2:05 p.m. October 15th, Thursday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 128.
Events: Rhea and the girls have had an eventful 60 days of hardcore training! What’s changed? What new things have the squad uncovered? Let’s find out! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (50 days away).
Giggling as her friends hurriedly swam closer to her, Rhea spread out her heat to them, ducking underwater to see a malicious-looking Cloyster not two meters away. She smiled and waved, figuring he’d remember then if he recalled Amira the first time they’d come to the spot.
Swimming upwards, Gables and Serenity helped their Trainers stabilize, the redhead clutched her sour-mouthed Meloetta in her arms as the Feebas helped them ascend. On the other hand, Lori’s Kubfu was seemingly cheering on her Trainer as her frog supported her, pumping her fist toward the spinny-eyed Unovan girl. Nova floated nearby, tail waving at the ominous Shell Pokemon while scanning the others to see if they needed help.
Doing a quick take of the Shellder and ice covering the bottom of the small lake, she saw more than a few shells were now curious about the frantic, floating puffball flitting left and right above the surface. Rhea sent a comforting pulse to Lulu to let her know they were okay.
She got a thumbs up from her teammates as her projected heat Aura embraced them, easing their muscles, and they kicked to the surface.
“Blaah! Haha. You guys okay?”
Lori coughed, squeezing her nose and blowing it out. “Ack-ack! Not—cool, Sunshine! Blah. My nose burns now…”
“Kub-kub!”
“No, Terri. I don’t wanna race right now,” Lori said with a pained laugh. “Brrrr.”
Amira held Mariah up to take in some air before nudging her head to the limited shoreline, where they stored their surfboards. “Let’s get—ack-hah. Let’s get out and dry.”
“Sorry! Sorry!” Rhea repeated, keeping their body temperature regulated as they swam to the rocky bank.
“Ne-ne! Neee!”
Lulu followed their progress, apologizing and asking if they were okay. Naturally, Terri was already out, pumping her fist in victory. Rhea took a deep breath, pulling herself up and laughing when Lulu flew out of the sky to tackle her face.
“Haha! No, it’s okay, Lulu,” she said, pulling her braided hair to the side to wring out. “We’re okay.”
Lori sank to her back beside her, breathing hard. “Speak for yourself! My heart’s going a million kilometers an hour here. Warn a girl next time you’re about to teleport her to a totally new place—and over a freezing, icy lake! Brrrr. I want to go back to the Orange Islands.”
“Pori-pori?” Nova asked, poking out of the water beside Serenity as the redhead dropped to her back on the opposite side of Rhea.
“Melo,” the Songstress Pokemon huffed, glaring at Lulu while wringing out her own hair. “Meloetta.”
“Feebas…”
“Ne-ne! Neee…”
Amira blew out her cheeks before releasing the air. “Well… that was unexpected. Hah. At first, I thought you were pranking us, but I’m starting to think this didn’t go to plan.”
“Not at all,” Rhea sighed before pulling herself up with a groan. “Let me dry us off again. Hold still…”
Closing her eyes and releasing the tap on her Aura, she allowed a trickle through to vaporize the liquid on their skin. A light fog swirled around them from the rotating heat, pulling the cloud upward.
Mallory sat as still as a statue until it was done. “Phew! My skin’s all hot and tingly… I was afraid you’d give us sunburns or something.”
Rhea forced a laugh. “Well, I gave myself enough when I was first learning how to do this. It’s, umm… harder to do it multiple times a day.”
“Are you okay?” Amira asked, standing up to check herself. “My bikini isn’t as dry as the first time you did it, and my hair is a little damp still.”
“True!” Lori let go of a disappointed huff while standing and extending a hand to pull her up. “B-minus, Honey Pot! I expected better from our portable Flamethrower. I still think you’ve made Amber obsolete.”
The Fire Fox exited her Poke Ball with a sniff, nose upturned and tail raised in defiance. “Braixen-xen.”
A short chuckle came from Amira as she unbound her braid to reapply it. “Amber says then you can use the blowdryer in the mornings, and Gables can warm his own toes.”
