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)

7. Chapter 7 - Shadows and Balance

Milo Chapter 7 – Shadows and Balance

"So, what, they just gave it to you? You just get to keep that Egg?"

Milo had just finished relating to Amaya the events of his meeting with Roark, Jenny, and Joy. He looked down at the precious Egg in his lap, still hardly able to believe it himself, and answered,

"Yeah, pretty much. I just…wow. This thing is going to hatch into a little baby Pokémon. That just seems so crazy, you know? I'm going to get to take care of it…"

Amaya snorted, "Well, yeah Milo, that's typically how Eggs work."

"I know, I know, but…it's just crazy to think about."

"Hmm. Fair enough. It will be cool to watch the whole process, I'll admit."

Blaze and Azura were seated on either side of their Trainer. Azura had huddled herself as close to the Egg as she could, and Blaze was holding his fiery tail in front of it, to ensure it remained warm.

Amaya stretched herself out on Milo's couch and wondered aloud,

"So from here we head towards Eterna from the next badge, right? It'll take longer to get there than it did to get here from Jubilife."

"Yeah. Actually, though, I was thinking about staying here a few days, though. I mean, the mine is a great spot for training and I want to ask Nurse Joy to show me how to care for the Egg before I leave. What do you think?"

He could see her turning the prospect over in her mind for a minute before shrugging and saying, "Sure. Sounds good to me. I can always use more training time, and I'd hate to see that Egg struggle. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Probably just a few days. Long enough to teach Blaze a couple new fighting moves and learn enough from Nurse Joy to feel more confident about the Egg."

Amaya stood up off the couch, brushed off her baggy hoody, and said, "Alright. I'm down for a few extra days in Oreburgh, we're in no rush. I'm going to head to my room now, though. I'm getting a bit tired. Night, Milo, see you for breakfast."

"Good night."

As the door closed, Milo and his Pokémon stared silently, glowingly, at the fragile Egg. Eventually, they set it on the floor between Azura and Blaze while Milo settled into his bed. Even then, though, the image of it, the memory of how it felt in his arms, kept his mind buzzing for hours until sleep finally overtook him.

Perhaps this was the reason he didn't wake up the next morning until Azura jumped on him.

Wake up, Milo. Come on! It's breakfast time.

"Ugh…yeah…Getting up…"

Drearily, he hauled himself out of bed. Blaze greeted him cheerfully from his position on the floor, his body wrapped around the Egg.

"Feeling protective, pal? It's not going anywhere."

We thought he would be the best one to keep it warm, Azura explained.

"Good thought, guys, but I think it'll survive. We'll wrap it in some blankets, just in case, alright? Now let's go eat."

After taking a few minutes to get ready, Milo and his team shuffled down the hallway to find Amaya already in the cafeteria eating.

"There you are, finally", she said with her typical attitude.

"Good morning, Milo!"

Nurse Joy greeted him as she walked up to their table. She sat down across from him, and began, "Amaya told me you want to learn more about caring for that Egg before you leave, which I fully agree with. I think you've made an admirable decision. I don't have a lot of spare time; as you know, I'm fairly understaffed here. However, I'm definitely willing to give you as much help and advice as I can over the next few days. Can you meet me over lunch?"

"Sure", he shrugged, "I don't have much else to plan around. Any time that works for you is fine by me."

"Perfect", the ever-cheerful Joy got up and was on her way in a flash, "See you this afternoon for lunch, then! Goodbye for now, I have to get back to work!"

When the group had finished eating, they put away their dishes and headed out for the cave to train until Milo's lunch appointment with Nurse Joy. Amaya resumed the elegant process of smashing her opponents aside with ruthless force while Milo went to a nearby area and released his Pokémon,

"Alright, guys, here's the plan. Azura, I'd like you to work on speed. You've been making really good progress and I want to keep it going. Blaze, you're going to work with me on Mach Punch and Low Kick. I think expanding your fighting repertoire will help us adapt when we cross someone like Roark who is resistant to your fire moves."

Without further ado, Milo and his team fell enthusiastically to their work. The young Trainer was pleased to find that in training alongside his Pokémon, he himself was quickly improving his mental sharpness and alertness as well as his physical shape.

By the time they stopped for lunch, they had all worked up a sweat, but he felt readier than ever to get after it. He'd taken a battering from Blaze's new fighting moves, but he was more than happy to be pummeled if it meant Blaze got faster and stronger.

