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)

21. Chapter 21 - Complications

Milo Chapter 21 – Complications

Milo

Milo woke to Gardenia's gentle voice as the plane wheels bumped down onto the runway;

"Hey. Hey, Milo, we're landing."

Groggily, he roused himself from his much-needed slumber and grabbed his bags, shuffling off of the plane with the other passengers.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz bzzz bzzzz.

Milo glanced down at his watch as he followed the Eterna Leader from the terminal. It had just caught up with the messages he'd missed during the flight, and one of them made him double-take. It was from Kara;

Please don't freak out, it's not what it looks like.

That...was incredibly ominous, and made him apprehensive as they stepped blinking into the bright sunlight of Canalave.

"Milo! Oh my gosh, you're back! Hi!"

Kara was on him in a flash, hugging him so tightly he felt he might crack in half. He spun around as she attack-hugged him, mostly to absorb the impact without falling over. Smiling, he set her down and gave her a gentle kiss;

"Told you I'd come back, didn't I?"

He turned next to greet Amaya, who always stood aloof from these sorts of touchy-feely moments;

"Hey 'Maya, how's it – oh. Oh no. No, hell no."

Kara grabbed ahold of his arm worriedly as he locked eyes with an unexpected member of their little welcoming committee.

"Milo", began the Performer pleadingly, "I told you, please don't freak. Just let us explain, okay?"

"Oh there had better be some explaining", Milo growled and took a rather threatening step forward, "What in the name of all that is good is Damion doing here?"

The Veilstone Trainer stood his ground behind Amaya, saying nothing as he stared coolly back at Milo, hands in his pockets. His quiet stare felt like a challenge, earning him an extra glare from Kara, who had warned him in no uncertain terms to be on his best behavior.

"Hey, back off, Milo", said Amaya, stepping between the two boys, "He's cool. Come on, I'm glad you're back and all, now let's get going."

"Mind if I tag along?" Gardenia asked graciously, trying to diffuse the obviously volatile situation, "I'd like to check in on you guys, it's been a few weeks since we've had the chance to catch up."

"That would be lovely", answered Kara, relief evident in her voice. Between them, the Performer and the Gym Leader made just enough small talk to cover the painful silence going on behind them as the group walked back to the Pokémon Center.

They were rather a star-studded bunch, and both Amaya and Damion (the hotshot Rookies, of course) were stopped a few times for autographs and pictures. Gardenia also got her fair share of attention from adoring battle fans. Thankfully, nobody approached Milo, who was so visibly pissed off that only Kara dared go near him.

Those closest to the JPTA graduate had learned over the last few months that despite his usually cheerful disposition, a truly angry Milo could be terrifying, volatile, and very dangerous. Once, after a particularly unpleasant and unsuccessful Order mission, Milo had lost control and all but demolished an abandoned building south of Oreburgh using Dark Aura and his own two hands.

The group found their rooms at the Pokémon Center and everyone but Damion settled themselves in Milo's room in apprehensive silence.

"Somebody explain this", he rumbled, seated darkly on the bed.

Amaya opened her mouth to answer, but Kara, situated carefully beside Milo, shot her a look that said only too plainly;

This requires delicacy, so you keep quiet. Let me.

Clearing her throat, she put a gentle hand on her boyfriend's back as she explained what had happened;

"We were surfing the Canalave Channel and we decided to take a break at the island in the middle. You know the one, right? It's so tiny, but it's really nice, such a perfect spot."

Milo nodded, still not making eye contact with anyone. Kara pressed on, undeterred;

"Well, I let Madame out for some fresh air – I figured she'd really like the open sea breeze, you know? Well, she came flying back really worked up about something, so we went to check it out, and it was Team Rocket!"

At that, the stony Milo finally looked up;

"Rocket? Was it those Rockets? Annie and Oakley?"

Kara nodded, her face growing more serious;

"They were harassing Damion and threatening him. They had knocked his Pokémon down with String Shot and Hypnosis so he was defenseless, and they were strong-arming him into joining Team Rocket. They were even going to steal his team from him! How horrible is that? Luckily we got there and held them from getting away with Psychic. They're sitting in prison as we speak. But still, I'm shocked they would threaten him like that, you know?"

"That...that does suck pretty bad", Milo was forced to admit, "But he should never have gotten himself involved with them in the first place. When you mess with creeps like them, you're asking for some bad trouble."

"Yeah", scoffed Amaya, "because nothing you do is dangerous or deals with criminals, Mr. Dark Secret Agent."

"That's different and you know it, 'Maya. I fight criminals. He freaking hired them! Why are you sticking up for that egotistic jerk after all the disgusting, idiotic stunts he's pulled? You know as well as I do that he's bad news!"

Amaya stood up now, her own face set like flint;

"What, is he not allowed to change? And people say I'm stubborn! He's a different person from back then, Milo. You know that but you won't accept it. The rest of us can forgive him and move on, but apparently not you."

"Geez, 'Maya, what the hell's gotten into you? Don't tell me all his hitting on you is actually working? Whose friend are you, here?"

"Grow up, Milo. You know I'm right here with you like always. Just because I'm not as pissed as you about something from over half a year ago doesn't mean you have to fly off the handle."

Glaring daggers at his first travelling companion, Milo said quietly;

"I'm going out back to do some training."

As he rose swiftly and left the room, Gardenia hurriedly made to follow him out;

"Hey, Milo, wait! You're still not at 100%, you should be careful! Ugh, see you two in a bit. I'm going to go make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Again."

She hurried down the hallway, leaving 'Maya and Kara standing silently in the room.

"Well, that was inevitable", sighed the Performer, "but you didn't have to jump in. That really didn't help, 'Maya."

The Twinleaf Trainer shrugged, "It's Milo. He'll get over it once he burns off that excess energy."

She sounded quite confident, but Kara knew better. The shorter girl's gaze still lingered a bit longer on the doorway, and her face still showed concern.

Ugh, smiled Kara ruefully, I have the craziest, most stubborn friends…

"Just...try not to antagonize him anymore, okay? At least not until he cools off?"

Amaya smirked at that;

"Heh. I'll do my best. No promises, though."

Shaking her head and chuckling, the Floaroma native trudged her way out to the training field. Seeing Milo train without holding back, no matter the circumstances, was always entertaining.

This time around, given everything going on around him, he was trying and failing to bludgeon Ferra into submission. The Steel-Fighting type was patiently absorbing his hits, not fighting back too much. On one side of the field, Azura looked on worriedly, her tail flicking back and forth with nervous energy.

Papa…

Milo's Lucario felt saddened at his rage, but also touched. She knew better than most exactly what he was going through. He had still pinned the blame for her parents' murder squarely on Damion's shoulders, hence his overreaction to seeing the Veilstone boy hanging out with his friends. She, for her part, just hated seeing her Papa so torn up, no matter the cause. She had also not totally forgiven Damion's part in her early life, but she had at least made peace with it all.

What he did was bad, she was talking to Milo as much as herself as she fell into the familiar rhythm of sparring with her Trainer, Really, really bad. If it hadn't happened, though, you wouldn't be my Papa. I'm sad I never knew my Daddy, but I know he's proud of me, and I love you too, Papa…

That's – that's no excuse! Just because it all worked out doesn't let him off the hook!

Milo lunged in with a vicious haymaker, which Ferra calmly blocked with an arm, taking a step inside to force her Trainer backward a bit. Azura took the opportunity to try and reason with him;

He's not off the hook, she said as Ferra stepped in close once more to make him stop attacking, But being mad isn't going to do anything! What if you were still mad at Jet for disobeying against Wake? Remember that?

Lungs already heaving, both from fury and exertion, Milo stopped. He was shirtless, bruised, and scratched, but it felt good. It felt better to have pain outside than pain inside. Setting himself a more measured, calculated tempo, he resumed trading blows with Ferra;

I forgave Jet because I understood his reasoning.

Azura shot back instantly, Have you ever tried to understand Damion's reasoning?

How can there be an acceptable reason for murder?

He was getting hot again, and lunged a bit too far in with an angry left kick. Ferra blocked this with another casual arm, and took the opportunity to sweep his feet from under him, buying herself a few seconds to respond as he crashed to the dirt.

What if he didn't know, Papa? He only hired them to steal my Egg, he might not have known about how they got it.

"Hey", called a voice from the door, "you got a sec, man?"

It was the last voice Milo wanted to hear, but there was Damion, the familiar scornful look on his face, leaning against the frame of the open door, twiddling a Pokéball in one hand.

"No", came the Jubilife boy's curt answer, "I have no time for you."

Damion gave a heavy sigh, and tried once more,

"Look, I know you don't want to see me, but can you just hear me out? One time, man, seriously. I just got something that needs saying."

Still breathing heavily from his work with Ferra, Milo turned abruptly to glare at his not-so-friendly rival.

"What? What the hell do you want?"

"Geez, chill. Okay, look", Damion frowned and stared intently at the ground, evidently having trouble forcing himself to say whatever was on his mind;

"I...I messed up."

"Oh, you think?" Milo spat, unable to restrain his fury.

"Come on, let me finish, for crying out loud! Okay, alright, here it is...I know it's my fault that your Lucario's parents, uh...didn't get to meet her. I know I can't just say 'sorry' and move on, but it's the best I got right now. For what it's worth...I really am sorry that happened."

Milo didn't quite know what to say. Everything he'd told himself he knew about Damion Parr suggested that 'apology' wasn't in his vocabulary...but there it was. Milo took a breath, and opened his mouth to respond, when Ferra cut him off.

The Lucario, aura visibly pulsing from her body, stepped up to face the Veilstone Trainer who had denied her a life with her natural parents. Damion's face seemed to pale, but he didn't back away.

Milo was so conflicted he couldn't pick a feeling, but part of him was very afraid when he saw Ferra cock her right fist back and set herself for a knockout punch. He could feel rage coursing through her mind, could see it in the dark blue aura pulsing out like tongues of flame from her body. The Aura Pokémon stood there for a second, clenched fist ready to crash into Damion's face. She stood there for two seconds...five seconds...ten seconds…

Then, Milo's breath left him in a rush as she brought her hand down slowly and offered it to Damion.

A handshake.

Her voice, projected by aura, filled the training field with raw emotion. It cracked only once or twice as she delivered her ultimatum;

"I hated you. For a long time. I was an orphan because of you. Still...I wouldn't have met my Papa any other way. You can't ever fix what you did, but I've made peace with it. You messed up, and it hurt me a lot, but...I'm ready to stop hating you for it."

The blood visibly drained from Damion's face at her words. He couldn't comprehend it.

I...deserved that punch, he thought numbly, not the handshake. Is she serious?

Wordlessly, Damion accepted her handshake, his hand visibly trembling. Ferra nodded slowly, and turned back to face Milo;

"See, Papa?"