“Gadier?!” the Bubble Frog Pokemon protested, no doubt wondering why he’d been lumped in with his Trainer; he jumped out, trying to reason with the haughty fox. “Frogadier-gadier…”
“Braix-xen-xen. Brai.”
“Frogadier…”
“Aww. You know I was joking!” Lori tried to laugh off, bending down to pet the grumpy Braixen, who turned her fluffy tufts to flames and made Lori withdraw her hand. “C’mon! You know you’re my favorite blowdryer, Silky Tail. I always like that little flame whip you do!”
“Braixen.” The fox’s tail tip ignited as she turned her back to the frog and his Trainer, arms crossed.
Rhea smiled and moved to their surfboard to lay atop it; the sun was still hot enough to warm them, and they were protected from the wind in their current position. “It looks like Gables and Amber are getting along. Did you guys meet up and train together at all?”
Amira laid beside her on her own board, putting on her sunglasses and lying down to soak up what was bound to be some of the last bit of sun they’d get in this northern part of Kanto. “A total of about… four days? Gables and Amber went off on their own to enjoy themselves every sec—ouch!”
The redhead winced as Amber flicked out her wand and smacked her Trainer lightly on the forehead. “Braix!”
Mariah clutched at her chest. “Melo! Melo-melo…”
“What? It’s not a secret,” Amira grumbled, taking the surprised fox’s wand out of her hand and tapping her own head with it. “I thought we talked about no more wand smacking?”
“Xen-xen.” The girl huffed, snatched her wand, and stormed off a bit away, Gables hot on her heels.
“Melo…”
“Let her be,” Amira sighed, settling back in and pulling Mariah in to lay against her chest. “She’ll cool off.”
A tad shocked at the sudden outburst, Rhea glanced from Lori, who was settling in beside her, and the redhead. Lulu mirrored her from atop her belly as Serenity and Nova caught up; their other Pokemon soon exited to figure out what to do about the fox.
“Did I… miss something? Amber was usually always so connected with you. What’s going on?”
“Jealousy and your recent buffs, Sunshine.” Smoothing out her bound violet hair across her front, Lori put on her own sunglasses and used her small travel pack to prop up her head. “Am I right?”
Amira puffed out her frustration, sounding tired. “Amber is feeling like she’s losing her place as my Starter since I’ve spent so much time with Holly and Mariah recently, and the diversity of Serenity’s Move Pool has been getting to her when they do mock battles.”
Mallory nudged Rhea’s side, drawing her attention. “It doesn’t help that one of the few things Amber took pride in, you’re able to do now, and so efficiently… as a human—oof! Terri, stop using me as a trampoline!” she growled as the fluff ball jumped on her stomach.
Rhea held up Lulu with a gentle smile; they didn’t have any such issues. “I bet it doesn’t help that I dumped you guys in the water… You know, we wouldn’t have made it without Amber—back when we were in that cave, running from that Plasma dude.”
“Facts,” Lori whispered, watching Roxie jump out to chase Terri around. “Without Gabs, Serenity, and you two… I’d be dead. I was screwed without your help since I couldn’t swim at the time, and yeah, the shrimp-fox’s fire was a lifesaver. So… we’re really jumping through the full Kanto Silver League, huh? You two ready for that Muk?”
“I think so,” Amira returned. “My goal is to have Mariah battle-ready for the big matches at the tournament. They may not be as bonded to us without Poke Balls, but I talked to my grandpa, and he said that there aren’t any rules about not using Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, so long as they meet certain criteria, which we do.”
Snuggling her puffball, Rhea giggled with Lulu. “Hear that, Fluff-Butt? You might be able to show your stuff soon enough.”
“Nee! Nee!”
Rhea sank into a restful state for the next twenty minutes, letting their Pokemon talk to Amber and catch up. When it neared 3 p.m., she started to get worried about returning to Apple City.
“Umm. Shouldn’t we start heading back soon?” she asked, staring at the sun as it sank across the heavens.
“Pfft! Muk, no,” Lori grumbled, resituating on her surfboard. “I called a cab to pick us up like ten minutes ago. Just because I can doesn’t mean I want to get back in that freezing water. I’d rather twist an Onix. No, I’ll wait comfortably here. Besides, I made some good bets while in the Orange Islands. Hehe. I’ve got some slush funds.”