Nurse Joy greeted the young man when he got back to the Pokémon Center and immediately took him to a back room, where she'd arranged a small presentation with tips on Egg care for beginners.

"Alright, Milo, we'll start with this today, and in a couple days, you'll be ready for the more advanced nuances of Egg care. I'm going to need you to pay close attention because the crash course I'll be giving you is meant to take almost a month, and I plan to get through it in a week or less. Okay?"

Flushed with anticipation, Milo was eager to begin, "Yes, absolutely. I'll be writing everything down, too, so I can refer back to it after I leave."

Joy smiled at her enthusiastic new student, "Good, I'm glad to see you taking this seriously. Let's start with temperature…"

For a solid hour, Milo was bombarded with a myriad of facts, tips, and instructions from the knowledgeable Joy. Afterwards, he returned with his team to the old mine for afternoon training. Keeping himself constantly busy, Milo found that the day flew by, and the next day did the same, in much the same fashion.

On the third day after his Gym battle, something - or rather, someone - interrupted Milo's new daily rhythm as he was getting into afternoon training.

"Okay, Blaze, again. Make sure that Low Kick isn't too predictable. Remember to build plenty of momentum before launching that slide, otherwise they'll see it coming and jump over. Alright-"

"Shadow Ball!"

Instinct took over as Milo screamed "DOWN!"

Blaze obeyed unquestioningly, hitting the deck in the blink of an eye as a massive Shadow Ball attack flew mere inches over the alert Monferno's head.

"Flame Wheel!"

"Ferrrrrnoo!"

Blaze charged forward fearlessly to close the distance between himself and the mystery attacker, when Milo heard a familiar voice call, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, joke over!"

Recognizing immediately what had happened, Milo called off the attack, "Stop, Blaze, stop, it's alright!"

Warm laughter came from the surprise attacker and Milo jumped out to greet the newcomer;

"Marcus!" Milo berated his brother with a joking smile, "What the heck, man! You could've really wrecked Blaze there! What are you doing here, anyway? And hey, Absol's here! Haven't seen you in a long time, pal!"

After greeting the grateful Disaster Pokémon, the young Trainer shared a firm embrace with his older sibling, who chuckled again as he responded,

"Hey little bro, how goes it? I'd hoped I would find you still in Oreburgh, I was afraid you'd left for Eterna already!"

"Nah, I'm gonna be here in Oreburgh for a while yet. This is a good spot for training, plus I'm taking an Egg care crash course with Nurse Joy."

Marcus was dressed as he usually was, with a tight fit, long sleeved black button up shirt, untucked at the bottom, over snug brick red long pants and black shoes. His dark hair swooped neatly across his face, completing his understated sharp look which highlighted his athletic physique. The first-ever Dark type specialist Gym Leader stuck his hands in his pockets and asked,

"Egg care? Did you find an Egg somewhere? Gotta be careful man, there's a bunch of regulations about that kind of thing."

"Breee!"

A Dark Pulse burst down the rocky passage as Azura bolted around the corner, having heard the noise of the earlier surprise attack.

"Sol!"

Absol jumped to defend, as Azura screamed into Milo's mind,

Duck! I'm throwing a Shadow Ball!

NO! Wait, Azura, stop! It's my brother!

Azura stopped immediately and looked again, before recognizing Marcus from her first day with Milo, when they left the JPTA. Realizing what had happened, she bowed her head sheepishly, but Marcus was quick to forgive,

"Hey, it's all good, Azura. I like your protective instinct, at least, and that Dark Pulse is coming along nicely. I'm already looking forward to seeing you at the Hearthome Gym."

"So why are you actually here, Marcus?"

Milo was, of course, happy to see his older brother, but the visit didn't have any obvious purpose.

"Let's head topside and I'll tell you."

Milo found Amaya, who was training one floor above him, and tried to introduce her to his brother.

"Amaya! Hey, Amaya! Amaya?"

She was completely engrossed in her training, as Coral and Granite worked on their most powerful attacks, landing them as accurately and consistently as possible. The small but intense girl watched carefully, with her signature black headphones clamped tightly over her ears. Milo had to go up and put a hand on her shoulder, which made her jump and let out a small scream, before realizing,

"AAAHH – oh, it's you. Dang it, Milo, what the heck? Don't do that. Who's this?"

