Chapter 3 - Shots Fired
Kara frowned, unable to think of what could induce her parents to call for her this late at night. Usually they retreated to their own space and took the late evening to breathe a bit and relax.
Grabbing a pair of fuzzy socks (which perfectly matched her comfy Eevee pajama pants) she bundled her way down the stairs.
"What's up, mom?"
Her mother just ushered her in the door, where she found her dad seated in his favorite armchair watching one of his favorite late-night TV talk shows. He pointed to the television, and the Performer quickly understood why she'd been called down to watch;
Amaya
"We're joined tonight by two very special guests," the talk show host began warmly, speaking more to the cameras than the live audience, who had no doubt paid entirely too much money to sit in the poorly air conditioned auditorium, "As we continue to celebrate Women of Professional Training month, we are thrilled to present two Sinnoh natives who have made big waves internationally and done our region proud. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome two of the Super Rookies, Amaya and Nova!"
Both young women emerged from stage left.
'Women in Professional Training' my ass, thought the Johto Champion, That's a marketing gimmick for the media companies.
Beside her, Nova had barely changed in eight years. Her two pigtails had been switched for one long blonde side ponytail, but she had the same big glasses that were the hallmark of her shy bookworm look. She looked like the girl you might find nestled in a beanbag chair in the back corner of a library, but she was a formidable Trainer.
"Welcome, welcome," the host got everyone to quiet down, and started off very diplomatically;
"First of all, I'd like to thank you two for coming in, I understand you've both got a lot going on right now."
"It's my pleasure," Nova answered, her voice light and airy, as if her head never quite made it all the way down from the clouds, "I'm glad to have a change in pace."
"Yeah, same," grunted Amaya, arms folded across her chest, "Running a region takes its toll on you."
"I'm sure it does! Still, you both have something else coming up on the horizon, am I right? What are your thoughts on the upcoming World Challenge, now that we're starting to see the initial qualifying rounds take place? Nova?"
Resituating her neat ankle-length skirt, Nova leaned forward with a gleam in her bespectacled eyes;
"I'm actually headed back home to Sunyshore for this Challenge. I keep hearing the most exhilarating rumors, and my instincts tell me that Sinnoh will be quite stimulating this year. I just had to partake! I can't tell exactly what's coming, but it gives me goosebumps to think about. So I'm starting out in Sunyshore, and I'll try to keep pace with the rest! Don't worry Unova, I'll come back soon!"
With another bright grin, and a cheesy little wave at the camera, the long-time girlfriend of Corbin Copper (the two had actually met during Corbin's time playing Milo in the now-famous documentary film) sat back, and Amaya naturally wasted no time speaking her mind.
"As a Champion I won't join until later, but I think Sinnoh would be better if Milo weren't disrespecting people with weaker teams."
"Disrespecting people? That doesn't seem like a Milo-esque thing to do, care to explain?"
There came an audible murmur from the audience, and many attendees leaned forward in their uncomfortable seats, eyes and ears peeled as the Milo-Amaya drama looked set for a fresh twist.
Hmph, Amaya knew she'd piqued their interest, Let's give the people what they want. You started this, Milo, and I'll be damned if I flinch first.
"What am I supposed to call it? The guy shows up in Jubilife, doesn't use the Big Six, or even his backups. He's using some third string team nobody's ever seen! I mean, come on. At least pretend to take your opponents seriously."
"Unless I'm mistaken," Nova interjected, "You also have secondary Pokemon. Correct?"
"Sure," the Johto Champion bristled, "For training and exhibition battles, but not the World Challenge. And I don't have other random Pokémon laying around to fight rookies with."
"So," clarified the glowing host, thrilled at the prospect of massive ratings, with his show as the latest stage for this public fallout, "You'd like to see Milo use the Big Six all the way to the top, despite the clear power mismatch at the entry level tournaments?"
"It's not about that," Amaya was picking up steam, and everyone could see it, "It's about acknowledging your opponents. Milo's saying, 'You can't beat me, so I won't even try.' Just because he's the public darling doesn't mean he can just...you know, blow off everyone else."
"That's a double standard," Nova chimed in once again, "If he did use his best team all the time, I'm sure you'd be lamenting his cruel destruction of these poor young Trainers who just aren't ready to compete."
"That's crap," Amaya bluntly waved off her fellow guest star, "You're just part of his fan club; you're literally dating movie-Milo. Hardly an unbiased opinion."
That brought a slight frown to Nova's ethereal face, as her relationship with Corbin Copper had no bearing on the conversation, but it lasted only a second before a serene grin once again glazed over her features.
"Well, I suppose the gloves are off now," the host was still over the moon at the fresh drama playing out on his show, "Is there anything else you'd like to say about Milo's recent interview? Maybe a fresh thought now that you've had a while to think it over?"
The Johto Champion opened her mouth to spew forth another shower of fury, but caught sight of the almost greedy look on the man's face and switched gears on a dime;
"What am I, some circus Mankey to you? I said my piece, and that's it. Get on with your cue cards."
Disappointed and disconcerted that Amaya had thoroughly sussed him out, the man chuckled lamely and shot a quick glance at his teleprompter, gathering himself as he moved the discussion along. Once he did, the audience quieted down and disengaged. Whatever came next, it would barely qualify as icing on the cake.
Now more than ever, all could see the war of words escalating between two of the world's biggest battling superstars.
Milo
One of the few people who didn't see Amaya's latest abrasive comments was Milo himself. He'd taken the Big Six out for some nighttime training and general fitness work, along with some of his other Pokemon.
Hopefully, he reasoned, training next to the Big Six puts some extra pep in their step.
"Keep it up, gang, we've got all night. Raichu!"
The Mouse Pokemon, heaving for breath, couldn't answer immediately, so Milo intervened;
"Aurora, give him a break, please. I asked you to train with him, not run him into the ground."
Aww, the Glaceon huffed as she let her Electric tutee have a break for the first time in almost an hour, but you told me to get some exercise too, right? I'm just trying to get a workout in.
If you've got that much energy, Milo refused to acknowledge his Fresh Snow Pokemon's pouting, Go get Azura or Jet to help you burn it off. You know Raichu's not ready to keep up with you for that long.
As she trotted off to seek a more worthy opponent, Aurora's voice lightened, and she offered one final bit of feedback to her beloved Milo;
Raichu's a lot better than I expected, though. He's improved a lot recently.
I know.
With that, the young man stepped up to the weary Electric type in question, kneeling down to be closer to Raichu's eye level.