Amira held her fist in the air. “Wooh. I guess that means dinner is on you again?”
“Aww… Garbodor,” Lori groaned. “I should have kept my mouth shut. Know what? Sure. If I get to pick the place.”
“Deal!” Rhea chirped. “I… don’t have any more cash than what I had when I left. I haven’t really even touched my phone… which reminds me!”
Lifting her legs up in the air, she threw them down to hoist herself up and snatched her device to take a group picture. “Say Alcremie!”
Her teammates hardly moved, holding up peace signs from their lying positions. Laughing at their dead attitudes, she figured they’d probably been training extensively over the past sixty days.
Flipping on her social media profile, she first uploaded all the pictures she’d taken while at the temple, which wasn’t much, but not nothing. Next, she scrolled through all the posts on her feed. Her toes tightened against each other as she saw all the photos Jason had sent… many of which had one particular gorgeous blonde in them; there were an uncomfortable amount of women posing with her best friend.
Stupid boys… She snarled and rolled to her side, Lulu hopping to the side of her head to pull her braid out of the way. Why is he hanging out with Korrina and Viola on the beach? Viola has a sister? No, chill, they’re, like, a decade or two older… but who are the other girls with him? Why’s Drasna there?! Isn’t she retired? Wait…
“Hmm?” She stiffened as Lori hummed over her shoulder, chin coming down on her arm to look at the holographic pictures. “What’s with all the chick pics? Someone’s trying to get someone jealous.”
“Pfft! No,” Rhea scoffed, catching Amira’s lifted eyebrow as she sat up to see her feed. “Isn’t Viola a professional photographer? Lucian sent me a message that Viola and Grant ended up getting engaged.”
“Wait, what?” Eyes widening, she choked as a particular event punched her in the nose. “Chase and Elaine! Janine was supposed to—”
Amira held up a thumb. “Don’t worry, I have it. We can watch it later tonight.”
Lungs deflating, Rhea swapped to her back again, prompting Lori to pull back and prop up her head with her hand. “I’m so disorganized. So… we’re going to go back to the city, get snacks, and watch an adorable proposal before maybe… checking out a movie?”
“And ice cream after!” Lori squealed. “Yes! Wait, are we going to watch a sap-flick?” She grinned. “I’m all for it—I’m just sayin’ that I need to prepare myself because I’m a crier.”
“I’m up for that plan,” Amira said, allowing Mariah to lay down on her chest to stare up at her phone as she browsed Apple City’s theaters. “Oooh. What about a horror romance?”
Rhea tensed up, lips drawing in. “I’m… not good with horror stuff. Uh, but I’ve never watched a romantic horror, so… what’s it about?”
Amira’s red eyes lit up as she read the synopsis. “It’s set at Maiden’s Peak! We were there not too long ago, too. Spooky stuff, remember?”
“Eh-hehe. I’m trying not to!” Rhea mumbled. “Although, the actual ghost maiden was kind of romantic… waiting for her lover for over a thousand years… Okay, you’ve got me sold,” she said, scooting closer with Lori to see who was acting in it.
“Basically,” the redhead went on, “it’s set about fifty years ago, before technology really started popping up, and this Trainer comes to the town and meets a local girl who hasn’t left Maiden’s Peak. There are a bunch of mysterious murders, and the locals think it’s him, but she believes him, and they get closer together, tracking down the true murderer… Cute! It looks like she has a Braixen. Amber will love that, but, heh…”
Lori forced a laugh. “And he has a Typhlosion… Gabs would be salty about that, but I’m sure Amber would love to wave her tail at him about it, which… could be good to help her mood, which my boy would like. Hmm.”
Rhea was already thinking ahead. “Don’t tell me they actually got the Braixen to evolve during the movie? That would be insane timing.”
Amira shrugged. “Apparently, it’s got quite the twist and a lot of good reviews. You up for the early Trick-or-Treat fright-flick?”
“I’m in,” Lori said, pulling up her own phone.
Rhea nudged her with a scowl. “No spoilers! Let’s enjoy it together. Yikes, I’m kind of scared at what kind of horror stuff is going to be in it…”
“We’ll find out soon, Our Shiny Ampharos!”
