PoV:
1: Rhea (Our Blonde, Awkward Bombshell MC!)
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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9:42 a.m. July 5, Sunday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)
Events: The Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League have concluded; Saria Surge has become the new Vermilion Gym Leader, converting it to a Fairy Gym. It will be open for challenges on the 10th.
Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 26 Days (25 officially; 26 since getting Maya and Nova).
Rhea felt the weight of having all her Pokemon out as if Mya had been sitting on her chest all night; sadly, this magical moment of spending time with Diantha, Bianca, and her Pokemon, who could now speak to her, was tarnished by her poisonous thoughts.
Sitting with her group in a VIP room on the 3rd floor of some hidden-away café, she stayed somewhat quiet while sipping her mixed berry smoothie and listening to her cousin nervously try to ease her stress.
She internally kept her worried Pokemon at ease by assuring them that they’d do this test and then cycle between them when in the ruins; it satisfied their curiosity about exploring a new place and their need to make sure she was okay.
Rhea tried to respond to her cousin’s worries with a positive vibe, but it was difficult with how heavy and unsure she regarded her place in her family.
Bianca would zero in on her being a bit off soon enough, she was sure; her scatterbrained cousin was just so wound up that she’d be the first to initiate an exploration and research team into this new ruin.
Diantha knew she was struggling with something, but the understanding woman seemed to realize there was nothing she could do but facilitate a good environment that could bring her to address the issue. The issue was that Rhea didn’t know if it was a problem in the first place.
Her vision fell to the side of the table, where a smaller one had been brought up by the staff that tickled her three Pokemon; it had been the first time they’d been given their own little place to sit with chairs and a personal breakfast spread.
It made her happy that Alice and Mya could sit across from each other and enjoy it together; to help distract them, she’d put on the latest episodes of their Rescue Adventure TV show that they hadn’t seen yet—the season was just about over, and it was renewed for another already.
Everything was almost perfect.
Her Pokemon were starting to get along, they’d survived a Plasma assassination attempt, and Amira and Lori were opening up; plus, they’d survived their first big internal hiccup as new teammates.
Sure, Lori and she had lost an Encrusted Match, but it wasn’t the end of the road, and they had enough funds to keep going. The only other problem was her embarrassing kiss, but she didn’t want to think about that.
Rhea should have been having the time of her life—she was—and everything she’d dreamed about being free to explore the world had turned out to be just as magical as she’d hoped. Yet, all the ups and downs she’d experienced throughout the last month couldn’t overshadow the looming shadow of her entire life that was now cast in a shade of doubt.
She lost track of time in her thoughts, and before long, Diantha smoothly rose to her feet to draw their attention.
“Well, would you like to go to the entrance to discover what secrets this place holds? Steven seems to have already drained much of the water.”
Rhea blinked at the Hoenn Champion’s mention; she’d completely forgotten he might be joining them. “Oh, yeah…”
Bianca breathed in deeply before rising to scoot over and hug her with concern. “You’ve been having that look on your face for a while, Rhea… How are you holding up? Three Pokemon out at once is next to unheard of for your first month!”
Forcing a grin, Rhea embraced her back before getting up to stretch out as her Pokemon ran over to question her health, too.
“Yeah, are you doing okay?” Nova asked, hopping up, pawing her thigh to get her attention.
Her Buneary wasn’t far behind, with big, pink eyes looking up. “It doesn’t hurt? You’re not breathing like you usually do—I can hear it!”
Mya stood off a bit, arms crossed. “Rhea’s tough… I have faith in her. Right, Rhea? You’re doing okay?”
The off-handed concern of the Mawile made her tight chest worse, making her wince with her short laughter; it had only been a good thirty-five minutes, but she could feel the stress eating at her stamina now.
“Hehe. Yeah, this was a good experiment, guys… I know we could have tried it at a better time, but mind returning to your pokeballs, Nova, Mya? Alice didn’t get to sleep with me last night, so it’s only fair she gets her turn first.”
“Okay!” Nova chirped, tail wagging after she internally reassured them she’d feel better after talking to Bianca.