"Hey bud," he ruffled the impressionable Pokemon's ears, "You really impressed me today. You've been getting a lot stronger lately, and I'm not the only one who's noticed, either - the others have been telling me about you for a while now. If you can keep that up tomorrow, and again in the Oreburgh Grind in a couple weeks, I might start training you with the second tier. Just a trial to see how it goes. Alright?"
R-really? Oh wow…
Standing with a grin, Milo reassured him;
"Don't let that freak you out, buddy. Just know that I've noticed all your hard work. Hey, ease up the rest of tonight, too. Can't have you all tuckered out for the rest of the Jubilife Open, right?"
Watching Raichu return to training, Milo reflected on his approach for this local qualifying tournament.
I guess most people would call this throwaway time before the real battles start at the Sinnoh Finals. Ah, maybe they're right and I'm crazy. Still, it seems a shame to let a chance for improvement go to waste. Just because the Big Six have nothing to gain from these fights doesn't mean my team as a whole can't benefit, right?
Clinging to this unique philosophy, Milo managed to remain fairly motivated heading into the second day of the Jubilife Open.
As he strode eagerly towards the small stadium the next morning, positive energy flooded his mind with giddy thoughts of his team's possible futures. He pointedly ignored the rather large swarm of reporters that came rushing in his direction the second he arrived; they always wanted the latest word from him about something.
"Milo! Do you have time for a question?"
He didn't even turn his head. No questions today.
"Any comments on the show last night, Milo?"
The show? What show? These questions got crazier all the time… He kept on walking, minding his own business.
"Milo, how do you respond to Amaya's recent allegations of disrespect?"
That one finally made him stop.
Amaya? Disrespect?
He whirled about and fixed the reporter with an uncharacteristically aggressive stare.
"What are you talking about? What allegations?"
Sensing his five seconds of fame had arrived, the man drew himself up and pressed eagerly;
"Amaya's comments on Late Night Sinnoh - she claims you're not using the Big Six because you don't respect opponents who aren't on your level."
Milo gaped at the man in momentary disbelief before his face hardened. Mere feet from the battle park, he delivered his response vociferously;
"Don't respect…She said that? Seriously? This is the longest and toughest tournament in the world, it's way more than just beating one opponent at a time. To have any chance at winning a long tournament, you have to keep your best tricks hidden as long as possible."
Milo's intensity actually made the reporter step back nervously, away from the angry finger jabbed in his face by the young man as he pressed onward, "I'm in this to win it. I respect the tournament as a whole by strategizing accordingly. She knows that as well as I do, but she's taking any half-baked excuse to fire shots at me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go actually qualify for the World Challenge, since I'm not a Champion who gets a free ride halfway through the tournament."
As though someone had flipped a switch, the cheerful, confident, positive Milo vanished. He stalked into the arena just as the announcer drew his name to participate in the first battle of the day against Caleb, one of the JPTA students to whom he'd given free advice over the last few days, training at his old school.
He shook Caleb's hand without a word, and the instant the battle started, everyone could see something had changed. He showed no mercy;
"Raichu, you're in."
Eager to battle his Pokemon training idol, the boy called out his own starter;
"Kadabra, let's show them what we can do!"
Milo gave his opponent no chance from the start;
"Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, out."
"Teleport, Kadabra! Then use Confusion!"
Raichu, desperate to echo Milo's intensity and impress him, poured everything he had into his Quick Attack, and he only missed by a few inches as Kadabra's Teleport carried it out of his path. Still, Milo would not be denied;
"Stop. Aim back this way."
Trusting his orders, Raichu stopped on a dime, whirled back around to face the scowling Milo, and fired a Thunderbolt...which struck Kadabra squarely in the chest as it reappeared in the most predictable location on the whole battlefield - right where Raichu had started.
"Ouch," the hyperventilating Caleb tried desperately to mount some type of counter, "Umm, Kadabra, use Psybeam!"
It's a fake, Milo informed his Electric type.
Aloud, he pretended to fall for the obvious trick play;
"Dodge, Raichu."
"Great, now cancel and use Signal Beam, Kadabra!"
"Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, Thunder."
In a savage display of power, Raichu's Thunderbolt blocked the incoming Signal Beam before a well-placed Grass Knot took Kadabra to the ground, where it could do nothing to avoid the mighty Thunder that crashed into it, knocking it out cold.
The shell-shocked student's hands shook as he recalled his unfortunate Psi Pokemon. Milo's distracted mind registered only vaguely that Raichu had never attempted such a tight maneuver in a real battle before, and he had succeeded with aplomb.
"Good work, Raichu. One more."
Silently, the Mouse Pokemon ventured a question to his Trainer;
Are...you okay? You seem off…
I'll be alright, pal, came Milo's tired response, I just need breathing space to process some stuff. No time to play games here.
Okay. Well...L-leave it to me. I'll wrap things up.
Raichu's burst of confidence brought a small but welcome grin to the Sinnoh Ambassador as Caleb produced a Piloswine, his second and final Pokemon.
"Lead with Earthquake, Piloswine!"
Thinking himself very clever to take quick advantage of the glaring type mismatch, Caleb's face fell yet again when Milo countered with almost trivial ease;
"Flash in, Brick Break."
Piloswine roared in pain as Raichu's brutal Fighting move struck hard and fast, well before the cumbersome Earthquake stood any chance.
"Try an Ice Fang, Piloswine!"
That's clever, thought Milo, using a physical attack up close to make Raichu either take the hit or back off. I should reward him and let this play out, but...I think not.
"Sidestep, Grass Knot, Brick Break again."
With frightening efficiency, Raichu completed a perfect sweep of Caleb's team and the first battle of the day went to Milo. Crossing the field to shake hands with Caleb, he offered some measure of apology;
"Sorry. You caught me on a rough morning."
The rest of the day flew by much the same. Try as he might, Milo couldn't seem to shake his frustration at his former friend's comments, and it continued to show on the field. Raichu did his job perfectly, sweeping opponents with ruthless efficiency that belied his inexperience.
In fact, Milo used his loyal Electric type in all of his Day Two battles except one, against a woman named Jayla, who had a modest amount of recognition on the semi-pro circuit...in the Pastoria area.
She hoped to enter the competition in Jubilife to fly under the radar and surprise Trainers there who didn't know her or her capabilities. Others before her had pioneered this rather underhanded technique of 'Challenge poaching' qualification spots from cities to which they had no connection, but all who believed in the tournament's purity strongly disapproved of the dishonest strategy. Jayla reconsidered after Milo declared his intent to enter the Jubilife Open, but decided she liked her odds of avoiding him altogether.
Naturally then, the announcer called her name at precisely the wrong time, as the number of people remaining in the battle lottery dwindled lower and lower...
