Milo and the Blue Umbreon

by NanobotEX

Milo is about to embark on his Pokémon journey, when he unexpectedly makes a new friend. His journey begins ten years after the exploits of Ash Ketchum, and he discovers that Pokémon journeys are not as simple as they once were. Milo may soon find himself pitted against forces beyond anything he had imagined! (Not too much Romance, just enough to keep things interesting)

5. Chapter 5 - Echoes of Tragedy

Milo Chapter 5 – Echoes of Tragedy

"How do you live in a city this big? It's so…intimidating."

Amaya was voicing her concerns regarding city life over a delicious breakfast provided by the generous Mrs. Ketchum. Eloquent as ever, Milo addressed her concerns,

"I don't know, never thought about it. Seems normal to me."

Rolling her eyes, Milo's new travel companion responded, "Oh, very helpful. You sure we can't stick around and meet your friends?"

Milo stiffened slightly, "Classmates, not friends. We never saw eye to eye on how Pokémon training should work. I'd really rather hit the road."

"Bad blood, huh? Well, whatever. I guess there's a badge waiting in Oreburgh anyway."

They finished breakfast quietly and Milo said goodbye to his favorite teacher.

"Call me from Oreburgh", requested Mrs. Ketchum, "alright Milo? I want to know you're safe!"

"I will, I promise!"

As they stepped out into the fresh morning air, the sun was poking over and between the Jubilife City buildings full of people who were just getting their day started, with the Starly singing brightly from the roofs.

"How are you planning to handle Roark? I've got Coral and Terrus, and they're both super-effective, but those Rock types will wreck Blaze and I doubt Azura can sweep a Gym Leader's whole team." Amaya was always focused on the next battle, it seemed.

Having considered this in depth, Milo had an answer ready, "Rock types tend to be slow, but Roark will probably have Rock Polish to fix that. Even so, I trust Blaze's speed, but his reaction time will have to be pretty much perfect."

They continued talking as they reached the East gate of Jubilife and headed out onto Route 203.

"That'll help you dodge, but you still have to hit them. Flame Wheel and Scratch won't get you very far."

"Well, he has Focus Punch, and hopefully he can finish learning Low Kick by the time we get there. We started working on it back in Twinleaf, I think it'll be ready."

"We? What do you mean, we started? Blaze is the one learning new moves."

Milo shrugged, "I try to imitate what he's doing. It helps me understand him better, and he knows he can trust me in a battle. I'd never ask my Pokémon to do something I wouldn't at least try myself."

The two young trainers were interrupted by a voice from behind them,

"I should have figured we'd cross paths again, loser."

Milo stiffened. He knew who that was,

"Damion Parr" He turned to face his new adversary, "What do you want?"

"I've had some time to train the wimpy Pokémon I fought with last time. You won't get away from this without a thrashing. Prepare yourself."

"No", called Amaya, stepping out in front of her friend, "You prepare yourself, jerkweed. I've already had just about enough of you. Want to tell me why you're following us?"

Damion's eyes glinted greedily as he answered, "Ah, the pretty face has some spunk. I like that in a girl. My offer still stands, by the way. How about it? I promise I'm better connected than this nobody excuse for a Trainer."

"This 'pretty face' has enough spunk to crush you. Leave, or I'll humiliate you."

Milo looked questioningly at Amaya, but backed away nervously when he saw the steel in her narrowed eyes. Even Damion seemed to hesitate before regaining his smug composure,

"Normally, I wouldn't hit a little girl, but I'll go easy on you. Maybe you can learn something."

Not bothering with a retort, Amaya coldly threw out a Pokéball, "Terrus. Let's do this."

Immediately picking up on his Trainer's cold fury, the Tiny Turtle glowered darkly across the field at the arrogant young man he was facing.

"Too easy", said Damion, "Starly, get it done!"

Damion took the start, knowing he had both a speed and type advantage, "Aerial Ace, now."

"Catch it with Bite."

Dang, thought Milo, Amaya is scary when she gets like this.

