Milo Chapter 16 – The Churning Tides
Amaya
Ding!
Amaya looked up as she heard the bell vaguely through the music blaring in her headphones. She'd been slouched against the seat of the train, staring blankly out the window without really seeing anything that passed by, lost in thought as she processed the events of the last few days.
Time to focus, she gave her head a shake, this is for Milo.
The train slowed as it pulled into the Sunnyshore station, and Amaya silently grabbed her bag and stood. It had been Jenks' idea for her to make the trip for the next leg of the Rookie Challenge, though it would be her first time travelling anywhere without Milo. She'd taken some convincing, not wanting to leave Pastoria until they knew for sure whether he'd pull through, but Jenks had reasoned with her that Milo would want her to go, and that she could try that much harder in honor of him. That had gotten through to her, and now here she was, stepping off the train in the aptly named Sunnyshore City, shading her eyes with one hand to look nervously about the train station for the people who were supposed to pick her up.
She didn't have to look for long. Even without the picture clutched anxiously in her right hand, she could've picked out Milo's family from a mile away; the resemblance was uncanny, even for immediate family members. Three people walked briskly up to meet her, the wife waving exuberantly while the husband flashed a calm, collected smile, leading their youngest child with a hand on her shoulder. As the other passengers pushed hurriedly past her to be about their business, Amaya made her way carefully towards them.
They met in the middle, and Amaya awkwardly proffered a hand,
"Umm, I guess you're Milo's family? I'm Amaya. Thanks for coming to get me."
The husband reached out and firmly shook her hand, introducing his family, "It's great to finally meet you in person, Amaya. I'm Alexander, this is my wife Zoe, and our youngest, Myrian."
Amaya made to respond, but someone around them whispered quite exaggeratedly;
"Holy cow, that's that Rookie girl! The one with the Milotic! Amaya, right?"
Within seconds, whispers, blatant stares, and forests of pointed fingers, spread through the train station like wildfire. Alexander gestured calmly to the exit nearest them;
"Why don't we talk more at the house, where we won't cause a spectacle, hmm?"
"Yeah, sounds good", Amaya usually didn't care about that type of thing, but in a strange city, with no landmarks or familiarity with her surroundings, she felt cornered by the sudden attention.
As they walked to the family's house, the young Myrian grabbed Amaya's hand merrily;
"You're Milo's friend?"
"Yeah", Amaya answered as sweetly as she could, "I know both of your big brothers."
Myrian stopped skipping and looked rather somberly up at the older girl, "Is…Milo gonna be alright? Did he wake up yet?"
Oh, geez, Amaya gulped, how do I answer that question to his 5-year-old sister?
"Uh, no, he's not awake yet, but…I hope he'll be okay eventually."
"…Oh."
She withdrew her hand slowly from Amaya's, and the Twinleaf native was terrified that she'd somehow said something wrong. The young girl's shoulders started to shudder, and her hands covered her face. She was sobbing quietly, and all Amaya could do was stutter, "No, I – please don't – it's okay…uh, I'm sorry? Don't cry…"
"It's not your fault", said Milo's mother kindly from behind the two girls, "it's been hard over the last few days, not being there, waiting to hear second or third hand news. She's taken it rather harshly. I think we're all just a bit frightened. Come here, my angel, it's all going to be fine. Milo will wake up soon. Shh, there now..."
She picked her daughter up and carried her for the remainder of the walk to the family's house. It was odd for Amaya to find that the house was actually quite small and modest. Somehow, she'd expected a family that produced a pair of prodigies like Marcus and Milo to live in some kind of posh suburb.
Instead, they had a small home in a row of rickety brick-front houses that shared walls, with no alleyways between them. Truthfully they were almost dingy, but the people they passed didn't seem to notice. It was a quite lively part of South Sunnyshore, with small, locally owned businesses and homes jumbled in together. It wasn't quite properly urban, but it definitely wasn't a suburb either. It had a thriving, happily chaotic feel to it.
"It's not much", said Milo's father, as he opened the door and showed Amaya inside, "but it's home. As long as you're here, what's ours is yours. You're part of the family now!"
"Thanks", Amaya was struck by their hospitality, "I really appreciate it."
"Of course, dear", smiled Milo's mother, "any friend of Milo's is welcome here. It must be a change to be in a place like this, after living so long in Twinleaf. It's not the biggest of places, is it?"
"Twinleaf? Heck no", Amaya laughed, "Twinleaf is still as tiny as ever. They haven't built a new building in Twinleaf for twenty years, and they're proud of that. I'm getting more used to big cities though, travelling with Milo. Jubilife was quite a shock the first time, though."
"Ah, those were the days", Alexander's eyes glinted. He was no doubt reminiscing some happy time gone by, "Travelling all across Sinnoh. I'll always say there's no finer region for a Trainer."
"Have you been to other regions?" Amaya was curious.
Milo's mother cut in, "Oh yes, Alexander had quite the career for himself before we settled down here. We used to travel together, before we had children. After Sinnoh, we got through Kanto, Hoenn, and Kalos before we came back home to Sunnyshore."
They fell to discussing Alexander's past career before moving to Training in general. Amaya found that, much like their two sons, both Zoe and Alexander could talk and talk and talk about battling without ever running out of things to say. Even little Myrian knew enough to contribute a thought here and there, though she seemed more interested in being a Performer (as she told Amaya over and over again).
Finally, after a hearty dinner, citing Amaya's morning check-in for the Rookie Challenge (not to mention Myrian's bedtime), Zoe suggested they all get some sleep.
Damion
Sunnyshore was, in many ways, the polar opposite of his hometown. Even the 'rough' parts of Sinnoh's southeastern peninsular city were a joke compared to the haunting streets of Veilstone's northern harbor district.
Damion smirked to himself at the thought, leaning on the balcony outside his cheap motel room. He was proud of himself just for getting here. He'd received an invite long ago, due to his semifinal appearance in Hearthome, but he'd had to save up quite a bit in small-time battle winnings to purchase his train ticket and the motel room.
He snorted, and stepped inside to reexamine the information he had about this leg of the Rookie Challenge. His brow furrowed at a notable omission. Amaya was listed as a competitor, but…no Milo.
What's that about? Is he 'too good' to battle us now? What a prick. Still, maybe I can actually talk to Amaya now…Man, she's hot. And feisty. I like that in a girl.
