Milo Chapter 6 – Lessons and Growth

At 9:30 the next morning, Milo met Amaya in Oreburgh Pokémon Center's lobby, as agreed. As they snacked on the free breakfast provided for Center guests, Milo went to make a couple of calls. First to Mrs. Ketchum;

"Milo? Hello, are you there?"

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum! We made it to Oreburgh yesterday, so I'm calling like I promised."

"That's great, thank you, dear! How was your trip?"

"Well, actually-"

Milo was about to launch into the whole story, when the line rang, and Professor Rowan's face appeared next to Mrs. Ketchum's.

"Milo? Ah, hello there, my boy. In Oreburgh, I see? Ah, and Deliah! A pleasure as always. I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Actually, Professor, you may be able to help with this. I have a story for you both."

With that, Milo recounted as diligently as he could his encounter with Annie and Oakley, and the rescue of the Lucario Egg.

"Oh, Milo, that's just awful", Mrs. Ketchum was the first to speak when he had finished, "I'm just so glad you could rescue that poor baby Egg! That is just like those Rocket bullies, too."

Rowan was rubbing his beard darkly with one hand, "Indeed. It seems the Sinnoh authorities will have to redouble their efforts to quash organized crime. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, young man. You're quite right, I may be able to make a few well-placed calls and accelerate the response process. But I also called you for another reason."

"What's that, Professor?"

"Your Umbreon. I have uncovered some further information on her."

Milo's face lit up, "Really? Hey, Azura!" He called off-screen to his partner, who came into view shortly, "The Professor may have something to help us understand what makes you so special!"

"Your Umbreon is what we officially call a 'shiny' Umbreon. Every Pokémon species has a peculiar variation that is exceedingly rare, which we experts call 'shiny' Pokémon. I'm going on very little here, since no shiny Umbreon has been recorded in almost a hundred years, but I do believe that she fits the description. This would explain some of her abnormal power. As always, I will keep you apprised if I learn anything else."

"Whoa…thanks, Professor! I remember hearing about shiny Pokémon in school once, but I never really knew much about them except that they were so rare they were almost impossible to find. I never thought Azura would turn out to be one!"

"Hey Milo", called Amaya from behind him, "we gonna head for the Gym or what?"

Mrs. Ketchum heard the question, and quickly bid farewell to her young friend, "Oh, go on, Milo! I can't wait to see your first badge! Have fun!"

"Remember", advised Rowan, "to remain calm and fight your way. If Roark controls the battle, you won't stand a chance."

"I'll try and remember that, Professor."

With that, Milo hung up, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, Amaya, ready when you are. Let's win a badge."

It didn't take them any more than a couple of minutes to locate the Oreburgh Gym. They entered anxiously, and found that there was some kind of class going on.

"Alright", called a young-ish man in a red construction helmet, "I want the Geodude students here working on Rollout. Anyone with an Onix over with me, I'm going to talk about improving the accuracy of your Rock Throw. Oh, hey there!"

He noticed Milo and Amaya standing awkwardly inside the entrance. With an exuberant smile, he asked "Did you come for a workshop with your Rock-types? Let's see them! I'll be right over to greet you properly."

As the students dispersed to carry out their assigned exercises, the confident leader approached the two teenagers and offered his hand, "I'm Roark, Gym Leader here in Oreburgh, expert in Rock-types. I'm also in charge of all local training nowadays. Now, what kind of Pokémon did you bring to work with?"

Clearing his throat, Milo began in a small voice that betrayed his growing nerves, "Actually, umm, we're here for a – a challenge…Can we, umm, battle you?"

A look of genuine surprise overcame Roark, but it was quickly replaced by a huge grin, as he called out, "Hey, everyone! Stop what you're doing, let's head to the arena! We got ourselves a treat today; two challengers!"

A buzz broke out amongst the Rock type trainees. To have a single challenger was rare, but to have two of them together was almost unheard of! This hadn't happened in years! Roark led Milo and Amaya across the rocky lobby floor and through a winding tunnel to an arena that was, predictably, also made of rock.

It was like a rectangular bowl, with tall jagged rocks jutting up all around the outside. The kindly Gym Leader noticed Amaya's look of furious concentration, and Milo's trembling hands.