"Well, you couldn't hear us, I didn't have much choice. This is my brother Marcus. He's the-"

"Gym Leader of Hearthome, right? I thought I recognized him. Milo, you never told me your brother was a Gym Leader, though!"

Milo embarrassedly put his hands in his pockets, "Yup. Well now you know. We're going up to talk, want to come?"

"Sure."

Amaya returned her Pokémon and followed the brothers to the surface. As they emerged into the afternoon sunlight they blinked a few times to readjust their eyes and began meandering back towards a local café.

Azura and Blaze decided they were exhausted and would rather go back and rest at the Pokémon Center. Milo knew it was also because they wanted to go care for the Egg.

"So, Marcus, what's up?" Milo was curious, "What brings you to Oreburgh?"

As their coffee was brought to them, Marcus smiled and explained, "Mostly I just came to congratulate you. These days, not many people get very far into an actual Gym challenge. I saw the video of both of your battles; I have to say I was very impressed."

"Thanks", answered Amaya, "that's cool to hear from a Leader."

Milo was a little tongue-tied. He absolutely adored his older brother; he'd grown up in Jubilife hearing the stories of his brother's victories as he rose through the ranks to prominence as a Dark-type specialist. It was still more shocking when the news dropped that Marcus, the young battling phenomenon, had been elevated so soon to the position of Gym Leader. As a Leader, Marcus had more autonomy and had visited his younger brother at the JPTA more frequently than the rest of Milo's family. For young Milo, Marcus' visits were pure gold. He was almost walking on air every time his brother, the Gym Leader, would show up just to hang out with him. Now, hearing Marcus' congratulating him on a well-fought battle, the same boyish pride swelled in his chest.

"I was interested to see your style, Milo", commented the Dark-type specialist, "not many people have the confidence to rely on speed these days. To pull that off you have to really trust that your Pokémon have enough in the tank, you have to know them extremely well, and you did it perfectly."

"Honestly", replied Milo, "I based it a little bit off of some of your battles with Absol."

"Is that so? Well, I'm honored. I wanted to give you guys a warning, too."

The two Trainers looked quizzically at one another before Milo asked the obvious question, "A warning? What kind of warning?"

"When you make the kind of noise that you two did with your victories over Roark, a lot of people notice; people with a lot of influence. For one, you can bet all the Gym Leaders have watched and analyzed those videos, so they'll be ready for you. You may also find that the further you go into your Gym challenge, the more trouble you have finding privacy. I'd think you'll be fine on the road, but if you keep this up, media and reporters will be all over you whenever you enter a major city."

"Seriously?" Milo was rather concerned, "I know Gym challengers are rare, but do you really think we'll have that much trouble?"

"I've already been interviewed twice about your battle. People apparently want to know what I think of my little brother taking the Gym challenge, how far I think you'll get, etc."

Marcus had explained very nonchalantly, but he looked directly at Milo as he did.

"Wait", asked the younger of the two brothers, "are you serious? Dang… I didn't think people would make such a big deal out of it. I mean, we've only got one badge, what's the fuss about?"

"Well, you're the first ones this year to declare some intent to take on the Gyms; naturally the media would get excited. You're giving them work. Plus, they've seen the videos. They know as well as we Leaders do that it's not just the fact that you beat Roark, but how you did it that's a big deal. You absolutely took him to school, both of you."

"I…I just didn't think that…"

Marcus smiled understandingly. His brother was a naturally talented battler, but had a lot to learn about dealing with public scrutiny.

"Hey, don't worry too much. The major media players will probably wait until you have a few more badges, to make sure you're the real deal. So you'll have time to adjust before they really come after you."

"Thanks, I guess…"

Milo's eyes were downcast, but Amaya seemed unaffected,

"That's kind of cool. People all over Sinnoh will see what we can do. I'm alright with that."

They talked a while longer, and as afternoon faded towards dusk, they stood, paid, and left the café. As they did, Marcus put a hand on his brother's shoulder and said,

"Hey, Milo, there's something else I wanted to-"

CRASH!

Piercing alarms exploded from the direction of the Pokémon Center, where the loud crash had come from, and Azura's voice rang loud and panicked in Milo's brain,

MILO, THE EGG! THEY'RE BACK!

