9:45 p.m. July 27th, Monday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 47.

Events: Rhea and the girls are now on a mission to get into the Silver Bracket, pushing many others in Bronze-tier to follow their example. Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June. Rhea had her first perma-evolution with Alice!

Turning away from the somber and foreboding waves of the sea lapping against Lavender’s rocky ocean border, Rhea entered the swirling mist of the spooky city, holding Sabin’s hand. It wasn’t like she was particularly frightened, she just loved being able to walk the night with her big brother again.

She had no doubt Franky was nearby, keeping a watch on them as he’d done whenever they ventured into West Pallet Forest together; he liked to be near but not seen, as was typical of Ghosts.

In a way, she preferred this quiet, still environment to the bustle of Saffron or Veridian, and if she was to choose which of the two large metropolises, it would definitely be the place her teammate called home. Of course, she could be a touch biased.

The ghostly vibe did send chills down her spine, and the Aura peculiarities had been unsettling at first, but now that she had spent a few hours in the city, she was getting used to them; they weren’t threatening, just ominous and mysterious, and the similarities to Shauntal’s presence over the last few days helped to keep her grounded.

After a while in silence, Rhea started playing a game with herself, trying to guess what bizarre sighting she’d see next in the veil; she figured her brother still needed time to process everything he’d learned, and Rhea was happy to just have the chance to hold his hand.

However, a sudden thought made her slow her pace a tad, drawing her brother’s gaze.

“Something up?”

“Eh… did we dine and dash; we didn’t pay, did we?”

Her brother chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Know what, you’re right! Why don’t we just chalk it up to throwing the bill on Mom and Dad?”

“Yeah, Dad would have paid. Hehe. It just crossed my mind. Umm. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“That’s a complicated question, Sis,” he sighed, swapping his hand to her side to draw her in as they walked, and she welcomed the chance to be closer to her brother. “Why don’t I let you know tomorrow when we have our fright night with Kate; in the meantime, why don’t you soften her up for me?”

Rhea craned her neck to give her brother a dubious look. “You… aren’t going to seriously force her to stay here and train after we leave, are you?”

“We do gotta practice against Ghost-Types,” he mused, rubbing his chin and glancing away with a grin. “Plus, I’m not forcing her to stay; I just need to get a bit more practice in.”

“Hehe. That’s forcing her, bro—she’s your girlfriend—she’s practically chained to your leg at this point after the Muk you pulled near Mt. Silver, and I don’t blame her; you almost died to a Steelix!”

“That’s a bit overdramatized—ack!” he mumbled, but she pinched his side. “C’mon!”

“Seriously. I feel like you’ve been pushing yourself really hard lately… I’m worried.”

“Kate talk to you?”

“She doesn’t need to, but I’ll definitely bring it up now that you let me know she’s been on you, too!”

“It feels like Gulpin when everyone gangs up on me… I have to push harder.”

“I’m just worried about you,” Rhea repeated, knowing by his tone that he was probably thinking about the Plasma agent that tried to assassinate. “You told me to have fun with my friends and to enjoy my journey… Don’t be a hypocrite! You have fun with Kate, too, and not just teasing her fun!”

Her brother forced a chuckle as he looked down at her stubborn glare. “Fine, fine… I’ll schedule some relaxation time, and I’ll be sure to credit it to you, so Kate knows she’s not alone in this fight.”

“Perfect!” Rhea giggled, glad she was able to get through to her obsessive brother; she knew all too well how focused he could get when he got into this fixation mode, which was the reason for Kate’s plea for help when she’d thanked her through text. “Where’s Kate even shopping this late?”

“Lavender opens more toward noon and stays busy until very early morning when people go home to sleep; it’s kind of backward due to the perpetual fog,” her brother explained.

“Cool. It really sets the tone, I guess.”

She smiled down at Alice, Nova, and Mya, who returned it; her Fairy Pokemon was still a little nervous about the random Murkrow that would appear on dim light posts, fences, or trash cans, occasionally releasing haunting calls through the fog that made Mya shiver.

