6:41 p.m., November 6th, Friday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 150.

  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 registration deadline for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (28 days away).

  Wrapped in her mother’s arms, Amira closed her eyes, remembering everything she’d survived to reach this point. It felt like parts of her that she’d hidden in darkness, dipped deep in the shadows, had been exposed.

  The fire and trials of their Kanto journey had led her to this point. What came tomorrow would test everything that had become.

  “…Mom, I feel like a stranger, lost in unfamiliar frames. I’m afraid.”

  Her mother’s hand stroked the back of her head, no words needed as Amira let what was trapped in her heart leak out.

  “I was so sure about who I was… I was so firm, only a few months ago. But now I don’t know if I ever really knew myself… I can’t hide from what’s been exposed, though. There’s nowhere to go but into the light.”

  Licked inside the nightmare of memories of her inadequacies, hunted by the shadows of her flaws, Amira looked back at the cold and lonely road she’d walked. She couldn’t do it alone anymore, and she didn’t have to.

  “I’m going to hold on, Mom.”

  Strong arms, pulling her in tighter, her hot mess of a mother whispered, “You’re my world, Little Mew. I’ve tried to protect you as best as I could…

  “But I know when lightning strikes…and thunder rolls, you will rise against it all. This world is terrifying in all its unknowns, but you will catch fire, ignite, and illuminate the shadows creeping with the light within your heart. You have to step into the world on your own. So illuminate the darkness…and don’t get trapped inside it, like your grandfather.”

  Amira’s lips drew together, feeling a mantle around her mother’s shoulders that felt impossible to hold, yet she held it nonetheless. She had to carry her own weight. That was scary. That was liberating. She had to grow up and contend with a brutal world.

  Now, she had the tools to contend with it.

  Staying in her mother’s arms for another minute, Amira consciously pulled away and kissed her cheek. She showed her best smile, uncertain, hopeful, and conflicted, yet showing that light she knew her mother needed.

  “Thank you, Mom. You are my example, flaws and all.”

  “Oh, darling, I see the fire burning in your eyes. I can’t deny you… Every kiss feels like I’ll die. But even if it breaks me, let this feeling stay…because I was born to burn this way.”

  “Mom… I’m just growing up.”

  “Every mother’s most proud and horrifying moment in life…as it should be.” She leaned closer and gently pressed her lips against her forehead before holding her for a few more seconds. “I’ll choose this pain forever… Call my name whenever you need me, because you are my heart’s flame that sets my soul ablaze. You’re my only daughter… My little girl, forever.”

  “…Always, Mom.”

  Letting the fire enshrine the moment, after a while, Amira drew away with a firm, small smile. “I love you, but maybe we should get back inside before anyone gets suspicious.”

  “…You’re so beautiful. I don’t want to,” she whispered, brushing back her loose lock with a heartbroken note that somehow held unfathomable love. “You never made it easy… You never made it hard. It’s killing me to know I’m still falling apart, after all this. I hate to let you go…but I must. This mother’s ending is merely your beginning…and that is beautiful, even if it kills me inside. I don’t know what else to do… I don’t think any mother does.”

  Holding her cheek a moment longer, as if fighting the urge to never let her go, her mother drew it away, red-eyed and wet-cheeked. “Go, be the woman I know you can be.”

  Fighting back tears, Amira forced herself up, despite how hard it felt to stand, and she offered a hand, watching the love burning in her mother’s eyes as she accepted it. This time, Amira pulled her into a strong embrace.

  “Thank you for setting this bird free, Mom… I’ll fly back.”

  A choking sound came from her mother as they stood there for several more seconds.

  Then, Amira drew back, offered strength, and wiped her cheeks before taking her hand and walking inside. There were glances their way, but the smiles they wore seemed to dismiss any concerns anyone had.

  The night flew by in a fever after that, Amira drawn between past and present, with the future acting as a looming guillotine over her head. A risk she walked into.

  By the time the Wooloo girls were getting to leave and the night fully settled in, everyone appeared to be caught somewhere in the middle of the highs and lows of their journey.

