7:05 a.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).

Walking behind Maria, Rhea couldn’t help but admire the grand temple of Regigigas that the priestess had literally built around the Titan Pokemon. She’d only been to the first few floors of the structure, yet on the fifth was a colossal open view of the hollow mountain, where the white and gold giant could be seen hibernating.

Her gaze wandered between the first-floor murals the priestess had personally etched, depicting the battle that took place in the distorted and reality-warped region, the final fight during the Ultra War when the real heavy hitters all got involved.

Regigigas was the first, awoken to hold the line when the Supermassive Ultra Wormhole opened up, flooding their world with its energy, villains, and Ultra Beasts. Her aunt had been here, Blue, Red, and even Ash. So many had died during this conflict; she remembered those days of mourning back in the village as a little girl.

“Pwe-pwe?”

Rhea blinked, looking down to see her Glaceon had become an Eevee again, asking to jump up into her arms. Lulu was swift to plop down on her head, nestling in with a few chirps.

“Ne-ne!”

Adjusting her bikini strap, Rhea giggled, knowing her Cosmog would have been happier nestling into her shirt front, but her head was a close second. She had this idea that she was the navigator, and that navigation just so happened to be wherever Rhea went; she was quirky like that.

When they reached the second level, Maria’s pace slowed as she allowed her to catch up. “Now that we’re out of the cold, how do you feel about your progress?”

Rhea looked toward the square pipes that lined the walls—perfectly fitted with the stone—circulating heat throughout the levels. It had something to do with Regigigas’ natural energy and the volcanic vents near the bottom he stood in.

Pokemon flitted about, many of which were Grass Types who helped sustain the greenery that lined the inner mountain. It was a frigid ice shell on the outside, a green garden of plenty on the inside, and all spurred on by the Titan’s gentle, thrumming pulse of energy.

Scratching Nova’s ear, she sighed. “I’m a lot stronger. I can feel it. Hah. Oof—and I need to lower my internal body temperature again,” she winced, starting to sweat. “It’s crazy being able to do that, and it’s just the simple stuff I can do with barely a thought. It’s almost like I’m a Pokemon myself.”

Maria took them down the next flight of stairs, hands held at her front while keeping pace. “In a way, you are. Are you aware that you would die if the Victini within you was extracted? She is linked to your very DNA and spirit at this point, which is how much of this is possible.”

“That’s so insane,” she whispered, shifting Nova in her arms to press her fingers against her breast to feel her heartbeat. “I can actually feel a spiritual thump there now… V is a part of me…” Lulu hopped to her shoulder to nibble on her ear. “Haha! Yes, you are, too.”

“Ne-ne! Ne?”

“Pwe-pwe,” Nova returned, wiggling closer to lick the giggling nimbus cloud.

Rhea reflected on her time with the robe-wearing woman, studying her on their journey as the priestess spoke to the various Pokemon that ran up to talk to her. Maria really was an amazing lady.

Apparently, she and her newlywed husband had been among those who first answered the call to arms; they hadn’t even had a chance to celebrate their union when all chaos broke loose. Tragically, as Rhea expected from so many stories, her husband died protecting her, and just before they were overrun by the Rainbow Rocket’s advanced force, Regigigas’s colossal hand exploded out of the earth, devastating the entire company.

Maria had long watched over the sleeping titan, yet it had only awoken once for her grandmother and once for her when Ash and Dawn arrived at the temple. However, this time was different. The Titan Pokemon had answered her heartbroken, spiritual cry for aid, awakening from its deep sleep to act as her personal guardian; the roles had reversed.

Rhea had enjoyed listening to the priestess’ bittersweet stories throughout her training. It had helped to pass the time, at least, since she was totally off the grid. She’d learned a lot from the dedicated woman since she shared a similar special bond with Regigigas; it wasn’t the same, but close enough to offer her guidance.

When they reached the sixth floor, Maria guided her to a place where she evidently came quite often since there was a meditation mat. Offering it to her, the priestess turned to look down at the colossal Pokemon inside the mountain, illuminated by a soft white light.

