Author's Pre-Notes: I don't usually put these at the beginning, but I wanted to catch you now to ask you to please read the longer-than-usual notes at the end, for the good of the story!
Milo Chapter 14 – All's Fair
"Remember his follow through, Blaze! The follow through! There you go, perfect!"
"Woohoo! Keep at him, Zexon! You'll get him soon!"
The afternoon sun shone down pleasantly on Milo and Kara as they rested by a stream in the middle of Route 206. The refreshing breeze washed over a training bout between Kara's Scizor and Milo's Monferno, who were becoming fast friends and rivals on the battle field. Blaze's type advantage and raw speed usually won out, but Zexon had unbelievable determination, and his will to win and capacity for taking hits often flummoxed Blaze's efforts to score an efficient victory.
Amaya, as usual, had gone off with her team for more 'serious training', which essentially meant she didn't feel like being around people just then. A short ways away, Azura and Verdante, Kara's Leafeon, were holding a nice conversation of some sort, while Aurora frolicked nearby. Drake, still learning to handle his new Gabite self, was helping Ferra improve on her agility.
As Milo let Blaze worry about his own training, his thoughts began to wander. He found that they couldn't seem to wander much farther than his new friend, who sat next to him smiling, hands wrapped around her knees, which were tucked into her chest. Her honey blonde hair fluttered picturesquely in the breeze as she grinned at whatever was going through her head. He replayed her story again in his mind, and a connection occurred to him;
"You know, Kara, I think there's someone in Eterna you might relate to pretty well."
"Yeah? Who?"
"Well", he stood and dusted himself, then offered Kara his hand to help her up, "I'll tell you when we get there; hopefully she's willing to share."
"Sorry to interrupt", Amaya was back, "but are we leaving soon?"
"Yes", Milo rolled his eyes as he answered, "I was just going to go find you. We should try and reach Eterna by late afternoon. Maybe we can meet up with Gardenia."
"Wait…the Gym Leader?" Kara asked, "Didn't you both already beat her?"
"Heck yeah, we did", Amaya answered with a proud smile, "but we know her kind of well. She's dating his brother Marcus."
"No! Really?"
Milo fed gleefully off of Kara's shock, "I know, right? It's on the down low, of course, but I love giving him trouble about it."
The three young Trainers laughed and joked the rest of the way to Eterna. Milo was relieved to see Amaya and Kara start to connect. It had been Amaya's idea to invite the Performer along, but Milo had still been concerned, given their huge personality gap. Still, they got along splendidly, and in what seemed like no time at all they strolled right through the southern entrance to Eterna City. They were on their way to the Pokémon Center to drop their things off when a familiar voice hailed them;
"Ahoy there! Milo! Amaya!"
They turned to see the unmistakably odd, Lucario-themed garb of Archibald Montgomery, the self-appointed Aura Protector of Eterna. The outlandish man bounded up to them and greeted Kara exuberantly;
"Ah, and here's the fairest flower in all of Floaroma! I see you've at last blossomed into the Performer you've dreamt of being! Is it everything you'd hoped for?"
"Uh…sorry", Kara was shocked, but recovered quite well, "I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Kara, but it seems you already know who I am. May I ask who you are?"
As Anubis, the silent and impassive Lucario, strolled up behind his Trainer, Ark Monty struck what he imagined to be a gallant pose and introduced himself;
"I am Archibald Montgomery, known throughout the Sinnoh Northwest as the one and only Aura Protector of Eterna City, and devoted Lucario enthusiast!"
"I see", Milo was amazed at how graciously Kara indulged the ever-flamboyant Ark, "In that case, Mr. Montgomery, it is my pleasure to meet such a distinguished Eterna citizen."
Milo chuckled as Amaya rolled her eyes, but Ark Monty continued, undeterred, "Ah, but the pleasure is all mine! Truly, your splendorous beauty is all the more breathtaking in person!"
Kara laughed brightly, and bantered right back, "Please, Mr. Montgomery, you flatter me. So, how do you know Milo and Amaya?"
With that subtle reminder, Ark seemed to remember why he had struck up the conversation in the first place, and gestured for them to walk and talk as he explained,
"Milo's Riolu brought us together, as it happens. I don't know how long you've been travelling together, but the story of her infancy makes quite the tale, if you've not heard it."
"I've told her all about Ferra", Milo cut in, "though I've actually got some news about that which will interest you; we went to the Lost Tower outside Solaceon and…Fenrir's spirit was there. We saw him, and he saw Ferra."
