Milo and the Blue Umbreon

by NanobotEX

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

17. Chapter 17 - The Calm Before the Storm

Milo Chapter 17 – The Calm Before the Storm

Kara

The silent hospital room was just beginning to brighten as the sun peeked over the rooftops of Pastoria. Kara had been awake most of the night – again. She looked forlornly to her left to see, as expected, no change in Milo's condition. Today would be the third day since that awful attack, and Milo was still just as comatose and unresponsive as ever.

The morning's first noise was the soft creak of the door as it opened. Kara stirred in her armchair, turning to see Amaya setting her fully packed duffel bag by the door. Aurora, who was bundled in a blanket at the foot of Milo's bed, lifted her head up and gave a weak grin. Amaya returned it, and nodded at Blaze, who stood stoically by the window looking magnificent in his new Infernape form.

"…I have to go", said the Twinleaf Trainer quietly, "Sunyshore's waiting for me."

Trying her best to put on a happy, encouraging smile, Kara waved with her free hand to her friend.

"Best of luck, Amaya! Have fun at the Rookie Challenge! Bring back a trophy for all of us!"

The Twinleaf girl nodded in response, and was halfway through the door of Milo's hospital room when she stopped, turned back, and said quietly,

"Kara, you're the first person I've met who's better than me at pretending everything's okay. But you know…for me, you don't have to."

Recognizing the truth in the young Trainer's words, Kara took a breath, and replied with a much hollower tone,

"I…I know. Call it a habit. Thanks for understanding, Amaya."

The shorter girl crossed the room and put a hand on her Performer friend's shoulder;

"You got it. We both need him, after all. In different ways, but we both need him to be Milo. I'll fight for him there, and you watch over him here. We'll both be strong. Okay?"

"…Okay."

She knew Amaya wasn't the hugging type, but moments like this surely warranted an exception. Kara jumped up and tightly embraced her new friend, just briefly, before sinking back into her armchair. Amaya gave another curt nod, and was gone, on her way to Sunyshore to stay with Milo's family.

So began Day Three of their tense vigil, keeping guard over the unconscious Milo.

All three of the watchers were silent, barely even making eye contact with each other, until mid-morning, when another voice in the doorway roused them;

"Hey. It's time for a shift change, folks! Kara, you need to go eat breakfast. C'mon."

In strolled Gardenia, with Azura and Ferra in tow. The kindly Eterna Leader had taken an impromptu vacation at Marcus' request to help ensure that Kara and the Pokémon were taken care of. Jenks had also stayed behind, choosing to help in Pastoria instead of accompanying Amaya to Sunyshore, once it was decided that Milo's family could host her there.

With a sad nod, Kara begrudgingly relinquished the armchair and walked with Milo's Eevee and Infernape across the road to the Pokémon Center to get food. As she walked, she released her newly caught Ralts, whom she had named Florence. She always felt…well, not better, but at least more stable when her little Psychic type was with her.

I shouldn't be surprised, she thought with a halfhearted smile, the Ralts line specialize in emotions and empathy. Well, whatever it is, I'm grateful, little Flo.

I'm happy to help, Madame Kara.

"EEEAAHH!" Kara jumped well over a foot in the air before falling down on the ground in a heap, holding her head in her hands. Blaze and Aurora whirled around and made to come to her rescue, but stopped at a look from Florence before trading a knowing smile and approaching quite calmly.

Do not be afraid, Madame Kara, it is only I; your own Lady Florence whom you have named.

Kara winced as the strange female voice resounded once more unbidden in her mind, but she began to uncurl slowly from the fetal position. She stared in awe at the little Feeling Pokémon who was offering her a hand (a symbolic gesture, of course, as Florence was much too small to help Kara up physically in any way).

"F-F-Florence? I…I guess you're a Psychic type, after all, but…wow, that feels really weird. Sorry for freaking out, I should've guessed this would happen eventually. Umm, nice to meet you officially, I guess?"

My thanks, Madame Kara, answered the Ralts with a prim curtsey, I'm honored that you saw fit to allow me the pleasure of your company as you make your grand journey.

"Wow, now that I know what's going on, I have to say I love your voice, Florence. It's so smooth and melodic!"

It was maybe not the most natural thing to notice, but one could forgive Kara for being slightly awkward in such a strange circumstance. Florence chuckled lightly and bowed once more;

You have my thanks again, Madame Kara. Please forgive my earlier intrusion upon your thoughts; it was not my intent to frighten you so. I wished only to express my gladness at being of some assistance to you in this time of distress over the fate of the one you love.

At that, Kara smiled. It was her first real smile since they had arrived in Pastoria, and as it spread across her face, it brought a welcome spark of joy amidst the roiling oceans of doubt and anxiety.

Not knowing quite how to respond, Kara stood, brushed herself off, and tried her best to go with the flow, not unlike the time she'd met Ark Monty back in Eterna. She returned Florence's bow (which seemed to rather surprise the Ralts) and said as calmly as she could,

"I truly appreciate your assistance, Florence. I would ask that, as equals, you simply address me as Kara. I hope to be not so much your owner as your friend. Is that alright with you?"

E-equals? Florence's voice faltered for the first time, But Ma – I mean, Lady Kara, that would surely be improper, even insubordinate on my part! You have brought me to your side out of the wilds I once knew, and I am now both honored and obligated to serve you to the extent of my ability!

"Nape. Infernape fer."

Blaze spoke up now, having watched and understood the scene playing out before him. He, after all, had been there when Azura first used telepathy on Milo, so the reaction was not entirely new to him.

He and Florence had a brief conversation, and whatever the Flame Pokémon said amused his Eevee teammate, but only further confused Kara's Psychic type.

Kara was curious, and asked as politely as she could, "Wait, Florence, what did he say?"

Well, Sir Blaze said something to the effect of, 'Insubordinate was when I punched my Trainer in the chest to wake him up'. I, of course, replied that such an action would be the height of dishonor and insurrection, but he assured me that 'humans would rather have friends than servants'. I naturally tried to remind him of the proper order of things, but he would only say, 'Call her Kara. Trust me.'