“Sit and resonate with Regigigas. Few can take such pressure from Victini’s radiant core; he is one of those who can. Now that you have unlocked the first gate, you can find your balance on the road through this without the harm of opening anyone else up to the dangers of it.”

Forcing a laugh, Rhea dropped to her butt on the mat and stared down at the big, dormant eyes of the titan. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to do any more work today?”

“Ne-ne!” Lulu agreed, crossing her arms.

Nova simply curled up on her lap, resting her chin on her knee while looking across the gap to the other side.

Maria sat beside her, rubbing her arm. “You’re not on trial or having to work to do anything. After last night, this is like releasing the shackles holding you down. You will understand once you begin.”

“Okay… Nova, Lulu.”

Her disgruntled Pokemon grumbled, knowing they couldn’t be near her when she did this. Lulu transferred to Nova’s back, teleporting her to the floor above them to hit the spa first. Maria calmly waited beside her, closing her eyes and connecting to Regigigas for support.

Rhea breathed out a heavy breath to calm her heart, and clearing her mind, she opened up her spiritual walls. Fire radiated within her, pulsing in waves of heat as she let her inner core flood out. Bliss filled her with the freedom of being unrestrained, and she felt something neutral respond, meeting her fire like a wall that reflected it back.

Suddenly, a path opened up, and her eyes opened to a radiance that struck her eyes like the sun, only it was herself. She was momentarily dazed by the thumps of superheated pulses that beat out of her gold-illuminated body.

“Why… is it yellow?”

Maria smiled next to her, a white aura protecting her from the flaming waves. “You’ve found your medium; the color suits you. Don’t worry about the environment; it will hold. Just take some time to understand this balance. This is what all the training has been for. From here, you can see all the gates that need unlocking. Only choose one. Which will be your first?”

Rhea didn’t even hesitate, pressing a hand against her chest. “Lulu, of course… My Victini Core needs to resonate with hers. Even with the Buddy Bond, it won’t be enough unless I can harmonize with the Victini inside her… Hopefully, I can spark her back to life.”

A sad look came over the priestess. “It was regrettable to learn how damaged the Victini Core is inside of Lulu. Still, there is hope for a recovery. Alright, if that’s your true desire, then you’ll naturally be drawn toward the entrance to that path. There’s nothing more I can teach you at this time.”

Closing her Core again, Rhea got up to be surprised by a hug from Maria.

“Woah! You’re not a hugger?”

“No. But it seems appropriate,” the dark-haired woman replied, pulling away with a proud look on her face. “Your other Pokemon should be joining us shortly, victorious in their own competition.”

Rhea snickered, relieving a scratch under her arm. She was a little confused but thankful that her bathing suit had remained unburned; the mat hadn’t been so lucky.

“I’ve been flooded so much with V’s energy that I haven’t even felt them using my Fortitude. I probably shouldn’t be tapping into it in everyday life.”

Maria shook her head as they began their journey to the 4th level spa. “Regigigas is what you kids might call a ‘cheat code’ for you. Typically, doing this without the supporting resonance of another Pokemon to apply a return Pressure would cause you to spiral out of control. That rebalancing we just did shouldn’t be attempted outside of this temple. You could hurt yourself and others.”

“Understood!” Rhea chirped, stretching out. “Alright, let’s go freshen up and eat a little before Ash shows up. I’m starved!”

Laughing with the woman, Rhea thanked her as they parted ways. By the time she’d made it to the spa, Nova and Lulu were chilling inside the Pokemon area with a few friends they’d made. Some happy chirps and light conversation later, and her remaining two Pokemon made their appearance.

Mya gave her a grinning thumbs up, supporting a battered Alice, who gave a similar weak grin. Rhea rushed out to check on them.

“What happened to you two?! Is your primary matrix down, Alice? Bad bunny! Let me get the medical herbs…”

“Lop-Lop! Pun-Pun?” she protested, looking to Mya for help.

“Mawile!”

