business. Rhea’s on here, too?
Rhea: Hey, Granny!
Grandpa Drake: MOM?!?!?!
Grandma Glacia: Hello, Carolina, and good morning, Rhea. I hope you are feeling healthier.
Rhea: Yup, doing much better!
Great Grandma Carolina:… Why would she not be? Was my great-granddaughter sick and no one filled me in. ಠ╭╮ಠ
Great Grandma Carolina:… Drake?!? Christie?!?!
Auntie Cynthia: I’ll fill you in, Grandma. Looking lovely, Sweetie!
Great Grandma Carolina: Christie’s calling me… how do I answer on Pikabook?
Great Grandma Carolina: Uh, blast it! Just call my phone.
Rhea: Well, gotta get up and get ready. Amira’s gonna be done with the bathroom soon.
She smiled as the thread went on, her grandfather apparently in trouble for not letting her great grandmother know, and even her grandfather didn’t want to get on her great grandfather’s bad side. Rhea actually didn’t know how old her great-grandparents were, at least in their 130s, probably even older.
Her entire life, she’d heard comments about how they could die anytime, yet they stood firm against such predictions. The real shock was seeing them on Pikabook. Grandpa Drake was a Pikabook fanatic, posting images and updates on his ship and crew all the time. Grandma Glacia, on the other hand, was much more sparse with her posts but kept up with everyone through it.
Going to her settings for Katelin, she removed the nickname to get rid of the >_< text she’d placed there years before; she was actually starting to like Katelin more as of recent.
Mallory’s movement drew her eyes; her purple hair was wrapped in a bun, facing Rhea as she turned away with a groan, showing her bare back. In the dim light, Rhea was able to the soft remains of burn scars that had gone through extensive healing methods, showing only a slight discoloration from her normal skin tone.
Rhea noticed the mark at the spa, but no one brought it up, and she certainly wasn’t going to be the one to ask why she got the scar.
“Hmm…”
Amira exited the bathroom, and by the lack of steam, figured it was a cold shower. Her hair was pulled up in a microfiber towel that the hotel provided, her skin was shiny with whatever products she used, and a towel covered her body.
Rhea smiled, setting her phone back on the wireless charger while keeping her voice low to not wake Mallory. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Amira replied, giving her a soft smile before moving to her bag to extract some sunscreen. “How are you feeling?” She asked, moving to the mirror and sink outside the bathroom to finish up.
Taking out her morning kit from one of her bag’s inner compartments, Rhea decided to use the hotel towels to skip a clean-up step. “Better. I’m good to get going. Umm… my mind’s been a bit fuzzy after the match; did you say your grandpa wanted us to eat with him?”
Amira’s hands paused, applying her sunscreen to her neck, deep red irises moving to her in the mirror. “Is that a problem?”
“No, no,” Rhea held up her hands. “I’m just trying to get everything in my head set right!”
“Hmm… yeah,” she returned to her task, removing her body towel to reveal her plain burgundy Bandeau top, accented with modern hand-woven back detail, and cheeky bottom swimwear. “It’s not that big of a deal if you don’t want to go.”
Rhea took her items to the bathroom, catching Amber prancing out, fur looking shiny as if just cleaned. “No, I’d love to meet your grandparents. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Okay,” Amira absently replied, working the sunscreen in as Amber watched her morning process. “Better hurry, Lori wakes up at 6:15… 6, but she’ll hit the snooze.”
Oh, got it!” She giggled, moving into the shower to start getting ready.
Rhea naturally woke up at 6 A.M. from years of routine, but it seemed Amira had an even earlier system. It did give a good indication of their schedules, though, and would probably set what time they’d start preparing for sleep each night.
Doing her light maintenance after, she brushed her teeth, applied lip balm, deodorant, and a mixture of sunscreen with lotion. Amira’s fingers were expertly crafting her hair into a similar waterfall braid that she’d first seen her with.