At this point, Kara was barely restraining her own giggles at the extreme propriety of her newest team member.

"He's right, Florence. I would dearly love to be your friend, not just your Trainer. Do you think we might manage that? I understand that human ideas can be a bit strange, I don't expect you to adjust immediately, alright?"

I – I'm afraid I don't know what to say…K-Kara. I had come to revere the human capacity for emotion, but never had I imagined such tender compassion for Pokémon would be offered to me! I am forever indebted to you for this honor!

"As I'm indebted to you for helping me through this hard time, Florence. Now, how about we go get that breakfast we were looking for, hmm?"

Let's do, answered Florence with another bow and a gracious smile, I seem to be coming over rather faint for want of food.

With her newfound connection to Florence, Kara's mood and outlook improved drastically over the rest of the day. She kept Florence out constantly now, even while she watched over Milo.

Florence was a quick learner, though coming to grips with some aspects of human thought and emotion was difficult at times. Kara was learning too; she was soon able to communicate without verbally responding, as well as separate out which thoughts she did and didn't mean for Florence to hear. It was this mutual learning process that helped, more than anything, to bridge the gap between servitude and friendship that had initially horrified the impressionable Ralts. Florence never quite gave up her overwhelmingly formal style of speech, but then, Kara came quickly to enjoy it.

She found that, in a roundabout way, she could now also communicate with Milo's Pokémon, though the process could be laborious and felt like a game of telephone, with Florence stuck in the middle. Kara could hardly imagine maintaining this type of mental communication with a whole team full of Pokémon at the same time.

No wonder Milo is so intimately connected with them all. I guess that means this waiting game is at least as hard for them as it is for me.

Sure enough, as Day Three slipped by into Day Four, none of them could quite put to rest the nagging worry about Milo's condition, no matter how hard they tried. Day Four passed as well, with no sign of change beyond the occasional hope-defying twitch.

On Day Five, Jenks managed to requisition an old TV with enough basic channels to find the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge. Kara, Jenks, Gardenia, and Milo's team huddled in the room together to watch Amaya storm her way through the tournament with her customary swagger. Still, Jenks seemed to see something amiss in their friend's style;

"Hmm…I can tell she's not herself. It's in her face. She's having to try a lot harder to keep her mind sharp in these battles."

"You're right", Gardenia nodded worriedly, "I hope she can hold it together long enough to actually get through this tournament."

"Well, no matter what she does there, it's better than she would have been here."

Kara looked over curiously, "What makes you say that, Jenks?"

The experienced reporter shrugged, "I just think that she would've gone stir crazy here before too much longer. She doesn't have your patience in these kinds of situations. She would've driven herself – and us – crazy looking for something to do."

Unfortunately, the world refused to stop turning entirely while they waited for Milo to improve, and both Jenks and Gardenia had to excuse themselves to attend to some business, leaving only Kara and the unconscious Milo to watch Amaya's semifinal against Nova, along with Milo's team. In an effort to beat back the oppressive silence, Kara narrated the battle to the unconscious Milo as best she could;

"Oh, 'Maya started with Terrus this time instead of Leon…Looks like she's going to beat that Quagsire…She won! Oh, but now she's left Terrus in against a Roserade…"

On and on it went. Whether or not she knew it, the mere presence of Kara's voice filling the quiet with the familiar topic of battling was a huge comfort to Milo's Pokémon team, most of whom were gathered to watch their friends battle in Sunyshore.

"Now Coral's up against a…a…"

I do believe that is a Shellos, dear Kara.

"Oh, right, a Shellos. Thanks, Florence. Ah, but the Shellos poisoned her. Still, she knocked it out, but I guess she'll have to switch now, to protect Coral."

"Hmm", answered Milo thoughtfully.

"Yep", Kara continued, "she's pulled out – MILO!"

The whole room exploded with excitement. Sure enough, Milo's face was twitching, and for the first time the machines hooked up to him started beeping more rapidly as his heart rate and vital signs rose back to conscious levels. Kara, Florence, and Milo's team all waited breathlessly.

"Eh…? Whuh….Where…?"

Kara was already crying, and she grasped his hand, replying through her tears,

"Oh, Milo…You're back, you're safe…I can't believe it, I'm so happy! You're in Pastoria now, okay? Everything's alright, everybody's safe."

The overjoyed young Performer fumbled in her bag for a moment before pulling out a Pokéball and releasing Verdante, her Leafeon.

"Verdante, Milo's awake! Can you go find Gardenia or Jenks? Quickly, girl! Go!"

"Ugh", came Milo's voice, scratchy from disuse, "my head…"

Milo's team gathered closely around his bed; those small enough to do so cuddled eagerly up to their revived Trainer. Gardenia had been on the phone in the waiting area just down the hall, so it took the obedient Verdante only seconds to drag her hurriedly back into the room to share in the welcome news.

"What is it, girl? What's going – Milo?"

She was stunned to see the young man smiling, weakly embracing his shiny Umbreon while Aurora the Eevee jumped ecstatically about near the foot of the bed. Pure joy radiated from everyone in the room, human and Pokémon alike.

Amongst those who needed to know, the news spread like wildfire. Jenks was informed as soon as he could be tracked down – he'd headed into town to get a coffee and place some phone calls – and Gardenia at last succeeded in contacting Marcus, who had been completely AWOL since leaving in a rage at the news of Milo's attack.

The Hearthome Leader broke down with joy over the phone at the news of his brother's recovery and promised to be there within 12 hours, though he wouldn't say where he'd been.

Finally, it was Kara who made sure that perhaps the most important phone call of the lot was made;

"Hey, we need to call his parents in Sunyshore! They need to know, and they can tell Amaya, too!"

"Good gracious", Jenks slapped his forehead, "you're absolutely right, I can't believe I hadn't thought of that yet!"

Gardenia was two steps ahead, and was halfway through dialing the number.

