Penny and Amara made great time through Glaseado Passage and into northern Paldea. After that it was just a matter of following the one road that led to the Team Star base. Once again, Amara flashed their Star Badge and Penny made a phone call. "Ortega, it's Cassiopeia, come let me in."
The gate opened to reveal a short guy in a pink suit. Amara looked him over and muttered "This is going to be horrific." Ortega walked forward and pulled Penny into a big hug. After the two broke apart, Ortega started excitingly catching Penny up on the details of Team Star's crew.
"Really glad you're back. Also, apparently Mela, Giacomo, and Atticus got their asses whipped and had to go back to the academy. Is that why you're here? Have you been beating Team Star and sending us back?" He looked to Penny, then turned to Amara. "Your girlfriend is absolutely beautiful by the way, slay it, queen." He and Amara high-fived. "Anyway, standard response is a hard no. I'm not going back to a school where a good portion of the student body knows what my pussy looks like."
Amara paused for a second. "Did someone steal and leak your nudes?" She asked. Please say no, please say no. There was another pause, then a sigh from Ortega.
"No," He muttered. Thank Fuck. "They drugged me at a party and took a bunch of nudes of me, then they leaked those." Fuck! Amara grumbled about the problems at Uva Academy and Ortega shrugged. "It's already hard enough being a trans guy. I didn't need everyone to see my genitals. Anyway, are you going to challenge me to a battle to try and get me to go back to Uva?"
Amara's body went limp, and Rhys took the front. "Nah, bro, I was just going to ask you, man to man, if you'd come back and throw your support behind your friends and all the other trans academy students. I'm Rhys, he him." Ortega shot Penny a look, then turned back to Rhys.
"I didn't know you were a system. Anyway, I appreciate your candor, Rhys, I really do, but I'm tired of fighting. Out here, everyone sees me as the man I am, you know? I really don't want to go back and fight. LGBT support on that campus has been awful for a long time." Ortega shuffled nervously. "I'll be honest I wasn't expecting this kind of thing. After I heard Mela, Gi, and Atticus all got their asses beat I was expecting a fight." Rhys pulled out Amara's vape and took a hit, then he offered it to Ortega, who put Rhys's hit to shame.
"Our alter, Elaina, has really bolstered the LGBT offerings. She started a queer campus org called the Rainbow Flag Brigade. We'd love to have you. You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders." He took another hit and passed the vape back to Ortega, who declined. Rhys shrugged, put the vape away, then turned back to Ortega. "What do you say, bro, Are you in?"
There was a long pause, then "Yeah, I'm in." Rhys offered a high five. "We'll give you a ride back if you want one." Ortega declined Rhys's offer, then announced he needed to pack a suitcase. "Room 204-A in Firelight Hall, Tuesday and Thursdays at 4:30. We'll see you there." Rhys said as he waved Ortega off.
"How the hell did you do that, Rhys?" Penny asked. "You knew exactly what he wanted." She walked over and sat on Miraidon's back. "I didn't even really participate in that, damn." She pulled out her phone and looked through her social media. "Shit, yeah, he's live tweeting this whole escapade on Starly."
"He wants what all trans guys want, to be seen as the man he is, big titties or no." He stood and dusted himself off. "Now, let's get you and I back to school. Meetings and reports need to happen. After that, we'll finish the league, meet your last friend, and deal with the last Treasure of Ruin." He tossed out Miraidon and the two climbed aboard, eager to make their way back to Uva and meet up with the rest of the Squad.