"First challenge, huh? Don't worry, kids. I won't go easy, but I'll try and help you feel comfortable. After all, you'll need your best to get through three of my Pokémon! By the way, which of you is going first?"

Amaya opened her mouth to answer, but Milo beat her to it, "Me. I'll go. I need to battle before I psych myself out too much."

Roark shook his hand and agreed, "Sounds good to me. What's your name, my friend? And where do you come from?"

"I'm Milo. I graduated from the JPTA recently."

"Aha! A JPTA grad, eh? Should be a good fight! I love the way they teach strategy over there, the JPTA challengers always make me think fast. Right, let's get the referee out here!"

An official-looking assistant strode to the middle of the sideline, as Roark crossed the field and Milo took up position in his Trainer box. Amaya joined the Gym students in the stands, paying as close attention as she could.

"This is an official battle between Roark, the Gym Leader of Oreburgh and Milo the challenger! Each side will use a maximum of three Pokémon, and only the challenger may substitute. The Trainer who knocks out the other's Pokémon first wins. Also, this battle will be recorded for official League purposes only. Are there any questions or disagreements?"

"No", called Milo, "I'm ready!"

"Right", said Roark with excitement, "then I'll start off! Geodude, let's rock!"

"Blaze, let's get to work!"

"A Chimchar, huh? Bold choice, but I think I know what you're up to."

"You might know, but that won't help you! Blaze, it's time to move, Double Team, and keep it going!"

Almost before Milo was done talking, copies of Blaze were running circles around Roark's Geodude at blinding speed.

"Look for an opening, and get in with a Focus Punch!"

"Not so fast, Milo. Stealth Rock!"

Geodude closed its eyes and gave a loud yell. To Milo's horror, small sharp rocks popped up all over the battlefield. He tried to react,

"Blaze, jump! Try and get to the edge of the field!"

But his efforts were wasted. Before he could gather his momentum, the small Chimp Pokémon cried out in pain as he stepped on one of the jutting rocks, and tripped over the next, sending him flying into the edge of the arena with a loud crash.

"No, Blaze! Are you alright, buddy?"

"Chim…chim…chARR!"

Blaze came charging out of the dust. He was fine. And now he was angry.

"Yes! Come on, Blaze, Focus Punch!"

Unprepared for the furious onslaught, the Geodude was sent flying by the super effective hit. It smashed into the opposite side of the arena. Gasps could be heard from the assembled watchers. A tiny little disadvantaged Fire type Pokémon had just gotten level with Roark's Geodude! But Roark was far from finished.

"Not bad, Milo, I admire your Chimchar's spirit. But two can play that game! Geodude, Rock Throw!"

The dust was still settling when a small boulder came soaring out, straight for Blaze. Not for nothing, though, was the agility training Milo had emphasized. Without needing a direction, Blaze sprinted to one side, escaping the boulder with relative ease.

"Perfect, don't stop moving. Another Focus Punch!"

"Keep it away, Geodude, another Rock Throw!"

Geodude complied instantly, launching another rock at its evasive target. Blaze dodged easily and landed another solid Focus Punch.

"Geodude, get up! Geodude!"

But when the cloud settled, Roark's Pokémon was unconscious.

"Geodude is unable to continue, Chimchar is the winner!"

Milo's brain was working furiously. Blaze looked ready to continue, but the young Trainer was alert enough to look twice. His Pokémon would surely be hurting from running on the Stealth Rocks, and his speed could be useful again later, if he was given a short rest.

"Alright, Onix, you're up next!"

Perfect, thought Milo, Onix is going to be tough, but he's much slower. Azura should be able to take it out with enough hits, and she'll be fast enough to keep out of its way, too.

"Blaze, return! Great job, bud! Azura, let's get to work!"

Blaze gave a proud cheer as he disappeared into his Pokéball, and with another flash, Azura appeared in his place. She gave a surprised bark as her feet fell onto the Stealth Rocks from Geodude.

Sorry, Azura, but you're going to have to fight through this.

I'll be fine, just wasn't expecting that. My, she noticed the Onix, he's a big one…

Roark called out the first attack of the second round, "Rock Throw, Onix!"

Time to move, girl. Keep that thing at bay, we'll focus on range hits.

Seemingly without direction, Azura sprinted off to her left.

"Again, Onix, aim carefully, it's fast!"