Ark Monty stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, gazing in awe at the news;
"Incredible…That must have been quite the experience for little Ferra."
"It was", Milo nodded somberly, recalling the emotional and unexpected event.
Recovering from the surprising news, Ark finally got to the point he'd originally wanted to bring up,
"As it happens, I saw your battles in Hearthome and Veilstone! I'm glad you've come back through here. I wanted to congratulate you in person; Ferra has grown so much in such a short time! She truly is her father's daughter, and Anubis and I are as proud of you both as anyone else."
Milo had assumed that Ark would be joining them for dinner, but as they approached the Pokémon Center, he suddenly dashed away, claiming there was 'important work' for him that couldn't wait any longer. As he left, the three young Trainers looked at one another and cracked up. Kara voiced the thoughts they all shared;
"Well, he's…interesting, to be sure."
"Yeah", Milo smiled, "great guy, really genuine, but he's absolutely an oddball."
"Not to mention his Lucario obsession", added Amaya, "I mean, who dresses like a Pokémon all the time?"
The trio dropped off their things in a room at the Center provided by the eternally helpful Nurse Joy, and meandered towards the Eterna Gym to see whether Gardenia was open to hanging out for a while.
As it happened, fate had yet another adventure in store for them. While they were still a block from the Gym, passing through the restaurant district, the Grass-type Leader herself walked out, in the company of a certain Hearthome Gym Leader to whom Milo was related…
"Hide, quick!" Milo hissed at his friends, shoving them, and himself, into an alleyway before peeking out. The brand new couple was walking down the street, arm in arm, away from them. This was Milo at his most devious. He grinned at his two travel companions and whispered,
"This must be the date they bet on! C'mon, let's follow them; I want to see how it's going!"
"Seriously?" Amaya was unimpressed, "I feel zero need to do this."
"Shh, Amaya stop whining. Come on, let's go!"
Milo had that feeling of pure mischief in his blood as he led Amaya and Kara from one building to the next, slinking down the Eterna city streets. He'd thought perhaps the unsuspecting couple would head back to the Gym, which would be quite boring, but to his delight they detoured to a secluded hilltop just outside the city. Amaya, who hadn't really been into it from the start, immediately said,
"Yeah, this is too romantic for me. I'm out, see you guys later."
Milo stuck out his tongue at her as she left, but was undeterred. As the two Gym Leaders sat to watch the sun set behind the city, he picked up some of their conversation;
"Speaking of Sunnyshore", Gardenia looked at Marcus with a warm smile, "have you heard from your family recently?"
"No", Marcus replied offhandedly, "but I know they'd call with any big news, so I'll just wait a week and get in touch if I haven't heard anything. Besides, they'll probably call and want to rave when Milo beats Wake. They always do, and we both know he'll trash Wake's Gym team. How about your sisters? Any word on how Viola's Gym renovations are going?"
"She's really excited about it; they seem to be going well. Actually", Gardenia turned again to face her new boyfriend with a nervous look in her eyes, "I wanted to ask you about this. She…she's so excited about this new look that she wants me to go see it. She wants to battle me – publicly – as the grand reopening of her Gym."
Marcus returned her look with one of hope, his arm coming up around her shoulders. The two shared a moment before the Hearthome Leader said, "Dee, that's so exciting, isn't it? That's such a good sign, maybe they're finally willing to put the past behind them!"
"Thanks, Marcus", Gardenia's voice was tired and soft, and she buried her head in his chest, "I'm excited too, but I'm also nervous. We've talked for years, but it's been so long since we've done anything together as sisters…what if it doesn't go well? What if we start arguing again, or she really just wants to show off or-"
"Hey, hey, it's okay", Marcus stroked her hair gently, "if you want, I'll go with you, for support. I think what you're imagining is worst case scenario, there's every chance it'll go perfectly well."
"…How do you always know what I need to hear?"
In the trees behind this whole scene, Milo's face exploded into a huge smile. This was pure gold, seeing Marcus play the role of consoling, supportive boyfriend. A little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he was completely ignoring Kara.
He turned to see the young Performer just as mesmerized as he was, until she felt his gaze and caught his eyes with her own. Milo only intended to take a moment to make sure she didn't mind staying, but his words caught in his throat. Suddenly all the little pieces clicked together; he and Kara were hidden together…watching a romantic scene…as the sun set over the trees…casting the last of its rays perfectly into her hair…making it shimmer in the magical evening night... The young man felt his heart speed up and his brain go fuzzy. Her eyes were such a brilliant shade of blue…
Milo? Aurora released herself at that exact moment and leaned against Milo's leg, Can we eat soon? I'm really hungry.