I agree, Azura thought back, I didn't expect that her raw attack power would be so… well, powerful. Milo was still adjusting to Azura's ability to hear his thoughts, but it was cool to have a Pokémon's perspective on things for a change.

Amaya's plan had worked to perfection, to Damion's dismay. Starly was stopped in its tracks as Terrus timed his Bite perfectly. The small bird was struggling, but couldn't escape the Grass type's jaws.

"Now Body Slam."

"Starly, get out! Get out of there now! What's wrong with you?"

After the Body Slam, Terrus trotted proudly back to his Trainer, virtually unscathed, while the unfortunate Starly could only groan in pain until its Trainer recalled it.

"Screw your type advantage. Who's next?" Amaya was still staring unyieldingly at Damion, who was clearly more than a little flustered.

"Hmm. Gotta finish this quick", Damion was muttering to himself, "I can't be late for my meeting in the cave… but Starly couldn't even take out a Grass type. Alright, Zubat", he released his bat Pokémon, "get it done, and fast. Supersonic!"

"Razor Leaf."

Damion's Zubat couldn't fire its attack in time, and took Razor Leaf head on. But Amaya wasn't done.

"Tackle it. Then Bite and throw it."

Her commands were executed with ruthless efficiency. Milo had beaten Damion by outthinking him, but Amaya was crushing him with raw power. As Milo watched Damion return the unconscious Zubat, Milo spoke into his link with Azura,

Is this really happening? Let's remember not to tick her off. Ever.

I'm glad she's our friend, replied the Dark type, resting herself on Milo's lap.

Damion was, for once, speechless, as he tossed out his last remaining Pokémon. His Piplup, he knew, had no chance against this Turtwig, especially with the type mismatch. But Amaya wasn't done thrashing him just yet,

"Terrus, return. Coral, let's do this."

If he was nervous before, it was nothing compared to Damion's reaction now, as the stunning Milotic towered above him. His face blanched. He began to stammer,

"Piplup, Bubble-"

His half-hearted attempt was a useless gesture.

"Coral, Ice Beam."

The battle was over in seconds. Milo watched with morbid satisfaction as Damion's face went through several emotions only to get stuck somewhere around shell-shocked. All his bravado gone, Damion recalled his downed Piplup, looked at Milo and Azura with a mix of anger and terror, and rode off on his bike, back towards Jubilife. As he left, they heard him call over his shoulder,

"You'll see me again. You'll pay for this, I swear."

There was an awkward silence as Amaya turned to face Milo. Finally, Milo found the only word he could think of.

"Wow."

Amaya shrugged, slightly embarrassed, "He deserved that. Shall we continue?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess we shall."

Aside from a few minor battles against wild Pokémon, which gave Blaze a chance to work on his fighting type moves, they had no interruptions until they reached a cave. As they stood in front of it, Amaya eyed the dark opening uncertainly,

"Are…you sure there's no other way to Oreburgh?"

With a confident air, Milo strolled casually into the cave, "Nope! This is it! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Ugh. Whatever. Let's go."

Milo reached into his backpack and cheerily handed Amaya a flashlight. Without further ado, the pair of young Trainers began their trek through to Oreburgh. After a while, Azura spoke in Milo's mind,

Didn't Damion say something about a meeting in here? He was going to be late.

"Oh, hey, you're right", Milo suddenly recalled his rival's odd remark.

Amaya was confused, "What? I didn't say anyth- oh, Azura?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Didn't Damion say something about needing to meet someone here? Wonder what that was about…"

Amaya refused to indulge his musings, however, she was definitely not enjoying their spelunking experience, "Who cares? If he set up a sketchy meeting in here then let's add that to our growing list of reasons to get out!"

Milo was about to make a snide comeback when he heard voices from around a corner. He was about to rush forward to greet his fellow cave-goers (he was really enjoying the whole cave thing) when he caught a snippet of their conversation;

"Where the hell is that kid?" It sounded like a rather nervous woman speaking, "I swear I'll kill him for being this late. This thing is sensitive!"

Milo motioned frantically for Amaya and Azura to be silent, as all three of them crouched behind a nearby boulder. Another woman's voice answered the first woman.