He shook it off for the time being and looked over the schedule. Check-in was tomorrow, but the battling wouldn't begin until the next day. The competitors spent the rest of check-in day training in a large facility where they could get a look at one another and get a rough idea of what their potential opponents would be like. This would be interesting, since many of them were the same rookies who had battled in Hearthome. It could be cool to see how much some of the others had improved.
He himself had done a lot of work since his last run-in with the Rockets in Veilstone, to prove them wrong as well as to ensure that he could protect himself if they attacked. His team had responded well, too. He was finally starting to get his feet under him as a Trainer, and carve out his own style. Amaya would surely draw the most attention, with her team's insane levels of sheer power, but perhaps he could start to make his own waves as well.
Amaya
The next morning, after Milo's family drove her to the check-in facility, she was given one field to herself in a corner of a massive indoor training space. Around her were the other competitors, each with their own fields. She'd never seen something like this, where they could all scope out one another's teams before the battling started. It presented an interesting chance to play some entertaining mind games.
Milo would be all over this, she thought to herself as she plunged her headphones on and released her team, he'd plan the hell out of every second of this thing.
She gave her head a shake. Thinking of what Milo would do in her place wasn't productive. If she was going to win it for him, she was going to win it her way. She had to focus.
No mind games for me. I'll go all out training today, and they'll all be scared as hell of fighting me before we even get going. Simple.
She pulled out all five of her team members, and the Trainers nearest her immediately took notice, before slowly returning to their own efforts.
"Terrus, Granite, you're in."
She smirked as her two most aggressive fighters lined up with twin roars of eagerness, and began pummeling one another as hard as they could.
Offering only the occasional word of guidance, Amaya watched approvingly as she thought. It was odd that five unrelated Pokémon could assimilate to her unique philosophy so well. Terrus and Coral, in particular, highlighted this difference perfectly. Coral had a stately elegance about everything she did. In and out of battle, she maintained an almost regal dignity fitting of her species. Terrus, on the other hand, would pick a fight with a rock, if he thought it looked at him the wrong way. Currently, he was getting the better of the only rock who dared look at him the wrong way. Type advantage was taking its toll on Granite though, so Amaya called an end, and a switch.
"That's good! Terrus, that was great work on your Energy Ball, it's really coming along. Granite, excellent, just think twice before you swing that Iron Tail. It leaves you open for a good while if you miss."
Looking over her remaining team members, she decided to give her two newest Pokémon a chance.
"Leon, Spirielle, let's go. Get after it! Leon, I want to see plenty of Crunches and Night Slashes, try and pin her down. Spirielle, you need to get focused!"
This was the constant struggle with a prankster Ghost-type like Spirielle. On her day, she was brilliant; she could strike ruthlessly from anywhere on the field at the drop of a hat, and she could play the status game as well, with moves like Lick, Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. Unfortunately, she didn't often like to get serious enough to be as effective as she could really be. As it happened, Leon was more or less the only one who could remain unfazed by the Ghost's antics in battle.
The rescued Luxio was rather like his Trainer. He buried a mountain of fiery passion behind a blank stare and a laser focused mindset. Terrus, Granite, and even Coral often became flustered and frustrated by Spirielle's constant joking around.
It's not hard to understand why, thought Amaya, as Spirielle went whizzing by her face, cackling manically as she dodged another Night Slash.
"Come on, Leon! Keep up the effort, but you have to put some thought into it, too! Don't hit where she is, hit where she's going! You can do it!"
Leon stopped for an instant, and his eyes flashed as he considered this new bit of advice.
"Lux", he gave a short bark and jumped forward, this time not directly at Spirielle, but off to the side. She dodged the other way gleefully, but now Leon was ready. He planted his feet and changed directions at light speed, landing an impressive Night Slash on a shocked Spirielle.
Amaya smirked as she congratulated Leon, "Great, but you know what's coming next! Get ready!"
Sure enough, Amaya's Gastly was at last motivated enough to stop aimlessly zooming around the field. She felt she'd been hit by a cheap shot, and now her pride was at stake. She instantly dropped the full force of a Shadow Ball on the offending Luxio, and the bout began in earnest.
Amaya let this continue until they'd both had enough. While they fought, she was careful to observe how each preferred to move. She knew that if she stuck to her single style, she'd soon hit a ceiling in terms of overall quality as a Trainer. She had to be able to adapt, and using Leon and Spirielle more often forced her to do just that. Her two newest Pokémon weren't the type to tank hits and counter with massive blasts, like her other three.
She'd developed a new plan for Leon and Spirielle. It was still based mostly on raw power, but she tried to mix this with enough speed to reasonably dodge most serious attacks. Her aim was to develop a hit-and-run rhythmic approach. Stop long enough to launch the biggest attack possible, maybe take a small hit in the process, but then move before any significant damage could come through.
Hopefully we can show off the rhythm thing here at the Rookie Challenge.
Damion
Wow. He'd never get tired of watching Amaya work like that… He shook his head and tried to focus on his own business – Golbat was getting his butt kicked by Staraptor, but was slowly learning to defend himself – still, Damion's attention was drawn back yet again to Amaya's field, in the corner nearest him.
There was something undeniably sexy about her dangerous, explosive attitude, and her slim, elegant figure. And she hid it so well, too, with the ratty, rebellious-looking clothes…They'd be perfect together, he knew it. Unfortunately, she didn't get that. Yet. He held out hope that she'd see it his way in time.
He brought his mind back to his team's training just in time to see Golbat go down in an unceremonious heap. Predictable. Since Staravia's recent evolution to Staraptor, it had become easily his most reliable and powerful Pokémon. He was mostly thrilled to have a team member that shared his own brutal confidence and attitude. They actually got along fairly well now.
In fact, his relations with most of his team had slowly been improving since his mind-challenging encounter with the Rockets back in Veilstone. He'd resolved, mostly for his own benefit, to distance himself from the disdain for his Pokémon that had brought him too close to them in the first place. He had to be able to prove he wasn't like them.
"Alright", he called to his tired Flying types, "switch out. Let's get Machoke and Croagunk out."
He released his Fighting duo and instructed them briefly, "Listen up. Dodge if you have to, but let's focus on blocking in place, to open up a counterattack. Got it? Get to it."
He'd only recently caught his Croagunk, rounding out his full team of six. He felt somehow more solid having the full allotment of six Pokémon. It was silly, but he felt like it made him ready to get serious with his training. He'd picked out a style for himself and everything.
If life just keeps punching me in the face, I'll learn to be the best at taking hits and surviving. That's what I do. I survive. I'll always be ready to come back for more.