Alice cheered, jumping around and doing flips to Diantha and her cousin’s amusement, and, after a tight-eyed stare from Mya, the Mawile returned to her pokeball.
“Wooh! I get to hear the echoes! What does it sound like hearing yourself over and over and over again? I don’t know!”
There was something innocent about watching the eager bunny be so excited about something as simple as an echo, but it helped.
The moment Nova and Mya were back in their pokeballs, snuggling against her spirit, and using her eyes to experience the moment, it felt like she could fly; she didn’t expect that much weight to lift or how much pressure had been on her.
“Feeling better?” Bianca cheerily asked, smoothing back her bangs while looking Rhea up and down. “Hehe. I could see that puff of relief. You know, Hilbert and Hilda didn’t try having three Pokemon out for a good three months into their journey. You’re up by a whole two months!”
Diantha joined them. “It is something incredible. Hmm… there is a short entryway into the ruins before it leads into a corridor with a sealed door at the end. Why don’t you two study the symbols around there while Steven and I examine things further in?”
Bianca nodded. “That sounds like a plan! I can’t believe Steven Stone will be joining us—kyaa! I used to have such a huge crush on him—oh, don’t tell him I said that!” she added, forcing a chuckle that made Diantha and her laugh.
Rhea nudged her side. “Hmm? I mean, your mom and him are pretty close, and they’re always hanging out, looking into a lot of legends. Hilbert have some competition?”
“Rhea! You know I’m not the cheating type,” Bianca huffed, making Rhea snicker. “You always love to tease me about him, but he’s just my teenage crush. That’s all!”
Diantha held her hands behind her back with a secretive smile. “You aren’t the only one who has admired the Hoenn Champion; he’s quite popular in Kalos. Of course, Wallace also has his dedicated fanbase. In any case, we shouldn’t keep Steven waiting too long.”
“Fashionably late?” Bianca grinned.
“Cuz, hehe, I don’t think Diantha follows that fashion!”
The Champion glanced at her relatively simple watch that held a subtle elegance with her outfit. “I am the more punctual type, yet I have been enjoying the amount of time I’ve had to linger as I please over the last few days.”
Rhea didn’t even feel the typical teleportation queasiness as Alizée transported them in a dazzle of lights through Cerulean, ground, and the ocean waves to the secreted-away ruins on the coastal shelf of the Floral Lagoon City.
A chill ran across her skin as she breathed the thick atmosphere, and her eyes widened as the grand scope of the entrance momentarily silenced the fears clouding her mind.
Parts of the grand, three-floor structure were still dripping water, revealing pictures and scripts Rhea distinctively knew from her mother’s bedtime stories revolving around the ancient and mysterious people of Pokémopolis—one of the few people that predated the Unown language and developed their own.
It was likely over 10-meters tall, and dozens of wild Water Pokemon hung around the entrance; Steven seemed to have convinced to allow them to disturb their home by their curiosity instead of hostility—typical Champion behavior of working with the Pokemon of an ecosystem.
One interesting mural caught all of their attention just above the stair entrance leading out and into the sea.
It depicted a rain of colossal meteors raining down on some floating city, yet a blue-tinted glow surrounded the metropolis, protecting it from the deluge of fiery rocks, with five giant, unknown Pokemon at its center, surrounding some more Pokemon Rhea didn’t recognize.
“Wow!” Bianca whispered, spinning in a short circle to take everything in. “This is… so intact! I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Pokémopolis structure so preserved!”
“Unusually late, Grand Duchess.”
Rhea turned to be surprised not only to see Steven Stone and his shiny Metagross—glowing with psychic energy beside a Porygon-Z—but also her grinning aunt.
Another woman with silvery-gray hair, done in the hime-style, and wearing an elegant, old-fashioned black and white outfit, stood beside the man, adjusting her rose-themed hat while scanning the murals with interest. To their shock, a Celebi floated near the ceiling, examining some scary-looking Pokemon drawings.
“Aunt Cynthia?!”
“Mom?!”
Diantha chuckled, definitely knowing the Sinnoh Champion would be there to greet them. “We had a lovely breakfast. How was your trip?”
