6:57 a.m. October 25th, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 138.
Events: Rhea and the girls are on a Badge Hunt, trying to get all the Kanto Encrusted Badges before time runs out! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (40 days away).
A cold, wet nose nuzzled against Lori’s armpit, making her groan and flip over in bed. “Five more minutes, Roxie. I’m…ack!”
“Ruff-ruff…”
Flipping right off her fancy queen-sized bed to eat a face full of fluffy carpet, she puffed her lungs and deflated them in a long stream while twisting onto her itching back. She tried to ignore it like she usually did in the mornings, staring up at her Pokemon. They leaned over the bed, looking down at her with impish grins—once again, she was looking at the foot of her bed.
“You guys suck… Terri!”
“Kub!”
The Wushu Pokemon jumped high into the air, striking a pose and doing a twist before launching a full-blown Body Slam! Well, without the Energy. She landed squarely against her squishy stomach, making Lori giggle and pull the Kubfu up to rest against her chest.
Returning the energetic Pokemon’s serious staring contest, she didn’t blink. “What am I going to do with all of you?”
“Kubfu!”
Terri reached up to squish her cheeks and used her feet to try and tickle her belly.
“You are the worst cheater! I’m not going to laugh… I’m not!”
“Kub?”
“Ruff-ruff!”
“Squire-Corvisquire!”
Lori knew without a doubt the Impish bird had put the martial arts Pokemon up to it, and she had been getting Roxie wrapped up in her deviant behavior recently. Zyra was becoming a real master manipulator at getting the other Pokemon to cause trouble with her. Miky had absolutely adored the bird when they’d hung out together.
“Bah! You win.”
“Kubfu!” Terri cheered and pushed against her chest to flip into a backflip, land on her stomach, and give her a peace sign. “Fu-fu-fu! Kubfu?”
“Oof—haha. Sorry, little girl, but you can’t enter the Gym Battle yet,” she soothed, rubbing her head.
“Fu…”
Her cheer dampened, thinking she’d get a pass for winning a battle against her, no doubt. The innocent and earnest Legendary was really getting anxious, and it was beginning to spread to Lulu. It had to be Jason’s cute Pikachu’s influence. The smooth man’s electric mouse had really sparked a fire in their Buddy Pokemon since he was already battling Gyms.
“I know. I know,” she soothed. “We’ll see. You’re just too strong! Your Rock Smash literally pulverizes giant rocks with your Legendary Energy. It’s why we spent so much time learning moderation while training with Dawn; we need to be careful.”
“Kubfu.”
Lori saw the sad faces of her two other Pokemon as Terri hopped off her stomach, head low. “Hmm. Tell you what…why don’t we give it a shot today? The worst that can happen is that we’re told no, and it’s against Erika, right?”
“Fu?! Fu-fu?” Terri questioned, jumping over to hug her arm. “Kubfu!”
“I can’t promise it will happen.”
“Kub-kub!”
She rubbed her hyped girl’s head as she communicated that she knew it was a long shot.
“Okay—eesh.” She hissed as she tried to push herself up, only to have her head jerk back since her fat butt had landed on her hair. “Ugh. What a way to wake up… The Ruby Overlord said we could sleep in today, though. Our Battle Time is 4 p.m., and…it’s 7 a.m.”
She shot a pouty look at her suddenly preoccupied Pokemon as Roxie went to dig out her Trainer Closet to set up for her to pick out an outfit. Lori got up, stretching out her chest, arms, and tingling back before tipping over to fall on the bed with a grunt.
“Mmgm… Two more hours. Please? I’m still feeling a little blah after sneaking some of that alcohol last night. Hehe. No one even guessed! Mmm.”
She frowned, breathing into the silky sheets of the bed as Zyra landed on the back of her head. Rhea’s shining smile, dancing and joking around with her mother, smacked her sluggish brain, and a bit of guilt ebbed into her heart.
“Why doesn’t it feel good to break the rules?” she complained.
“Corvisquire?”
“Yeah, I don’t know,” she grumbled, making the bird flutter to her breast as she flipped over to snatch a pillow, covering her face and blocking out the sun; it reminded her of the wholesome blonde duo again while Zyra hopped around her front, asking what was wrong. “Cass and I used to get into so much trouble…but she’s off having a fun time with her team…”
“Rockruff?”