"Come on, Machoke", he screamed, "you can take that! Get back in there and hit him back! Yes, there you go! Again!"
Damion knew that he pushed his team farther than most, but he reasoned that this was the best possible way to maximize their stamina and endurance. If he wasn't giving up, they had to learn not to give up either.
"Up, Croagunk, you're done when I say you're done! Again!"
Amaya
All morning she struggled to keep her mind on her training. Milo's predicament was never far from her thoughts, and her concerns and anxieties threatened to prevent her from getting any productive training in at all. Finally, around lunch, she took a break, and sat herself down. Her team was resting too, but Leon sensed his Trainer's perturbed mind.
The Luxio padded over silently and stoically, settling himself passively against her leg where she sat staring out at nothing.
"Hey there", Amaya absentmindedly began stroking Leon's head fur, just the way he liked, "you've been working hard."
He looked up at her almost disdainfully, as if to say 'hey, quit the small talk. I know I'm doing well, and I know you're not okay. Out with it.'
She sighed. She didn't have Milo's gift of telepathy, but after all this time with her team, she knew how to interact with them fairly well nonetheless.
"…Sorry, pal. I know, I'm not feeling it like usual. I just can't get my mind off Milo."
"Luuu…", Leon understood well. They were all worried for their friend.
"It's weird to be here without him, you know? I didn't think it would make a difference, but I guess I miss him being here to push me."
"Lux, Luxio", Leon glanced pointedly over at where the rest of the team was lounging, then back at Amaya with a hard look.
"Yeah, you're right. We push ourselves. Maybe that's not it. I just…need him to wake up. I mean, Kara needs him, like, romantically…but I just need him to be Milo, you know?"
Leon had settled back down, and gave a mournful purr in agreement. He missed Milo as much as his Trainer, as well as Milo's team. He and Aurora had become fast friends, and truth be told he had something of a boyish crush on Azura. But, putting these petty reasons aside, they'd all grown to feel like a big team together. The fact that some were Milo's Pokémon and some were Amaya's Pokémon was all but irrelevant. They each had their rivalries within the group, and their best friends, but any one of them would fight until the very end for any member of the group.
Still, Leon thought, perhaps that was what they could prove here in Sunnyshore. Were they not, as a group, fighting for the sake of their friends back in Pastoria? In an attempt to get his beloved Trainer out of her slump, he stood and gave her the fiercest glare he could muster.
"Lux! Lux Luxio!"
She understood, as he knew she would. She returned his look defiantly for a silent moment before a determined smile began to creep across her face.
He knew that look. It meant his Trainer was back. It meant they were about to train like never before. It meant they were about to prove they were the best. She stood, and dusted herself off, ruffling his head fur as she got the team's attention;
"Alright guys! Break time's over! I hope you got a good warmup, because the rest of today we're going all out!"
Kara
It had been four days now. The time had burnt itself into her memory. As she sat at her now customary post, in an armchair pushed next to Milo's hospital bed, holding his limp hand, she allowed yet another tear to plow the well-worn path down her delicate cheek.
Currently, Azura and Drake were in the room with her. Milo's Pokémon had set up a kind of loose rotation. One or two of them at a time would sit resolutely with their endangered Trainer while the rest spent their time at the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy allowed them more or less free reign of the practice field, even going so far as to give them a room to stay in until something better could be found.
Suddenly, Milo twitched, and all three of the sentries stirred hopefully, looking desperately for some further sign of life…but no.
No, it was just another twitch. A few times a day now, he would have some kind of twitch or muscle spasm that might perhaps indicate that he was coming around, but every time so far it had been a false alarm.
"Vee", came a small voice from the door. Kara smiled tiredly at its owner.
"Hey there, Aurora. Is it your turn?"
The young Eevee, her head still bandaged from her own injuries, nodded somberly, and walked over to tap Drake on the leg; he'd been there the longest of the watchers. The Gabite stirred from his station by the window and left quietly to get exercise, food and rest. Kara watched with admiration as the small Evolution Pokémon hopped carefully onto the foot of Milo's bed and curled up by her Trainer's feet, settling with her head facing his. Ordinarily, she'd be bursting with energy as always, but the fear and uncertainty of the whole situation had cast a shadow over them all, and even Aurora had become much more subdued as they waited almost breathlessly day after day for some change, some sign that their Milo would pull through.
The room settled back into its constant state of oppressive silence. Azura, alert and unmoving, sat on a chair in the corner, her face blank. Aurora gazed sadly at her dear Trainer from her position at the foot of the bed. Kara, her hand still grasping Milo's, allowed her mind once more to wander. The memories washed over her yet again, like a relentless wave of residual terror.
Flashback
"Kara…", mumbled a barely conscious Milo, strewn across the ground brokenly. He looked like he could barely hold his eyelids open. Kara's heart was pumping faster than ever before.
Why didn't I just run? This is all my fault…Oh, Milo, please…!
"Yes, I'm here, Milo, stay with me, just stay awake, okay?" She was babbling in a panic, saying anything that came through her brain, desperate to keep Milo awake, completely unaware that she had just confessed her love to him, "Please, Milo, just stay awake. We'll get you to a hospital in Pastoria, I promise you'll make it, just please, please stay with me, Milo!"
"No", his brow flickered, suddenly quite concerned, "no Pastoria. Have to ask out Kara first. 'Maya made me. Have a plan…"
With that, his eyes rolled back, and his head slumped.
"NO! NOOOOO, MILOOO!"
She screamed louder than she'd ever screamed, but to no avail. Milo was well and truly gone. She heard resounding howls from behind her, and a fierce light drew her attention. Fearing some new attack, she threw her body over Milo's and looked back over her shoulder in horror. What she saw astounded her even more.
From the bright glow emerged a full-grown and incredibly pissed off Infernape. The newly evolved Blaze threw himself back into the fray with renewed ferocity, along with every single one of Milo's Pokémon. They attacked the ghosts mercilessly, with unprecedented savage brutality. Even the injured young duo of Aurora and Ferra came screaming back into the battle with everything they were worth.
Still, the ghosts now had the advantage of a Trainer on the field. The terrifying floating ghost-man commanded his troops with the same eerie hissing voice,
"Destroy them all! Finish them off! Coordinate, my doomsday spirits! Beat them back! For Aeon!"