Rhea gave the two indignant pair a look. “I get you two are proud of overcoming your big goal, but I don’t even know where you three go down the mountain.”

“Pwe-pwe,” her Eevee said, holding a wet tail to her nose with a wink that said it was a secret. Alice and Mya mirrored her with a giggle.

“Whatever. Did Nova win before you two?”

“Pwe!”

Mya and Alice glared at the tail-wagging Eevee.

“Mawile…”

“Lopunny… Lop,” she huffed, turning her head away.

Helping her team clean up, Rhea got back in the spa to soak with her Pokemon. A good thirty minutes passed before she got out to wash off and dress. It sort of felt weird to wear clothes again. Much of the last six weeks had been spent in her bathing suit due to the heat she’d been unable to restrain. Now, she had almost perfect temperature control. Although that didn’t mean it didn’t have its occasional short circuits, those were rare these days.

Halfway through a healthy green meal, Ash popped up with Mimey, wearing his signature black shades. “Wooh! I can feel the heat!” he joked, throwing up his hands and backing away. “Maria… Ah. Okay.”

“What?” Rhea asked, glancing at the empty seat where the priestess should have been; the woman often told her to eat alone if she wasn’t there. “She’s probably in the spa or something. I got out a bit ago… Will you pass the green bowl, Sunflora? Thank you!”

Ash fell onto the mat the woman used for chairs, eyeing her closely. “You really took it out of her, huh? I’ve never felt Maria so taxed before. The resonance must have been tougher on her than I thought it would be.”

Rhea’s fork paused over the bowel. “What do you mean? Is she okay? I never saw her sweat once. Meanwhile, I’m over here gushing water like I’m using Waterfall!”

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Ash reassured with a weak shrug, watching Mimey sit to join the meal. “She went above and beyond to help you come into unison with V. Melody started the process, and Maria completed the training stage. Now, you need practical experience.”

Feeling a little bad about putting the priestess in bed, Rhea renewed her resolve, setting her gaze on the Legend. “Is everyone else ready?”

Ash nodded, adding a grin. “Yup! I hear it’s about to be Lori’s birthday in the next few days. Your friends want to keep everything on the low. You ready to return to the gang?”

Setting down her bowl, Rhea stood and walked to a small platform and cleared her throat. All the Grass Pokemon stopped what they were doing to look at her.

“I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you for having us.’ ”

Her Pokemon ran up to mirror her.

“Pwe-Pwe-Pwe.”

“Mawile!”

“Pun-Pun.”

“Neeeeee!”

They laughed as Lulu went around to each Pokemon, shaking their leaves or patting their heads as she thanked them for their hospitality. Not so soon after, Mimey was teleporting them hundreds of kilometers, and Rhea blinked as she found herself in front of a familiar, alien-themed tower.

“Apple City?” Rhea asked, recalling the extraterrestrial talk she’d had previously. “What are we doing here?”

“That would be my suggestion,” said a relaxed, refined, and familiar voice.

Flipping around, a beaming grin coming on, Rhea jumped forward to hug the smiling redhead. “Amira! Wait, you got your badges made into jewelry,” she squealed, spotting the Boulder Badge necklace and her Cascade and Soul Badge earrings. Cute!”

“Yours should be arriving tonight,” she commented, directing her to the fountain, where Serenity and all their gang were posted up. “I also got the package from your mother for our new Silph camping equipment—you know, the one that acts like Poke Balls?”

“No way! I want to hear everything. Oh, but first… I want to make a quick detour before we start tackling all these badges,” she added as the Rocket Girl guided her to the others, Ash trailing behind. “I wanted to go back to that ice cave, where all the insanity began.”

Amira slowed to a stop, a frown touching her lips; her hand went to her glasses at her front, telling Rhea that it was still a sensitive topic. “We can. I expected we’d be at a crossroads, so Apple City is a great place to go in whichever direction we want…” she trailed off as Jade spotted her.

“Rhea! Oh, Arceus, I swear you somehow got prettier, and it’s only been two months. Look! Look! Mimi can control her electricity now.”