Letting her arms collapse against the bed, she felt Terri and Roxie jump up on either side to poke them until she answered their inquiries. She was not trying to broach that subject, though. It was starting to feel too real.
“…Hey, can you guys let up for a second?”
“Squire…”
“Kub-kub?”
“Roxie, can you get my phone? And no, I’m not mad at you guys. You know it’s something else—it’s stupid…”
A few seconds later, she felt the rectangular crystal device drop into her hand. Pulling off the pillow, she saw her concerned Pokemon clustered across her chest, hugging her.
“It really is stupid, guys…really dumb.”
A sad smile lifted her lips as she brought the device out of hibernation, and the hologram display of her notifications popped up. One quite cute and developing photo came on screen.
“I can always count on Kekoa to message me in the morning… He’s really growing out of that teenage fat. His dancing is improving, too. It’s crazy he’s grown to be as tall as me now…and he may still grow an inch or two in the next few years. I’ll…respond to him later.”
She sucked in her semi-chapped bottom lip while looking through her other messages. No text from anyone in her family. Rhea and Amira said they were getting ready for breakfast to bring back to Christie since she was knocked out snoring when Rhea had checked on her. It was super cute and wholesome.
When she switched to social media, her inbox was blown up with notifications—that was the usual when you now had over eight million followers. She was nowhere near her other family members, but she didn’t post all that often like they did.
Once again, nothing from her family, but their feeds came up. She hated the sickening twist she got while scrolling through her sister’s history. Ellie, Inoa, and Cass seemed to be having a blast with one another. They were on their way to Viridian City to obtain their last normal Silver Badge to qualify for the Silver Cup; the trio hadn’t taken the Encrusted Challenge like them.
“Cass hasn’t called me in a while… That’s weird. Shauntal has been pretty busy with her writing and League stuff, too. Why…am I so stupid? Am I really the clingy one, girls?” she asked, shifting to her side to let her puppy nuzzle her hand. “Len’s off doing his own thing. I thought he’d come back with Jason…you know, hang in Celadon and get into trouble with me. Huh.”
Rubbing her prickly arm, Lori wasn’t particularly feeling up to sleeping more now.
“Know what we need?! We need a pick-me-up! Right? C’mon, girls, let’s get ready—and what’s this?”
A wry tilt came to her lips as she noticed a folded piece of paper that left a badly spelled and written letter. She picked it up with a fond vibe touching her depressed heart.
“Ello, Wiwi, fluff tail jump off water board firer tail. Stick tail take long tongue. Kidnap randsom nothing.”
“Kub?”
“Ruff-ruff?”
Zyra shrugged as the pair looked at her. “Cor-Cor.”
Clearing her throat, Lori translated the questionable random letter, with some creative liberties, of course, for her confused Pokemon.
“Ahem! Hello, sleepy butts! It is I, the most beautiful and shiny fox in the world! During your restless tossing and turning, I have taken the long-tongued stud with the hypnotic powers of my ruby eyes—just like my gorgeous Trainer!”
“Kubfu?!” Terri gasped at learning their frog had been taken without any of them knowing; she still hadn’t figured out it was Amber. “Kub!”
Roxie and Zyra glanced at each other with smirks.
“Rock-rock.”
“Squire.”
“Kub?”
Lori went on, keeping herself afloat. “I have imprisoned the smooth frog in my tail of fluffy fire, and he will never want to leave! There is no need for ransoms because I already have what I want…his long tongue!”
“Kub!!!”
“I’m joking!” she laughed as Terri jumped onto the bed and threw his fist in the air for vengeance, calling them to go after the girl who would dare take Gables’ tongue. “I’m joking, little bear! Amber just kidnapped him for a date. She’s a pretty aggressive fox, after all.”
“Fu…”
The Kubfu plopped down on the bed with a huff. She was all wound up, and Lori could feel the legendary energy within her building with all her excitement. Her girl was ready to bust down a door and get to business.