Rhea got up as she saw a notification on Lori’s phone, telling them their ride would be at their GPS location within ten minutes. “Sorry to tell you, Violet, but Kate loves Ampharos, which is why her ace is one, and why I know their Shiny color is a mix between dark violet and darkish blue.”
“Huh. The more you know,” Lori mused, scrolling down some posts. “Apparently, they’ve got another movie out about one that can’t revert back from its Mega Evolution… Yeah, let’s go to the spooky one.”
Amira seemed to have already purchased the tickets, though, because her phone was down, and she was at the edge of the pond, where Nova and Serenity were. “Hey, girls, can you go tell our friend Mr. Cloyster that someone will be coming to pick us up and not to blow them out of the sky?”
“Vap!”
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“Fee-Fee.”
The pair ducked underwater, leaving them to talk and discuss what was to come. Amber soon returned, still somewhat ornery, but some kind words and Rhea reassuring her that she could not just do this kind of stuff all the time put her in a brighter mood.
In the interval, they threw on their Trainer tops and skirts. When their ride finally came, Rhea sucked in the corner of her lip and lifted her sunglasses to glare at the Unovan Trainer. Lori grinned back, showing a helpless shrug.
“What? I chose the cheapest option that would work for our location. I’m trying to be thrifty!”
“I don’t think this counts as thrifty,” Amira mumbled, studying the sky taxi that was composed of two Pidgeottos and four Pidgeys. “But… if they were able to get their license, then they have to be at least proficient enough to get us to our location… hopefully without too many breaks or we may miss our show.”
Unlike their previous flights, they had to recall all of their Pokemon to decrease the weight, and their rental surfboards didn’t help with the weight limit. Evidently, Lori had somewhat downplayed their expected carry weight. Even the taximan was a bit uncertain once spotting the surfboards, but Lori played it off with a wave, holding up a Poke Ball.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment?”
Rhea’s eyebrows rose as she remembered there had been one Pokemon she hadn’t seen since joining back up with her team. “Zyra, she didn’t…”
“Come on out, Lt. Flutter!” Lori yelled, throwing the disguised Master Ball into the air to release a white, gray, and black-themed Corvisquire.
“Cor-cor!” she cried, flying around in circles as their Pokemon clapped.
The taximan was less impressed, looking at her with a deep frown. “If I let your Pokemon join my flight team, and something were to happen, then we both would be liable. I’m afraid it is highly frowned upon in the industry, insulting to our Pokemon, and against company policy. I’m going to have to mark you as failing to supply our company with the appropriate weight expectation.”
“Aww. C’mon, man!” Lori urged, trying to put on a cute smile that wasn’t going to fool anyone. Plus, she was a good four inches taller than the guy; little and cute didn’t work for the tall, curvy girl. “Zyra’s so pumped to try and carry people. Can’t you make this one exception? Don’t you know who we are?”
The man’s face didn’t budge. “No. And no. Please, enter the vehicle and buckle up. We may need to take a break for a safe flight. A surplus will be charged to your card for a breach of contract and failure to notify of any changes to the service.”
“What?! No way you don’t know us.” Lori crossed her arms and glowered down at the man as he shook his head.
“As I said, please, return your Pokemon and get in the vehicle, Ma’am.”
“Muk… It’s not even a big deal. Fine. C’mon, girls…”
Rhea gave an apologetic smile and waved at the man as she returned her Pokemon. “Umm. Sorry, but… these three don’t… have Poke Balls.”
The man’s mouth became a line, dull eyes darting to Lori again, now ignoring him. “Two Legendaries and a Mythical Pokemon? You must be important people… Joy. Watch me get sued for her issues.”
Amira nudged Lori as they entered, Mariah on her lap. “Strap Terri in.”
“She doesn’t like seat belts,” Lori grumbled, begrudgingly complying. “How can one dude ruin a day? Oh, I know; Zyra will just fly on her own then. Humph.”
“Lori…” Rhea sighed, sensing the negative Auras coming off of the man and his Pokemon. Lulu was tucked in her top front, hiding from all the conflict. “I get you wanted to show Zyra off, but let’s just drop it and try to focus on some positive stuff. What place do you want to eat?”
