Alright, a long chapter awaits those who've been waiting for this story! There's an optional theme that plays when you see (1) and stops when you see (0). The song is called, "Bianca's Theme: Remastered Pokemon Black and White 2." you might have to loop it. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
A Reluctant Start
Two whole weeks pass since Jessica called Professor Juniper. On this sleepy, cold, Monday morning in Unova, a call comes to her telling her that it's time. Everything has been put in place, a deal met, and all the necessary components are ready to go. In the back of her mind, she's slightly afraid that all of this might be for nothing since Milo has been rather persistent on not wanting anyone interfering with him and telling him to do something with his life. She knows that his cynical outlook and straight to the point demeanor will tear her apart the moment she mentions anything about what she's practiced to herself in private when the day comes to tell him to go on a journey. As she slowly ascends the stairs to the second floor where his room awaits, she gently bites the inside of her cheek nervously, hoping that he won't question her on the sudden request.
Her right hand reaches for the doorknob, and she turns it, the door opening to her surprise since he usually locks it to prevent her from coming in. Despite being always in here, everything in the room is neater than a large majority of people his age. All of his clothes are neatly packed into drawer on his wooden dresser on the left side of the room and his walk-in closet has various shirts, jackets, and hoodies hanging up, arranged by what type of clothing they are with little breaks in between them to make it easier for him to choose without unknowingly going to another category of clothes. His bed is neatly made, the blankets and sheets free of any wrinkles and creases though they gently wave and flap due to the frost ridden breath of air coming from the slightly opened window in front of her. To the left of this window, his desk where a small desktop computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse sit, along with the boy himself giving her a cold, annoyed stare for intruding without alerting him. He immediately addresses her, making sure his tone carries as much annoyance as possible to show his distaste in her unwelcome, unannounced presence. "Thanks for knocking, why'd you come in here?"
His tone hits her hard and she stutters for a moment. "M-milo, you know that your mother can come in and out of your room as she pleases." She sighs, taking a deep breath before explaining to him. "Regardless of you wanting me to be here or not, I have something important to tell you."
He raises his right eyebrow, staring her in the face with a stone-cold expression. "Go on…"
She claps her hands together enthusiastically once, her tone trying to match it. "Professor Aurea Juniper, you know, from Nuvema Town, she called me a few minutes ago to tell me that she needs my help with some of her research. I thought, since you haven't been doing anything, maybe you'd be willing to help her. So, I want you to take a shower, dress yourself nicely and-" she's cut off abruptly by him, a booming voice in tow.
"Why would Juniper resort to you of all people? Is it because you're the widow of one of the greatest assistant professors out there, or is there something here you're not telling me?" his eyebrow raises itself further.
She's taken aback immediately. He's nearly figured out that this isn't a regular errand without asking more than one question. She has to get him onboard with this otherwise it'll all be a waste. A couple drops of sweat quickly form on her slightly tanned forehead. "W-what? Don't be silly, Milo. Yes, she knows I was your father's wife and he taught me some of the stuff he did, but while she wanted me to help her, I told her that I couldn't due to my job. You know how long the hours can be at times, so I thought maybe you'd want to do it."
His eyes slowly sharpen, staring right into her soul in an attempt to find lies and fallacy in her claims. His pupils slowly track the two drops of sweat on her forehead, rolling down to the bottom of her chin. He leans back in his chair and turns to face his computer, the web browser opened to a livestream showcasing the greatest trainers in the world battling at a tournament where the victor is crowned world champion. There's a fierce battle going on and either side could win as both of them have only one Pokemon remaining and they're both fatigued and ready to faint. His mother notices this. "Hey, isn't that the Pokemon World Championships Masters' Division Final Round?"
"Yeah, I watch this because this is what I could've been." his eyes close themselves a bit more than usual, his voice going monotone with the slightest bit of sadness in his cheeks. The announcer on the stream starts briefing every one of the current situation.