“Alright…enough playing around here. Let’s get dressed for the day and go check out some tables! Gamble at night and gamble in the morning, baby; so what if we lost 15k last night? We won 14k! Rhea should have kept going when she was up—she had lady luck on her side!”
Lori waved off the concerned looks her three Pokemon gave her; it wasn’t like she could explain herself. A quake ran down her mostly bare back, and she adjusted her bikini top that she usually slept in before reaching around to run her fingers across her slightly bumpy skin.
Her throat constricted, fighting dark things from resurfacing in her mind. When had the pressure mounted her chest and pressed down? She fought back tears while moving to her expanded wardrobe with a laugh, yet when she saw herself in the mirror, all she saw on her face was disdain.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she couldn’t help but let her gaze slide down her too-large curves, the slight bulge at her sides, and her too-long legs or thin fingers. She had such a deformed body…it made finding clothes a nightmare.
Look away, stupid…don’t look at it… She cursed while lifting her fingernails, seeing they needed a little attention. Amira’s are always perfect. I should wear gloves today… Yeah, I should wear gloves, and why do I have such weird elbows? Stop it!
Lori turned around, stumbling a little with her Pokemon hugging her; it was hard to keep the thoughts from running rampant in her brain, though. Her thoughts weren’t weaving together right, taking her back to her middle school days, where people talked—people talked way too much. She didn’t want to, but she found herself on her bed, pulling up pictures of her and her teammates.
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Side by side, she felt the walls breaking, closing in around her while zooming in on their faces, legs, feet…everything. Stockings would be good to cover my legs and feet. My thighs are okay…what is up with my neck, though? If I wore a choker like Amira sometimes does…would it make it look too fat or long?
“Mmmgm!” Throwing her phone to the side, she pressed her nails into her thighs, breathing heavily and trying not to leave any marks. “Why do I care?! I shouldn’t… Why is this coming back? I’m over this…I’m over it. No one but you thinks you’re ugly, so…shut up brain!”
“Ruff?”
Lori only partially heard Roxie’s voice and her nudges, catching herself in the mirror again, red-faced, tear-strained, and sniffing back snot.
I’m such an ugly crier… I can’t cry in front of anyone. Muk! Why am I thinking like this again… It’s all lies! Lies I tell myself… It has to be lies… Does Kekoa think I’m pretty…or is everyone just telling me that like they did in school? Arceus—get over yourself! You’re not in school; I didn’t feel this way yesterday! Just…stop. You’re beautiful…you’re beautiful… Is my burn coming back?
Getting up, she shifted to the side to look at the slightly discolored grafted skin just above her fat butt to her shoulder blades. It looked smooth…but it didn’t feel smooth to her. She could still see the burning embers infecting her soul itself, always returning, always igniting the pain.
“Kubfu!”
“Lori?”
“Squire-squire!”
“Guys, I just—can I get a little quiet right now…”
“Lori, are you crying?”
Electricity ran from the tip of her toes to the crown of her head as her blurry eyes darted to the headboard, where her phone had landed. Roxie was playing with it, and a supermodel’s face was projected out of the crystal—her mother. The sounds of stage crews and sets of men and women came from the background.
“Roxie!” Lori choked, stumbling forward and hanging up on her mom’s confused face, which was quickly rising degrees of concern. “Why did you do that—that’s…that’s not what I wanted!”
“Ruff, ruff… Rockruff.”
“Corv-corvisquire.”
“Kubfu!”
“Muk, no, I get you didn’t know how to help,” Lori cried, her body beginning to shake as everything came crumbling around her. “She’s…she’s not going to call back, though… I can’t handle her right now… What am I supposed to do?”
Curling in, her arms closed around her sides as tears fell down her cheeks, and just as she expected. Not several seconds later, rainbow lights danced across the walls, bringing her gorgeous, adopted mother into the room, a well-dressed masked man beside her; without staying more than a few seconds, Will was gone.
Not a word was passed between them as her mother studied her for a moment, sat down next to her, and leaned against her shoulder so as not to stimulate her back. Lori averted her eyes, and Lumica, her Umbreon, exited her Poke Ball, closing the dresser to block off the mirror.
“…I’m fine, Mom. It’s just…a phase.”