“Hehe.” Amira was on her phone as Lori buckled up a disgruntled Kubfu. “Watch, Lori lost her appetite.”
“Huh? No, I have not,” the purple-haired girl shot back. “Mmgm. Yeah, I’m a little pissy right now, but would it kill him to bend the rules a little? Bah. Whatever. No, let’s go check out some Alola places. Kekoa sent me a few places to check out.”
They lifted off the ground, and Rhea tried to zero in on the Alola boy’s party to get her in a better mood. “Wait, you and Kekoa aren’t dating now, are you?”
“Pfft!” Lori ran her fingers through her hair and leaned against the side of the box, staring at the scenery below through the glass. “It’s not like we’re going steady or anything. We’ve got plans for some dates once the Silver Cup comes around. He promises he and the boys will be ready for us. They’re going down the same route as Sam and Jay’s group, knocking out the Gyms again. Have I shown you a picture of them recently?”
“No,” Rhea mumbled, taking the girl’s offered phone. “Wow! Kekoa’s lost some weight, and, Amira, you didn’t tell me Kekipi is getting more muscular.”
Lori snickered, taking it back. “I mean, when could we talk? We’ve been out of touch for, like, two months, Blondie. I’ve been sending him video guides on dances I like, and he’s been hoppin’ like a Ludicolo! Muk… I’ve been a bit of a Jinx, haven’t I?” she suddenly growled, rubbing her forehead.
“Just a little bit,” Amira cooly responded, legs crossed and looking up Apple City’s Alolan cuisine. “Something’s got you on edge, and it’s not the taximan.”
“What’s wrong?” Rhea asked, searching Lori’s face and trying not to intrude on her Aura. “Is it… me?”
“Haaa.” Lori reached beside her to rub Terri’s ears, making her show a rare smile. “It’s not like it’s you-you, Rhea. It’s just a bit depressing seeing how insane your abilities can be. Sure, I learned a ton and did a lot of Aura stuff with Dawn, but it’s not Flip Turning flaming Aura-level Muk.”
Her purple-haired friend breathed out another sigh and gave her a sad smile. “Honesty is key in a team, and truth be told, I am a bit jealous of you, girl. I’m not saying it to be mean, but just get it in the open. Teleporting with Lulu and basically becoming a Victini yourself? Yeah, you’re incredible. We’re not gonna lose, though! Okay?”
Rhea didn’t know how to respond to that, so she sat back and nodded, concerned gaze shifting to the redhead, who chuckled.
Amira looked up and showed the graceful smile she always could put on. “Just like Lori, it is hard to see how amazing you can be, Rhea. It does motivate us to push harder. Amber doesn’t want to get shown up by a human. That being said, we love how humble and friendly you are, Rhea. It’s truly an example to learn from.”
Lori pointed at her. “Yeah, what the Rocket girl said.”
Feeling a little better with how her more eloquent teammate put her feelings, Rhea nodded and looked down to rub Lulu’s head.
“Thanks for juicing me up, but it’s not easy for me to do this Aura stuff… It can be really dangerous, which is why Ash had me go to the temple alone, I’m sure. Doing what I did is basically as much as I can do safely in one day, and without battling. I’ve got other, far more dangerous things for emergencies, but I’m not comfortable using them.”
“Good to know,” Amira said with a return nod. “I’m glad we can count on each other in our own unique ways. Now, let’s quit being somber Cubchoo and get excited to spend the day together as a team again. Who’s with me?”
The redhead put her hand between them, prompting Rhea to smile and place her palm on top of hers. “I am.”
“I make three!” Lori sang. “Let’s order a ton of food; I want to drown my feels in calories, protein, and lots and lots of sweets!”
“Kub-kub!” Terri roared, holding out her tiny hand and making them giggle before leaning in to let her join.
“Melo?”
“Ne-ne?”
Soon, their Buddy Pokemon were all in accordance, with the rest of their Pokemon spiritually extending their hands; they were a team again.
