PoV:
1: Rhea (Our Sweet and Sensitive Blonde!)
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, some cities are in the wrong places or not listed, and the regions aren’t nearly so close. The best map I’ve found, though!
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12:03 a.m. August 15th, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 67.
Events: Rhea won her Silver-tier Encrusted Badge after a tough battle! Now, our girls are on their way to getting their four Encrusted Badges for the League. Onward! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (111 days away).
Creeping through the quiet spa resort with Mya by her side, Rhea gave the front tenant a strained smile and wave on her way out to meet up with Jason. She felt so alert and awake for some reason; maybe it was the stress, but she knew she couldn’t fall asleep.
Entering the cool breeze that came from the nearby sea, she breathed in deeply, feeling the gentle pull against her pajamas. The sidewalks were fairly still, considering the activities that had been going on all day; perhaps it was celebration fatigue, and everyone would be back when noon came around.
The streets were quiet, with even the Pokemon settling in for the night, giving the place a peaceful vibe that contrasted the eerie stillness of Lavender City. It had been a long time since she’d snuck out and just walked the night to settle her nerves.
Rhea took her phone out of her pocket and smiled as Jason’s GPS data linked to her map app and guided her to his location. Slipping it back inside her pajamas, she rubbed Mya’s bouncing second head, getting a smile from her steely girl.
She knew Alice would have loved to spend more time with Sunny, but the poor guy probably needed some time to work up the nerves to hang around with her rapidly maturing Lopunny. The next time they did meet, Alice would probably be an adult.
Taking in the night, she slowed as an officer slid by in his police car; he flipped around and rolled down his window. Rhea kept her pace, talking to the one in the passenger seat.
“Out late tonight, ma’am. Can we help you with anything?”
Mya glared at them, but Rhea knew they were probably just checking to see if she wasn’t drunk or couldn’t find her way home, among many other problems; it was a common thing in movies.
“I’m doing fine. Thanks for stopping to check on me. I’m just a little nervous about my Gym Battle tomorrow and can’t sleep. I’m meeting up with my best friend to talk and get a late-night snack.”
“Oh.” The older man’s eyebrows rose upon getting a clearer look at her under the street lamps. “Rhea, right—Champion Cynthia’s daughter?”
“Niece,” the driver piped up. “Grandmaster Keith’s daughter—Sabin’s sister—you know, the one that was the first to beat the new Fairy Gym at Silver-tier?”
“Right! Haha. Keep up the good work; you’re going places,” he said, glancing over at the computer screen to likely confirm she was registered for a match at the Gym. “Just give the station a call if you need anything, and we’ll have to check out your match tomorrow.”
“Will do!” she chimed, waving them off.
“Have a good night, ma’am.”
They nodded and pulled away; it made her feel a bit better knowing the streets were well-patrolled, keeping things in order.
Rhea watched them pull around the corner. “They were nice.”
“Mawile.”
“Haaa. I do like the air here better than Saffron,” she commented, continuing on their path to the convenience store.
It was a warm night, despite the cool breeze. She spotted several drunk partiers being helped by the active police force patrolling the roads, including intoxicated Pokemon that needed to be moved off the road upon reaching the side routes. Surprisingly, there was only a little trash littering the city after such a massive festival.
It took nearly thirty-five minutes to reach an open store between their hotels, and Rhea spotted Jason standing inside the window with his Galarian Zigzagoon resting on his shoulders; Lori would occasionally comment on the Pokemon whenever they’d watch some of Jason’s matches, drooling over the Dark-Type raccoon.
Just like her, he wore his sleeping outfit: shorts, a white tank, and flip-flops. She slowed on her path to the front door, studying him browse through some of the local magazines.
He really has filled out a lot since we started our journey, she whispered to Mya, likely not knowing exactly what she was getting at. He’s glowing up.
“Hey, Jason!”
“Hmm?”
He lifted his head with his Zigzagoon, a half-smile lifting his lips. “Well, someone looks comfy. Want to grab some snacks and hit up a nearby park for a late-night picnic? I brought our emergency tarp!” he sang with a grin while pointing at the item.
