Milo and the Blue Umbreon

by NanobotEX

Milo is about to embark on his Pokémon journey, when he unexpectedly makes a new friend. His journey begins ten years after the exploits of Ash Ketchum, and he discovers that Pokémon journeys are not as simple as they once were. Milo may soon find himself pitted against forces beyond anything he had imagined! (Not too much Romance, just enough to keep things interesting)

10. Chapter 10 - Proof of Concept

Milo Chapter 10 – Proof of Concept

"Well", said Milo, "there it is. Eterna Forest. Ready, gang?"

Milo's Pokémon were raring to go, always eager for the latest adventure. Amaya was feeling good about it as well, though she hid it under her typical gruff exterior.

What the team hadn't expected was the darkness. Obviously the tree cover filtered out some of the light, but it took a few seconds of standing in the entrance blinking stupidly before Milo's eyes adjusted to the shady environment. The large amounts of vegetation muffled all sounds, creating a close, hushed feel that suited the bug type inhabitants perfectly.

Milo had his whole team out, Ferra included (he carried her when she needed a nap, which was still quite frequent) and Aurora found the whole experience terribly exciting.

Are you gonna catch another friend, Milo?

The young Trainer grinned, Who knows, Aurora? Would you like another friend on the team?

Yay, yes yes yes! More friends, more fun!

The energetic young Eevee bounded around, and Milo had a hard time reminding himself that she'd been bedridden only days ago.

-o-

Amaya was the designated map-reader. She had assigned herself this task, as she had technically bought the map and thus defiantly claimed total ownership of it. In truth, the Eterna Forest map had cost all of $2 at the store, and Milo had been sorely tempted to buy his own map just to spite her.

"Are you sure this is the way? It seems like we're heading too far to the West side of the Forest. Eterna is northeast."

"Hey", barked the Twinleaf native, "I'm the map person here, not you, Jubilife boy. Alright?"

"Geez, okay, I'm just saying… Look, there's literally a path that goes northeast right there. Let me see that map, Amaya."

They'd been travelling for a couple hours now, and the humidity was making them both slightly irritable. Aurora was the only truly cheerful one left in the group, as Azura and Blaze had long since retreated into silence to avoid the sparks flying between the two Trainers. Ferra was once again napping in Milo's safe arms.

"Quit back-seat mapping, Milo. You want to battle me for my map? Let's go, right now."

"Ugh, no, Amaya. I'm not battling you for a stupid map. Can I please just-"

Milo! Aurora's small cry made him stop and turn to find his new team member staring wistfully at something she'd found a ways off into the forest.

Milo, it's so…pretty…Come see it.

"Hang on, Amaya", he said offhandedly, "I'm going to go check something out really quick. Aurora says she found something interesting."

"Pfft. Probably just a colorful leaf, but whatever. Let's go."

Milo caught up to where the young Evolution Pokémon was awaiting him. There appeared to be a small opening between the two paths they had been debating. This opening led to a small, well-concealed grove. This grove had a stone in the center of it which was covered in light green moss, and gave off a faint, warm glow.

After a few seconds, Milo's memory triggered, and her recalled learning about this in class;

"That's a Mossy Stone, isn't it?"

"A what, now?" Amaya evidently hadn't covered the particulars of the Eevee chain.

"Basically", Milo explained as succinctly as he could, "if an Eevee touches that stone it will become a Leafeon on the spot."

Unusually somber, Aurora stepped forwards and asked her Trainer,

Do…you want me to touch it?

Milo blinked in surprise at her offer, and responded, Why are you asking me? Do you want to be a Leafeon?

Head down, Aurora said quietly, her youthful voice echoing in Milo's mind, My momma had a Trainer once. They decided she wasn't strong enough and released her. She always told me that most humans were nice, but if an Eevee got a Trainer they would make them evolve as soon as possible into whatever the Trainer chose.

Aurora, Milo knelt down in front of her, and her beautiful brown eyes stared innocently and deeply into his own, I don't just want you to evolve. If you want to evolve, it should be your choice, not mine. Even if you never want to evolve, that's okay. You're on my team now, and you're my partner – my friend. Okay? You don't have to be Leafeon if you don't want to.

You – you mean I get to choose?

The little Eevee could hardly believe it. She'd resigned herself to the inevitable forced evolution, but now she was being given free reign…She had control over her own future, even though she had a Trainer. It was a truly foreign concept that overwhelmed her.

Yes, confirmed Milo with a gentle smile, You get to choose. Even if you never choose and stay an Eevee forever, that's okay too.

Tears streamed from Aurora's eyes as she jumped into Milo's chest. Still holding a sleeping Ferra in one arm, he embraced his small Eevee with the other, petting the back of her head softly and allowing the emotional moment to run its due course.

Eventually, the warm, fuzzy feelings subsided as gracefully as they'd emerged. Milo stood and put Aurora down before turning to Amaya, who was turning a Pokéball absentmindedly in her hand. He admired her restraint, he'd expected her to demand they move on a while ago. Then again, he realized, she had plenty to think about as well.

He glanced down at Leon, who Amaya had quietly released. The little Shinx was looking blandly at the unfolding scene, tail swishing, unaware of the pride with which his new Trainer stared down at him.

"Okay", began Milo with a deep breath, "are we ready to move on?"

"Let's do it", answered the Twinleaf Trainer.

As the group once more consulted the map and moved off (this time in what Milo ascertained to be the right direction) Leon was quickly learning to enjoy his newfound freedom. Milo noted with some amusement that Aurora's demeanor changed ever so slightly around this new companion. She was ever so slightly more reserved, almost demure…at least at first.

Leon quickly recognized the young Eevee he had protected on the route from Floaroma, and began to bother and torment her just like a young human boy seeking attention from a 'young lady'. She responded in kind, of course, chasing after him and showing just the right amount of attitude without becoming truly upset.

Children, commented Azura in Milo's mind, they play the game without even knowing it.

After another hour or so, the whole party arrived, happy but tired, at the gates of Eterna city. It was now early evening, so Milo and Amaya found a small local diner to eat at. They afforded themselves a round of dessert to celebrate making it through the often-daunting Eterna Forest.

"Sure you don't want an evening training battle, Milo?"

"For the last time, Amaya, no. I'm too tired. Let's just get to the Pokémon Center and check into our rooms."

"Psh, spoilsport", came the sharp retort. Luckily for Milo, she was also tired, and broke off in the direction of the Center. They were halfway there when a voice stopped them, calling from behind;

"Now, what oh what could bring two young Trainers all the way up here to the fair city of Eterna? I wonder…"

Milo recognized the voice instantly, and turned with a smile,

"Gardenia! Hi there. I should've expected you to find us before we found you. Is Marcus here?"

With a mischievous wink, Gardenia confirmed the young man's suspicions, "Oh he certainly was, but you just missed him. I'm sure if you ask him he'll deny it, though. He's in trouble, after all."

