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)

19. Chapter 19 - Playtime Is Over

Milo Chapter 19 – Playtime Is Over

"Let the rematch between Amaya the challenger and Leader Wake…BEGIN!"

Milo sat in the stands, already on the edge of his seat. It had been three days since he won his badge and Amaya didn't, and now the Twinleaf Trainer was bound and determined to exact her revenge. Next to him sat Kara, invested in her friend's success as ever. On his lap was Azura, just as eager for the match as her Trainer.

"I've been waiting for this", roared Wake with an excited glint in his veteran face, "let's see what you've come up with this time! Gyarados, on the water!"

"Leon, let's do this."

As the reliable Luxio appeared, Milo allowed an eager smile to grace his features, commenting;

"Oh, she's got that furious 'Maya look on her face again…if I know anything about how her mind works, Wake is toast this time."

"Wait", Kara was concerned, "last time you said this was a bad matchup because of the size difference. Isn't it still a bad idea?"

"Oh, this is still risky as all get out", Milo answered vigorously, "but when 'Maya gets like this, you can bet on her sheer willpower to counteract the risk factor every time."

Sure enough, Wake tried to take advantage of the size mismatch right away;

"Show them a Twister, Gyarados!"

"Thunderbolt, Leon, right now!"

Milo pumped his fist victoriously, as the Atrocious Pokémon roared in pain and was unable to whip a Twister into play.

"YES! There it is, 'Maya! Show him what you've got!"

You know, Azura added mentally as Milo sat back down, That's typically how we fight Coral. I think Amaya's finally learning how to play smart and hit hard at the same time.

Good catch, Milo agreed, I think you're right.

Wake wasn't going to back down, though, and was ready to keep at it;

"Fine, now show me Outrage!"

The intimidating beast threw itself bodily at Amaya's brave Spark Pokémon, and she was forced into evasive maneuvers;

"Leon, dodge, and keep an eye on him. Try to keep circling behind!"

Always the last one to lose his cool (unless he got dunked underwater), Leon nimbly leapt from one platform to the next, never giving Gyarados a clear line of sight to hit him with the flailing Outrage attack.

"Now another Thunderbolt, then keep moving!"

"Perfect", said Milo from the stands, "this is that rhythmic approach she was talking about before. Leon's not a big tank like Coral or Granite; this hit and run game is perfect for him."

Wake's confident smirk had vanished, and he switched tactics quickly;

"Turn and Dragon Rage!"

Already on its last legs, the proud Water type whirled about and fired a surprisingly fast Dragon Rage attack. Somehow, it had managed to fire the attack ahead of where Leon was, so instead of dodging under it, the Luxio was unable to halt his momentum and went crashing headfirst into the blast.

"Uh-oh", said Kara, "this is how it all started to go bad last time."

Have faith, milady, Kara had released her Ralts, and Florence spoke up from her position on the Performer's lap, The good Lady Amaya appears fully prepared to handle herself with aplomb, despite this dire circumstance.

The observation was an astute one. Amaya grimaced, but was able to regain her composure and salvage the situation;

"Leon, use Return! Then get back out of the water!"

From his vulnerable position, Leon was able to pour all of his love and loyalty into an almighty blast that sent Gyarados reeling backwards. The Electric type scrambled back onto the nearest platform, but his haste proved unnecessary, as Gyarados came toppling down, defeated at last.

"Hmm! Well then", nodded Wake, "that's what I'd expect from a Rookie of your reputation, Amaya! Let's see how you deal with…Quagsire!"

Amaya ignored Wake completely and made her own change;

"Leon, great work, now come on back. Terrus, you're in. Let's do this."

"Yes, YES!" Milo applauded enthusiastically, calling out, "Way to use your head, 'Maya! Great play!"

Azura nodded approvingly as well, This is looking good for her. I'm glad; she deserves this win. She's put in more than enough work in the past three days alone. But Floatzel will be the deal breaker, even if she gets through Quagsire unscathed.

"Quagsire, start with Earthquake!"

As the field began to shake, Terrus grimaced, but Amaya had a strategy prepared this time;

"Giga Drain, while it's attacking!"

Gritting his teeth through the damage, Amaya's Grotle took perfect advantage of Quagsire's vulnerability while it powered the Earthquake to leech its health. By the time the quake settled, it looked as if Quagsire had fared worse than Terrus from the exchange.

"Clever", nodded the Pastoria Leader, "Very creative. But it'll take more than cleverness alone to get through me! Quagsire, close in with Slam!"

"He's got her figured", Milo said nervously, "he knows that Terrus doesn't usually move when he fights. He's betting she can't dodge a straight hit like Slam."

As it happened, Amaya had a plan for that as well,

"Grass Knot, like we practiced!"

There was an audible gasp from the audience; the Grass Knot was larger than any they'd ever seen! In fact, it was forceful enough to swat Quagsire like a baseball, sending the Water Fish Pokémon crashing into the side of the arena.

"Now Razor Leaf!"

Wake had to think quickly to avoid the damage that was starting to pile up against him;

"Mud Shot those leaves, Quagsire! Then Rock Tomb and Slam!"

Only an experienced Leader could have pushed back so quickly and so effectively. As Terrus grunted under the impact of the Mud Shot, Amaya was forced to play some defense of her own;

"Energy Ball through the Rock Tomb, Crunch as it comes in for the Slam!"

Wake's Pokémon came flying through the chaos, but Terrus' nerve held just enough. The focusedq Grotle was able to time his Crunch well enough to catch the onrushing Quagsire and fling it back the way it had come. This time the round was over;

"Quagsire is unable to continue, Grotle is the winner!"

Wake actually applauded his young challenger as he returned his second fallen team member.

"You've done well; your decision-making is vastly improved this time around. Still, I wonder what you'll conjure up to deal with…Floatzel! On the water!"

Amaya

This was it. Her plan had worked to perfection so far, and there was only one more phase to go… This was the hardest part.

Just make the call, Amaya, she told herself, Make the right choice.

Still, her hand trembled and hesitated over her belt as she reached for her final Pokémon. Time seemed to slow as she second-guessed herself at this crucial juncture. If this was the right play, why did it feel so wrong?

No, stop this, she growled silently, Just follow the plan. Come ON!

At last, she wrenched her hand away from Coral's ball and grabbed the one beside it;

"Terrus, return. Spirielle, let's do this."

"What's this?" Wake raised an eyebrow at her from across the water, "No Milotic? You are full of surprises, to be sure."

As she had through the whole fight, Amaya ignored Wake's banter and commentary, choosing instead to take the early initiative.

"Astonish, Spirielle, then Lick."

Wake was caught off guard, and scrambled to recover;

"Aha! Crunch, Floatzel!"

Spirielle got her Astonish attack in, leaving Floatzel vulnerable for just long enough to paralyze it with Lick. Inwardly, Amaya breathed a huge sigh of relief. The biggest danger Floatzel posed was its speed, and that had just been crippled by paralysis, which was already taking effect on the Sea Weasel.

From the stands, she distinctly heard Milo cheering his heart out; he of all people would understand. After that play, the battle was more or less Amaya's to lose. Nevertheless, she knew better than to let her guard down now, especially against a Leader as formidable as Wake. He was crafty to say the least.

"Floatzel", he ordered swiftly, "into the water! If we can't outrun her, we'll use the field to our advantage!"

"Spirielle, up! Get high above the water!"

"Floatzel, show me Brine!"

Amaya's escape plan came in handy. Her Haunter was able to spot the attack coming from below before it was too close to dodge. As expected, the Twinleaf Trainer called a snap counter;

"Hypnosis!"

It was so close. It was almost heart wrenching for Amaya's friends to see Hypnosis miss Floatzel's retreating form by inches at most. If it would have hit, the battle would surely have been over. Still, Amaya wasn't out of tricks just yet.

"Sludge Bomb, into the water! Make it rain, girl!"

Gleefully, the mischievous Gas Pokémon launched one poisonous orb after another into the pool, which quickly took on a sickly purple hue and became quite murky.

"Hmm. Floatzel, get out of there! Aqua Jet, straight up!"

Now poisoned as well as paralyzed, Floatzel nonetheless came barreling heroically out of the water, catching Spirielle by surprise as she was still hurling Sludge Bombs downward at an alarming rate. As the Ghost type reeled from the hit, Amaya saw a chance to put the battle to bed; Floatzel's attack had worked, but gravity now carried it helplessly back down.