"Our next battle will feature - our homegrown superstar, Milo himself! Now for his opponent...aha! Well, this should be quite a feast, battle fans! Milo will fight the newcomer to our fair city who has taken Jubilife by storm! She's come out of nowhere and dominated her foes, give it up for Jayla!"
The crowd applauded and cheered dutifully, and the two combatants stepped out to the simple dirt field. Jayla said nothing, hoping against hope that she could stun Milo by using every trick in her book all at once. After all, nobody yet recognized her as anything more than a new face to the Jubilife battling community. Her face fell when he said quietly;
"You're a long way from home. How's the weather in Pastoria this time of year? I know you. I did my homework."
"I... I…"
As she stammered, Milo's ice-cold glare shot through her like a knife and he dropped her hand, raising his voice for the crowd to hear as he delivered a condemning blow;
"I'll show you what happens to Challenge poachers in Jubilife."
Instantly, the crowd gasped and turned against her. Jayla could feel her hands start to shake and sweat as she stepped back into her spot, the boos and jeers now raining down on her from the proud citizens of Jubilife gathered to spectate.
I should have backed out. As soon as he signed up, I should've known...
Too late, she realized as she had to swallow her nerves and call out her first Pokemon;
Let's at least challenge his Raichu. First step.
"Carnivine! You're in!"
Milo said nothing for a split second, weighing his snap decision before letting his emotions take control;
"Azura."
The crowd erupted as the world-famous shiny Umbreon appeared in a flash. The announcer started screaming into his megaphone, and faces everywhere lit up with jubilation, with only two exceptions:
Milo's laser focused eyes never left Jayla as he stared her down across the field, daring her to even try. Unable to look away, the blood drained from her face at the realization that she now faced one of the world's most fearsome Trainer-Pokemon duos - and she'd pissed them off.
Across the city, anyone watching or listening to the local sports channel went berserk, drivers with their car radios on yelled the news excitedly out their windows to passersby, many of whom took off towards the nearest television.
Milo and Azura had come home to Jubilife to do battle.
Make them move first, the superstar instructed his longtime partner.
He had elected to use this opportunity to make a strong statement. As the crowd continued its incredulous, chaotic noise, nothing moved on the battlefield. Milo stood stock still, glaring daggers at Jayla, paralyzed with a mix of fear and awe on the other side.
After a couple of seconds, she swallowed hard before making a clearly futile attempt to strike first;
"M-Magical Leaf!"
"Pinch."
Azura jumped lazily to her left, biding her time for a split second until Carnivine launched its homing move, already looking none too confident. With smooth precision, the shiny Umbreon planted her hind legs in the dirt and took off at blinding speed, skidding to a halt directly between Carnivine and the Magical Leaf attack. It was a standard dodging tactic for a never-miss move, but it left the unfortunate Pastorian flabbergasted as her Grass type's attack hit only itself.
"Ah - Carnivine, use Sleep Powder!"
"Through, to me."
As the Bug Catcher Pokemon sprayed a dangerous Sleep Powder in Azura's direction, the Dark type shot a Quick Attack straight through Carnivine's body to her original starting position. It didn't have much weight to it, but it almost finished the round nonetheless, as Jayla's first Pokemon struggled to get back up. Thinking she'd blocked off half the field until Sleep Powder faded from behind her Carnivine, the would-be Challenge poacher attempted to close in;
"Push through, Carnivine! Use Power Whip!"
With a valiant cry, her Grass type did its best, but nothing could faze Milo.
"Block and Toxic, wait it out."
Milo, huffed Azura in her Trainer's mind as she used Protect to nullify the incoming Crunch attack, Stop micromanaging. I can read this fool of a Carnivine on my own.
To prove her point, she stepped deftly around a wild Vine Whip before launching a Toxic that left her opponent no hope of victory. From there the battle became a game of tag, as Carnivine lunged every which way trying to land a hit on the elusive Moonlight Pokemon.
His Umbreon's snippy comment brought the slightest hint of a wry grin to Milo's face, and he responded mentally;
Few people know how true that is, and I'd like to keep it that way. Don't worry, the next round will be quick.
The more Jayla flailed, the more raucously the crowd around her cheered on their hometown hero and his magnificent beatdown.
Within a minute or two, Toxic took its toll on the weary Carnivine, and Jayla recalled her fallen Pokemon with a grimace. She hadn't even come close to landing a hit.
Of course I didn't, she thought to herself, It's freaking Milo and Azura. Nobody can hit them, much less beat them.
With a heavy sigh, then, she released her second Pokemon;
"Golduck, you're up."
"Dark Pulse."
"Dodge, Golduck! Dodge!"
The Duck Pokemon scrambled to one side, but Azura read it with ease. An almighty Dark Pulse blasted the Water type so hard that some of the fans jumped aside as Golduck came careening like a ragdoll towards the bleachers.
Needless to say, the battle ended there.
When Milo and Jayla met in the center of the field, the young woman couldn't seem to meet her opponent's eyes. He said nothing. He'd already proven his point.
As he returned to his seat, the roaring blood in his veins at last began to settle, unlike the roaring of the Jubilife crowd.
Damn, he cursed to himself, I really let that get to me, I guess.
Forcing himself to take several deep breaths, he stared determinedly out at the field, forcing himself to pay attention to the pair of local amateurs fighting next, painfully aware that every spectator in the crowd was still cheering his name.
By the end of Day Two, very few Trainers remained in the battle lottery. Some of these actually showed promise and stood a real chance at a minor sponsorship because of the added attention Milo's participation brought to this particular tournament.
At last, he stepped into his hotel suite after a long day, carrying some take-out Kantoan food for dinner. He flopped onto the couch and flicked the television on before pulling up his missed messages from the day;
"Hi Milo!" Kara's voice, even from a message, never failed to make him smile, "Just calling to check in. I just got to my hotel in Lumiose City for the Performer Masterclass video series thingy I'm doing."
Oh, that's right, Milo remembered, they wanted her to do that. Pretty sure they agreed to invest in K&M's scholarship fund in return, or something like that.
"Anyway," the message continued, "I'll see you right around the end of your next tournament, the one in Oreburgh. Love you! Miss you! Bye!"
Taking a brief moment to look over his own schedule (and fix his untidy hair), Milo tapped the reply button and took a breath before recording a quick response;
"Hey, beautiful! Hope you enjoy Kalos. I have one more day of the Jubilife tournament to get through, then I jet out tomorrow night for Johto, got a training workshop there with Damion for Team Lookout. Can't wait to see you again! Love you!"
With a contented grin on his face, Milo released his team, letting them stretch their legs in the large suite so long as they behaved themselves.