Aurora! Azura followed her out, trying to remove the oblivious young Pokémon before the moment came crashing to an undignified end, Aurora, come with me, let's go find some food out here, come on! Quickly!
"Milo?" The two Pokémon bounded off, but it was too little too late. Marcus had heard the Pokéballs opening, and barged in to find Milo and Kara staring quite deeply at one another.
"What the hell are you doing here? Who is that?" He turned to Kara, "Who are you?"
"Marcus! Ah! Uh-"
"-I'm Kara…"
"Yeah, that's Kara. We were just, umm…"
Milo was spared the indignity of coming up with some shambolic excuse by Gardenia's tinkling giggle as she joined the awkward scene.
"Wow", she laughed, "this is too good! Look Marcus, they tried to spy on us and it turned into a double date! Hahaha!"
"A double WHAT?" yelled Milo. The young Jubilife Trainer was growing exponentially more flustered by the second, as everything spiraled out of control at once.
Marcus picked up on the situation and abandoned his anger in favor of smug confidence. As an act of instant older-brother-style retribution for Milo's intrusion, he heaped further embarrassment on his younger sibling and turned the tables on the would-be date crashers;
"Hmm, looks like you're right, Dee. I don't even think he realizes they're holding hands."
Milo's gaze flicked down and he found to his horror that he was indeed clasping Kara's hand quite tightly in his own. His head shot back up to see her bright red face looking nervously at him, and he let go immediately. He missed, by chance, the flicker of disappointment that momentarily shadowed her face as he turned to face his older sibling again.
"Milo", Marcus began smoothly, "I do believe you've embarrassed yourself enough for one evening. Now escort this young lady back to the Pokémon Center like a gentleman on a proper date. Be warned; if you ever crash one of our dates again I will sic Absol on you. On the spot."
Wordlessly, Milo and Kara turned to leave, but they had hardly begun walking off when Gardenia called after them;
"Ah, wait a moment! That's not very date-like is it? A real gentleman would offer the lady his arm, or hold her hand, don't you think?"
Marcus agreed with as much false propriety as he could muster, "Why, that's true! Come on, Milo, do it right. Offer your arm, there you go…"
With seething anger, unspeakable humiliation, and heart-pumping nervousness all combining to short-circuit his brain, Milo could only tremulously proffer his arm, his face red as a Razz Berry.
He didn't know quite what to make of Kara, who delicately placed her arm without hesitation in his and gave him a small smile before they were at last allowed to leave by the older couple, who were all but beside themselves with laughter.
They walked in complete silence, arm in arm, all the way to the Pokémon Center. Only when they reached the door of the room Amaya had reserved for their group did he eke out a few words;
"I'm…really sorry about that. I'm so sorry."
Her face was almost as red as his, but she smiled anyway. She shyly tucked her hair over her ear, and answered quietly, "Don't be sorry…it's okay. It was kind of funny, really. Memorable, at least...even nice."
"…yeah, I guess so."
They both stood there, the pause between them growing as neither moved to open the door. After a few seconds, Milo bit his lip and reached for the handle, but was stopped by Kara, who flung her arms around him in a surprise hug. It lasted only a second, before she released the (again) bewildered Milo and opened the door, bounding in cheerfully;
"Hey, Amaya! Sorry we were gone so long, we kind of got caught."
"Figures", came Amaya's typically disinterested reply from within the room, "what's up with Milo? Is he just standing out in the hallway?"
"Hmm? I guess. Marcus chewed him out pretty good, his brain's probably still cooling down. He almost set his Absol on us."
"I'd pay to see that. Well, whatever. I got you two some food."
Milo blinked at the mention of food, and was at last able to numbly enter the room and grab the plate that Amaya pointed out to him.
"Thanks."
"No problem, robot Milo", smirked the ever-sassy Twinleaf native, "Let us know when you're capable of meaningful human interaction. Serves you right for spying on two Gym Leaders like an idiot."
Milo ate his lukewarm dinner and said nothing, still attempting to process the mental and emotional shredder he'd just been put through. After a while, Azura and Aurora returned, and the young Eevee approached her Trainer cautiously, head down, a guilty expression on her face;
Hi, Milo. We found our own food. I…I'm sorry I messed up your special time with Miss Kara, I didn't know you really liked her like that.