Her mom rested her head against her arm, being much shorter than her. Lori tried not to look; she didn’t want to see the half-revealing model outfit she’d been doing shoots for that would remind her how beautiful she was.
“Even so, I’m here for you, Mallory. As long as you need. You’re not alone.”
Fingers curling in, Lori tried not to cry, but she couldn’t dam off the heated geyser rising up her nose and into her eyes. “I just…try too hard. I’ve already been over this with the doctors in Unova. It’s just an episode…”
“Mhm… I know. I should have been here sooner. I may not know exactly what you’re going through right now, sweetie… I know I should as your mom, but I don’t… I’m here for you, though. So…when you’re ready, I’m here…”
Gradually, Lori unknotted her right hand, allowing her mom’s fingers to close around hers. “…Aren’t you busy?”
“Yes. I’m busy with my daughter,” she softly replied, and Lori felt happy to at least have Lumica nearby, helping to calm down her Pokemon. Her mom was as honest and blunt as ever, which brought a smile to her lips. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I forgot you girls were skipping the train and just going to teleport to Celadon. Where’s Gables?”
“Having his date ruined by his Trainer,” Lori huffed. “That note over there—Amber stole him during the night to have her way with him. He’s probably running back to check up on me… It feels like it.”
“Okay,” her mother whispered, applying more pressure to their joined shoulders. “I’ll send Lumica over with your girls to provide defense. We don’t need his wet kisses, huh?”
“Haha. No, but he makes for a killer tear cleaner…”
Her mom chuckled as her Umbreon led her Pokemon out to tell Gables she’d be fine. She would be. No, she was fine right now! She just needed a few more minutes…hopefully.
“…Why is my brain on the fritz today? It’s totally the worst time. I’m supposed to fight Erika today… I guess the doctors would say I’m trying to avoid something, huh?”
She felt her mother’s shrug. “Maybe. How are you feeling?”
“Humph. Icky…stupid… Not your daughter because I’m too ugly.”
“Hmm.” Her adopted mom twisted her hand, squeezing it lightly. “I felt ugly growing up, too. You know I was bullied…Will, Green, and I were.”
“Hah! Yeah, when you were kidnapped and grew up under the Masked Man’s Assassin School. Sure. Real normal life there, Mom. The guy who got away!”
Her mother didn’t speak for a bit, rubbing her thumb with hers. “…I eventually did discover who he was and closed that story in my life. At least…I thought I did. In reality, it took some years later for me to reconcile with all of it. Every girl goes through their own personal hardship. You’re not alone, Lori. So, when you’re ready, I’m here to listen.”
Puffing up her cheeks, she let it blow through her lips, trying to find some form of inner peace. Just looking at her mom right now made her see more imperfections in herself.
“…I’m broken, Mom…something’s wrong inside of me…” She shifted to her side on the bed, and her mother changed her posture to lay down next to her, managing both of their hair with one hand.
“I don’t know why I’m thinking about this stuff… I know I’m pretty. I have a boyfriend who thinks I’m beautiful. I have millions of followers that tell me that…I don’t even see more than a few bad comments. It’s just… I looked in the mirror, and…it just…happened.”
Her mom brushed her bangs back, and Lori could feel the love in her mom’s silvery-blue eyes. “I know you know you’re beautiful. I should have seen the signs when you started posting all those thirst trap videos… You’re my beautiful little girl…on the inside and out,” she said, scooting closer to kiss her on the forehead. “Stress can bring back tough things…I bet your back is troubling you, too. Am I right?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat, smiling as her mom took both her hands instead of wrapping her into a hug. Her mom really was the best…well, when not a total mess.
“Mhm… Lately, I’ve got this…anxious feeling in my chest when I lay on it or wake up. Maybe it’s that…this is it. Today…mmmm.”
“The Encrusted Silver Badge,” her mother nodded, encouraging gaze telling her she was following.
“Yeah… Rhea’s already basically Gold-tier, and seeing Miky again… It reminded me that I need to…to not let that happen again. I know he’s fine! I’m just—”
“I know. I know. You can explain if you want, but I know you’re happy to see where Miky is.”