“Hah. Sure. That sounds nice.”
Going through the store, they got a few healthy and not-so-healthy snacks and hit the sidewalk, bags swinging in their hands. Mya helped to carry some stuff, wanting to be useful while chatting with the sociable Zigzagoon.
Jason had one hand in his shorts pocket and the other holding most of the bagged goods; he glanced down at her, elbow lightly nudging her as they came to a stop, waiting for the pedestrian sign to flip on.
“I saw the post on PikaBook. Nova had a good time with her mom and evolved into a Flareon. Talk about awesome. Alice and Mya have been training hard, too?”
“Maw-Maw!”
“Haha! Yeah, I see those muscles,” Jason grinned as Mya held up her arm to flex. “You’ve been going hard! Have… you been going a bit too hard, Rhea? I’ve seen you being kind of hot and cold recently. My sister says Sabin seems a bit off, too, and suddenly he’s zipping her off to some super-ritzy spa retreat. I’m worried about you guys.”
Rhea puffed out a long sigh, looking up at the half-moon in the sky, feeling surprisingly relaxed with Jason walking beside her. “True. A lot’s been happening… Gyms, raising Legendaries, family secrets, the jump to Silver… my mom vanishing. Ugh. Then I have this Aura training stuff and problems with my Aura… Remembering the Victini inside me. Haha-haaa. Where to start?”
Jason sucked in his cheeks and nodded as the pedestrian sign flipped on. Continuing across the intersection, he parsed through the baggage she’d dropped, selecting what one to tackle first.
“What’s going on with your mom? Hah. I know she makes you pull your hair out a lot, but from all those things… it sounds like that is what’s bothering you the most. What is she wrapped up in now?”
“Pfft. How should I know?” Rhea grumbled, scratching her forehead. “It’s just… usually someone knows where she is or what she’s doing. I don’t know, it just feels like everyone else is left in the dark, too…”
“And Malva burned your mom’s cover,” Jason finished, reaching up to scratch his raccoon’s head. “She’s got a lot of enemies, and she’s been coming around a lot more often, broadcasting her presence since you’re a pretty public figure right now.”
“Exactly!” Rhea fumed. “Mmgm… You know, in Apple City, she told me she could be kidnapped by aliens—like that was supposed to make me giggle inside learning aliens were real!”
“Yeah,” he hissed. “That would be something your mom would do. It’s not like you’ve worried your entire life she’d get kidnapped by some random criminal organization, and now you’ve got aliens to add to the threat list.”
“How come she can’t get that?” Rhea grunted, rolling her eyes and glaring at the street signs as Jason led the way. “She’s so stupid. How is Kate?”
Jason’s brow rose at the redirect. “Uh… no, like I said, my big sis has been on a roller coaster with your brother recently. One minute they’re training like there is no tomorrow, and the next second he’s back to his chill vibes, taking her on a dreamy date. She’s either calling our mom to let off steam or drooling over how sweet and amazing he is. My mom couldn’t get anything from your dad when she called, either.”
“So… he hasn’t told Kate yet…” Rhea thought back to the chat she’d had with her big brother and how he doubted if he could be as strong as their dad in holding it together for Kate.
“Family secrets part, huh?” he asked. “Well, if Sabin’s not coming clean to Kate, I don’t expect an answer. Just know I’m worried about you.”
Rhea didn’t respond for a few minutes. The problem was that Jason and Kate’s parents probably did know a lot about their parents’ past; it would be why their mom would go to her dad instead of her mom. It was just they didn’t know all the details or that it was the problem.
“Hey,” she whispered, hazing across the half-lit park as they arrived. “Are you sure you’re okay with talking to me about this Muk? I don’t want to just dump a ton of Garbador on you when you’re dealing with your own stuff… I know it must be scary going to Kalos.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jason laughed and moved closer to pull her into a one-armed hug. “I’m here, aren’t I? You want to talk, I’m here. If not, we can vibe. I’m here for you.”
Resting her head against his chest, she puffed out a hot breath and smiled, feeling a lot of the stress in her chest go with it. “Option three.”