"Dodge, and Shadow Ball!"

As the second boulder crashed harmlessly behind her, Azura fired off a Shadow Ball. It connected perfectly, but the massive Onix wasn't visibly harmed by it.

I know Onix have massive Defense, but I didn't think its Special Defense would be that high. This may take a while.

"Now get in there with a Headbutt, Onix!"

Milo, it's trying to close the gap, do I keep moving or let it close?

Maybe we can do both, try Pursuit to get behind it, but not yet…

As the Onix charged forward, Azura held her ground with a snarl. Closer came the Onix, and Milo had to steel his nerves and focus until just before the massive Rock Snake impacted his partner…

"NOW!"

Azura vanished into thin air as the bewildered Onix flew through the spot she had just occupied. Before it could recover, she appeared behind its head and smashed into it with all her might. Her hit, combined with the leftover momentum of its failed Headbutt, sent Onix crashing headfirst into the wall.

"Onix, use your tail!"

It wasn't a move, per se, but Onix understood his Trainer. It began to flail its tail, unsure of where exactly Azura had gotten to. Roark's quick strategy paid off. Azura was caught unprepared by a swipe to the side as she landed which took her legs out and brought her tumbling to the rocky floor.

Milo grimaced, but just managed to keep his cool. Azura could take that hit, he knew. He needed to press the attack before Onix was fully recovered from its collision with the wall.

"Dark Pulse, Azura, keep it down!"

The wave of Dark energy forced the Onix clumsily back to the floor, trapped at the edge of the arena.

"Now give it a Confusion!"

As the monstrous snake tried to pick itself out of the wall, the psychic blast left it shaking its head, obviously dazed, but not down yet.

Back off, Azura, it's almost done, but it'll be more unpredictable than ever now.

As Azura backed away from the thrashing Onix, Roark called out, "Hey Onix, just give me as many Rock Throws as you can, even if they miss, just get as close as you can!"

"Get moving, Azura! Don't let it pick you out!"

As Onix began tossing huge rocks every which way, Azura zig-zagged back and forth across its field of vision. The big Pokémon couldn't keep up, and attack after attack missed the nimble Umbreon. Milo could see Onix's strength was at long last beginning to give out, so after one particularly large boulder thudded safely behind Azura, Milo called out, "Now, another Dark Pulse!"

A massive crunch reverberated throughout the stadium as the giant Rock Snake hit the ground. It wasn't getting back up.

Two down, thought Milo, but he's got one more fresh, and both of my Pokémon are already worn out. What does Roark have up his sleeve? If I know Gym Leaders, he's got some kind of ace in the hole up last…

Sure enough, as the referee declared Azura the winner, Roark gave a sly grin, and said, "Well done, Milo, I was impressed by your patience in dealing with Onix and your foresight to switch out, despite the unfavorable matchup. But I think this next one will be too much for you. Not all Rock types have speed issues, you know. Cranidos, show him how we roll!"

Cranidos? Of course he has a Cranidos. The one thing I really would've needed a fresh Blaze for… Azura probably won't be able to keep up, and Blaze has had at least a bit of rest. I'm going to have to switch.

"Alright, good job Azura, return now. Go, Blaze! I need everything you've got, pal!"

As Azura trotted wearily back to her Trainer, Blaze reappeared, still visibly tired from his last battle, but no less ready to go.

"Pursuit, Cranidos!"

Just like Azura always did, Cranidos disappeared, and Milo had to act fast;

"UP!"

Blaze jumped as hard as he could, and was only just in time. Cranidos showed up and slashed inches under the small fire monkey's feet.

"Good, Milo, but you're stuck up there! Cranidos, Headbutt!"

Shoot! He's right, Blaze has nowhere to go!

His memory sparked into life, and he recalled this situation from his battle with Cynthia. Just like that he had a plan.

"Blaze, you're gonna get hit, but Focus Punch him on your way down!"

As Blaze fell he complied perfectly, aiming an impressive Focus Punch straight down at his oncoming opponent. As both Pokémon got up, Cranidos was obviously feeling the effects, but Milo was worried about Blaze. That Headbutt had been strong, and he still carried the damage from his earlier bout with Geodude. Milo knew he couldn't let Cranidos land solid hits like that, or Blaze would go down fast.