Rhea’s gaze drifted between areas, realizing they really were in the city of the dead; she could feel it pressing in on her Aura, and it was easy to lose track of time on their path through the fog. Their journey was spotted with sparse groups of people, yet she had the instinctive impression there were far more Pokemon and humans around them than the veil revealed.

Her brother told her a story he’d heard from his dad that Lavender’s unique effect on reality caused a ripple effect that isolated not only sound but people; Sabin absolutely believed they were passing by dozens upon dozens of people, hidden by the curtain of mysterious white that surrounded them.

Closing her eyes, Rhea decided Ash had probably had her pull back on using her Aura to train in this kind of environment; she wouldn’t be in a place like this for long, and there weren’t many places like it on the planet.

Sabin’s arm tightened against her side as he chuckled, likely noticing her expanding her Aura sense, and he softly commented that she was probably better than him at it with Ash himself training her.

Rhea wasn’t so sure, but she did know it was hard for even Masters to break into the Aura field, and only High Masters could even start attempting to use it to bolster their bodies; she was only in the beginning sensing phase, yet she could admit she was abnormally potent in it, such as when she’d recognized the emotions of the man in Saffron.

Mind’s eye opening, Rhea saw her brother’s warm Aura next to her, centering on the hyper-focused style Ash had been instructing her on to identify more concentrated phenomena in her surroundings. Her mouth tightened at an unusual and confusing ripple that distorted her typically pristine image.

“Woah, there!” her brother mumbled as she pulled left, unable to keep her balance. “You okay?”

“It’s just… wonky—is that the word?” she questioned, trying to figure out how to clarify the twisted environment with its unnatural colors and sensations that flowed through her like sea waves. “It’s almost like… I’m in the ocean, like really deep, and I can’t see anything, or… I can, but… I can’t. Only you.”

“Eh-hehe. Sis, I can’t even begin to make sense of it either; there’s a reason mystics and shamans are drawn to this place; it only gets worse as you get close to Pokemon Tower, too… The endless floors can be intense, and I’ve heard the higher or lower you go… things can get pretty insane.”

“It really is endless?” Rhea asked, opening her eyes and easing out of the meditative state to not get a headache.

“Seemed that way to me when I went there,” her brother mumbled, looking up at the white heavens, obscuring the stars and moon. “The weird part is… when you want to leave, no matter what floor you’re on, the stairs you find and take will bring you to the ground level. Creepy, huh? The perfect date location!”

“No! Kate will murder you, and I like you alive!” Rhea grunted.

“Haha! True. She’d never forgive me if we go bumming around the Pokemon Tower… Plus, it’s not meant for that kind of thing, and the spirits there can sense your intentions.”

Rhea’s eyes fell, knowing he’d probably gone there to see Tren, her brother’s Shroomish that he’d lost; he didn’t like talking about the incident, so she didn’t know the details. She figured he blamed himself, so she didn’t want to bring the topic up; she could now relate while looking down at her own three Pokemon.

They didn’t need to walk much further in silence because the fog thinned as they stepped onto a semi-busy street; they’d arrived at the shopping district.

It wasn’t as if people were dressed like ghosts or creepily; everything was normal, and the shops sold fashionable outfits, souvenirs, training goods, and showed off various items one might need in a house.

Kate was sitting on a park bench, focused on her phone with a small Training pack beside her that probably carried all the goods she’d bought.

The blue-haired girl wore a thigh-high skirt and spaghetti-strap shirt that showed a small section of her belly and bra straps. Legs crossed, she didn’t notice their approach, fully engaged by her device.

Rhea wanted to sigh as her brother got an impish smile, drawing away to sneak around the back to spook her, but he never got the chance as a ghostly hand came out of the phone screen, making the woman shriek and drop the device.

“Aah—Luna, again?! Cut it out… Aww,” she cooed as Lulu appeared in her lap with her puffy arms raised and trying to look scary.

“Nee! Nee! Neeeee!”

“Mi-mi-mi,” the Mismagius snickered, sleeves head against her mouth while drawing back to hide behind her Trainer.