“Both?”
“Both.”
“I’m down. Take as much time as you need; hey, Kite, you good with showing Mya some of the skills you learned?”
“Zig-za! Zig?”
“Mawile… Maw-maw.”
Her steely girl hugged her leg, letting her know she was here for her, too, before jogging after the slippery raccoon.
Sad tears fell down her cheeks rather than the hard, uncontrollable kind, and Jason pulled her into a full hug; her bag fell from her lip grip as his arms pressed against her back.
“I’ve got you.”
Rhea didn’t know for what reason she was crying; it just came out, and it felt good to have someone she trusted to be here to hold her. She wasn’t bothered being puffy-cheeked and teary-eyed in front of her best friend; it was nothing he hadn’t seen before, and he’d been the cause of it more times than she could count, including the Mankey fiasco they’d been a part of.
Eventually, she calmed down and pulled away, laughing at their time together a few days back, when he’d gotten her the Mankey plushy to remind her of that eventful memory. Somehow, he always managed to make her laugh, no matter how deep she felt in the Muk.
She pulled him to a greeny spot that gave them a full view of Mya and Kite as they went through mock battles, and she helped Jason set up the picnic, giving him a teary-eyed, smiling glare when noticing the napkins he’d somehow snuck into the bag from the convenient store bathroom.
“Do I know you, or what?” he asked with a wry smile, rubbing away the water threatening to leave his eyes. “Mind sliding me one of those? Seems I got something stuck in my eye.”
“Of course you did. Hehe. Thanks for asking me to come out.”
“Thanks for accepting! To be honest… I was having trouble sleeping, too.”
“Why?” Rhea asked, accepting some of the overpriced and low-quality sandwich supplies they’d bought from the late-night store. “You never had trouble sleeping when we were growing up. Is it going out of Kanto?”
“Hmm…” He leaned back, dabbing at his eyes and watching her make their sandwiches, knowing she liked to do something with her hands to keep busy. “I think that’s a part of it… Haaa. I’m just realizing a lot now that I’m committed to going—I’ll miss a lot… Being close to my parents, my sister… you. It’s just kind of… settling in.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” she whispered, spreading the condiment packets on the vegetable sandwiches. “You leave… well, tomorrow night since it’s Saturday.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, following their Pokemon before spotting a few other people, mostly duos, making their way onto the walking trail around the park. “It’s harder than I thought… but I know I need to do it to figure some things out—kind of like a self-enforced ultimatum.”
Rhea handed him his sandwich and started on Mya and Kite’s.
“Thanks.”
“Mhm… So, do you want to know what’s crazy?”
“A Victini inside you?” he asked between bites.
“…I’m not completely human.”
Jason’s chewing stopped. “Okay—you’re going to have to explain that one if I’m going to understand that bomb drop. Don’t tell me, breeding experiment by your mother; nightmare-inducing terrors? I can see Sabin going through these mood swings if you somehow got hurt. He’d freak if something happened to you.”
“Haaa. That is my big brother,” Rhea mumbled, calling the two Pokemon over to get their own snacks. “It’s… complicated. Outside of the family, I don’t think anyone other than Amira and Lori knows what I’m about to tell you.”
“Okay.” He settled in, taking on a serious expression. “You’ve got my full attention. Whatever it is, it isn’t going to change my opinion of who you are. Just don’t tell me you can shoot Hyper Beams out of your eyes. ‘Cause that’d be awesome, and I’d be jealous!”
Rhea giggled as his serious tone fractured at the end. “You’re hilarious. I might, so you better watch out!”
“Point taken, Ms. Laser Eyes! Lay it on me.”
Rhea cooled her thoughts and told Jason everything she’d been struggling with; he read the mood and helped her laugh when she needed it or cry when the stress got too much, scooting closer to hold her hand or pull her into a hug.
As it neared 2 a.m., Mya and Kite came back to sit beside her, the Zigzagoon, cuddling up in her lap and looking up at her with sympathetic, big eyes. Rhea wondered if Nova might get jealous or suspicious in the morning when she smelled his scent on her pajamas.