"Spirielle, Psychic, and throw it back up!"

"Floatzel, break its hold with Crunch!"

Wake's move was very intelligent. The Dark type move easily broke through the Psychic attack. However, Amaya's play had been more about the throw than the damage from Psychic. Sure enough, Floatzel was sent spinning through the air in a dangerous arc, unable to control its momentum.

"Snipe it, Spirielle! Shadow Ball!"

"Floatzel, concentrate and block them with Ice Punch!"

At the beginning of the battle, such a bold strategy would likely have worked, but poison, paralysis and fatigue combined to render Floatzel incapable of effective defense as it fell. By the time it hit the water, enough Shadow Ball attacks had landed to render the mighty Sea Weasel unconscious.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! The victory goes to the challenger, Amaya from Twinleaf!"

As the crowd erupted, Amaya found her friends literally jumping for joy in the stands, and gave them a curt nod.

Her body was operating largely on autopilot as she accepted the badge from Wake and nodded when asked about posting her battle to the BattleNet.

She was still waiting for it.

She was waiting for the feeling of relief at overcoming Wake's infamously tough Gym team. She needed to feel that sweet sensation of a revenge victory. Yet…it never came. As she walked slowly back towards the Pokémon Center, she tried to make it happen, thinking to herself;

It's done. I beat him. I've completed the first half of the Sinnoh Gym Challenge. I paid Wake back for beating me last time. Why don't I feel better?

She honestly couldn't focus, and didn't pay much attention to Milo and Kara when they were waiting to congratulate her back in her room. Something was still eating at her – it was like a thought on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite place it.

Why do I still feel unsettled about all this? I – I still need to be stronger. I won't feel better until I'm strong enough to win that battle ten times out of ten. I need more power.

Kara

She was worried about Amaya. Their victorious friend had nodded and 'whatever'ed her way through all their attempted celebrations and plans for moving on towards Hearthome. Still, Milo assured his concerned girlfriend that this wasn't too far away from typical Amaya and that hopefully she'd snap out of it soon.

"Alright…Do you still think we should go? I feel bad leaving her alone like that."

"Nah, it's probably for the best that she gets some space if she's feeling off. It's our last night in Pastoria by the beach, the weather is great, and we're a couple. Let's have fun!"

Kara was still a bit hesitant, but at Milo's insistence she took his hand and followed. Before too long, any lingering concerns or reservations melted away. Unlike their tumultuous first date, this one was pure bliss. They went to a nice dinner at a restaurant with a beautiful ocean view (and a hefty price tag, which Milo covered with a nervous chuckle after seeing the number on the receipt).

After dinner they went out onto the pristine sands, still warm from the sun's rays that were just beginning to sink beyond the picturesque horizon. They let their Pokémon out to play and sat together watching. It was divine. It was surreal. It was magical.

"Milo", began the young Performer, "Milo, I know it's cheesy and old-fashioned and whatever, but…I have literally never felt so happy in my life. I…Thank you. Thank you so much."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Milo just turned and smiled at her, looking deeply at her with that gleam in his eye that drew her to him so…

Their heads moved together slowly, magnetically, and Kara had just closed her eyes, awaiting the sweet kiss, when she felt Milo stop;

"Uh…huh? Kara, look, what's up with Florence?"

Kara's eyes snapped back open and her head whipped around to see Florence at her other side, staring at the two humans with rapt attention. She heard the Ralts' voice in her mind as the little Feeling Pokémon began to shimmer and glow;

M-milady Kara, I – I can feel your happiness. Such depth of joy and peace…I feel overwhelmed by the strength and purity of your emotions…

Her voice trailed off as her entire body was consumed by a white glow.

"No way", Milo was breathless, "is she evolving? Kara she's literally evolving just from how strong your emotions are! Whoa!"

Sure enough, after a few seconds, the glow faded to reveal a marvelous Kirlia twirling gracefully on one foot. Florence came to a stop, looked over her new form, and gave an elegant curtsey.

My goodness, her voice more mature now, but no less smooth and no less formal, I do believe I quite like this new form. It would seem that I have gained a great deal of strength as well. Of course, I have you to thank once more, milady Kara. It was only by the power of your love for our dearest Milo that I was able to complete this happiest of transformations.

"Flo", Kara was beaming with pride, "I love your new form; you're a magnificent Kirlia! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

She actually got up and embraced her new Emotion Pokémon, a gesture which Florence was now large enough to reasonably return.

Ah, but please, I will distract no longer from your charming courtship. Look, the sun is setting over the water and now the time is ripe for the love between a gentleman and a beautiful lady to blossom all the stronger.

Tactfully, Florence left her Trainer to go and join the rest of the Pokémon (Azura had, in fact, been hard-pressed to keep the oblivious Aurora from interrupting much sooner to investigate). As the Psychic type danced and twirled her way down the beach, Milo and Kara were alone again, lost in one another as the sun cast itself one last time over the world before making way at last to the cool blanket of a perfect Pastoria night.

Silence reigned over the young couple for another two hours as they sat together on the sands. Kara had nestled herself against Milo's chest and, after all, what words could be said? Such a beautiful moment defied expression, and so was allowed to run its natural course.

Milo

"NOOOO!"

AAH! …Dammit.

Milo sat bolt upright in his bed. Again. The same nightmare, every time. He was still being forced to relive that traumatizing night, the night of the attack, over and over in his dreams. He'd dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, he would be spared that night, after his blissful evening with Kara, but it wasn't to be.

Punching his pillow in frustration, he felt something brush against his side and turned to pet his faithful Umbreon behind her ears, just the way she liked.

I hate going through this every night, he said.

I know you do.

I hate not knowing why this happens to me!

Azura purred softly, consolingly, I understand, Milo.

I just…I hate feeling so helpless.

...Me too.

With a shake of his head, the Jubilife Trainer tried to lay back down, but his blood was pumping and he couldn't feel tired. Disgusted with his own subconscious, he leaned over and checked the time.

"Bah, what's the point trying to fall back to sleep. I guess I'm going to get a jump start on packing for Hearthome."

As Milo began padding softly about the room, assembling his things as quietly as he could, Ferra was the first of his Pokémon apart from Azura to stir.

Did you have a bad dream again, Papa?

I'm okay, Ferra. You can sleep a while longer, I'm just getting a head start on packing.

The room began to slowly grow brighter as Blaze woke up from his spot in the corner, his head flame coming back to life as slumber fell from the Flame Pokémon. Inevitably, the rest of his team soon followed, and before long all of Milo's Pokémon were awake.

"Well, I guess there's no more point being quiet. You guys can either help me pack or go outside to the practice field and train, it's your choice."

Still rubbing sleep from their eyes, four of the six chose to await their Trainer outside. Only Blaze and Azura stayed to keep him company. Milo chuckled as he collected his things;

"Heh, look at you two old-timers. You're the team veterans now. Geez, this is a random memory, but that first practice battle against Cynthia feels like forever ago, back in Sandgem. Remember that?"

Yeah, Blaze shook his head in mock disappointment, we barely held our own against an Aipom and a Bonsly.

"And now look at you, Mr. High-and-Mighty Infernape. Think you could handle that Aipom in a rematch?"

The three of them shared a laugh, before Blaze became more serious and looked at Azura before asking cautiously,

Milo, I didn't want to say a whole lot in front of everyone, especially the young ones, but seriously…are you okay?

Milo stopped, and understanding struck him at last;

"So that's why you two stayed behind."

He sat back down on the bed with a heavy sigh, and answered as honestly as he could;

"Look, I promise I really am okay…mostly. It's just these nightmares, these memories that won't stop coming back from that night. It's like Aurora said; I was so close to losing everything – we all were. I can't get that out of my head."

He was staring down now, coming to grips with the fear he'd kept tucked away. It refused to be contained any longer, and Milo began to feel himself trembling.

Azura leapt up to sit beside him, and said;

We all still trust you, Milo. Maybe what we're doing now will help. The stronger we are, the more we'll be able to protect ourselves and our friends, right?

Blaze seemed to like the idea, and he jumped in;

I second that. The stronger we are, the less we have to fear. This training will help us in more ways than one.

Milo looked up, a tentative smile on his face;

"More training, less fear, huh? I don't know…maybe you're right. Maybe what we need is just…more power."