“Huh? Sabin—you have no idea how—mmmghm! Luna has been an utter terror, and look what she’s teaching this adorable baby,” she growled, holding up Lulu, who tried to look scary again before giggling and teleporting onto Rhea’s head. “She had Luna surprise teleport me into a Muking dark alley—while holding a dress I was looking at!”

Her brother winced.

“Yeah! I had a hard time explaining that to the clerk when I got back; I was lucky they didn’t call the police… Lavender Police are scary,” she grumbled, reaching down to inspect her phone. “Haaa. Not broken.”

“My bad. My bad. Luna, you know you’re not supposed to go too far.”

“So you did put her up to it!” Kate snarled, redoubling her glare. “Unbelievable!”

“Mi-mi-mi!”

“And there she goes, running into her Poke Ball,” Kate huffed.

Rhea sat off to the side as her brother continued to apologize. She swapped Lulu to her arms, not wanting any part of the discussion; Rhea had to admit Sabin was being a bit of a Stunky with spooking Kate.

Settling down on a nearby bench with her Pokemon, Rhea smiled at her humming Cosmog as Alice, Nova, and Mya joined her to talk to the Nebula Pokemon.

“Did you have a fun time?”

“Nee!” she grinned, nodding and making several more gestures to her friends while explaining the cool things they’d done.

It was nice seeing her Cosmog try to act more like the Ghost-Type that was buried in her genetics; she really didn’t vanish from sight and appear in Kate’s lap as much as teleport into it. Still, she one-hundred percent believed she could turn invisible and was proud of it—a product of her Unaware ability, probably.

Once Sabin had offered enough apologies for Kate to let him off—accompanied by several promises, no doubt—they said goodbye, leaving him to his devices before Kate swapped benches to slide next to her.

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Adjusting her hat and positioning her long ponytail—which exited out the back—she offered a cheery smile. “Rhea! Sorry about that; Luna has really gotten a bit nasty lately. It’s not totally your brother’s fault, but she just… ugh—never mind, sorry—how are you?!”

“Hehe. I’m doing great. You’re looking cute,” she noted, making the woman beam.

“Thanks! Your brother actually picked out these clothes when we went shopping earlier; it’s probably why Luna tried to cut them,” she sighed.

“She what?”

“Yeah, she had a pair of scissors about thirty minutes ago before I took them away from her… Anyway, let’s not talk about that spiteful yandere—Mt. Silver Pokemon are the worst! Ugh. There I go again…” she groaned, scratching her neck.

“It’s okay,” Rhea laughed. “What time should I head to the motel—I have no clue what’s going on with the time here.”

“Uh… 12 to 1 a.m. is a good number to not throw yourself off too badly while keeping up with the place, I think,” Kate advised, attention moving to the waving cloud in her lap. “Hehe. Yes, you were so terrifying, Lulu; she’s adorable, by the way, and even tempered Luna a bit. Such a cutie pie!” she giggled as the Cosmog tried to make a scary face again, getting her other three Pokemon to try it.

Rhea let Kate take Lulu, who rose to the highest position on top of her hat to let her feel taller than everyone. “Yeah, she’s great… I’m kind of scared to leave her with Luna again, though, with the whole scissor thing. That’s crazy.”

“Eh-heh. I mean, to be honest, Sabin’s really tamed her down; she lived in Mt. Silver, after all, and that place is intense. Oh! Let’s have fun, though; I’m so sore… Your brother’s been pushing like—ever since, uh, you announced your push to silver, he’s been on this intense training schedule. It’s exhausting…”

She figured the woman had redirected the focus from the assassination attempt to her announcement to not bring up sour memories.

Getting up with Kate, they began wandering toward the nearest shops. “I’m glad you’re there to help keep him grounded,” Rhea whispered, reaching down to pick Nova up, much to Alice’s sadness, knowing she was now too big for such treatment, putting her in the same camp as her Steely rival.

Kate’s face softened as her eyes turned to her. “You have… no idea how much that means to me, Rhea. Hehe. I used to always stress about how much you despised me growing up; I didn’t like coming between Sabin and you.”