"Hello? Zoe? I have the best news! Milo's awake! He's back! We don't really know anything else yet, but I just had to call and tell you the news…Of course, of course, I'll let you go so you can tell everyone there."

As the jubilant pandemonium at last began to calm down, nurses came rushing in to give Milo cautious amounts of food and drink and check him for residual effects of his injuries.

"Can't be too careful", noted one doctor, "especially under these conditions, when the damage was done by a Pokémon move, and a powerful Ghost-type one at that. We don't quite know what leftover effects may show up now that he's awake. We'll keep him here until we're sure he's clear."

Amaya

He's awake. He's awake. He's awake…Milo's back. He's back, he woke up. Oh, damn, I feel like I can breathe again. Wow.

After they'd heard the news, Amaya and Milo's family had of course shed their own tears of joy. There was even a cheesy, picturesque group hug (Amaya had participated willingly, though she'd likely never admit it after the fact). Now she lay awake, breathing deeply the sweet air of relief. Over and over she repeated the words that had at last brought peace to her chaotic, tortured mind;

Milo woke up. He's going to be alright. Milo's back.

Before too long, her relief and mental exhaustion at last overcame the excitement and adrenaline, and the grateful Twinleaf girl fell asleep.

-o-

When she awoke the next morning, she felt refreshed in every possible way. Gone were the despair, anxiety, exhaustion, and anger of the previous night. After a nice breakfast and some coffee courtesy of Milo's mother, who still couldn't stop smiling and shedding happy tears at random intervals, Amaya was escorted back out to the stadium for the final.

Before she could take up her favorite position – the Trainer's box of a big stadium for a big match – there was the usual pre-match press conference to get through.

Two chairs and two microphones sat in front of the sea of notebooks, pens, and cameras. Amaya took the first, and her opponent, the one and only Damion Parr, threw himself smugly into the second. Just like that, the interview began;

"Damion, Damion! This is the furthest you've ever gotten, how much of a chance to do realistically give yourself against Amaya's team?"

With a smirk, the Veilstone Trainer leaned forward and answered without hesitation;

"I've come a long way since the last time I was in a big match like this. With Milo out of the picture for the time being, I think it's my time to take the big stage and show what I'm capable of."

Amaya's stark and unshakable demeanor flashed into fury in an instant. Unable to contain herself, she spat across the table at him,

"What the hell? You insensitive jerk, he was attacked! He was literally in a coma! Show some respect, for crying out loud!"

"Oh whatever", came Damion's retort, "you just worship him like everyone else in Sinnoh. Except me. What's he got that I don't anyway? He doesn't need you; we've all seen his new Performer arm candy from the Floaroma Festival! So someone took a shot at him? That's how it goes; being a Trainer is always risky!"

The reporters were watching with rapt attention, lapping up the boiling tensions between the two finalists. At last, one reporter tried to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand;

"Damion, over here! You've said a few times now that you've reinvented yourself and improved. Could you explain that a bit more? What have you changed?"

Only too happy to expound on his recent successes, Damion answered with no small amount of pride;

"I've gotten a lot tougher since the Hearthome tournament. My team has worked like nobody else on absolute defense, taking enough hits to survive until we can dish it right back. Trying to beat me now is like trying to hammer through a steel wall. It's just not going to happen."

"Amaya", called another voice, "do you think you still have enough firepower to get through a team focused on being able to survive big hits?"

"Hell yes", her voice was cold as ice and hard as diamond, "I'll make his 'steel wall' look like a sheet of paper."

An audible gasp accompanied the furious scribbling of pens on notepads. Sparks were all but literally flying now.

"One last question, please", said one of the tournament staff members. A mad scramble ended in a woman from the Sinnoh Battler Weekly receiving the master microphone and asking,

"Amaya, there were concerns raised by several analysts after yesterday's battling. It was suggested that you were struggling to maintain the mental focus needed to sustain a deep tournament run. Are you relying solely on your team's raw strength at this point?"

It was Amaya's turn to smirk slightly, as she sensed an opportunity to score the last laugh, "I'll admit I sucked yesterday. But I still got here, that's something. I was out of it because I was worried about my best friend being in mortal danger. Fortunately, we got word last night that Milo's awake. Now I'm relieved, I'm refreshed, I'm focused up, and I am more than ready to kick the crap out of anyone dense enough to stand in my way."

She all but spat the last part with a pointed glare at her opponent, and she was darkly pleased to see his smug grin falter ever so slightly.

With that, the interview ended and the two Trainers were ushered, oddly, into the same staging room.

"Hey", Amaya called to the staff member as he turned to leave, "doesn't he have to go to a different room?"

"Oh", the man answered uncomfortably, "well, uh, you see… The, um, air conditioning and power are out in the other room. So, you'll have to share for ten minutes until they're ready for you on the field. I'm sorry for any inconvenience…"

"Great", Amaya growled, "just great."

Perfect, thought Damion, here's my chance. Alright, be cool, just go with the natural charm. Here goes…

"So", he began, "that was one hell of a press conference. We played off each other pretty well there."

Amaya, who had been pointedly facing away from him, now whirled to face him with a fury that made him take an involuntary step back;

Okay, might have miscalculated this one…

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Amaya practically screeched in his face.

Yeah, alright, she's genuinely pissed. Oh boy.

"Hey", he tried to placate her, "that crap in there was nothing, girl. I was just, you know, playing it up for the media folks, right? We're all cool, yeah?"

"The hell we are! I have exactly two friends outside Twinleaf. You just insulted them both on national television! Screw you. Go stand over there and shut up."

Damn, he thought in a moment of awe, she's amazing. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do, though. Still, she'll come around.

"How about this", he tried once more, "let me make it up to you. While Milo's recovering, I'm sure he can't travel; why not travel with me, just for a little while? I'd be a great training opponent and you could get a few more badges while we wait for good old Milo to be back in shape, huh? I think that's a hell of a pl – HNGH!"

