Romance for Blaze?! Mia Arrives!

Blaze casually walked through Ever Grande, searching for the resident Pokemon Center. The giant red building was not hard to find, though, and soon he was at its doors. He stepped through, greeted by the sight of Nurse Joy, who had a smile face on her face, like all Nurse Joys. "Would you like me to heal your Pokemon?" Nurse Joy asked, a tray in her hands.

"Yes, I would." He handed her his Charmeleon and Marowak, the only Pokemon he had that had battled today. "Please wait a moment." Blaze could only comply, and went to sit down, taking a seat next to a girl.

The girl had black hair with pink tips, black boots that nearly went up to her knees, and a short black skirt. She finished the look with a pink tank top that helped to accent her average assets.

"Blaze! Is that you?" The girl asked, brightly smiling. Blaze turned around, staring into her sapphire eyes. "Mia? You've changed." His voice, while not cold, was indifferent. "Blaze! It's been a while since I've seen you. Here to challenge the Elite Four?" asked Mia, her sapphire eyes staring into his ruby pair.

"Challenge? Oh, you mean beat. Yeah, I am. And you?" Blaze asked, his interest piqued. "To see if I'm good enough to beat the Elite Four." She replied.

"Maybe, if I wasn't entering you could." He smirked. "You haven't changed one bit, have you?"

"Well, I've gotten stronger. That count?" Mia couldn't help but smile; her childhood friend hadn't changed at all. "Battle any one strong lately?" Mia asked. "No, but this one trainer had me wondering something. He was weak, but he asked me if I loved my Pokemon. I still can't honestly answer. Does that make me a bad Pokemon Trainer?" Mia had never seen Blaze like, questioning himself and his ideals.

"You don't love your Pokemon, but you don't hate them, either. I wanna say yeah, but I can't." This answer did nothing to help Blaze.

If by apparition, the trainer in discussion walked in, a worried look on his face and a Pokeball in his hand. "Nurse Joy! Heal my Pokemon, please!" He cried, rushing over to the center.

"That's him," Blaze said, staring at Florence. "That guy is the weak Pokemon trainer." Mia looked over at him. "Yeah, he looks like a guy who loves his Pokemon. I've never seen you worry over your Pokemon."

Blaze scoffed. "Maybe that why I'm strong, and he's not." It was a return to his old self already. "Being stronger doesn't make you the better person, though. Isn't that what we were talking about?"

Florence walked past Blaze, ignoring the conversation between Mia and Blaze completely. "Hey! You! Come, talk with us." Florence looked flustered, his pale face turning a bit red. "I'd rather not, if it's okay with you."

"Well, it's not. So, come over here. Please?" Mia was pouting, her bottom lip jutting out and her eyes sparkling. "uhh, yeah, I'd still rather not, uhh." Florence answered, mentally proud of himself for resisting the beautiful girl, After all, he had somebody in mind.

"No! You're coming over here, and talking with us. Whether you like it or not." Florence was intimidated by the aggressive woman, and meekly walked over, taking a seat by them. "Hi! I'm Mia. He's Blaze." Mia said a bright smile on her face. "He nearly killed my Scizor!"Mia had a horrified look on her face, while Florence held an angry expression. "You nearly killed his Scizor?" Mia asked, disappointment marring her face.

"No. It wouldn't have been killed if my last attack hit. Besides, it's just a Pokemon. You could probably buy one from Team Rocket, or just go catch another one." Blaze scoffed, as Mia began to frown. "Just a Pokemon? Maybe that's why your Charmeleon never evolved. You never loved it enough." Blaze didn't respond, merely staring her in the eyes. He looked hurt, almost. "Love it? Maybe it's better off if I don't love it. We both know what happens to things I love." Blaze strode past her, walking over to Nurse Joy, who handed him his two Pokeballs.

Blaze walked to the door of the Pokemon Center, though he didn't step past it. "Maybe you'll be the one to prove me wrong." And then he was gone.

"What was that all about?" Florence asked, interested by the conversation. "I can't tell you. It's personal, too personal. So, why are you here? Oh, you never told me your name."

"My name's Florence. Nice to meet you, Mia. And, I'm here to challenge the Elite Four. And you?" Florence asked, a goofy smile on his face. "Same reason. Looks like this year's tournament is going to be fun. Well, I'll be going now. I'll see you at the tournament." Mia said, before she walked over to Nurse Joy, retrieving her Pokemon. Mia walked out of the Pokemon Center, leaving Florence alone with his thoughts.