Without hesitating, Milo took off sprinting, hours of training falling from his shoulders as adrenaline ran like fire through his whole body;

"The poachers are back, they're going after the Egg!"

Immediately, Marcus and Amaya took off behind him. Amaya couldn't really keep up, but Marcus ran lightly next to his brother, his brain whirring as he thought five steps ahead like only an experienced Leader could;

"I've got Absol and Houndoom with me; they should help if we're dealing with the same Espeon and Ariados."

Within a minute the two brothers arrived, just in time to see a scratched and bruised Blaze bravely hurl both his body and a Flame Wheel at a very angry-looking Espeon. Both of Milo's Pokémon were covered in small wounds and bits of spider string, and Azura was having trouble keeping the Ariados at bay. They were just barely managing to keep their opponents from the Egg, which for now lay safely behind the line of fierce defense Milo's team was holding.

"Absol, Houndoom, get in there!"

Both of Marcus' Pokémon appeared with ferocious roars, sending the two enemies scuttling backwards in momentary fear and confusion.

"Houndoom, chase them out, Fire Fang! Absol, use Pursuit, clear them out right now!"

"Azura, give us one more Dark Pulse, I know you can! Blaze, give them a Blaze Kick to force them back out the way they came!"

The unexpected reinforcements, combined with the retaliatory onslaught, served to scatter Espeon and Ariados immediately. Espeon crashed into the wall from the impact of Absol's Pursuit, and Ariados was putting out flames and burns on its body as it climbed frantically out the window. Espeon recovered swiftly and jumped out after it, and Team Rocket's Pokémon were gone as quickly as they had come.

Breathing heavily, Milo and Marcus looked at each other and then at the Egg, which still sat safely in Milo's pile of clothes. Then they broke into big smiles,

"We did it! Thanks, Marcus!"

They high-fived, and even the cool, collected Marcus was pleased with their success,

"Heh, yeah, we did it."

Blaze and Azura made their way through the wreckage of the room to their Trainer, and Milo wrapped them both in a huge embrace,

"You guys saved our little teammate; you did such a good job. I'm so proud of you."

Around this time, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy came bursting through the door. Milo realized it had only been a few minutes since the alarms first went off. The two women must have come as fast as they could, but he and Marcus had already dealt with the intruders.

It took another couple hours for the hubbub to subside. The police, Nurse Joy, and local news all wanted a thorough explanation of what had happened and why, incident reports had to be filed, etc. Amidst the commotion, Marcus took a second to whisper in his brother's ear,

"Hey, Milo, I want to talk to you when this finally wraps up, alright?"

"Okay. What about?"

"…You'll see."

It was past dinner when peace and quiet was at last restored. Milo had been given a new room for the remainder of his stay in Oreburgh, and had almost instantly become a minor celebrity, as stories of his 'heroic actions' hit the local news broadcasts.

"Let's go for a walk, bro."

Marcus stood up from the couch in Milo's new room and motioned towards the door.

"Yeah, alright. Give me a sec…"

Milo finished tying his shoes and stepped out with his older brother into the cool nighttime breeze.

"So", Marcus wasted no time getting to the point of this conversation, "I have another reason for being here. Something I couldn't really talk to you about in front of Amaya."

Milo's brain was immediately racing, "Wait, what? It's not mom or dad, is it? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing like that, Milo, it's a good thing. I'm here in part because I've been sent to recruit you."

"Recruit me? To what?"

"I am part of a secret organization, Milo" As the young Trainer's mouth flew open to ask the first of many questions, his brother put up a hand to preempt him, "I know that sounds sketchy, so let me explain; this isn't any kind of criminal organization, just the opposite. We work from behind the scenes to preserve society as it is, protect it from those who would otherwise manipulate it. We maintain balance between control and chaos."

"So, you're like vigilantes?"

Marcus chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, "Umm, not exactly. It's tricky to explain. We're strictly covert, but we have members at all levels of society and government who ensure that we are invisible and unhindered in our operations. This is crucial, since the people we fight against are just as secret as we are."

"Wow…That's heavy stuff, man… Are you sure about all this?"

Marcus smiled as he recalled exhibiting the same apprehensions at his own recruitment year ago. He moved to reassure his younger brother as best he could,

"I was nervous when I started too, Milo, but I promise you can back out at any time if you decide it's too much."