"Alright, close the gap, Blaze, get in some rapid fire Focus Punches!"

"Cranidos, move! Get out of its way!"

"Chase him down, Blaze, try and corner it!"

He could see Blaze gritting his teeth with exertion, but the young Chimchar pushed himself heroically and actually managed to trap the evasive Rock Pokémon. Cranidos did its best to dodge, but at such close range, Blaze landed two or three solid hits before Roark was able to salvage the situation.

"Cranidos, shove it off and Rock Throw!"

Milo gasped as Cranidos shoved Blaze away and bought itself just enough space and time to launch a big rock at Blaze, who was completely defenseless.

"Blaze! Come on, buddy I know you can do it! Are you still with me?"

"CHIM…CHAAAARRR!"

As he threw the rock aside, Blaze was covered in white light that blinded the onlookers. When it subsided Blaze had evolved, to Milo's delight. A Monferno stood ready for its next command.

"Ferrrrrno!"

"Yes! Blaze, this is awesome! Let's finish this!"

Roark was stunned, but not for long; "What? No way! I don't believe that! Well, Cranidos, we can still take it down. Let's get back into it! Rock Throw!"

"Dodge, Blaze. I want to see all your new speed!"

Milo knew that Monferno was naturally faster than Chimchar, but he was still shocked to see the way Blaze dodged the barrage of Rock Throws that came at him. He made Cranidos look slower than Onix, so effortless and precise was his movement.

"That's amazing, Blaze! Now show me a Focus Punch!"

But Blaze the Monferno had another new trick up his sleeve. Instead of Focus Punch, he dashed at the outclassed Cranidos and swung a glowing arm over his head, smashing Cranidos into the ground. The battle was won.

"Was that…Brick Break? You learned Brick Break? Blaze, that's so cool! We won!"

The referee made it official, "Cranidos is unable to battle, which means Monferno is the winner! The match goes to Milo, the challenger!"

Blaze ran over to his Trainer, and Milo wrapped his newly evolved starter in an exuberant embrace. He could hear the crowd of Rock-type students buzzing with wonder. Nobody could even remember the last time Roark's Gym team had been bested.

"That was incredible", said Roark, crossing the field to congratulate Milo, "I haven't been pushed like that in a very long time. I must confess that I had some forewarning about you, Professor Rowan called and told me to make sure I didn't go easy on you. I wasn't going to tell you, because I didn't think you'd be able to push me that far, but… He was right; your battle strategy is something else. Do you mind if I upload that battle to the BattleNet? The rest of Sinnoh will want to see what you just did."

"I…sure, go ahead. I promised Professor Rowan I'd say yes, when I first started."

Roark laughed at the coincidence, "How about that? He's had a hand in both sides of that battle! That Rowan sure knows how to pick talent in new Trainers, who knows how he does it. Oh, by the way", Roark took a step closer to say something confidential so that only Milo would hear, "I'd like to see you later this evening about something important. I'll tell you more if you come here to the Gym at 8:30 tonight. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't crucial. Alright?"

Milo nodded silently. What could be so important that a Gym Leader would ask for a private meeting? Roark stepped back and resumed his cheery smile. Shaking Milo's hand, he took a case from the referee and presented it to Milo, saying in a loud voice for the room to hear,

"Milo, as per the official Sinnoh League regulations I present to you this Coal Badge as proof of your victory here in Oreburgh! Congratulations!"

Taking the glittering badge in hand, Milo fastened it reverently to the allotted space inside his Pokédex, and said, "Thanks! That really was a great battle; if Blaze hadn't evolved I think you'd have won."

"Who knows", responded Roark with a shrug, "now I believe there was another challenger? Where is the other Trainer?"

Glancing around the audience until he found Amaya sitting back nonchalantly, her feet up on the seat in front of her, he beckoned her down.

She stood and made her way to the arena floor. Roark introduced himself (unnecessarily) and as his students began to leave the stands, he explained, "Since your friend Milo wiped my Gym team out, you'll have to give me about a half an hour to heal them up and let them prepare for another battle. Will that be alright?"

"Sure", came the curt answer, "I'll just go with Milo to the Center. See you in a bit, Roark."

With that she turned and walked away, as unreadable as ever. Milo followed her out and they walked back to the Pokémon Center to get Milo's team back in good health.