Damion visibly winced at hearing Ferra call Milo by this name. Milo, in turn, scowled because he could see he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"...Alright. Fine, I guess if Ferra can, then I'll also give you a second chance at a first impression. I still haven't forgotten all the nasty things you've said about 'Maya and Kara, though."

Grudgingly, he also shook Damion's hand.

"Uh...Cool", the Veilstone Trainer still had trouble meeting Milo's narrowed eyes, "So, in that case, mind if we split the training field?"

Milo only nodded before retreating to one half of the field and continuing his training. From just inside the Pokémon Center, Kara and Amaya had been listening in, courtesy of Florence's Psychic abilities.

"No way", Kara couldn't believe her ears, "Did that really just happen? I mean, they were ready to rip each other's throats out, like, an hour ago! And now they just shake hands and train together? Seriously?"

Amaya shrugged, and answered with wisdom beyond her years;

"Boys are weird."

Outside, the two young men continued training without rest for another hour or so. Finally, when Milo was dripping with sweat from working with his team, and Damion's legs began to hurt from standing and yelling from the sidelines, the pair of them sat down on the steps leading to the back of the Center.

For a few seconds, neither one spoke. Finally, Damion nodded towards Ferra, who was currently going blow for blow with Blaze, despite her type and speed disadvantage.

"She's damn strong."

Milo nodded, "She works damn hard."

Another pause.

"Your Empoleon's pretty sturdy."

"Thanks. Being part Steel helps."

Yet another stretched silence.

"It's funny", Damion this time, "Since I found out what those witches did, seeing your Lucario fight always hurt inside. Now it feels...better."

Milo frowned and said nothing. He didn't trust himself to speak. Damion continued, uncomfortably, but also thoughtfully,

"That was one of the things that helped me get my shit together. You know, help me start actually caring about my team and all that."

"…Good", came the gruff answer.

"Just…thought you'd want to know that."

"Thanks."

Was it strained? You bet. Was it awkward? Unbelievably so. Yet somehow, that moment was a fresh spark between the two rivals. Friendship was way too strong a term as of yet, but…a new beginning was within reach. That tiny moment didn't last much longer, as Gardenia burst out and demanded Milo get some rest. He was still a day or two from being back to 100% physically, after the toll the blessings had taken on his energy levels.

The remainder of that day, and the next, slipped by without further incident. Milo and Damion were, notably, never on the field at the same time again. They'd made a great first step, but it was only that so far – a first step.

The following morning, all three Trainers (and Kara) woke with a sense of purpose and determination. It was time to challenge Byron for their sixth badge. Given Milo and Amaya's (mostly Amaya's) status as minor celebrities, quite a few people showed up to watch the juggernaut Rookies pick up the Gym Circuit after six months off.

"Well", grinned the rather intimidating Byron, spade in hand as usual, "I knew you'd be coming, Veilstone boy, but you other two – you kept me waiting quite a while. What's with putting the old man on ice, eh?"

Milo opened his mouth, but closed it again, unsure of how to respond. With a booming laugh, Byron clapped him on the shoulder firmly and guided the Jubilife Trainer towards his staging room;

"Ah, don't worry, kid. I'm only playing around with you. Now give it your all, you hear? Let's put on a damn fine show for these folks. That's what they're here for!"

The aging Leader strolled off to get himself prepared to take the field, using his spade almost like a walking stick. With a last glance at his friends (and Damion), Milo grinned;

"Alright, here goes nothing, you guys. See you on the other side!"

Kara's bright face shone with anticipation;

"Good luck, Milo! I know you can win this!"

Amaya only nodded, and said with a grin;

"Wreck him."

With that, Milo heard his name from the announcer out in the stadium, and stepped out to face his sixth Gym battle against Byron's notoriously tough Steel type defensive strategies.

"The challenger has the first call!"

"Alright", Milo could feel a hint of the familiar spark inside as he gripped his first Pokéball, "let's get it going! Blaze, you're up!"

As Milo's fiery powerhouse sprang eagerly forward, Byron actually chuckled;

"Heh. I thought you'd try a stunt like that. Is that any way to respect your elders, kid? Bronzor, let's show him what we've got!"

A half-Psychic, thought Milo warily, That's a veteran move if ever there was one. Fair play to him. Still…

"No mercy, bud! Flare Blitz!"

A Gym-level Bronzor had no chance against the raw speed and power of a borderline professional Infernape. Byron's Bronze Pokémon went smashing backwards into the wall with a sickening crunch.

"Oh man", muttered the Leader, "this kid's for real. I was more worried about his pal, the one from Twinleaf, but…damn, that hurt. Okay Bronzor, try Hypnosis!"

"Evade and close in, Blaze! Double Team!"

Bronzor's Hypnosis struck at least three of Blaze's copies from Double Team, but the real Infernape was safely gone, using his escape to cover his approach from his enemy's left side;

"Perfect, now end it! Flamethrower!"

"Confuse Ray, Bronzor!"

Byron's reaction play was a clever one, but it wasn't fast enough. Blaze's brutal power and Milo's strategy left Bronzor down in just two hits. The only damage Blaze had taken was the recoil from Flare Blitz. Milo frowned, almost disappointed that the round was already over.

"Not bad, boy", Byron had a rueful grin. Deep down, he'd known his chances at a victory were marginal at best, but it was still harsh to be reminded so clearly that his Gym team had no chance.

"Let's see what you can do to Steelix!"

Milo only sighed. Blaze was more than ready for a Steelix, especially after months of training against Granite. This wouldn't be much trouble.

"Mach Punch!"

"Don't let him in, Steelix! Flash Cannon!"

"Break it off! Low Kick!"

"Another Flash Cannon, Steelix! Keep that thing away, no matter what!"

The Jubilife Trainer's eyes narrowed. His primary plan depended on Blaze breaking that line of ranged defense. Maybe that wouldn't be as simple as he'd hoped.

"Sidestep, and Flamethrower!"

Blaze grunted, obviously displeased at having to interrupt his natural flow. Nevertheless, he had more than enough speed to dodge the second Flash Cannon and shoot off a superb Flamethrower that rocked Byron's Iron Snake for huge damage.

"No rest, Blaze. Try Low Kick again."

He really wants to get in close, Byron knew, He's looking for an opening for all those Fighting moves. If I let him in, I lose Steelix for sure.

"Earthquake, Steelix! This thing does not get near us!"

A flash of inspiration born from memory struck Milo.

"Blaze, jump! Geodude tactics!"

Geo-what now? Oh wait! You mean THAT? Yeeessssss!

Blaze's whole face lit up in excitement as he took a running start into a huge, flying leap straight at the unprepared Steelix. As the ground began heaving in what would've been a rather impressive Earthquake, Blaze latched on to the Iron Snake's body and unleashed a staggering Heat Wave at point blank range. The Flame Pokémon clutched tightly to his victim as the Ground attack subsided before releasing, pushing himself away with a Fire Punch to the Steel type's body. Milo knew the round was over;

"Perfect! Low Kick, and Close Combat!"

The hits rained in on Byron's second Pokémon until Blaze was satisfied that his opponent wasn't getting up. Byron was two down, and Blaze was still almost totally fresh.

"This sucks", complained Amaya in the stands, "Milo's not even giving him half a chance. Boring."

"Yeah", Kara was forced to agree, "I think he was afraid this might happen. He told me back in Hearthome that fighting the Gyms might not feel 'real' after all that training."

"Huh", nodded the Twinleaf girl, "Guess he was right. That's disappointing. Well, at least we get to see one of Byron's famous Bastiodon in action."

Sure enough, the Shield Pokémon had just appeared as Byron's last hope in this Gym challenge. Bastiodon was Byron's signature Pokémon, though the one on his Gym team was, as per protocol, a weaker one than his professional-level team anchor.

Still, Milo wasn't even fazed as he got straight to work;

"Double Team, Blaze. Low Kick when you're ready."

"Careful, Bastiodon. Iron Defense."

Can't let him get set up, thought Milo.

"Let's go for broke, pal! Flare Blitz, Close Combat! You have ten seconds to put this thing down!"

Byron's eyes shot wide open. Not at the tactics, those were fairly predictable; it was the sheer power with which they were executed. The lab-issued starter lit himself aflame so brilliantly that the audience could feel the temperature skyrocket within the stadium as he sprinted in, almost too fast to see, to deliver a vicious hit on Byron's last Pokémon.

Geez, how the hell is nobody taking this kid seriously when he's got this kind of power with just one of his Pokémon?

With a shake of his head, the experienced Leader pulled out one of his favorite counters for fights like this;

"Now Metal Burst, Bastiodon!"

"Blaze, move!"

The wily Infernape didn't need the instruction. He was already halfway through a Quick Attack escape. Still, his brutal combo had brought him too close, and he took a hefty hit despite his attempted retreat as the Shield Pokémon reflected his own power back at him.

He'd had to break off his devastating combo attack, but he'd still gotten Flare Blitz in, as well as one or two good Close Combat hits.

"Alright, buddy", Milo had quickly regained his control, "Flamethrower. Don't hold back."

As his Fire attack rocketed towards the Steel beast, Byron took the direct approach, knowing Bastiodon wasn't nearly fast enough to do much else.

"Ancientpower!"

Quick as a flash, Milo did what he did best; he turned the tables.

"Around, Low Kick, Brick Break, then back off!"

Blaze had disappeared before Milo was done talking. His Quick Attack carried him all the way around to Bastiodon's unprotected back. His Low Kick brought it down hard, and Brick Break was the icing on the victory cake. He backed away with another Quick Attack as Milo had asked, wary of another Metal Burst, but it was unnecessary.

"Bastiodon is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner, and the match goes to Milo the challenger!"

The reaction from the crowd was subdued. Damion, who had shown up to see firsthand just how much his rival had grown, quietly muttered to himself the very thing most people were thinking;

"Well, damn. Did that just happen? He barely broke a sweat."

Milo offhandedly gave his permission for Byron to post the Gym battle recording, accepted the badge with grace, and left for the Pokémon Center. He met Jenks on the way, who was there to help him and Amaya sort out the inevitable media onslaught once their battles were over;

"You know, I was right", Milo commented to the expert journalist, "That didn't feel like it used to."

"How do you mean?" Jenks prodded with a knowing smile. He'd worked with more than a few Rookies, and had seen this reaction before. Milo just needed to talk through it.

"That was fun and all – hi, Nurse Joy, can you heal my team? Thanks – That was still a cool battle, but it felt like I didn't really have to get into it. Like, there was that one moment with the Steelix, but otherwise I just sort of pushed a bit and the whole Gym team fell over, you know?"

The pair sat in the lobby as Jenks offered a measured response;

"Well, you did have a double type advantage. Also, deep down, I think you know these Gym battles don't matter anymore. In a way, you're kind of an addict. You've had more, fought in bigger fights, and now backtracking to a Gym-level battle just isn't enough to give you the rush you're looking for."

"That sounds awfully cynical", sighed the Jubilife Trainer, "but also scarily accurate."