He was cut short by an angry fist to the abdomen. His eyes shot wide open and he doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. It was a good five seconds before he had the strength to look up at Amaya.

SLAP!

Now he was sent spinning off, almost colliding with the wall, trying to hold his midsection and his face at the same time; they both felt like he'd been smashed with a ton of bricks.

What….the…..hell?

He was about to express this sentiment with a few choice words, when a tournament official came to collect them for the battle.

Unbelievable, Amaya thought to herself. After everything he'd said, he had the gall to try and hit on her? She had no remorse for the punch or the slap. They'd both felt damn good. As the staff member came in, he stopped short at seeing Damion doubled over in apparent agony;

"Oh, Mr. Parr, are you alright? Should we delay the fight? Do you need medical attention?"

"Yeah", Amaya loaded her voice full of feigned concern to rub salt in his wounded pride, "I don't know what happened, he just started going off about his headache and how he felt queasy. It might be nerves; he seemed pretty anxious after the media left. We may have to call this off."

"No", Damion glowered at her, his voice low, "I'm fine. Let's battle, you and me. Bring it on."

"Oh", the staff member seemed entirely unsure of himself, "well…I guess if you insist, we'll go on as planned. V-very well, then, follow me.

So then, here they were, on the field at last. Just as she was walking into her Trainer's box, her watch buzzed. She checked it, and saw one simple sentence.

Beat him down. –M

Just like that, it all clicked into place. Her fire was burning, Milo was rooting for her, she was on the biggest stage of her career, and this time – this time it was personal.

"Ladiiiieees and gentlemen! With pride, the city of Sunyshore presents to you this grand final of the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge! Your finalists; Amaya, the Twinleaf prodigy, versus Damion, the Veilstone juggernaut! Battle…BEGIN!"

"Prinplup, get it done!"

"Leon, Thunderbolt."

Amaya's Luxio wasn't waiting around for any kind of formality. He emerged with a mighty Thunderbolt ready to go, and fired instantly.

"Prinplup, MOVE!"

The Penguin Pokémon dove to the side with decent agility, but was still at least grazed by the super effective attack, and cried out. But it didn't go down.

Don't be an idiot here, Amaya told herself, remember the rhythm thing.

"Prinplup, shake that off, show me a Drill Peck!"

"Leon, get out of there. Come around with a Spark."

Leon would have loved nothing more than to meet this ridiculous bird with another massive electric attack, but he was a disciplined fighter, and knew better than to doubt his Trainer's plans. He flashed easily to the side, avoiding the Drill Peck before planting his feet to change directions and come around for a Spark to the Prinplup's side.

"Now, Prinplup, Fury Attack!"

Somehow, Damion's starter shrugged off the second electric hit of the battle and came flying at the bewildered Leon in a rage. Leon couldn't get over his surprise, and Prinplup closed the distance between them, clawing, pummeling, pecking and scratching him. He couldn't escape.

"What the…Leon, quick, Thunder Fang! Throw him!"

Prinplup didn't even bother dodging as it took yet another highly damaging hit, landing an extra few whacks on the pained Luxio for his efforts.

"Now, don't let him recover, Leon! Tackle, and Night Slash!"

Amaya was actually slightly concerned; she was used to water types going down after that many big hits from her prized Luxio.

"Stand tall, Prinplup! Bubblebeam!"

Leon's Tackle landed perfectly, but he then took the full force of a well-formed Bubblebeam to the face at point blank range before he could launch his Night Slash.

He pushed himself laboriously off the ground. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily, but ready to continue.

"Another Bubblebeam, Prinplup!"

"Leon, Thunderbolt!"

The two attacks met with a loud bang in the middle of the field. As it was settling, Amaya heard a muffled yell from the other side of the field, and then saw Prinplup come flying out of the dust cloud, Drill Peck at the ready. Leon was once more caught unawares, and before Amaya's eyes her Luxio went down in a heap, unable to continue.

"Luxio is unable to battle, the winner is Prinplup! Amaya, your second Pokémon!"

Damion couldn't resist a taunt;

"I believe the phrase goes something like 'Screw your type advantage, who's next'?"

Amaya was too enraged for words. If looks could kill, though, Damion and everything he'd ever touched would have withered on the spot, so potent was the Twinleaf girl's glare of pure fire.

At last, she controlled herself enough to offer one sentence in return before resuming the battle;

"You'll pay for that one. Coral, I need you."

That was enough to wipe the smirk from Damion's face. His exhausted Prinplup felt the same way, having been felled by the marvelous and brutally strong Milotic several times before.

"Coral, this upstart took out Leon and bragged about it. Show him how we feel."

Coral's bond with Amaya was deeper than deep. With no further prompting, the Tender Pokémon showed no mercy to her opponent, immediately letting off a Twister, through which she fired an Ice Beam and a Hydro Pump in quick succession. Nothing could have prepared the unfortunate Penguin Pokémon or its Trainer for the ferocity of the onslaught, and in less than ten seconds, Prinplup was out for the count.

"P-Prinlup is unable to battle", sputtered the shocked referee, "Milotic is the winner! Damion, your second Pokémon."

"Damn…" Damion grimaced, "but you haven't won yet, babe. Not by a longshot. Staraptor, get it done!"

"Ice Beam", Amaya's command was curt and forceful, as was the ensuing Ice Beam. In the blink of an eye, Staraptor was forced to ground, bits of ice hindering its flight as they clung to the underside of the proud bird's plumage and wings.

"We won't take that lying down, Staraptor! Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Twister, Coral."

The idea was good, but Coral had nothing close to Staraptor's raw speed. The Predator Pokémon smashed violently into Amaya's first partner, who couldn't produce any defense in time to mitigate the effects.

"Rrrgh…Dragon Tail!"

Amaya had found an opening. Staraptor's big hit had taken it into close proximity, and Dragon Tail was a great way to punish such a careless mistake.

"Quick, Staraptor, Close Combat!"