Mallory stretched out with a low moan across her bed, causing her startled Froakie to drop to the floor. Gables recovered instantly as he fell, landing on his feet before yawning; glancing at Amber as she stared at him from atop Amira’s bed, he appeared to say good morning, and the two Pokémon exchanged a few chirps.
Nova felt a bit left out, Mya already asleep.
Just a few more days. Once we get to Viridian, we’ll be free to start hanging out!
Her Eevee gave a longing sigh but responded that she was alright.
Lori grunted, glancing over at them as Rhea started combing out her hair. “Y’all get up too early, geez! Mmh… what’s goin’ on in the world?” Reaching over to nab her phone off the charger, she began swiping through messages. “Mhm… figured… oh, what’s this?”
“Hmm?” Rhea caught Mallory scratching her bare belly out of the corner of her eyes; she really did have both Amira and her beat in the chest department.
“So, last night I set up an App Grimsley developed to gather intel to see what people were saying about us…”
Amira was working on her last braid, brow furrowing while eyeing Lori. “You can do that?”
“Yeah, yeah… uh… yo, nothing I didn’t really expect, but this… hey, Rhea, check it out… hmm…”
Rhea picked up her phone as Lori requested a quick link; accepting it, she frowned as the holographic display radiated out, showing a news article.
“Man… I need to get me one of those,” Lori huffed, glaring at her phone.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Rhea mumbled, picking up her phone to read the article, “my Mom sent a text saying she’s got you two some gifts.”
“For me?” Amira asked, checking the stability of her braids.
Mallory’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, what is it?”
Rhea shrugged. “No clue. She likes to keep things mysterious.”
“Sweet!” Lori cheered, rolling around her neck. “Man… that spa, and I don’t know if I like the manicure or pedicure more…”
“Mhm,” Rhea mumbled, “yeah, I’ve never had someone do my hands or feet before… where did they… hmm…”
Amira brought up her own phone to glance through it. “By Coral Kaylera… I can’t say I’m surprised she ambushed those girls.”
Rhea’s teeth clapped around her pulled in lips, applying light pressure while following the piece Lori sent her.
The Enigma, Rhea… Connected to Red, Yellow, Cynthia?
By Coral Kaylera
6:13 A.M. June 11, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)
If anyone was going to put their bets on who would be the most talked-about frontrunner within the first International Bronze League, few would have placed their money on the mysterious Kanto Master’s pick, Trainer Rhea… until her impossible reveal battle.
Rhea went against her opposing counterpart, Jason, who also did not reveal his family’s identity, and the fact no one seems to know anything about them means the Master’s Community is choosing to let this vexing puzzle continue. However, Jason did not leave the mark that our cryptic blonde has, and her supposed randomly selected team strikes quite the image.
With someone like Amira Rocket, granddaughter of infamous Giovanni Rocket, Mafia Head of the allegedly disbanded Rocket Syndicate, and the daughter of Kanto’s regional jewel and Champion-tier Trainer, Lyra Rocket, as her teammate. It brings some questions about Rhea’s obviously modified Pokémon, which is only one of many past crimes charged to the girl’s mob boss of a family.
We can only speculate how Rhea, this indomitable force among Bronze-tier rookies, and Amira Rocket were placed together. Each group member has already reached the bounty cap of 5,500 credits with their team bounty at 10,000, meaning if any aspiring Bronze-tier Trainer did manage to win a Triple Battle, they’d split 26,500 credits, marking this group as the Rank 1 International League target.
Yet, as many of yesterday’s online commentators pointed out, after that chilling debut, would anyone really even consider taking on a Bronze-tier Trainer that clearly belongs in the Silver Division?
The final member of Rhea’s team is an interesting pick and irking conundrum when trying to investigate. Mallory Medina, not much was known about her past since the records are sealed behind League Subpoena, directed to Cynthia herself, which can only be issued by high position elected officials and can be rejected on the narrowest grounds.
What we do know is that Grimsley Medina became the legal guardian of two girls twelve years ago, Mallory at age five, and Shauntal at age fifteen.