Lori pulled up her awkwardly long legs to play with her toes. “I am. He’s so…supportive. Haaa. I don’t want to let Rhea or Amira down. Obviously, Amira is going to get it… I mean, obviously—she’s Amira… She’s amazing. And I’m the trashy Unovan girl who corrupts a ray of golden sunshine like Rhea and is just a fiend for dopamine…”
“And I’m sure they love you for who you are, sweetie… Want to spend the day with me?”
“What—haha, no way! You’re too busy with League and other job stuff—Mom?”
Warm, slim fingers slid through her hair as her mom cupped her face and looked directly into her eyes. “…Never think that the League, social media attention, or your own father is more important than my children, Lori…”
A tear slid down her cheek. “You’re my little girl, Lori—mine! I may worry a lot for you girls. I may question if I smother you too much or too little at times. I may be the trashiest celebrity mom in the world…but I will always answer my darling girls’ cries. You girls are my first love—my first priority…always. So if you need to cry, baby, then cry…because I’m an ugly crybaby, too,” she said with a watery grin.
“Mom!” Throwing her arms around her, she pulled her in as tight as she could with a weak laugh at her mom’s careful hands. “It’s okay to hug me, Mom. I love you… I love you so much!”
Melting into her mom and staining the sheets with their tears, Lori spent the hour confessing everything she’d bottled up inside. How she felt like Casey was pulling away and finding her own friends. How she wasn’t good enough for her Pokemon and teammates, who seemed so much closer with each other than her. How she wanted more time with her moms—her and her dead mom, and everything in between. She just needed to cry.
When everything was spent, she lay next to her puffy-eyed mother, feeling as if everything would be alright. “Thanks, Mom. Haha. Did I talk your ear off? Maybe I should listen to your troubles.”
Her mom winked at her, which looked funny with her tear-stained cheeks. “Oh, I have my own shoulder to cry on when I get Muk drunk and insane… Your father never misses a chance to let me cry on his chest. What I want to do right now is run these hands through some deck of cards with my daughter and win some big prizes! And then…watch you claim your big prize by making it to Gold. Is that okay?”
Clouds parting, Lori pulled her mom in again. “I want to push you off a cliff! Let’s run our cards until there’s nothing left, so line up that dopamine, Mom! We’re going in!”
Her mom got to her feet and went to the wardrobe, throwing it open and extracting a nice, bright yellow summer dress. “It may not be the season, but you can’t go wrong with yellow darling! You ready to let Celadon know we are in their city?”
Getting up, Lori took the dress and held it up with her best smile. “I am cute.”
“Don’t be modest!” her mom balked, knocking hips with her and making her giggle; she really did take a lot after her mom for not growing up around her that often. “Own what you own, baby! You ready to make your boyfriend so jealous he flies down tonight?”
“Teach me the ways, Mom!”
“Then armor up; we’re on the prowl!”
Having the morning of her life with her mom and Pokemon, she welcomed Gables back after his date, teasing him for details. She let Amira and Rhea know she’d been kidnapped by her mom, her cheeks rosy upon seeing all the emojis and encouraging excitement that came from her teammates. It was her time to have fun with her mom.
They hit the salon, day spa, and gambling halls, spending another 15k and earning 20k. The anxious feeling she had that morning evaporated with her mother. It made her realize that fussing over her whirlwind of a little sister had usually kept a lot of her negative thoughts away. Cass had her insecurities, and so did she, but their family helped each other.
Finally reaching the Celadon Gym grounds, she entered the most gorgeous botanical garden. Holding her mom’s hand, she walked along the colorful path and plant arches that lined it. The cool, running river fed the greenery, perfectly trimmed to perfection. Once making it to the front of the giant facility, she remembered that Erika had wanted them to give a talk—no, that was Rhea’s commitment. She was here with her mom today.
They stopped by the Challenge Desk and logged Terri; only Erika could say if she was gym-capable, though. The long-haired woman behind the desk was certainly excited.
Going inside, she saw her mom off with a hug and kiss, texted her boyfriend a positive message, and met her teammates. Gables was with them, jumping over to give her a hug; he was a good guy who had to practically be restrained by the rest of their team to keep from breaking off his date with Amber to make sure she was okay.