"I wouldn't worry, Milo. All Trainers – at least the ones who actually go somewhere – have this same problem at some point. It's part of what drives them to push so hard for success. Very few Trainers are in it just for fame. Most, like you, are in it to feel that rush, to go all out in a big battle, win or lose. You're an adrenaline junkie like all the rest, my friend."

"Milo!" Nurse Joy hailed him, carrying his tray of Pokéballs in hand, all ready to go, "Your team is back to full health!"

Milo and Jenks made their way back just in time to take their seats for Amaya's battle. If the arena was full for Milo's fight, it was absolutely jam-packed now in anticipation of seeing Amaya, The Hammer, the Rookie sensation.

Impassive as ever, Amaya stood with her now iconic black headphones clamped over her ears with her arms crossed stoically in the challenger's box. She'd only recently confided to Milo that, at least during a particularly important battle, there was never any music playing in those headphones. They were actually noise-cancelling, to help her stay focused. At any rate, the headphones were part of her 'signature look', and a crucial part of any Amaya battle.

"Bronzor!" Byron called the same opening Pokémon he'd used against Milo.

"Granite. You're in."

Milo nodded, "Ah, she's just going to outgun him, pure and simple. Makes sense."

"Granite, Rock Polish."

Byron's eyes narrowed. He'd likely assumed the same thing as Milo, and was surprised to see Amaya use a setup move instead of launching right into an attack.

"Bronzor, Confuse Ray!"

"Don't let that off. Iron Tail."

Bronzor duly focused itself, preparing to release a Confuse Ray big enough to affect the Iron Snake, but it wasn't fast enough, because of Rock Polish, to avoid the massive Steel tail that smashed it into the wall with shattering force.

"Damn…Come on, Bronzor! Payback!"

The much smaller Pokémon went on the offensive, and was able to avoid an attempted tail swipe from Granite as it crashed headlong into the half Ground type. Amaya's Steelix grunted in surprise as he was actually forced backwards. Amaya wasn't having this, however, and countered brutally;

"Rock Tomb, and Slam."

"No! Bronzor, keep those rocks away with Confusion! Dodge left!"

It was a close thing, but the audience collectively gasped as Bronzor escaped the ground-shaking Slam by mere inches after weaving frantically around the Rock Tomb.

"Hypnosis!"

Just like that, Granite was incapacitated. There was no doubt that Amaya's Pokémon was far stronger than the Leader's Bronzor, but she'd been just barely outplayed. Byron waited a second, expecting her to make a substitution. She didn't.

What's she thinking? Well, I'll make her pay.

"Wail on it, Bronzor! Flash Cannon, Confusion, Extrasensory!"

A flurry of Psychic and Steel moves came flying in from the Bronze Pokémon, but after a few seconds, Amaya called out to her Iron Snake;

"Enough lying around, Granite! Iron Tail, end this!"

Granite didn't even bother to right himself. From his prone position on the floor, his eyes shot open and he twisted himself frighteningly fast to smash another Iron Tail into the unsuspecting Bronzor. The round was over.

Kara tugged at her boyfriend's shirt sleeve with a question;

"Was he faking it or something?"

"No", Milo responded with an incredulous shake of the head, "She just knows him well enough to guess how long Hypnosis would take to wear off. She estimated it perfectly. She's proving a point here; that's the only reason she left him in at all. Psh, what a showoff."

The crowd went wild at her display of raw power and endurance.

"Heh", Kara chuckled, "that's why they like her more than you. You win too quickly, but she's more…dramatic about it."

"Whatever", he shot back, "I don't need them to like me. I don't do it for them."

On the field, Amaya was now making the switch she should have made after Hypnosis.

"Coral, you're up."

The brilliant Milotic drew oohs and ahs from the onlookers as she burst into view opposite Byron's Steelix. This time the Gym Leader took the initiative;

"Earthquake, Steelix!"

"Respond with Hydro Pump."

Byron's hit was clean, and Coral winced at the power of the Ground attack, but she recovered well enough to launch a furious blast of water into the Steelix's face. She knew quite well how to aim for a Steelix's weak points after training for months with Granite, after all.

"KKRRAAAHHH!"

Steelix was reeling from the super effective raw power of his opponent.

"Flash Cannon, Steelix!"

As the shootout between the two powerhouses continued, Milo saw the slightest shift in Amaya's stance, the tiniest hint of a grin on her intense face;

"Oh, it's over now", he knew, "She's been dying to show this off. Watch."

"Do it, Coral. Mirror Coat."

Gritting her teeth through the Flash Cannon, which was nothing to be sniffed at, Coral gave off a brilliant, brightly colored flash, and Steelix roared in pain as its attack was doubled and rebounded. With that, the round ended. Byron's Iron Snake was already down.

"Quite a move, that one", offered Byron, "you've drawn out my last Pokémon. Bastiodon, let's go!"

Amaya opted not to switch out, but got things started right away;

"Bulldoze, Coral!"

She'd correctly guessed that Byron's first play would be to use Iron Defense to shore up his staying power, and Coral's ambush preempted this by scoring a doubly super-effective hit on the Shield Pokémon, who was pushed back and roared in pain at the heavy damage.

"Hmm! Quick, Iron Defense!"

Better late than never, reasoned the Gym Leader, time to build that back.

"Now Rest, Bastiodon!"

A soft glow emanated from the Steel-type as it sank down and fell asleep, recovering its health at an alarming rate.

"Gun him down, Coral! Hydro Pump and Water Pulse!"

Milo nodded at friend's audacity.

"Look", he explained, "Byron gambled that Rest could recover Bastiodon's health faster than Amaya could take it down, and she's called him on it. Looks like she was right…yep, there it is."

Sure enough, after a pounding from at least half a dozen high-powered Water moves, Bastiodon stirred from its slumber, only to fall over unconscious. A smooth victory for Amaya.

"Huh. Well, she got a clean win, I guess." The Jubilife Trainer turned to Kara, "Was my battle that boring?"

"Yep", answered the Performer, "except you only used one Pokémon. At last Amaya made a switch in the middle there."

She'd meant it as a joke, but she almost immediately regretted it, as Milo hung his head;

"Yeah…Dang. Guess I really was right. Sorry, I just…I don't know, I felt like it'd be disrespectful to not go all out, maybe."

"Hey", she grabbed his arm gently as they walked down to meet Amaya and head for the inevitable media appearance, "Listen, Milo, you knew this might happen, remember? It's okay; you don't have to worry about it. There'll be plenty of excitement in the Conference, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Still, his hands remained tucked in his pockets, his eyes looked exhausted.

"I know!" Kara had struck gold, and she knew it, "How about you battle 'Maya later? That ought to get your blood pumping, right?"

"That…that would be fun. Hmm, good idea! Hey, hey 'Maya!"

They had just found their short friend languishing outside the media room, head bobbing along to whatever was going through her iconic headphones. Seeing the two of them approaching, she took them off and motioned with her head;

"Finally. Come on, Milo, we're up now."

"Sure, sure", the more he thought about it, the more excited he got about battling his friend again, "I have a question first; how about you and I have a practice match later? Just like old times, since the Gym battles were kind of a bust."

A smirk curled the Twinleaf girl's lips, "Ooh, now there's an idea. Sure, I'm down."

Feeling much revived, Milo took a breath, released Azura, and stepped into the media room, immediately greeted by flashes, murmurs, and microphones;

"Milo! Amaya! Over here!"

Almost before they'd sat down, one exuberant man grabbed the master microphone and launched into a question;

"How would you compare this Gym battle to your previous challenges?"

Milo just nodded at Amaya, who leaned forward and responded;

"Eh, can't really compare, you know? We've had six months to power up; we're not really on Gym-challenge level anymore. This is just about qualification for me."

"What about you, Milo? Why bother with the Gyms when you've already qualified for this year's Conference?"

"Uh", he thought for a second about the 'safest' answer.

Milo, warned his Umbreon from her comfy position on his lap, Don't you dare tell them you were thinking of stopping. This is a chance to play nice to the Gyms, and the League too.

Yeah, he groaned internally, I hate politics, but you're right.

"Well", he said into his microphone, "The Sinnoh Gym Circuit has long held a reputation for strength. Collecting all eight badges would be a tremendous honor, and my team and I are focusing everything we've got towards that goal."

"Amaya, over here! Thanks! I represent the Battle Informer, and we'd like to know how you think a battle between you and Milo would play out! After today's strong showing, do you think you could still beat him in a full match?"

"I never claimed I could beat Milo", came the instant, sharp response, "I don't get why everyone assumes I'd be the favorite in that battle. I'd be the underdog for sure."

That certainly caused a stir, and another question immediately came flying in;

"Is there any chance you two will actually have that battle any time soon? Milo and the Hammer would make quite the show."

"Well", Milo really wanted to move the interview along, "Assuming we finish the Gym Circuit, maybe that'll happen in the Conference."

It was just the type of even-keel comment most people expected of Milo. In many ways the two Trainers were mirror images of one another. While Milo was a volatile livewire on the field who deadpanned and nodded his way through interviews, Amaya was as stoic and invariable as could be in battle and then completely unpredictable when presented with a microphone.

"Amaya", came the next question, "I'm with the Veilstone Staraptor."

Milo's eyes narrowed for a split second before he mentally slipped on his blank mask. The Veilstone Staraptor – or Veil Star as it was commonly known – was definitely more of a tabloid than a valid news source, and was always looking to promote their 'hometown figure' Damion at Amaya's expense.

How did they manage to get in here?

Evidently he wasn't the only one thinking this. From the corner of his eye, Milo spied Jenks as he began moving unobtrusively through the reporters towards the man, undoubtedly to pull him from the room as quietly as possible.

"Amaya", the man was rushing to get his question in, "We've had some comments from your sister here in the Canalave Women's Prison about a possible monetary connection between you two. Are you really planning to buy her out of jail? Doesn't this seem like an abuse of both wealth and influence on your part? What do you have to say about this connection?"

As soon as the question turned sour, Jenks had frantically begun shoving his way towards the main microphone, motioning emphatically at the security guard in the back to follow him. He reached the front just as the man finished his incredibly loaded question. Chaos exploded around the room as Jenks grabbed the microphone and immediately tried to throw whatever water he could on the fires of scandal and conspiracy;

"Ladies and gentlemen", began the panicked media manager over the instant hubbub, "this man is not even cleared to be in this room. If you place any value in journalistic integrity I urge you to disregard his baseless accusation and make no mention of it. Let's not have petty tabloid drama ruin the wonderful battles we saw today."

As if there wasn't enough uproar, the man actually yelled over Jenks as he was forcibly dragged from the room by security;

"It's true! Look it up, her sister is Maxine, inmate 2187! Look it up, it's all true!"

Still in shock, Milo looked sideways at Amaya. She was white as a sheet, staring straight ahead with wide eyes, mouth hanging open. As he watched, breathless, she placed her hands on the table to push herself out of the chair. Cameras were flashing like crazy, and she was visibly trembling. Her legs looked like they might well collapse under her.