"Oakley, calm down. If he doesn't show we'll keep it for ourselves. Maybe we should anyway."

"Keep it? Annie, how does keeping a poached Lucario egg make any sense? We're lucky we have this chance to sell it off and take our payday as it is. I am not keeping this any longer than absolutely necessary. Where is that freaking Damion kid?"

"Please, it's not like anyone else will just stroll through here. Everyone with any sense goes around by the road."

Milo suddenly heard Amaya's voice hissing in his ear,

"There's a road? You swore up and down to me that this was the only way! Milo, you…"

Milo shushed her, but he knew he'd be hearing about that later. He'd felt bad about lying, but it was the only way she would agree to go through the old cave that Milo had always found so intriguing. Oh well. Besides, this was more important. They had uncovered poachers in the act of selling their illegal merchandise! To Damion, no less, though he was probably not going to show up after the beating he had taken from Amaya on the route.

I'm going to go out there. Azura's voice rang in his head, full of rage, I will stop them, and they WILL regret this.

Milo blinked in surprise, before looking down to see her snarling, practically frothing in rage. He'd never seen this from her before.

This…really hurts you, doesn't it Azura?

You have no idea, Milo.

…Then let's get them. Together. Come on.

He knew in the back of his mind that this was an awful idea, but the fury of the moment, the adrenaline that ran through him like liquid fire, overtook his mind.

"POACHERS!" He screamed as he leapt from his hiding spot, making the two women, Annie and Oakley, jump at least a foot in the air. He heard Amaya scramble out behind him (he'd forgotten to inform her of this impromptu plan…) and with a flash Coral appeared beside him, staring down the pair of criminals.

"Wh-who are you?" The one called Oakley immediately released an Ariados and began to panic, "How did you find this place, how long were you hiding?"

Her partner, Annie, brought out an Espeon, and both Pokémon moved forward to menace the young Trainers as the two women moved to cover up the poorly concealed Egg behind them.

"You hurt the Pokémon that laid that Egg, didn't you? How dare you! You…you evil people!"

Milo knew his words sounded stupid and foolish, but he couldn't imagine anyone willing to actually abuse wild Pokémon, much less steal their Egg to sell it like some kind of black market thugs.

"Oakley, they're just kids. We can wipe them out and run if we do it quick."

"I agree, Annie. Let's dash. Grab the Egg."

Milo refused to allow them to escape, "No, you're not going anywhere! Azura, Shadow Ball!"

Azura produced a massive orb of ethereal energy, big enough to send the Ariados skidding across the rocky ground while the Espeon was slammed brutally for massive damage.

Annie was incensed, "Rrgh…How dare you attack Team Rocket, you insolent freaks!"

Oakley and her Ariados attempted to retaliate, "String Shot them, Ariados!"

"No you don't", yelled Amaya, "Coral, Ice Beam that oversized bug!"

The unfortunate Ariados had no time for an effective String Shot before it crumpled under the enormous power of the ensuing Ice Beam.

Milo's brain was moving quickly; he released Blaze and gave a quick series of commands,

"Azura, use Night, and show Blaze where that Egg is. Blaze, you rush in and bring it back here safely. Now!"

As Azura produced the familiar explosion of absolute Darkness, Milo cautioned Amaya, "Be ready with a Water Pulse in case they try anything as we get out. We need to get this Egg to a Pokémon Center and report these two."

"What? What is this? Oakley, I can't see anything! What in the name of Arceus did that Umbreon just do?"

Milo narrowed his eyes, watching for the first small sign of trouble, as Blaze tilted his head and dashed into the black cloud.

There was a further few seconds of chaos as both Annie and Oakley screeched and fumbled uselessly about, trying to find and reclaim their illegal prize. Blaze came dashing back out, his small face full of an unusual seriousness as he took great care to hand the Egg unharmed to his Trainer.

With one final Dark Pulse from Azura for good measure, Milo and Amaya took off sprinting through what little remained of the cave, towards Oreburgh. Annie and Oakley tried to follow, but they'd been unprepared for the beating they had taken and could only watch in fury as the two teenagers took off with the Egg.