Azura nudged her young teammate off into a corner like a child in time out, before sitting herself next to Milo and asking;
How bad was it? I'm sorry it got messed up…
Mentally, Milo finally started to unpack the wild turn of events.
I…have no idea what just happened…
He released the rest of his team, muttering to his two human companions, "I'm going to start letting them get settled."
Then he silently explained, one by one, the travesties and humiliations he'd been forced to endure, as well as his confusing emotional swamp. When he'd finished, Ferra crawled up his side and perched on his shoulder, asking innocently;
Papa, do you 'like' Miss Kara?
No! …Yes? Maybe? I – I don't know! That's the problem. I mean, I just met her!
So what? Blaze asked bluntly, Who cares?
Drake offered a rather bro-like explanation to his fiery teammate; Humans get weird about that kind of thing. They have lots of unwritten rules that muck it all up.
Blaze nodded sagely, as if everything were suddenly much clearer. Milo rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration;
It's not about…look, can we all just not talk about this right now? I told you all what happened, so there. Let's agree to drop it.
He cast his eyes about for something to change the subject, and noticed Aurora still sulking in most un-Aurora-like fashion in the corner.
Azura, did you ground her or something?
The shiny Umbreon sniffed primly, and replied;
Yes. Until either you or I give her permission she has to sit there and think about how she's going to be more careful in the future.
What? Milo raised an eyebrow at his first partner, before addressing the droop-eared Eevee;
Come on out, now, Aurora, I forgive you. No harm done.
In an instant, the young Pokémon bounded over to her Trainer, her face once more aglow with its usual childlike zeal as she settled into Milo's lap.
-o-
"Are you ready yet?"
"Chill, Amaya, give me five more minutes. Floaroma's not running away."
The next morning brought a bit of déjà vu to Milo; Amaya was rushing him as he double checked the group's supplies before leaving Eterna. Just like last time, the Pokémon had swarmed the training field outside and were running through some of their favorite drills and games. This time, the field was a bit more crowded; since they last visited Eterna, Milo had added (and evolved) Drake, and Amaya's Gastly, Spirielle, was a newcomer as well. It occurred briefly to Milo that he still hadn't seen her in a real battle setting.
Kara was out there with her three Pokémon as well. Her team got along splendidly with Milo's, for the most part. Azura and Verdante (Kara's Leafeon) were becoming fast friends, and both enjoyed playing with and corralling Aurora. Zexon and Blaze's friendship was blossoming into a healthy rivalry, and the Froslass…well, she didn't do much at all, except drift silently about in some kind of serene bubble, every inch the stereotypically removed Ghost-type.
He was at last satisfied that they were well-equipped for their day hike through Eterna Forest, so he gathered the metaphorical troops, and they headed out. They had just passed the last gate out of Eterna when something caught Milo's peripheral vision. High up on a rooftop to his left, a figure stood guard, looking down at them. Milo smiled to himself, and gave the figure a small nod. Ark Monty was seeing them off in his own unique, dramatic way.
Eterna Forest was, as before, dark and humid. Amaya wasted no time in pointing it out;
"Ugh. I hate getting through here. I'm drenched with sweat and we're literally just walking."
"I don't know", Kara was ever the optimist, "I think it has a certain mystifying ambiance to it."
"Yeah, that 'mystifying ambiance' is making my clothes stick to me."
Milo went ahead and pointed out the obvious; "To be fair, 'Maya, you chose to stick with a hoodie and sweatpants. Kara was smart enough to bring a tank top and shorts."
Amaya made as if she was going to make some kind of retort, but realized Milo was probably right, so she resorted to a silent scowl.
"Oh, look!" Kara graciously changed the topic, "A flock of Beautifly!"
She was right, a picturesque pack of the fragile Bug types fluttered by like something out of a fantasy movie or a travel postcard.
"You know", Milo recalled absentmindedly, "I've heard that as pretty as they look, they're actually pretty feisty when confronted. They actively shun flock members who aren't aggressive enough to stand up to the rest of the group. Like that one."
He pointed to one Beautifly that was lagging behind the pack. Each time it tried to rejoin its fellows, they beat it back with their wings. Amaya snorted;
"Hmph. Never would've thought those things had that much spunk. I guess I learned something today."
"Oh no, I feel so bad for it!" Kara was by far more sympathetic to the misfit Beautifly, "I wish we could help it somehow!"
Milo shrugged, "Well, I suppose you could catch it…"
At that, Kara's eyes lit up with excitement and determination.