Jason was quiet most of the time, letting her talk and express what was in her heart. She needed someone to talk to about all the insanity that had gripped her since going out on this journey, and he was there to listen and support her, as he always had.
By 2:40 a.m., she’d expelled all her secrets and stress, suddenly feeling exhausted after the roller coaster of emotion, but Jason looked as solid as ever.
“So… that’s it,” she sniffed, using her sleeve to wipe her wet cheeks after using all the tissue. “Isn’t my life a mess? Ugh. Great. My eyes are getting heavy.”
“A total mess,” Jason agreed with a gentle smile, squeezing her hand comfortingly. “I’m on your side 100%, and I want to talk about it more with you, but maybe we should save this for tonight or tomorrow. What do you say; walk you back?”
“Heh. That’s like… triple the time for you.”
“Hey,” he flashed his teeth, eye creasing as he gave her a stare, “I’m not the one swaying and complaining about keeping my vision straight; you’ve got to get up for the Gym Battle tomorrow, too. I can sleep in a bit. So… up we go! Mya, Kite, mind cleaning up and catching up with us?”
“Zig-Zig!”
“Mawile!”
“Awesome. Okay, let’s go, Rainbow Princess; we need to get you back to the dream world!”
“Hehe. You’re way too good of a friend…”
“Haha.” Jason pulled her up and pulled her in the direction of the spa; her body suddenly felt so weak. “That’s why I’m the best friend.”
Rhea couldn’t remember the full walk back to her room, but she was sure Jason was there, keeping her laughing and positive that she’d kill it at the Gym. And when she awoke to Nova nuzzling her nose, she felt surprisingly rested and clear-minded.
Glancing to the side, she smiled upon seeing a sticky note attached to a blue-shelled, pinkish fruit-like berry by her phone; Nova or Jason must have disabled the alarm to give her more time to sleep because she’d slept through it, and her other Pokemon didn’t know how to operate it all that well.
She reached over to look at the note, reading it aloud as her other Pokemon yawned and closed in to wish her good morning. “A Chesto Berry just for you, Sunshine Princess. I’ll see you kick some ninja tail in the stands, Jason, a.k.a…. The best friend with the muscly chest? I did not say that!” she choked, face going red.
Mya snickered and nodded, making Rhea die inside while falling to her back to hold up the berry. “Ugh. Well, I guess it is kind of true. He must be working out in the morning with Len and Lucian. He did have a lot of self-improvement stuff on his PikaBook profile?”
The door slammed open with a bang, making her bite her tongue as Lori came skipping through. “Morning, Sunshine! Oh, am I not the first one that mentioned that?” she asked with an impish smirk and lifting eyebrows that said she’d read her beside note already. “We best get ready before the last bus leaves for the Gym for our time bracket. Snap, snap, Lemon Drop!”
Nursing her smarting tongue, Rhea had a few choice words for Lori that only made the Unovan girl giggle and comment about how wonderful of an influence she was. Amira was finishing up her final preparations after partaking in some of the spa luxuries while going over their notes and strategies.
She jumped in the shower, the redhead leaning against the wall outside to review some of it as Lori went to get her some of her missed breakfast. It seemed she’d slept until 10:40 a.m., and they were scheduled for 1 p.m. since more Bronze Trainers applied than normal, pushing back the time bracket a bit until after the lunch break. All of which was fantastic since she got to sleep in for a few hours.
Getting out, Dawn appeared, swapping out her Trainer outfit for a new classy black summer dress that had a crocheted appearance, black aviator glasses, and dark brown two-strap low heels.
“Gotta be looking good when in the limelight!” the woman sang, her Piplup mirroring her approving smile. “After that quick tan at the Orange Islands, you can pull off this like the sunny Spectrier you are, Goldilocks!”
“She’s a yellow-maned dead horse with bad hair? Great pep-talk, Dawn,” Amira mused with a smile, making Rhea laugh.