"Folks, this could go either way! Pokemon Master Red, hailing from Kanto, has been giving our up-and-coming prodigy, Sinnoh Champion Barry, a real run for his money! The hot-headed boy has been backed into a corner with his Infernape. Both are looking quite tired from the excruciatingly stressful match so far, though neither of them appears ready to give up. On the other end, Red's Charizard doesn't look any better and while these two have had a rocky run through the Masters' league this year, it appears he might once again, protect his title of world champion for the 8th time in a row!" The announcer's voice echoes across the stadium where hundreds of thousands of fans watch in the high risers and cheer vigorously in the hopes that their favorite battler will reign victorious.
"Oh wow, Pokemon Master Red's won 7 times in a row? I thought someone would've come up to finally knock him down by now." She's a bit surprised to see him considering the fact his team can easily be beaten with the right coordination. This catches his attention.
"How would you know? You're not a trainer."
She chuckles. "You bring a fair point, but I was once a trainer when I was your age. Unfortunately, my parents didn't want me to go down that route and I had to abandon what I was headed towards. I even had a shot at it, I got an invitation in the mail directly from the tourney officials inviting me to the junior's division. My parents didn't approve so I never went." her pupils look towards his window, remembering that very day when her dreams were dashed. There's a strangeness in her face, something about what she's said brings out a look she hasn't had in a long time. "Those days are long gone, I have to provide for both of us otherwise we'll be on the streets with nothing."
He finds it pathetic that she bent to her parents' desires. "Wow, talk about being coerced into shit you don't wanna do."
She snaps back at him with an attitude. "And what gives you the right to talk about my parents that way when you yourself sit in your room doing absolutely nothing all day!? Answer me that one!"
He turns back to look at her, a little bit of interest in his flatlined facial expression. "Oh...? did I accidentally touch a nerve? Sorry mom, but if you still have unfulfilled dreams, you're the only one who chose to kill them. You didn't have to follow what your loser parents wanted you to do." he swivels back to look out through the window. "I always thought of you as someone who never let others choose her destiny, but you're just like everyone else. Following in the aspirations of others' expectations and desires instead of your own."
She angrily grabs the back of his chair to spin him around so he faces her by using her right hand, and the palm of her left-hand rips through the air to violently scrub his cheek from left to right, a nasty slap with a sound accompanying it that's enough to cause a slight ringing in both of their ears. His head whips to the right from the impact and his skin immediately starts to turn red. His right hand slowly rises up to the cheek that took the brunt of the blow as he also slowly turns his head back to look at her. She crosses her arms. "Don't you talk bad about my mother and father ever again. I think they knew better, because if I was still participating in tournaments like that, I would've never met your father and had you. Now, you can either sit in this shithole room of yours for the rest of the day because you had your own dreams dashed by your father's death, or you can do what I said and help her out." she turns around and quickly walks out of the room, slamming the door behind her angrily.
He sits there rubbing his cheek, the slap stinging him as it should. Though he doesn't agree with what path his mother chose, he agrees with deserving a slap like that. That was disrespectful on a whole other level that clearly came from a lack of thinking about how she'd feel in response to something like that. It is what it is, and as his eyes take one last glance at the computer screen, he realizes that he missed the final blow that caused Pokemon Trainer Barry to lose the match. He sucks in the right corner of his lips and grunts, unamused by this outcome and annoyed with the choice he's been given, though maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. All he has to do is help Professor Juniper with something, whatever that is will probably be revealed when he agrees. He grabs the mouse and moves it over to close the web browser, and stands up, looking out of the window towards the direction of the gate where Route 19 lies.