Rhea tried to tease her—bless her heart—but it all came out too adorably to land anywhere else but Lori smothering the honeypot in hugs. She was first, and she had a plan. No, that wasn’t entirely true. She had a few plans she’d developed when at the farmsteads. However, a few were amended for one particular hyped Kubfu.
When her name was called, Lori gave her beautiful teammates a thumbs up; they were all beautiful in their own way. “I’d say wish me luck, but I’ve been feeling it all day. Even if she says no, we’re still going to win.”
Rhea held up a hand. “Wait, wait! I got you…this!”
“Rhea!” Lori’s nose burned as the cheery blonde extracted three bracelets with a V charm on it. “V, for your little victory girl inside you…”
“Inside us all!” Rhea chirped, sliding it around her wrist. “I know we’ve all been feeling a little down about some things. We’re a team, though. Apart or together, we’ll always be a team. You can count on me.”
She held her left hand out with the charm on it, looking between them.
Amira chuckled and extended her hand to join Rhea’s, making the blonde’s face light up like the sun. “So that was what you were doing with your mom. I love it…you even got matching colors for our hair.”
“I thought it was cute, and my mom agreed! I was thinking about chokers since Amira likes them, but I also didn’t want to make you choose between the ones you already have and this one.”
“You…are too good, Honeypot,” Lori whispered, placing her hand on theirs to complete the trio. “My world’s on fire, girls. How about yours? Let’s get our game on; it’s time to get paid!”
Cheering with her redheaded perfectionist and bubbly sunshine teammates, Lori felt as if she was glowing while turning around and heading for the stage. She passed through the fragrant hallway, lined with a vibrant art piece of flowers.
Once making it onto the stage, she rose up to look across the grassy stadium, the greenery regrown from the previous battle that had involved a challenger with a lot of Fire Pokemon—he’d lost. Sitting on a giant cushy pillow, Eirka’s dreamy eyes centered on her across the stage.
Lori charged right in with a grin, placing her Poke Balls in their slots and lifting Terri onto the platform. She pressed the speaker button and shot her shot.
“Gym Leader Erika, I’ve logged Terri… Can I have the option of using her?”
Erika’s gentle hum hung in the air as a hush fell over the crowd, and Lori felt invincible upon seeing her mom sitting in the nearby ring-side seats. However, her hopes were dashed by the Grass Specialist, only…not in the way she’d anticipated.
“No…but that can change by the hour.”
Lori blinked. “You mean…she can enter Gym Battles now—including Rhea and Amira’s?”
“Kubfu?!”
Erika lifted a cup beside her, presumably a special mixture to help keep her awake during the pivotal day of the week for the Gym Leader. The crowd’s reaction was mixed, unsure if she was saying she could but shouldn’t or if there were some other conditions. Lori wanted to know herself as the people mumbled to one another.
“Mmm.” The black-haired woman set her cup down. “When you logged Terri, she was within the bracket of Silver 8+, similar to Nova due to Terri’s raw legendary energy. That being said…currently, she is sitting at Gold 2. She is unstable. Therefore, only usable within Encrusted Gym Challenges and only when within the proper bracket, so I would suggest not solely relying on your Legendaries as a crutch of your strategy.”
Her smile warmed. “That being said, I will be the first Official Gym to authorize you to use your Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, should they meet the proper League standards. I look forward to the added depth of your challenge, but you must also accept the higher bar to victory. Are you ready, or will you choose to wait for next Sunday’s change?”
“Kubfu! Kub-kub-kub!”
Terri jumped up and down before leaping into her arms with tears. She could finally show her stuff, even if it weren’t meant to be for today’s challenge.
“No. Thank you, Gym Leader Erika… And you’re going down; let’s do this!”
Lori’s hand was already moving to Roxie’s Poke Ball as the lights flashed and dimmed in a rainbow display, and Erika selected her own champion for this battle. The female announcer’s deep voice spread throughout the hyped stadium.
“This is a Singles Format, Two Pokemon… Ready… Set… Release your Pokemon!”
Pulling back her arm, Lori launched her rocky girl into the air; it was Roxie’s day to shine.
Let’s show Mom how far we’ve come!