The fifteen-year-old promptly eclipsed all Bronze-tier competitors, shooting to Platinum-tier within her first year in brutal fashion. Two years later, she became one of the youngest Grandmasters recorded, only overshadowed by the standard Legends, and currently holds the lowest-tier position in the Unova Elite 4 at the age of 24, filling the place for the last three years. That’s not even discussing her literary achievements.
All of that only tickles the fancy of any journalist, but I wanted even more juicy details. With the group themselves bluntly refusing interviews, I went to the next best source and sat down with three of Rhea’s close friends to get a better understanding of these esoteric stars.
These young Bronze-tier girls were infatuated by Rhea, which is to be expected; most children of Master-tier Trainers are the idol and envy of the world since it almost guarantees strong Fortitude.
However, unlike the unreachable pillars most of these privileged Trainers appear to be, these girls saw Rhea as a rather humble person, showering these stars with praise about their stunning looks. What I discovered from them truly surprised me.
Rhea invited them to the PikaSpring, one, if not the, most expensive and upper-class spas in Pallet, with Mallory paying their way. The connection PikaSpring shares with the rural Viridian Legendary-tier superstar is well known, but when the girls said Rhea personally knew Yellow and Red, the Legendary power couple, I was shocked. Apparently, she even hinted that the pair stayed at her house, which begs the question… who are Rhea’s parents!?
If these two legends are on bunking terms with Rhea’s parents… who would live up to that standard? And that brings us to the next tantalizing detail these girls brought up when discussing Rhea’s dazzling looks, comparing the blonde bombshell to Sinnoh Active Champion and Legendary-tier Trainer, Cynthia, and not without good cause.
After looking at our enigmatic rising star, it’s not hard to see the resemblance, and the raw, unbridled dominance she demanded once entering the battle stage is unquestionably a striking correlation. Alas, we can only speculate, but just the fantasy of Rhea being the spirited away child of such a legend makes you ponder the possibility with all the obvious evidence and similarities.
Equally deserving of notice is her thoroughly bred and modified Pokémon, which were approved by the Pallet Stadium Commission for legal use. One has to wonder what pressure they might have been under?
Maya, nicknamed Mya, Rhea’s unique white and black Mawile, boasts the most enormous Starter Move Pool to date, displaying many top-tier Moves such as Psych Up, Swords Dance, Sucker Punch, and with some analysis of the footage, word of more Moves are spreading. After Len’s Chimchar got an Encore on her, she appeared to have attempted what would have been a deciding Slam and a Stab Fairy Wind to blow Lucian’s Piplup’s Icy Wind back in his face!
If all the speculation is correct, we’re looking at a Mawile with at least 11 Moves; I’ve identified the following so far, and I’m sure more are to come:
Ancient Power, Astonish, Stab Fairy Wind, Growl, Psych Up, Seismic Toss, Slam, Sucker Punch, Swords Dance, and Thunder Fang.
Combined with two Abilities, perhaps an even larger upset than the incredible energy Rhea and Mya were able to produce at their level. Intimidate, an already top-tier Ability to possess with the added coverage that Hyper Cutter provides, utterly shutting down Lucan’s Piplup’s pitiful Feather Dance attempt, desperately trying to lower the +2 Attack Fairy-Steel Pokémon’s rampage.
If that wasn’t enough, I’m happy to announce that Rhea’s second Pokémon in no way lags behind Mya; Rhea’s friends revealed that her second Pokémon was a white and black Eevee named Nova, and providing some good evidence that she must have gone through the same breeding and genetic program as her Mawile!
Is Rhea Professor Bianca’s hidden away sister? Was their team truly selected at random? How did Rhea get such overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon? What is her connection to Yellow and Red? Who is Rhea related to, and why is the Master Community so tightlipped on the topic? So many questions, but only time and transparency will give us answers!
I can tell you one thing for certain, though; keep an eye out for Nova, Rhea’s unique Eevee. I’m sure we’ll see something phenomenal when she does appear; Rhea is definitely the Starter to keep track of, and I can tell you her first Gym Battle will be one to behold!