  Sam gave Rhea a quick hug. Hannah’s gaze lingered the most on her, worry glistening in her eyes, yet Amira’s offered smile seemed to curb her deeper fears. She knew the girl idolized her; apparently, she’d gained quite a following in her fan club. Amira was sure Hannah was a part of it. If she could be a flawed star that could help others by her example, she wasn’t opposed to that.

  Hannah hesitated by the door, being the last to linger, before blurting, “I’ll be cheering for you tomorrow. I know you’ll win. You always win.”

  Amira managed a smile. “Thanks, but don’t be so sure… If I lose, it means I haven’t learned something important. That…should be a win in itself. That’s what I learned from Rhea,” she whispered, glancing toward the blonde, who beamed back. “Perfection is the journey, not an end-state.”

  “Wow… I’m going to quote that.”

  They filed out, and suddenly the house felt too quiet again.

  “Bedtime?” Rhea asked, stifling a yawn. “Even if it’s early… I’m beat.”

  Amira nodded, knowing her abilities were likely working overtime on everyone present with the level of support they all no doubt needed. “Yeah… I want to get some sleep.”

  Even if she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, she had to try.

  Amira laid out the mats for Rhea and Lori in her old room, while her teammates got ready for bed. She took her time, glancing between items, posters, and keepsakes that carried memories—gifts from her grandparents and parents. Everything led back to family.

  It was still neat, organized, with a few trophies from various competitions she’d won in school. She went to her closet, sliding through each outfit she owned, the story each held in how she obtained it, and who she obtained it with.

  She hadn’t outgrown any of these smaller dresses or outfits. Each one carried a piece of her life that fit into the whole that she saw in a way she’d been blind to before. Far in the back of her closet, she discovered a tiny blue dress—the first she remembered wearing—meant for a five-year-old. A dress she’d made with her mom at home, between hot moments during the Ultra War.

  I never knew how much weight mothers and fathers carried… The sacrifices parents make for their children. Silent heroes, bearing a burden the world is blind to.

  She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth once Lori finally left the bathroom, and climbed into bed. Rhea was already beneath the covers, snuggled next to her Pokémon and, as usual, glued to her phone.

  She’s really missing Jason… I guess she would have Aura overload with sharing everything the Wooloo girls have gone through.

  Their violet-haired teammate soon entered, stretching and collapsing into her bedding, Roxie cuddling next to her with her other Pokémon close by. In the dim room, only illuminated by the light leaking from the hallway, a silence took them, broken only by the muffled voices of her parents in the next room.

  Amira could imagine her father holding her weeping mother, comforting her as she shared with him everything that had broken her today, so he could put her back together. That shattered picture became something new for her to love…which was just like her mother.

  Though across the room, Rhea and Lori’s short whispers drew her mind:

  “—talked to Ash,” Rhea mumbled, causing Amira to hold her breath. “Ash said…Misty’s coming back next Saturday for one day. That’s your chance… If you still want to battle her, you should book the flight tomorrow.”

  There was a pause, then a soft thump—Lori punching her, probably.

  “Ow! What was that for?”

  “For being a busy-body-little-honeydew who can’t stop worrying about other people,” Lori muttered, but her voice was warm, and Amira couldn’t help a smile; that was just Rhea. “Thanks. I’ll make the flight.”

  Another pause came as Amira saw a house of glass become a hall of mirrors between the two girls—life was a war in a masquerade, dancing actors playing to the beautiful mess they made.

  “You stopping by Pewter?” Lori whispered, shifting in the darkness as Amira saw her fingers reach back to caress the scar along her back. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

  The answer didn’t come right away, the blonde’s voice small and reflective. “…A really long way. Yeah, I’m going to fly there. We can talk to Amira about it tomorrow. I think she’s had…a rough day. Everyone’s so scared of us…and what we’re becoming. I can’t close the box, though. I’m just happy I’m with the two of you. Thanks for being this backwater country girl’s friend.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that Muk or I’ll punch you again… We’re the lucky ones to have you.”