The three of them sat in silence as Milo thought to himself. After another few seconds he jumped up, took a breath to reset himself, and said;

"At any rate, it's the best idea we've got, and we have to keep moving forward somehow. In training we trust. Now let's finish packing and get moving towards Hearthome."

So it was that a reinvigorated Milo was finished packing by breakfast time. He met Kara and Amaya in the cafeteria of the Pokémon Center for a bite to eat, and then headed out to meet up with his team. They couldn't leave just yet, since Kara and Amaya needed time to pack their things. They, after all, had the luxury of sleeping through the night, and so hadn't been up nearly as early as Milo.

Feeling relaxed and pleasantly peaceful, he settled in to supervise his team, until Jet caught his eye and motioned with his head. Milo shot his Buizel a questioning look;

What's up, pal?

Can…you come with me for a second? I'd like to talk to you. Away from the others.

Confused, Milo nodded and followed his new Water type away from the rest of the team. Jet led him into the woods that backed up to the Center, and then stopped. Milo sat down with his back against a tree, and Jet settled in opposite him.

I…I messed up.

"What do you mean, Jet? When did – oh. This is about the battle against Wake, huh?"

Milo had been waiting for the right time to bring this up with his Buizel. Jet's disobedience in the heat of the match could have been very costly. It was also the first time Milo had been forced to deal with something as serious as this.

"Look, Jet. I'll admit I was far from impressed by that. You could have won that battle if you had followed my plan. Instead you trusted your gut more than me, and Floatzel made you pay for it."

Milo took a breath and made to continue, but Jet cut in, quite nervously,

I know that, I do. Hindsight is perfect, or whatever you humans say, but…I just…I hope you can understand why trust is hard for me right now. It's because…

Flashback – Jet

Buizel's Trainer looked down at him with a noticeable tear in her eye. Nova and her team had been comprehensibly flattened just yesterday by the latest phenomenon out of Jubilife, a kid named Milo. Buizel had, of course, done what he could to salvage the situation, winning a tough match against an upstart Monferno before losing to a crazy powerful Umbreon.

He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance at the memory. It felt wrong for a Pokémon to be the one carrying the team on his back. That was supposed to be his Trainer's job, but she was still, in his opinion, largely incompetent. She was learning, though, slowly but surely. One day Buizel had faith that they could make a powerful team, but that day was still far off – especially if she was going to cry like this after every significant loss.

"Buizel, why won't you just listen to me?"

He barked back at her. It wasn't his fault that she kept calling the wrong moves! He was trying to show her that he was more capable than she gave him credit for, but she wasn't getting the picture!

"We could be such a strong team if I could rely on you in a battle, but you've only gotten worse since we've been together!"

Gotten worse? What was she talking about? Their success rate had gone up since they started, not down! He was her strongest team member! Sure, they had their rough patches, but once that was worked out between them they could really be something special!

"This is what I'm talking about, Buizel", continued Nova, gesturing at his guarded stance, his offended facial expression, "I'm trying to extend an olive branch, and you won't even meet me halfway. I just…", Nova's voice cracked, and Buizel's eyes narrowed. What was she up to?

"I just…think I'm out of options here."

Out of options? What was she – wait, was that his Pokéball she was holding? Why was – no! No, it couldn't be! Was she planning to-

As his eyes widened in shock, Nova raised his Pokéball high above her head and, with her voice and hand both trembling, said;

"I…I release you, Buizel. Go be free and wild again."

With that, she brought the ball crashing down to shatter against the pavement. He stepped back once, twice, reeling in shock. Never had the thought crossed his mind that his Trainer would give up on him rather than work with and try to understand him…

His head whirling, with anger, fear, sadness, and betrayal coursing through his heart, Buizel acted on instinct and turned, dashing away through the city to get away from the scene of his broken aspirations. As he sprinted off, he heard her voice one last time;

"I'm sorry, Buizel! This is really for the best!"

No, he thought as he ran, Whatever awful thing this is, it surely isn't 'for the best'.

End Flashback

Milo could only sit back in shock at the revelation of Jet's history with his old Trainer.

"I…I knew she released you, pal, but somehow I guess I assumed it was a mutual agreement or something. That just sounds terrible. You're right, I can totally see why trusting another Trainer is tough for you right now."

That still doesn't excuse what I did against Wake.

Milo allowed a sad smile to creep back over his face,

"No, you're right, it doesn't. But it does tell me why you did what you did. Jet, I really appreciate you telling me about all this. I promise never to put you through that again, no matter what. If you'll agree to at least listen to me in battle, I'll guarantee you that eventually you can have the kind of autonomy on the battle field that you're looking for. You've seen the way I battle with Azura; that could be you as well if you give me some time to build that kind of a connection between us. What do you think, Jet?"

The Sea Weasel eyed him carefully, but not unkindly, and responded,

That's twice now you've promised me something big like that. Still, you haven't given me any reason not to believe you. My gut says I should keep doing my own thing, but…my better judgement says I can believe you. If you'll give me a second chance, I'll trust you and make the most of it. Milo…thanks.

Trainer and Pokémon shared a meaningful nod, and silently began making their way back to the rest of the team. There they found Nurse Joy looking over a somewhat irritated-looking Drake.

"Nurse Joy", Milo jogged over, concerned, "is something the matter with Drake?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out", responded the kindly Joy, "Your friend's Kirlia suggested to me using telepathy that this Gabite – Drake – had sustained some kind of damage during training this morning."

I will hold fast by my words, came a huffy telepathic shout from the doorway of the Pokémon Center, I personally witnessed the good Sir Drake receive the full fury of milady Azura's strongest Dark Pulse and attempt to continue his efforts in their training bout. Such dangerous levels of exertion are highly unsafe!

Milo chuckled nervously and tried to placate his girlfriend's Psychic type,

"Uh, I'm sure we all appreciate you keeping an eye out for things like that, Florence, but Drake's a big boy. He can take a hit, even from Azura. Nurse Joy, does he seem injured at all?"

I'm just freakin' fine! Drake roared indignantly at having been forced to stop fighting, Give me a break, Azura probably wasn't even going all out. Look, I would know if I was actually hurt, I'm not an idiot! Geez, Florence, come on.

"Drake, buddy, ease up", Milo wanted to prevent an argument between Drake and the prim Kirlia, "She's just trying to make sure you're alright, man. She's worried about you, is all."

Nurse Joy spared them any further consternation by straightening up and declaring with a smile, "Your Gabite seems to be just fine! He's a real competitor, so make sure he doesn't overdo it in training. Actually, Milo, I came out here originally to look for you, as well. You have a call on the line inside. Follow me, please."

Back in the lobby, Milo spotted Kara and Amaya sitting on one of the couches chatting;

"Hey, Milo", called Amaya, "there you are. Come on, we're all ready now."

"Yeah, just give me a minute. Apparently I have a call on the line."

Amaya rolled her eyes in that inimitably grumpy-friendly way she had and sat back down as Milo pressed the button to turn on audio and video for the call. Surprisingly, it was Marcus' face that popped up.

"Oh", Milo was confused, "hey, bro. We're just about to head out on our way to you. It's good to see your face, but why the call?"

"You need to get to Hearthome as soon as you can. It's the Order."

Milo's voice fell immediately to a reverent hush;

"The Order? Is it another mission?"

Marcus nodded solemnly, "We're hitting the Spirit League; we found a base of theirs, northwest of Celestic Town."

Milo realized his breath had subconsciously quickened;

"Marcus, I…I don't know about this. I've been – well, not the same since that night. To be honest", it killed him to admit weakness, but facing those demonic ghost-people again struck horror into his very soul, "I haven't slept through the night since the attack. I can't get that Primal out of my head, Marcus."

"Listen to me, bro", his older sibling was strangely insistent, "that's exactly why we're doing this. They had the audacity to attack you directly, and that cannot – will not – go unpunished. This isn't just you and me, man, we've got every big name in the Order converging quietly on Celestic Town as we speak. You need to get your butt to Hearthome so you and I can join up with the rest."

"The…whole Order? The entire Order of Shadows is taking revenge because of me?"

The young Jubilife Trainer was incredulous. Once more, this whole secret war just seemed too big to be true, and now he felt uncomfortably close to the center of it.