A whole hour passes, and while Jessica should be working today, she's actually taken the whole week off as she had dedicated the previous week to working major overtime to provide extra money for her household. She sits on the couch, watching the news on the TV in the living room and has no idea that Milo had taken a shower in secret since she's absorbed by her own whims. She does, however, turn her head towards the staircase as the sounds of his shoes alert her on the way down. Unlike how he usually has some sort of baggy, lounge around clothing on, he's taken the time to pick out some more appropriate clothing this time around. He wears black shoes, dark blue jeans with a couple rips on the knees and thighs, a zipped up, black and blue satin jacket with a custom emblem that resembles Mew on the front and back, a warm black undershirt, silver glasses, a blue and black hat to hide most of his rather long, chocolate brown hair from the masses, and a large blue bag with a Pokeball design strapped over his right shoulder. He even trimmed some slight excess eyebrow hairs to give that extra little to his clean, sleek look. She's actually surprised by this and also delighted as it tells her the answer to her question from before. "So, you're really serious about this! I'm happy to see that you've decided to get up and do this, and I think Professor Juniper will be pleased to hear that you're willing to help her."
He squints at her, not fond of her misunderstanding that she thinks is him choosing to willingly do it. "Let me make this clear: I'm only doing this because she's an important figure for trainers all over. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't give a Ratatta's ass about it, so get it out of your head that my choice to do this was for the better of my life. It's only an obligation, and if dad was here, he would be upset if I refused to help her out and I don't need to explain why." He grabs the rim of his hat with his left hand and pulls it down to cover his eyes. "So, don't push it."
"Alright, alright. Settle down with the coldness. I understand you probably didn't want anything to do with something like this but look at it as a whole new experience! You're going to see so many new things and learn way more than any trainer school could possibly teach you." She notices that there's a slight bruise on his left cheek and it makes her feel a bit guilty for lashing out at him earlier. "By the way... I'm sorry about slapping you like that. I just... I was acting on emotion from what you said to me about my parents and my life choices. You should be happy that I support anything you choose to do because my parents didn't." She sighs and looks at the floor. "And truth be told, I actually wasn't a great Pokemon Trainer. The only reason I got that invite was because of my outstanding performance in Trainer School. My parents knew this, and as much as they loved Pokemon like I did, they didn't want me to be set on a path of harsh failure. It would've crushed me if they allowed it." she looks back up at him and smiles a little. "Milo, even if I did try to get back into it today, it wouldn't work. I've been out of it for far too long and hundreds of new Pokemon exist today that nobody knew existed back then. I'd never be able to compete."
He understands her perspective more with that explanation, and he does owe her an apology too. "Don't feel bad about it, I deserved to be hit. I should've been more considerate towards your feelings and I'm sorry for being an asshole in that moment. Now, you said I had to meet someone?"
She perks up as he brings her back to the main purpose. "Oh yes, I was told that you should look for someone by the name of "Bianca". She has an orange jacket and a big green hat. Shouldn't be hard to find someone like that here." He nods in understanding slowly and starts to walk for the front door, but she stops him quickly, standing up off the couch and gently tugging on his sleeve with her left hand. "Wait." with her right hand, she holds up 10,000P for him to take along. "You're going to need this, it's foolish to leave the house without any money." He takes it with his right hand and stuffs it into his jacket's left pocket.
"Thanks, I'm going now. Hopefully I'll be back soon." he grabs the knob with his left hand, turns it, and opens the door. Immediately does a rush of cold air invade the house and interrupt the temperature balance inside. His jacket puffs and waves a little in response to this, but he's not affected, nor does he feel it due to the heavy clothing he's wearing. He steps outside and closes the door behind him, now free of any more lectures and stories from his mother. Before he goes looking for this "Bianca" person, there's someone else he needs, someone who he knows for certain will be willing to accompany him on this little errand. Since he has no idea of what he's actually going to be doing, he'd rather have his closest friend with him the entire time instead of leaving her out here to possibly be found by someone else or worse… a thought that he desperately tries to shake from his mind as even the traces of it anger him a little.
He walks through his hometown, Aspertia City, though he has a feeling that he won't be seeing the familiar apartment buildings and concrete walkways here very long in the near future with whatever task he'll be given. There's a few people out and about, though he keeps to himself and walks with his head down a little to completely block his face from the view of anyone, watching his feet as his left foot goes in front of his right, moves under his body, and his right foot goes in front of his left with each step he takes. The wind is not as friendly as it was the last couple of days, and it has a blustery bite to it as it whisks through the trees and houses. Many brown leaves float in this wind, a sign that Fall's reached the end of its stay and Winter is merely a couple days away. The wind also carries a scent to it, a frozen, frosty, icy scent in the likeness of possible snow from the grey clouds hanging above.