The ride back wasn’t as bad as they thought, and the taximan seemed to want to be rid of this job because they appeared to push to Apple City. Once touched down inside the Alien-obsessed metropolis, Lori offered a sincere apology to the man and offered him a generous tip for his troubles.
It was dinner at 6:15, horror-romance at 7:00, snacks and ice cream at 9:00, and discussing the flick on the way back to the hotel for Chase and Elaine’s proposal video to end the night.
The Alolan restaurant had an upbeat vibe, with the decorations and murals of the region brightening up their mood. Rhea had no clue what half the things on the menu were, but Lori and Amira seemed versed enough to help her get some good fish that was prepared a special way with the islands’ unique ingredients.
Mya gorged herself on it, Nova scolding her for not even savoring the flavor. Meanwhile, Alice was busy talking with Zyra throughout the meal, discussing some new combos, or something along those lines.
When they left, Rhea wasn’t sure she’d have enough room for dessert. No, that was a lie. There was always enough room for dessert. She contented herself to feeling sick in the morning from overeating since she was having a lot of fun with her friends; if it happened, it happened.
She took pictures during the meal and outside of the theater next to the poster, showing an attractive young actress in her twenties and the male lead in his early thirties. Their Pokemon standing back to back, with nine long shadows curling around the two pairs, cast on the beach of Maiden’s Peak.
Rhea was glued to the screen, watching Ralish, the Typhlosion, and Maybell, the Braixen, as the Pokemon leads, while Jessica and Dennis were the humans. She hardly touched the popcorn that Lori scarfed down, and even Amira consumed a healthy portion, sipping on her zero-sugar soda. When it was over, Rhea had to laugh, suppressing a shiver when the credits rolled.
“That was crazy!” she whispered, getting up, but Amira grabbed her wrist, looking at her phone. “Wait, what’s up?”
Straw dropping from Lori’s lips, she choked through a laugh. “Ack—no, there’s an after-credit scene? Don’t tell me there’s going to be a sequel! How?”
Amira smiled and nodded. “Apparently, there is.”
Rhea plopped back down on the seat, Lulu fixated on the screen, head poking up out of her shirt front. “Seriously, how? No, I guess we’ll see,” she said, accepting the final scraps of the popcorn. “I can’t believe her dad was the killer… and a Ninetales who used the murders to break his curse! Doesn’t that mean she has powers—no way that’s a coincidence with my situation, right—Amira?”
Amira’s big bun bobbed side to side as she shook her head. “I had no idea about that twist. It’s not that uncommon a story plot, though. What I found spectacular was that scene where Maybell evolved into a Delphox at that exact scene to cast Magical Fire to save Ralish, and their teamwork in protecting her Trainer from her own ghostly-fox father… Impressive. It wasn’t CGI, either.”
“Braixen!” Amber cooed, sniffing and reaching over to take one of the tissues Gables offered her. “Brax-brax?”
“Frog…”
Rhea’s mouth pulled in. “Yeah, I don’t know. Do you think Ralish died when he protected Maybell from that crazy curse her father was going to place on her? He was sent over the cliff into the water… and as a Fire Pokemon…”
“B-Braixen!” Amber cried, eyes going big as she looked up at the screen.
Amira reached over to rub the upset Fire Fox’s hand as Gables held her other. “It’s okay, Amber, I’m sure Ralish isn’t dead. He still has to get together with Maybell, right? And we don’t know if Dennis will wake up from the sleeping curse that Jessica’s father put on him. She has to be the main protagonist in the sequel with Maybell, but what—”
“Braix!” she nodded, fingers clutching her wand against her chest as she used her big tail to wipe at her eyes, abandoning the tissue. “Braixen… Braixen?!”
Rhea looked up at the screen, the crowd’s buzz hushing as the rush of waves filled the room, and she found herself holding her breath. A Typhlosion’s claws dug into one of the rocks, with a ghostly, purplish flame rising out of the surf as he crawled out of the ocean. Words popped up before the screen faded to black.
“To be continued…” Rhea said, now feeling antsy. “What was that?!”
Chatter filled the theater as the lights came on, and Rhea got up with her team, Lori on her phone.
“Yooo! Check it out, Rhea, look at this!”