Even with Milo out of commission, it looked an even fight. Blaze now had both fury and power to burn, and both Azura and Aurora had super-effective moves that they used to great effect. Kara was wide-eyed; she'd never dared to imagine such an all-out melee as this. Both sides were determined to utterly decimate one another.
Fiery blasts, explosions of stone, earth, pure energy and shadow resounded with deafening bangs across the wooded area as the battle swung back and forth. Every time the ghosts gained an upper hand, one of Milo's Pokémon would produce something outright heroic to even the fight out again. On and on it went, neither side giving an inch, until the insanity took yet another twist.
"HYAAAH! GO, GO, GOOOO!"
In a full-tilt sprint, Amaya came crashing through the trees, throwing Pokéballs as fast and as hard as she could. In an instant, all of her team joined the brawl.
Suddenly the tide was turned. Leon, Blaze, Coral and Azura together faced down the Dusknoir and its ethereal master, while Granite, Terrus and Spirielle bombarded the two Haunter, giving welcome relief and support to Drake and Milo's two younger Pokémon.
After only a minute of this renewed resistance, the pale, floating ghost-man howled in rage and called off his ambush;
"RRAAH! Damn you foolish meddlers! Away, my spirits, away! We will claim our revenge for this insult!"
In seconds, the enemies were gone. As the Pokémon caught their breath and regrouped, Amaya sprinted over to where Kara was still shaking in fear, cradling the limp body of Milo. Only then had they begun to realize just how serious the situation really was.
End Flashback
Amaya lay awake in the spare bedroom (actually Marcus' old room) in Milo's family's house. She, too, had been replaying the horrific scenes of that night. Kara had been in shock as much as the Pokémon, so Amaya had been the one to alert the authorities. She'd also given the best description she could muster to Marcus, who had demanded every detail.
As soon as she reported the creepy floating ghost-human thing, the Hearthome Leader had put up a hand to stop her.
"That's enough."
He'd stood up, a look in his eyes that could only be described as murderous. It certainly gave Amaya chills just to see that look on Marcus' normally friendly face. He looked genuinely ready to kill.
"They've gone too far. They will be hunted down, I swear. Every last one of them will pay for this. Absol."
In a silent flash, Marcus' famous partner was at his side, awaiting instruction. Amaya could only sit silently, knowing Marcus had more or less forgotten she was there. The Leader looked at his trusted Pokémon and said in a low voice,
"The League sent a Primal to ambush Milo. He's in a coma. We're going straight to the top. Something must be done about this. Come."
Together, the powerful pair had left the room to who knows where. They hadn't been seen or heard from since.
Shaking herself to clear her head, Amaya rolled over and forced herself to try and sleep. She'd need to be at her best to really show her stuff tomorrow.
-o-
At last, the time had come. 32 rookie Trainers stood in a line in the Central Park Pokémon Stadium, in the heart of Sunnyshore City.
Near one end of the line stood Amaya. She had composed herself, hiding the whirlwind of tensions and emotions behind her seemingly ever-present blank mask. Down at the other end stood Damion Parr. He sported his favorite red leather jacket with confidence and a smirk. He thought himself new and improved, and he was eager to show it.
As the day's battling began, it was once again evident that these two graduates from two of the region's top three schools were on a collision course for the final. Amaya wasted no time dismantling her opponents, stomping on them with crushing efficiency. Damion became something of a juggernaut. Through the early fights, it seemed that no matter how many hits his Pokémon took, they refused to go down. They were fairly strong and decently fast, but their real advantage was in their endurance and persistence. They simply would not accept defeat. It was a new look from him that took many experienced observers by surprise.
Day One of the Rookie Challenge flew by in a rush, as Amaya and Damion took on all comers and emerged virtually unscathed every time. Before anyone could process their utter dominance, it was time for the semifinals, which were the last fights of the marathon day.
As the four semifinalists sat for the customary interview session, the proverbial Donphan in the room was quickly addressed;
"Amaya; everyone's obviously wondering, why isn't Milo here? Are you still travelling together? Are you ditching the Gym Challenge?"
Amaya took a breath to prepare herself. She'd planned for this moment.
"Milo's not here because he was attacked on the road. Somebody – we're not sure who – ambushed him at night and he's still in bad shape. I'm here to continue because I fully intend to win this for his sake. He would want me to give it my all."
At that, the room practically exploded, and when the staff couldn't get the crowd of reporters quieted down, they ended the interviews early. In unceremonious fashion, Amaya was told by the tournament staff that her semifinal opponent was Nova, the girl Milo had fought in the last Rookie Challenge.
So, after dropping that bombshell bit of news, Amaya found herself in the staging room with Nova, both waiting for the battle to start.
"Sorry to hear about Milo. I hope he pulls through", ventured Nova.
"…Thanks."
It was an awkward and brief exchange, but Amaya was grateful nonetheless. She decided in that brief moment that she could respect this odd-looking Nova girl.
After another few minutes, both of them were brought out onto the field in proper fashion, where the stadium lights shone brightly down onto the combatants as evening fell. It didn't escape Amaya's notice that the whole stadium seemed to be buzzing; word seemed to have gotten out quickly about the reason for Milo's well-documented absence. So much so, in fact, that the announcer tried and failed to get everybody's attention before finally just starting the battle;
"Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies…and…gentlemen! …Your first two semifinalists, the local favorite, Nova, and the powerhouse sensation, Amaya! Battle, begin!"
Eyes gleamed, and friends throughout the stadium or at home gathered around a television nudged one another in anticipation as the first two Pokémon were called out. As with any match Amaya fought, this would no doubt be a real treat to watch.
"Quagsire! Time for battle!"
"Terrus, let's do this."
Amaya had time for a small smirk. She'd opened with Leon most of the time, so Nova had tried to counter with the Electric-immune Quagsire. Now, she was faced with Terrus, to whom Quagsire had a four times weakness.
Milo's been rubbing off on me, I suppose. Let's win it.
Nova grimaced as she realized how flimsy her strategy had been. Nevertheless, she set herself and gave it her all;
"Mist, Quagsire!"
"Razor Leaf, Terrus, while you can see it."
The Mist was already rolling in, and the Quagsire made a clumsy attempt to scramble away. Still, it was struck by the tail end of Razor Leaf, and gave a pained 'Quaaaag!' before it slipped into its cover.
Amaya presumed Nova would wait her out now, but her opponent surprised her yet again;
"Now Rain Dance, Quagsire!"
Hmm, clever, thought Amaya, she only needed Mist to keep me at bay long enough to power up her Water moves. I should've seen that coming. Still, I'll smoke her out.