Amaya's eyes narrowed. Dragon Tail did its work, but only after Coral suffered some big whacks from Damion's Flying type. Fortunately, when Dragon Tail smacked the offending Staraptor away, it tumbled awkwardly in the air for just a second, trying to regain its midair balance.

"Follow that with another Ice Beam!"

Coral was hit, and feeling the effects, but for her human she would shrug off any amount of damage without a second thought. She gave a loud and melodic cry before firing a second Ice Beam directly into the chest feathers of the hapless Staraptor, who was now certainly on its last wings.

On a whim, Damion attempted to change up his tactics;

"Alright, now Double Team!"

"Coral, Water Pulse! Big one!"

Water Pulse was exactly the right thing to do. Amaya's experience against the quick-thinking Milo was serving her very well as she reacted perfectly to Damion's snap transition from shootout to evasion. Water Pulse easily smashed through the copies that Staraptor had just finished producing, and landed heavily on the already weary real bird.

Damion's only fully evolved team member crumpled to the dirt, and he screamed at it from his box;

"Come on, Staraptor! You don't give up! We're not done until I say so! You got this, now get UP!"

Heroically, Staraptor pushed itself off the ground with many a grimace and grunt. Unfortunately for the valiant bird, it turned out to be a symbolic gesture only. Never one to willingly let an opponent back into a fight, Amaya called shortly,

"Coral, finish this."

A third direct Ice Beam was enough to put Staraptor down permanently.

"…Staraptor is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Damion, call your third Pokémon!"

The Veilstone Trainer was about to call on his Machoke, but then remembered how Amaya's semifinal opponent, Nova, had managed to deal with Coral. Going with his gut, he made the change;

"Alright, Croagunk, you're in! Make it happen!"

"Hydro Pump, now."

Damion had fallen for the same trick again. Amaya was well past the point of courteously allowing him time to be 'ready', and she took advantage of Croagunk's momentary unpreparedness to land the first hit of the round. Before the Poison type knew what was happening, it smashed into the ground just in front of its Trainer under the force of a fearsome Hydro Pump.

"Damn…Up, Croagunk, now, and give me a Poison Jab!"

"No way I'm letting that happen", Amaya saw his plan in an instant, "ready a Dragon Tail. Ice Beam if he jumps."

"Crap, Coragunk, pull back!"

In the nick of time, Croagunk stopped its attack, and was inches away from Coral's dangerous, sweeping Dragon Tail.

Only now did Damion understand the gaping hole in his big plan to take out Coral; he had no range moves. Only Mud Slap came close, and what was a Mud Slap going to do to this – this insane thing except annoy it?

As he faltered, Amaya pressed the attack;

"Now Twister, Coral."

"Uh, move! Dodge that!"

Damion was still struggling to find an advantage against Coral's powerful range attacks, but Amaya was yet another step ahead. She'd seen her Twister attacks used against her before, and had learned her lesson.

"Hydro Pump through the Twister."

A hugely damaging jet of water burst through the midst of the raging Twister, and Croagunk hit the dirt once more. Never the hardiest of fighters, despite Damion's focus on defense, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon had already had enough, and couldn't pick itself up.

"Croagunk is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Damion, call your fourth Pokémon!"

It seemed like the blink of an eye. One minute he'd been ahead by one, having taken out the Luxio that Amaya had favored all day yesterday, but then that damn Milotic had come out and decimated half his team on its own! But wait…

In a surprise move, Amaya called out, "Coral, return."

Many in the stadium or watching on television were shocked. Why would she switch out a Pokémon that was running riot over her opponent's team? Only the most experienced battlers recognized her moment of maturity. While Coral could easily use Recover and continue in relatively good health, she'd just been through three high-level, high-pressure, big moment situations. That kind of exertion was exhausting both physically and mentally. Leaving her in any longer without a rest was simply not worth the risk, no matter what her physical state seemed to be.

And so, she recalled her ace Pokémon, leaving many scratching their heads. Still, those who knew their stuff nodded their heads approvingly. For the first time, it seemed, Amaya was doing what she should do instead of what she could do.

Damion, meanwhile, was absolutely flummoxed. Now he'd have to deal with the rest of her crazy team knowing that she still had that Milotic in her back pocket even if he could manage to turn this around. He had to call something, though, and so he took a deep breath and said,

"Alright, Golbat, you're up! We need something big!"

He'd really wanted to bring in Machoke, but with Amaya free to call whatever she wanted, he had to be wary of her new Gastly.

"Granite", she responded, "let's do this."

Not wanting to take another cheap shot, Damion took the initiative this time;

"Lead with Supersonic! Then get out of the way!"

Golbat's favorite move left Granite disoriented. Still, Amaya was certain she could battle through that, with a Rock type against a Golbat.

"Rock Throw, Granite, just get as close as you can!"

Granite's confusion went further than Amaya had bargained for. All the huge Onix heard was the word 'Rock'. He began flinging rocks everywhere, heedless of direction or target. So addled was Granite that he struck himself more than once with wayward Rock Throws, dealing significant damage, and making Amaya clench her fist in frustration.

She was about to call him back when she noticed that Damion's Golbat was also having problems dodging the unpredictable Rock Throw attacks.

"Whuh", Damion's eyes were wide at the insanity before him, "Erm, Golbat! Golbat, Absorb, while it's out of it!"

Taking one last unlucky hit from a falling rock, Golbat gave an unnerving screech and began absorbing energy from Amaya's Rock Snake for super effective damage.

Granite gave a mighty but pained roar and at last came to his senses.

"Granite, use Iron Tail!"

The massive Rock type channeled his frustration at being taken advantage of into a walloping Iron Tail right in to the Bat Pokémon's midriff. The already ungainly Golbat took more than a moment to right itself, and Amaya once again pressed her opportunity, smelling blood in the water with only three Pokémon between her and victory.

"Now Rock Tomb!"

"No, Golbat! Get out of there!"

Sensing its Trainer's urgency, and not wanting to test the Rock Snake's accuracy, Golbat gave an awkward running leap to escape Rock Tomb, and Damion was ready to launch his counterattack;

"Okay, Leech Life!"