"Okay," he sighed to himself, "I should figure out what that Team Lookout workshop is all about, before it actually happens. Sheesh, I can barely keep up with this crazy schedule sometimes."
Team Lookout was a collective self-defense organization for travelling Trainers, endorsed and recognized by law enforcement agencies in every region. It provided a powerful and effective means for travelling Trainers to...well, look out for one another. Every travel route had its dangers; organized crime, extreme weather and dangerous wild Pokemon could prove disastrous to an unprepared Trainer. Damion Parr, the on-again-off-again boyfriend of a certain Johto Champion and one of the renowned 'Super Rookies' from all those years ago, had created the organization to help new Trainers avoid the struggles he faced with Team Rocket in his Rookie year.
Milo had readily agreed to bury the metaphorical hatchet with Damion when he heard about the project, and assisted however he could. He and Damion often worked together now, reviewing and analyzing incident reports. The Sinnoh Ambassador pulled up the event details as the last rays of sun outside gave way at last to another Jubilife twilight.
"Azura," Milo called, "Can you help me look over this really quick?"
Sure thing, replied the Dark type, languidly stretching herself out before leaving her windowsill perch, Need to bounce some ideas?
"Yeah, just real quick."
Curling up in her Trainer's lap to peer over his notes, Azura slipped easily into her de facto role of chief confidant;
So, it's just a standard workshop? Low-tier Responders going through required training?
"Uh-huh. The question here is how strong a team I should bring. These folks are doing Tier 3 Responder training, so it's nothing too serious. Our second tier crew would be more than enough."
...But? I'm assuming there are other factors at play.
Scratching his loyal partner between her blue-striped ears absentmindedly, Milo explained his predicament;
"It's not a major issue, I'll have access to a PC if I need to change, but I'm just trying to give this an extra thought because we're under a lot of scrutiny with the Amaya thing, and we have the Challenge still ramping up."
That's fair, responded Azura, closing her eyes and letting her brain chew on the problem, There's no need to go all out for a simple workshop, but not bringing any real power could give the impression that we aren't taking it seriously.
"Yep. Pretty much."
The iconic pair slipped into a thought-filled silence, broken only by the noise around them as Aurora yipped at her Fire-type teammate when Blaze gave a huge yawn;
Hey! Yawn the other way, you walking oven. It heats up the air too much. At least face away from me.
Opening one disdainful eye, Milo's Infernape fired right back at his Glaceon companion;
Oh, whatever. Snowflake.
Nevertheless, he relented when he caught a pointed glance from Milo and turned to finish his furnace of a yawn in a more Ice-friendly direction.
After an unexpectedly heated and emotionally charged Day Two, Milo relished the chance to slowly wind down and get mentally prepared for the final day of the Jubilife Open.
Bzzz bzzzz. Bzzz bzzzzz.
"A call? Who the heck needs to get ahold of me at this time…"
Nevertheless, a nagging voice in the back of his mind refused to ignore the possibility of an important issue, so he roused himself and answered;
"Hey, Milo here. Oh, hey Jenks. What's up?"
"Hey there, Milo. Quick thing to run by you, sorry it couldn't wait."
The media manager looked as if he himself had been interrupted, with his lounge clothes on and a piping hot nightcap in hand.
"No problem, just hanging out with the team. Things get quiet around here with Kara away doing her thing."
"Yeah, I get you. Don't feel too bored, there's plenty on your plate too. Anyway, here's the rub: I just got a call from the organizers of the Jubilife Open."
At that, Milo's brow furrowed, and the corners of his mouth just turned downward in anticipation of awkward or outright bad news. Jenks continued;
"After what you did today, and as a show of faith in response to Amaya's comments, they've asked me to offer you a free pass to the Oreburgh regional tournament. They're willing to grant you an automatic spot and let everyone else fight it out for the other openings."
Immediately there came a cacophony of disdainful and offended cries from Milo's Pokemon, most of whom were eavesdropping not-so-sneakily. Milo shot a pointed glance at them;
"Hey, it's late you guys, keep it down. It's still a hotel, not home. Jenks, are you serious? You know I've got no interest in a free ride."
"I figured as much," Jenks gave a knowing smile, "I already told them 'no thank you' on your behalf. Just wanted to let you know they offered in case it comes up."
"Alright," Milo couldn't quite shake the bothered look from his face, but he did his level best, "Thanks for keeping me up to speed, Jenks. I'm going to bed soon, but I'll see you...in Oreburgh?"
"Yep! I'm headed to Kalos now to get Kara through her stuff over there, but we'll both see you near the end of your Oreburgh tournament. Alright, good to hear from you! Best of luck with day three!"
The call ended and Milo was left vaguely wondering how Jenks could possibly have so much energy at literally every hour of the day, as he himself yawned and stumbled his way to bed.
In the end, Milo's noble gesture of declining the free pass through Day Three of the Jubilife Open had no effect on the result.
I wonder how this workshop is going to go, he caught himself wondering the next day, It's been a month or two since I did one of these with Damion.
"Raichu, Brick Break."
He said the words unconsciously, and then realized he should probably pay more attention to his last battle of the day, a formality at this point. Only seven Trainers remained in the battle lottery at the South Jubilife Battle Park fighting for six spots, and Milo's opponent already had one loss to his name. A second loss would send him home, and officially confirm Milo's place in the Oreburgh Grind.
Raichu's Brick Break, executed flawlessly, left his opponent unable to continue, and the Mouse Pokemon ended his dominant performance on the day without so much as a single loss.
He's really looking pretty comfortable now that he's got a few days' tournament experience, Milo thought, He moves well, thinks fast, and responds smoothly. I'm not sure there's much beyond raw fitness and big stage nerves separating him from the second tier. Something else to think about.
With another shake of his head, he snapped back to reality just in time to shake his defeated opponent's hand and wave politely to the screaming fans. The Jubilife Open was officially over; Milo and 5 other Trainers from the South Jubilife Battle Park would be joining 19 others from around the city, forming the Jubilife contingent moving on to the Oreburgh Regional Championships, nicknamed the Oreburgh Grind because of the notoriously grueling schedule its participants had to endure to earn their shot at the Sinnoh Finals, and from there the World Challenge.
The closing ceremonies were followed by several brief media interactions from the local superstar, but Milo's brain felt trapped on autopilot.
What with the World Challenge, Amaya, Kara's schedule, the whole K&M thing, Amaya, Raichu, this Team Lookout conference, Amaya, the Dark Aura ambush, his own grueling schedule, and Amaya...his brain couldn't seem to focus on the event at hand long enough to pay it the attention he sincerely wanted to give.