"Trouble?" Amaya cut in, curious as ever, "What kind of trouble?"

Alas, Gardenia was much too clever to let her mouth run. She gracefully changed the subject, "Ah, this must be Amaya. I certainly feel that vibe Roark mentioned, I can almost taste your power."

By now the young Leader had caught up to the two friends, and she dropped her voice, saying, "You two should come with me if you value your privacy. The local news caught wind of you leaving Floaroma and they've been pretty much camped outside the Center ever since. Nurse Joy is beside herself with frustration, they keep asking every five minutes if you two have checked in yet."

It really said something about the difference between Milo and Amaya that the Twinleaf native found this uproariously funny while Milo blanched with apprehension and nerves.

"That's rich. I guess it only takes one badge to get your name out there these days, huh?"

"Seems that way", agreed Gardenia, "but if you'd rather stay incognito for the time being, I have some guest rooms in the Gym that you're both more than welcome to use."

Milo nodded vehemently, he was only too eager to remain outside the spotlight, but Amaya actually declined the offer, saying,

"I think I'll go give them what they want. Could be fun to watch them fawn. Catch you at the Gym tomorrow, Milo."

Milo could hardly believe it, but off she went. As he and Gardenia turned to take the back roads to the Gym, he was shocked that the reclusive Amaya, who only interacted with people when she truly had to, would be the first one to eagerly seek out media attention. He voiced his concerns to Gardenia, who had an answer based on pure experience,

"I've seen it before. She wants the media because, to her, that's part of reaching the top. It's probably got nothing to do with the actual media themselves, it's not vanity. She just wants to feel what it is for them to want to see her. Trust me; we small town girls with big ambitions understand one another."

Milo's curiosity was peaked, "So that's your story then, too?"

As they reached the Gym, Gardenia looked surreptitiously about before opening up a small side door and ushering Milo inside. She seemed to relax a bit more once they were safely within her Grass-type cathedral, and she answered Milo's question with a sigh,

"More or less, yeah. Ah, but you don't want to hear my story. It's too long and complicated. Take a seat, stay a while."

Milo accepted the seat; they were in a lounge area, presumably the one where Gardenia staged her many required TV interviews and such. Thoroughly intrigued, Milo prodded her a bit, looking for more to the story,

"Come on", he grinned, "You're dating my brother. Surely that earns me a little bit of the story at least? Please?"

She picked up her head sharply at that, and an uncontrollable girlish smile spread unbidden across her face, along with a flush in her cheeks;

"Oh, so…so Marcus told you about, you know… us?

Trying to control his mirth at seeing one of Sinnoh's most renowned Gym Leaders looking like a schoolgirl with a crush, Milo answered with his typical cheekiness, "He didn't tell me, but he got all prickly when I asked about it, which is pretty much the same thing. What?"

"Oh, nothing…it's just that he only recently asked me out is all. We'd both known for a while but… he was so sweet about it, and everything, just like a gentleman. That's why he was in trouble, actually. We had a bet that if my Roserade beat Absol he had to ask me out publicly. He won, so I agreed to keep it on the down low. For the time being, though, I'm pretending to be upset about it, just to mess with him."

Milo snorted, and with dry wit responded, "Figures Marcus would wait forever to actually ask. But hey, don't change the subject. What's this story you aren't going to tell me?"

"Well…alright. But you have to promise you'll keep it to yourself, okay?"

She leaned in, and Milo could see how much she enjoyed talking as equals. It must be a refreshing change, he reasoned, to be able to drop the persona of control and authority of a Leader even briefly.

"The reason I understand Amaya as well as I think I do is because I come from a small town, too, back in Kalos."

"Wait", Milo interrupted, "so how did you get to be a Sinnoh Leader?"

Hush, I'm listening, Azura jumped in unexpectedly, eliciting an eye roll from her Trainer as Gardenia continued,

"Heh, I guess that's a fair question. Truth is I got out of Kalos as fast as I could. Being the youngest of three sisters and feeling trapped in a tiny town was more than I could handle. As soon as I could get a Trainer license and had some experience I hopped on a plane to Sinnoh."

She was looking off into the distance, her words stirring the memories as her seemingly eternal smile faltered for the first time.

"I…didn't know you had siblings, either", Milo was still curious, but was also reluctant to bring up bad memories of the past.

"Hmm? Oh", Gardenia snapped out of her reminiscence, "yeah. You may have heard of my sisters, as it happens. One of them is a Leader over there. Viola is the Bug-type Leader of Santalune. I guess that kind of talent runs in the family. My other sister, Alexa, is a journalist out of Lumiose City. She's been quite successful ever since she got exclusive rights to cover Ash Ketchum's Kalos Gym challenge years ago."

"No way", Milo was incredulous, "I knew the two of them were related, but I never dreamed they had anything to do with you! Why is that a secret?"

A dark chuckle preceded the Grass-type Master's answer, "That was their choice. I've merely come to terms with it. I was always the black sheep of the family. Both of our parents were artists, so the other two were praised beyond measure for taking up photography and journalism. They were 'following their creative drive', don't you know. I was different."

"But you have a creative drive too! I mean, I've seen your flower exhibitions, they're some of Sinnoh's best, year after year."

"Yeah, if only I'd been able to prove that as a kid. Instead, I just left. Budew and I went to go tackle the world, to prove that small-town Gardenia was bigger than her roots."

She sat back and laughed, rather harshly, saying, "I still remember how upset and bitter they were when I was the first to be a Gym Leader. Even Viola was just getting into the serious battling scene at that point. That was when they decided they didn't want our relationship in the public sphere. After all, it would be 'too difficult to maintain appearances across regions' or something like that."

"Geez, that's awful, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not as bad as it sounds; we're at least on speaking terms. They're not bad people. Nobody's perfect, after all, and I don't hold it against them. Every family has drama."

"I guess… I'm pretty lucky, Marcus has always been great to me… and Myrian is still too young to be thinking about Training. She has to get through elementary school first. Last time I saw her, though, she told me she wanted to be just like Serena Ketchum when she grew up."

The young Trainer smiled to himself. He didn't talk much about his younger sister, but he loved her very dearly. She had the same driving, relentless sense of purpose that had always propelled himself and Marcus.

"Well, who knows", Gardenia commented, "maybe you'll have two great Trainers and a famous Performer in the family someday. I've only met Myrian once, when she came with your parents to visit Marcus, but she's got the same flare as the two of you and I'll bet she's got some of that natural talent as well."

A soft ringing drew the Leader's attention, and she checked what appeared to be a text message, before moving to turn on the lounge television, saying,

"Seems like they're airing your friend's interview. Want to see?"

"Sure", Milo smiled.

Well, thought Azura in his mind, this ought to be interesting.