“False alarm,” the elegant woman hummed. “Wish we could go back to check this place out when it was still active… Too bad it’s too dangerous for the timeline.”
Rhea rushed over to hug her aunt with her cousin as Steven nodded at the mysterious figure’s statement.
“It would certainly be fun, but archaeology would be pointless if you could just zip through time as you pleased. Hehe. One gem removed from its place in time could destroy an entire world. Shame.”
“Hmm. Well, I gotta get going. Thanks for the help, Sin-Sin.”
Cynthia gave her a side-long smirk. “Don’t go getting in over your head again, Virgilia.”
“Me? I’m invincible… most of the time. Tell Lyra thanks for me,” she returned, holding up a thumb as the Celebi circled down with a low hum before creating a helical chain of light, and when it cleared, both were gone.
Not even wanting to know what madness that was about—it would probably hurt her head—and having an ancient Pokémopolis structure to explore, Rhea’s mind returned to what the Kalos Champion had said earlier.
“Uh… wait, can’t you just teleport us inside?”
Her aunt bent down to hug both of them, being far taller than Bianca and her. “When dealing with a military civilization like Pokémopolis… it pays to be cautious. Right, Diantha?”
She caught the glint in Cynthia’s eyes that made the Kalos Champion force a laugh.
“Yes, well… I could have been a tad more cautious, having Alizée psychically scan the facility. I grew a bit too excited, I suppose; this is my first experience with being the forward exploration party of an ancient ruin.”
Steven rubbed his chin, studying the markings. “Can’t help what’s in the past—heh, ironically, seeing as we just witnessed a Celebi transport someone through time. What did you discover?”
Alizée cleared her voice, smiling down at Alice, who was a bit overwhelmed by the strange environment, keeping close to Rhea. “There is a defensive matrix inside; the resistance was a surprise, but it seems to have weakened over the many millennia. I determined ten floors with great psionic distortions at the center of its last level, making further inquiry impossible.”
Her aunt patted Rhea on the back and gave her a grin. “Well, half the fun about finding these little treasures is discovering how everything works and the lore behind it! You up to do some translations, Bi?”
“Mom…” Her cousin glared at the smiling Champion. “I know you can just glance at this stuff and know exactly what it says, and you probably know how to open it.”
“Mmh… I wouldn’t go that far,” Steven mused, casting his eyes about. “So far as your mother and I have concluded—”
“Hold up, Stone!” Cynthia interjected. “Well, Bi—what do you think?”
Rhea had to giggle at how well Cynthia knew her daughter; Diantha had a studious look on her face as her eyes wandered between their exchange more than the ruins themselves.
“Uh… hmm… Give me a second, Mom! You guys have been here cheating and getting a head start. Let me at least look around a bit—I haven’t even seen this supposed door in the back!”
“Fair! Fair!” Cynthia laughed, winking at Rhea. “Well, we’ll leave you two to explore while we discuss some Champion business. A lot of stuff has been happening lately, and it’s good to get others’ opinions.”
“Alright, talk to you in a bit,” Bianca said as the three Champions waved and retreated into the hallway further into the ruin.
Alizée motioned to her overwhelmed Buneary. “Why don’t you join me, and we can explore the higher areas with our friends up here?”
“O-Okay…” Alice mumbled, stomach probably swirling as a glow surrounded her to join the Metagross and Porygon-Z. “Rhea! Rhea, I’m flying!”
“Haha. Have fun, Alice.”
Rhea jogged after her cousin as she took in their surroundings, looking for a place to start. “Umm… Bi?”
“Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah, I can explain some of—”
“No, umm… I just wanted to talk to you about something that’s kind of… bugging me.”
Her cousin’s blonde eyebrows drew together as she turned to study her instead. “Oh… yeah, what’s going on… That bad, huh?” she asked upon seeing her shifting eyes.
Taking her hand, Bianca guided her to what appeared to be an ancient bench that was mostly dry. “Okay. You have my full attention.”
Mya and Nova listened carefully, the envy toward their younger party member fading away.