With or without the full consent or acknowledgement of his beleaguered mind, Milo's day continued more or less of its own accord. His routine triumph over the local talent of his home city elicited the usual oohs and aahs from fans and reporters. As soon as reasonably possible, he escaped the commotion and hubbub and made his way back to his hotel suite, where he quickly packed a bag with enough essentials to last him a few days in Johto for the Team Lookout workshop.
"Thank goodness," sighed Milo as his prearranged driver met him outside in the early afternoon Jubilife sun, "Damion did his job right this time. Last time I had to get a taxi."
The driver made to explain herself, "Good afternoon sir, I'm here to get you to the air-"
"You don't have to give me the whole speech," the Sinnoh Ambassador cut her off as politely as he could manage, "It's not my first rodeo. Thanks, though, I appreciate the ride."
"O-of course, sir," the driver grinned with an embarrassed blush and hurried around to the front seat after settling Milo's bags in the trunk.
The young man himself settled in the back seat of the nondescript black car, making small talk on his way to the airport.
Damion Parr
The strained leader of Team Lookout sighed in frustration as he struggled to make even a dent in the mound of paperwork on his desk.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, "This stuff never freaking ends."
"Mr. Parr," called his secretary from the doorway, "The pilot just called from Milo's plane to check in."
"Milo's...Crap, did I miss something? I sent a driver and all that, didn't I?"
With a rueful but patient grin, the woman replied, "Yes sir, everything got taken care of. The pilot reports they're on schedule, with no issues. They'll be here in a couple-"
WREEEEE!
A sudden blaring siren made both Damion and his secretary jump about a foot in the air.
"WHAT the…?"
Damion frantically fumbled about his desk, looking for the emergency phone. An alert like this meant only one thing - crisis. Somewhere, some emergency was going on, something life-threatening and dangerous to the highest degree. They'd called him, Damion Parr, for help, and his job as chief of Team Lookout demanded that he react quickly and perfectly. Right now.
He almost broke his desk drawer as he yanked it open to reveal the screeching device, and answered it as quickly as he could, his heart suddenly pounding.
"Damion Parr speaking. Go."
"Operator 12, sir, requesting black-level alert. Organized crime incident in progress outside Violet City in Johto."
"Confirmed or suspected?"
"Confirmed, sir. Multiple hostages, attempted Pokemon abduction by force. Three registered Lookout Trainers on site, 2 Watchers and a Tier 3 Responder."
Putting the phone on speaker, Damion swivelled around to his computer, already triggering a black-level alert - the highest possible severity, alerting the strongest Trainers registered with his organization as well as every police agency in Johto.
"What else do we know?"
"The attack started strong, but now it's a stalemate. The Nurse Joy on staff has barricaded herself in a closet and refuses to give up the Pokemon storeroom key. Our intel suggests that Trainers on the inside are resisting as well but won't be able to hold out very long. That's all we have."
"Pokemon theft. Ambushing a Center in broad daylight? This is bad...Alright, I'm setting a black-level alert."
He recalled with great relief that his most powerful ally was at this moment flying over Johto.
"Milo and I will provide immediate relief. Contact the police first, ask them to notify me before taking any direct action."
With that, he hung up the phone. His secretary had long since fled to her office to open all relevant lines of communication. He was about to pick up his personal phone, when it rang of its own accord. He answered, and was infinitely grateful to see Milo's very serious face on the other side;
"Damion, I just saw the alert. Outside Violet City, right? My plane is about 30 minutes out, I don't think that's going to work. We need to be there faster."
"Agreed," answered Milo's former rival, "I'll prep an SRT. Be ready."
With that, Damion hung up, and Milo took several deep breaths as he stood in the middle of the aircraft's cabin. Thank goodness Damion had actually remembered to send a private flight, this would have caused a real ruckus on a public plane.
The SRT, or Short Range Teleportation, was still years away from public availability, but Team Lookout was one of a handful of organizations given classified access for emergency situations, such as this one.
"Team," Milo released the Big Six to brief them quickly, "In a minute, we're going to be teleported just outside a Pokemon Center in the region of Violet City. It's being ambushed by an unidentified criminal organization. Team Lookout needs us to infiltrate and defuse the situation. There's no time for a detailed plan, we'll think on our feet. Questions?"
Drake's face split into an almost evil grin;
Let's kick some ass.
A nod from Milo, and then silence. Six Pokemon and one human braced themselves mentally for the sudden crisis that landed squarely on their shoulders.
Within seconds, an Alakazam wearing a Team Lookout headband appeared in the cabin of the plane. Milo returned his team, six customized Luxury Pokeballs securely fastened to his hip, ready at a moment's notice.
Milo approached the stern-looking Psi Pokemon, who stretched out a hand. The Psychic type clasped his hand, and the Sinnoh Ambassador closed his eyes as the world around him spun into a dizzying blur of color - Alakazam's Teleport technique was not for the faint of heart.
When he emerged, about 100 yards from the besieged Pokemon Center, twilight had set in. Getting his bearings after the disorienting teleportation, he found Damion Parr on his left, and the two young men crouched down in the underbrush, hastily and quietly hashing out a strategy.
"I've got the cops holding a half mile away on every major road," said Damion, "waiting on my signal to move in. Any bright ideas?"
"Let's keep it simple," Milo said, his eyes never leaving the building, where dull crashes and bangs could already be heard, "Give me 30 seconds head start, then bust in the front door. Try to trap them towards the back hallway – that's narrow enough to prevent escape and far enough back to keep the hostages safe in the lobby."
"Good enough for me. Make it happen, Milo."
With that, the Sinnoh Ambassador sprang forward, disappearing swiftly and silently.
How does he do that?
Damion couldn't help but wonder at his rival-turned-ally, who never seemed to flinch.
I mean, ten minutes ago this guy was just enjoying a private flight to Johto for a simple workshop, now he's acting like infiltrating a Pokemon Center under siege by criminals is just another day at the office. Milo, how…?
With a shake of his head, the Team Lookout chief focused on his own part in this critical operation. His Pokemon were nowhere near Milo's fearsome Big Six, but if they had one strength, it was holding the line. He never strayed from the strategy he'd honed during his Rookie year - never stay down. Absolute defense, stamina and determination had won him more battles than he could count.
"That's gotta be 30 seconds," Damion told himself, "time to move in."
Breaking from his makeshift cover, the Veilstone native made a beeline for the Pokemon Center.
Flashes of light and the crashes of pitched battle grew louder and more intense as he approached.
Halfway there, he released two of his Pokemon; Staraptor and Crobat were his fastest. They knew the plan, and took off at top speed, as he yelled after them;
"Raise some hell! Draw their attention!"