"So", began Amaya as they waited, "that was pretty cool. Blaze evolved."

"I know!" Milo was still ecstatic, but tried to rein himself in a bit, "I mean, yeah, that was cool. I don't think I'd have won without him. We'll have time after your battle, I want to go train in the old mine south of town. I know I got the badge, but I relied too much on Azura's extra power and Blaze evolving. I cut it way too close and got lucky."

"That's a good plan. I'll come along. More training never hurts."

"Milo", called Nurse Joy from behind the counter, "your team is ready! They're in perfect condition! Thanks for waiting!"

Azura bounded off the counter to rub contentedly against Milo's leg, while Blaze struck a very proud pose, still very thrilled about his new form.

"Yes, yes, you look very dashing, Blaze", Milo poked the Playful Pokémon, "but come on, we gotta get back to the Gym to watch Amaya's fight. You want in or out?"

Both of them vigorously shook their heads; they would always prefer to be outside their Pokéballs. As the group returned to the Gym, a small crowd of people from the town followed them in, having heard that another Gym challenge was coming. Milo found a front row seat as Amaya stood herself in the same Trainer box he had used earlier. Roark was waiting, the same bright expression on his face as he waited for the referee.

"This is an official match between Roark the Gym Leader of Oreburgh and Amaya the challenger. Both sides will use a maximum of three Pokémon, and the Trainer who knocks out the other's Pokémon first will win! Only the challenger may substitute. This battle will be recorded for possible Sinnoh League purposes. Questions?"

"Nope", Amaya's face was set like steel, "Let's go."

Milo thought she cut a strange figure, standing there with her arms folded. Roark, the home town Gym Leader, had a big presence about him, but Amaya just stood there, a small girl who looked even smaller from up in the stands. And yet, she looked so unperturbed by all the emotion and intensity swirling around her. She had her own little bubble of focus and betrayed no outward sign of…well, anything. If she felt excited, nervous, scared, or confident, none of it showed in the slightest. The only thing Milo could tell from looking at her was that she was dead set on this battle and right now, nothing else mattered. Roark kicked the proceedings off in much the same way as he had against Milo.

"Geodude, time to rock!"

"Terrus."

The Tiny Turtle wasn't intimidated at all by his opponent. Amaya wasted no time taking advantage of the type mismatch between the two.

"Razor Leaf."

Roark was no slouch, and had faced his share of Grass-type moves. Soon the commands were flying thick and fast.

"Rock Throw, Geodude, block those leaves!"

"Body Slam the rock."

To Milo's surprise, Terrus didn't even think twice. He threw himself headlong at the boulder, turning his shell towards the impact at the last second. It worked like a charm, somehow. The rock burst to smithereens, and Terrus was unharmed, having closed the gap between himself and Geodude.

"Razor Leaf again."

This time Geodude took the attack full on and was battered heavily by the super effective hit.

"Get up Geodude! Give them the Stealth Rock!"

"Don't let it happen. Bite."

The Bite didn't do much damage, but Geodude was prevented from triggering Stealth Rock, and Amaya had something else, too.

"Absorb while you're holding on."

Both Pokémon glowed light green and Geodude was already visibly tired.

"Smack it away and Rock Throw!"

"Tackle."

This time, Amaya's relentless attacking was finally interrupted. Terrus tried to get back in with a Tackle, but took Geodude's next Rock Throw to the face, and got up with difficulty.

"Dang. Absorb, Terrus."

"Dodge, Geodude!"

Geodude wasn't fast enough, and Terrus recovered some of his health while Geodude was definitely on its last legs (metaphorically, of course, as Geodude have no legs).

"Razor Leaf."

It was that simple. An already exhausted Geodude crumpled under the powerful onslaught of leaves from Amaya's starter.

"Wow, Amaya. You are definitely different from Milo, stylistically speaking. But I wonder how you'll deal with this one. He'll take a bit more beating! Onix!"

Amaya and Terrus both stared coldly at the Rock Snake Pokémon as it appeared with a mighty roar. Amaya was already going.

"Grass Knot."

"Swat that and Headbutt, Onix."

Milo saw Amaya's eyes widen just a bit as Onix swung its tail at Terrus' Grass Knot, taking the hit without falling down as its top half was already shooting forwards in a massive Headbutt that struck Terrus and knocked him forcefully into the wall behind his Trainer.