Rhea rubbed her cousin’s fingers in her lap while trying to collect herself; all the emotions she’d been suppressing were bubbling to the surface. “Bi… What if I’m a genetic experiment?”
“Hmm…”
She looked up to see Bianca’s lips pull in, dissecting her question, no doubt.
“You’re… going to have to give me a second to process that. Okay?” she asked, sincerity making Rhea nod, her heart burning with apprehension.
Her cousin wasn’t the type to just brush someone’s concern off, and she took her question seriously, which was why she needed to talk to her about it.
The sounds of dripping water and whispering Pokemon started to fill the space with Alice’s thrill at being able to run up walls and upside down.
Bianca’s eyes fell to their laps as her fingers tightened around hers. “I don’t know why you asked that out of the blue… but if you’re wondering if it would change anything between us, it wouldn’t. Not that that’s the case, but just to get that out of the way. You were my sister when I needed someone the most; nothing will change that.”
Her cousin’s compassionate smile brought tears to Rhea’s eyes as she shifted to face her on the bench. “Talk to me; I’m here to listen.”
It felt like her heart was breaking in two, and she didn’t even really know why. Saliva sticky in her throat, Rhea removed one hand to rub her neck as she tried to work through her feelings.
“I’ve heard it all my life… Heh, jokes passed around—you know—my mom’s a super-genius geneticist and breeder. I just brushed it off, but… but ever since I started this journey and actually got out into the world—hung around normal girls… well, heh, I guess Amira and Lori aren’t your typical girls…”
Rhea’s memories brought a reminiscent smile that helped to stabilize her ripping heart. “Girls like Sam, Jade, Hannah, and Jay… I’ve been going to so many new places that I only saw through videos, and… and in the past month, I’ve seen more people in person than I have in my entire life combined. It’s been so overwhelming…”
Bianca supported her with a nod and smile, letting her know she was following along.
“Well… You know how I don’t like to eat too much, right?”
“Mhm?”
“I guess I’m… really not normal. It’s only really been my dad and brother—you for a bit—but I’ve only really known a few people day-to-day, and I didn’t think much about it; about not eating for a week or two at a time—sometimes three.”
Her cousin forced a chuckle. “That’s news to me; I just thought you ate at odd times when we were apart, yet you still made food with me to help me cook?”
“Yeah… Well, it caused some trouble with my teammates… I know they’re just trying to look out for me, and we got through it,” she whispered, casting her eyes around for no particular destination while trying to solidify her thoughts.
“I just… started to think maybe I can’t be normal… genetically or otherwise. Mom gave me enhanced Pokemon—not that I dislike that, but it just…”
“Doesn’t help how you’re feeling?”
“No… it doesn’t. She also gave me these… human evolution stones, and she said they wouldn’t really work on Amira and Lori, so she’d need to kind of tweak things to give to them. Everything’s just kind of… falling into place, and I don’t know what to think. Am I just some fertilized egg… genetically shaped and… and Dad’s not really my dad… I don’t know!”
Bianca’s arms closed around her as tears came to her eyes, pulling her in to whisper, “Just really confused?”
“So confused… Why didn’t my mom ever try to deny it whenever people would make those jokes? I’ve thought about it, and she never has—just lets it slide. Why wouldn’t she tell me if I am? Why hide it—not telling me is hiding it, right? So… why hide it unless I’d be upset? Are you my cousin? Is she even my mom?”
“Rhea…”
“I know she loves me—I do, Bi,” she sniffed. “I know Aunt Cynthia loves me… I know Dad, Sabin… everyone loves me, but… Who am I then? Why hide it? Was I just a science experiment that she got attached to? What’s going to happen to me in the future? Will I spontaneously turn into a Pokemon—e-evolve or something—die early? I just don’t know, and it’s ripping me apart!”
Bianca didn’t say anything, holding her and listening to the pain she’d been bottling up the past hour; it kept running circles around Rhea’s heart and mind, drawing more questions with every new piece of doubt that crept into her chest.
Nova and Mya were a mess, hugging her spirit without a clue what they were talking about, and her erratic emotions caused Alice to jump down to run over and jump into her lap, bawling while spiritually asking who she should beat up.