Milo
As soon as he slowed his approach, pulling up silently with his team outside the back door of the chaotic Pokemon Center, a crash and a flurry of shouting told him that Damion had made his boisterous entrance right on time.
Releasing Azura and Ferra, Milo shifted to a window next to the back door. Blasting the glass with a swift Dark Aura sphere, he and his two best close range fighters were in. The adrenaline rush was in full tilt, and the thought of 'what the hell am I into here' never crossed Milo's mind.
Ferra's first, he instructed his team mentally as they took up positions behind the door leading to the main hallway.
"What was that crash? Sounded like breaking glass."
A muffled voice followed by a twist of the handle provided a split second warning - ample time for Milo and his Pokemon to tense like the predators they'd trained for years to become.
As soon as a darkly clothed man stepped through the door, Ferra launched herself at him. Her foot caught his throat, instantly cutting short his cry of shock as her furious kick dropped him limply to the ground.
"Alright, the jig is up", Milo stood and grinned fiercely at his loyal partners, "Let's move!"
Fluidly, Azura sprang through the door, blasing an unsuspecting Golbat with a ready Dark Pulse.
"Hey!" The Golbat's owner stumbled backwards as he yelled in a panic, "W-we've got trouble at the back door now! Run for-"
Milo himself cut off any further words, leveling the man with a sharp left to the cranium.
"Drive them into Damion!" he hollered over the noise of battle as he sprinted down the long, straight hallway, "Push them to the front doors!"
To this end, he unleashed the ever-fiery Blaze. Milo and his Infernape sprinted like two juggernauts through the ravaged hallways of the Pokemon Center, leaving Pokemon and human enemies alike in their wake, all out cold before they even knew what hit them.
Pulling a fourth ball from his belt, the Trainer instructed his fearsome Garchomp;
"Drake - fall back and hold the back door in case anyone slips around us. Nobody gets out!"
On it.
Ducking a wayward attack of some kind on instinct from the hapless would-be robbers, the Mach Pokemon took off to guard the rear entrance.
"That's five humans, seven Pokemon so far", Milo rattled off as he kicked down a Raticate before finishing it with a Dark Aura blast, "I estimate this crew is about a dozen, with maybe twenty Pokemon, assuming half are fighting Damion at the front entrance."
As the rest of his team pushed forward, advancing their line down the hallway against the resistance of the mysterious invaders, Milo's constantly analytical mind had already worked out and eliminated several dozen possible explanations for this debacle.
"It's not - whoa!"
He ducked a Vine Whip and launched a counterattack;
"It's not any organization we've seen in the last year, not here in Johto. They wouldn't have the resources or audacity for an op like this."
The banging, crashing, and general chaos swelled as the two battlefronts drew closer and closer together - Milo and his Big Six encroaching ever closer to Damion's stalwart phalanx at the front door.
With another minute of hardfought close quarters combat, Milo could see through the fighting to the frontline. Deciding to make his big move, he yelled;
"Blaze, DUCK!"
Unquestioningly, his Fire type hit the deck, and Milo's Dark Aura Beam went fizzling over his head, blasting another invader in the chest and sending him flying into the wall with an audible crunch. Milo himself leapt dramatically over the top of his Infernape, landing in the midst of the fighting.
Two of Damion's Pokemon - Golem and Toxicroak - had set themselves in front of the terrified hostages, never budging an inch. Milo deflected a Horn Attack from an incoming Nidorino, spinning to his left to hit it in the face as he aimed a Dark Aura Sphere with his other hand into the face of the Poison type's owner. Earning a half-second of space, Milo cast his eyes quickly about to spot the resident Nurse Joy huddled in a corner, her body covered in bruises and scrapes, but still alive.
"Damion", the Jubilife native shouted over the commotion, "I've got Nurse Joy, back left corner! Take the rest out!"
Hurriedly, he also issued orders to his own Pokemon;
Ferra, hold the entrance to the hallway, keep them penned in the lobby. Azura, get in here and mix it up.
Milo and Damion's pincer move worked perfectly. Hearing Milo's assertion that Nurse Joy was accounted for, Damion began marshalling his troops forward. It took only another minute or two before all the invaders were down or captured, Pokemon and human alike.
As the furious fighting finally subsided, both invaders and defenders at last got a good long look at one another.
As Milo had surmised earlier, they had subdued around a dozen humans, each with one or two Pokemon. Rather than leaping into an interrogation, Damion began assisting and calming the hostages while Milo hurried over to the injured Nurse Joy;
"I-I'm fine…" the Nurse stammered weakly, "I just couldn't give up the poor injured Pokemon in the back room. They could have been in real danger."
"That's incredibly brave of you," Milo replied earnestly as he tucked an arm around her waist, "For now, just relax, we're going to get you medical attention. It's over now, you and the Pokemon and the hostages are all safe, I promise."
Within a couple minutes, the police arrived, led by the all-business Officer Jenny. As the criminals and their Pokemon were led away in cuffs, one man barked out gruffly to the others,
"Nobody says anything, got it? Not a damn thing, or the Boss will know!"
Milo, Azura got his attention urgently, I saw something. In the inside pocket of his jacket. It caught the light for a split second. Could be a means of contact.
Milo's head snapped up, and he formulated a snap plan;
Jet, turn around quickly. Knock him over.
The Floatzel was Milo's only Pokemon between this particular criminal and the door towards which he was being shuffled awkwardly. As if he were trying to get back to Milo, Jet whipped himself around and 'accidentally' knocked the man and his police escort over. Seizing this manufactured opportunity, Milo rushed over and roughly hauled the captured attacker to his feet. In the process, he managed to snag a small, metal object from the man's pocket.
Now, he thought, even if they don't talk to the cops, we'll have a lead.
The rest of the wrap-up proceeded smoothly, albeit subdued. The arrested criminals were transported in big black vans back to the Violet City police station, where Officer Jenny and her top detectives questioned them at length. It wasn't until after this, as midnight crept closer, that an exhausted Jenny flopped into a chair in the conference room where Milo, Damion, and the precinct's tech forensics specialist were huddled around a computer screen.
"Anything on your end?" Jenny asked wearily.
The object Milo had pulled off the gang's leader had turned out to be a drive of some sort, containing what appeared to be a small cache of encrypted files.
"Nothing yet," answered Damion, "We can't even narrow down where these files came from, or what kind of encryption we're looking at. They haven't even given you a name? Nobody wants to take credit?"
"Not so far," said Jenny, "Not one of them has given us a shred of usable intel."