She smiled as she saw the little Pichu showing off to Pikachu and the others, tail sparking as she tapped it against the stone fountain; Pikachu mirrored her, seemingly playing a game of MOVE, where the Pokemon who had the least Moves failed. Obviously, the bigger electric rat would come out on top against the majority of the world in this game, considering his Legendary status.

“Nice!”

Getting into the rhythm and meeting with each of her friends and teammates, Rhea saw a recurring pattern between the two Wooloo gangs. She decided to ask directly.

“You… all want us to go in blind, huh?”

Sam’s lips parted, showing her crooked smile. “Yeah, we kind of agreed that you’re going to be our rivals! So, we’re not going to look at your matches, and you don’t look at ours. We’ll just send texts if we win one. When we get to the Silver Conference, we want to prove to ourselves that we can fight you on even footing!”

Hannah leaned over to whisper, “We don’t actually expect any of us not to follow each other, but the point is to give it our all. Sam just wants to be mysterious and cheat since we already know a lot of your Pokemon.”

“Shut up!” Sam huffed, brushing back her brunette hair. “Geez. What’s wrong with a little mystery? Hey, Jade, your big sister got a new Pokemon like us, right?” Her impish eyes turned to her. “Pokemon we won’t share with our friends because we have our own secret weapon!”

Laughing at all the cloak and dagger, Rhea wondered who the girl had trained with to end up like this. “I’m totally fine with that. So, we have time for a quick snack, or…”

“No can do, Sunshine,” Lori said, slinging an arm around her. “The girls aren’t taking fast transit, so they’re on the clock. Meanwhile, we travel like queens.”

Jade stuck her tongue out at the Unovan girl. “Make sure you don’t get fat and lazy from not walking, Ms. Queen!”

“Oh, I’m fat,” Lori reminded her with a grin, reaching down to pinch her thighs. “Fat in all the right places.”

“Booo!” Hannah and Jay called out. “Justice for the small girls!”

“Oh,” Sam cut in, “are you guys going to Forrest or Misty? Forrest only battles challengers on Wednesday, so… if you do Misty first, then we could meet up. It will take us two or three days to get there, and we’re doing the normal challenge since we don’t have time to wait for the Encrusted. Want to meet up there and chill?”

Rhea giggled with the others and nodded; everyone seemed to have gotten bolder since she’d last seen them. “I’m good with that, but at least let me give you all a hug before you Bounce. You’ll probably beat us to renting a kayak, so we’ll catch you Saturday or Sunday before we head off to our next destination. Wait, water—Lori—oof!”

Lori lifted an eyebrow and snorted as the girls closed in to embrace them. “Girl, you know I’m over that Muk! I bet I could beat you swimming now.”

“Cap,” Amira interjected. “You and that fat can make you float like a whale, but it takes more than buoyancy to win a race, Sugar Plum.”

“Haha! Ouch,” the violet-haired girl chortled. “Love the new nickname, by the way. Wait, why are we kayaking again?”

Rhea finished saying goodbye to her friends, spotting the three Poke Balls on their waists or backpack straps that indicated that they’d made the jump to Silver-tier. Things were moving fast. If that wasn’t enough when Dawn showed up, sadness came over them to learn the woman needed to return to Sinnoh, and that wasn’t the only disappointing news.

“Sorry, girls, duty calls,” Dawn said, pulling them into tight hugs, which included a slightly surprised Ash.

“Girl?” the dark-haired man asked with a confused smirk.

Dawn lifted a testing eye. “Oh? You can’t tell me you don’t remember the—”

“Yup! Yup! Haha.” Ash jumped forward to put his hand over her mouth, causing a glint to appear in it. “No need to repeat that incident.”

“Or that other time—”

“I get it, Dawn!” Ash laughed, drawing their curiosity. “Those were for certain—”

The cobalt-haired woman put a finger to her chin. “Wait, Misty mentioned to me that time with Erika, too.”