He passes by the Pokemon Center, Trainer's School, and walks straight to the gate leading to Route 19. Walking inside, he maintains his reserved stance and moves quickly to get through to the other side, not making eye contact with the people inside to avoid unnecessary conversation. He exits the gate, and the always active Route 19 greets him in a unique way every time he sets foot on it. This time, a small group of Patrat mingle with each other on the very edge of the dirt path, an Emolga eats a berry while perched on a branch in one of the trees, and a small pack of Deerling watch him as he walks by. He quickly runs into the forest, dodging trees and pushing aside tall grass, no fear of being attacked by wild Pokemon as he approaches the place where his friend resides. The moment he steps foot into this familiar place, his favorite pink feline Pokemon appears directly in front of him, using her ability to teleport to instantly travel short and long distances. If it was anyone else, her sudden teleportation would startle and surprise them, but not Milo. She immediately notices that he's wearing much different clothing than usual. "Milo! You're looking really nice and handsome… is there a particular reason?" a light blush sits on her cheek as she's used to seeing him in casual clothes and the sudden change is unexpected and charming to her.
"How about I skip the long story and make it short: Wanna come with me for a bit? I've got an errand I need to take care of, and I might have to go far, so I'd rather you be with me instead, so nobody finds you and tries to do anything."
Her eyes widen excitedly. "I get to go on an adventure with you!? Heck yes, I'll go anywhere with you! I don't care if we get caught in a storm or a stampede of Tauros come after us, I wanna get out of this silly place and see the world with you!" she starts spinning around, doing loop-de-loops, throwing her arms around, and kicking her feet happily. "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go right now!"
He smirks and chuckles. She's too cute and playful to not get some reaction out of him even with his cold, cool mentality. "Alright but listen… where we're going will have other people who may not be so friendly towards you. You need to stay by me at all times, otherwise if someone tries to take you or do something, I'll have no choice but to beat them up, and I really don't need extra crap thrown on top of something that's big enough to begin with." he turns around to face the woods he just came from. "Now, like you said, let's go!"
"Imma ride on top of your head!" She flies above his shoulders and drops her body down onto his hat. Thanks to being a smaller Pokemon, this isn't an issue, and she lays her hands and head on his hat while her feet support her and plant themselves on his shoulders. "Alright! I'm ready!" He takes off running through the woods, moving much faster than before, and a smile much larger than usual slowly etches itself on his face. Perhaps this won't be as bad and tedious as he thought if he's got Mew with him. There is a high-risk factor with this choice, people will certainly take notice of the extremely rare, elusive mythical friend he's got, and it could bring unwanted attention both good and bad if he's not careful.
The worst part of this decision might be if he comes across criminals, a gang, or anyone who tries to steal her away from him. He's been hearing rumors lately from online sources that a really nasty criminal group has been going around the Kanto region again and the International Police are having difficulty trying to bust them all. If any of those people are here in Unova, it'd spell disaster for him if they were to steal her, but at the same time, he'd make it his priority to smash every single skull he finds in an attempt to rescue her from them if that happens. It's a top priority to protect her at all costs while she's out in public with him, and as they approach the gate back to Aspertia City, he stops and talks to her. "Hey, I know you wanted to ride shotgun on my head, but I don't trust anyone past here. Is it fine if I hold you until I'm sure nobody's going to try anything?"
She's completely fine with this, understanding his perspective as if she knew her own status made her a glowing target. "Sure, but please don't squish me like you did that one time." he remembers when that happened, it was a really stressful day for him and she suggested hugging her and when he did, he used a little too much power and squeezed her in a way that was highly uncomfortable for her. He briefly smirks at this memory.