"Milo", she demanded, "I know you've got some extra Pokéballs, loan me one so I can catch that Beautifly!"
Her tone was by no means rude, but the fire behind her normally calm blue eyes told Milo he had better comply, which he did.
"Verdante", called the young Performer, "help me out, we're going to catch that Beautifly! Grass Whistle!"
The Leafeon began to sing a soothing melody that got the attention of the loner Butterfly Pokémon. Cautiously, it fluttered down towards the unfamiliar sound.
"Okay, Verdante, now try a Charm", said Kara nervously. She'd never caught a wild Pokémon on her own before, and she didn't want to do it by force, if at all possible.
It seemed to be working, as Verdante's Charm was enough to lure the curious Bug type in closer. Here, however, was where Kara ran out of ideas. She faltered, and looked back at Milo, mouthing 'what should I do?'
He responded with a throwing motion, and pointed at her hand, the hand that held the empty ball. Taking a deep breath, Kara tossed the ball and crossed her fingers…
Miraculously, despite the fact that she had neglected to weaken or impair the Pokémon in the slightest, Kara's throw hit and captured the Beautifly almost immediately.
"Did it…it worked? It really worked? YES!"
The exuberant Performer immediately released her new companion and the Beautifly seemed most grateful to have been spared the humiliation of any further rejection by the rest of the flock. Milo consulted a guidebook he'd brought with him and found that the wing pattern and shape indicated that this was a female Beautifly. Kara wasted no time in naming her Madame.
Madame settled carefully on Kara's head as the group continued, and Milo couldn't help thinking that the Butterfly Pokémon made Kara look like some kind of otherworldly fairy princess. Kara's good mood lasted the whole way through Eterna Forest, making their passage much more pleasant than the irritable bickering mess that Milo and Amaya had become the last time through. When they reached the Floaroma edge, however, she started to hang back and look increasingly unsure of herself.
"Hey, Kara, you okay?" Milo was the first to notice her change in attitude.
"Yeah, I just…well, it's time to face my parents."
Amaya's brow furrowed as they came into view of Floaroma, "Won't they be impressed? I mean, you ran away to prove you could make it, and then you went and swept the Veilstone Showcases. So you proved it, case closed. Right?"
"I wish", sighed Kara, "but they probably won't see it that way."
"Hey", Milo's attention had been caught by the city in front of them, "what's with all the decorations?"
"Huh? Oh, wait, what's the date today?"
Kara checked her watch, and smiled, "That's right; the annual Petal Festival begins in a couple days! I almost forgot. Do you guys think we could stay for the festival? Pretty please?"
Amaya spoke first, "I'm cool with it. I'm sure Milo doesn't mind…" she added acidly, a sly grin on her face.
The young man in question glared at her before answering, "Yeah, I'm down for a festival. Sounds cool."
So it happened that, as the trio strolled into town in the early evening, the sunlight played brilliantly off the floral arches that stretched across all the major streets. Every shop was decorated thoroughly with a carefully themed floral display, even the places that had nothing to do with flowers (not even the Pokémon Center was left untouched).
Milo had never even imagined so many flowers of so many different types.
"Wow", he said, with his typical eloquence and grace, "Floaroma really deserves its name."
"Keep Blaze contained", advised Amaya, "or somebody around here might have a heart attack on the spot."
They all shared a laugh, and before too long Kara pointed them down a side street to a particularly well-decorated flower shop. The red brick building was a small and quaint, with an apartment above the shop.
"That's your house?" Amaya stated the obvious, "That's…a ton of flowers. How could anyone possibly keep track of all those?"
"Yeah", Kara agreed, "Dad tends to go crazy with the outside display around Festival time. Still, this is just the outside batch. There's a whole other display inside, plus the rest of the regular stock."
The young runaway stopped, and stared determinedly at the picturesquely green front door, framed with lilies on both sides.
"Alright, guys. I will do this. I can totally do this."
Not waiting for a response, Kara set herself and marched down the cobblestone path, past row after row of exotically colored, beautifully arranged flowers.
Knock, knock, she tapped on the door and the whole group waited in tense silence.
"Yes?" Kara's mother answered, a middle-aged woman who had aged marvelously. Her bright face was framed by somewhat wild brown hair as she exclaimed, "Oh! Kara, dear, you're back! Olan, honey, come quick! Kara's come home!"
"Uh, hi Mom…"
Thundering footsteps preceded Kara's father, a friendly-looking and rather stocky man who rushed down the staircase as fast as he could to see his daughter standing nervously in the doorway.
