PD: Hi! I'll be right to the point. My profile explains how and why I'm writing again and working on this story. New chapter, all that jazz. Hope you enjoy!
To Virbank City We Go!
"Well, perhaps I am the one who needs to start taking notes once again. If I didn't know, I'd say that was a champion level display of skill and trust amongst your Pokemon, Milo." Cheren says, having been thoroughly impressed with how he managed to handle himself and his Snivy during the battle. "I think it is a fair thing to say that you have properly earned the right to what you truly deserve." He looks past the victorious trainer standing in front of him and addresses one of the gym trainers. "One of you, please go get the victor his reward." To which Serena and Pedro both respond by quickly standing up and running off to fetch it. While he waits for them, he goes back to him. "Milo, I saw something in your eyes while we battled, something I haven't seen from you in a long time."
He crosses his arms. "Oh really, and what did you see?"
He rubs his chin with his right hand. "Vigor, determination, enthusiasm, and a desire to win. If I go back ten years, I remember seeing those same exact traits shine within your eyes when you were a child. I know that your loss…" he clears his throat, knowing it's a bit inappropriate to mention it. "I don't mean to bring it up like this, but I know that really broke you down and hurt your growth as a person and a Pokémon Trainer, but I'm sure if he was here to see what you accomplished, he would've been overjoyed."
He's not too happy to hear him mention his father, but he does have a point. "Maybe." He taps his right foot at a moderate beat. "Where's those brats and the badge? I haven't got all day."
Almost as if he summoned them with his complaints, they come running out with a badge case in hand. "Sorry Cheren, we had a little bit of difficulty finding it." Says Serena.
"I told you he kept them in his desk in the classroom, but you didn't wanna listen!" Pedro pouts.
"Does it really matter? We still found it!" She retorts angrily and the two butt heads with each other, but they get separated by their teacher stepping between them.
"That's enough from both of you, and if the other students were here, you'd be setting a horrible example of teamwork between the two of you. I think you two shall have a team lesson next time on how to put differences aside to accomplish an identical goal." He takes the badge case and badge from them and turns to Milo. "As for you, I know you're capable of putting aside differences between people and Pokémon. To honor the strength and skill you and your Pokémon showed, I bestow this badge upon you!" He holds the badge out to him in his left hand, it's thin and rectangular in shape with a gold metallic outside casting and deep purple on the inside. "With this, you're officially on the path for the Pokémon League. There's also something I want you to take as well." Opening his book binder up, he pulls out a shiny, mirror-like disc from it. "This is Technical Machine Eighty-Three, 'Work Up'. Teach it to your Pokémon and it'll boost their Attack and Special Attack in battle when used. As you know, these are of infinite use thanks to technological advances over the years."
He takes the badge, the badge case, and the technical machine from him, snapping the badge into the slot dedicated to it in the case before putting it in his bag along with the TM immediately following that. "Yeah, yeah… I know. What next? The eight gyms scattered around the region and eight badges I need to obtain to challenge the Pokémon League? I know all about that schtick and crap. I didn't just graduate yesterday, thank you very much."
He closes his book binder and chuckles at his comments that he's learned to enjoy and amuse himself with over the years. "Typical you, always with an attitude. I assume you'll be leaving then?"
"I have no reason to stick around here longer than I have to." He starts to walk away but stops after taking four steps. "By the way, Cheren." He looks over his right shoulder and tips the brim down a bit. "Thanks." He turns away and continues walking until he reaches the double doors in the back of the stadium that he entered through and pushes them open. Immediately after, his partner, Mew, turns visible and flies around him multiple times.
"Didja win? Well, did you!?" she asks excitedly, hoping that he was able to do what he said he'd do. His plain face etches a small smile out of its cold, emotionless soul and her eyes light up with hyper happiness. "Oh Yaaaaaay! You got the gym badge! Woo-hoo!" She starts flying all over the place for a few seconds, which does illicit a small, amused chuckle out of him, but his smile drops. "I knew you could do it! So, does this mean we're going to really go for it now? The Pokemon League and becoming the champion I mean?"
"We sure are. Right now, we should probably leave before someone else shows up." His eyes quickly glance at the Pokeball in his bag. "Snivy isn't in any shape to battle, and I really don't want you fighting them right now."