Still, just like he remembered from his first mission in Floaroma, Milo got that feeling in his chest – Marcus had called and asked him to be a part of this. Marcus, his older brother and his lifelong idol, thought he was strong enough to be a part of this operation. The Order itself thought he was important enough for an all-out offensive. Some part of Milo, deep down, couldn't ignore the grandeur of these facts. With a small voice, he nodded;

"O-okay. I'll be in Hearthome in two days."

Marcus frowned at his younger sibling's proposed timetable;

"Two days? Milo, bro, I get the idea of sticking to travelling the routes by foot, and that's all well and good, but I don't think you quite grasp the urgency we're talking about here. I was hoping to book you a ticket on the plane that leaves this afternoon. I'm heading to Celestic later this evening, and I want you to come with me."

Milo's eyes shot wide open, "Today? B-but what about 'Maya and Kara? How am I supposed to pay for tickets that soon? Marcus-"

But his brother only waved off his flustered concerns, saying, "You won't have to pay for a thing, and I'll make sure the plane to Hearthome has three seats waiting for you guys. Dee will be here to care for my Gym and your friends until we get back. Come on, Milo! This whole thing is being put together for you! The Shadow Master herself began setting this up the moment she heard about what happened!"

That certainly got Milo's attention. He stopped short, and Marcus could see him teetering on the edge of a decision.

"…Alright. I'll talk to 'Maya and Kara, and explain it to them. Book the tickets."

"You got it, bro. I'll text you the info in a few minutes. See you later."

With that, Marcus hung up, and Milo was left with his mind spinning like a Hitmontop. He walked shakily back over to the two girls, who were still waiting on him to head out. With a deep breath, Milo explained everything that had just happened as quickly – and quietly – as he could.

"You have to be kidding me", scoffed Amaya, "it's always something with you, Milo."

Kara was much more reactive than her Twinleaf friend, "Oh, Milo! That sounds unbelievably dangerous! You shouldn't go!"

"I have to, Kara", he countered. "If I can't face up to them I won't be able to get fully back to myself…ever. I'll just be terrified of them for the rest of my life. This is for you, too. I'm going to go with the Order and make sure these Ghost freaks get paid back in full for threatening you."

"Milo, I really appreciate that I mean that much to you but please-"

"Ah, let him", Amaya cut in, unexpectedly. "Kara, come on, you know that look he's got, there's no way he's backing down. Besides, it's Milo – we all know he'll find some crazy way to get through this like he always does. And you know Marcus would literally die before he let anything happen to his little brother."

Milo had long since explained the Order and everything he was involved in to his girlfriend, who had been just as bewildered by it all as one might expect. Still, Amaya's logic was both blunt and solid.

"Well…well, alright, I guess. If I can't stop you, then let's take the flight. I – Milo, I still really don't feel good about this, but I'll support you because I know you'll just do it either way."

It wasn't the resounding encouragement he would've dreamed of, but under the circumstances, it was the best Milo could realistically hope for.

Early that afternoon, the three teenagers found themselves on a short flight to Hearthome. The trip was an uneasy one. Milo was nervous, Kara was nervous for Milo (and slightly upset that Milo was going despite her concerns), and Amaya was – well, she was as bright and cheerful as usual.

When they got into Hearthome, they were quickly found and ushered into a car by Gardenia, who jumped in the driver's seat breathlessly and said,

"Wow, hey kids! Sorry this is all a bit of a whirlwind of activity today, but things have been moving awfully quick. We're headed to the Gym now, and Milo you'd better be ready, because Marcus is planning to brief you on the specifics of this whole shebang as you ship out to Celestic. Meanwhile, we get to have a girl's night, right you two?"

"Yeah", Kara gave a genuine attempt at a smile, while Amaya just stared, almost offended by the idea of a 'girls night'.

Gardenia noted their reactions and smiled from the front seat;

"Kara, it's okay. I totally get how you feel. I promise we can talk about it tonight, okay? And yes, Amaya you're going to have to deal with talking about boys with other girls for a night. I'm sure it won't be as awful as you make it out to be."

That was about all the conversation they had time for as the car screeched to a halt in the Gym parking lot. They didn't even get to the door before Marcus came out, duffel bag in hand, and grabbed Milo;

"Thanks for picking them up, Dee. I'll see you when we get back…and I promise we will come back. Come on, bro, time's wasting."

Marcus gave his girlfriend a quick kiss, and Milo took the hint, embracing a still-unsure Kara and saying;

"I'll be back soon, Kara. Promise. You'll see."

He even gave Amaya a hug, though she just stiffened up like a board and frowned. That was all he had time for, as Marcus half-dragged him to a car that had just pulled up and was waiting for the two brothers. The Hearthome Leader ushered Milo hurriedly into the back seat before climbing in after him.

"Alright. To the airport please; quick as you can get us there."

The driver nodded and Marcus at last turned and greeted his little brother properly.

"Whew. Hey, Milo. Thanks for being a trooper about all this."

"Sure, but…I don't even know what this is."

"I know, bro, I know. Trust me, I'll explain everything soon enough. If it's any consolation, you're to be sent in only as emergency backup if one of our units needs unexpected reinforcements."

One of our units? Reinforcements?

Marcus wouldn't say much more until they were safely on the plane to Celestic Town. Somehow, likely through connections within the Order of Shadows or simply because of his status as a Gym Leader, Marcus had procured two first-class tickets with a decent amount of privacy. It was enough that he was at last able to speak freely about what was coming.

"Here's the lowdown, Milo. Months ago, some of our operatives documented a Spirit League base of operations just north of Celestic, nestled into a crook near the base of Mt. Coronet. At the time, it was enough for us to just keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't cause trouble. Now, though, they've grown far too bold. Attacking you was the last straw. Shadow Master Karen and her two chief advisors unanimously agreed to strike back at this base with everything we've got."

"Just how big an operation is this going to end up being, anyway? Are we talking tens of people, or thousands?"

Marcus gave a dark chuckle, "Certainly not thousands; such a large conflict couldn't be kept hidden, no matter how hard we tried. Probably a couple hundred people, all told."

Hundreds. Hundreds of people were about to go into battle over the attack on Milo. Not only that, Milo himself was to be one of them, albeit one of the last of them to actually get involved.

"Another thing", Marcus pressed on, "you'll only bring Azura with you into the actual fight. That's kind of the unspoken rule; anyone in the battle – on either side – only brings one Pokémon."

Milo frowned, "That seems kind of…civilized. What happened to all's fair in war?"

"Truth is, if we thought we could bring more without the battle being noticed by outsiders, we would do it in a heartbeat. But it's just not reasonable. We may hate one another, but both the Order and the Spirit League have a vested interest in not being discovered. That's why it's for the best if everyone involved keeps a one-to-one ratio between Pokémon and humans in battle."

The more they talked, the more Milo was able to wrap his mind around what was about to go down. As he came to understand the operation, and demystify it within his mind, he felt ever so slightly more confident about his involvement in it. He was still terrified, of course, but even a small bit of confidence was better than none at all.

After they landed, there was yet another unmarked vehicle waiting at the Celestic airport for the two brothers. This car brought them speedily to a place out in the middle of nowhere, north of the small town and right up near the base of the great mountain that towered over Sinnoh. Night had already fallen, so Marcus produced a flashlight and led Milo down a dirt path for about a quarter mile.

There he motioned silently for his brother to stop. Marcus, saying nothing, released Absol and tapped the back of his hand. Milo gulped as the insignia of the Order of Shadows glowed on his brother's fist.

Okay, okay…This is real, this is happening. I'm about to be a part of this. Okay, okay, don't panic, just breathe, be cool…

A tinkling laugh sounded from further down the path. Out of the darkness in front of them emerged a stunning woman flanked by two powerful-looking men. The woman, who wore a low cut yellow shirt and gray pants, walked calmly up to Marcus and embraced him;

"Ah, here is our final field general. Glad you made it, Marcus darling."

Milo watched in silent confusion as his brother respectfully bowed his head and placed his glowing hand over his chest;

"Shadow Master Karen. A pleasure, as always. I've come as requested. This is Milo, my little brother."

Karen – or Shadow Master Karen as she was apparently called – seemed to notice Milo for the first time.

"But of course! The star of the hour himself; the reason for the season, as they say. Milo, it's good to meet you at last. Your brother has always spoken so highly of you, and you've done a great deal to impress already."