"Energy Ball, machine gun style. Find this thing."
Terrus grinned darkly; this was one of his favorite techniques. He opened his maw and spouted a stream of dangerous Energy Ball attacks all across his field of vision. He found the Quagsire, but just too late to cancel the Rain Dance.
"Quag!" Nova's Pokémon let out a yelp as a couple of Terrus' attacks struck it just after its manufactured drizzle began to pick up into a decent downpour.
"Focus, Quagsire", coached Nova, "Scald it!"
The Mist was fading with the rain, but from the last little cloud came a boiling hot jet of water that smashed Terrus head on. It wasn't the most effective thing ever, but it certainly didn't tickle.
The indomitable Grotle gave a low growl, chomping at the bit for the next command from Amaya, who was gauging the situation as quickly as she could.
"Alright, we've found it, now Giga Drain."
"Dodge, now!"
Quagsire tried to evade, but the Water-type was rather clumsy on land, and slipped on the wet ground. It cried out once more as Terrus drained as much energy as he could siphon. Quagsire tried to push itself back up to fight, but fell down unconscious.
"Grotle is the winner! Nova, your next Pokémon, please!"
Amaya saw her hesitate, and thought, She's trapped herself. She wants to pull her new Magmar, but she started the Rain Dance, so she can't. Heh.
"Roserade, you're in!"
This presented an interesting challenge, but Amaya relished the opportunity to win a round with brute force.
"Heat check, Terrus", called Amaya immediately, "Grass Knot."
The sudden move caught Nova off guard, and her prize Roserade went down in a flowery huff. Far from done, it leapt back up, and Nova was ready to counter;
"Now, Stun Spore!"
"Energy Ball, straight through it!"
Amaya's ploy was a desperate one. The Energy Ball struck home and caught some of the Stun Spore, but Roserade's attack was too potent to be cancelled so simply, and Terrus grimaced as his muscles began to freeze and spasm; he was paralyzed. He could still move, albeit slowly, but his muscles would intermittently refuse his commands. He growled defiantly at the Bouquet Pokémon, but Amaya was beginning to have her doubts about the matchup. Terrus couldn't counter the status game.
I guess I do what I can here and play for time. The rain can't go too much longer, now that Quagsire's out of the battle…
In the meantime, she gave up trying to have Terrus move at all. Instead, he fired off Grass Knot, Energy Ball, and Razor Leaf attacks whenever his paralysis allowed. Nova adapted well, though, and soon even the attacks Terrus did manage to fire missed the mark.
"Now, Roserade", cried the Sunnyshore native, "close in fast and Poison Jab!"
Too fast for the disabled Grotle, Nova's Pokémon managed to land a potent, venom-laden kick to his side. He howled as the Roserade's poison coursed through his already-paralyzed body.
Damn, Amaya cursed to herself, she didn't have to take Terrus down, she just had to incapacitate him. I've got no choice, he's going to be knocked out if I leave him in.
"Terrus, Return and then return!"
With a last burst of furious white energy, Terrus delivered a massive hit to Roserade, symbolic of his ever-strengthening bond with the Trainer he trusted implicitly. Satisfied, he allowed himself to be recalled, knowing that even though he could play no further role in this fight, he had done his part for the team. He trusted his teammates to do the same.
"Thanks Terrus, that was great work. Spirielle, you're in, let's do this."
The Gastly burst forth with a creepily ecstatic cackle, and Nova's Roserade, which had to be on its last legs, waited attentively in the fading drizzle.
"That thing forced Terrus out, Spirielle, I need you to take it down. Move, and Shadow Ball!"
With that, Spirielle simply vanished. Trying not to panic, Nova called to her fighter,
"Roserade, find it, quick! Ready a Poison Jab!"
Preparing a counter was the right reaction, but Poison Jab was the wrong execution. Shadow Ball had a far greater range than Roserade's Poison Jab. Sure enough, from across the field came a ball of nasty ethereal energy as large as the Gastly herself, which struck Roserade full-on with no chance at a counterattack. Nova went for the kamikaze tactic, and called out desperately;
"Roserade, I need a massive Stun Spore, as wide as you can!"
As a fully evolved Grass/Poison type, the Bouquet Pokémon was more than up to the task, and Spirielle's mad laughter turned to pained confusion as her movements were suddenly slow and unnatural.
Dammit, though Amaya, how can a Ghost even get paralyzed!? Crap, that's two Pokémon forced out from status issues. I gotta work on that. First, we'll wipe out this overgrown flower.
"Spirielle, I just need one more hit! Come on, Astonish!"
The Gastly was able to stave off the effects of paralysis just long enough to execute the Dark-type attack, adding a close-range Shadow Ball to make doubly sure. Roserade didn't get back up.
Despite Amaya's clear dominance in terms of power, the battle was now somewhat even. Amaya's team wasn't down, but two of her wild cards were incapacitated.
"Roserade is unable to battle, Gastly is the winner! Nova, call your next Pokémon!"
Keep it calm, Amaya reminded herself, that was her ace in the hole. It's all downhill from here.
Running through her options, she decided to put the battle beyond question and not risk anymore unexpected turns.
"Spirielle, you're done, that was good. Coral, you're in!"
The crowd gave a collective 'ooh!' as the most notoriously powerful Pokémon in the tournament burst forth with a loud, melodious cry.
Nova
Her face blanched as she craned her neck upwards to see the full glory of Amaya's now-famous Milotic. Just as she'd thought that maybe there was hope, this beautiful beast came out to remind her just how far she had left to go.
She did this on purpose, Nova realized, this is a show of force to beat me down mentally. Think, Nova, you're not out of this yet. She's tough, but nothing is invincible.
"Alright", she called, after taking a breath and pushing her glasses forcefully back up the bridge of her nose, "Luxio, time for battle!"
Across the field, Nova was disappointed to see not even the slightest flicker of fear cross Amaya's face. The Twinleaf prodigy explained with a smirk,
"Did you forget I've got a Luxio, too? Coral's trained against electricity day in and day out. You don't scare us."
Nova opened her mouth to respond, but then rebuked herself, No. Don't get drawn into her mind games. She'll beat you before she even attacks. Just fight.
"Luxio, Swift! And move!"
"Ice Beam!"
Nova's breath caught in her throat, but her heart swelled with pride as Luxio held its nerve in the face of the mighty attack. He released his Swift attack perfectly and was just in time to jump away from Ice Beam.