Rhea took her phone to see the cover of a news article where her mother and great-grandmother were featured. “Evidence of old… Hisuian forms discovered in Sinnoh? Right… Mom was working on something up there before everything got crazy. Wait, there’s a regional form of Typhlosion? No… Fire and Ghost?”
Amira threw their popcorn bag in the bin on the way out. “Okay, I’ll say that I’m interested in the sequel. I want to know how they had the idea of this Hisuian Typhlosion.”
Lori finished off her drink and threw it in the next bin, still searching the web. “Apparently, he’s a Sinnoh native, and he was inspired by old tales his grandmother used to tell him about the land when it was just being settled. There are still artists’ works that show the Hisuian variants, but everyone thought they were just made-up myths. Cool! They have a Hisuian Zoroark that looks so sick. I need to put it on my Christmas list to send Santa Christie.”
Rhea almost spit out the last of her soda, choking and laughing. “Santa Christie? Oh, I’m going to have to text that to her.”
Leaving the theater for the ice cream store, they chatted about the jump scares and dark twists in the story, such as Jessica’s mother being dead for years and only an illusion or her best friend getting cursed with the sleep charm of the Ninetales. There was so much to speculate about.
When they got home, stocked up with goodies, Rhea jumped onto the foot of her bed and opened a bag of chips to munch on, blown away by how much she’d been able to eat. Then again, using her Aura like that did burn a lot out of her… literally.
Lowering the lights, they all sat side by side, watching Janine wink at the camera and seemingly teleport from shadow to shadow, following the two Champion Trainers. Chase played it cool, not giving anything away until the sun was setting, when they were on a terrace, and he got down on his knee.
They almost choked as Elaine lifted a questioning eyebrow and got down with him, brushing back her brown locks to scan the ground. “What, did you lose something again? Haha. You always lose things in your pockets; it would help if you wouldn’t get nervous and poke holes through them.”
Beside her Trainer, Ambrosia’s smacked her own face. “Pwe-pwe…”
Chase’s Pikachu snickered across from the Eevee, getting on his own knee and making Nova gasp, jumping down to hop up on the dresser to get a closer look at the TV.
The man cleared his throat, a weak chuckle following as he met the woman’s confused, totally oblivious light-brown eyes. “Elaine, we’ve known each other since… forever. I practically grew up in your house, getting chewed out by your mom for stealing cookies… for you.”
Elaine snorted, reaching up to brush back her bangs behind her ears. “Weird pivot, but yeah, we used to hide behind the counter and wait for her to go in to watch her soap operas. Oooh! Is that what we’re doing? We’re hiding behind the railing, looking back at our adventures. C’mon, Chase, what did you lose already? Don’t be shy!” she grinned, cheeks rosy.
Chase rubbed the back of his neck and reached into his back pocket to take out two small boxes, handing one to his partner as Ambrosia waited, tail wagging. “I put it in my back pocket so I wouldn’t lose it in the front because those are, heh, inoperable right now!”
The brunette’s cheer vanished as she saw the jewelry box. “What—a, hah, a new necklace or something? What’s up with the…”
“Elaine,” he cut off with a half-smile that said she was the stupidest woman on the planet, “you probably have the thickest head I’ve ever known, but I’m ready to take on that challenge every day of my life…”
“Pika-Pi.”
“Elaine, will you—”
Palm met cheek, Elaine going stiff as a board while letting go of a shrill shriek. Then a second one came, followed by her stumbling back, looking at his tight-jawed smile, seemingly expecting it as he coughed and blinked.
“Ahh! You—Ahh! No! No, no, no, no! You are not doing—no!”
Elaine ran inside whatever restaurant they were in, Janine flashing inside in an instant to get every angle of the red-faced, spinning-eyed brunette as she slipped and fell down the stairs and landed in a teary-eyed mess, right into Green’s arms.
The woman giggled as she took the current Champion in a princess carry to the girl’s bathroom for a breather, currently acting like she’d been hit with Stun Spore, her cooked brain trying to catch up. Once in the bathroom, Green set the brunette on the tile and got a set rag to cool her flushed face.
“Breathe, Eli… breathe. It’s okay.”