"Well," speculated Milo, "That in and of itself tells us something, right? I mean, these are the lowest level grunts of whichever organization is behind this, and yet they have the discipline or fear of their bosses to keep their mouths shut against a full interrogation. That means we're not dealing with your everyday group of overambitious thugs. There is something very powerful or very idealistic - maybe both - behind this."
"I'll buy that," mused Damion, leaning back to think, "All the more reason to get to the bottom of this as soon as we can. Officer Jenny, how long can we hold them?"
"We can't keep them here indefinitely, but we're already charging them with everything we can think of. We'll be moving them straight to prison first thing tomorrow, and they'll be there for a long time."
A moment of silence developed, which Damion eventually broke as he stood out of his chair;
"Okay. Officer Jenny, I presume you and your department are ready for the media storm we're in for on this one? No way all of those hostages keep to themselves."
"Yep, we'll handle it," she replied.
"Then let's call it for tonight. Milo, if you and I are going to keep up appearances, we'll need to get to Blackthorn City overnight for that workshop.
The group broke up - Jenny to wrap up her business and make sure the prisoners were secured for their overnight stay before being moved in the morning, and Damion to make some calls about arranging two overnight train tickets for himself and Milo to get to Blackthorn City as quickly as possible.
Milo, for his part, took a moment to breathe for what felt like the first time since he'd gotten the alert notice that afternoon on the plane. Almost unconsciously, he released Azura.
What a day, she commented as she stretched her muscles.
No kidding, fancy a moonlight walk?
Always.
As the pair of inseparable friends stepped into the cool nighttime air of Violet City, their formalized thoughts gave way to shared feelings.
As exhausted as he now was, Milo couldn't stop his inquisitive brain from analyzing each detail of today's attack - how big the group was, what tactics they had used, how they had reacted to questioning. Invariably, he felt that yet another thing to think about had been forced onto his already busy mind.
Azura understood all these things and rubbed up against her Trainer's leg as they walked, something she knew helped ease and calm him.
It's good we were there, she offered, I'm glad we could help.
I agree, Milo conceded, it's another thing to worry about, but Damion would've been hard pressed to contain them alone. People and Pokemon probably would've gotten hurt.
A text from Damion brought the Sinnoh Ambassador out of his musings. Glancing at it, he altered course, and Azura followed, guessing what was going on;
Train station?
Yep. Next train leaves in twenty minutes. I'll sleep on the way to Blackthorn and we'll go through with the workshop as if all this never happened.
The fun never ends.
Damion Parr
Team Lookout's main headquarters, as well as the center of operations for the Johto Region, was a truly impressive facility on the outskirts of bustling downtown Blackthorn City. A testament to the belief that their sponsors had in the work this team did.
"Hello, and welcome to you all," he began the next morning, roughly one hundred Team Lookout recruits hanging on his every word, "First off, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you for joining our efforts to keep our regions safe for all Trainers."
A dutiful round of applause from the workshop attendees. They were all Watchers - a basic designation within Team Lookout meaning they could report incidents but had no training to actually resolve them.
"Now we've only got two days, so I'll lay out how this is going to go. All of you are already registered with Team Lookout, which means you have basic training on threat classification and reporting, so we won't go over all that again."
Nods from around the crowd as the Team Lookout chief paused;
"You're here for training as Tier 3 Responders, so here's what that entails. You're familiar with our three major incident categories - weather, wild Pokemon, and human attackers. Each of these has several levels of severity, and today we will train you on how to respond to the lowest level of threats in each major category. Any questions so far?"
A few hands shot up, but Damion preempted the obvious question with a bit of a smirk;
"Yes, Milo will be here when we start the training. Any other questions?"
No more hands.
"Good. So yeah, training today in minor weather incidents - severe storms, low-grade earthquakes, flood warnings and white-outs. Then we'll move on to solitary wild Pokemon incidents. Finally, we'll go over dealing with single human attackers - there's plenty of solo thugs looking to make a quick buck mugging unprepared Trainers. Good?"
Still no questions - most of the attendees were young Trainers who had been travelling for a year or two. They usually travelled the routes on foot in droves and thus made for perfect Responders to most minor incidents. This workshop was for aspiring Tier 3 Responders, but there was further training available for Tier 2 Responders (major weather incidents, wild Pokemon groups, and isolated gangs of thugs or bandits) and the most capable members, like Milo, earned the Tier 1 Responder designation, and clearance to handle natural catastrophes, strong and organized wild Pokemon swarms, and attacks by organized criminals of any kind.
"That being said," Damion wrapped up his little introduction for the workshop, "Tomorrow will be your evaluation. You're required to pass certification for at least two kinds of severe weather, and either Pokemon or human attackers to be classified as Tier 3 Responders. You'll have the chance to get certified for all of them, but all evaluations that you do and do not complete will be officially noted in your file, should you pass the tests overall."
He paused once more, seeing the eager glint in the eyes of the Trainers assembled, all hoping to prove themselves capable. He grinned, and dismissed them to the first training session;
"Okay, then let's get to it!"
Milo
Milo always enjoyed these workshops. They were simple but kept him busy enough to give his mind a rest. He stood now on a raised platform in the middle of a large training gym. Around him, ten of his third tier team were acting the part of wild Pokemon, 'attacking' the trainees to see how well they responded. Their test objective was twofold - fend off Milo's Pokemon and defend the mannequin that played the part of victim.
Every so often, Milo would call out to one field or another, when he saw something particularly good or something that should be improved. He relished the opportunity to teach those less experienced than himself, especially when it meant preparing them for real-world situations like these. All that day, he assisted with the various types of training - his Pokemon pretended to attack others, then some of them used attacks like Icy Wind, Thunder, or Tailwind to produce simulated weather events. He himself acted the part of an ambushing thug a few times.
Later that evening, Milo met up with Damion to go over the results and coordinate the evaluations coming the next day.
They were in the midst of their discussion when Damion's office phone rang;
"Hello?"
"Damion! This is Officer Jenny from Violet City. I'm afraid I have bad news."
Glancing up at his old rival, the leader of Team Lookout furrowed his brow and responded curtly;
"Milo's here with me. Go ahead, Officer."
"The criminals we captured at the Pokemon Center yesterday-"
"You transferred them to prison this morning?"
"We tried. That's why I'm calling."
Milo and Damion traded a look before Damion asked the most obvious and foreboding question;
"What do you mean, 'we tried'?"
A heavy sigh came through before Officer Jenny explained, her voice downtrodden;
"We loaded them into the van and got confirmation from the driver that they were successfully delivered to Violet City lockup. We even got paperwork sent from the prison showing that they were successfully processed."
"But?"