"YES! Now, Luxio, Double Kick and Thunder Fang!"
Unfortunately, her early success had, for a split second, made her overconfident. Luxio dashed in and landed a quick Double Kick to Coral's vulnerable underside. However, just as he was coming back in for the Thunder Fang, which would have dealt significant damage, Amaya scowled and barked at her battler;
"Make him back off, Coral. Dragon Tail."
Luxio was swatted away effortlessly by the ironically named Tender Pokémon and went flying across the field like a rag doll before skidding to a stop at Nova's feet.
"Ah, no! Luxio, are you okay?"
The Spark Pokémon growled and forced himself to his feet. As the dust from Dragon Tail was settling, Nova called out with pride;
"No more running! Thunderbolt!"
The only explanation was that Amaya had expected Luxio to go down. Otherwise she would never have allowed such a simple trick. But, somehow, Thunderbolt was a direct and critical hit. With that one heroic jolt, Coral cried out and collapsed.
Wait, did I just…? Nova was in shock, until she saw that, just like Luxio, her opponent's Milotic was pushing itself laboriously upright, ready to keep fighting.
Yeah, of course that would've been too easy.
"Alright, Luxio, we're still in this! Another Swift!"
"Enough games, Coral. Don't dodge, just Hydro Pump!"
Swift hit the Milotic, but it was like raindrops hitting the ocean. The attack did almost less than nothing. Coral the Milotic took the hit without so much as a wince as she wound up a huge Hydro Pump. A torrent of water came crashing down on the already exhausted Luxio, and he was done. Once again, Nova had made a good dent in Amaya's team, but had come away emptyhanded. She was running out of chances to turn this around in from of her home crowd.
"Luxio is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Nova, your next Pokémon!"
She was almost out of options. Between her two remaining Pokémon, there was only one obvious choice. Even weakened, this Milotic would thrash her Magmar without batting an eye.
"Okay, Shellos, time to battle!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Nova was furiously trying to find a reason to believe that Shellos could beat this magnificent creature, and Amaya just looked…tired? Haggard? Mentally exhausted, perhaps? Nova recalled that she must be struggling, what with Milo's problems and the tournament to consider… perhaps there really was a chink in her impenetrable armor.
The pause in the battle had spread across the stadium, and the crowd held its breath waiting for something – anything – to happen.
Is she going to switch? Nova was trying to figure out what Amaya was planning, and how to counter it, No, she missed her chance to change…Screw it, let's get this going!
"Shellos, Sludge!"
Again, Amaya just…wasn't in the battle. She called a counter, but it was hasty and malformed;
"Uh, Coral, blow that back! Twister!"
Coral complied beautifully, but Twister was never going to blow the thick, slimy Sludge completely off course, and enough of it landed that Coral was clearly struck by the poison.
"Yes! Now, Mud Bo – wait, no! Shellos, MOVE!"
She'd been so excited about the Sludge that somehow she failed to notice the Twister that rampaged across the field and flung her poor Shellos around helplessly. The mismatch in power was evident when Shellos, sustaining massive damage, was KO'd in that one hit.
Ah, shoot…Still, she won't stick with Milotic after the poison and the Thunderbolt, right?
Amaya
She just…wasn't dialed in. She couldn't explain her growing mental lapses. She was furious beyond belief with herself, but some part of her refused stubbornly to click into its proper place, and it was affecting her ability to control this battle properly. As Shellos was declared unable to continue, Amaya growled and said,
"Dammit…Coral, return. I'm sorry. Granite, you're in."
She knew Nova had only her Magmar left, and she was in no mood for games at this point. Granite was the safe choice against fire, so Granite it was. The Onix emerged with a mighty roar to announce himself, and the round began.
"Rock Polish, Granite."
"Magmar, Brick Break!"
Brick Break?! Crap, I should've known…of all the stupid miscalculations to make…
Granite powered through the big Fighting-type hit to finish setting up Rock Polish but it was a big play early in the round, and a very uncomfortable surprise.
"Urghh…Granite, make it rain! Rock Throw wherever you can!"
Granite knew how to take hits and come back swinging. He was now both wounded and dangerous, and Magmar had to look sharp to avoid the boulders that came flying in much faster than Nova had thought possible.
"Come on, Magmar", called Nova, "just keep dodging! Give it a Smokescreen to throw off its aim!"
As Nova's Pokémon produced a thick black cloud, Amaya made no attempt to strategize.
"Switch to Rock Tomb, Granite."
At this point, the Sunnyshore native was outclassed, outgunned, disadvantaged, and unlucky. Magmar took two big hits from Rock Throw while setting up the Smokescreen, and then hid in the middle of the cloud…which was exactly where Granite aimed his blind Rock Tomb.
Not giving the Spitfire Pokémon time to escape on its own, Amaya called one of her favorite battle-ending techniques;
"Iron Tail, and try to snipe it with a Gyro Ball."
The Gyro Ball just barely missed, but it was irrelevant. The brutal Iron Tail follow-up from the Rock Tomb was enough to end the fight.
"Magmar is unable to battle, Onix wins! The match goes to Amaya of Twinleaf Town!"
The crows erupted with noise at the sheer power of Amaya's team. Nova had put up a respectable, even impressive fight, but Amaya had quite simply overpowered her at every turn. Her Pokémon were flat-out stronger, and that was enough to win her the match.
Still upset with herself, she silently shook Nova's hand in the middle of the field, gave a short, compulsory wave to the onlookers, and left the stadium, head down, hands stuffed forcefully in her pockets. So upset was she that she took a back route out of the stadium and bypassed the crowd of media waiting for her triumphant exit outside the main doors. She needed to sit down with herself. Alone.
She recalled, somehow, a park that she'd driven by on her way to the stadium, and her feet took her there, working on something like autopilot as her emotions built up within her. Once she found a secluded little spot, at the base of a tree next to a walking path, shielded from view by a row of bushes, she flung herself to the ground and let some freakish type of growl-roar issue from her throat;
"GrrrrrAAAAHHHH!" She punched the tree behind her with a closed fist, and began ranting furiously at her own weakness, "What the hell is WRONG WITH ME!? Why can't I just focus and not make STUPID MISTAKES? I can't even keep Coral out of harm's way from a damn Electric type! AAAAHH!"