She understands who he's talking about. "Ah, okay. We definitely should go then."
After a quick stop to the Pokémon Center next door to give Snivy a well-deserved recovery, not seeing any sign of his cocky rival after leaving his hometown for the last time, and a shiny badge under his belt that he's earned fair and true by beating Cheren, Milo and Mew went back to the entrance of Route 20 to see if the tree that had randomly fallen and blocked the way had been removed, and to both of their surprises, in the relatively short amount of time spent to get the gym badge and come back, the tree had been cut up and moved out of the way for people to once again move to and fro. Though usually not easily impressed, Milo can't help but be impressed by the speed they did it at and on the sides of the dirt laden path, all of the people in construction vests sit on the freshly cut logs looking quite tired and sweaty. Mew points it out with her right paw. "Milo, look! The tree that blocked our path before is gone! We can move forwards now!" She floats over and drops herself down on his hat and like she did earlier.
He looks at the workers and then the open path. "Seems so, but it's a little strange how they managed to cut up a tree that big in such a short amount of time…"
"Well, there are a bunch of people here, so maybe they all worked together as a team and that's how they did it."
"Probably, but union workers like these are a bunch of lazy Swinubs that milk these things so they can get as much money out of it as they possibly can. I guess they have a different job they can waste time on instead…" he ponders out loud, truly finding it perplexing that they'd work this fast. He doesn't dwell on it for long and shrugs it off; the path ahead is clear and that's all that matters now since the next destination is Virbank City. Along with the oddly fast work they've done, time has passed, and the sun now hangs high in the sky to give the world below the brightest, warmest rays it can possibly give at this point in the autumnal season. With the pace he, his partner, and Snivy are making, he knows for a fact that he could probably end up getting the gym badges from both Virbank and Castelia City before the sun sets and still have time to spend with his Pokemon before going to bed for the day. As the two walk along the path, they have a conversation with each other.
"Where are we headed now? I'm starting to get a little hungry and it seems like noon is upon us." Says Mew as she covers her eyes with her tail to block out the sun as she looks towards the sky to guess the approximate time.
"Virbank City is our next stop. I think the Pokemon Center there has a food court or something like that, and if not, I'm sure there's a place in the city that'll have food for us to eat." He didn't really notice the feeling himself, but the mention of food does get the sensation rolling in his stomach. "Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind getting a bite to eat as well." He says while looking in his right pocket at the money his mother gave him. "Should be more than enough to get us both a decent sized plate of food and a ticket to Castelia City after getting the badge." He looks up and notices that not far from where he is, a Hiker slowly wanders around the general area near a staircase which should lead him down towards the gate to Virbank. He immediately snarls under his breath knowing that this Hiker is probably looking for a battle of sorts, and unfortunately, he has to battle him to get past. She notices him as well and she immediately turns invisible to avoid being seen.
He notices him and immediately goes up to the boy. "Hey you! Did you try the gym challenge at Aspertia City's gym?" he asks in a gruff, rough tone, and without saying a single word, he pulls out the badge case from his bag with his left hand and opens it to show him. He lights up. "Wah hah! That thing is a shiny Basic Badge." A rather smug smile creeps across his face. "Don't get swell headed though, it's a cruel world out there!" He pulls a Pokeball out from his right pocket. "Here, let me show you!" He tosses it up in the air and the ball opens up to reveal a bipedal canine Pokemon with a black torso and legs known as "Riolu". He takes a couple steps back so that his Pokemon has room to battle and waits for Milo to throw out his own in response, which he begrudgingly pulls Snivy's Pokeball out of his bag.
He tosses it gently onto the ground and it opens up to allow the Grass-Snake Pokémon to come out, once again being thrown into the fray of battle after shortly finishing a major one not long ago, and he shows this distaste towards these turn of events by rolling his eyes and tapping his left foot impatiently. He wastes absolutely no time in taking the first turn for himself. "Knock this smug bastard out." and with that, he uses a brand-new move that he learned thanks to leveling up from his gym battle. He jumps up into the air and rotates his body to be upside down and starts spinning. After a few seconds, at the tip of his tail, a swirling tornado appears that quickly becomes populated with countless sharpened leaves. A simple flick of his tail sends this whirlwind right at his opponent, who initially tries to endure the attack, but it's futile and it sweeps them off their feet and into the air where the twister starts rising up into the sky. Once content with how far it's risen, he flicks his tail down and slams both into the ground while they're trapped inside.