Milo released the rest of his team to watch the broadcast. Sure enough, there was Amaya, standing in front of the Pokémon Center, looking as broody and standoffish as ever. Only Milo, who knew her well enough by now, could see just a hint of the smug self-satisfaction and confidence (not arrogance, big difference) that confirmed Gardenia's suspicions.

Papa, came Ferra's small voice, Why is Aunt Maya on the screen?

He started. Papa? It was only natural, since he was the one raising her, but it sounded so strange in his head…still, he didn't bother correcting the baby Pokémon, opting instead to simply answer the question,

Some news people are going to ask her questions. They want to know about her because she's very strong.

Being strong makes people ask you questions?

No, Aurora cut in whimsically, but it makes them want to know who you are. The stronger you are the more famous you get! That's why Leon's gonna be famous. He'll be a big strong Luxray someday.

Oh…Ferra was duly impressed, I want to be strong too. Can I be strong, Papa?

Laughing to himself, Milo encouraged his youngest team member, Of course, Ferra. Being strong takes a lot of work, though. You have to train a whole lot. Just ask Blaze. He's strong.

On screen, Amaya was making a big show of hiding her plan for beating Gardenia, "I'll definitely be able to whip through her Gym team, but I can't reveal how. I promise it'll be quite a spectacle, be there tomorrow to watch it go down! Huh? No, I absolutely won't discuss my tactics right now…"

Milo winked at Blaze, who turned from the interview to reassure Ferra, Eh? Oh, yeah, I trained super hard to get really fast. That's why I'm not a Chimchar anymore. You can evolve too, when you get a lot stronger. The trick is to listen to what Milo tells you, he's a good Trainer. He'll help you.

Okay, Ferra's face shone with childish excitement, What do I do first, Papa? What do I do what do I do what do I do? I want to be the strongest ever!

Gardenia noticed what was happening between Milo and his team and asked incredulously, "Milo…are you talking to your Pokémon? All of them?"

"Oh", Milo was a bit embarrassed, "Um, yeah. That's uh, a trick I picked up a while back."

"You really are just like Marcus", winked the Leader of Eterna, "He does the same thing, and he gets really self-conscious about it too. That's a truly amazing gift."

"Thanks, I guess", answered Milo, before turning back to Ferra, who was still watching her Trainer eagerly. In the end, both Aurora and Ferra demanded a training session right then and there, so Milo set them to running back and forth across the lounge as many times as they could in a row. He jogged alongside them, encouraging them, until he heard his name from the television screen.

One of the many reporters was asking, "…Milo still travelling together? Can you comment on his whereabouts?"

"Oh he's around here somewhere", answered Amaya with a shrug, "but he's a bit camera shy, so you get just me instead."

"How would you compare your strength and ability to Milo's right now?"

Milo smirked to himself as Amaya tensed up ever so slightly, bristling at the question that touched on her only failure, "Truthfully", she forced the words out, "I travel with Milo because he's the only one I've found who can consistently beat me. I travel with him to learn how he does what he does, and that's made me stronger as well."

"How would you rate Milo's chances against Gardenia tomorrow?"

"He'll have no issues, he's got Blaze. I mean, a Monferno that can outrun pretty much anything will flatten a Gym team of all Grass types."

Blaze puffed his chest out proudly at meriting a shout-out on the news, and Milo cast a nervous glance towards the Grass-type Leader in question.

Grinning slightly mischievously, Gardenia stood and said, "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Seems I'm faced with the impossible task of finding a way through your invincible Monferno tomorrow. No doubt you've got some strategizing to do as well. Good night, and thanks for talking."

"Good night", Milo responded.

He'd already located his guest room, down an adjacent hallway from the lounge and on the left. Not much further down was a small training space, which Milo assumed he was allowed to use. He moved his team there and improvised a more thorough training session for his two newest Pokémon. Neither Aurora nor Ferra would be fighting tomorrow, but maybe, just maybe, with a lot of work, they'd be able to help him fight Maylene, assuming he could get past Gardenia tomorrow.

True to his usual style, he trained himself alongside his team, and the results were fairly surprising. Young Pokémon, he found, were shockingly quick learners. In the hour and a half that they worked, Aurora learned to use Shadow Ball and Protect, along with Tackle and Quick Attack, which she knew naturally.

Ferra managed to master Force Palm and Quick Attack, and Blaze began instructing her on his Blaze Kick technique. Milo was pleased to see that both of his young protégés also made large strides in both power and speed. He taught them to dodge the same way he'd taught Azura and Blaze back in Twinleaf, and by the time they finished he was much more optimistic about their chances at helping win a Badge from Maylene.

Once training was over, Milo cleaned himself off before settling himself into his guest room in the wonderfully quiet Eterna Gym.

As usual, Milo's Pokémon served as his alarm clock the next morning. This time, it was Blaze's turn to do the honors; he stood over his Trainer, paused, and punched him unceremoniously in the chest.

"HNGH! What the…Blaze, seriously man?"

Jumping off the bed, the Monferno told him mentally, Oh get over it, you've pulled through much worse. Besides, it did the trick pretty nicely, and your face was pretty funny. C'mon, we all want to hear the plan for the Gym battle!

Still recovering his breath, Milo gave his head a shake before pulling himself up to get dressed. After hurriedly assembling himself, he emerged groggily into the lounge to find his Pokémon all sitting around a coffee table as if they were holding some kind of official conference meeting. Even Ferra and Aurora were there, looking all business as they held some type of very serious discussion in hushed tones. When they saw him, they stopped, and Blaze waved him over, saying,

Hurry, Milo, we want to show you what we've been planning!

This ought to be good, Milo thought to himself. Curious, he made his way to their table and sat down. It seemed they'd found themselves some snacks to serve as a passable breakfast, and left him two granola bars. He munched absentmindedly on one of them, as Azura launched enthusiastically into an elaborate scheme of some kind;

So, here it is, Milo. We know Gardenia will use Grass-types, but she's also a Gym Leader, so she'll expect us to count on Blaze, like Amaya said in her interview, and she'll have a counter for him. If it were me, I'd plan on poisoning Blaze to force you to switch him.

Milo nodded, giving his approval, I'm impressed, you guys. What do you propose we do to work around that?

Aurora jumped onto her Trainer's lap and answered as best she could, You gotta use NOT Blaze! Start with 'Zura instead, so she'll be tricked and we can win! Yay, winning!

Milo laughed aloud, and complimented his team's brainstorm session, I think this plan would probably work, you guys, and until last night it was my plan, too.

Azura's face fell, as she inferred that somehow they had missed something. What's the new plan, Milo? We were just trying to think like you, what did we miss?

You guys came really close, but I'm going to carry your logic one step further. If Gardenia is smart enough to counter Blaze, she'll be smart enough to anticipate our strategy. She'll probably guess that we want to trick her by leading with Azura.