Snapping into action to save his friend from this ambush, Milo leapt up, planting himself firmly between the cameras and Amaya while holding her up with an arm around her shoulder.

Leaning into one of the microphones he said;

"Excuse me a moment, I will be right back out to finish the interview."

As quickly as he could, he ushered the catatonic Amaya from the stage and back into the waiting room, where Kara was waiting, breathless. Looking intently at his girlfriend, Milo passed her the unresponsive Amaya and warned her;

"Make sure nobody – nobody – talks to her. Nobody gets into this room until Jenks or I come and get her, alright?"

Kara nodded and responded firmly,

"I get it, 100%. Nobody is getting anything else from her. You need to get back out there, right now."

"I know, I'm going. Kara – thank you."

She nodded once more, "Milo, go."

Taking a second to paste a passable smile on his face, he sprang back out into the chaotic media room an made a big show of taking his seat before asking;

"Alright, now where were we? I'm more than willing to finish out the interview time as scheduled. Does anyone have questions about today's Gym battles?"

This subtle hint was, of course, disregarded completely as the next question came in;

"Milo, over here – Is there any merit at all to this claim? Is Amaya using her success to bail out an incarcerated sister?"

Milo fixed this reporter with a glare so intense that the man faltered and actually backed away from the microphone. Unrelentingly, Milo stared him down as he addressed the whole group;

"I'm going to say this exactly once. I absolutely will not take questions about that insanely rude, humiliating, and disrespectful interruption. If you have any sense of professionalism or personal ethics you will ignore it completely. If anyone mentions it again, I'm walking out of this interview."

With that said, the rest of the interview continued in a false sense of normalcy. The tension in the room could be cut like butter, but the incident itself remained a Donphan in the room. Not one reporter dared bring it up again, lest they lose Milo altogether. It wouldn't have been the first time he walked out halfway through an interview.

When the tense media coverage was at last brought to an unceremonious end by a subdued Jenks, the media expert found Milo, who was waiting for some kind of a status report;

"Walk with me", said the journo in a low voice. Milo followed him at a brisk pace down a few side streets;

"First things first; I don't know how exactly he got in, but I'm sorry. We think he forged, stole or bought a media pass from another news outlet, but we still should've been able to catch him."

"I don't blame you", said Milo with a sigh, "I don't think anyone could've seen that coming. What has Amaya told you?"

"She filled me in about Maxie. Seems like that clever jailbird actually reached out to the Veil Star of her own accord in order to put herself in the spotlight and force Amaya to follow through on their meeting."

"Tch", Milo glowered, "that's despicable. I'd already convinced her to go anyway; there was no need to put it in the public spotlight."

"I agree", nodded Jenks, "but now she'll want to use that as leverage to pressure 'Maya into some kind of a deal to actually buy her out. It's the kind of underhanded tactic I've had to get used to seeing over and over."

"Well", Milo was hesitant to ask, "uh, what do we do now?"

Jenks' shoulders drooped as he answered;

"I hate to say it, but…it seems like the best thing right now would be for 'Maya to go see her sister. We have to know what exactly the point is here. Until we know what Maxie wants I won't know the best way to play this."

The pair had arrived at the Pokémon Center, thankfully not having been stopped on the way. As they made their way down the hall to Amaya's rented room, Jenks added quite sternly;

"Still, no matter what, I won't ask her to do anything she doesn't want to. If she'd rather skip the visit I'll do what I can regardless."

Milo nodded silently, and then pushed open the door to his friend's room. Inside, Kara and Amaya sat huddled on the bed.

"Hey", began Amaya without looking up.

"Hi", Milo sat down across from her on the armchair, while Jenks leaned silently against the wall, "You holding up okay? I know that was one hell of a shock."

"Yeah", Amaya wasn't very convincing, "just…you know, surprised is all. Wasn't expecting it."

Milo nodded, "No kidding. What do you want to do now?"

With a deep breath, the Twinleaf girl set herself and said,

"Well, it's obvious. I can't really help but go see her now. Otherwise she'll keep doing this. That damn stubborn streak runs in the family. Milo…I hate asking, but nobody else would really get it. Will you come with me?"

"You'd have to convince me not to, 'Maya", he gave a relieved smile and did his best to act encouraging, "you know I've always got your back."

"Okay. Let's go now, before I have any more time to think and freak out."

Milo and Jenks were both surprised at her suddenness, but Jenks knew better than to get in her way. He made a quick call to the Canalave Women's Prison, and within twenty minutes, a black car stopped in front of the facility, and the two young Trainers stepped out.

"Alright", Amaya was talking more to herself than anyone else, "I have to do this. I'm not doing anything for her, no matter what she says. I'm only here to prove I'm bigger than what she did to me. Milo…don't let me back down, okay?"

"Never", he rested a firm hand on her shoulder, and they exchanged a nod. They were received at the prison's front desk by Officer Jenny, who made them leave their Pokémon at the desk, for security purposes, before showing them into the visit room. Each station consisted of the usual booth setup, with two chairs separated by a pane of glass with a microphone for communication.

A guard motioned Amaya and Milo into the fourth booth from the end. Amaya sat in the chair while Milo stood behind her, arms crossed anxiously over his chest.

Amaya

Keep your face straight, she repeated Kara's advice like a life-or-death mantra in her brain, it's like a battle without Pokémon. Keep your cool no matter what. It's for you, not her.

There she was. Oh, geez, there she was, there was Maxie…

In many ways, she had hardly changed. The same sharp face, the same dark, fiery eyes, the athletic build, the subtle aura of confidence…it was all painfully familiar. Already Amaya was forcing herself to keep her face as rock solid as possible. The one difference was Maxie's hair. She'd kept it dyed that sickly green Galactic color, kept it trimmed in that crisp, lifeless, neck-length style that marked her as a Galactic grunt.

With a sly grin, Amaya's older sister slid into the seat on the other side of the glass, and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Well", her voice crackled to life through the microphone, "you got here even faster than I expected, little 'Maya. Were you really that excited to see your big sis? Oh, and you brought a friend. Adorable."

Keep your battle face on, keep it on…Keep it strong, dammit! She can't break me, come on Amaya.

"Maxie. Your hair sucks. I was going to come see you even without that stunt you pulled with the tabloid, you know."

"Really?" Maxie's smug smirk was just as unreadable as Amaya's own inscrutably blank expression, "Well, whatever. Still worth a laugh. Look, I really did want to see you, sis."

At this, her eyes got a dangerous gleam and she leaned forward towards the glass.

"I have a proposition for you. Sister to sister, eh?"

"I don't want to hear it, Maxie. I came here to tell you I'm done with you."

Amaya took a breath and made to continue, but Maxie wouldn't let her gain momentum;

"Now come on, 'Maya, hear me out. For old time's sake. You don't even want to know why I was so desperate to see you?"

For all her bravado, the younger sister's last spark of hope for Maxie's redemption was enough to make her falter for just a second. It was the opening Maxie needed to lay bare her true motives;

"Look, I'm up for an early release if I can come up with enough money. I've been rotting away in here for years, and if you could just help me out – just this once – I can rejoin the world. Think about it, 'Maya! Me and you, just like old times! Remember when we were inseparable?"

Maxie wanted money? She was expected to buy her sister out of prison? Everything was happening so fast, bombarding her from every possible angle. Amaya just froze and stared at her only sibling. After all, she did remember – very vividly – a time when the two of them were thick as thieves.

Those gilded childhood memories ambushed her mind, and in that moment, staring into Maxie's eager face, they felt so good…Was it really possible? It had been years, and Galactic was long gone. Surely Maxie's mind would be her own again. She would come to her senses and they could pick those old threads back up once more.

"Hey. 'Maya." Milo's voice brought her to her senses, "Look at her. Remember why you're here."

Amaya blinked hard to clear her head and took a second look at her sister. She noticed again the short green haircut that was so iconic of Sinnoh's most infamous criminal organization.

She wouldn't keep the haircut if that was really behind her, realized the younger sister.

She met Maxie's eyes and saw, beyond the eagerness, a desperate hunger that had never been there as a child in Twinleaf. That was the look of a predator sizing up a juicy meal, not a sister longing for a sunshine-and-rainbows reunion. Breathing hard, Amaya gave the response she never imagined would be so difficult;

"I'm not doing anything for you. You abandoned us, Maxie, and you joined up with the worst criminals in the region. I've spent my life since then trying to get past the scars you left."

Maxie's brows furrowed and she became all the more insistent;

"You say that, sis, but look at where we are. It was me who motivated you to become what you are. I was the first one to show you how weak you were, and look what it made you. You're The Hammer! Everything you are is because of me, because I set you on that path, because you had something to prove to me. Now you've proven it, and all I ask is that you repay me just a tiny bit. I know you're not hurting for cash, 'Maya, even Rookie tournaments pay more than enough to get me out of here."

"You think you helped me?" Amaya jabbed a furious finger at the glass pane, "You broke me, Maxie. I was never the same little innocent girl after you left. I became this lifeless, robotic…me because it was the only way to get over the fact that you tore me to shreds that day! You deserve every single day you have left in here, Maxie. I'll never help you."

Unable to continue, Amaya rose and made to leave, when Maxie made her stop;

"Like you're some kind of angel, huh?"

Amaya froze and half-turned back towards her sister;

"I mean, you skipped town the first chance you got, same as me. How often do you call home? Mom and Dad probably have to follow your career just by hoping to catch your face on TV. Plus, you've dragged this Jubilife kid into your ridiculous need for self-vindication. Face it 'Maya. We're no different, you and I. You're not better than me. You're The Hammer because of me, sister."

Amaya's eyes were clamped shut as tight as possible, and she took a few seconds to control her breathing enough to force out one sentence;

"You…you aren't my sister."

With that, she stepped away from the window, and past Milo. He made to follow when Maxie called again;

"Hey. You – Milo. Tell her if she doesn't buy me out, Giovanni will. He already came for Annie and Oakley; they're long gone, and they promised they'd be back for me. I'm getting out of here, and either she helps me or I come back to haunt her."

Milo

Milo didn't trust himself to respond. His heart sank lower than he thought possible as he stepped out of the booth to follow Amaya.

That, he thought, went just as bad as I was afraid it might.

Amaya stood outside the booth, visibly trembling from the effort of controlling the broiling oceans of emotion cashing inside her. Milo turned to the guard;

"Is…there a private room we could use? We, uh, we need some time and space to process some stuff."

The man nodded sympathetically and gestured with one hand;

"No worries, we get that a lot. This room is free for you to use. Take as long as you need, alright?"

Milo nodded and wrapped one arm around Amaya's shoulders to guide her into the room. No sooner had the guard closed the door behind them than the small Twinleaf native collapsed into his chest and broke down completely.