“Yeah, hehe… I may have had an unhealthy obsession with my brother, looking back,” she admitted with a forced laugh. “I feel really bad and immature about the whole thing now… You really are good for him.”

“Aww…” Kate scooted over to give her a one-armed hug before pulling away. “I used to be really jealous about your relationship with your brother… To be honest, I’ve felt like Jason’s been drawing away from me recently. I don’t know,” she mumbled, rubbing her arm.

“It’s normal for boys to pull away from their big sisters, I’m sure, but he doesn’t really message me anymore or tell me what’s going on… It’s hard. Hehe. I guess I’m starting to see how you felt, with your brother spending more time with me instead of you. It feels… like Muk.”

Rhea hummed, thinking about her best friend. “Umm. I can kind of feel him branching out, too; we used to talk all the time, but ever since getting in our teams, it’s been a lot less, which I guess is normal, right?”

“Yeah… growing up,” Kate sighed. “Why am I always going back to these depressing topics here?! It’s the environment, I swear!”

“Hehe. You’ve been here before, so… show me all the cool stuff. What’re the good dessert places and accessory shops? I’m sure my Pokemon would love something sweet after dinner.”

“Pwee!”

“Nee-nee-nee?”

“Mawile!”

“Lop-lop. Lopunny?”

Knowing their favorite, Rhea chuckled. “I was thinking we could try something other than ice cream this time.”

“What are you craving?” Kate asked, her Pokemon listening intently to what awesome sweets they’d be treated to.

“Hmm… Why don’t we compromise?” Rhea mused. “What about a lava cake? Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and rich chocolate sounds amazing right now. What do you think?”

“Hehe. Are you joking? I was sold on your first mention of a dessert place! I know just the spot; follow me.”

Proceeding to the small shop a few streets away, Rhea chatted with Kate about her brother and her concerns regarding his reckless behavior recently; he’d been taking a lot more risks than Rhea knew about, finding various wild area bosses north of Mt. Moon to challenge them.

The worrisome part was that he was targeting areas just outside of the Sinjoh Desolation restricted zone and places even Masters were cautious of; the Sinjoh Desolation itself was Champion-tier, meaning only Champions were allowed to enter, but really only the Legends went there, which was where she’d heard Ethan had taken her cousin’s husband to train.

It was worse than Rhea thought, and Kate almost choked on her fudge when hearing Sabin wanted to remain in Lavender to further delve into the supernatural; if he’d been going hard near the Sinjoh Desolation, Rhea could see why the woman was sweating bricks regarding him shifting that attention to Ghost Pokemon.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief when Rhea told her that she’d made him promise to be more careful, thanking her profusely for thinking about not only her brother but her. Sometimes it was impossible to get through to her brother, but he did have a soft spot for her that Kate said she couldn’t match.

Rhea wasn’t so convinced; she was sure Kate had her ways of getting her brother to do what she wanted—he hinted as much earlier. Of course, the reverse was probably also true; a tug-of-war, back and forth.

The rest of the night was spent more on a positive note, sticking to the more busy tourist areas than any of the spooky haunts. Franky showed up for a minute before being ambushed by a few female Ghosts that Rhea had met before.

The ‘macho’ Ace of her father’s mouth dropped open in shock at their appearance, which caused a ruckus among quite a few ghosts that fell out of their hidden spaces—the Grandmaster-tier girls were probably gorgeous by female Ghost standards since they were Shauntal’s—and he was ‘spirited’ away with their ominous giggles, leaving blue flames in his place that fizzled out.

RIP, Franky, Rhea mused to herself as she watched the Chandelure wink at her before fading into thin air. I bet this is the first time you were kidnapped, and by a bunch of hot ghost women. Hehe. I bet a lot of guy ghosts are on fire right now.

On their way through the streets after, Kate’s face paled as the fog thickened, with a black-haired girl in a long, black gown passing them while humming to herself; she had a similar vibe as Shauntal’s Aura, just far more open. The noise of the street dimmed with the lights.