Wait, so…Blaze was struggling to put the pieces together, how do we trick her if she already knows our trick?

It's a two part solution. There's a simple part and a tricky part, Milo smiled, At first, we don't use the trick. We lead with Blaze just like everyone else expects us to. Gardenia fights with three Pokémon for the Gym challenge, so we'll use Blaze for the first one.

Wait, said little Ferra, I bet I know part two.

Milo blinked in surprise, but decided to humor the least experienced member of his team, and politely listened.

Once she sees our not-trick, she'll switch to her normal plan. Then we switch back to the trick…right? So, use Auntie 'Zura for number two. Then go back to part one, and use Blaze for number three. We can do a triple trick!

How…? How could a baby Riolu be so intuitive? Milo was thrown completely for a loop, as was the rest of the team. Ferra sat and smiled innocently, reasonably pleased with her guess, while Milo and his other three Pokémon stared, open-mouthed.

Yeah…that's, uh, exactly what I had in mind. Good job, Ferra…how did you guess that?

I know you, Papa! The carefree little Pokémon climbed up onto Milo's chest to stare brightly into his eyes, You love tricks when you battle!

Well, Milo was finally recovering from the mental shock of having his entire strategy figured out by a Pokémon that was only days old, Uh, yeah, that's the plan. Blaze is in first. When Gardenia tries to switch to her backup plan to counter Fire-types, we pull Azura. My guess is she'll use a Roserade to try and incapacitate Blaze, but Azura can deal with that just fine. When that's done, we switch back to Blaze for Pokémon number three, and this should go fairly smoothly.

Aurora's contribution was somewhat less profound, as she bounded up onto the table and began jumping in a circle;

Yay! Winning is fun! Go team, planning is fun!

Milo returned his team and went to find Gardenia on the main training floor, a massive greenhouse-like space lined with trees, bushes, and various forms of vegetation. She was quite carefully trimming some of the flowers with the help of a Budew when Milo approached.

"There you are", she said, "I was afraid I'd have to push your time back. You're on in a half hour if that's alright."

"You…already scheduled me?"

The Leader smiled and shrugged, "I hope you don't mind…"

"No, that's fine, I guess. When is Amaya's fight?"

Gardenia consulted her Pokétch before saying, "Looks like she's on an hour after you."

Milo spent his remaining half hour getting his team warmed up. He took a stroll around the Gym challenge arena, a standard field with taller grass than normal and twenty yards of dense tree cover on every side. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes before the battle, reporters and Eterna citizens came flooding into the arena. Milo stood in his entry hallway in one corner of the arena, watching the stands fill slowly, when something hit his arm.

"Ow, what the…", he turned to see Amaya standing in front of him, wearing a satisfied grin.

"Why does everyone feel the need to punch me to get my attention today?"

"Ah, quit your grumbling", she answered, "I'm here to wish you luck. Let's go 2 for 2, huh?"

"Let's do it. Alright, looks like I'm on."

Sure enough, they heard the PA system in the arena crackle to life. The modest crowd of a couple hundred people clapped appreciatively as the announcer intoned,

"Ladies and gentlemen, our gracious Leader, the lovely Gardenia, has accepted two challenges today! The first challenge is from…Milo, of Jubilife City! Let's show him a warm Eterna welcome!"

The crowd certainly obliged, whooping and hollering good-naturedly as he strode to his place in the Trainer's box. He'd been worried about getting stage fright, with people gathering just to watch him battle, but he was surprised to find his mind completely focused in, more clear than ever.

Nothing like a good battle to take your mind off of literally everything else, he reasoned.

Gardenia stood ready across from him, game face on, Pokéball already in hand. Once Milo was in position, she nodded to the referee, who breezed through the rules.

"For this Gym battle between the Leader Gardenia and the challenger Milo, each side is allowed three Pokémon. Only the challenger may substitute, and the first to run out of Pokémon will lose the battle. Understood? Good. Battle, begin!"

As the crowd cheered, Gardenia called across the field, "I spent a long time figuring you out, Milo. I think I've got you pegged! Go, Turtwig!"

"You figured me perfectly, Gardenia", responded the young Trainer, "and that's what I was counting on! Blaze, let's get to work!"

As Milo's Fire starter took the field, he was pleased to see Gardenia's face scrunch up in momentary confusion and disbelief. All that the crowd saw was Milo making the logical choice, using a Fire type against a Grass Gym, but he knew he'd already won the mind battle. Gardenia was already behind.

"Get moving, Blaze. Quick Attack, and be indirect."

Blaze complied instantly, using Quick Attack to propel himself around the battlefield.

"Speed won't help you now. Grass Knot!"

"Jump, now!"

Thankfully, Blaze's reaction speed was as fast as Milo's. He jumped in the nick of time, right over a ball of grass that swung viciously underneath him.

"Blaze Kick down."

"Withdraw!" Gardenia's Pokémon skillfully pulled into its shell, mitigating the damage as Blaze came flying down on top of it with a fiery leg. It still took some damage though, and winced as it reemerged. Gardenia acted quickly, trying to reclaim control of the battle,

"Razor Leaf, then move, Turtwig!"

"Using Razor Leaf as cover? Alright, Blaze, use Flame Wheel and be ready to adjust course!"

As Milo expected, Turtwig just wasn't fast enough, and took the Flame Wheel as a direct hit. It flew backwards with a startled "Twiiiiig" before smashing into one of the trees. It struggled to pick itself up, but then collapsed.

"Turtwig is unable to battle, Monferno wins the round!"

The crowd gave a surprised and impressed "WHOA!" and showed Milo their approval with a loud round of sincere applause.

"Hmm", Gardenia thought aloud, "You're clever, Milo, but I've dealt with Fire before. I'll show you how – Roserade, you're up next!"

Milo did a quick mental check, observing the Roserade's size and petal color. With a small sigh of relief, he concluded that this was not The Roserade, the one that made Gardenia such a threat at the elite tournaments. There had been little chance she'd actually use that Roserade, but he had to be sure. Confidence renewed, he implemented phase two of his plan;

"Blaze, return!"

A gasp arose from the crowd, and Gardenia's eyes narrowed, her mind working furiously to unravel Milo's plan. No matter what she figured out, she couldn't switch out Roserade now, so Milo again had the upper hand before the battling even started.

"Azura, let's get to work!"

With a slightly frustrated huff, Gardenia set aside her wonderings and sprang into the battle at hand;

"Stun Spore, Roserade!"

As the Bouquet Pokémon spread spores in Azura's direction, Milo launched his counter strategy;

"Night, then dodge!"

Azura's blue stripes glowed fiercely before producing an explosion of darkness that covered the field. Using Night as cover, the crafty Umbreon easily avoided the Stun Spore. Gardenia was clever enough to think on the fly, and she soon worked out an effective counter to Azura's disguise.