Luckily, the whole encounter had taken place no more than a quarter mile from the exit of the cave. In a minute or two, Milo and Amaya sprinted out into the afternoon sunlight of Oreburgh.

Hands on her knees, Amaya stopped, gasping for breath after their sprint, and asked, "So…now that we got it out, what do we do with it?"

"We should probably take it to the Pokémon Center", Milo responded, "Nurse Joy will know what to do. From there we can also contact the police and tell them about those two women. Didn't they mention Team Rocket? They were definitely bad news."

"Good plan. Let's go."

As quickly as they could, they found the Center and walked straight up to the desk. The ever-cheery Joy asked them, "What can I do for the pair of – oh my goodness!"

She had noticed the Egg that Milo was cradling in his arms.

"Is that… where did you get that Egg? That's the Lucario Egg that was poached two days ago!"

"We just came from Jubilife, Nurse Joy." Milo was all business, "We went through the cave and found two women waiting to sell this to a trainer named Damion Parr. We, umm, forcibly took it away from them and figured you would know what to do. Are you familiar with this particular Egg?"

"Y-yes, it belongs – well, belonged – to a family of wild Lucario that lived in a cave just a couple miles from the town. Everyone was very excited that the local Lucario had made an Egg, but it was stolen two days ago. Unfortunately, the parents were hit with nerve gas to incapacitate them and they-" Nurse Joy paused, and her normally bright face fell. She could hardly finish her sentence without bursting into tears, "they didn't make it. That Egg is already an orphan."

A crushing silence overtook the whole space. Nurse Joy sobbed quietly while Milo stood, shocked and horrified at what he had just heard. He felt his knees become weak. He hobbled numbly over to a waiting chair and crumbled into it, head in hands. Amaya's face had fallen into the same cold rage that had overtaken her during her battle with Damion.

Amidst the different reactions, it was Azura whose emotions were by far the strongest. With tears rolling down her face and a Dark aura emanating from her entire body, the small Dark-type huddled into Milo's lap. He could feel blinding rage and unfathomably deep sorrow seething within her.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy was able to compose herself enough to take the Egg to an incubator in the back, and call the police to the Pokémon Center. Office Jenny came as quickly as she could and was soon apprised of the situation. She knelt carefully in front of Milo to get his attention and asked as patiently as she could, given the circumstances,

"Young man, thank you so much for your efforts. I know it's hard right now, but I need you to give me as much information as possible so we can try to track down the people who did this. What can you tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, Milo forced himself to concentrate, "You're right, Officer. We were only in the cave because I felt like being different and not taking the road…"

As quickly and completely as he could, Milo recounted the whole encounter in detail. Officer Jenny was thrilled to have names, physical descriptions, and affiliations for the two suspects, though she had to inform a disgruntled Milo that until Annie and Oakley were caught, there wasn't enough evidence to charge Damion with any involvement in the crime.

Once Milo was done, Jenny stood and said, half to herself, "We knew Team Rocket was still a factor behind the scenes somewhere, maybe now we can pick up that cold trail again…"

After a few follow-up questions, the policewoman took her leave, adding on her way out, "Here's the emergency phone number for our station, if you think of anything else, Milo. This town can't thank you enough for your bravery. I'll probably see you soon."

Once the Officer was gone, Nurse Joy spoke up from her usual station behind the counter, "She's right, you know; when word of this gets out, you'll be a local celebrity. You have no idea how much that Lucario family meant to the people here. At any rate, I've booked each of you a room here at the Pokémon Center for at least tonight. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for either of you."

Feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted, Milo and Amaya found their rooms and threw down their things. Amaya came to Milo's room and flopped onto the small couch while Milo sat tiredly on the bed. There was silence until Amaya spoke up,

"When were you planning to tell me there was a road?"

Milo managed a small chuckle, "Heh. Well, I guess you were going to figure it out eventually. Sorry, I've just always wondered what that cave was like. I grew up next to it, but we were never allowed anywhere close to it. I never expected a poacher's hideout, though."