"What is this super-secret group even called, Marcus?"

"We are the Order of Shadows."

"Well, there's a creepy name if ever there was one. What can you tell me about it?"

Marcus looked around a bit before answering, to make sure they wouldn't be overheard or interrupted. They were on the outskirts of town, so Marcus decided they should be secure.

"Are your Pokémon with you? They should hear this. Especially Azura."

"Yeah…" Milo took out his two Pokémon, and Marcus launched into his explanation.

"The Order of Shadows recruits powerful Trainers who have a very strong connection to one or more Dark-type Pokémon. Since you have Azura, and you and your team have already accomplished so much in such a short time, you qualify."

"Okay, but-"

"Wait", Marcus held up a hand, "let me finish. Let me give you some context. The Order of Shadows is one of three secret organizations in the Extraordinary Forces Trifecta. Our primary job, like I said, is to keep balance between absolute order and complete chaos. To that end we use a set of ancient Dark relics that have given us power for centuries."

"Power? What kind of power?"

In response, Marcus winked slyly, and extended his hand. A ball of Dark energy formed in his palm. To Milo's amazement, his older brother turned and hurled the energy into a nearby tree, blasting it into oblivion.

"That kind of power", said the Gym Leader, "Ever heard of Aura?"

"You mean like Aura Guardians and all that? Is that what that was?"

"That was Dark Aura. The effect is almost exactly the same, but its essence is the exact opposite of traditional Aura. If you choose to join us, I have a relic with me that will grant you that same power."

Milo's mind had too many questions, and he could only manage a stunned silence as his brother continued,

"There are two other organizations that make up the Extraordinary Forces Trifecta, or the EFT; both are just as old and secretive as our Order. The first is the PsyForce Tribe. As you might guess, they specialize in Psychic powers, and all their initiates are given psychic abilities comparable to that of a standard Alakazam."

"An Alakazam? That's insane, how could they all be that strong?"

"Just as we have relics that bestow power on those we deem worthy, they have a crystal that imbues those who touch it with that kind of power. We however, as possessors of Dark Aura, are immune to their effects, just as our Dark type Pokémon are immune to their Psychic type moves."

"But what do they do that makes them your enemies?"

"The PsyForce Tribe is completely bent on establishing absolute order. They don't want to be in charge directly, their aim is to prop up puppets and agents so that they can control everything in the world from behind the scenes. They will also take any chance they can find to harm us. There is only one thing they hate more than us."

"I'm guessing that's the third organization in the EFT?"

Marcus chuckled, amused at how fast his brother was coming around to the revelations he was presenting, "That's right, Milo, very good. The last organization is the Spirit League. They are wielders of ethereal, otherworldly energy based around Ghost type Pokémon. They are the dead opposite of the PsyForce Tribe. They are the most dedicated and intelligent anarchists the world has ever known – or not known, as it were. They desire to tear down all order and give the world over to total chaos."

"And do they have powers they get from relics, like the other two?"

"Right again. They control a very powerful primal spirit that bestows ghostly power on those that absorb a small part of it into themselves. We are not immune to them, but we are still more resistant to their powers than most."

Marcus finally stopped talking and just watched Milo process everything he'd just said. After a short pause, Milo took a short breath, set himself, and said, "That's everything, then? That's all you have to tell me?"

"That's about all of it. I know it's a lot. What do you think?"

"You sure make the Order of Shadows sound noble, the whole 'balancing between chaos and order' thing seems like a good deal… Is it really as big as it sounds? I mean, what would I expect if I decide right now to join up?"

"Good questions. Honestly, yes, the fight we fight is truly as big as I told you. You know me; I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't worth it. As for what would happen to you, here's the low down: I give you the power of Dark Aura right now, no questions asked. After that, I would be your primary point of contact. You can continue on your journey just as you had planned, and whenever a mission comes up for you, it will be relayed to me and I will in turn brief you. You use everything at your disposal to complete the mission and then your time is once again your own. It's that simple. So; are you in?"

Milo was faced with the choice at last. Was he in or not? He couldn't decide; it just seemed too big for him… But one look at his older brother made up his mind. Marcus, his lifetime idol, the one person whose judgment he trusted above anyone else, had offered this to him and given him a personal guarantee. This was legitimate, and they had sought him out because they thought him worthy. Who was he to argue when Marcus asked him personally?