"That won't happen again." he watches as she floats down in front of him and with both of his hands, he gently grabs her by her stomach, turns her around, and pulls her in as close as possible without squeezing her. His grip is firm but also loose enough for her to breathe without issues. He starts walking towards the gate, and like before, he puts his down enough so that nobody can see his face, moving with a brisk, hurried pace in the hopes he'll get through one side and come out the other without anyone batting an eye at him. Luckily, the gate attendants had left their posts to do something, leaving absolutely nobody inside to bother them. He can't see this when he exits the gate and enters Aspertia, but Mew's eyes widen and her mouth opens slightly, amazed with everything in the city. She's used to woodland areas, preferring to stay away from manmade structures, but this amazes her.
"Milo, you've been living here this whole time and only now you're showing it to me? This place is really nice! We should come here more often!" her voice has a child-like playfulness in it, something that he can't allow to run loose here.
"Please stay calm, we don't want to cause a scene and attract attention to ourselves…" his head swivels on a dime, his eyes landing on everything and everyone that moves. He looks fierce, a threatening stare coming off his eyes and his face tells anyone to stay away unless they want to get hurt. So far, none of the people he can see in the immediate vicinity look like the person his mother told him to look for, but he knows better, since outsiders that visit this city tend to head straight for the outlook as the view is impressive. He has a feeling that this "Bianca" is waiting up there, enjoying the view while hoping he shows up soon. "Alright Mew, we're going to go up the cliff here to the outlook. I need you to stay quiet while I peek out from the rock to see if anyone's there."
"Okay, I'll be quieter than I've ever been before." and she sucks in her mouth a little, clamping it shut to prevent any sounds from coming out of her. If she had lips, they'd definitely be inside her mouth now, but at least she's following directions as there have been times when she's done things he told her not to do. He walks towards the stairs leading up to the lookout and purposefully feathers his steps as he ascends them. When he reaches the top step, he peers out from behind the rock on his right and notices someone standing at the very top of the lookout. This person has an orange puffy jacket and a big green hat meaning that without a doubt, this is "Bianca".
He ducks back behind the rock and talks to Mew once more. "I can't let that girl see you, I don't trust she'll keep her hands to herself. I know you can become invisible, so you can do that, or…" he flicks his hip to the right and his big bag shifts up onto his thigh. "You can go in here until I'm done with whatever she wants. What do you want to do?"
She looks at the bag. "You won't zip me up, will you?" she has a slight bit of worry in her voice. He assures her that he won't do that.
"Hell no, I'll leave it open so you can breathe, and I'll push it behind my back so she won't see you in there. I'll also make sure she doesn't get behind me, otherwise she'll see you and I really don't want that." he zips it open with his right hand and holds it open for her. There's absolutely nothing inside there and it looks to have never been used ever before, even the fresh store-bought smell is there and strong. He releases her and while hesitant, she floats over to the bag, peers in, and then puts herself inside. She fits completely, tail and everything, and her head just pokes out from the top.
"Hey, this isn't too bad." it's a bit cozy for her, though it's not as bad as she thought it would be.
"You'll be fine. Now, remember to be as quiet as possible."
"Okay!" With that, he gently pushes the bag behind his back and slowly ascends the steps, getting closer and closer to Bianca. A bit of anxiety wells in his chest as he's worried about a couple of things. The one he's most worried about is her somehow finding out he has Mew with him. If she finds out, who knows what she'll do. The other thing he's worried about is talking to her in general. It's been quite a few years since he's talked to anyone else outside of the internet and because of that, he's not sure if everything will go as planned or if he'll have to make up something on the spot. He twitches his right hand a little in response to this, focusing on the task at hand to try and keep himself from freaking out when he talks to her. He reaches the top of the stairs, and another bite of icy wind blows across the land. Bianca's left hand comes up and grabs the top of her head to stop her hat from taking off with it and she brings her shoulders and legs closer to her body in response to the cold, slightly shivering.