"Terrus, you good?"

"Twig-ig!"

Terrus was clearly not doing so hot, but was determined to battle until the end. Amaya's strategy had been almost perfect, but she didn't account for Onix's size. It was big enough to counterattack and strong enough to withstand the super effective grass damage.

"Absorb, Terrus."

"No you don't! Rock Throw, a big one!"

In the midst of his Absorb, Terrus couldn't react fast enough to the boulder that sent him back into the same wall he'd just climbed out of. This time it was over, the little turtle was unconscious.

"Hmm. Return, Terrus. You did great. We'll get stronger."

"One down each", called Roark, "I'm feeling good about this! What's up next, Amaya?"

A flicker of a smirk crossed the girl's face as she tossed out her next Pokéball.

"Coral's next."

Roark's face went from confidence to concern in a flash.

"Whoa…wasn't expecting a Milotic. But hey, let's do it. Come on Onix, let's see what that thing's made of! Rock Throw again!"

"Ice Beam."

Wow. An Ice Beam to start, thought Milo as Onix recoiled from the powerful attack, she's really going all out here.

Yep. Think we could beat her?

Milo winked down at Azura, We already did.

Azura smiled back, remembering her well-earned victory over Coral, before both Trainer and Pokémon turned back to the battle unfolding before them…to find that Onix was down. Amaya had called a Hydro Pump and that, combined with the Ice Beam, had been too much for an unprepared Onix.

Roark looked rather shell-shocked at the raw power before him, and was a bit subdued as he called out his final Pokémon.

"Cranidos. Let's do our best here."

"Dragon Tail."

"Pursuit, Cranidos!"

Amaya wasn't waiting around, but Cranidos had speed. The Dragon Tail missed, and Coral was slammed forward by Cranidos' Pursuit from behind.

"Turn and Water Pulse."

Cranidos tried to dodge again, but couldn't compensate for Water Pulse's wide range, and took heavy damage.

"Get back in there, Cranidos! Use Headbutt to get in close again!"

Milo could see Roark's strategy, but it was flawed. Coral had many dangerous ranged attacks, but she was also deadly from close range. He found this out to his dismay as Amaya ordered another Dragon Tail.

"Smack that thing away, Coral."

The whole wall shook as the unfortunate Cranidos collided with it, just barely able to peel itself off and remain standing.

"Ice Beam."

Cranidos, the pride of Roark's Gym team, had been comprehensively thrashed. Coral had barely sustained a scratch.

"Cranidos is unable to battle, so Milotic is the winner, and the match goes to Amaya the challenger!"

"Wow", said Roark, as he crossed the field to congratulate Amaya, "that was kind of embarrassing for me. My second Gym loss today, and you really wrecked my team."

"I focus on power when I battle. Hit hard enough, and anyone falls over."

Milo and his two Pokémon climbed down to congratulate their friend as she accepted her Coal Badge. As they approached, Roark commented, "I'll say this about you two. You'll both go far in this League. I haven't seen anything like you two in a long time. Milo outthought me and outran me, and Amaya overpowered me. Can I post your battle to the Net, Amaya?"

"Sure."

"Right. Well, I suppose that wraps things up here. I'm going to head back and heal my team up. See you soon, yes?"

He cast an extra glance at Milo, reminding him silently of their arranged meeting later.

As the pair left the Gym into the early afternoon sun, Amaya asked simply, "So, I'm going to heal up, then should we go to the mine?"

"Sounds like a plan to me", affirmed Milo, "I'm looking forward to testing out Blaze's new moves and power against some more Rock types."

Within half an hour, they were standing at the entrance to the old mine. A decade ago, it had been full of miners all the way down, but as time went on the top levels had very little coal left, and so all the mining took place much lower down, while the upper sections were dedicated Pokémon training spaces.

"Ugh", Amaya crossed her arms as she stared into the dark cave mouth, "I still don't like caves. But I guess it's worth it for training."

"That's the spirit", Milo clapped her shoulder jovially as he entered, "now come on, time's wasting!"