Once again, Granite's health was sucked away by the frustrating Golbat. This was looking more and more favorable for Damion, who was chipping away at Amaya's ferocious battler and simply refusing to be beaten.

Geez, this damn thing won't stay down, thought Amaya, time to go big or go home.

"Granite", she called, "make this thing prove it can move. Rock Throw it into the ground."

The command, so coolly delivered, made the proud Onix rear up in excitement, complying with gusto.

"Golbat, quick! Supersonic!"

Damion was hoping to confuse the Rock Snake again, but no luck. Granite was too psyched up about winning this match, too focused on decimating the Bat Pokémon that had managed to torment him so. With improved accuracy this time, rock after rock came flying down viciously at the unfortunate Golbat.

The Poison type was a tough customer, with plenty of stamina and endurance to go around, but Granite simply proved too overwhelming. Golbat went down one last time, and didn't get back up.

"Golbat is unable to battle, Onix is the winner! Damion, call your fifth Pokémon!"

Now, given Amaya's standoffish nature, and the fact that Granite was literally a big, violent rock, the two didn't often share deep, heartfelt connection moments. However, in the split second before Damion called upon his penultimate fighter, some sense of understanding passed between Trainer and Rock Snake.

Amaya was about to recall the powerful Rock type, knowing that after the wear and tear from Golbat he couldn't expect to win another round. But then, Granite looked back at her with a glint in his eye, and somehow she just….knew what he wanted.

Granite knew he would go down if he stayed in. He also knew that if he was called back he'd be done for the rest of the battle. After working so hard and putting in so much work already, his stony blood was pumping and he wanted nothing more than to go down fighting. He would rather fight and lose than not fight at all.

Okay, thought Amaya with an odd sense of calm, I can respect that, Granite.

She gave him the smallest nod to show her understanding, and the hulking Onix turned back to the battlefield with a massive roar, both of approval and of challenge. He would give every inch of effort he could muster for the sake of his team. At last, the moment ended, and Damion called from across the field;

"Machoke, take this thing out!"

Amaya narrowed her eyes; Granite's kamikaze play just got a whole lot more difficult. A fighting type like Machoke could make quick work of an Onix without taking significant damage.

"Okay, Rock Polish."

Granite coated himself in a sheen that improved his speed greatly, and Damion took the opening as a chance to close out the round quickly;

"Low Kick!"

Machoke sprinted across the field, but Amaya only smirked.

Rookie move, Damion, she thought as she sprung the trap;

"Hah! Iron Tail, and snipe it with a Rock Throw!"

Machoke's 'sprint' was unimpressive already, and with Granite's now-improved speed, he had plenty of time to pour a whole load of power into an Iron Tail that caught Damion's fighting type the same way it had done to the Golbat in the last round. This time, as Mcahoke went flying painfully through the air, Granite brought a well-timed boulder crashing down on the Superpower Pokémon in mid-flight.

Livid, Damion screamed aloud, "Get the hell up! Focus Blast!"

At last, all of his endurance training came into play as Machoke clambered back to his feet and launched a powerful Focus Blast that left Granite reeling.

"NOW give it a Low Kick! Before it can recover!"

Unfortunately, two could play that game. Granite had plenty of defensive power to go around as well, and Amaya countered Damion's strategy yet again;

"Rock Tomb, then Slam!"

Machoke was still not fast enough to get the jump on the Rock Polished Granite, who buried his opponent under a series of punishing boulders before throwing his stony girth down hard upon the pile, leaving Machoke reeling from the quickly mounting damage. Still, the Slam had left Amaya's Rock Snake vulnerable, and Damion was quick enough on the draw to take advantage.

As Machoke once more pushed itself upright, he called confidently;

"Karate Chop! Don't let up!"

Granite couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and after two solid chops, he was down for good. Amaya's heart fluttered, but she closed her eyes and reminded herself;

That's what Granite wanted. I still have Coral if things go really bad, and he's only got one more in reserve after this Machoke. I just need to finish this out.

"Onix is unable to battle, Machoke is the winner! Amaya, call your next Pokémon!"

With a dark grin, Amaya answered easily; "Hmph, no-brainer. Spirielle, you're in."

The Gastly appeared with an eerie cackle and began zooming about her side of the field. Damion was only just realizing how badly prepared he was to counter his Pokémon's weaknesses. He thought of recalling Machoke, but it was too late. Amaya was already off and running.

"Show me Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball."

Spirielle simply vanished, and reappeared behind the baffled Machoke with a Sludge Bomb that left the fighting type staggering, and covered in toxic slime, which quickly began to take effect. It tried uselessly to chop at the Ghost, who only laughed at its pitiful efforts before pulverizing it with a direct Shadow Ball to the face.

These two big hits, combined with the huge damage Granite had dealt, finally brought the admittedly impressive Machoke to its knees before it at last fell unconscious.

"Ah…Machoke is unable to battle, Gastly is the winner! Damion, call your last Pokémon!"

Grimacing, Damion complied with a subdued tone.

"Graveler, you're up last. Let's go."

"Spirielle", answered Amaya, "that was good, now return. Terrus, wrap this thing up!"

Amaya couldn't let this final go by without letting her loyal Grass starter have some say in it. Besides, Spirielle was still too whimsical to be relied upon as a closer in a big match like this. Considering Terrus' type advantage and his experience with Amaya, he was the only choice here.

However, instead of returning, Spirielle began to glow brightly, and before anyone could register what was happening, a newly evolved Haunter materialized on the field, sending the crowd into raptures of applause and cheering. Amaya hesitated at this new development, but still called her new Haunter back for Terrus.

Cool, but I'll deal with that later. This isn't the time to throw caution to the winds; not when I'm so close…

So, it was the Twinleaf Trainer's trusty Grotle who took the field to face off against Damion's Graveler, his last stand in this final of the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge.