"Brrrr! If I knew it'd be this cold away from the mainland, I'd have worn some heavier clothing…" The wind dies down and she drops her hand back to her side. "I love this view. Even though it's quite cold here, nothing beats this. I can see for miles up here, and it's so beautiful! I now understand why this is the most famous spot in this city." She hears footsteps from someone approaching and she looks over her right shoulder, noticing Milo instantly. "Oh, hello there. You haven't been standing here long, have you?" he shakes his head, "no". "Oh, that's good. It's really cold out here today, and I'd hate to have made you wait for a while." Her big, round green eyes and black pupils looking from behind a pair of orange glasses scan him from head to toe, her right hand coming up to her chin as she faintly hums to herself for a few seconds. She smiles wide and her head tilts to the right a little, a couple strands of her blonde hair bounce with her movements. "Oh! You're definitely Milo! The physical description of you that was given to me was dead-on accurate!"
His eyes squint and he angles his torso away from her slightly, suspicious of how she knows who he is. "How do you know me?" his stark, apprehensive tone is one she wasn't expecting.
"U-umm sorry… I should've introduced myself first." She turns her entire body around to face him and bows (1). "I'm Bianca, Professor Juniper's assistant. She told me all about you, and I've come in her place because she's gotten caught up in loads of research and couldn't come to see you physically. I hope that's not a problem with you…"
"I don't care." his response is immediate and quick, which takes her by surprise.
"O-oh, t-that's good then! I'm sure your mom told you that Juniper wanted a favor from her, right? Well, that favor is one that's suuuperr important to her and it involves lots of Pokemon. You, uh, you do know what Pokemon are, right?"
His eyes squint even harder. "Do I look like I rolled in from stupid town? I know what Pokemon are."
She blinks a few times in response, trying not to be left speechless by his blunt, rude remarks. "Uh… okay… that's a relief then…" While she thinks of what's next, inside his bag, Mew's nose is starting to itch itself into an oncoming sneeze. She tries her best to not let it come out as it'll blow her cover, but it's relentless and she can't hold on for much longer. Bianca continues speaking, having remembered what came next. "Okay, so, Professor Juniper wanted me to give you two things: one of these is a Super Pokedex, and the other is a Pokemon to accompany you on your journey across Unova." she reaches inside her large, green bag with both of her hands and pulls a small capsule out. "Before I give you that Pokedex, take a pick from these three Pokemon please!" she uses her right pointer finger to press a little button on the side and the capsule opens up to reveal three regular Pokeballs, colored orange on the top and white on the bottom with a black stripe running around the circumference of the ball. There are small tags attached to the Pokeballs with the names of the 3 different Pokemon they contain. The left one contains the grass type Snivy, the middle, a water type called Oshawott, and the right one, Tepig, the fire type. He takes a few seconds to look at each of the Pokeballs, and right as his left hand is about to come up and grab one, Mew sneezes and shoots up out of his bag and into plain sight of Bianca.
His eyes immediately flip wide open as he knows what just happened and he quickly steps to the side to try and block her view. She already saw too much, and she adjusts her glasses with her right hand before trying to see over his shoulder, but he does a superb job of stopping her. "Hey! What was that thing that just flew out of your bag!?" she tries to see past him harder, but he matches every single move she does.
"None of your business, stop looking." He rapidly moves his body all over to block her, but she eventually decides to gently push him aside with her right hand and the jig is up.
She gasps long and loud, what she's seeing is something she only thought existed in legend and historical records. "N-NO WAY! THAT'S THE MYTHICAL POKEMON, MEW! MILO, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PROFESSORS OUT THERE WOULD DIE JUST TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THIS THING!?" She excitedly hops up and down in place a few inches off the ground. "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! I-I-I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M SEEING. THERE'S NO WAY, THIS HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF MISTAKE AND I'M DREAMING ALL OF THIS!" her voice echoes across the entire city, and he flinches at it, slightly afraid that a whole stampede is on its way to see what the fuss is about. "MILO, PLEASE PLEASE PLEAAAASSEEEE… Do... Do you mind if I… pet it?"