It clicked in Rhea’s head, making her double over. “Haha! Wait, was that when Erika was going through that bad breakup and banned all men from her Gym? Gossip brings it up every once in a while. I heard rumors that guys would crossdress to get in the door.”

Lori’s face lit with entertainment. “Shut up! The future World Champion was almost thwarted by a no-boys rule? Comedy gold! C’mon, what color wig did you use,” she asked, sliding forward to nudge his side. “Red?”

Dawn shook her head and pointed at Rhea. “No, think more… bright. Red was a different time. There was also the black wig, and the green one—wasn’t there a purple one in there somewhere, or was that the dress I was thinking about?”

“Well,” Ash jabbed his thumb at Mimey behind him, “I guess that’s our time to—Mimey… Where did Mimey go?”

Amira pointed down the street. “I think he was chasing a food truck.”

“Oh, no… Mom has him on a diet—Mimey, don’t do it!”

“Pika-pi?!”

Ash broke into a run, Pikachu trailing after him, leaving them in stunned silence at how ridiculous things got when the Kanto Failure was around.

Dawn rubbed the back of her neck, face softening with her bestie gone. “Anyway, Ash has somewhere to be, and your aunt has me jumping through loops, Rhea. It’s been fun traveling with you, but I think it would be best to do the rest on your own now that you’ve found your feet.”

Lori swooped in for one last hug. “Really, Snowflake, thank you for all you’ve done for us. You’re a real Mismagius at times, but you’ve got the heart of a Nidoking!”

“I… don’t know how to take that,” Dawn mused. “I suppose I’ll take it as a double-edged sword from that tongue of yours. Have fun and battle hard! Wait… Ash was my ride—Mimey!”

They giggled as the Sinnoh girl slipped off her heels and ran after the boys. One thing was for sure: the Legends knew how to have fun.

Rhea glanced toward her friends and motioned to the tidal area they’d visited months ago. “I know the water will be chilly, but I think I’ve got you all covered. Want to make one last pitstop before going full-on Gym Mode?”

Lori put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest. “No fear, ladies! Want to try and race this time with our Pokemon as assistance since we all have a Water Type now?”

Amira gave her a dirty look. “Are you trying to get us smoked by Rhea? Maybe if we weren’t tying down our Pokemon, it would be a good race, but no shot you think we’ll beat Nova.”

Lori stretched her arms high over her head. “I don’t know, we’ve been doing a lot of surfboarding the last few months. I’m a pro!”

“We’re surfing then?” Rhea asked with a widening grin. “We’ll get boards instead of kayaks then. I haven’t surfed with a backpack since I was fifteen. Jason and I used to go to this island and camp out to escape the village; it was our little retreat spot.”

“Cute—ack!” Lori started before it ended in a choke. “Hold up! I didn’t think about adding backpacks.”

“Too late now,” Amira said, already taking them in that direction. “Let’s see how good you are, Ms. Surf Girl.”

“Gables, mistakes have been made!”

Teasing the floundering Unovan girl on the way to the rental place, Rhea wouldn’t back down; instead, she made a bet that if they could make the full trip in a single day and make it back to Apple City, then they could leave their main pack in a hotel.

Lori’s mood brightened at the prospect, and forty minutes later, they were in the water. Unfortunately, the smug party girl hadn’t considered the temperature differences between the Orange Archipelago and the northern Kanto mountain range.

Rhea laughed the whole way to the Teleporting Cloyster’s territory; Amira actually fell in near the end, shivering as she kicked to the surface. Lori teased her a little, but Rhea had a solution.

Sitting on her board, allowing her legs to soak in the chilly waters, Rhea motioned for Amira to swim closer. “Serenity, help her over.”

“Brrr… Haha. I didn’t think I’d be the one to fall in,” Amira mumbled, teeth chattering. “I’m starting to wonder why you told us we wouldn’t need wet gear. I suppose Amber can—Rhea?”

Taking the redhead’s hand, she expanded her Aura as she’d been taught, and a light golden hue coated her body, transferring to Amira. The moment it embraced her, the girl’s shivers ceased.