  Amira turned over in her bed with a smile, Amber nuzzling closer with the rest of her Pokémon as she pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  A storm is coming. I can feel it. Tomorrow will be the hardest thing I’ve ever faced… But I know I have support.

  And somehow, impossibly, she fell asleep. And when she slept, she dreamed of shadows moving beneath still water, waiting.

  When the beams of sunlight finally broke through the tide, Amira woke to warmth filtered through the curtains. The faint smell of breakfast floated up from downstairs.

  For a moment, she just lay there, blinking at the ceiling. Her Pokémon were all present, pinning her to her back until she woke them. Her sleep-filled eyes drifted to the clock beside her bed, catching the dull-glowing backlight and ticking hands.

  I slept… I slept in. 7 a.m. Mom must have secretly had Zelri turn it off… That’s just like her. And I didn’t get up naturally. Muk. This always happens when I sleep in my own bed.

  Then she noticed the clothes—three sets of outfits were laid out on her desk—neatly folded, tags still attached.

  One for her. One for Rhea. One for Lori.

  Mom…being a mom, she smiled.

  Amira sat up slowly, causing her Pokémon to yawn and groan in protest. She stretched out and noticed the lumpy figures still resting on her floor—naturally, Lori was upside down, night-shirt pulled off, sports bra slightly damp, belly showing, half on the bedding, half off.

  Guess her scar was bugging her last night… It must be hard for her. I should let them sleep a little longer.

  Carefully getting up, she reached for the note on top, reading it in her mother’s voice:

  “Thought you girls might want to look your best today! I picked these out last night since, you know, I couldn’t sleep. Good luck, baby. You’ve got this. – Mom”

  Amira’s throat tightened.

  The outfit Mom had chosen for her was perfect. A tailored jacket in deep crimson with black accents, sleek pants, and a shirt that managed to be both elegant and practical.

  She knows me so well.

  Amira glanced over as Rhea’s phone vibrated—the girl got more messages than a personal assistant. She was loved.

  When they’d first met in Pallet, Rhea had been awkward, self-conscious, and apologizing for everything. She’s changed so much, and Jason was in no small part a reason for helping her bloom.

  Maybe it was her moving around, or that vibration that tickled the dopamine in her brain, but Rhea began to stir with her Pokemon, small pops being heard as she stretched. Then, her sky-blue eyes fluttered open and locked onto her, prompting a grin.

  “Morning,” she whispered, not to be loud, her focus drifting to the desk. “…Let me guess, your mom left us clothes. That’s so sweet.”

  “Annoyingly sweet would be a better descriptor,” Amira returned softly. “Do you want to shower first?”

  “Nuh-uh,” she mumbled back, reaching over to grab her phone. The hologram illuminated her softening smile. “I’ll just sit here for a bit. Take your time.”

  “Thanks.”

  The morning was a whirlwind.

  Showers. Hair. Outfits. Breakfast.

  Lori stumbled downstairs in her pajamas around 8:30 a.m., as Amira figured she would, hair an absolute disaster, and nearly inhaled her food before Lyra physically steered her back upstairs to get ready.

  “You are not leaving this house looking like you just rolled out of a Snorlax den!” Lyra declared, sending her Wigglytuff after her. “Mikayla, work your magic!”

  “Tuff, tuff!”

  Amira found herself helping Rhea with her hair after she exited the shower and came down with an inviting grin—pulling it into the neat bun she’d been favoring lately—while Rhea chattered about her battle plans against Ground-Types.

  “Do you think he’ll use Paldean Pokémon?” Rhea asked. “I mean, after Blaine—”

  “Mmm. I wouldn’t be so sure,” Amira mumbled, fingers steady despite the knot in her stomach. “My grandpa doesn’t do anything halfway, but he’s also old school and really nationalistic when it comes to Kanto. He’ll use other Pokémon from other regions, but he’s more likely to gravitate toward Kanto Pokémon.”

  Rhea met her eyes in the handheld mirror. “Oh. Muk—eh, Slowpoke,” she corrected at a light, puffy-cheeked glare from Lyra; her mother was helpless, thinking Muks were cute.