He softly lands on the ground. "Snivy." he says, annoyed, and as the Rilou attempts to weakly stand up, their body gives away and they faint, falling back on the ground.
The hiker is astonished at this result, and sheepishly comments on it. "Seems I'm the one who's swell headed here." Milo calls Snivy back into his Pokeball, puts his badge case away, and walks towards the stairs, but as he does, he comments on what the hiker first said to him. "Maybe you should be less conceited when you lack the skill to back what you preach, prick." He descends the stairs as fast as he can, and upon reaching the bottom, he notices a plethora of trainers in his path. He rolls his eyes and looks at his starter's Pokeball. "Well, buddy, you'll at least get some excellent growth from this…"
"Wahh! My Pokémon can't battle anymore!?" says a young girl, toddler in age, who had just been beaten, looking at her Sunkern, a seed-like Pokémon with a yellow and brown body, and a tiny sprout coming from their head, that fainted with swirls in their eyes and dust and dirt covering them.
"Uh-oh… my Pokémon doesn't look too well…" says another young girl about the same age, also beaten as well by none other than Milo and Snivy, who happened to have a Sunkern as well that's in the same condition. The two girls tried battling him in a double battle and instead of the number advantage being enough to overcome his strength, they fell easily due to their inexperience in battling, and because all of the trainers here were absolutely no match for the dynamic duo, they had not taken a single attack and have no need to visit the Pokémon center in Virbank City, which is just up ahead.
"Tch. Just wasting my time…" He says as he's about to call Snivy back into his Pokeball, but right as he aims it at him, the little Grass snake Pokémon shakes his head back and forth, disobeying. "Hmm? Are you trying to disobey me?" he says but this is left unanswered as a sudden bright light shines forth from him that makes him flinch and cover his eyes with the hand he holds the ball in. Unbeknownst to him, his Pokémon had grown enough from all the battling they've done since leaving the gym and it was time for him to undergo a special change that'd make him even strong, evolution. A strange energy surrounds the little Pokémon and his bright glow hides him from sight. Thankfully, this extremely blinding glow coming from him doesn't last long, and when it dissipates in a scattering of thousands of sparkly bits of energy, the Pokémon standing before him is no longer the same one that he had, and his Super Pokedex starts making beeping noises in response to this.
He pulls it out and on screen is a bunch of text. "Evolution detected! Congratulations! Your Snivy has evolved into a Servine!" Looking up from the screen, he can see that he's definitely changed appearance slightly. Compared to before, he now has a yellow, V-shaped structure coming from his chest that extends behind his shoulders, slightly longer leafy arms, eyes that are fully opened and lack the yellow highlights his previous form had, a small crest that protrudes from his head, and finally, three little leaves going down his back and tail. These changes might not be significant, but he knows that an evolution brings forth greater potential.
"Neat." He crouches down to get as close to eye level as he can with his sassy partner whose new look is quite fitting. "Look at you, growing stronger and changing your appearance. With your evolution, I'm sure almost anyone or anything we come across now will just surrender instead of foolishly trying to fight you." He holds out his right hand balled into a loose fist and his newly evolved Pokémon does a tiny hop and fist bumps him with his leafy left hand. "Along with your evolution, I have higher expectations of you, so don't disappoint me, okay?"
He smiles wide and nods. "Serrrvine!" and then allows himself to be called back to his Pokeball. He stands up and looks over at the entrance to the gate leading to his destination. He might've had a small couple of roadblocks to deal with in the form of weak Pokemon trainings standing in his path, but he didn't have any issues plowing through them, and now, with Servine's new power throwing itself on the table, he's sure to make some heads turn at the Virbank City Pokemon Gym. All that's left for him now is to proceed through and chase that second badge, and he does exactly that.
PD: I hope you enjoyed! Seeya in the next chapter!