The others kept their distance, and Bianca’s pushed-up sleeve wiped away her messy cheeks after a few minutes. “I can’t give you answers, Rhea… but I can love you. If you want me to talk to your mom or get my own—you know she’d be on your side. You’re, heh, more my sister than my cousin in any case, right?”
“Bi…” Rhea’s chest convulsed as she leaned forward to bury her head against her collar bone. “What do I do—how do I even ask my mom that—how can I… Could I even hear the answer?”
Holding the back of her head, she felt her cousin take in a deep, controlled breath before easing it out. “You’re a strong young woman, Rhea… When the time’s right, I’m sure you’ll know what to say, and if you need help, you have a whole army here to support you. No matter what, you’re never alone.”
Drawing back, she saw her cousin’s red and puffy-faced smile. “What if I’m actually an alien Clefairy that she stole and turned into a human?”
“Huh? Hehe. How did—hehe—how did you come up with that backstory?”
Rhea shook her head. “No, you don’t understand—there’s alien Clefairy abducting people—or what if I was a human-Pokemon fusion experiment as an egg with DNA, and I start turning into a Pokemon like—like that story about Bill! Is that why I love Fairy Pokemon so much? I am one—like that one Kalos Fairy Gym Leader Valerie wants to become—but I am one!? I don’t know what I should think, Bi!”
“Rhea… Hehe. I think you’re letting yourself get a bit carried away, girl… Why don’t we stick to the fact you’ll always be my family… no matter what.”
The dark clouds covering Rhea’s heart cleared at her cousin’s laughter and declaration; it almost seemed silly now, but she still had to know. Anything was possible when it came to her mother, and now that the question was in her mind, she couldn’t just close that box again.
A slight grin lifted her wet cheeks. “Even… if I’m a terrible Legendary Pokemon that’s been sealed away in a human body—or an Ultra Beast that came to destroy the planet?! I could suddenly lose control and start causing all sorts of trouble—what if I’m the second advent of the Hoopa Event?!”
“Now you’re just getting ridiculous!” Bianca laughed, jabbing her shoulder. “Feeling better now that you’ve been able to talk it out?”
Her vision fell to her lap to see her big-eyed Buneary looking to be comforted as she rubbed the slightly sore spot; Rhea nodded and hugged Alice to her chest with her other Pokemon surrounding her spirit.
“A bit better… Thanks for listening to me and not thinking I’m totally crazy.”
“Mhm. I’m always here for you, Hun,” her cousin reassured, moving in to kiss her cheek and hug her; she squished Alice a bit with the pressure. “Going to ask your mother?”
“Probably… I’ll think it over and decide by the end of the day. Wait… I think Sam and the others are supposed to be arriving soon?”
She took out her phone and grimaced as it showed no service; of course, there wouldn’t be service in a sunken ruin. “Guess I’ll check out Pikabook after this.”
“Cool! Want to help me figure out this puzzle before my mom tries to quiz me?”
Rhea lifted an eyebrow while scanning the cryptic ruin—or temple, she didn’t know what to categorize this place as. “Bi… My mom told me a ton of stories growing up… but I have no idea about any of this stuff besides recognizing it’s Pokémopolis’ language. Uh… that one kind of has a Mew appearance!” she laughed, pointing at the center of the mural above the doorway.
Bianca hummed, studying it with a lifted eyebrow. “Now that you mention it… it does look somewhat similar… if bigger and more…”
“Human-like?” Rhea teased, nudging her side. “What if this is where my backstory all began!”
“Hehe. I’m glad you can joke about it now,” Bianca mused, getting up to stretch and clear her cheeks. “Okay. Want to listen to me try to explain it and tell me if everything makes sense?”
Rhea followed her example, shooting her cousin a sly smirk. “My answer will be the same no matter what you say… Uh, sure!”
“Hehe. Indulge me!”
“Okay! Okay! I’ll try to follow along, Ms. Musharna.”
Shooting a leery stare her way, Bianca hummed. “I don’t know if you’re calling me a brainy psychic or a sleepy head.”
“Both!”
“Hehe. Fair.”
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