  “That, uh, complicates things. Right? He may use Kanto Pokémon heavily, or may go full foreign at the same time… He’s too adaptable and also has a real favorite, but not favored enough to always go with.”

  “The best advice I can give you is expect him to expect everything you planned. He cares more about execution of plans rather than the plan itself—well, like 60-40 in grading ratio.”

  Amira’s hands stilled. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect! Somehow, you make my crazy-thick, long hair look…not so crazy-thick, and long sometimes. It’s an interesting style. I like it.”

  “It’s all in the compression. I’m just impressed your neck can handle all that hair.”

  “Yeah, I do get cramps sometimes!” the blonde laughed. “Oh, breakfast was amazing, Lyra!”

  “Here, have seconds! I know pre-Gym stomach emptying is advised, but no mother wants to hear that. Be confident in the food fueling you! It’s supporting you, too!”

  “Yeah!”

  Amira giggled as Rhea threw her arms in the air with her mother, getting wrapped up in her energy. “Dad already at work?”

  “Oh, no, I totally wore him out last night,” Lyra admitted with a strained smile. “I let him sleep in and canceled his morning meetings. Wife and Former Champion’s executive privilege! Haha. Who is going to question my orders? I went. I conquered the office!”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Rhea threw her arm in the air again with her Pokémon. “We conquer. Rawr!”

  “Neeee!”

  “Pweee!”

  “Mawile!”

  And for the first time, she wondered if Rhea was actually secretly her sister, with how well she vibed with her mother.

  The limo arrived at 10:47. Her dad had arranged it—of course—and Amira tried not to feel embarrassed as they piled into the sleek black vehicle from the chatty Rocket driver.

  “This is so extra!” Lori grinned, bouncing into the back. “We arrive in style! Wait, let me run back in and get my glasses for the cool factor!”

  “Too late,” Amira shut down, sliding in and blocking her escape. “You spent almost an hour in the bath.”

  “I didn’t make the rules,” the violet-haired girl defended, “Mikayla wouldn’t let me leave! She did this weird pressure point massage or something on my back—anyway, I feel divine!”

  “Mom?”

  The brunette held up a thumb, beaming, “A little technique she picked up from the in .”

  Rhea was quieter, looking out the window as they pulled away from the house.

  Amira’s Pokémon were all out—Amber perched on the seat beside her, Tess cradled in her lap, Serenity in her travel tank, Mariah chatting with Mya, and Holly floating near the window. They were all nervous. She could feel it through the bond.

  We’re in this together, she thought, stroking Tess gently. I don’t know if I’ll use you, Mariah… I won’t know until we face him. Whatever happens… We’re here to learn.

  The drive into the city was silent, and the crowds grew larger the closer they got to the Gym; in fact, parts of the city seemed blocked off, with police directing traffic. It seemed today’s event would be a massive show.

  When they arrived, Viridian Gym Plaza was packed.

  Throngs of people lined the barriers, cameras flashed, and the moment the limo pulled up to the front steps, the paparazzi swarmed.

  “Amira! Amira Rocket!”

  “Are you using your Mythical today?!”

  “What do you say about the petition to revoke your badges?!”

  “Rhea! Rhea! Is it true that you were trained in Aura Control by Former Champion Ash?!”

  “Rhea, is your Aunt Cynthia planning on attending?”

  “What about the claims of special treatment?!”

  “Is Lulu signaling the return of Rainbow Rocket?!”

  That last one made Rhea stiffen. Amira saw her jaw tighten, saw the flash of anger in her eyes, and immediately grabbed her wrist as she turned toward the Sharpedo-eyed journalist.

  “Don’t,” Amira said quietly. “They want a reaction. Don’t give it to them. The best response is no response, because engagement is all they’re after.”

  Rhea exhaled hard, then nodded.

  Bodyguards in Rocket uniforms materialized around them from cars that had flanked them, the men built like freight trains, and cleared a path to the entrance.