"Kara…" he got no further before he and his wife sprang forward together and wrapped their daughter in a fierce family hug.
Milo and Amaya shuffled awkwardly out of the way, as Kara's mom whispered softly;
"Oh we were so scared, my baby girl…so scared…"
"I'm just…", Kara's dad was hardly able to choke out a sentence, "I'm just so…so glad you're safe."
"Well", Kara's voice was wobbly as she fought back tears, "I'm home now. Just in time for the Festival."
Recovering some of his composure, Kara's father beckoned the three young people inside, "Come in, all of you. I…guess we have introductions to make and a good bit to talk about, hmm?"
Luckily, Kara's parents hadn't eaten dinner yet, so they made some extra food and all five of them sat down to eat. One would have thought that conversation would run itself, with so much going on, but after the necessary introductions, nobody talked.
After more than a few awkward moments, Kara's father at last gave a heavy sigh and a small chuckle, and began;
"Kara, I know you think we're about to blow up and be angry with you, but…really, your mother and I are just overwhelmed. When we realized you'd gone…I can't tell you how scared we were."
Kara looked up at her father, her eyes brimming as he continued with some difficulty;
"I – I can't say I'm happy about what you did, but I will say it made both of us realize just how much you really wanted this career as a Performer. To be honest, we thought it was more of a phase, like when you wanted to be a reporter, or when you had your heart set on being a Trainer. Now, I think we all know this dream is real."
"I...thanks, daddy. I really was sorry about leaving, I didn't want to", Kara's voice was small and sincere, "but I thought it was the only way I could get a shot at what I really wanted to do. I – I won two Showcases in Veilstone."
Kara's mother reached across the table to take her hand, "I know, dear! We saw them both! You and your Pokémon were fantastic!"
The family fell to discussing and rehashing Kara's victories, while Milo and Amaya had a silent conversation across the end of the table that went something like;
Milo, this is so awkward.
I know, just keep eating.
Yeah…I guess.
Eventually, Kara's father realized they had all but forgotten their two guests and made polite conversation, though he clearly didn't know much about Training. As dinner was wrapping up, talk shifted to the young trio's plans going forward.
"So, Kara", began her mother, "I presume that you'd like to continue travelling with your new friends?"
"Y-yes, Mom! That would be awesome! If they're okay with it, that is…we haven't really planned beyond getting back here."
Milo nodded enthusiastically, and Amaya smirked, "I'd kind of assumed that was going to happen anyway."
"That, my young friends", laughed Kara's mother, "is how plans are made."
-o-
The Festival was two days after the group arrived in Floaroma. Amaya, predictably, spent most of her time at the practice field behind the Pokémon Center, one of the few places in town that was still open enough for her team to train. Milo did some training as well, but was quite interested in helping prepare Kara's family's float for the Petal Parade, the biggest part of the whole Festival.
The young Jubilife Trainer had always assumed that it was as simple as chopping some of each flower, throwing them all together on a truck, and calling it a float. He soon learned just how wrong he was. As a matter of fact, the thought first occurred to him sometime around the third discarded layout plan for the float;
You know, he told himself, this is a whole lot more complicated than I'd have guessed.
He again realized his woeful ignorance after the fourth consecutive hour of carefully giving each flower a specifically measured amount of its own specific mineral solution. He was both relieved and proud when, the morning of the parade, they at last finished setting each of the small flower pots in the perfect spot on the float truck. He stepped back to admire the huge task they'd just finished.
Their float had a canopy that was the top of an arch (the sides were left open for visibility). The outside was lined on all four sides with flowers set up in diagonal color-coordinated stripes. Even the wheels each had a small and durable set of flowers fixed in the exact middle to rotate along as the float drove the parade route.
"Now that", said Kara's father, stepping back from this year's handiwork, "is a darn good parade float, if I do say so myself."
"You've outdone yourself, daddy", complimented the young florist-turned-Performer. Milo had learned over the last two days that Kara really did have a talent for her parents' trade, and probably could have rivalled even Gardenia in floral arrangement, but for her Showcase dreams.
"Why thank you. Wait until we get the Roselias dancing and throwing petals around the edges, not to mention our centerpiece of course!"
The centerpiece, in the bed of the truck, was the three youngsters. It had taken some convincing to get Amaya to agree to their plan, but Milo hoped it would be a fun experience for them all. Once Kara had divulged her friends' success and growing reputation as Trainers, her father had set upon the idea of featuring, in his words, "three of Sinnoh's brightest young blossoms" in his very own Petal Festival float.