He sighs, it's not like he can do anything about it now. The fact she hasn't tried to steal her yet tells him that maybe she isn't one of those people, and if she's really Juniper's assistant, she's much more trustworthy than anyone else in the city right now. "Fine but stop about it." his tone gets aggressive and low. "And if someone comes to see what the fuss is about, you better have a good explanation to make them leave." She doesn't appear to be listening to him because she's walked up to her and already began petting her with her right hand.
"O-oh.. You're soo soft and fluffy!" She presses her head into her pale hand. "Wow, you're much more friendly than all the history books and records say you are. All of them depict you as a highly secretive, shy, reclusive Pokemon but I guess that's wrong!" she looks closely at her fur. "Those records are also wrong about having microscopic, fine fur. Yours is much longer than that and it's super soft." she stops petting her and looks at Milo. "I don't know how you found a Mew, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and to many Pokemon Professors, the ultimate dream research subject." she suddenly realizes that she got sidetracked and lost her cool. "S-sorry about freaking out like that… Let's uhh, let's get back to what we were doing before, okay?" She adjusts her hat and fidgets a little, almost as if she wasn't supposed to do what she just did.
He doesn't waste any time and grabs one of the Pokeballs with his left hand. Since Mew has already been revealed, it's pointless for her to go back inside the bag, so she simply floats onto and hangs herself over his left shoulder by lying on her stomach. He quickly glances at her when she does this but goes back to Bianca in a flash. She puts the capsule back in her bag and then, with her right hand, pulls out the Super Pokedex she was supposed to give to him. "Alrighty, now that you've got another Pokemon in tow, this Super Pokedex is all yours!" she holds it out for him to take and he does so. He remembers his father had showed him how to use one of these as a child, and although that one was different looking than the one he's been given, it still functions the same as the old one.
"So, Milo, the Super Pokedex is a special kind of Pokedex that are normally given to Pokemon Assistants, but the Professor wanted me to give you one for whatever reason... she never told my why, but she must have her reasons for doing so. These Pokedex are much more advanced than the one you'd get from graduating a Trainer School or from places that sell them. Anyway, do you know how-" she stops when she notices that he's holding it out with the screen facing her, showing that while she explained what the Super Pokedex was, he managed to turn it on and get it working. "I guess I don't have to show you how to use it." a couple drops of sweat form on her forehead and she adjusts her glasses with her left hand. "T-that's great…" she was only informed of what he looked like and how he'd probably act towards her, she wasn't informed of his experience with something like the Super Pokedex.
Since these were the two things she needed to give to him, he sees no reason to stay longer than he has and goes to turn around and walk away. He slips the Pokedex into the left pocket of his jacket, places the Pokeball in his bag, and starts walking. "Thanks, I'm leaving now." he takes exactly two steps before his right arm is grabbed and he's pulled to a stop. She's not finished with him but he doesn't take too kindly to her suddenly grabbing him like that, so he forcefully jerks his arm out of her grasp, turns around, and yells at her. "Don't touch me again and back off." She takes a couple steps back, a bit nervous that he might do something.
"I-I'm not done…" she then muffles her voice. "Man, she was NOT kidding around when she said that you'd be really cold, distant, and rude…" she clears her throat by coughing into her right hand and then continues. "So, she wants you to travel across the Unova region to gather as much data as possible on all the Pokemon you come across. Unlike a regular Pokedex, all Pokemon you meet automatically have their data filled in for their Super Pokedex page when you scan them. However, catching a Pokemon will allow you to change the data on their page, input new data and findings, and even edit their physical Pokedex description to your liking. Any changes you make along with the data you collect and any findings you stumble upon will be directly sent to her lab in Nuvema Town. You can also try to beat the gym challenge, a major goal of most Pokemon Trainers here. It's simple on paper but hard in reality: defeat the 8 gym leaders scattered throughout the region to get a shot at taking on the Elite Four and if you're lucky, defeat the current champion to claim their title for yourself." This isn't some dumb errand that his mother was choosing to pawn off on him, this is something that's much more involved than going grocery shopping. The whole thing reminds him of what he could've had if his father didn't die, and now that the opportunity is being presented to him once again as a favor to someone whom he holds in high regard, there isn't a choice not to follow through. He'd be a fool to pass this up to mope around his room all day, and with Mew by his side, he'll always have someone to turn to if things get rough.