  “Keep moving,” one of them murmured. “Don’t answer. Just walk. We’ll get you there, Ladies.”

  Amira kept her head high, her expression smooth, even as the questions battered against her like waves. This was the price of being a Rocket. The world could break, the stars could fall, and the sky could fall, yet they stood tall.

  They crossed through the doors, and the noise cut off.

  The waiting hall was vast and echoing, green lines glowing on the floor, directing challengers to their designated areas. Amira followed the path automatically, the others falling into line as her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears.

  Through another hallway, down a set of stairs, and then, the locker room.

  It was loud. Crowded. Other challengers milling around, some nervous, some cocky, all of them buzzing with energy. Rhea was immediately the center of attention, Lori acting as her agent, demanding payment for time with the overwhelmed girl.

  Amira delegated that area to the much taller, more aggressive Unova girl and found a bench in the corner to sit on slowly.

  Her hands were shaking. She folded them in her lap, focusing on her breath.

  In. Out. In. Out.

  She looked down at Tess, still cradled in her arms. The little Ferroseed chirped softly, nuzzling into her chest.

  “Ferro?”

  If I can’t beat Grandpa before the Silver Cup…should I still enter? I can. But should I?

  Amber’s fox eyes narrowed, hands on her hips.

  I know that’s stupid. I know it’s a self-imposed standard that no one else cares about…but it’s mine. If I can’t win…it means I haven’t learned the lesson Grandpa is saying I’m lacking.

  “Braixen.”

  Amira let out a deep breath as Holly hugged her neck, and her fire fox wouldn’t back down. I don’t doubt you all. But I know it sounds like I’m being a defeatist. It’s not like me. It’s complicated, Amber. Maybe I just need to walk it out…and look at that lineup.

  She looked up as the Silver Bracket popped up. Her grandfather had just finished wiping the floor with the Bronze Bracket and would be taking a thirty-minute break before the Silver Bracket started, and first up…

  A voice crackled over the intercom. “Rhea Everhart, please prepare yourself. You will be the first battle of the Silver Bracket. The countdown has started—your match will begin in thirty minutes."

  Rhea rolled her shoulders as the crowd buzzed louder. Yet, the last name on the list was no surprise—hers.

  Amira rose from her seat and found herself outside the locker room, slipping out with all attention on the blonde. Where she ended up was a vending machine; a hall over it led to a dead end. No one was nearby. No one had any reason to be this far in, unless they wanted a snack…or they had other business.

  Amira's fingers flew across the keypad, moving without permission as they traced the vending machine code she’d memorized when she was ten: 7-4-2-9-6-1-3-8-5-0-2-7-4

  A soft chime and the machine slid silently to the side, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. Amira stepped through, and the wall closed behind her.

  The underground facility was silent.

  Amira’s footsteps echoed softly on the polished tile as she navigated the maze of hallways she knew by heart. Security cameras tracked her, but the AI wouldn’t flag her—her biometrics were cleared at the highest level. Perks of being Giovanni’s granddaughter.

  She passed labs. Storage rooms. Training chambers.

  The halls quickly came to life with activity as she travelled, going about their business, and each one that saw her threw words of encouragement, as if she belonged here. No one questioned it. It was the same as her father when he was young, at least from what she’d heard from her mother.

  An elevator ride down with another exclusive code—one belonging to her father—and there was no one around. She’d reached the office. Matori wasn’t in her typical hawkish place, gatekeeping his office, though, by the hot mug still steaming, she’d gone to do an errand for her grandfather. She knew he would be here.

  I just need to talk to him… Everything is planned. Me being last. Lori in the middle… Rhea starting. I’m not wandering in the dark. I’m not cold. I’m focused… I’m focused.

  Amber was walking beside her, unsure how to help at this point. Just her presence was enough to ground her.

  The door opened soundlessly, and there he was—her grandfather.

  He sat in a high-backed chair, facing away from the entrance, staring at a massive holographic projection that filled the far wall.

  Amira opened her mouth, then froze.