Hesitantly, Milo mimicked his brother's sign of deference, bowing his head and placing a hand over his chest.

"Umm, Shadow M-master Karen…"

"Oh, look at you! Good, he's a quick learner. Straighten up now dear, there you go, and let's make introductions properly."

Milo had been trying to place this Karen woman, and at last it hit him. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out;

"Wait! Aren't you from-"

"Yes", she preempted his question with a knowing smile, "I'm the Dark type master of the Johto Elite Four. Or, shall we say, that's my day job. Speaking of Elite Four, you may recognize my two chief advisors here. They serve directly under me, like admins in any other organization. This is Grimsley of Unova", she motioned to the pale, black-haired man on her left, "and Sidney of Hoenn", the man on her right, "Now, I'm afraid that will have to do for now. Follow me."

Milo followed in awe. He had always looked up to his brother's status as a Gym Leader, and now he was being introduced to not one but three Elite Four members! As they walked, each of the Order of Shadows leaders released a single dark type Pokémon, presumably the one they planned to use in the coming fight. Milo watched carefully as Marcus' Absol was joined by Karen's Houndoom, Grimsley's Bisharp, and Sidney's own Absol. With some small, boyish sense of pride, Milo reached for his belt and released Azura. Karen looked over her shoulder at the noise and remarked;

"Ah, so it's true. My, she is remarkable."

"I'll say", Sidney jumped in, "Absol here mentioned it to me the moment she came out. He's perceptive that way."

"Not to mention that remarkable blue color", Grimsley added quietly, "Simply exquisite."

Milo's blue Umbreon couldn't help but feel nervous and embarrassed in such company.

Okay…She spoke into her Trainer's mind, They can go back to talking about what's coming up now…

With little to no warning, the group emerged into the midst of a bustling campsite of sorts. An empty patch of woods was crawling with Trainers and Pokémon alike, all of them Dark types and members of the Order. Milo's eyes popped wide open at the sight. Marcus had warned him, but it was still unnerving to see literally hundreds of people making their way purposefully here and there, all bearing the same glowing, eerie insignia of the Order.

Milo was ushered into a tent and handed a black outfit with the same white logo.

"Get changed", Marcus ordered hurriedly, "I'm going to do the same, then we'll get the quick version of the plans. Make it snappy, bro, this party kicks off in a half hour."

Milo was so nervous and scared now that he sort of retreated inside himself and acted on autopilot. Silently, he changed into the black uniform of the Order of Shadows.

If it helps, remarked Azura from the corner, you look very intimidating in that.

Thanks, he muttered in response, but for now let's just aim for not peeing myself from fear.

That would be a good first step, agreed his Moonlight Pokémon, One thing at a time, I suppose.

"Ah, you're ready", came Grimsley's smooth voice from the tent's entrance, "Come quickly or you'll miss the final briefing."

Milo stepped out of the tent, with Azura in tow, into the middle of a crowd clustered around a makeshift stage on which stood Shadow Master Karen. Gone was the easy, cool demeanor of before. She was all business now.

Now SHE looks intimidating, thought Milo. He was right; she wore a tight black outfit with stark white outlines that almost resembled Umbreon rings. Her blue-grey hair floated mysteriously about her face to give her almost a superhero – or perhaps supervillain – appearance, standing out sharply against the dark trees and the night sky above.

"My companions", she began gravely, "we have assembled to quell the ghostly threat of the Spirit League. They have committed the ultimate act of imbalance; they have dared to strike at one of our own, and they must be held accountable for such brash actions. Those going into battle have been assigned a squad number and a captain. Those in Squad 1 with me will lead the charge up the middle, flanked closely by squads 2 and 3, led by Marcus and Grimsley. Sidney's squad, number 4, will get around the back to prevent any escape. The rest of you will be deployed as needed in case of emergency. This emergency coordination effort will be led by Nanu. Captains, to me!"

The designated squad captains joined the Shadow Master and raised their fists, a gesture echoed by the Shadows all around Milo. He raised his fist too, and allowed the Order's symbol etched into his hand to glow with the others. Somehow, this brought him some barbaric sense of readiness. If he was to fight in a battle like this…then so be it. He would fight.

Just like that, the Shadows began forming into their groups, congregating behind their designated captains. At a nod from Karen, Sidney smirked evilly and led his group away to get in behind the Spirit League base. After giving him the allotted five minutes to be in position, Karen stood again on her platform and yelled, breathless with excitement,

"Order of Shadows…ATTACK!"

With a shout that shook the whole forest, the entire Dark army sprinted forward, Milo in their midst. He kept towards the back of his group, a close eye on the man called Nanu who ran grimly in front of them, a Krookodile at his side. As the sounds of yelling turned to those of explosions and Pokémon moves ahead of them, Nanu held up a fist and yelled authoritatively,

"Backup squad, HALT!"

There were about forty Shadows, including Milo, assigned to the backup squad. They had stopped on a hill overlooking the battle below, and Milo was entranced by the conflict raging in front of him. From their vantage point, Krookodile's unnaturally keen eyes could spot trouble from anywhere and communicate the danger to his Trainer. Nanu himself stood impassively beside his Pokémon, his face almost one of boredom. Spying Milo's wide-eyed wonder, he gave a humorless laugh;

"Shut your mouth, kid, or you'll start catching Cutieflies."

"S-sorry", squeaked Milo, "I've just never done this before. It's – I can't even tell what's happening."

"Hmph. Figures I get stuck with the rookie who can't read a battle."

Nanu's words were harsh, but Milo spent most of his time around Amaya, and knew how to recognize friendship by antagonism well enough. Nanu had a good heart underneath his dislikeable exterior.

"Look", pointed the Alolan Dark type master, "See that group of…well, chaos over there? That would be our lovely Shadow Master, mixing it up like she does best."

Milo followed the man's finger to spy a titanic wave of Dark power smash its way easily through a line of Spirit League grunts. It really did appear as if the League was scrambling against the sudden onslaught.

"It…looks like we're winning", ventured the young Trainer.

"Hah! If only it were that easy. Nah, just wait, punk, these Ghost-y folks will form up soon and then we'll see how this thing really shakes down. Besides, the Primals aren't out on the field yet. Once they show up, things will-hmm?"

He was interrupted by a look from Krookodile. The two veteran battlers, Nanu and his Krookodile, stared at one another in silent, mental conversation for a few seconds, before the kahuna whirled around suddenly;

"Backup squad, we're going in. I want…let's see…the ten of you, over there. You're with me. We're headed down to reinforce Grimsley, he's got the first Primal on his hands and he's losing ground. Let's go. You, you're second in command with that Honchkrow. If things look bad, send in another ten where they're needed."

The ten he had called for (Milo wasn't one of them) followed him down into the melee below. The new second-in-command (also not Milo) signaled her Honchkrow to get airborne.

I hope Marcus is holding up, thought the Jubilife Rookie.

Gardenia

Back in the quiet safety of the Hearthome Gym, Gardenia was also silently pleading for Marcus' wellbeing. Still, for the sake of Kara, who was a nervous wreck, the Grass type Leader had to put up a strong front and wear the most convincing smile she could.

She set a tray down on the coffee table of the lounge area, where Amaya was watching professional battles on television and Kara was curled up on a couch, clutching onto a pillow for dear life as she fidgeted uncontrollably.

"Kara", Gardenia said softly, "try the coffee. It's fresh."

"Don't want coffee. Stomach doesn't feel good."

Milady Kara, came the telepathic voice of the girl's faithful Kirlia, methinks that something warm and comforting could do your stomach a world of good. It does no good for you to be in such a state as this.

"Hey", Gardenia tried again, "I understand. You're scared for Milo because you love him. That's natural, but you have to make sure you're at your best so you can be here for him when he gets back, okay? Kara, tell me a story. What made you so interested in Milo, anyway?"

"Well", she gave a choked giggle, "he did save my life and keep my Pokémon from being stolen. That got my attention."

Gardenia moved next to the young Performer and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, as the younger girl continued;

"But what really made me like him was something about him that just seemed more…I don't know, real? He's just so honest and genuine all the time. He loves what he does and he does what he loves, I guess. I especially like that about him."

"I can relate", Gardenia was determined to keep that ghost of a grin from disappearing off of Kara's face, "I felt the same way about Marcus when we started hanging out. Those two really stand out somehow, I suppose. We're pretty lucky, you and I."