"Fine, I'll do what I can."
Her eyes light up happily. "Thanks a bunch! Now, there's one last thing I need to show you before you can go out there and see the world. Come with me if you will, please." she walks around him and starts descending the stairs of the outlook. He follows close behind and the two walk from the outlook all the way over to the bright orange building nearby. "The Pokemon Center! I don't know if you've used one or know what they do, but they're an absolutely vital facility for you to use as a Pokemon Trainer. Come inside, I'll show you around." she enters through the automatic doors and goes in, but he doesn't follow her just yet.
He whispers under his breath. "I know what this place is, I don't need to learn about it again." Although his remark says otherwise, he walks inside. The interior of the Pokemon Centers in Unova are vastly different to some of them in other regions thanks to the PokeMart being integrated into it as one entity. On the right side of the building after immediately walking in, two cashiers that tend the PokeMart stand behind a desk, ready to serve any trainers who may walk in to buy items. To the left is a little waiting area similar to that in a hospital with a few chairs, a table, a bookshelf, and some toys for little kids to use. Further in the back, behind the receptionist desk, a single nurse in charge of healing the weary and fainted Pokemon of any trainer who requires the service. Behind her is a hexagonal healing machine and to the right of that, is a door that leads into the back where Pokemon are taken to be monitored or have surgery procedures done on them in the event they're gravely ill or seriously injured. On the left side of the reception desk is a PC used to store Pokemon or take them out of the PSS, short for "Pokemon Storage System". To the left of that is a staircase leading up to the second floor where the Global Trade Station is located, but he has no use for that right now.
Bianca waits in the middle of the first floor, and he walks up to her. "Alright, welcome to the Pokemon Center! Pay attention because what I have to show and tell you is really important!" He watches as she walks over to and points at the blue PokeMart counter with her right hand. "This is the PokeMart, a place where you can buy a whole bunch of items to use on your journey. They'll sell you better items if you can get gym badges from the gym leaders, but you'll have to pay a higher price for them if you don't have enough badges!" she drops her hand and walks over to the receptionist desk. "And this is the most important part! The nurse behind the desk will happily heal your Pokemon for free, but, if they somehow fall ill or get too hurt and can't be healed with the machine, they'll charge you a fee for whatever it is your Pokemon needs." she walks up to him, deeply exhaling as she's spoken a whole lot to him from start to finish. "Phew… I think that's everything I need to tell you. I wish you luck on your journey and maybe we'll meet each other again. I'm going to hang out here for a little bit…" she notices on his left wrist, he has a Xtransciever. "Hey, let me register you in my Xtranciever so you can call me if you have any questions." He holds his left wrist up and with his right hand, turns his on and taps the NFC registration button to make it go fast. She does the same and holds her right wrist up to his and in seconds, the two of them are registered and able to call each other if need be. "Alright Milo, seeya later!" she walks over to the PC and takes out a strange looking card and inserts it into a slot on the side. (0)
With nothing of importance to do here, he simply walks out of the building and heads immediately for the gate to Route 19. It comes to mind that this is the last time he's going to see it from this side for a long time, and instead of immediately going through like he usually does, he stands there staring at it. Mew looks at him, wondering what he's doing. "Milo, are you going to walk through?"
He nods slowly. "Yeah… it's just… I'm not going to see this place again for a while." He takes a deep breath in and then exhales. No use standing around, this journey isn't going to explore itself. With a little bit of excitement held in a place deep in his heart, he walks into the gate from the side of his home city for the last time for now, ready to explore beyond the small, simple Route 19.
Welp, have a good New Year's Eve and I'll seeya all next year unless you're already reading this in 2022 and beyond... in which case, hello from the past! Hope you enjoyed and as always, feel free to review!