“Don’t make eye contact…” she whispered as a Dusknoir and Banette faded in and out beside her. When she passed them, Kate breathed a sigh of relief. “A Hex Maniac; people who have gotten far too close to Ghost Pokemon… Only in Lavender. Creepy, right?”

However, Rhea’s attention was on how her Aura interacted with the city’s vibe; the confusing ripples parted to reveal a charming, happy girl with her Pokemon, and it clicked in her head when she drew too far away, making the confusing waves lap through her again.

She has a key… It can’t be understood without… I don’t know. She has access to something I don’t, which is why I can’t make sense of all of this.

“Mmm…” Rhea flipped around to stare after the thick mist the girl carried with her as if drawn to her presence. “I guess…”

Kate swiftly moved away from the topic, and after accessory hunting at one last thrift shop, they split up to reach their hotels, carrying Lulu as she fell asleep.

She bought a black, braided thread charm with four large alabaster stones that caught her eye, noticing a weird pressure from it with her Aura that didn’t feel malicious; Rhea wanted to further investigate the object, and it was surprisingly not that expensive.

* * *

Amira noticed the item first when she arrived at their hotel, and Rhea set down her backpack beside her bed, sitting down to show her friends and tell them about her night.

Lori proclaimed they’d followed Ash into some big mansion to talk to some important figure in the area, where they were treated to all sorts of dishes, each served by Ghost Pokemon. Apparently, it had to do with Maiden’s Peak and some questions he had regarding their destination.

It had been in private, so they didn’t know much, and they didn’t even meet the master of the house, which Amira thought was suspicious; Lori believed he was a ghost, which the redhead was skeptical about. Rhea had to admit, given what she’d experienced thus far, she could believe it.

Heading to bed, Rhea lay in the dark with her phone on the dimmest setting, going through her messages.

Her brother said he’d talk to her tomorrow, but Ash informed them through text that they were on a bit of a time crunch, needing to leave by evening tomorrow, and they’d need to travel at night. It was a little strange, yet it matched the vibe; he said he’d explain when they set out.

Rhea informed her parents and her disappointed brother that he couldn’t join him and Kate for the docks spook night since they’d be having their own version at the haunted peak.

Her parents told her they’d see her off, and her Wooloo friends would be here in the morning to hang out for what time they had in the day; Ash advised them to sleep in to have enough energy to swap to a more nocturnal schedule, which Alice was all far since she wanted to train in the dark.

Setting her phone to the side table to charge, Rhea drifted into her dreams, being drawn into a strange misty world of shadows and silent, smiling people; she wandered through the ghostly city without thought, unsure of what she was doing and often losing track of where she was as the ethereal people silently walked beside her until a bright light pulled her eyes open.

The occupants waved her goodbye as if saying thank you for visiting, and she awoke to Lori’s grinning face. “Hah! I think this is the first time I woke up before you.”

“Ugh… What time is it?” she mumbled, feeling her four Pokemon also stretching out and groaning. “I had the weirdest dream…”

“Sounds on brand for this place,” the Unovan girl snickered, moving to the mirror to finish combing out her damp hair. “Amira went to get us breakfast. Hannah and the others should be getting off the bullet train; she said they saw a ton of Blastoise and even a school of Feebas with a Milotic when they went under Power Bay—the whirlpools were intense, she said.”

“Sounds cool… Uh. The time?”

“Right! Hah. It’s about 2 p.m.; you slept, girl!”

“I guess so…” she mumbled, frowning down at the charm she wore before putting it out of her mind; Nova’s ears made an imprint on the sheets between her legs before she nuzzled out and Lulu floated up from atop her chest with a yawn. “Morning, girls… Eh-hehe. The drool, Mya!”

“Mawile? Maw…” she cried, gaze moving to the small group trailing off the bed to collect on the floor.

Alice was already at the window, looking out to see if it was still foggy and cheering when it was; she could practice her spotting game with Nova again to find Ghosts.

Forcing herself up, Rhea turned left and right, stretching out before heading for the bathroom. “Do we still have hot water?”

“Haha. I left you some. Don’t worry. What shade of lipstick do you think?” she asked, holding up the two options she’d apparently gotten yesterday.