Satisfied that both Trainers were done making changes, the referee waved the flag with a dramatic flair to restart the match;

"Battle begin!"

"Energy Ball, Terrus! Don't give him a chance!"

"Magnitude!"

Terrus could only get in two accurate Energy Ball attacks before he had to hunker down and endure the painfully large Magnitude that left even him breathing heavily. Fortunately, Amaya had just the thing to make up for the damage;

"He's recovering, Terrus, use Giga Drain."

With a roar, the indomitable Grotle began aggressively siphoning as much energy as he could from the reeling Graveler, who cried out in pain, but remained standing.

"Enough fighting from back here; Graveler, use Rollout!"

Damion's idea was spot on; Graveler couldn't come close to competing with Terrus at range. But Amaya's bag of tricks wasn't empty just yet;

"Hah! Too easy, Grass Knot!"

Yet another super effective hit sent Graveler sprawling across the dirt field. Amaya, always one for the big finishing move, called to Terrus,

"We've got him now! Charge up!"

Terrus roared and began taking in as much light as he could, preparing a Solarbeam as Graveler got slowly to its feet.

"NO!" Damion practically shrieked, "Graveler, Double Edge!"

Amaya had once again underestimated Damion's ability to recover from big hits, and Terrus took a walloping hit from Double Edge that left both Pokémon in bad shape.

Damn, I screwed up again…Okay, no more fancy stuff, just win. It's still a Rock type.

"Alright, we'll keep it simple, Terrus, Razor Leaf!"

Razor Leaf somehow still wasn't enough to bring down the tenacious Rock Pokémon, and it launched another Rollout that struck Granite once, and was swinging around for another hit, when Amaya switched tactics one last time.

"Stand your ground, Terrus! I need the biggest Energy Ball you can give me!"

As the two attacks collided, a massive boom reverberated around the stadium. It took several seconds for the dust to settle, but when it did, Graveler was not getting up. Terrus roared in victory, and the referee made the call;

"Graveler is unable to battle, Grotle wins! The match goes to Amaya of Twinleaf Town!"

As the crowd screamed their approval to the heavens, Amaya and Damion met in the middle, sparks still flying between the two. They shared the briefest and most unfriendly handshake possible, and Damion quickly took his leave of the scene of his most public defeat to date.

Amaya stayed put to receive her trophy and medal, and acknowledge the massive crowd one last time, but soon it was time for her to head out as well. As she exited the stadium, one reporter managed to elicit a response from her;

"Amaya! Amaya, can I get a brief reaction on your first tournament win? What's your feeling?"

The small Twinleaf girl stopped short and replied, "You want a reaction? How about this; the hammer just smashed the wall."

With that, she turned on her heel and was gone, heading to Milo's father's car with a huge feeling of relief and satisfaction.

Milo

"Yes! Haha, there's the 'Maya we all love! Way to stick it to that jerk!"

Still in bed, Milo had relished the whole battle between his best friend and bitter rival. He was feeling much improved, and was quickly regaining his strength.

"Yeah, that was great. I'm glad for her."

Kara was oddly blank. Milo's smile faltered and he looked over at the young Performer.

"Hey…is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…I guess so…"

Genuinely puzzled, Milo reached out and grabbed her hand, which made Kara flinch slightly.

"I…I'm sorry, Milo", she tried to explain herself, "I just…I feel – I don't even know. Bad? Kind of disgusting?"

"Wait, what? Kara, why would you – oh…is it, umm, is it what Damion said? Before the battle?"

Kara only nodded, and Milo gave her hand an extra squeeze for comfort. They'd both been absolutely infuriated by Damion's brash pre-match comments about them, and Kara seemed to have taken them rather harshly.

After all, he reasoned, I guess being called 'arm candy' on live national television would make anyone feel grossly objectified… Geez, I hate that Damion guy. Still, right now Kara's more important.

"Hey. Kara."

The Floaroma girl looked over at him, and he said as sincerely as he could;

"I guess this is as good a time as any to get something off my chest. No, Aurora, I'm not talking about you, you can stay; that was a metaphor. Anyway, Kara"

Milo paused and took a breath;

You started it, he told himself, now you have to follow through. Just say it, Milo. Come on, she needs you…and you need her.

"Kara, I really like you. Not just the way you look or whatever; I love your positivity, your dedication to your friends and your Pokémon, the way you smile and laugh, and the sincerity of your friendship. I've really enjoyed travelling with you, and…I want to ask you t-to – I want to know i-if…uh, will you go out with me?"

He'd started out quite strongly, but his voice trailed off as he almost lost his nerve. Still, the words had been spoken; they were out there now.

Aurora, Azura, and Ferra were all there (Blaze and Drake had gone off to train) and all three of them went instantly delirious with delight at their Trainer's words. All eyes in the room were on Kara, as tears formed in her stunning blue eyes.

"Milo", her voice was barely more than a choked whisper, "Milo, do…you mean that?"

"O-of course I do! I really like you Kara, and I w-want to go out with you. Erm, please?"

Kara's heart was all aflutter, but she had to ask one last question;

"You're not just saying that to make up for what Damion said about me? About us?"

From his hospital bed, Milo took a deep breath and looked the young woman directly in the eye with a fiercely confident smile;

"Kara, I have wanted to ask you out since at least the Festival in Floaroma. I really, truly, love being around you. What Damion said about you was totally unwarranted and disgusting, and he has nothing to do with this; I want to go out with you. Please, please say yes?"

For one brief moment there was silence, as Kara processed his heartfelt words.

"Y-yes! Yes, of course, Milo! Of course I'll go out with you! Oh, thank you, thank you!"

The two shared a meaningful embrace – or at least they tried to. It was slightly awkward, since Milo was still confined to a hospital bed. Still, Milo's team more than made up for it; Aurora and Ferra jumped all over Kara, thrilled beyond belief. Azura hopped gracefully onto Milo's bed and settled herself proudly in the crook of her Trainer's arm.

I'm proud of you for that, commented the Umbreon.