"Marcus is pretty lucky, too", answered Kara shyly, "you're really great, Gardenia. You're always there for him – and for us too. I…I really appreciate that."

The Grass type master pulled her young friend in close as the two comforted one another through their worries.

Amaya chose this moment to glance over at them from her armchair, saw the snuggling pair, and immediately announced,

"I'll be back, I'm going to find some pizza or something."

As she left, Kara whispered, half to herself and half to Gardenia;

"I just…really hope they're alright. They have to come back okay."

Marcus

As far as he knew, Milo's backup unit was still safely tucked behind the back lines, but he himself was right in the thick of it. The third Primal, Keru, had charged straight at his unit from the outset, and he'd been desperately commanding his squad while singlehandedly dealing with the ghost-human and his Golurk for at least an hour now.

"Gah, Dark Pulse!"

Absol's timely intervention saved him once again from being struck by a ferocious Night Shade. Glancing around for a split second, he heard a yell, and spotted another of his troops crumpling under the intense onslaught of the now desperate Spirit League. Type advantage was allowing the Shadows to hold their own, but they were outnumbered four or five to one at this point.

Steeling himself, the Hearthome Leader fired a Dark Aura Sphere into the Golurk's leg, eliciting a roar of pain from the raging beast. He knew he could probably take out the Ghost type now if he pressed his advantage, but his first responsibility was to his troops. Taking the window of opportunity he'd made for himself, he screamed over his shoulder;

"Absol, buy me some time!"

He sprinted over to the downed Shadow, who lay gasping on the cold ground, and carried the man hastily to a tree some twenty meters away, laying him down there and saying;

"Hey! Hey, if you can hear me, just hang on! We'll win this and then you'll get the help you need. Stay strong!"

A Weavile came dashing out of the melee, and Marcus presumed;

"You're his Pokémon? Good; watch over him. Keep him safe and alive until we can come back for him, alright?"

"Weav", the Sharp Claw Pokémon nodded firmly.

As he turned to sprint back to the forefront for what felt like the hundredth time, Marcus yelled back,

"Make sure he makes it!"

Focusing his attention back in front of him, Marcus read the battle as he ran through it. His troops had sustained heavy losses; that was already the fifteenth Shadow he'd extracted out of the forty who had been assigned to him. Nevertheless, he was proud of the ferocity with which his remaining soldiers fought. He helped them as best he could, firing a Dark Aura Sphere here, or throwing a punch if the brief opportunity presented itself. Still, the real battle for him was right up at the front, holding back the tide of Ghosts as well as the Primal himself.

He arrived back at the front line just in time to see Absol get pummeled by the Golurk's Hammer Arm.

"NO! ABSOL! Get back, you monster!"

He sprang back into action with a Dark Aura-infused kick to the unsuspecting half-Ground type. Once he had its furious attention, he was immediately put on the defensive, trying to draw it away from his Disaster Pokémon.

"Captain Marcus!"

One of the Shadows came sprinting out of the chaos and stood beside him, adding her own attacks to his as she made a report;

"Message from the other squads, sir; prepare for trouble! Grimsley's Primal is headed this way! The others are fighting their way towards you to reinforce your position, but you'll have to hold back two of them until help arrives!"

Marcus' heart sank. He was at his wit's end keeping this one Primal from smashing through his troops, but now another one was coming?

"Get me…AH!" He dodged a Shadow Ball by inches, "Get me any reinforcements I can get from the emergency squad!"

The woman nodded and was off, leaving the Gym Leader and squad captain to fend for himself and protect his soldiers.

"SOOL!"

I'm still in if you are, Marcus!

Absol was back, by his side as always in the thick of battle. Infinitely grateful, he flashed his trusted partner a fierce smile, and responded across their mental link;

Alright! Let's give them hell, old friend! COME ON!

They dove back into the fight with renewed spirit, but their numerical disadvantage was slowly but surely taking its toll. Within minutes, Marcus could count no more than dozen and a half Shadows remaining, and then came the sound he hated most of all;

"Join me, my brother…Together we shall destroy this wretched Shade and his pitiful minions!"

The second Primal had arrived, with his Dusknoir close behind. His chest heaving, Marcus gave an almost animalistic roar and launched everything he could muster at this new foe.

The Hearthome Dark type master was a powerful battler, a true force to be reckoned with, but against two Primals and their Pokémon servants there was only so much that even he could do. Grimly, he realized he was slowly being forced backwards. Suddenly, from off to his right, came a new voice;

"MARCUS! I'M COMING!"

It was his little brother. Milo, of all people, was his backup! The thought both relieved and terrified him. He was scared, beyond anything else, that something might happen to his little brother. If he couldn't bring Milo back safely… he would never be able to forgive himself.

It's too late for that, Absol yelled mentally, We need him now! Protect him by fighting with him!

I – you're right. Let's win this damn thing and be done!

"Milo! Bro, take the Dusknoir, I'll deal with the Golurk!"

"O-Okay!" Milo's face was white as a sheet, but Marcus saw him set himself, glance at Azura, and charge the Gripper Pokémon head-on before he had to refocus on his own battle with the Golurk.

What followed was fifteen minutes of pitched battle the likes of which Marcus had never even imagined. Looking back afterwards, he would never be able to recall just how he made it so long against such overwhelming odds; he and Absol were fighting their own exhaustion and injury just as much as their opponents' attacks.

Somehow, for fifteen minutes, they survived and fought viciously back tooth and nail against their foe, until one fateful Hammer Arm caught Absol straight through the midriff. It was a crippling, super effective blow, and Absol had no strength left to give. Marcus' oldest partner was beyond unconscious. Still the Golurk moved in, readying for the kill, encouraged by its ghostly master;

"Yes, my glorious spirit! Destroy this repugnant creature, permanently!"

"ABSOL, NEVER!"

Marcus, heedless of his own life, charged in with a Dark Aura Sphere and took the hit himself, sending both he and Absol sprawling across the dirt, alive but not by much.

"And now the other", hissed the Primal, turning his Golurk to join in the battle between Milo and Dusknoir.

Within seconds, what had been an even fight between the Jubilife Trainer and the third Primal became a complete thrashing, as Milo and Azura disappeared under a barrage of Shadow Ball and Hammer Arm attacks.

His senses muffled, his brain foggy, Marcus vaguely heard Azura cry out in agony as hit after hit landed, and then heard some kind of almighty scream from…from Milo.

No, no, no… the Gym Leader would have given anything to save his brother, but he couldn't physically move, No! Milo! NOT MY BROTHER! NOOOOO!

He tried everything, but his mouth wouldn't even move for him to scream aloud. All he could do was hold his eyes open to at least look at the death match his brother was losing.

He could see nothing but attacks pummeling the spot where Milo presumably stood, unable to defend himself.

Looks like…Milo and Amaya's story…will just be Amaya's story now…I'm so sorry, bro…

Just as the Primals seemed satisfied that their victim was decimated, something within the cloud of damage seemed to push back.

There, looking nothing like himself, was Milo, crouched protectively over the prone form of his shiny Umbreon. As Marcus watched, dumbfounded, his brother began to glow…black. It was some strange kind of flame-like radiation that gave off the deepest, darkest, most aggressive blackness Marcus could imagine. It was terrifying to behold, but his eyes were riveted to the spot.

"What is this?" Even the Primals were hesitant of this new development,"What monstrosity has taken this wretched Shade?"

Then, Milo's body began to rise off the ground. His eyes were pure, shimmering, angry white, and they glared with unfathomable hatred at the Primal spirit-men.

Then, the possessed Milo spoke, and when he spoke he seemed to have three voices in one;

"You are the monstrous one here, defiler of this world!"

Milo's own voice was there, but it was surrounded by a sly, spiteful high-pitched tone and a deep, booming voice below it. Milo seemed half-limp, as if he was being held up not by his own power but by something else which had simply grabbed him by the armpits and hoisted him off the ground;

"Spawn of Giratina; know that we are ZOROARK, and we are YVELTAL! You and your evil ilk will RUE THIS DAY! RETURN THE DISTORTED HELL FROM WHICH YOU CAME!"

Milo's hands raised up, and a massive, roiling sphere of pure Dark power formed.

"Run, brothers, RUN!"