  It was an old recording—the resolution far more grainy than anything modern—and her father was on the screen. He looked younger—not physically, per se, but in the creases of his face. He looked angrier. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.

  “—how could you take that from her?!” Silver’s voice cracked, raw with fury over the surround-sound speakers. “Leaf lost her baby because of that chemical agent! You knew Rainbow Rocket would use it, and you didn’t warn her! Didn’t warn any of us!”

  Giovanni sat perfectly still in the recording, hands steepled under his chin, the same stoic chill he always exuded. “…I did know.”

  Her father’s face contorted, Amira’s gut twisting as she recalled the fallout of that particular event. The pain that had been caused. Blue’s spiral into alcoholism. The darkness that bred from that one battle.

  “Then why?! Why didn’t you tell her?! Why didn’t you tell me… She would have—”

  “Backed out,” Giovanni stated bluntly, clinically, and without emotion. “Yes. Leaf, Blue, and ninety percent of the force we needed there would have abandoned the front and let Alola fall. She would have. Blue would have forced her to, even if Green stayed. Which is why I didn’t tell them…or you, because you would have leaked it, as you’ve been leaking some of my harder decisions already.”

  Amira’s breath caught. She shouldn’t be here…but she couldn’t look away.

  “And Lyra!” Her father shouted and took a step forward, stealing Amira’s air from her lungs. “Do you know what they did to her?! That agent—her counterpart—you…how could you do that to her…to me—to our family? She’s sterile now, Dad! She can’t—we can’t—”

  His voice broke, and Amira felt the chill run down her spine, a million questions she’d never had answered with that one word.

  Mom’s…sterile?

  Her grandfather’s expression didn’t change, the words a vice cutting her heart in two.

  “I know.”

  “You knew…” Her father’s tears weren’t loud now, his knees shaking as he fell to the cold metal tile. “You knew what would happen to my wife, your daughter-in-law, and you sent her anyway? What if…it had been Mars? What if it had been Mom?”

  The image became blurry as heat rose in Amira’s throat and nose. Darkness curled around the edges, lightning dancing where she stood as she watched her beloved grandfather speak in shadows, sharp and low. She didn’t know what to do.

  Giovanni stood and walked to the glass to stare into the murky lake outside his underground office, a storm sparked that he stilled with a voice barely audible through the speakers.

  “We operate at the edge of acceptable loss, Silver. Every decision in this war was a calculation…except when it came to family. My love for you, for Amira, for Lyra—it defies calculation. The world can break. The stars can fall. That doesn’t change. Yet there’s blood on every vow we make, and each secret breath is an earthquake. You’re mistaken…”

  He turned and, though he wasn’t crying, Amira could see the torment in those pixels. “Yes, I knew, my son…and Lyra knew, as well.”

  Amira’s knees went weak.

  Mom knew what would happen to Leaf and her if they went…and didn’t tell anyone?

  “Unlike Leaf,” he continued, his voice measured, “I risked it all and told Lyra…because I know Lyra, unlike the rest of the League. I have not held back one piece of information from your wife for one reason, I know… She will do anything for her family. Anything. She chose to go, despite the risk. Because of…”

  “Amira…”

  Silver staggered back as Giovanni’s gaze remained unflinching, hands clasped behind his back, no doubt white, Amira was sure.

  “I didn’t know what to do. Silver, this was her decision. Your wife knew that if she didn’t stop Rainbow Rocket at that wormhole, my counterpart would come for Amira. He’d have the opening to get Rhea. He would take them both…and raise them as his own. Replace the son he lost.”

  Amira pressed a hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound.

  “Lyra chose to risk it all,” he whispered quietly. “She chose the daughter she had over the children she could have had. And I could not move against that truth and power she showed. Lyra’s love defies the world…and it was the one calculation Giovanni could not grasp. She walks an edge few will ever know.

  “I saved their eggs, Silver. Leaf’s, Lyra’s…everyone who went, without their knowledge. That was the purpose of the medical examination before the battle.”