"M-Milo, I – she – she broke me…I couldn't, I wasn't strong enough, she – I – why…why…"

"Shhh", he held his friend there, wrapped in his arms against the cruel twisting fates that assailed her. He was almost as shaken as she was by the whole exchange, Maxie was just so intense. She was intense just like 'Maya herself, only evil. It was like throwing an unstoppable force into an immovable object; something was always going to break.

At first, Amaya's grip on her friend was vice-like. Milo returned the hug as gently as he could, but had to force himself not to start wheezing from lack of air. Still, as the adrenaline and shock gave way to exhaustion, her arms loosened, and Amaya all but went limp over the next few minutes. Without lifting her head from Milo's now damp t-shirt, she eventually murmured;

"Maxie won't stop."

"We'll keep her away from you", Milo assured her, "no matter what, 'Maya."

"She won't quit", insisted the Twinleaf girl, "She'll keep calling attention to it – to herself and to us. I heard what she told you, too, and Team Rocket would be even worse."

"We can't worry about that right now. You came here. She said her piece, and you said yours. You don't have to see her again."

"I know...but now all my personal stuff is the whole region's business. This is going to follow me around no matter how successful I am, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Well", Milo answered with a wry grin, "then it would seem your older sibling has put a sizeable dent in your Rookie career. Welcome to the club, I'll get you a pin. What's your t-shirt size?"

At that, even the despondent Amaya couldn't resist a chuckle (which, combined with her sobbing and sniffling, was not the most graceful of sounds).

"Get me a large, maybe I can wear it as a dress."

Another sad chuckle, as the whirlwind of emotions at least began to settle back towards some semblance of normalcy.

After another couple of minutes, full of deep breaths and tired sighs, the pair were at last able to step back out of the private room, to the relief of the security guard;

"Ah, feeling better, I hope?"

"Yeah", answered Amaya, "just...needed to work through some stuff."

The guard nodded sagely, "I understand perfectly, miss, I've seen it all."

Jenks met the duo in the lobby and drove them back to the Pokémon Center;

"By the way; while we were figuring all that out, Damion barely beat Byron. It was a close thing; he leaned pretty heavily on his Empoleon, and it edged out Bastiodon right at the end."

They arrived at the Pokémon Center, and as Milo and Amaya made their way inside, Jenks seemed to remember something, rolling down his window to get their attention, "I figured you wouldn't want to hang around here any longer than necessary, so I've booked you all air tickets for Snowpoint the day after tomorrow."

"Fine by me", Milo nodded, "No reason to wait around."

"Perfect", Jenks smiled, "I've got other stuff going on, so I'll meet you kids there for the Showcase and your Gym battles. See you up north!"

The car sped off, and the two young Trainers spent the rest of the day and evening quietly. At one point, Milo offered to battle Amaya for training, as they had discussed earlier, but…

"I can't right now", came Amaya's dull response, "I'm just...not feeling it. Sorry."

Kara

It was the day after Macie's surprise intervention, and somehow or other, she'd managed to convince Milo to accompany her to Canalave's famous Malltropolis. She knew shopping wasn't his favorite thing to do, but she was delighted that he'd agreed to humor her and come along on this occasion. After all, the alternative was to spend a silent day with the still-brooding 'Maya. It was clear that their friend needed the one-day break to recover from the shock of the whole Maxie affair, and it was always best to leave her to herself whenever she was ill-prepared for social contact.

"Oh, look", she grabbed his arm to pull him out of the clouds, "that little coffee shop is just the cutest thing, we should grab lunch there in a bit!"

Yay, food! Milo had brought Aurora along for company, and to burn off some of her evidently limitless energy, Do they have grapes? Grapes are my very favorite!

"Or we could just grab some food there right now", he offered, trying to sound indifferent, "You know, since Aurora's hungry and all."

"Umm, actually", Kara looked around, "I really wanted to go over there to the Lopunny Lounge before lunch. They've got some really great ladies' wear that caught my eye earlier. There's a whole collection designed for travelling Trainers like us!"

Milo's face went beet red, despite his best efforts. It was clear what he thought of postponing lunch for a ladies' wear store, no matter how practical.

"Uh", he stammered and took a half-step towards the coffee shop, "You can go ahead and do that. I'll…I'll put our name in here and wait so we'll already have a table when you're done!"

Kara fixed him with a hands-on-hips glare and said, "Milo…I asked you very nicely if we could go to the Lopunny Lounge before lunch."

Milo, even Aurora was subdued by her intensity, don't make Kara mad. If she really wants those little tiny clothes we can go inside, right?

Milo buried his face in his hands exasperatedly and said, "Kara, look, I'd really rather avoid going underwear shopping with you. I love you and all, but…that'd be really awkward."

Her glare was unrelenting as he tried to placate her with a sheepish grin…

"Bahaha!" The Performer could restrain herself no longer, and doubled over with laughter, "Oh, Milo I was joking! Wow, you should've seen your face just then…Ah, sorry, I couldn't pass it up. Seriously, though, I read online somewhere that LL's newest Trainer collection is totally made for comfort and durability, and…well, never mind, I don't expect you to care. Anyway, I won't be long, so if you could grab a table I'd be really grateful."

Breathing deeply with relief, Milo nodded emphatically, "Yeah, alright. Good thing, too, I'm starving."

She always gets you when she pretends like that, noted Milo's Evolution Pokémon as she trotted contentedly behind him into the coffee shop. It was a quaint little joint named Mugmortar that carried a rather catchy tagline – Always a fresh, hot brew. The inside was dimly lit and had a close, home-like atmosphere that made you want to snuggle in by a fireplace. Milo put his name in for a table and sat by the entrance, making sure to choose a seat that would shield him from most people's view.

"Guess I'm not the only one trying to be discreet", came a voice next to him.

He turned to see a young woman smiling calmly at him from another waiting seat. Her warm brown hair fell nicely on both sides of her head from underneath a particularly trendy red beanie cap, which perfectly matched her classy but simple red button-down t-shirt. Cute lily-white jeans and summer sandals rounded out her look, and she offered a hand as she introduced herself;

"Hi there! I'm", she paused and looked furtively around before leaning in and whispering, "I'm May Maple. Nice to meet you!"

Maple…The name was certainly familiar…

"Oh!" He remembered at last, and couldn't believe it had taken him more than a split second;

"You're the sister of Max Maple, right? Max, the famous Hoenn battler? Don't you do Contests or something?"

May gave a polite chuckle and a casual hair flip as she responded;

"Max's sister, huh? Well, you're not wrong, though it's been a while since I've been recognized quite like that. I guess you could say I 'do Contests or something'. You're…Milo, right? Rookie? Older brother's a Leader here?"

"Uh, yeah", Milo was simultaneously awed and embarrassed that such a renowned public figure would recognize him on sight, "that's me and Marcus."

Just then, the receptionist called out, "Delia, table for Delia? Delia?"

May looked up, and hastily grabbed a pair of sunglasses sitting next to her;

"Oh that's me, I borrowed Mrs. Ketchum's name…Milo, follow me. Play along."

Flummoxed, the young Trainer leaned down to pick up Aurora, who had been amusing herself diving in and out of the seat next to him.

Why are we being quiet, Milo?

We're just being sneaky, he responded simply, so nobody knows that we're us.

Oh…Who are we pretending to be instead?

Nobody. Just…never mind. Just be still for a bit, okay?

At that the little Evolution Pokémon made a big show of feigning sleep in Milo's arms, and he rolled his eyes. Meanwhile May's giant, gaudy sunglasses covered half of her face and rendered her passably anonymous to the unsuspecting observer. Milo followed her up to the counter and she motioned him with a wave;

"Come on, join me! It'll be good to have some company, I usually end up alone to avoid attention."

He nodded and followed, after asking the receptionist to scratch his own name from the list.

They fell to making small talk before joking about the pressures of media attention. May, as it turned out, had begun working with Palermo after the famous producer followed Serena's career in Hoenn. The Princess from Littleroot was surprisingly savvy in terms of battle-talk as well.

"You pick up tips from the pros when you get to the top of the Contest circuit", she explained, "though the styles are kind of different. Max is a big help, too."

"So", Milo was curious, "what brings you to Canalave?"

"Well, actually I'm just passing through on my way-"

"Milo, there you are! I told you I wouldn't be – Oh. My. Gosh."

Kara had returned from her last-minute shopping;

"That can't be…Milo, how…sorry, are you…?"

May gave a big smile and offered her hand;

"Nice to meet you, Kara. May Maple."

Kara sank weakly into the seat next to Milo, her eyes big as saucers as they stared at the famed Hoenn celebrity.

"Nice to meet you…I…" Kara blinked hard and tried to act normal, "Sorry, it's just – I'm such a huge fan and, you know, it's really crazy to meet you all of a sudden, and I'm really honored that you're here-"

Kara finally had to stop to breathe and May chuckled;

"I'm surprised you think I'm a big deal, when your cousin is one of the only ones bigger than me. You grew up around Queen Serena herself, not to mention Ash, and you're this excited to meet the Hoenn Princess?"

"Yeah", Kara flushed with embarrassment, "Serena…I don't know; I guess she always just seemed more like a well-connected cousin than a celebrity. Hang on, why do you know that? I mean, I knew some people around Sinnoh had heard of me by now, but…you?"

May just winked, "Ha! Don't be so modest, miss Rookie Princess; lots of folks are singing your praises! I'm assuming you'll be at the Snowpoint Invitational?"

Kara was still recovering from the shock of meeting May, and Milo was watching the conversation like a ping-pong match, his head on a silent swivel between May and Kara. Before the Performer could answer, a young woman came by to take their order;

"Hi, welcome to Mugmortar, my name is Shelly and I'll be – wait…"

The girl's mouth dropped open and May gave a rueful grin, preparing to placate yet another hyperactive fan;

"Oh, no way", the waitress spewed, "you're Milo! Like, you're actually him!"

The young man in question blinked in stunned surprise. Of the three people at their table, he was probably the least recognizable. Why him?

"Uh…yeah, that's me."

Oh no! Aurora poked her adorable head out from under the table, She found out we're us! Quick, hide!

"Oh man", Shelly was blushing the same way Kara had just done, "This is amazing, I absolutely love watching your battles! The way you and you team work is so cool! I – I've wanted to make it as a Trainer my whole life but I won't graduate for another two years, so for now I just follow the battling scene as closely as I can."

"Uh", Milo was a bit lost, but he'd done this a few times before and recovered pretty quickly, "Well, keep at it! I'm sure you'll make it when your time comes!"

At his encouragement, Shelly actually became rather misty-eyed;

"Y-you mean it? Wow! I promise I'll never give up, oh my gosh, thank you! I don't care what the news says; I think you're the best Rookie in years!"

After another minute or two of fawning, the girl at last calmed down enough to do her job. She took their lunch order and when she'd left, Kara leaned over and said;

"I have an idea, Milo. I appreciate you sticking with me for all this shopping, but I know it's not your favorite, so why don't you see if Shelly wants a battle after lunch? You can go have some fun while I finish up."