The Primals both turned to flee, but the possessed form of Milo was faster. An attack that could only be described as a Dark Hyper Beam on steroids pulverized the nearest Primal and his Dusknoir.

They were not blown back, exploded, or even knocked out. When the beam subsided they were simply…gone. They had been destroyed so utterly that they had disintegrated. True to their words, the power of the two Dark legendary Pokémon had sent one of the most powerful Ghost users in the world straight back to Giratina's Distortion World.

Then, suddenly, there was silence. Across the battlefield, Shadow and Spirit alike had stopped in awe and fear at the impossible events playing out before them.

As his eyes finally began to close of their own accord, and his brain started to shut down, Marcus had time for one last thought;

That Milo…He really is something special, isn't he?

Gardenia

This was what she'd been afraid of. For so long, she'd known about Marcus' secret involvement with forces that seemed too crazy to be true, and now she was the one who had to sit by his bed and watch over him as he slowly healed. Currently, her boyfriend was asleep, thankfully.

She shuddered as the horror of that initial shock washed over her yet again. The day after he'd left, a grim-looking group of people – Milo among them – had rushed an unconscious Marcus into the Hearthome Gym, anxious to hide him from anywhere public. It had now been three days, and they were hopeful that he could be at least fit enough to return to his duties as Gym Leader in another two weeks.

The story they'd been given about the events near Celestic made for an impossible story that Gardenia only believed because she heard it from first hand witnesses. It seemed that Milo and Marcus were nearly done in by some freakishly strong Ghost-type Pokémon, but at the last minute Milo had been…had been possessed by both Yveltal and Zoroark and had snatched both victory and revenge from the jaws of demise. Even Milo didn't recall the last crucial minutes of the whole thing, Azura had been the one to describe it in all its horrific detail.

"Grruhhh…"

"Marcus! Oh, Marcus, shh, don't move, don't move…"

She snapped back into caretaker mode. Looking around, she spotted Kara and Milo passing by and called them,

"Oh, hey you two! Help me out here, real quick!"

Milo was still recovering as well, and was quite fragile. He was only able to walk with the support of his devoted girlfriend who, after hearing everything that had happened, was infinitely grateful that he was even alive.

The young pair walked into Marcus' room, and Kara set Milo safely in an armchair before rolling up her sleeves and asking briskly;

"Alright, how can I help, Dee?"

"Grab me that roll of bandages over there, I'm going to change these while he's already awake."

With the Performer's timely assistance, Gardenia made quick work of the bandages, cleaned her boyfriend's healing wounds, and sat back, talking softly to him;

"I know it hurts, Marcus, I know…just hang in there, you'll be fine soon, alright?"

"Dee", he muttered, "told you…I'd come back…I'll always come back…to you…"

Tears formed in her eyes at the words, and she cradled his head, completely forgetting that Kara and Milo were still there;

"I believe you, I do…But this time you cut it really close. Don't you ever do that to me again…please…"

"Had to", the Hearthome Leader frowned, "Milo was…gonna get hurt real bad."

With that, Marcus faded back out, and Gardenia could do nothing more than hold his hand and weep silently.

"Hey", a soft hand rested on her shoulder, "You know he's going to make it."

Their roles had been reversed now. Kara was comforting her. She hated that she needed the younger girl's help, she'd much rather be giving the help than receiving it, but right now she really needed the encouragement.

"I know", she responded quietly, "but I'm just so…afraid of what could've happened."

"I understand", Kara nodded, slipping and arm around the older girl's shoulders, "I feel the same way. But if he didn't do this, didn't help others, he wouldn't be Marcus. Right?"

The Eterna Leader gave a sad chuckle, "I suppose you're right, Kara…I hate when he scares me like this, but I'd never want him to be anything other than himself…Thanks for reminding me."

-o-

For two weeks, it seemed like almost nothing happened. It was agonizingly slow, waiting for both brothers to make their way back to full strength. Gardenia returned quietly to her Gym every few days to look after it, but Kara and Amaya were almost totally sequestered in the Hearthome Gym. Surprisingly, the news networks never seemed to report the fact that the Gym Leader hadn't been seen publicly in over ten days (Milo pointed out that someone working at the major news outlets was more than likely a member of the Order, actively suppressing the story and directing media attention elsewhere).

It took a week for Marcus to be able to leave his bed, and another two days after that for him to return to training. Still, despite everything that had happened, Marcus gradually got back to his old self, and had not forgotten the plans he'd made for his little brother's Gym challenge.

Milo

"What do you mean, 'different rules'?"

Milo was incredulous at his older sibling, who had just informed him that he'd be fighting under a different format to the usual Gym challenge.

"I mean what I say, bro. I'll fight Amaya like normal, three on three with my Gym team, but you get the special treatment. One of my Pokémon versus six of yours; I'll give you three guesses which of mine I'm going to use."

"…You're going to use Absol on me, aren't you?"

"Hey, good job! You got it in one guess! Consider it payback for crashing my date with Gardenia way back in Eterna. Besides, you've been cruising through us Leaders far too easily; I have to stick up for the honor of Sinnoh's Gym Circuit!"

"…Or you could just fight me fair and square", grumbled the younger brother sullenly. He didn't fancy his chances against Marcus' fearsome Absol, even with all six of his Pokémon. With that bombshell of news dropped, the Dark type Leader turned on his heel and walked off;

"Have fun planning and training, bro! You'll need it! You've only got a couple days left to prep, after all!"

Milo swore he heard a cackle from his brother as he disappeared down the hallway.

Shoot, he thought, there goes all the planning I'd already done.

So, with only two days until his Gym battle against Marcus, Milo was back to square one. He would have liked to have all the time in between to train, but the next day was Kara's next Showcase, and his girlfriend was beyond excited for him to watch her; apparently her freestyle routine was inspired by their recent adventures.

By the time the Performance was at hand, Milo's brain was so distracted it was a wonder he made it to his seat without getting lost in the stadium.

Azura first? No, Drake first, Azura in the middle…unless I go with Blaze, then Jet, and save Azura for the end? Gah, what's the point, I'm never going to beat freaking Absol!

You don't know that, Azura reminded him from his lap as they waited for the first round of the Showcase to start, At least try to be positive about it. You do have an Infernape and a Gabite. Not to mention me.

Yeah, you're right, Milo tried to summon some shred of hope, but his task was beyond daunting. With a shake of his head, he forced himself to pay attention to the stage below.

"Ladies and gentlemen", began the announcer, "we have before us a splendid occasion! The third Sinnoh Rookie Showcase!"

Slouched in the seat next to Milo with her arms crossed firmly over her chest, Amaya scoffed;

"Pfft. That's a fake Kalos accent if I've ever heard one."

"Yup", Milo nodded, "points for effort, though."

"For this first round, our lovely Performers must win a simple game of…Find the Scraggy! As you can see, the stage is covered in holes and crevices, and we will also be turning out the stage lights after the starting whistle! Four Scraggy have been released into the field, and so the four Performers who manage to catch one will advance to the freestyle round!"

"Wow", Milo raised an eyebrow, "they must really be desperate for the League's support on these Showcases; they're trying really hard to theme these things after the host city's Gym type. I mean, 'find the Scraggy in the dark'? Really? Still, Kara's got Florence, she'll be fine."

The flamboyant master of ceremonies had a bit more left to say;

"This will be an exercise of trust on the part of each Performer; they are not allowed to enter the field or speak to their Pokémon at all. Each contestant may use two Pokémon. Once again, the first four Performers to catch a Scraggy will advance! Performers, you have two minutes to choose your teams!"

Kara

The Floaroma Performer was intent on making the most of her given two minutes. She'd figured that, since the Showcase was in Hearthome, she would be doing something related to darkness. Accordingly, she'd practiced with Florence on using her psychic abilities to locate things without the aid of eyesight. The idea of two Pokémon working without the aid of their Trainer was a new one, but she hoped it would play in her favor, as she had more faith in her team that most of her peers.

"Alright, guys", she instructed Florence and Verdante, "here's the plan. I can't help you once this starts, and we're not going to cheat by using telepathy. Florence, get to the middle, or wherever you can get the best, umm, visibility. You know what I mean. Guide Verdante mentally so the other teams don't hear you. Verdante, don't get fancy; when Flo tells you where to find a Scraggy, just get there as quick as you can. Looks like our planning time's up. Ready, guys?"