  Silver’s hands were shaking, his head rising, hope in his eyes. Yet, her grandfather’s gaze fell to the floor for the first time. “That facility was destroyed yesterday. Rainbow Giovanni made sure of it…so I didn’t tell them.”

  Silence.

  “In retaliation for taking his hope…he took ours,” Giovanni said, voice harder now, “and then he obliterated the secondary and tertiary facilities I sent them to. Psychological warfare. This is what it means when you’re facing me…without my family, Silver. It’s just what I would have done… As petty and revenge-driven as I am.”

  Her dad’s shoulders sank, face buried in his hands.

  “I told the alliance that if they truly wanted to beat Rainbow Rocket and save this world, there would need to be sacrifices they would be unwilling to make… I was right. I’m always right.” He turned to face his son. “So I made them. Without asking. Without permission. Yes, they can be the heroes, and I’ll be the villain.”

  Silver looked up, eyes red.

  “Lyra didn’t tell Leaf?”

  “And none of them need to know she knew.” Her grandfather walked closer, knelt, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m comfortable with that title, Son. They need me, even if they hate me… they need me. Take care of your wife, Son, and bear this burden for her. Your wife is worth every drop of blood…and so is Amira. You chose correctly.”

  Amira’s legs collapsed, the recording ended, and the hologram flickered off.

  She sat there in the doorway, tears streaming down her face, and her grandfather’s head tilted slightly, catching sight of her from the corner of his vision.

  “Hello, Amira.” He turned back to the blank wall without turning around. “Close the door.”

  Amber and the rest of her Pokémon helped her up, and though her legs felt like jelly, she did as she was told, her hands still shaking as she stepped forward.

  Only then did Giovanni turn his chair to face her.

  His expression was unreadable. Calm.

  “You’ve always been resourceful,” he whispered, a tablet in his lap showing the log to last enter his private area. “Your father’s access codes. You memorized them when you were eight. I was proud. But I never thought it would lead to this exchange.”

  Amira’s throat was too tight to speak, so only silence passed between them for several seconds until he gestured to the chair across from him.

  “Sit.”

  She did.

  For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

  Then Amira found her voice.

  “Is it true?” she whispered, with Amber clinging to her side. “Mom’s…sterile?”

  “Yes.”

  The word hit as if he’d slapped her.

  “And she knew? She chose that…for me?”

  “Yes. I know that must be hard to hear. It is the truth.”

  Amira’s hands clenched in her lap. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “What would it have changed if you knew?” Giovanni’s gaze was steady. “Some burdens are not meant to be shared until you’re ready to carry them… Sometimes, those burdens come whether we’re old enough or not to handle them. Life is like that.”

  Giovanni leaned back, fingers steepling under his chin. “Now, this is your burden, whether I like it or not… Can you hold that weight?”

  Silence took her as she felt the daggers of those words press against her soul.

  She swallowed hard, then nodded. “I…already figured I wasn’t on Rhea’s team out of coincidence… It all goes back to Rhea, doesn’t it?”

  “Not entirely. Just because one fact may be true does not mean there are not many other contributing factors. You cannot think so binary. Life is hardly such, Amira.”

  “…I know. It’s still strategic… To protect her, because Rainbow Giovanni wants her. Because he wants me to hurt you… And that’s just the surface.”

  “Yes.”

  “And one day,” Amira’s voice shook, taking Amber’s hand, “I might have to make choices like yours… Like Mom’s. Sacrifices.”

  Giovanni’s expression softened—barely.

  “That isn’t in my plans. I hope you never do,” he said quietly. “But hoping is not how you survive. Planning is. Adapting to the cruelty of reality while trying to hold onto what light we have left dying in our hearts.”

  Amira looked down at his hands as they began to shake, the first time she’d ever seen them shake.

  “I’ve made many mistakes, Amira. More than I count. I failed your father. I failed your aunt. Your grandmother… I sent people into battles knowing what it would cost them, because that is what a leader must do. Blue has every right to want me dead. I don’t blame him.”

  He paused and looked right into her trembling eyes.