He released Blaze aimlessly, while half-listening to Amaya's response, "Well, don't lie to me like that again, you punk. You saw what I can do to people who piss me off."

"Yeah, hey, can we talk about that?" Milo shivered as he recalled the raw power Amaya had unleashed when she had flattened Damion's team earlier, "That was kind of crazy… Where did you get that kind of power?"

The small girl merely shrugged and answered offhandedly, without looking at Milo, "I've had Coral for a long time, so she's pretty strong. Terrus has been a quick learner, too."

"Well, it was super impressive, Amaya."

"…Thanks, Milo."

Another silence. Not awkward or strained, just tired. Both Trainers were lost in their thoughts until Amaya began again,

"You were more impressive though, attacking those poachers to rescue that Egg."

"I mean, I only did just enough to get the Egg away from them. Plus you helped out."

"No, Milo, I'm serious", Amaya sat up now, and looked intensely at Milo, "That was really awesome of you. You just automatically jumped in to save that Pokémon. That kind of thing sets you apart as a Trainer. I think I understand what Kalu told me back in Twinleaf."

"Umm, thanks…What did Kalu tell you exactly?" Milo's cheeks flushed at the unexpected and fervent praise. This earnest attitude was uncharacteristic of his new friend.

"When you beat me the first time, I was pretty torn up. Kalu gave me a pep talk, and also told me he saw something in you, something you can't teach. I didn't get it, but seeing you do what you did today, and seeing your Pokémon dive in with you unquestioningly, I think I understand now."

"I…uh…thanks, Amaya. I just…did what I had to. Speaking of which", Milo turned to his two Pokémon and broke into a huge smile; "you guys were fantastic. We couldn't have saved that poor Egg without all three of us. Great job today, both of you, and great teamwork."

Blaze responded enthusiastically, but Azura didn't seem to notice. She was staring solemnly out the window, lost in her own mind. Milo recalled how violent her reaction had been to the poachers… he had a suspicion that this was somehow personal for her, but he'd have to wait to ask her about it in private. For now, he reached over to her and gently stroked her head, just below her ears where he knew her favorite spot was.

Thank you.

Her voice was still sad, he could tell.

Of course, Azura. If you decide you want to talk, I'm always here for you.

…Alright. Maybe later tonight. Milo…what you did meant a lot to me. I really do appreciate it.

Milo decided to leave her alone for the time being. He returned Blaze, and he and Amaya went out into the town to find a place to eat dinner, leaving Azura at her perch by the window.

They found a small, relatively cheap place to eat dinner in Oreburgh, but their dinner was quiet. Milo couldn't get his mind off the Egg they had rescued. What would happen to it? How soon would it hatch? Would the baby Pokémon be cared for or released? He felt attached to it…

Before too long they were done eating, so Milo got up and paid and he and Amaya returned to the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, so what's the plan tomorrow?"

Milo hadn't really thought much about it, but it seemed pretty straightforward, "Well, I guess we get up and challenge the Gym, right? I'll meet you in the lobby at, say, 9:30?"

Amaya shrugged, "Sounds good to me. See you in the morning."

Milo opened the door to his room to see Azura sitting in the middle of the floor, tail flicking back and forth, waiting for him.

If you still feel like listening, I have a story for you.

Alright. I'm ready when you are, Azura.

-o-

Azura [Flashback]

"Momma? What's going on? Where's everyone running to?"

Eva, the young Eevee, looked questioningly up into her mother's worried eyes. She could hear what sounded like yelling, crashing, and fighting a long ways off. The kindly Espeon picked up her daughter by her neck fur and began to run, saying,

"It's okay, Eva, everything's going to be okay. We just have to leave for a while. We may have to live in a new place."

Eva had been Azura's name when she was born to a loving Espeon mother and Flareon father.

"Where's Daddy?"

She could see a tear roll down her mother's soft cheek before she answered with a trembling voice, "Your father has to go help fight. He'll find us when everything settles down."

"But who is Daddy fighting?"

"Some humans came into our forest a while ago, sweetheart. Daddy's fighting so they can't get to our family."