Why thank you, he responded contentedly, I thought it went well, all things considered.

Seriously, Milo. It was the right thing for you both, and she really needed it. The 'arm candy' comment really cut her deeply, I think.

-o-

With everything that had happened, the days began to fly by. Before too long, Marcus was joyfully reunited with his younger brother (and his girlfriend) and Amaya returned to Pastoria triumphantly, trophy in tow. Everyone was delighted to hear that Milo had officially asked Kara out, and the phrase 'I told you so' was used repeatedly.

Milo's recovery progressed quite nicely, and within three days of waking up, he was allowed to resume training with his team. He spent the whole day gleefully working with each of his Pokémon, who were beyond thrilled to have him back. Blaze's new power was downright astonishing, not to mention his speed, which was through the roof.

It was that evening that something truly delightful took place; Milo and Kara's first date. They were, of course, given no end of trouble and jokes by their friends, but the time had come.

Milo didn't exactly have any 'fancy' clothes, but he thoroughly washed his favorite travel outfit, packed a nice picnic dinner, and presented himself anxiously and awkwardly outside Kara's room at the Pokémon Center at precisely 5:57pm (they'd agreed on 6 o'clock, and he made sure to arrive early out of courtesy).

Kara, naturally, looked like some kind of angel descended from goodness knows where. She had chosen a flowing, long sleeveless white blouse over a layered, navy blue skirt that reached modestly past her knees. Still, the most breathtaking part, for Milo at least, was her radiant smile.

"Umm, Milo? Are…we going?"

Oops. He'd been caught staring again.

"Going? Oh! Oh, uh, yeah! Yeah, let's head out."

Arm in arm, the two proceeded out the East gate of the city, talking amicably, laughing back and forth about anything and everything. So much so, in fact, that neither of them heard the distant rumble coming from the dark clouds gathering in the east.

For an hour, their first date was simply divine. They shared a marvelous sunset alone on a pristine beach over a lovely meal…and then the first raindrop struck. They had just finished eating and were quietly admiring the beauty of the moment; Milo's arm rested easily across Kara's shoulders as her head rested gently on him…

"Huh? Hey, Kara, did you feel something just now?"

"Umm, no? Feel what?"

"I…I hate to say it, but I think that was a raindrop."

Kara took a nervous look up at the sky and said,

"Oh, hey, now that you say it, it really does look kind of menacing up there. I hadn't noticed the clouds roll in, I guess. Hey, yeah, now I feel the rain starting!"

Milo's mood was shattered in an instant; "Aww, come on! Of course it starts raining! Seriously, that sucks."

"Hey", Kara tried to ease his frustration, "Milo, it's fine, we'll just go back. I had a great time, alright?"

"Yeah, cool", Milo's head was down, and his demeanor anything but cool as he began jamming everything they had brought back into the picnic basket. Better still, the rain began to pick up, and within seconds the young couple were soaked through.

As they walked hurriedly back, Milo scowled and scuffed his feet. He'd spent days recovering, not to mention all his hoping and planning since Veilstone, just for his first real date to be turned into a soggy, stormy mess.

"Milo, stop."

Kara planted her feet in the sand and her hands on her hips and demanded his attention.

"Huh? Kara, come on, we're getting wetter by the second, let's just go back. We'll have to try again soon."

"No. Don't act like a little rain is going to spoil this for us, Milo. I still had an amazing time, and I'm happier now than I can ever remember being. So stop moping and complaining, because this was still everything I could've asked for from a first date. Milo, just…just come here."

With that, Kara stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of Milo's shirt, and planted her lips firmly on his. Milo's brain short-circuited on the spot. For one blissful moment, nothing else in the world existed but Kara. For the young man from Jubilife, it was a moment of unbridled paradise that lasted for an eternity.

But then, as quickly as it had come, the moment ended. Kara stepped back, just as breathless and overwhelmed as the recipient of her attack kiss. The two of them stared at one another in wonder, oblivious to the rain that was now an out and out downpour all around them.

"Umm…feeling better now, Milo?"

Kara was rather taken aback by her own forwardness, and was now blushing furiously.

"Y-yeah…yeah, uh, a lot better, actually…"

Unbidden, a smile slowly forced its way across his face, and he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his new…girlfriend.

That sounds so weird, thought Milo briefly, but…I'm okay with it. In fact, I don't think I would swap this for anything.

This time, their lips met much more delicately and romantically. Milo and Kara shared the moment every young couple dreams of but only sees in romance movies. They stood there in the rain, holding tightly onto one another, for another minute or two before Kara said softly;

"There. Now we can go back."

Author's Notes:

To those who reviewed, thank you ever so much!

This chapter to me felt like an exercise in pacing. I was really trying to give everything the treatment it deserved while still keeping things moving. Hopefully the themes and character complexity that were lacking have started to peek their way in. I promise that will continue to grow as we move forward. Also, this chapter was my proudest, and maybe most difficult, attempt yet at Romance. I believe in setting the scene and letting the reader imagine the rest, not writing out every miniscule, cheesy detail. That said, I'd love to hear reader thoughts on the date scene, as Romance is far from my strong suit!

In general, we're approaching the point(s) where this story most strongly deviates from the 'traditional' Sinnoh journey structure. If you're enjoying this, I invite you once again to follow/favorite to keep up with Milo and the crew (and me). As usual, any and all reviews, be they complements or constructive criticisms, are welcome and encouraged. Thank you, sincerely, for reading my work. Cheers, my fellow Trainers.

I don't own Pokémon.

Zencolour: Glad you're enjoying Amaya's evolution, thank you for the support! I hope you like this battle as much as the others! I'm hopeful that those 'darker' touches to the story give it more depth without detracting from the core tone of the story as a whole.

Mystery Human: Ah, my friend the anonymous guest. A pleasure as always. It was good to have input on the POV changes, I've definitely tried to take that into account. I'm also actively pursuing ways to (naturally) flesh out Kara's personality and Amaya's relationship with her team. Thanks as always for the very well-thought-out review!