“Better?”

“Woah!” Lori almost fell in herself as Gables dragged her board over. “When did you get even more superpowers?”

“I’m not cold?” Amira whispered, using one arm to crawl back onto the board. “Will it leave if you let go?”

Rhea nodded, directing Serenity and Nova to take them on a casual pace the final distance to the rocky island between the rapid riverway. “I can do it in an area, but that’s a bit harder than simply extending my Aura to a single person like this. Basically, I’m flooding your body with a tiny bit of V’s energy. Once we’re in the cave, I can evaporate the water.”

Lori snorted. “Muk! Here we’re working on simple Aura stuff, and our Sunshine here is literally becoming a sun! Geez. Girl’s practically a Pokemon.”

“Haha. I kind of am, aren’t I?” Rhea said, spotting the area where they’d camped the last time they’d been here. “Well, let’s go check out this cave!”

Amira gave her a thankful smile and let go of her hand. “I’m fine with a little cold water. Are we leaving our boards where we left the kayaks last time?”

Lori sped forward. “Sounds like a plan—check this move out—hop and a twist! That’s the play! Wooh, I’m fire! C’mon, show me your moves, Goldie!”

Rhea stood up and balanced again, Nova bringing them into a rapid speed before hitting the turbo with a Quick Attack. Hitting a slight dip in rougher waters, Rhea soared into the air to do a full 360, holding the back corner.

“Something like this?”

“Wha!” Lori’s mouth dropped open. “How did you plan that up in Snowville?!”

Doing a few more tricks she’d learned with Jason, they dropped their boards off at the spot and dove into the cold waters. Rhea calmed her breathing and sent out a fiery pulse that gave her teammates a stable temperature as their Pokemon carried them through the whirlpool to the hidden cavern below.

Once on the icy floor, she increased the output, causing her golden outline to brighten; her friends looked at each other in astonishment as steam billowed around them, yet her Aura also came with fire resistance buffs, which was convenient.

Now snuggly warm and still only dressed in bikinis, Rhea led her party through the frosty cave, only keeping the heat at a minimal range. Upon entering the main chamber, they stood in awe for a time, studying the gigantic Articuno, self-trapped in order to hatch her next generation.

“She really is majestic,” Rhea whispered.

Amira glanced from her to the Ice Legend. “You still want to save her?”

Rhea nodded. “I’m pretty sure I can once I get stronger. Maria said I can purify things, but that’s down a different path than I’m going right now. I just wanted to come and see this place again… We’ve gotten stronger.”

Lori crossed her arms, her narrowed, solemn gaze on the side cave where her brother’s Houndoom rescued them. “We have changed… I just hope it’s enough.” A soft smile came to Rhea as Lori sniffed and rubbed her eyes. ”I don’t want to be the one that hesitates. Thanks for sticking with me through Miky, this, and all my Muk… Thanks for accepting me.”

Rhea closed in with Amira to have a group hug. “I think we all have our own things to work on, but we’re a team. Promise that we’ll always stick together. No matter what. We’re in it to the end.”

“I promise,” Amira said, cheeks rosy and shivering as Rhea’s hold slipped a bit, “but, brrr, could we turn up the heater a little?”

“Seriously, Sunshine?” Lori snickered through tears. “Where’s the fire? No, of course, I promise. Let’s go all the way to the top!”

“Okay!” Rhea glanced up at the floating nimbus between them, feeding her with all the energy their current bond could muster. “Lulu, let’s get started.”

“A what now?” Lori asked, red eyes lifting to the grinning puffball.

Amira’s fingernails tightened a little around Rhea’s shoulders. “What’s she doing, Rhea?”

“Ne-neeeee!”

Rainbow light surrounded them, taking them all the way back to their surfboards… or, at least, that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, they found themselves 3-meters above the icy lake. Screaming on the way down, they smacked the water in a daze, Lulu panicking above them.

Yeah… maybe we should have practiced doing it with more people… But hey, it worked! Go us!