“Uh… the lighter lavender since it doesn’t take away from your darker hair and dress.”

“Good choice. I was thinking about some eyeliner. What do you think?”

“I like it. Uh, are we planning on battling Sam’s group today—I thought we were, but they haven’t mentioned it?”

Lori shook her head, seemingly trying to decide what hairstyle she wanted to go with today. “Don’t think so. Jade mentioned they needed more practice and wanted to see what new games Alice came up with.”

Her Lopunny made a disappointed sound in her throat; she likely wanted a rematch. Rhea could see why her friends would be intimidated by her newly evolved bunny; she was a terror before gaining all this strength, and they didn’t know she’d been experiencing some troubles with the evolution.

“Yeah, I’ve been getting all the emojis from them from the pictures I’ve posted to my profile. Haha! Bianca wants to steal her away, and Grandpa keeps asking my mom when I’m going to get a Swablu… on my posts.”

Lori’s chest shook with silent laughter. “Old people! What do you tell him?”

“I don’t know, Grandpa! Ask my mom!”

“He’s a funny guy. I’ve seen his reactions to Iris on social media. Your grandpa is a serious fan.”

“Oh, you have no idea! I don’t know how Iris does it between my grandpa and her cousin always posting such cringy things on her posts.”

Lori’s eyes opened wider, gaze following her passage into the room beside her. “I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought Leon’s posts were cringy! Haha! Those poses? Iris loves them, though; have you seen her emulate it—and she has this cute ‘rawr’ gag she does—it’s adorable!”

Rhea snickered. “Yeah, but the boys seem to go crazy over the pose.”

“Oh, girl,” Lori said with a stare. “If Leon’s fangirls heard us talking—murder!”

“Really?”

“Heh. You have no idea! Seriously—no cap—I saw a girl faint one time when he showed up to one of Iris’ random events.”

“People are crazy… I guess I’m just different since I grew up around a ton of Legends and Masters.”

“Yeah, that would change your perspective,” Lori nodded, leaning closer to do her makeup.

Rhea closed the door before realizing she didn’t get her replacement garments; returning to her bag, she snatched the items and went back in. After washing up and getting ready with her Pokemon, she saw Amira had returned with a decent-sized meal for her, showing just how much the redhead paid attention to details since she’d been eating a lot more lately due to her Aura use.

Chatting more about how insane fans could get, Lori pulled up an online video talking about the direct correlation in Rocket sales to Amira’s big performance with Yancy. The charity funds were blowing up with the song’s popularity still trending every so often. It got a smile from the Rocket girl.

Checking out of their hotel and bringing their packs, they met up with their friends; Rylee was a little awkward when they met the group at the station—likely some lingering embarrassment from the samurai training or arguing—but quickly warmed up to them. Jade's sister seemed to be a little standoffish at first, as well; luckily, Jay helped to smooth things over with her bright personality.

Rhea learned her friends were making waves, especially after beating their team, and their ranks were jumping up due to the number of challenges they’d been receiving.

It wasn’t until they had dinner that Sam finally broke the news, showing a determined smile while saying they’d decided to not get left behind; they were going to shoot for Silver-tier, too, and declaring that they were officially their friend/rivals.

Welcoming the challenge, Rhea asked if that meant they wanted to have their next big match on the stage of the Silver Conference; her friends nodded, making Rhea realize their push for Silver-tier may be a bigger thing than Lori first thought. It seemed nobody wanted to get left behind.

Their Pokemon played a bit through the day until Ash texted them that he was ready to go, causing them to split up; Jade's sister broke into tears, hugging Lori out of nowhere and thanking her for making her dream come true of traveling with her sister on their journey. They all choked up a bit before breaking away.

Rhea hugged her dad, mom, Sabin, and Kate at the border of the city, meeting Ash; his Charizard hovered overhead, lighting their way with the gigantic flame on his tail; she couldn’t remember any Charizard—even Leon’s—that could produce so much light.

Their next destination was Maiden’s Peak—one of the most haunted sites in Kanto.