She paused to recover her breath, her chest heaving from the pent-up emotion. After the anger was spent came the fear, the uncertainty, and the doubt. Having forcefully burned through her rage, she curled up in a sad ball at the base of that same tree and began to sob in a most un-Amaya-like manner. Out flashed Leon, who had quietly become her go-to source for consolation, and Coral, who had been with her the longest and knew the young Trainer inside and out.
The Milotic gently wrapped her long, elegant self around Amaya protectively, as if to shield her from the negativity that threatened to overtake her. In the middle of this huddle settled Leon, in his Trainer's lap. He nudged her with his head, prompting her softly to express whatever was making her feel this way.
"I…I was wrong", she said shakily, "I thought I could do this, but…without knowing whether he'll make it, I just…I can't. It's too much. It's so much…this is so hard…"
Her voice cracked, and she gave a pathetic sob before more words came spilling out,
"I don't even need him to be here, I just – I have to know he's going to be okay. He's my best friend, and I don't know if he'll ever be back to normal. There's so much pressure now…I have to be the best, the strongest, the most unbreakable, but – I'm scared. I'm scared to be alone."
Eventually, the words stopped. Soon afterwards, the tears dried. Then, she just sat there with her Pokémon, numb inside, unable to move, feeling isolated, scared, and unfathomably weak. Eventually her mental strength gave out completely, and she fell asleep there, curled up with Coral and Leon.
Coral recognized this first, and gave a soft coo to get Leon's attention. She instructed her teammate gently to go back to Milo's parents and get somebody to come fetch Amaya. As the Luxio carefully extracted himself, Coral called after him to make sure that as few people as possible came. Amaya would surely want this episode to remain a secret as much as possible.
Myrian
It was after dinner now, and Milo's friend hadn't come back home yet. Mom and Dad were giving each other that look they used when they were worried and didn't want to scare her.
Why is she staying away? The young girl was concerned herself. She liked Milo's friend. Amaya was quiet, but nice inside. Like her big brother Marcus. Dad got up to bring his empty plate to the sink, and to talk to Mom where Myrian couldn't hear.
So it was that only Milo's little sister heard the soft thump-thump-thump on the front door. The curious girl got down from the table and peeked out the window, like Mom always did when they didn't know who was visiting.
Surprised by what she saw, Myrian opened the door and asked, "What's the matter, Mister Luxio? Why are you visiting our house?"
The Pokémon began barking frantically, gesturing and trying to get Myrian to follow. The girl frowned and looked more carefully at the creature, and noticed the telltale stripe pattern on his front legs,
"Oh, you're that Luxio! You belong to Milo's friend! MOM! DAD!"
Myrian's parents came running to the door, and Myrian proudly explained her discovery,
"Look, look! I found Amaya's Luxio! I think he knows where she went! Let's follow him!"
She stepped down the stairs to begin the exciting journey, but her father scooped her up in his strong arms and said, "No, Myrian, you and Mommy have to stay here in case Milo's friend comes back to our house, okay? You keep a sharp eye out here, and I'll see what this little guy wants to show us, hmm?"
Myrian was disappointed not to be following the Luxio, but her heart swelled at this very important assignment from her father;
"Okay, Dad. I'll watch real good. If she comes back here, I'll tell Mom right away."
"That's my beautiful girl. I'll be back soon."
With a quick kiss on his daughter's forehead, and a peck on the cheek for his wife, Alexander turned and followed the impatient Luxio, who was only too happy to be off.
Once her dad had left, Myrian went back inside and took up position on the couch, her head and hands pressed to the window, looking this way and that for Amaya. She watched as hard as she could, her concentration broken only once, for a small moment, when the phone rang. Mom went to get it, and after a few silent seconds, Myrian heard a shocked gasp. She looked back to see her mother wide-eyed, tearing up, her hand over her mouth.
"Th-thank you", said Mom quietly into the phone, "Thank you so much…oh, I'm so glad, I'm so glad…"
Her hands shook as she hung up, and Myrian immediately abandoned her lookout spot to run and hug her Mom around the waist as tightly as she could. Seeing her mother get so emotional rather scared her, especially at a time like this.
"Don't cry, Mom! It's okay!"
"It's fine, my baby girl, everything is much better now. Oh, I can hardly breathe, I'm so relieved…"
Zoe embraced her youngest child fervently (the young girl was still quite confused at this sudden attitude change) until an urgent knock came on their door. Myrian stayed put as her mom ran to answer, and lo and behold her dad strode quickly in, his arm supporting a weak and shaky Amaya.
"I found her in the park, she was curled up with her Milotic. She's…Zoe, I don't know if she's going to be able to battle tomorrow in the final. I think the mental strain finally broke her. She's been under so much stress, anyone would've popped sooner or later.
"Quick, lay her there on the couch", replied the ever-caring Zoe, "Is she…awake?"
"Yeah…" Amaya spoke up weakly, her voice small and wistful, "I just…I don't know what's wrong with me…I'm supposed to be stronger than this…"
Amaya
So this was what she was reduced to. Having stress-induced panic attacks alone in the middle of Sunnyshore, having to be rescued by Milo's parents because she couldn't hold herself together.
Pathetic, she told herself. She'd woken up to a gentle shake and a strange voice saying,
"Amaya? Amaya, it's me, Alexander. Milo's father. I'm going to get you home, alright? Come on, come with me."
She only hazily remembered a taxi ride back to Milo's family's house. To be honest, she'd passed out twice more on the way, only to be carefully revived by Leon, who was beside himself with worry for his Trainer.
Pathetic, she thought again. The word, uttered so strongly amidst such despair, stirred some extremely uncomfortable memories, and Amaya had not the mental strength to resist them as her tears and childhood memories took control of her already fragile consciousness.
Flashback
"Hey, 'Maya, want to know a secret?"
"Oh, yeah! What is it, Maxie?"
Nine-year-old, bright-eyed Amaya lit up at the chance to be a confidant to the older sister she idolized beyond all else.
"You know those guys who've been in town recently?"
Her face fell a small bit. She knew the creepy figures who'd been loitering obtrusively around Twinleaf's outskirts. She'd been warned by her teachers to stay away. They made her uncomfortable.
"Yeah…what about 'em?"
Looking around to make sure nobody was passing by their outdoor picnic bench, the older sister leaned in and whispered conspiratorially,
"I went and talked to them yesterday."
"What? Maxie, why would you talk to them? They're… you know, bad guys."
Eyes now ablaze, Maxie responded with no small amount of pride, "That's what everyone around here wants us to think, but it's not true. They want to change the world, and they want people with Pokémon talent to help them do it. We're going to improve the whole world!"