"Hiding can't protect you from Magical Leaf! Go!"

Ah crap, thought Milo, Azura, dodge if you can…

Magical Leaf couldn't miss, though, and after a couple seconds the stream of sharp leaves hit their target, forcing Azura backwards with a grimace.

That really stung, Milo. This thing is smart and packs a punch.

I know, I know, just…trust me. I'm thinking.

Seeing that Milo was temporarily at a loss, Gardenia pressed her opportunity;

"Again, Roserade! Magical Leaf!"

Milo's brain hit overdrive as he frantically searched for a way to beat this…but how could he dodge something that couldn't miss? Unless…

"Azura, Pursuit!"

Azura understood instantly, and jumped into nothingness, only to reappear behind the unsuspecting Roserade, smacking it forward with considerable force. It sprang up, ready to counter, but then its own Magical Leaf, trying to hit Azura, smashed into its back, forcing it down again.

"Confusion!"

The super-effective Psychic blast drew a cry from Roserade. As Azura let her Night cover disperse, the crowd saw Roserade struggling to its feet, still determined to continue. Milo had other plans.

"Wrap it up, Azura. Dark Pulse."

Azura's signature (and strongest) move slammed Roserade hard, sending it crashing through the trees behind Gardenia. There was no question of the result once the dust cleared.

"Roserade is unable to battle, Umbreon wins the round!"

"One Pokémon left for me", said Gardenia, as the crowd rose to its feet at Milo's display of battling genius, "let's make this a fun finale. Cherubi, you're on!"

"Azura, return! Blaze, you're back in!"

Blaze allowed himself a small plume of fire as he burst eagerly back onto the field. Gardenia was never going to just lie down, though, and had a knee-jerk plan ready to go;

"Leech Seed! Growth!"

Cherubi was equally ready, and hit Blaze with the little seeds before he could get out of the way. He stumbled in the grass as they began sapping his energy, and the resourceful Cherubi used the pause to initiate Growth, buffing itself up.

"Good, Cherubi, now use Grass Knot!"

Blaze hit the ground unceremoniously as Grass Knot took his legs from under him. Milo, taken aback at the sudden onslaught, finally recovered, and yelled,

"Blaze, use Ember on yourself!"

A murmur of confusion went through the crowd, but the young Trainer knew exactly what he was doing. Blaze grimaced slightly as he blew flames over his own body, but the attack served to burn away the Leech Seeds.

"Grass Knot again, then Leech Seed!"

Seeing that he had a very small window to avoid being trapped, Milo called quickly,

"Quick Attack, Blaze, straight ahead."

Grass Knot swung just behind the Monferno this time, and he slammed bodily into Cherubi, who got up with an angry huff.

"Now up, and Fire Punch!"

"Safeguard, Cherubi!"

The small Grass type's defensive cover move wasn't enough to protect it from Blaze's incredibly potent Fire Punch, which was aided by his downward momentum. Cherubi was down.

"Cherubi is unable to battle, so the round goes to Monferno! Leader Gardenia is out of Pokémon, so the victor is Milo, the challenger!"

The crowd erupted in wild cheers, and Milo blinked, suddenly hyper-aware of the cameras that flashed from every angle, desperate to get a good shot of the new Trainer who had just dismantled Gardenia's Gym team.

The Leader herself crossed the field to offer a handshake and a badge, saying,

"You've more than earned this Forest Badge, Milo. That was the most brilliant piece of battling I've seen in a very long time. You completely outplayed me, even though Blaze could probably have won that alone. Your Pokémon are incredibly strong and you are one menace of a Trainer to battle against."

"I…thanks, Gardenia. Maylene is next, right? In Veilstone?"

"Hah! Just like Marcus, focused on the next battle. Yeah, you'll be headed to Veilstone next, but it might take you a while. The quickest way is through the mountain, but the path is blocked right now. You'll have to go south. By the way, I'm hoping you don't mind if I put that exemplary battle up on the BattleNet?"

He'd figured that question would be coming sooner or later, "Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright", the Leader smiled, "now I have to prepare my team for our next battle against your friend. See you around, Milo."

As she walked off, Milo thought to himself, I can totally see her and Marcus going perfectly together.

He found Amaya waiting for him in the Gym entryway, eyes narrowed.

"How the hell did you pull that off? I mean, why not just have Blaze sweep it?"

Milo shrugged, "Did you see that Roserade? It would have incapacitated Blaze and picked him to shreds. If I leave Blaze in there, maybe he wins and maybe he doesn't, but I made the safe and smart play, not the risky power play."

"I guess. I'll let you know how the risky power play goes when I make it in about a half hour."

"Yeah", Milo grinned, "I bet you will. Good luck, Amaya. I hope Coral's Ice Beam is enough to pull you through a whole Gym team."

Amaya turned back, and asked over her shoulder, "Am I really that predictable?"

"I mean, what else are you really going to do against a strong Grass team with Terrus, Granite, and Coral?"

Unable to muster a retort, Amaya went to wait in her calling room, while Milo left the Gym to make a quick trip back to the Pokémon Center to get his team refreshed before Amaya's fight. His plan was quickly derailed, however, when reporters mobbed him the minute he stepped outside.

"Milo! Can I get your comments on that battle?"

"Mio! Milo! How soon can we expect to see you in Veilstone!?

"Will you add more Pokémon to your team anytime soon?"

"What can you tell us about your relationship with Amaya?"

Milo turned his head sharply at the last question before laughing out loud. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fairly address the questions as briefly as he could;

"Uh…I thought that was a good battle, a mental battle. I'll be heading for Veilstone soon, but I'll travel at my own pace, so who knows when I'll get there. I've got four Pokémon, and I'm not going to rush to find two more just to fill spots. Amaya and I are friends and rivals, nothing else. That would be ridiculous and inconceivable. She's way too stubborn."

He'd hoped they would be satisfied and go write their stories, but he only drew more questions by stopping;

"What two Pokémon have you not used in Gym battles?"

"Do you know anything about the alleged relationship between your brother and Gardenia?"

"How would you define your battling style?"

Milo sighed heavily. This was exactly the kind of thing he'd been hoping to avoid when he set out to tackle the Gyms. He gave them one more round of answers before forcing his way out,

"I have a Riolu and an Eevee. I don't know anything about Marcus' personal life, and if I did it'd be none of your business. My battle style is based on individual Pokémon, not generalizations about their type or species. I trust my Pokémon because I know them; to me they're more than Pokémon, they are my friends, my family. Right now, two of them need to be seen by Nurse Joy, so I'm leaving."

He pushed through the crowd of cameras, microphones, and notepads and headed down the road. His only consolation was that the assembled reporters were all locally based. Maybe he could stay quiet enough to keep away the big-time national media.