“Oh, c’mon! She’s a ‘drop dead-dead yellow-maned horse,’ thank you very much! Heheh, and who doesn’t like the mysterious shaggy-haired beauty hiding behind her locks? Her aunt pulls it off great in a few of that younger magazine cover she did when going through that Gothitelle phase.”
“Gothi-what?!” Rhea balked. “No way, Auntie Cynthia went through a Gothitelle phase?”
Dawn looked to the side with an amused twinkle in her impish eyes. “She’s done her best to eradicate the magazine issue of that seventeen-year-old phase of hers, but I got my hands on a pristine copy of that ultra-rare special edition copy. I could send you a scanned copy of it if you win!”
“I’m winning!” Rhea snickered, unable to see her glamorous yet simple aunt going through a Gothitelle phase. “Let’s get to the bus stop!”
Now fully motivated, she stuffed down a simple breakfast with the Chesto Berry Jason gave her, spiking her with a hit of energy and making her want to dance. It wasn’t hard to get into the easy rhythm with Lori showing her some of her Unovan Side Glide moves and basic footwork; Lori was an expert, helping her learn how to shuffle in heels.
Dawn, Ash, and even Amira joined them in the fun, gliding across the sidewalk to the rhythm and style Mallory showed them, their Pokemon getting in on the action. It was easier after all the practicing they’d done since Cerulean.
Some reporters seemed to have caught up with them, but they didn’t interrupt them, instead opting to write an article about them being together rather than getting a comment about why they were dancing.
Rhea went through some of the texts during their breaks at the bus stop, and when it stopped off, she got on; the windows were blacked out with their driver being a ninja, which totally went with the theme. The Fuschia Encrusted Gym Challenge was done at the Ninja Dojo rather than the standard Gym.
She was happy to see all the support of her family flooding in as an army of messages popped up with the time drawing near. Rhea would have her second badge; she needed to win so she could confront her amazing aunt and see her reaction.
11:18 a.m. – Sam: We’re heading for Vermilion right now but stopped off at a Center to catch your big match! We know you’ll kill it!
11:44 a.m. – Dad: Got your mom! She’ll be with us for the celebration dinner after; we’ll be in the crowd.
11:47 a.m. – Grandpa Drake: Yer Gran and I just sailed inta port, Lil’ Swablu! We be flyin’ ta the Gym soon. Blasted place is hold-up more than a markless map hidin’ sunken treasure! Lance ‘as got us straight sailin’. Show ‘em the Dragon’s Breath, Love!
11:48 a.m. – Sabin: Yo, did I just see Gramps ship docking on my way over? Kate says he didn’t post he was coming on PikaBook. Is Grams with him?
11:51 a.m. – Bianca: Hey, Rosy Cheeks! Hilbert, Hilda, and I should make it for the after-party. We got held up over Hoenn >.> the weather, can you believe it?
11:54 a.m. – Sabin: SNAP! Yeah, Grams is with him! Almost got sniped out of the sky so she could give me a kiss on the cheek and a hug. Haha! I love Grams. In other news, Kate’s too thin and needs to put on some more weight. Lol. She wants to die. Oh, and did Dad let you know he found Mom? They’ll be a bit late but should catch your match.
12:07 p.m. – Jason: Figured you’d be up by now. We’re over here with front-row seats! I think Amira’s parents bought out the whole row? Yup. Lyra just showed up with signs—and she handed me one for you. Nice! Hope you’re ready to go. Janine looks like she wants to be on top form, and uh… your grandparents just showed up on a Mega Alteria… with Lance? That’s not just for show, is it, Ms. Swablu? Haha!
12:09 p.m. – Auntie Cynthia: Hey, Honey Pot. I might be a little late, but I heard your grandparents are planning on making a surprise visit. Wish I could be there, but Bi is going to wave a flag for me and record it so I can hear the family cheering you on. I hope Dawn hasn’t infected you with her hair troubles. Love you!
Letting all the messages feed her flying heart, Rhea felt ready. She was a Silver-tier Trainer; her family was all here to support her, and, thanks to Jason, she felt light as air.
You ready, girls? She asked, giggling at Lulu’s cute warcry. Yeah. Me too.
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