  “But I am too valuable to the United League for them to allow it. That’s not boasting. That’s a cold, unforgiving reality. Without the choices I made—the sacrifices I demanded—we would not have won the war. And even then, we didn’t truly win. We bought time. That is why Rhea is now being viewed with fear.”

  His gaze didn’t waver.

  “Lusamine sacrificed her husband. Her humanity. Parts of herself she will never get back to place a Band-Aid over wormholes. Your mother sacrificed her fertility. Leaf sacrificed her child. And I…” His jaw tightened. “I sacrificed pieces of my family I thought I could never give up…and I could not without Lyra making that choice for me.”

  Amira’s vision blurred again.

  “But you’re old enough now,” her grandfather continued. “Old enough to understand why I wanted you on Rhea’s team. It is a heavy burden. But I used every connection I had to place you there. Not because I don’t trust her. But because one day, she may be compromised. And when that day comes, someone will need to make a choice…for the world.”

  “No…”

  His eyes burned into hers.

  “Life is not fair, Amira. Only those without power believe in fairness. Those with power know it’s a false, honeyed dream. You make your own fairness in life.”

  Amira’s breath hitched as she recalled her mother’s words earlier that day, wrapped in her arms as her grandfather laid the weight of the position he’d taken upon her.

  “The world is uglier than the paint the United League brushes over it,” Giovanni said. “And I will not lie to you about that. Not anymore.”

  He stood.

  “If you want to postpone your battle to next week,” he whispered, voice gentler now, “I’ll allow it. This is not a light weight to carry into the arena.”

  Amira’s heart pounded.

  This is a test, part of her screamed. Make sacrifices. The world doesn’t give you a way out.

  But another part—the part that had just watched her grandfather’s lonely penance—whispered something else.

  He means it. He’s actually giving you the choice.

  Amira stood, her Pokémon tense and unsure.

  “No,” she said, voice steadier than she felt. “I’ll fight today.”

  Giovanni studied her for a long moment.

  Then he nodded.

  “As you wish.”

  The door opened, and Matori stood in the threshold, tablet in hand, expression carefully neutral. She didn’t look pleased to see Amira there, but she didn’t comment.

  “Master,” Matori mumbled, “it’s time. Rhea’s match begins in two minutes.”

  Giovanni moved toward the door, then paused beside Amira.

  “I’m proud of you,” he said quietly. “You’ve bloomed into more than the Rocket name… You’ve become a young woman of substance. Your mother’s strength kept you from being tainted by my darkness. I hope that will persist.”

  He placed a hand briefly on her shoulder in passing. “If all goes as planned, what I fear will never come to pass.” His grip tightened slightly. “But, as I said, that’s wishful thinking, and wishful thinking is not how you survive.”

  Then he was gone.

  Matori lingered for a moment, giving Amira a long look.

  “You shouldn’t have seen that,” she said softly. “If your mother finds out…”

  “I know.”

  Matori’s expression softened. “Don’t let it break you, Amira. He carries that weight so you don’t have to…and his weight is great.”

  Then she, too, was gone.

  Amira stood alone in the empty office.

  Her hands were still shaking.

  Her chest hurt.

  But for the first time in weeks, the fear wasn’t crushing her. It wasn’t due to this truth she’d heard, though, but the words passed on to her from her mother:

  “But I know when lightning strikes…and thunder rolls, you will rise against it all. This world is terrifying in all its unknowns, but you will catch fire, ignite, and illuminate the shadows creeping with the light within your heart. You have to step into the world on your own. So illuminate the darkness…and don’t get trapped inside it, like your grandfather.”

  She took a deep breath, then knelt down to comfort her Pokémon, running her hand over Amber’s concerned head, folding down her ear.

  All my worries…were so silly. We have a battle to win…or lose. What more do we need to learn? Because my goal is not to get trapped in that darkness. But to honor Mom…

  Her nose burned, and she wiped at the tears running down her cheeks.

  …To honor Mom and the sacrifice she made for me. I’ll show Grandpa there is still hope… We’ll find a way to fix it… We’ll fix all the problems of the Ultra War. Somehow.

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