Having been delayed more than he anticipated, he hurried down the road, and Nurse Joy thankfully took care of Blaze and Azura immediately. Within two minutes he was on the road again, headed back towards the Gym. By the time he arrived, the media had gone back inside to report on Amaya's battle, so Milo entered and took a space in the stands with relative anonymity, or so he thought.

"Hey, you're Milo, right?"

A small pull on the back of his shirt made him turn to see a small boy with an eager face.

"Hey, kid", Milo did his best to keep the youngster quiet, "yeah, I'm Milo. You here to watch this battle?"

"Yes! I'm gonna be a super strong Trainer when I'm old enough, like you!"

Trying to convince the kid to leave, Milo said, "Yeah, I'm sure you will. Why don't you start by going back to your parents and watching the battle now?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. But can you sign this first?"

Brimming with expectation, the boy held out a hat and a marker. Cringing at the request, Milo obliged, and then sent the child on his way. To his chagrin, his small act of indulgence was noticed, and he had to sign a dozen more assorted items and take a handful of pictures before his fellow spectators let him be (though not without continued murmuring).

After some consideration, he released his team as Amaya and Gardenia took their places on the field below. He could see/hear more unsolicited pictures and whispers as his Gym-conquering Pokémon emerged, as well as his two newcomers. Thankfully, people left him alone, as Amaya's fight was about to start and people at last had something else to focus on.

The announcer had just finished going over the rules, "-first to knock out the opponent's three Pokémon is the winner. Battle…begin!"

"Alright", called Gardenia with confidence, "Turtwig, let's get started!"

Amaya was totally dialed in, making her seem eerily calm, "Evolution is on our side, then. Terrus, let's do this."

"Ah, he's evolved since your fight with Roark, I see. No matter; Turtwig, Grass Knot!"

"Terrus, show them a real Grass Knot."

Turtwig was a Gym-trained Pokémon, but Terrus had the strength of evolution plus Amaya's ridiculous amounts of power training on his side. There was a comical burst of leaves as the Grotle's massive Grass Knot burst straight through that of its pre-evolution. Turtwig's eyes widened slightly before the monstrous attack walloped it in the side, sending it hurdling through the trees on the far side of the arena. Still, it managed to come bounding out looking significantly damaged, but more than ready to continue.

"I see…" Gardenia muttered to herself, before giving Turtwig its next instruction, "Try Razor Leaf."

"Push through that, Terrus. Get in with a Body Slam, then Bite and throw it."

Terrus roared as he charged straight through the Razor Leaf, brushing it off as best he could. Unfortunately, he and Amaya had both failed to divine the real purpose of the attack. By the time Terrus reached the far side of the field, Turtwig was long gone.

"Perfect, now try Grass Knot again!"

Still disoriented, the Grotle could only grunt in pain as a Grass Knot swung his legs from under him, bringing him toppling awkwardly to the ground.

"Find it, Terrus. Quickly. Then use Giga Drain."

Terrus stood up, and Milo saw his head flick from side to side for only a few seconds before spotting Gardenia's Turtwig trying to use the trees as camouflage. With a large "GROOO!", he launched his energy-sapping attack, and heard a satisfying squawk from the smaller Pokémon as it was drained.

Before his Giga Drain could finish, though, Gardenia called out, "Razor Leaf!"

In his vulnerable state, being halfway through an attack, Terrus had no way to counter it, and yelled aloud as the leaves struck him mercilessly. This Turtwig was causing more trouble than Amaya had planned for. Nevertheless, the Giga Drain ran its course, and Turtwig was clearly low on energy.

That should be checkmate, said Azura observantly, Turtwig did well, but Terrus was just too much for it. This was only ever going one way.

Sure enough, the ghost of a smirk played on the challenger's lips as she said one word, "Return".

An explosion of energy, drawing on Terrus' loyalty to his Trainer, blasted the unfortunate Turtwig all the way through the trees to hit the wall behind them, leaving no question about the result.

"Turtwig is unable to battle! Grotle wins the round!"

Gardenia recalled her Pokémon, thanking it for a strong showing against a stronger opponent, before making her next move,

"Cherubi, you're in!"

Amaya frowned. Milo could only assume it hadn't occurred to her that Gardenia wouldn't use Roserade next, as she had against Milo. Faltering slightly, she called to her starter,

"How you holding up, Terrus?"

The indomitable Grotle looked back with a confident game face and nodded. He wouldn't back out against a little Cherubi.

"Then get charging."

He grunted his approval and his back began to glow. Gardenia's brow furrowed; she knew exactly what that meant. She barked out rapid-fire orders;

"Safeguard, Grass Knot, Leech Seed! Hurry, it's charging a Solarbeam!"

That's very risky from Amaya, observed Milo.

Sitting attentively in her Trainer's lap, Aurora asked, Why's Terrus just glowing and standing there?

That's Solarbeam, Milo did his best to explain quickly, as Cherubi put up a Safeguard to serve as a makeshift defense in case the powerful attack couldn't be diverted, Amaya is betting Terrus can take enough hits to get a Solarbeam off. If it works, Cherubi is toast, but if not then Terrus goes down and Amaya's chances go down significantly.

Terrus was watching his opponent carefully, too far into his charging to change course, doing his best to gather energy as quickly as he could.

Amaya's bet almost paid out. Terrus' glow was almost blinding, surely near completion, when Cherubi's lightning fast Grass Knot swung under his legs. He tried to maintain his focus, but the glow dimmed and began to falter, as the small Cherry Pokémon's Leech Seed follow-up peppered his body, tapping into his considerable stores of energy. He roared and pushed himself valiantly off the ground as Amaya called out,

"Razor Leaf, Terrus. I know you've got it left in you."

The Razor Leaf was impressive for a Pokémon on its last legs. Cherubi and Gardenia had clearly not expected another attack, and Cherubi cried out as it was struck. It survived easily, but still sustained enough damage to make a difference. With that last effort, Terrus' eyes closed of their own accord, and his knees buckled. He was down. He'd landed a hit, but now Amaya and Gardenia were tied.

As he was returned to his Pokéball, the crowd cheered for the spectacular match being played out before them. Amidst all the noise, nobody heard Amaya whisper to herself,

"I should've known better. Dammit, I'm sorry, Terrus."

"Grotle is unable to battle, Cherubi wins the round!"

Milo saw Amaya pause, close her eyes, and take a breath.

She's freaking out, he realized, she didn't plan to lose Terrus – at least not with two Pokémon still left to fight.

She's actually losing, I think, contributed Blaze. He paused as Amaya called her next fighter to the field;

"Okay, Granite. Let's do this."

Terrus was the only one she had without a type disadvantage, commented Milo's Monferno, She's got nothing up her sleeve now but raw power, and lots of it.

You're right buddy, smiled Milo, you're getting much better at this whole analysis thing.

Blaze smiled to himself. He'd been trying to work on his ability to read battles, so he could better imitate Milo's cerebral instincts in the heat of battle.