At last, it was time for the parade to begin in earnest.
Their float was directly behind one of Kara's family's rival florists, and the expressions on the float in front of them paled when their masterpiece rolled up to take its place in line, with Milo, Kara, and Amaya front and center.
This year, as it happened, Gardenia was the MC for the parade, though she could only be present for the official opening due to her Gym duties back home, and before too long her familiar voice called down the line;
"Floaroma citizens, visitors from Sinnoh, and around the world! I give you the beauty and splendor of this year's annual world-famous Floaroma Petal Festival Grand Parade!"
Milo had been to his share of parades growing up, but this…this was a whole new level of pomp and circumstance. The parade route was miles long, and he, Amaya, and Kara got massive cheers every inch of the way. They had brought candy and thousands of small flowers to throw to the people lining both sides of every street, and their Pokémon drew huge attention as well. Azura, Verdante, and Terrus were out with their Trainers on the float, and the crowd loved them.
Even Amaya was – eventually – taken up in the joy of the moment, waving and smiling to the packed-in thousands that screamed and cheered. The people loved the whole parade, of course, but the unexpected appearance of the year's best Rookie Trainers, and the local star fresh from her breakout in the Amateur Performance circuit, brought ecstatic screaming like nothing else.
When the parade ended, Amaya once again absconded to the training field ("I'm still learning how to adjust my style to work with Spirielle, I can't take a break for a flower festival"), leaving Milo and Kara to wander about the Festival proper.
After the fifth person greeted Kara on a first-name basis, Milo couldn't help asking;
"Do you know every single human being in Floaroma?"
She laughed and answered, "Well, most of them. It's not a huge city, after all. Oh, hi Mrs. Douly!"
Mrs. Douly was yet another florist, a kindly old woman with a small booth just off the city's main square.
"Kara, my dear! Goodness, how you've sprouted! I must say, you made a grand entrance in the parade this morning. Who's your young man, here?"
Milo's brow furrowed at the phrase 'your young man', but Kara took ahold of his arm before he could step away and answered,
"This is my new friend Milo. He's a Trainer; he's already earned three badges and won a tournament!"
"My, my", chuckled the old florist, "what the successful young couple you are. Well, don't let an old flower peddler like me keep you any longer. Go on, you two, enjoy the Festival!"
"Bye, Mrs. Douly!"
Milo waved halfheartedly as Kara pulled him by the arm off towards some new booth, almost certainly run by some other family friend of hers.
Amaya
Sure, the parade had been fun, once Amaya had warmed up to it. Being recognized always felt good. But she couldn't get distracted. With Milo off gallivanting about the Festival with Kara, now was Amaya's chance to push her team even harder. How else would she catch up to Milo's battling ability? She'd beaten him in practice matches, one-on-ones and two-on-twos and such, but she had yet to take him down in a real, competitive match.
"Alright, again", she called to her new Ghost type, "show me three Shadow Ball attacks."
Obediently, Spirielle the Gastly fired off a Shadow Ball from one end of the field, re-materialized on the opposite side, dodged her own attack, fired off a stronger one in return, then switched sides once more, dodged the second Shadow Ball, and loosed a third. For good measure, she shot a Sludge Bomb that hit the last Shadow Ball and cancelled it out magnificently.
"Nice! I can see the power increasing on those, and that was one hell of an accurate Sludge Bomb. We'll keep going after lunch, alright? I'm starving."
Feeling better about her progress with her newest team member, Amaya returned the Ghost and went back towards the Festival to find something to eat. She gladly stopped three times on the way to sign autographs, thinking to herself;
I could really get used to this. People actually know who I am, and respect what I can do.
She found a corner seat by herself in a quaint deli on Floaroma's brightly colored main plaza, and as she munched on her sandwich, she spotted Kara and Milo booth hopping.
She smirked as the pair of them stopped at a booth that sold flower-infused jewelry, a Floaroma specialty.
Dang, Milo, she thought, how can you be totally confident in a battle, but so, SO awkward the minute a hot girl wants to be around you?
There was no beating around the bush, as far as Amaya was concerned. She was by no means jealous, but she'd spent most of her school years surrounded by the 'pretty girls' and 'popular girls' (mostly because they respected her strength), and she knew that most of them would absolutely kill to have looks like Kara had.
Heck, Amaya chuckled to herself, if Performing doesn't work out, she could make it as a swimsuit model any day of the week.