Milo raised an eyebrow;

"I…feel like this is a trap. I really don't mind sticking around for more shopping, you know. It's, uh, not that bad."

Kara smiled and gave him a trademark light punch to the shoulder,

"Good catch, you, but this time it's not a trap. I'm serious. You should get more used to dealing with attention anyway, and this'll help. Besides", she smirked, "this way I can focus on my shopping and not the cute guy following me around like a sad Poochyena."

"Hey, I know", May cut in, "Kara, let me come with you! I rarely get company that's not just looking for autographs; it'd be nice to shop with a fellow Princess. What do you say?"

Kara beamed and nodded emphatically, "Oh, I'd be honored! Wow, thanks! So there you go, Milo. Deal?"

Taking a few extra seconds to make sure this wasn't a trap, Milo slowly assented;

"Well…I guess that's a plan then, if you're sure."

When Shelly finally came back a few minutes later with their coffee, Milo stopped her and asked;

"Hey, by the way, when do you get off?"

The poor girl of course misunderstood Milo's poorly worded question and stood stock still, blood draining from her face, eyes wide with horror as they flicked between Milo and Kara.

"Huh?" Milo raised an eyebrow before reconsidering, "Wait, oh…OH! No, no, ah – I didn't mean – sorry, that came out wrong. Uh, I just wanted to know if you'd like to have a battle later, when your shift is over."

This, if possible, made the girl lose even more color from her face, though her shock quickly turned into a massive smile.

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course", Milo answered sincerely, trying to ignore Kara's cackling at his terrible phrasing earlier, "isn't there a Battle Park just a few blocks from the mall?"

"Y-yeah, there is! I, umm", Shelly glanced quickly at her watch, "I'm done in about 45 minutes, is that okay?"

"Great!" Her excitement was infectious, and Milo wore a huge grin himself, "I'll meet you right outside here, okay?"

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is real…Yeah, of course! I'll be there!"

With something to look forward to besides endless stores full of what looked like the same clothes, Milo found it much easier to ignore Kara's teasing about accidentally flirting with another girl in front of his girlfriend.

"Ah, boys", May chimed in, "I guess being a bigshot Trainer has its tradeoffs after all; Ash was always just as clueless as you, Milo. You know, sometimes I wonder what might've been if I would've been as bold as Serena was."

Kara couldn't resist digging deeper into May's wistful remark, but Milo's mind drifted again to the upcoming battle. Soon enough, the time had come. He waved the two Princesses off as they returned to their no doubt expensive excursion and sat down outside Mugmortar, Aurora still tucked neatly into his lap like a warm, furry pillow. He had hardly settled into his bench for more than a couple minutes when a breathless Shelly came running out of the coffee shop;

"Hi, Milo! Wow, I still can't believe how cool this is. Thanks so much, I can't wait!"

"Yeah, me either", he admitted, "But first, do you know how to get to the Battle Park? I've, uh, not spent much time in Canalave."

"Oh, no problem! It's this way, not far at all."

Shelly's blonde hair bounced merrily in the ponytail on the side of her head as she led Milo to the place. Battle Parks were a fun place to have informal battles, and most decent-sized cities, especially those with Gyms, had at least a few such parks scattered around. They were also great places to scout fresh talent, since de facto communities of local Trainers formed around each park.

Imagine the shocked murmurs at Portside Battle Park in northeast Canalave, then, when a recognized semi-pro champ like Milo casually strolled up and began asking around for an open field. He and Shelly were quickly accommodated at one of the more visible fields in the middle of the park.

"Okay Shelly", Milo called across the field, "What are the rules here? How many Pokémon do you have?"

"I've only got two", was the nervous response from the young waitress.

"No worries! How about two 1 – on – 1 battles, then? Sound good to you?"

"O – okay", Shelly took a deep breath, "Then I'll start with Glameow!"

The Catty Pokémon emerged primly onto the field, and Milo made his first call, "I'll go with Aurora first!"

The few dozen local battlers who were watching with great anticipation cheered appreciatively, though Milo could also hear a few groans of disappointment mixed in.

Hmm. People are still underestimating Aurora because she's not evolved.

Milo, asked the young Eevee, this is just for fun, right?

Yeah, he replied quickly, but these people watching don't think you're very strong. Prove them wrong, girl! Let's put on a show!

"Okay, Shelly", he called aloud, "the honor is yours; go ahead and start us off!"

"Right", her face was screwed up with utter determination, "Glameow, start with a Scratch!"

"Don't move", Milo coached his own Normal type, "let it come to you, and block."

Aurora just blinked and grinned, twitching her ears jovially at the onrushing Glameow. Just as Shelly's Pokémon reared back its claw for a respectable Scratch, its face smashed into a translucent blue shield.

"Ugh, I should've seen that coming, I forgot she had Protect. Quick, Glameow, try using Fury Swipes!"

"Clever", Milo nodded in approval, "trying to wait out the Protect, I like it. Aurora, don't let that happen! Knock that Glameow away!"

Still sitting in the same spot she'd started in, Aurora unleashed a barrage of white energy – a Return attack – that sent Shelly's Normal type flying.

"Wow", commented the girl, "one hit. Oh well. Glameow, come on back!"

"Hey", Milo reassured her, "Don't forget there's a huge training gap here. That trick would've worked on a lot of people, using Fury Swipes there was a great idea!"

"Th-thanks", some measure of confidence seemed to be restored in Milo's fan, and she took a breath to set herself before releasing her next Pokémon;

"Okay, you're in, Wingull!"

"You did a great job, Aurora, now let 'Zura have her turn."

As Milo's most recognizable Pokémon emerged, brimming with a quiet confidence as always, excited murmurs spread through the crowd. What a treat – to see Milo and Azura in action! They were a virtually unstoppable team. Well, except for Amaya, of course…right?

This should be a nice change of pace, commented the Moonlight Pokémon languidly as she stretched her legs out.

"You start again, Shelly", Milo called.

"Supersonic, Wingull!"

"Away quick, go in but keep a buffer", countered the Jubilife Trainer instantly. He was surprised at how much fun this was. He'd always cringed at public recognition, but…having an actual battle with one of his fans felt really good. It felt real. He was doing what he loved, not putting on a show for cameras and signing random scraps of whatever was shoved in his face.

On the field, Azura launched a modest Pursuit into her opponent's back before retreating to a safe distance. Supersonic was much harder to dodge up close, and Wingull were famous for using the confusing move.

She'd pulled her hit, so the Seagull Pokémon was able to peel itself off the ground and get laboriously back into the air.

"Whoa", Shelly was in awe of the shiny Umbreon's casual dominance, "you didn't even have to call the move out…Right, Wingull! We need to land a hit; use Aerial Ace!"

"Clever again! Meet it", was Milo's only advice to his Dark type.

Azura sat perfectly still as the Wingull sped towards her, using its unerring Aerial Ace…WHAM! At the last possible second, she released a Dark Pulse that sent the Flying-Water type spinning back comically, almost like a baseball. Just like that, it was over, and Milo strode forward to congratulate Shelly;

"Hey, that was great! Thanks for the battle!"

"Yeah", the girl was beaten, but still beaming, "I got wrecked, but…wow, that was so cool! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hey, don't mention it", he was grinning himself, still pleasantly surprised by how much fun the casual battle had been, "I feel like I should thank you! Listen, I may stick around here and keep going, if you'd like to stay and watch."

She nodded fervently, stars in her eyes as Milo turned to the onlookers. This was impulsive, he knew, but it felt right somehow;

"Alright", he called, "who's next?"

Maxie

This is it, she thought to herself as the customary cuffs were applied to her wrists and ankles, One way or another I'm about to be free.

She'd been informed that she 'had a visitor' and the only question was whether it was her oh-so-predictable little sister or Giovanni coming through for her earlier than promised. Meeting the Rockets behind bars had been a real stroke of luck; it had provided exactly the leverage she needed to twist Amaya's arm into helping her. She really had no intention of doing anything for Team Rocket, they were just a safety net to her; a literal get-out-of-jail-free card in case Amaya wouldn't play ball.

Satisfied that her aggressive scheming was about to pay out, Maxie entered the designated booth and situated herself in front of the glass.

Ah, she thought smugly, It's Amaya after all. I knew she'd see it my way eventually.

"Hey little sis", she smirked, "So you came around after all. Thought you would. Ready to tear it up like we used to? I see you didn't bring your little friend this time."

"Nah", Amaya's voice was as dead and stony as her face, "Just me. I'm not here to buy you out, Maxie."

"What?" Well, this certainly threw a wrench in her plans, "Then why the hell are you wasting my time? I'm not going to sit through another lecture on how sad and victimized you are."

"Shut up and listen to me", countered Amaya. The sharpness in her younger sister's voice made Maxie pause, made her eyes narrow. The Rookie Trainer looked up, meeting the incarcerated sister's eyes with a fierce stare;

"I've been thinking a lot since yesterday. I'm not the naive idiot I used to be, Maxie; I know damn well that you're just trying to use me to get out."

Maxie opened her mouth to make up some feeble defense, but Amaya kept going;

"I said shut up and listen! I hate what you did and what you said to me, but I take back what I told you. You're still my sister, no matter what I think of your crappy life choices. I came here to offer you a deal."

Maxie was, for once, speechless. Whatever she may have expected, this was definitely not it.

Time to be adaptable, she told herself.

"Alright, let's hear it. Fair warning; if you're not offering a way out, my answer is no."

"I'm offering you what you said you wanted", countered Amaya, "the chance to be sisters again, like before, or at least as close as we can get."

Maxie sat silently, doing her best not to betray anything as Amaya took a deep breath before making her offer;

"I looked up your sentence. Without that buyout, you have two years left. I'm not paying your way out early, and if you use the Rockets to get out, you either start over as a grunt and the cops hunt you down, or you ditch the Rockets and they hunt you down."

Maxie didn't trust herself to speak. She hadn't considered it that way. The cops had a lot of information on her, and Team Rocket's bad side was a very dangerous place to be.

That...is actually a fair point, little 'Maya.

"Where are you going with this? You haven't left me with much."

"Here's my offer. You wait out your two years fair and square, maybe a bit less if they give you 'good behavior'. Then when you get out I'll find you and we can be sisters again. I'll support you, help you get going as a Trainer, whatever you need. Well?"

Maxie said nothing. She was finding this offer surprisingly tantalizing. She hadn't gotten so far as to consider what she would do after she got out. She hadn't planned any farther than just getting out.

I've got a quick way to freedom, she reasoned, but that lands me as a runaway or a Rocket grunt. I already tried crime – didn't really pay out. On the other hand, I sit inside for another couple years but end up with a connection and some support waiting for me…

"That's some kind of deal, little sis. I'm not sure you understand how long two years is. You're asking me to waste two more whole years of my life in here so I can keep my conscience clear?"