"But you said humans were nice, Momma! You said that when human Trainers catch you they help you be strong and they take care of you. Why does daddy have to fight them?"

Eva's mother put her down softly in the brush before looking down at her with a sad, but loving gaze,

"Listen closely to me, Eva. Not all humans are nice. Most of them are good, but some are very, very bad. Some only want to catch you so they can sell you to make money. They won't love you or take care of you. You must always be careful that any human you find is a good human. Do you understand me?"

"I…I do, Momma."

"You are a special little Eevee, your different color fur marks you as rare and valuable to these bad humans. That means if they find you they will try very hard to capture you. That's why Daddy's gone to help the rest of the forest Pokémon fight them off. You must promise me you'll always be wary of bad humans. Promise me, Eva."

"I promise, Momma."

"Good, now hide in there, in that hole under the tree. Go on, I'm going to make sure we're safe and then I'll join you."

Scared and confused, with the fighting sounds still far away but growing louder, the little Eevee crawled under the tree roots and stared out, waiting desperately for her mother's return, her small heart beating faster than it ever had before.

In another couple of minutes, she heard her mother's voice, as another Pokémon approached;

"Who's there? Who is it? Oh! Oh, dear Arceus, Ferno it's you, thank goodness!"

Eva was overjoyed to hear her father's voice respond, "Yes…I'm here. But, we – ugh – we can't stay…"

His grunt of pain alerted his wife and daughter, and before too long Eva's mother deduced the danger, "Dear, you're hurt! What happened? What do you mean we can't stay? Is the fighting over?"

"There's…too many of them. They have gas and armor. They beat us back, I had to run, had to – to come and warn you two. I'm one of the few who got away. Psyonne, they're targeting children."

"…Daddy?"

Eva quietly called from her hiding spot. Her father heard and poked his head in under the tree, and little Eva felt his familiar warmth.

"My beautiful Eva. I need you to be strong, okay? I don't know what's going to happen, but no matter what, you must be silent. Do not come out until you are absolutely sure everything is quiet again, alright?"

"I…I'm scared, Daddy."

"I know. I know it's frightening. But you need to be brave right now. Promise me, my little girl. Promise you'll stay safe."

"Okay, Daddy."

No sooner had Eva retreated further back into the underground root system than human voices exploded all around the family's small clearing.

"Here's two Eons!"

"Gas 'em! Check for Eevee nearby!"

Chaos exploded all around her as Eva began to cry from terror. But she had promised her father, and she remained silent and hidden. She heard screams and yells from both her parents, sounds of fighting and then… then the sound she dreaded most of all. Silence fell, broken only by two soft thuds. A pause, then her father's voice whispered weakly,

"Eva…stay…hidden…I love you…my daughter…"

The hardest thing the little Eevee had ever done was to wait silently for the next five minutes, until she could no longer hear the retreating humans' footsteps. By some miracle, they hadn't managed to find her.

When at last she dared to emerge from under her tree, she ran straight to the limp forms of her mother and father.

"Momma? Daddy? Please, wake up, please! Momma, Daddy, please, I need you!"

Neither of them responded. They were already dead.

[End flashback]

-o-

I evolved fairly soon after that. I spent all my time trying to find grow stronger. I decided that if I were stronger, nobody could take my world from me again.

Milo stared in shock at Azura, who was now settled in his lap, staring him in the eyes as she related her story.

"Azura…." He almost didn't know what he could say, "I'm so sorry. I understand now why those poachers made you so upset. I'm so, so sorry."

Blaze, who had been listening somberly, climbed up onto the bed to give his new teammate the most meaningful hug he could come up with. Milo joined, and the three of them sat in silence, wrapped in a group embrace.

It was still early, but given all that had transpired, Milo and his team elected to go to bed early and try to put all this behind them. After all, tomorrow was the day they were going to get their first badge.

Chapter 5 Thoughts: So now you have Azura's backstory. I'm pretty happy with it, but as always, I would love to know what you thought. I am open to suggestions, constructive criticisms, and requests! I love hearing from readers.

If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!