"Wait, we? Maxie, you didn't…what did you tell them?"
Maxie was in full steam now, and failed to notice the look of absolute horror on the face of her younger sister;
"I'm leaving this two-bit nothing town. I'm getting out of here to do something real in the world. I'm going to be a part of something big. How's that, huh? 'Maya?"
She seemed to have assumed that her younger sister, as usual, would be excited about anything that excited her, but Amaya's face showed not joy but betrayal. Tears were already forming in the young girl's eyes.
"B-but, Maxie, please don't…Don't leave me…don't go be a bad guy. Maxie, you – you can't! You can't just leave me! Maxie, please!"
Angered by this intense show of desperate disapproval, Maxie stood with a frown;
"Oh, shut up, 'Maya."
Amaya recoiled as if she'd just been shot, but Maxie was just getting started;
"Just because you're happy to stay here and waste your life doesn't mean I have to. I'm going to be somebody in this world, and if you can't get that then you're not worth my time. I thought you of all people would understand, 'Maya. But now I guess you'll never be what I can. You'll always be stuck here like Mom, Dad, and everyone else."
Amaya was curled up in a trembling ball of misery by this point, but Maxie had long since hardened her resolve and was not looking back.
"Please…" Amaya whispered between sobs, "Maxie – please stop…"
"Look at you", spat the older sister derisively, "I thought we were best friends. Sisters. I thought I could tell you anything! All I want is for someone to see that this is what's best for me; this is my free ticket onto the big stage! When Master Cyrus' plans come to fruition, I'll be a hero! And what's your reaction? You curl up in a ball and cry because I'm not spending the rest of my life in the backwoods of Twinleaf? I thought more of you, 'Maya. This…it's just pathetic."
Her blood pounding after working herself up into this rage, Maxie stood and, without a second glance, strode away.
Amaya never saw her sister after that. She'd heard via the local paper that her sister was among those arrested for working as a grunt in Team Galactic. She'd felt only a savage sense of scornful joy at the news. That one word was forever burned into her mind from that day…
Pathetic.
End Flashback
The painful tide of memories at last ran their course, and Amaya slowly came to realize she was sitting on someone's couch…
This house…it was Milo's family's house. There was Milo's dad, sitting across from her, looking very concerned. His arm was wrapped around Milo's younger sister, who was also visibly nervous. And she herself was – she was sobbing into somebody's shoulder. That somebody was stroking her hair gently, in a very motherly way. Ah, that was because that somebody was Zoe, Milo's mom.
…I've been crying like a miserable slob on their sofa for how long now?
"Shh", whispered Milo's mother gently, "It's okay, dear. You're okay. Do you want to talk at all?"
She could feel only a deep sense of shame at failing to control herself and causing them such worry and inconvenience.
"I – I'm sorry", she eked out.
"No, no, please don't apologize", came the fervent reply, along with a warm squeeze of her shoulder, "We just want to make sure you're doing okay."
"Oh. Uh, thanks…I just – I haven't been this, well, scared I guess… in a long time."
"I understand", Zoe replied gently, "Honey, could you get Myrian to bed, please?"
Alexander nodded knowingly, and took their youngest child upstairs.
"There now", said Zoe, "it's just you and I. Are you sure there's nothing you need to get out?"
Amaya opened her mouth, then shut it again. Some part of her insisted that 'Amaya' would never just talk about feelings this way. That part of her lost the fight. Before she could argue herself into remaining silent, the words began to spill out;
"It's just so much pressure…I'm supposed to be the biggest, toughest Rookie besides Milo, and I've got my whole town counting on me to be this big prodigy, and now Milo's in a coma in Pastoria, and who knows what's going to happen with him, and I've got to worry about that jerk-face Damion and those Team Rocket witches, and whoever attacked Milo got away, and now I'm alone trying to win this big tournament and handle all that at the same time – by myself…I just can't do all of this! I can't!"
Zoe was once again stroking the young woman's hair consolingly, nodding, "I know. I know, Amaya, it's hard. It's really hard sometimes. It feels like too much. You feel alone. Remember, though, you're not alone. Your Luxio came and got us to help you, and your Milotic was there with you in the park tonight. Our Milo's always with you as you travel. I know you feel alone, but please remember you aren't. Just know that. You are not alone."
I'm not alone; the sentence felt magical to Amaya. As she repeated it to herself, the truth of it sunk in, and began to cure her. And yet –
"But I'm still scared. I'm scared about Milo. I can't – I can't lose my best friend, I can't just keep going without him…That's why I couldn't battle well today, I'm just so nervous about him. I need my best friend to be okay."
"Well", Amaya felt the woman next to her break a smile, "In that case, I may be able to help you even more. We got a call at the house as my husband was searching for you. Just this evening, a few hours ago…Milo woke up."
Author's Notes:
First, to all reviewers, thank you. No, seriously, thank you.
This Chapter: I wanted to deviate from the course of the typical game-fic plotline. I felt this would be a good way to shake things up and put a real, prolonged element of worry in there regarding Milo's injuries. It also offered the chance to delve into some of my non-Milo characters. This took forever because I moved and started a new job shortly after putting up Chapter 15. I'm not quitting my writing, by any means! Sorry for the delay!
General Notes: Things will continue to heat up, so be sure to stay tuned! I'm stoked about some of the twists coming up, and the chance to unpack some of the bombs I dropped in this chapter. As always, I welcome any form of feedback; be it complements or constructive criticism, any (non-troll) review is worthwhile! If you'd rather not review, that's fine; you can still follow/favorite to keep up with Milo and Company (or with me as an author). THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!
I don't own Pokémon.
Reviews:
GameboyAnonymous; here you go, I'm sorry for scaring you. This one's for you, pal.
'Unnamed guest'; I truly appreciate and value your detailed input. It's driven me to put extra effort into the quality of my writing and especially the plot/characters. For real, big thanks.
AlexJMP; without giving away too much, I'll just say I don't plan on utilizing the PC system too much, as that always feels awkward and laborious in a written story, to me at least. Glad you're enjoying the characters! I really try to make them original and engaging!
TheGreatOne; I'm not positive about your punctuation suggestions…you may be right, I'm no expert, but this is just muscle memory for me at this point, and I think it's how I've seen it done elsewhere. I honestly appreciate the support, though, thanks! Don't be shy on sharing your thoughts! Hope this helps with that cliffhanger… ;)