Sure, the thought wasn't exactly super 'correct' or 'polite', but Amaya didn't much care. It was the truth, plain and simple.
Milo knows it, too, Amaya told herself, but he'll never admit it. Not on his own anyway. Maybe it's time for Amaya the wingman to step in…
As she finished her sandwich and paid, she watched with amusement as Milo bought one of the flower necklaces for Kara and placed it delicately on her.
Wow, noticed the Twinleaf girl, she's really good at that deep stare. Milo's face is redder than any of these roses. He must be blind if he can't read the signals here. Then again, it is Milo…
Still smirking, her head whirling with devious plans for her two friends, Amaya left her corner restaurant and made her way back to the Pokémon Center, where she had Spirielle resume training, this time with Leon's assistance.
"Okay, Leon, show me that Night Slash! Spirielle, I want you to…"
Milo
After a whirlwind of a day, the Festival came to a close sometime after dinner. He'd thought that perhaps things would wrap up around dusk, but no, the good people of Floaroma had simply turned on every possible lamp and kept right on going.
"Well", smiled Kara's father when they finally got back to the house, "if it isn't the talk of the Festival. You two have the entire town gossiping, if I understand correctly."
"Eheh…" Milo wasn't sure what to make of this, "It seems like we visited the entire town today with all the booths and shops we hit…"
Kara, unfazed, launched into the day's events, "Daddy, this year was one of the best Petal Festivals I've ever been to! Did you see the O'Hares? Their whole front display was foreign seeds grown right here in town! I had no idea Johtoan azaleas could even survive in Sinnoh!"
"I'd heard", answered her father, flexing his expertise, "it reminded me of what we did four years back. Still, everyone I talked to couldn't stop raving about our float. I've said for years now that the Festival has been more and more about shock and awe, so this year we pulled out all the stops, and I do believe we won the parade. You three were the stars!"
After spending all day looking at every type of flower imaginable, even Milo was able to join in on the conversation in bits and pieces. Still, he quickly exhausted his limited knowledge of the flower industry and fell to talking with Amaya about her day's training.
"Spirielle's coming along brilliantly. I think I want to use her against Wake. If I don't, she won't get a Gym battle until Byron in Canalave, because I'd be an idiot to use her against Marcus."
"Makes sense", Milo nodded, "Wake's a tough nut to crack. He has so much experience. Still, I think I'll throw Drake in, and maybe Blaze. Risky, but as long as I play it right, they'll be fine."
Amaya snorted, "Typical Milo. Throw in two Pokémon with direct weaknesses, but 'if you play it right', you'll still show Wake up somehow. I should be used to it. Say, Milo?"
"Huh?"
"I saw you and Kara at that jewelry booth this afternoon."
The Jubilife Trainer's cool demeanor immediately faltered, "Y-you what? Uh, what about it?"
"It would seem you and I need to talk about Kara sometime soon."
Author's Notes:
These will be much longer than I'm used to; please stay with me, I'll try to be concise.
General Business Items: Seems like this story has a rather small, and/or quiet readership. I'm not complaining, I won't sit here and whine or blackmail you into reviewing or anything, but I'll just put this out there, for the record: If nobody offers me opinions or advice, or asks questions, I can't improve the story, and I don't get to explain myself or my writing.
If I'm doing something poorly, I can't fix it if you don't tell me to. If I'm doing something well, I can't emphasize it if nobody says so. If you have a question about anything, anything at all, ask and I will answer you as best I can.
Again, if you'd really rather just read and not say much, that's fine too, I totally understand, no pressure.
Finally, if anyone has advice on increasing readership, I'm all ears. I'd love for more people to experience this story along with me and you (as cliché as that may sound).
This Chapter: Dear Lord, writing romance for me is like pulling teeth; that's why this took a while. It's all there in my head, but gah! Writing it out without being 500% cheese-fest stereotypical gag-worthy is surprisingly hard! So, how do you think I did? Did Milo and Kara make you want to puke, or say 'aawww'? Thoughts are appreciated!
Disclaimers and the Usual Stuff: Ark Monty came from LunarKnightArchangel (many thanks, my friend, Ark is a wonderfully useful character), and the other OC's are mine (all mine, mwahaha!), but I don't own Pokémon (duh). If you like this story, consider following/favoriting to keep track of it (and me). That way, more people might find it and enjoy it, too!
I really, seriously appreciate your reading my work, and I hope you enjoy it. Cheers, all! You'll hear from me as soon as I can scribble out another chapter!