"If you don't wait the two years, you either end up back in here eventually, or dead because you ran from Team Rocket. Screw your conscience, putting the time in now is your only way to be secure when you're finally out. Just think about it."

"I...give me some time, 'Maya. I'll admit, you're throwing me for a loop here, it's my turn to think things over."

"Sure", Amaya stood up, still perfectly impassive, "I just came to offer you what you said you wanted. I do have one more condition, by the way."

"Yeah? Let's hear it."

"Ditch the Galactic hair. It really does suck. You look like a hag."

At that, Maxie couldn't hold back a chuckle;

"Heh. Fair enough. What, did you think I kept this out of loyalty? I kept this because Galactic's name still carries weight in here. When people know I ran with that lunatic Cyrus and his crew, they cut me a wide berth. I freaking hate that bunch of morons, though; they tricked me, lied to me, and took advantage of my ambition."

"I don't care", Amaya shot back, "You want my help? I'm only here for my sister, not some grunt. Lose the hairdo."

"Alright, okay, chill out", the older sibling raised her hands in mock surrender, "How's this; if I decide to wait for your deal, I'll ditch the green hair by the time I'm out, but not before. I have to keep myself safe in here somehow, you know?"

Amaya narrowed her eyes and paused…

"Hmm. Fine. I don't care, so long as it's gone by the time you're out."

"You're still stubborn as all hell, little sis, that'll never change. I'll think about that deal, but no promises. Two years is a damn long time."

Amaya said nothing, just stood and walked out, leaving Maxie with a head full of challenging thoughts and...was that nostalgia?

Amaya was right, she reminded herself, I was just using her as a free way out without owing Rocket a favor. Still, I can't deny that getting my sister back would feel good. Ah, hell...What to do…

"Hey", she poked her head out of the booth and called to the guard, "Can I get a quick phone call?"

"Phone call? What for?"

"A friend on the outside."

The guardswoman rolled her eyes, "Yeah, like that's going to convince me."

"Ah, come on, Helen, you know me. What the hell am I going to do with a phone call? Just want to talk to someone real quick. Come on, five minutes?"

Helen was one of the more reasonable guards. She regarded Maxie carefully before grudgingly relenting;

"Well, fine. One call, five minutes, got it?"

"You're a lifesaver, Helen. A real peach."

Maxie picked up the phone and dialed the number Annie and Oakley had left her;

"Hello?"

"Eh? Viridian Gym, I'm Annabelle, what do you want?"

"Annabelle, it's me. Maxie?"

"Maxie...Oh. Oh! What the hell are you calling for? I – ahem – wasn't expecting you for a while."

It was a not-so-subtle hint. Placing a recorded call like this was risky to both Maxie and the newly freed Rockets, who were laying low in Kanto for the time being. Maxie was careful to disguise her words, just in case someone was listening;

"Yeah, I know. Uh, listen, I just got a visit from my sister and it got me thinking – it's been a while since I saw you, how long do you think it'll be until you might...you know, come visit?"

"How long…? Listen, Maxie, you know I'm coming. I'll visit you next week, just like I told you before."

"Yeah, next week...So, the reason I'm calling is because, like I said, little 'Maya just came around, and I've got a lot to think about. I don't want you to see me like this, so could you hold off? I'll let you know when I've sorted out my personal stuff and you can come visit then, okay?"

"Hold off? What the hell's wrong with you? I said I would be coming to visit you next week, you hear me? I'll be there and so will you."

"No. Don't visit. Not until I tell you. I'm serious, Annabelle, I have some things I need to figure out here."

"...You're crazy. Fine, I'll hold off, but you better have a damn good reason."

"Goodbye, Annabelle."

Maxie hung up and smiled tiredly at Helen.

"Alright, come on", motioned the guard, "Dinner's still on, let's go."

Maxie walked silently. Her head was suddenly full of an unfamiliar feeling; doubt. Every instinct was screaming at her to take the quick out and trust that the Rockets could keep her out of jail. And yet a small voice inside her reminded her she'd trusted Galactic the exact same way.

Yeah, she thought, and look how that ended up.

She'd laid on the false nostalgia thick and heavy for Amaya's first visit, but now the genuine article was invading her memory. Despite herself, she'd truly enjoyed talking to her sister. The conversation had been tense, sure, but it felt like familiar ground. It was such a welcome change to talk to someone she understood, and who understood her in return.

Maybe I really should just wait it out. Still, that's two years. 24 more months. That's a long damn time. Ah, crap. How'd you get to me 'Maya? What am I going to do? I just...don't know anymore…

Amaya

Everything about her conversation with Maxie had been calculated and precise. After thinking long and hard all night and all morning, debating furiously with herself, she'd planned out exactly what message she wanted to deliver and how she should deliver it. By some miracle, it had worked. However much Maxie had changed, Amaya still knew her, knew how to read her.

I definitely rattled her cage, the Twinleaf girl told herself as she stepped into the early evening sunlight of Canalave, All I can do now is hope she does the sensible thing and waits her two years out. We'll see.

"Fancy meeting you here", came a voice that jolted her from her musings.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you. What do you want, Damion?"

The Veilstone Trainer fell into step next to her and shrugged, "Just walking. Headed to the Battle Park to watch the show. I'm surprised you're not there already."

Amaya peered suspiciously at the young man;

"Why would I be there? What show are you talking about?"

"You don't know? Huh. Weird. Well, word on the street is that Milo's taking on anybody who wants a piece of his team at the Portside Battle Park, just a few blocks that way. I was going to show up and maybe spoil his party, just for a laugh."

"Jerk. Hey, when are you headed to Snowpoint?"

"Got a flight tomorrow morning."

"Huh. Us too."

Amaya vaguely realized she was headed towards the Battle Park. She didn't much care. She was too drained, mentally and emotionally, to care much about anything. She was too tired to even complain that Damion was chatting her up again.

"Yeah? Cool", he nodded.

"What, no flirty remarks?" She shot him a glance, seeing if she could get a rise out of him, "You've been around me for twenty seconds and I'm not disgusted yet. What a nice change."

"Rub it in, why don't you?" Damion shot back, "After all those months of rejection, I think I can take a hint. I give up."

"...Finally."

The pair of them walked in silence now. The Battle Park came into view. It was hard to miss, with a couple hundred people packed in around one of the fields in the middle. A draconic roar resounded from the center of the action.

"Well, there's Drake", remarked Amaya, "I'd know that sound anywhere. Usually means one of my team is about to hit the dirt."

"What", Damion goaded, "you can't take that thing down?"

"Drake?" Amaya raised an eyebrow at him as they began working their way through the crowd to see the battle, "You've seen him fight. That thing's a monster. I'd need at least two or three to take him out. On a good day."

They finally got near enough to see Milo's Garchomp standing victorious over an unconscious Golduck. The Duck Pokémon's owner returned it and shook Milo's hand ruefully, as a stocky teenager called from the front line of spectators;

"Dibs on next!"

Amaya chuckled and turned to her Veilstone rival;

"Told you. Drake wins again."

"Yeah, whatever", Damion tried to look unimpressed at the Dragon's might, "Damn, that Milo's just got something else. I don't get him."

"He's got some weird quirks", nodded Amaya, "but he's not bad. Speaking of quirks, I know he'll be pissed that we can't travel Route 217 on our own. He was dead set on doing the whole Gym Circuit on foot when we started."

"That's stupid", Damion blurted, "What's the point in wasting time?"

"Hey, shut up", Amaya gave him a shove and defended her friend, "It gave us time to train and get to know our teams better. Maybe you should consider it, sounds like something you need pretty badly."

"Wow", Damion looked down at her as Milo began his next battle, sending out Jet to handle a Staravia, "At least get me an ice pack if you're going to roast me like that."

"Get over it, you baby", came her indifferent response.

There was another pause before Damion offered a random tidbit;

"That route's been closed to Trainer traffic for a while now, anyway. Nobody's allowed to make that trip by foot."

"Seems pretty dumb", answered Amaya as the Staravia crumpled under an Ice Beam. Milo and his opponent switched, and now Aurora was facing down a Beautifly.

Damion looked almost incredulous;

"You never heard why they closed it?"

"Why?"

"One of Sinnoh's greatest recent Trainers died there. He went for some extreme training and they found him days later, frozen over. That place just isn't safe."

"Frozen over? Damn. I guess that makes sense, then. Who was it? Anybody I'd recognize?"

Damion's eyes seemed to glaze over as he uttered the name with utmost reverence;

"It was Paul Shinji."

"Wait", Amaya turned to face the Veilstone boy, "that Paul? The Paul that was set to be Ash Ketchum's career rival? I knew he wasn't around anymore, but I never heard he died."

"Yeah", said Damion solemnly, "The news really hit me hard when it happened. He graduated from the VPC, you know. He was my hometown hero, growing up. He was the only one strong enough to do something against Ash, but then he took it one step too far. He tried to do something he couldn't, and he paid for it."

"Wow", Amaya was taken aback at his seriousness, "that's a tough break."

Out on the field, Milo's Eevee had just comfortably finished off the Beautifly, and several Trainers were vying for the right to challenge Milo's 'unbeatable' team next. Amaya's face flashed with an almost evil smirk, and she stepped out of the crowd;

"I think I'll take the next turn", she called aloud, "That is, if Milo's not afraid to fight The Hammer."

A massive cheer erupted from the crowd, one of shock and anticipation.

"Hey there, 'Maya!" Milo called to his travelling companion, just as surprised to see her as anyone else, "Thanks for dropping by, I guess. How do you want it? Two 1v1's has been the norm of the day."

"Fine by me", she countered, standing herself firmly in the box opposite her Jubilife friend.

"How about starter versus starter and then ace versus ace?"

"You're pulling out all the stops, Milo. I like it. Terrus, let's make it happen!"

"Blaze, give him hell!"

The two old rivals glared daggers at one another as the assembled crowd screamed in delight…and also backed away for safety.

"Okay pal, let's lead with Heat Wave!"

As Blaze began putting off a blinding wave heat and fire, Amaya countered shrewdly;

"Cut him off with Earth Power!"

"We've got him now, Blaze! Flare Blitz!"

Blaze had used the blinding light of Heat Wave to disguise his move to close in, and Flare Blitz struck Amaya's starter well before Earth Power could do any significant damage. Worse still, the Heat Wave came flying in afterwards. Her only consolation was that Flare Blitz caused Blaze some recoil damage. Well that and…

"He's too close for his own good, Terrus! Frenzy Plant!"

"Ha, good play, 'Maya! Blaze, up!"

As the Flame Pokémon leapt into the air, Amaya made the requisite adjustment;

"Time a Crunch on his way down!"

Terrus was not one to be flustered by a few early hits. He eyed Blaze with laser sharp focus as the fire starter fell towards him. Milo was not the only one whose team could act without direct orders; Terrus kept both eyes on Blaze and poured more energy into his Frenzy Plant, expanding it upwards towards his falling opponent.