Predictably, Amaya got straight to work hitting everything she could find as hard as she could hit it. Milo primarily used Blaze, at least until he got used to Blaze's new speed and strength. To his delight, he found that Blaze had a plethora of new moves. He could now use Fire Punch, Brick Break, and Blaze Kick. Milo quickly decided that he would soon take the opportunity to add a couple more Fighting type moves to Blaze's repertoire. After about an hour and a half of training, Milo had Azura out to battle a wild Machop that had come to challenge them when he heard Amaya exclaim, "Ha! Come here, you!"

"Azura, Dark Pulse!"

Once the Machop was down, Milo went to find out what Amaya was up to. Rounding a corner, he found Coral facing down a massive Onix that looked partially frozen and very upset.

"I'm guessing it isn't a fan of your Ice Beam?"

"Oh hey, Milo. Check this thing out, it took an Ice Beam to the tail and it's still got plenty of fight! Even Coral has taken some hits from it! Now", she turned back to her Pokémon, "Dragon Tail!"

The wild Onix managed to meet Coral's Dragon Tail with an Iron Tail, forcing both of them backwards. Coral was panting now, and glaring darkly at this ferocious opponent. Milo noticed a glint in Amaya's eyes and asked cautiously,

"Uh, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I like this thing's fighting spirit."

Pulling a Great Ball out of her bag, Amaya called out, "Alright, you! I'm going to make you even stronger!" She threw the ball and it sucked in the weakened Onix.

Once the Great ball wiggled. Twice. Thrice. A brief silence, and then a soft ping.

"YES!" Amaya was overjoyed. I got it! I've got an Onix! Come on out now!

With a flash, the Onix reappeared. It roared loudly before staring intensely down at Amaya. They locked eyes and she glared fiercely up at her new Pokémon. After a few seconds, it bowed its head in respectful deference to her authority and audacity.

Wow, commented Azura in Milo's mind, that was impressive. Onix are very proud of their strength. That Onix has a lot of respect for her to submit like that. I think they'll get along well.

"I'll call you Granite. Sound good?"

Granite roared his approval, and with a nod and a smile, Amaya returned him to his new Pokéball.

"What do you say, Milo? Time for a break?"

Milo agreed, and the whole party left the mine to eat lunch and heal up at the Pokémon Center.

"Back again, you two?"

Nurse Joy smiled warmly, and asked politely as she took their Pokémon to heal, "How was training? I see you have a new team member."

"Yes", answered Amaya immediately, "that's Granite, an Onix I just caught down there!"

"Really?" Nurse Joy raised her eyebrows, evidently surprised to hear this, "few people manage to catch those Onix. The ones in our mine are rarely seen and are notoriously strong, not to mention dangerous. The only other one I know of from that mine is the Onix that Roark uses on his Gym team."

This did nothing to deflate Amaya's rapidly growing sense of pride, and she would discuss nothing else as the team sat down for a light lunch. She reminisced her battle against Granite at least five times before she began to wonder aloud which moves she would teach him, when he might evolve to Steelix, how powerful he could realistically become, etc.

"Alright", Milo interrupted her finally, "that's all really great, but we have our Pokémon back, so I'm going back for more training. Are you coming? It might be good to try battling with Granite a bit."

"Yeah", she was only too eager to join, "Let's go!"

Nothing else of terrible importance happened the rest of the afternoon. Milo, Blaze and Azura battled dozens of wild Pokémon, and Milo took the opportunity to work on transitioning between ranged fighting and close quarters combat. He also made sure to work on his team's agility and speed, as he always did. Blaze was now faster than Azura by far, but both of them were much quicker than anyone would have expected. Fighting against Rock types also helped Milo's team improve their endurance and ability to take hits.

Amaya spent most of her time using Granite to destroy anything in her path, which the newly caught Onix was absolutely thrilled about. Azura's prediction had been spot on, they got along perfectly.

When both Trainers and Pokémon were at last exhausted, they returned to the Pokémon Center (yet again) to wash up and find dinner. Before he knew it, Milo's watch read 8:15pm.

"Oh, shoot! I'm supposed to meet Roark in fifteen minutes!"

Amaya sat up from her favorite lounging spot; the couch in Milo's room. Taking off her big black headphones she asked, "What'd you say? Roark? What do you have to meet Roark about?"

"I don't know, he didn't say, but it must be important if he asked privately, you know?"

"Huh. That's weird. Well", she laid back down, replaced her headphones, and closed her eyes, "let me know how it goes. I'll be here."