Meanwhile, on the field before them, Amaya was trying to bludgeon Cherubi into submission before the battle got any further out of her control.

"Rock Polish. Then Slam."

"Cherubi, dodge! Into the trees!"

Cherubi jumped alertly into the surrounding woods as Granite flung himself across the field, narrowly missing the Cherry Pokémon despite his increased speed.

"Hiding, eh? Fine, Iron Tail, sweep the trees."

Gardenia tried to counter, "Get back out, Cherubi, Grass Knot!"

The results were…mixed. Amaya's plan worked perfectly, and Cherubi's cry rung across the stadium as Granite's tail crushed its tree and several others. Before the dust could settle, however, a Grass Knot came flying out of nowhere, bringing the large Onix down hard onto the grass field. Cherubi jumped out into view, breathing heavily as Granite pulled himself up laboriously.

"We can't let that happen again, Granite. Rock Tomb."

"Dodge, Cherubi!"

Gardenia's half-hearted strategy was ineffective. Granite was very good at this, and trapped the unfortunate little Grass type in a few seconds, dealing more damage in the process.

"Now Iron Tail, send it up."

Granite's Steel-covered tail swept viciously through the Rock Tomb he'd just encased Cherubi in, and the small Pokémon was sent flying into the air.

"Now Rock Throw, Granite."

"No! Cherubi, Safeguard!"

Granite's Rock Throw was hardly affected by the Safeguard, and Cherubi hit the ground unconscious.

He crowd was on its feet now. Milo's battle had been entertaining, but this match was actually too close to call. Besides, every Eterna citizen knew what Gardenia's ace would be. She was famous at every level of battling for having a Roserade in her team. It was her favorite species and she knew very well how to use them in battle. Sure enough, a savage roar went up from those assembled as the beloved Gym Leader made the iconic call they so loved to hear;

"Alright, Roserade, you're in!"

"Granite, return."

The Onix had time to register a look of slight surprise before it was returned to its Trainer. Milo was glad to see Amaya not repeat the mistake that had cost her Terrus. After the Grass Knot, Granite was in no state to handle a fresh Roserade. It was best to return him for a rest, to use as a last resort.

There was just one problem. With Terrus down and Granite too injured to fight a Roserade, Amaya's only option was…

This will never work, Azura voiced Milo's thoughts for him, as Amaya did exactly what they'd guessed she would;

"Coral, I need you. Let's do this."

She's pinning this whole battle on Coral's Ice Beam, thought Milo, incredulous at his friend's apparently reckless decision-making.

Gardenia was similarly doubtful, "A Milotic? Hmm…I suppose you could have some surprises, but you've backed yourself into a big corner there. Show me what you've got! Roserade, Magical Leaf!"

Amaya, as always, got straight to the point;

"Ice Beam!"

"Roserade, MOVE!"

Though it wasn't her famous, prized Roserade, this Roserade was still a force to be reckoned with, and was fast as well. It dodged the Ice Beam relatively comfortably, and Magical Leaf left Coral grimacing after only one attack.

"Alright…Coral, Twister."

Now that's smart, remarked Milo to his team, that'll do damage and throw Roserade off, even if it's not super effective.

Sure enough, Roserade was battered by leaves, dirt, and pieces of wood flying about in the vicious Twister that Coral summoned with all of her not inconsiderable force.

When it began to subside, Gardenia took action, "Poison Sting. Then Magical Leaf."

"No, Coral, Hydro Pump that away."

In typical Amaya fashion, one attack was used to overpower another, and the Poison Sting barbs were rendered harmless by the high-powered gushes of water which hit Roserade. Unfortunately, Magical Leaf would not be so easily deterred, and Coral took another super-effective hit, crying out in pain as the damage began to rack up despite her sturdy defense.

"Now Dragon Tail, Coral."

Amaya was doing her level best to play defense by playing offense, and so far it was working. Coral's confident Dragon Tail swept cleanly through Roserade, and it banged uncomfortably into the vegetation surrounding the field, eliciting a nervous ooh from the crowd.

Roserade was gritting its teeth in effort, but it got up and looked angrily across at Coral.

"Roserade, Grass Knot!"

The Bouquet Pokémon smirked as it efficiently brought Amaya's majestic Milotic tumbling down. Amaya narrowed her eyes, seeing the very real possibility of losing…but then she saw an opening. Coral's head had landed, albeit painfully, just ten feet from Roserade, who was visibly exhausted.

"Ice Beam, now!"

Caught completely off guard, Roserade could only stand still as the powerful attack slammed into it, forcing it straight past Gardenia to land knocked out on the ground.

As Coral struggled back into some semblance of an upright position, the announcer called the result, "Roserade is unable to battle, so Milotic wins the round! The Gym Leader has lost all three Pokémon, so the victory goes to Amaya, the challenger from Twinleaf!"

After seeing two magnificent battles in the same day, the crowd went nuts, and Milo joined in applauding his friend.

She cut that pretty close, said Azura, do you think she'll struggle against later Gym Leaders?

No, answered Milo carefully, I think she knows that was close, so she'll push herself and her team even harder from now on. That might be the closest she'll ever come to losing a Gym battle.

Milo had planned to meet Amaya outside the Gym to congratulate her, but as he left, he almost got trapped again by journalists. Luckily, they were more interested in finding Amaya, so he escaped to the Pokémon Center, where he checked out a room and sat to hang out with his team, going back through the battle to explain some of the finer points he'd noticed, especially to the younger two.

Aurora and Ferra were eager listeners and learned very quickly. Ferra in particular hung on her Trainer's every word, completely entranced and enchanted by the prospect of battling at such a high level, where the tiniest mistake could turn a victory into defeat.

After about an hour and a half, Amaya walked wearily into his room, flopping down on the unoccupied couch with a gruff, "Hey".

"Hey yourself", he responded, "Congrats on the win. Your thoughts?"

"You sound like those reporters. To be honest…I was an idiot to let it get that close. I need to be more aware."

"You should also be more careful", noted the Jubilife Trainer.

"Yeah, keeping Terrus in was a bad decision. He'd fight anything in any condition if I let him, I should've known he was more hurt than he seemed. He's strong, but not invincible…yet."

"Still", remarked Milo, "You played it well. Especially that knee-jerk Ice Beam. Brilliant instinct."

"Thanks. Coral never lets me down."

"Seems that way. You look tired; you gonna take a nap?"

"Yeah", she answered with a heavy sigh, heaving herself up to amble back to her own room, "just stopped in to say what's up. You know, one of those reporters asked if we were a thing."

Milo cracked up laughing, "You got that question, too? Oh man, that's too funny. What'd you say?"

"I laughed in his face and told him fat chance. Can you imagine how weird that'd be?"

"Heh, yeah, no kidding."

"Well…see you in a few hours for dinner."