“W-What? Green?! No, it is not okay! I think—am I dreaming? I must have slipped into the Dream World—a Plasma plot… yeah… There’s no way—”
“Pwe-pwe…” Ambrosia put her front paws against her Trainer’s knee.
“What do you mean it’s not a dream?! Ambrosia, you—you… Oh, Arceus—I slapped him!”
“Twice,” Janine giggled, stepping out of the shadows and shaking the camera, further making the Champion’s face pinken. “Yup! I got the whooole thing! For posterity, hehe.”
Elaine coughed and swallowed, holding up a finger. “I’m cutting funding from Fusica Gym. Nope! You don’t get anything! Why?! Why now? What did… Oh, no… What do I do?” she wept, burying her face in her tucked-up legs. “I’m the worst!”
“There, there, Eli,” Green soothed. “Haha. You don’t think Chase knew you’d slap him?”
“Twice?!” she cried from inside her arms.
Green tilted her head to the side. “Well, maybe not twice, but hey, you keep him on his toes! We’ll consider that another Champion win under your belt! Hey… Are you going to go out there and say yes, or are you going to leave the man you love to nurse his bruised cheeks on his lonesome? He needs some tender fingers to soothe the hurt, hmm?”
“Ooh! I like that angle,” Janine chirped. “He booked the entire restaurant, and you just thought it was a normal dinner. You’re so funny, Ms. Champion.”
“Mmmgm… How was I supposed to know?” she sobbed. “I slapped him. No-ho-ho! Gah. And if our kids see that…”
Janine gasped. “Kids?! Already thinking about kids? My, you’re super down bad for him! Where is your mind, woman?”
Elaine’s head lifted, with a look of disbelief that the Gym Leader had said that. “Janine, that’s—that’s…”
“100% true,” Green snickered, nudging the crimson-faced Champion’s shoulder. “Now get that tail out there and give him a proper answer before I return you both to your Poke Balls! Git—that’s it! Git!”
“Don’t kick me in the butt, Green—ouch… Ambrosia—ack! My ear! Stop!”
“Pwee!”
“Fine! I’m going—not my ankle! Stop!”
Ganged up on by her Pokemon and ‘Trainer,’ Elaine was nipped back to the top floor, where she fidgeted, unable to look at the man in the face. Clearing her throat, Janine now fully in the open recording, the Champion of Kanto asked, “Do… you want to… start over?” she asked with a wince. “Sorry.”
Chase only smiled and got back down on his knee, rubbing his flushed cheek and working around his jaw. “Elaine, I’m proud to say that the woman I love has the meanest right hook I’ve experienced. If I hadn’t used Aura, I might not have a jaw.”
Janine and Green snickered, making Elaine groan.
“Chase, stop…”
“Haha. I can’t, Eli, because you’re just the kindest, most adorable, and upbeat woman I’ve ever known. I’d say you give Lyra a run for her credits in that department.”
The brunette’s face softened, cheeks showing more blush now.
“So, I’ll ask you again today, and if that doesn’t work, then I’ll ask you tomorrow because I know that you are the woman I want to grow old, wrinkly, and totally gross with because you are the woman I love.”
Elaine rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. “We’re Champions, Chase; I don’t think that is coming anytime soon, but… yes. I would like to grow old, wrinkly, and gross with you… as my husband,” she said, finally meeting his eyes. “Will you have me, and all my slapping flaws as a wife?”
“Only if you’ll have my nervous hands, always breaking my pockets, as a husband.”
“Pika-pi. Pika.”
“Pwe.”
Janine sniffed as Green scooted between them as Pikachu brought out a shiny red ribbon, gilded with gold.
“Then, by the power invested in me by my right as a Legend that can do whatever she wants,” Green proudly stated. “I bind you as husband and wife! You may kiss the girl.”
Rising up after putting on her ring, Chase leaned in for a long, passionate kiss, the Pikachu sweeping Nova’s mother off her feet to lean her back and do the same, ribbon tied around her tail.
With that, the recording ended, leaving Rhea feeling all warm and bubbly. “Well… what a magical way to end the night.” She clapped with Amira and Lori, knowing they’d probably have a proper wedding after, “Congratulations.”