"But later this afternoon, I had some more questions for the leader, so I went to go interrogate him again about where his orders were coming from. When I got there, the prison had absolutely no record of ever receiving them in the first place."
A heavy pause emanated from both ends of the phone call. Damion took a long, slow breath as Milo sat down, his eyes unfocused, already working the problem.
"So all of them are just gone," said Damion, "Without a trace?"
"Nothing. Not even the van's driver. We've got people watching his apartment, but he hasn't been back yet. He must have been paid off."
"There's a sobering thought. These people had influence within the police department. So what do we have left to work with?"
"The only lead we've got is the drive Milo pulled off of the leader. Hopefully they don't notice it's gone."
"Damn. Well...Thanks for the update, Officer Jenny. I know technically Team Lookout's official involvement is over, but I'll ask as a personal favor that you keep us in the loop on this, in case there's some way we can help going forward."
"Of course, Mr. Parr. I've already instructed my people to keep you apprised of all developments."
With that, the call ended, and Milo and Damion were left alone in the Lookout chief's office staring at one another, processing all of this new information.
They were up late again that night, analyzing and revisiting anything they could think of, but without any further information, both young men were utterly flummoxed as to how any criminal organization could have pulled this off while remaining completely undetected.
So it was that Milo tossed and turned all night, unable to solve the problem, unable to stop trying.
Damion Parr
"We're moving on now to the blizzard evaluation. The scenario is as follows - you'll see we have a few hills set up behind us. You and up to two Pokemon will have a set amount of time to find and rescue two victims and get yourselves and your team clear. Meanwhile, we'll have several Pokemon using a constant stream of Hail and Powder Snow to simulate a white-out situation. Clear? Okay."
He and Milo were overseeing the evaluation for the Trainers taking part in the Team Lookout workshop, joined by representatives from the police force of each region to ensure continued cooperation and legal compliance.
His arms crossed over his chest, Damion muttered sidelong to Milo;
"You better get your wallet ready, two of your picks are already out. I've still got all mine in the running."
"That's luck," Milo grinned back, "Mine will come through soon, count on it."
A quiet chuckle passed between the two young men as they kept their rapt attention on the trials proceeding below. This being the umpteenth workshop like this on which they'd collaborated, Milo and Damion had a traditional friendly wager set up;
After the first day of the workshop, the training day, each of them picked out a list of fifteen Trainers they thought would pass the evaluation the following day. Whoever got the most correct was owed a drink of their choosing at the next major social event which both of them attended.
Strictly professional? Perhaps not entirely, but it kept them entertained and engaged in the work they both believed in - arming young Trainers against the unpredictable world around them.
It wasn't until the closing ceremonies that Damion had to deliver another rehearsed monologue;
"Congratulations to all of those who have succeeded here today, please come forward in a single file line to collect your blue receiver stripe."
Anyone associated with Team Lookout had a special receiver stripe on their Pokedex identifying their affiliation and rank within the organization. Watchers were at the bottom of the ladder and had green stripes. The Trainers who had passed the trials at this particular workshop and become Tier 3 Responders got blue stripes. Tier 2 Responders bore white stripes, and only the few Tier 1 Responders got customized all-black Pokedexes as proof of their station within Team Lookout.
"Know that with this stripe, you bear not only proof of your ability, but a great responsibility. A responsibility to protect those around you without thought of reward or personal gain. An opportunity to contribute directly to the safety of the region you call home. Carry this stripe along with everything you've learned here and make Team Lookout proud to call you one of our own!"
He'd given this speech so many times that he had it down to a science, and it showed.
Funny, remarked Milo to his faithful Umbreon, Damion really is unrecognizable from who he used to be.
A smug, arrogant prick?
That's putting it mildly, Milo grinned, but sure. He's still got the arrogance at times, I guess, but look at him. He's inspiring people to do good and not make the mistakes he did. That really says something about a person.
Later that evening, with the workshop attendees dispersed and the paperwork all but complete, the storied pair at last relaxed in Damion's penthouse office, overlooking the oft-imposing nighttime view of the Blackthorn City skyline.
"Man, we've come a long way, eh Milo?"
"You can say that again."
"I mean, what - I'm basically running Everyday Heroes Incorporated, and you're in the conversation for best in the world. Remember when we first met?"
"Yeah," Milo jabbed an accusatory finger, "You nearly flattened me with your bicycle in Twinleaf Town."
"It was Sandgem, wasn't it? And I wouldn't have had to swerve if you had watched where you were going in the first place."
"Ah, whatever," Milo waved his hand tiredly as both men dissolved into nostalgic laughter.
The phone rang, and Damion moved behind his glass-topped desk with a tired huff;
"Sorry, Milo, I gotta take that. Ahem - Damion Parr, who's this?"
A brief pause, and Milo's attention peaked when he saw Damion's brow furrow. His friend sat down quickly and switched on his computer, waving at Milo to come take a look;
Milo quickly surmised the situation based on Damion's side of the conversation;
"Sure. Just a second, Officer... Yeah? What kind of development? Uh-huh...Okay...Hmm, yeah I'm sitting down, why? Okay, but how shocking can a single clue be?
As he spoke, Damion flicked through his email to a classified inbox, opening an attachment from the Violet City PD. Milo peered over his friend's shoulder as what seemed to be a garbled image file. A document of some kind, but not enough to glean anything useful.
"I'm not seeing much here, Officer," frowned Damion, "What's the big deal about this file? Zoom in on which corner? Just a sec...Oh."
Sitting silently in Damion's office, the two young men stared dumbfounded at a watermarked logo barely visible in the lower right-hand corner. A big black circle with a stark red R at its center.
"It's them," Damion growled, "Team Rocket is back."
Author's Notes:
Hoo boy, it's been a while. I won't bother explaining my absence, life happens sometimes. Apologies for the long delay. But hey, hopefully this chapter lives up to the Milo legacy! Got some good bits here, a solid dose of foreshadowing, and we get to see some off-the-field Milo action, which I always enjoy.
Also, welcome back Damion! He's really made something of himself, and I've been excited to write the foundation for Team Lookout ever since I came up with the idea when I was planning this story. I've been out of the loop for a while, so hopefully the most recently added scenes don't show my rust too badly.
Overall, I'm happy with this, but I'm anxious to hear what you, the readers have to say. Good reviews, critical reviews (within reason), and mixed reviews are all welcome and encouraged! If you're interested in following this storyline, feel free to drop a follow and a favorite on me and/or the story. Really lets me know people are still interested in reading all this. :)
Thanks for experiencing this story with me, I hope you continue to enjoy it! Until next time, whenever that is. Bye for now!
-Nano