Milo sat back to chill for a while, and turned on the TV in his room to see the preliminary rounds of the Veilstone Amateur Performers Showcase playing. Usually people from Sinnoh focused more on Contests and Coordinators than Showcases and Performers, but the Kalos brand of Pokémon showing had recently been on the rise, as it had a more global market and better organization, not to mention more funding.

This particular round featured three aspiring Performers. The young ladies' names were Acile, Berynne, and Kara. They were competing in a one-Pokémon performance round with a Roselia, Buizel, and Leafeon respectively. Milo had never been super into this kind of thing, but with nothing else to do, he was content to kick back and watch this with at least passing interest.

Acile and Berynne did well, but Kara was clearly the most talented of the group. Her Leafeon's moves were more precise, more elaborate, and perfectly in sync with Kara's own movements. They flowed together with a natural elegance that the other two simply did not possess. Truthfully, Kara looked more like she belonged in Kalos, Performance Central, than an Amateur Showcase in Veilstone.

Milo released his Pokémon to allow them some fresh air and relaxation, and after watching another couple rounds, he drifted off into an easy slumber, the late afternoon sun warming him just enough to be lazily comfortable.

When he came to, it was evening, and Amaya was banging on his door.

"Hey. I'm hungry. Let's go find dinner."

"Whuh…?" Milo was still rousing himself, "Okay. Where?"

"Gardenia's here. She says she knows a good place."

Intrigued, Milo returned his team, and found the Gym Leader waiting for them in the lobby.

As it turned out, Gardenia wanted to treat them to dinner as congratulations for their double victory. They had a good time, and got good advice from the Grass-type master, which Amaya was more than eager for.

"You should also know", said the Leader in a confidential tone, "that you guys are only going to get bigger. I mean, you should see the attention your videos are getting on the BattleNet. Professors, Leaders, and media tycoons have all seen your battles in the last few hours. You're gaining a reputation, both of you."

Amaya grunted, "Hmm. That wasn't my best battling, by far. I was careless and it nearly cost me."

"Don't sell yourself short", answered Gardenia, "not many people can turn a battle around like that from a type disadvantage after a Gym Leader backs them into a corner. I had you beaten to rights, and you still pulled it out of the hat, somehow."

They talked for another hour or so, examining both of their battles in careful detail, before the two young Trainers returned, heads packed full of useful tidbits, to the Pokémon Center. There they found one last surprise waiting for them that day, as Nurse Joy called them over;

"Oh, you two! This man has been waiting for you; he says he would like to speak with you about an offer of some sort?"

The man in question, who looked to be a well-dressed, eager individual in his mid to late twenties, stood and introduced himself,

"Hello, hello to both of you! I'm Jenks, and you're Milo and Amaya, as everyone knows by now. Should we take a seat? I'll try not to keep you long."

Confused, the two Trainers sat down at a nearby table. Holding a portable coffee mug and wearing glasses and an bright, white smile, Jenks sat across from them and made his offer;

"So, straight to business: Don't let me scare you off, but I am a reporter."

Milo immediately made to politely excuse himself, but Jenks held out a hand, continuing quickly, "I promise I'm not here to interview you! Please, just hear me out; I really do want to make both of you an offer."

Milo sat back down warily, as Amaya answered for them, "Okay, Mr. Jenks, we're listening."

"Now, as you've no doubt seen, new battling sensations like you are hot news for every journalist in Sinnoh. While it's great for us media types, I know it can be downright exhausting for you Trainers. My proposal is this: let me be your media manager. Basically, after every major battle or other significant appearance, you give me an interview, and I in turn make sure the rest of the media gives you your due privacy. See how that works?"

"Yeah…I think I get it", said Milo, "but I still think I'd rather take my chances avoiding the press on my own."

"Ah, but think about it", countered Jenks, "If you ignore reporters, they will still report something. If they don't have anything, I'm sad to say that most will make something up, and you lose control of your public image. If you let me do my job, I will only report what we agree is best for you, and you get privacy and a good image. I understand your apprehension, Milo, but this is the best deal anyone will offer you, and you'll only have more attention bearing down on you from here on out."

That's the second time I've heard that tonight…Milo thought.

"I like this deal, Milo", said Amaya, "He's got a good point. Do we have to pay you?"

"No", answered Jenks quickly, "I work for the Consortium for Free Journalism, which basically means I get a nice paycheck and free reign to report anything I want, as long as I'm journalistically ethical about it. That also means I don't need to get my hands into your winnings, you pay me nothing."

Amaya was obviously sold, but Milo was still eyeing the man from across the table. Jenks reached into his pocket and produced and envelope,

"I figured you might be unsure, it's perfectly natural. That's why I brought this. Read that, if you would, Milo."

Milo took and opened the envelope. The stationary inside was official Hearthome Gym paper, with the unmistakable Absol-print watermark in the lower corner. It was a note that read,

Milo,

Hey bro; I know you're probably nervous about the whole media thing, but trust me when I tell you that Jenks is the best in the business. He's honest, and he really has your best interests at heart. He'll take good care of you without manipulating you or doing any other typically cynical journalist-y things. You're going to have to deal with media one way or another, just like me, and Jenks is the way to go. You'll probably even end up friends with him; he's already my good friend. Believe me, Milo; this deal is as close as you'll get to no media on the big stage of battling. Take the deal, bro.

-Marcus

After Marcus' testimony and solid logic, Milo turned the idea over in his head for a few seconds before offering a hand to Jenks, saying,

"Alright, Mr. Jenks, I'll take this deal. Sorry if I seemed standoffish, there. I'm not used to the whole press interest thing yet."

"Hey, no worries, Milo", answered Jenks, accepting the handshake warmly, "As a journo I get that all the time. Comes with the territory. A pleasure to be working with you! Now, I assume you two will be leaving Eterna tomorrow?"

They hadn't talked about it, but quickly agreed. After all, there wasn't anything else for them in Eterna.

"Sweet", Jenks stood up and dropped a card onto the table, "Whenever you get near Veilstone, or any other city you think might have media looking for you, shoot me a text and I'll be ready to help you through, every step of the way!"

"Thanks, Jenks", said Amaya with a handshake of her own.

Their new media manager waved goodbye and walked briskly out of the Pokémon Center.

"Well", began Milo, "that just happened, I guess."

"Yup", answered Amaya eloquently, "Now I'm tired. Good night, Milo."

He followed his friend down the hall before turning off into his own room. After what had been a very long day, he released his team, got ready, and at last got into his soft, quiet bed. Two badges down, he realized, and six left to go…

Chapter 10 Thoughts: This chapter has some real novelty, in my humble opinion. A (hopefully) thrilling pair of Gym battles, and yes, I invented a backstory for Gardenia. The media manager thing was another stroke of random inspiration that I plan to use repeatedly through the rest of this story. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.

If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!