"See you."

Milo beckoned Azura to follow him and they walked through a quiet Oreburgh evening to the Gym. Roark met them outside the front doors,

"Ah, Milo, there you are. Come on in."

He led the young man into the Gym lobby, where Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy were waiting, with the Lucario Egg he had rescued from Annie and Oakley the previous day.

"Hey", Milo broke into a smile, "that's the Egg! Is it okay? What's going to happen to it?"

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about", began Officer Jenny, "As you know, the Lucario who made this Egg are, sadly, deceased. This Egg can't be simply released back into the wild, but Oreburgh doesn't have proper care facilities for it. It will need constant care and Nurse Joy is understaffed as is."

Milo's face fell. "Surely, someone can look after it, right? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually yes", Roark spoke up, "there was an emergency City Council meeting last night, and they heard the whole story from Officer Jenny. They were very impressed by your heroic actions, Milo."

See? Azura spoke gently to him, I told you that what you did was amazing. They thought so, too.

"I wasn't there personally", continued the Gym Leader, "but it was decided that we would offer the Egg to you for care and safekeeping pending my approval. After your challenge today, seeing the way you were able to connect so intuitively with your Pokémon, I approve wholeheartedly. Will you accept this Egg?"

Milo was flabbergasted. He hadn't expected this in the slightest. They wanted him to take their town's precious Lucario Egg?

You should take it, Azura commented, I know you'd take good care of that baby. I trust you and they trust you. Milo, take it.

"I…I don't know what to say…", the young man was still stunned, "I didn't think – I mean, yes. Yes, I'll take the Egg. I'll take care of it to the very best of my ability and raise the Pokémon that hatches from it as well as I can. Thank you, thank you so much! Wow, this is so amazing, what a special opportunity!"

The three adults all thanked and congratulated him profusely, and as Milo walked back to his room holding the wondrous Egg lovingly, he could only wonder at this marvelous turn of events. He, Milo, had been entrusted with a Pokémon Egg. What a day it had been.

-o-

Half a region away, a phone rang. Its owner barely got to it in time.

"Hello, Gardenia speaking. Oh, Cynthia! Hello!"

"Hi there! How's everything in Eterna?"

"Oh, fine, fine. I'm hearing rumors of troublemakers down in Floaroma, though. But I'm guessing you didn't call for chit-chat?"

"No. Have you checked the BattleNet? Did you watch those battles from Oreburgh?"

Gardenia grinned; she wasn't surprised that Cynthia would be so enthused.

"Yeah, I think everyone's seen them by now. They both flattened Roark completely. It wasn't just that, though, it was the way they did it."

"Which do you think has more potential?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the Champion, and the expert on teaching new Trainers. What do you think?"

"Well…it's tough to say. All in all, Amaya is stronger, but I think Milo is a better strategist."

Gardenia tilted her head in confusion, "I'm surprised you think so. They're both great, but Amaya absolutely decimated Roark. She didn't even look like she broke a sweat. What makes you think Milo is better?"

"At face value, yes, her win was more convincing. But she had two naturally super effective Pokémon against Rock types. Plus, she still lost one. Milo had a Fire type and a Dark type against three Rocks, and he lost none. If you watch carefully, Milo's ability to adapt and transition is incredibly natural and smooth. He didn't just beat Roark down like Amaya did; he completely outclassed and outsmarted him. I'm telling you, Gardenia, they'll both be incredibly strong, but that Milo is a class apart."

Gardenia smile at her friend's analysis, "I can't remember the last time I saw you this excited about someone this new."

"Well", Cynthia replied, "do you think your Gym team can prove me wrong?"

"I know we'll try. But…I see what you mean, too. I think I'm going to give Maylene a call and make sure she's seen what's coming."

As she hung up the phone, Gardenia smiled to herself, allowing some measure of pre-battle excitement to infect her. How long had it been since being a Gym Leader had made her feel so alive? She couldn't wait for these two young wonder Trainers.

She watched the view count on the Oreburgh videos skyrocket before her eyes and thought to herself,

These kids are starting to make waves. Just how far can they ride them?

Chapter 6 Thoughts: There's the first Gym battle! I did my best to write two entertaining battles that highlighted the differences between Milo and Amaya, so hopefully that came through properly. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.

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!