"…I'm in. Let's do this, Marcus."

"Yes!" Marcus wrapped him in a strong embrace and then took a deep breath, "I really was hoping you'd accept. Now we're in this together. Alright, hold out your left hand, let's make it official."

Milo held out his left hand and watched carefully as Marcus produced an ordinary-looking smooth black stone from his pocket.

Milo, Azura sounded overwhelmed and in awe, that stone is…that's the most powerful thing I've ever sensed! That stone has unbelievable Dark power!

Milo looked again, but it was just a smooth, black rock, small enough to fit inside a clenched fist. Then Marcus closed his eyes and seemed to focus on something. The rock began to glow with a black aura similar to the one Azura produced when she used her special abilities. A symbol shone eerily white in the middle of it; like a yin-yang shape with a line straight through the middle of it.

Milo flinched as he felt something move towards him that he couldn't see. His outstretched hand suddenly felt very warm, and he saw a tendril of energy loop itself upward around his arm, slowly encircling his whole body with Dark energy. The world around him disappeared as he was enveloped in the power of the stone's Darkness. It seemed to infuse him, and permeate through his whole being. After a few seconds, his left hand burned intensely and the darkness that had surrounded him collapsed inward and rushed inside of him, leaving him standing once again in the open night air just outside of Oreburgh.

"Whoa."

"Feels weird, right?" Marcus asked.

Milo looked around again, and his eye caught the small stone that had given him his new power. He was shocked to see a massive and powerful aura emanating from it, throwing off waves of Dark Aura.

"Holy cow! Azura, is that what you're seeing too?"

Yes. That's the amazing power this thing possesses. That must be one of the oldest and most powerful Dark relics in existence.

"So", Milo hesitantly asked, "how do I use this Dark Aura stuff?"

"It takes practice", Marcus shrugged, "but essentially you just think about and…well, you just sort of do it. Here, give it a try."

Milo focused on a mental image of what Marcus had done earlier, and held out his left hand. He gasped as a ball of roiling Darkness formed in his palm. As his concentration broke the ball dissipated harmlessly, leaving as quickly as it had come. The young Trainer turned his hand over to find the glowing insignia he had seen in the stone now burned white into his hand, fading slowly as the power left his palm.

"See what I mean?" asked Marcus, "It'll feel weird for a while, but if you practice diligently I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. Once you figure it out you can do pretty much anything you can imagine with your Dark Aura power. One thing in particular; you can use a Dark version of telepathy with Pokémon who trust you."

"That's nothing new, I already talk to Azura."

"Correction; you talk to her through her mind, using her power. She connects to you. Now, you can connect to her or any of your other Pokémon using your own power."

"Ferno?" Blaze was curious. He'd been so quiet that Milo had almost forgotten he was there listening. He looked quizzically at Milo, wondering if he could now speak with his Trainer without using Azura as an intermediary.

Milo was unsure how such a thing might work, but Marcus waved him on, silently urging him to try. So, with a deep breath, Milo stretched out his mind towards Blaze. To his utter shock he did indeed feel a connection, and Blaze's eager voice soon came through;

Milo? That's you, right? It's really working? This is amazing!

Milo laughed aloud in wonderment. He could really use his very own telepathy to communicate with his partners. Unbelievable…

Yeah, buddy, it's me. This is…wow. I never thought this could be possible.

Now we can talk whenever, right?

Yeah, Blaze, we can talk all the time. I'll bet you can't wait to be a little chatterbox!

Milo and Blaze broke out in childish giggling, elated at their ability to communicate like never before.

"I'll take that to mean it's working", Marcus commented, "but now it's getting late. I'll want to talk to you again in the morning, but for now we should head back, yeah?"

"Yeah…yeah, I guess so."

So much had happened; Milo's head was in the clouds as he walked with Marcus back to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had no problem with Milo sharing his room, so Marcus threw his stuff on the floor and collapsed on the couch. The two brothers shared some mild conversation about family, Milo's journey, and Pokémon training in general before both of them drifted quickly to sleep.

Chapter 7 Thoughts: So here's Marcus, I do enjoy him, he's chill. Also, this is the dramatic entrance of the Order of Shadows and the EFT! What did you think of the exposition? There's plenty more info about the Order to come, but I didn't want to bog down one chapter with a massive stuff-dump. 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!