"Ah…Tight spot here bud, you'll have to bust out the hard way!"

Blaze gritted his teeth. Sure enough, he was unable to alter his trajectory as Frenzy Plant hammered him straight into Terrus' waiting Crunch attack. Nonetheless, he was no eggshell himself. He ignited his fists and feet and swung a few savage Fire Punch and Blaze Kick attacks at any part of the Continent Pokémon's massive body he could reach.

"End it, Blaze", called Milo as his Infernape rained fire on his rival, "He's a big guy; take him down and make him pay."

Big guy, huh? I get you, Milo. Low Kick it is.

Blaze smirked and ducked low under an Energy Ball from the mighty Torterra. With one powerful Low Kick, Terrus hit the dirt, and a Flamethrower for good measure ended the round. A roar from the watchers greeted them, and the two friends exchanged nods before continuing straight on to the second matchup;

"Coral, you're up!"

"Azura, let's go!"

The two team aces nodded respectfully to one another;

Ah, Azura greeted her opponent, Coral, my friend, I was hoping we'd get to spar again soon. This should be fun. Milo? Shall we?

Hehe, the Trainer had that unmistakable fire in his eyes, You bet we shall!

"Dark Pulse!"

"It's a fake, Coral, don't bite! Wait for the trick!"

The wave of Dark energy came rushing in and Amaya waited for the second move – the real move she knew was hiding behind the smokescreen that was Azura's Dark Pulse. She'd fallen for this too many times already, it wouldn't happen here.

Come on, Milo, she thought in slow motion as the Dark attack came flying across the field, I'll win this game of chicken, come on…Call your real move…Come on…Ah, crap! This one's real!

As the attack smashed into Coral, Amaya held her head in her hands. She'd called a nonexistent bluff.

"Alright", she set herself and got back into it, "He got us, but here's where we turn it around! Water Pulse, then Twister! Get those up, then we can make up for lost time!"

Making up for lost time was a signal to Coral – one that the Tender Pokémon recognized instantly. The combo move was quite ingenious. Twister on its own wasn't enough to throw off Azura, but forcing her to move with the wide-ranged Water Pulse and then hiding behind a Twister did the trick. The Umbreon tried to target Amaya's Water type with a Shadow Ball through the Dragon move, but her aim was off. It was the chance Coral needed to 'make up for lost time' by using Recover. When the battlefield cleared, the Milotic had all but erased the damage from the early Dark Pulse.

"Hmph, clever play there, 'Maya. My turn – Hyper Beam!"

One of Azura's newer attacks, Hyper Beam was a much bigger move than most of her others, and Amaya knew it was thus more unwieldly than Milo was accustomed to. It left an opening that she could exploit;

"Ice Beam response! Then down and let her have it!"

"Ha! Here's the fake you were looking for earlier, 'Maya! Dark Pulse!"

It was too late to stop it; the Hyper Beam was never fired. The shiny Dark type easily sidestepped Coral's Ice Beam, and Amaya's Milotic was already ducking down low to blast off a Hydro Pump. Before she could, she was met head-on by a huge Dark Pulse that put her in the dirt.

"Fancy stuff, Milo, but we've got some new tricks as well! Mirror Coat!"

Coral began glowing, preparing to redouble Azura's attack against her, and Milo had to act fast;

"Nothing fancy, just do it! Get out of there!"

Azura paused for a split second, making sure that Coral fired the attack before she flashed into a Pursuit that caught Amaya's ace off guard. Coral went sliding awkwardly forward, and Milo pressed his advantage;

"Close call there, but we've got this now! Psychic and Hyper Beam!"

Once again, the order of the moves made all the difference. Coral, even off balance, was more than fast enough to dodge a straight up Hyper Beam, but the Psychic attack rendered her dazed and disoriented. It was only for a second or two, but it was enough for Azura to charge and release the massive finishing move. Coral was left unconscious, and Milo took a 2-0 victory.

-o-

"Oy", Amaya poked Milo rudely from her seat next to him on the plane the next morning, "Wake up, you damn Snorlax. We're landing in Snowpoint."

"Cool it already", he slapped her hand away weakly, "I get it, we're there."

He stirred and stretched. He always slept well on planes, for some reason, especially when the group could afford first-class tickets like they had now. From across the aisle, May Maple grinned and waved;

"Hey, you're awake! Dreaming about that seventh badge?"

It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that the Hoenn Princess was actually in Sinnoh to participate as a guest in the Snowpoint Invitational. Damion was seated behind them as well, which Milo was still none too pleased about. He was in town, of course, for his own match against Candice. He was determined to keep pace with Amaya and Milo down the home stretch of the Gym Circuit.

If those two can do it, he told himself, I sure as hell can, too.

The whole crew gathered their luggage, and the Rookies were about to go book rooms at the Pokémon Center when an official looking man came running towards them, waving his arms hysterically. They watched in bewilderment as he sprinted all the way up to them. He stopped, panting for breath with his hands on his knees before addressing them;

"The – the three of – of you…here…"

His chest still heaving, the man held out one hand, in which were three fancy envelopes labeled 'Milo', 'Amaya', and 'Damion'. It seemed the mystery man had sufficiently recovered himself, and he explained;

"Whew, okay, sorry. I'm from the Snowpoint Invitational support staff, good to meet you. The other two of you, Kara and of course Miss Maple, are already scheduled to attend our event, but there was a mistake regarding the invitations to guest Trainers and…well, here you go. I do apologize for the short notice, but you three are formally invited to represent Sinnoh's youth Trainers at the Snowpoint Invitational festivities."

"Uh, cool", said Milo, who was planning to be there anyway as Kara's plus one, "Thanks, man. What do Trainers do at this Invitational anyway? I thought it was all Contests and Showcases?"

"Well", the man drew himself up, "there will be an open battlefield at most of the social events, which you may use as you wish. However, you are correct – all the main events are Contests and Showcases. Your invitation is a social one."

"Heh, I get it", Amaya spoke up, "we're there for PR. If recognizable Trainers show up to something, you can bet Sinnoh folks will pay attention. That's just how Sinnoh works."

"Well, I'm in", Damion ripped open his envelope, "They always invite plenty of bigshots to this thing – could be a chance to make some useful connections."

"Excellent, excellent", the man began moving briskly off towards the exit before motioning them to follow, "Come along, if you please, you have reserved rooms at the Grand Lily, compliments of the Invitational. I've got a cab outside waiting for all five of you. This way, please!"

As they made the trip to their hotel in the middle of downtown Snowpoint, the man continued his profuse apologies that their invitations were so late;

"It was impossible to keep tabs on you, you understand, so sorry. Not that your travels are a problem, of course! We should've known better than to leave the distribution of such important invitations to an intern – well, ex-intern now. He's certainly made his last mistake. At any rate, we're very sorry, once again. Please forgive our logistical blunder."

Milo's jaw almost hit the pristine marble floor of the hotel when they stepped inside. He'd never really experienced a five-star hotel before, much less had his own complimentary room. It was breathtaking; from the crystal chandeliers to the spotless red carpeting, every detail was inch perfect. As promised, each of them had their own room waiting.

Milo took a few minutes to acquaint himself with these new hyper-formal surroundings, and was just about to go find his friends when his room phone rang. He pressed the button, and was surprised to see Marcus' face pop up.

"Oh, hey bro. Umm, how'd you know I'd be here?"

The older brother shrugged and answered with a grin, "Jenks told me. That man knows everything, I swear."

"Ah, yep. Fair enough. What's up, Marcus?"

The Hearthome Leader's face fell slightly, "I'm calling about the Order, Milo."

The Jubilife Trainer could feel the blood drain from his face as his heart sank like a Golem. Marcus put up a hand and continued quickly;

"Hey, I see that look, don't freak out! I'm not asking you to go on a mission."

Milo's breath returned with a rush of relief. No mission meant no using the blessings, which in turn meant he wasn't about to be bedridden and weak for days.

"Whew, alright. So what is it then?"

"I'm just giving you a heads up on what's been going on behind the scenes. You haven't seen this, but the PsyForce Tribe has been really raising hell across the region. It's not their volume of attacks that really worries us, though, it's their targets. We can't figure out a pattern, a reason for hitting what they're hitting. They aren't going after anything super visible or anyone high profile. There is a pattern, surely, but we just can't get a grip on what it might be."

Milo had been listening attentively, and now posed a question;

"You think they're building up to something big, is that it?"

"That's our working theory. That's why we're trying as hard as possible to connect the dots. Whatever it is, I'm letting you know right now that when it goes down we'll almost certainly need you."

"Need me? You mean you'll need Yveltal and Zoroark. You only need me to be the one to let them loose. Any idea when this is coming to a head?"

"I…look, Milo, the Order values you far beyond your ability to use the two blessings. I guess that's a discussion for another time, though. For now, I'll just tell you that it looks like it should be a matter of weeks until something sets off. It's hard to be sure, but make sure you're ready when the call comes in, okay?"

"…Okay."

Milo's face was still down. It was clear he wasn't convinced by Marcus' claims that the Order of Shadows valued him beyond the blessings.

"Hey", called the older brother softly, "Milo, I really am sorry to be the bearer of grim news. For what it's worth…have fun at the Snowpoint Invitational. It's a big to-do. I may even see you there at the big party, if I can make it up there. Rest up and don't think too much about all this Order stuff for now, alright? It'll happen when it happens."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll maybe see you in a few days."

"Hopefully. I have to go for now, though. See you, little bro."

The call cut off, and Milo was left with a slight frown that betrayed his emotions.

Well, crap, he thought to himself, I just can't stay out of trouble to save my life.

Author's Notes:

Hey there! Sorry this one took a while, a few things contributed to that. I got distracted (by which I mean I watched all of Fairy Tail – one heck of a great show) and then suffered a bit of a writer's block. I literally stopped after the first scene with Maxie and just stared at this for weeks without writing a single thing. Then it just suddenly clicked and I wrote the entire rest of the chapter in two days. Writing can be so weird, I swear…

But I love it anyway! As usual, lots of twists and turns here, so let me know your candid thoughts! Damion has certainly come along since we first met him, what do you think? What did you make of Maxie and her dilemma? Please feel free to tell me anything you want, be it good or (constructively) bad!

Review thoughts:

Joshy – Ah, my friend. THANK YOU for shredding the PsyForce Tribe and the Spirit League. It was something I needed to hear. Once again, your helpful criticism has inspired a great deal of thought on my part, and you can rest assured that before this is all over more light will be shed on these shadowy villains.

People have been telling me they like this long chapter format, so unless 'public opinion' changes, we're going to stick with that for now. As usual, if you want to keep up to date with Milo's adventures and misadventures, leave a follow or a favorite. That will also help more people find this story!

I think that's everything from me, so until next time THANK YOU very sincerely for reading my story, I humbly hope you enjoy it, and have a good day! Heck, you know what? Have a good week! (Oh yeah, I went there.) Cheers, everybody!

-Nano