Breathless but confident, Kara watched with pride as her two Pokémon took up position around the edge of the arena, which was indeed a rough, rocky surface with plenty of nooks and crannies for hiding.

As the bell sounded, the stage lights dropped to almost nothing. Instantly, all the Pokémon seeking the four Scraggy jumped frantically out to begin their search. There was an awkward pause as the only sounds anyone heard were muffled scratches, thuds, and the occasional yelp. At last, Kara heard, in her mind, Florence screaming ecstatically;

Ah, Verdante! Directly in front of you! Yes! Oh, apprehend him! Quickly, catch him that we may advance! YES!

Seconds later, Kara's faithful Leafeon came trotting out of the darkness with a very upset-looking Scraggy clutched gently in her jaws.

"It seems the lovely Miss Kara is the first one to advance!"

As the other Performers waited desperately for their teams to return triumphant, Kara retreated to the staging room and congratulated her team;

"Oh my gosh, that was so fast! You were brilliant, you two!"

I'm so very glad you approve, milady Kara! Prim as ever, Florence was glowing with pride at her success, I must admit, excelling in such a creative way has given me quite a rush of emotion.

"Feeee Leafeeooooon!"

Kara didn't need telepathy to communicate with her first-ever Pokémon; Verdante had full confidence in her Trainer, and was ready to take on the freestyle performance they had so painstakingly planned and rehearsed.

Truth be told, Kara was more excited for this performance than any she had yet assembled. By the time it was her turn in the second round, she was beside herself, not with nerves or anxiety but anticipation. She couldn't wait to show off what felt like a part of herself.

Milo

As Kara rose up onto the stage, her eyes closed, her face a picture of serenity, Milo was already breathless. He couldn't help it. Amaya, who could always be relied on for a dose of reality, poked him and said,

"Hey, lover-boy. Isn't that the same dress she wore at the last Showcase?"

"Whu-hmm? Oh, I guess so, I don't know. Yeah, maybe."

At first, the performance was Kara twirling some grass ribbons picturesquely produced by a dancing Verdante, who pranced gracefully about the stage in perfect sync with her Trainer. Then, from the side of the stage burst Zexon, using Acrobatics and Night Slash to make his entrance both dramatic and intimidating. The powerful Scizor began to cast Flash Cannon attacks at Kara and Verdante, and the "brave defenders" fought back using Verdante's Leaf Blade to slice and deflect the incoming Steel attacks.

"Hmm", Milo finally understood, "I think Kara's performance is actually a story."

As the 'battle' on stage raged engagingly back and forth, with Kara jumping and twisting this way and that to dodge the attacks of the 'evil, vicious Scizor', Amaya shot him a questioning look;

"What kind of wacky story involves a dance battle with a Scizor?"

"No, don't take it literally, 'Maya – whoa!" Pyro had just galloped onto the stage to join his attacks to Zexon's, as one of the 'bad guys', "See how she wore the dress from Veilstone? And how she started off using just Verdante? That's probably on purpose to represent her time in Veilstone. Zexon and Pyro are like when Team Rocket attacked her. I wonder if Florence is going to save her, like Azura and Blaze did?"

"Hmph. I guess I get it. Pretty clever, if that's what she's up to."

As Amaya spoke, Zexon launched an X-Scissor that appeared to actually hit Kara, drawing a gasp from the onlookers. As best Milo could tell, it was a low-powered attack that was controlled the whole way by a still-hidden Florence. Still, it was a bold move.

The result was even more impressive; the X-Scissor was allowed to slice straight through Kara's old dress – to reveal an entirely separate outfit underneath! Milo raised an eyebrow in evident confusion; Kara now had on a white and black t-shirt, black cargo pants, and as he watched, a black beanie with an orange stripe floated from her back pocket to rest perfectly on her head.

Why does that look familiar? Milo just couldn't place it…until Amaya burst out in hysterics next to him.

"HAHAAA! AH, that's too good! Oh snap, Milo, look! She's – haha – she's dressed up like you!"

He quickly looked down at his own outfit. Sure enough, he was wearing his favorite hoodie – white at the top and fading to black at the bottom – and black cargo pants that cut off at his shins. Hesitantly, he reached up and felt his hat on his head, the hat with his favorite orange stripe around its base. It was true, Kara had mimicked him. His heart shot into his throat in embarrassment, and he felt his face get hot and red.

Still, the show must go on, as they say, and Kara was still in the midst of a stunning freestyle performance. On stage, 'Milo' began launching attacks (psychic blasts provided by Florence that appeared to come from Kara) back at the now-retreating Zexon and Pyro. After a brief but elaborate struggle, the two designated 'bad guys' fled the scene, and Kara resumed dancing about in celebration, now using both Verdante's Grass moves and Florence's Psychic abilities to make effortlessly beautiful displays as she floated about angelically amidst it all.

Milo found it odd to watch a beautiful, female version of himself dancing about on the stage, but everyone around him seemed to think it was brilliant.

Before too long, Zexon and Pyro jumped back out and attacked yet again. Milo grimaced as he realized that this must be Kara's portrayal of the attack near Pastoria. This reenacted battle was much fiercer and more tightly coordinated than the first. Attacks were missing by mere inches here, there, and everywhere, and Milo almost jumped out of his seat on more than one occasion, convinced that one of Kara's Pokémon had made a mistake and was about to hit her for real.

At last, after an enthralling performance, Milo noticed Florence step back near the back of the stage. At the same time, Verdante leapt dramatically out in front, and Zexon launched another Flash Cannon, while Kara's Ponyta added an Ember. Milo watched carefully, as Kara leapt out in front of the two oncoming attacks.

Oh…This is me jumping out to save her from the Dusknoir…

No doubt relying heavily on Florence's abilities, The Ember and Flash Cannon collided in a brilliant display of makeshift fireworks, leaving glittering silver particles floating through the air. Kara herself was flung back and hung limp in midair. It felt like the entire crowd was holding their breath, and then Milo noticed something and nudged Amaya excitedly;

"Oh! Hey, 'Maya, look! Flo's got a pair of headphones! It's time for your big entrance!"

"What? NO. No, oh, no, no! How are headphones my thing? Out of everything about me, it's the headphones?"

Sure enough, the big, black headphones came to rest on Kara's head, and she 'came back to life', and gave a mighty yell, pointing dramatically at the 'bad guys';

"HYAAAH!"

Verdante and Florence attacked ferociously, beating back Zexon and Pyro within seconds. Finally, Kara stood herself emphatically in the middle of the stage, flanked by her Leafeon and Kirlia and cried;

"Aurora Veil, Morning Sun!"

From offstage, Madame and Frost complied wonderfully, and a warm radiance shone down on an ethereal rainbow light show all around the Floaroma Performer, as she struck one last pose.

The crowd all but erupted with noise. What class! What elegance! What skill from a Rookie Performer in Sinnoh, of all people! The creativity to tell a story, the boldness to simulate a battle! It was unheard of, and it was BRILLIANT! The raucous applause lasted a solid minute or two before Amaya noted;

"Geez, it's a good thing she went last. Imagine following that."

There was an audience vote, of course, to determine the winner, but it was a joke. Kara won by more than a landslide, and was duly awarded the Princess Key; her third in as many Showcases.

Kara

She was smiling uncontrollably as she got changed back into her normal attire in her designated changing room. How could she not? Her biggest performance had gone perfectly! Well, not entirely without a hitch; one or two of Pyro's attacks had come a lot closer than they were supposed to, and Florence had nearly lost her Psychic hold while Kara was dramatically floating limp after sacrificing herself to save Verdante, but they had all recovered and nobody knew the difference! She was so relieved that-

Knock, knock

"Huh? I-is someone there?"

"No", a voice called back, "just knocking for the fun of it! Can I come in?"

Kara knew the voice in an instant, and she answered with disbelief;

"Oh! S-Serena! Yes, of course, come on in!"

Kara's famous older cousin came dashing in and embraced her tightly;

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, little Kay! That was so awesome!"

"Thanks, but I – I can't believe you're here! What are you doing in Hearthome?"

Serena was beaming at her younger cousin; whatever her news was, it seemed she really couldn't wait to deliver it.

"Actually, I'm here to offer you a way forward as a Performer!"

"A - a way forward? Wait, do you mean…?"

"Yep!" Serena squealed with happiness and embraced her cousin, "I brought a pre-contract for next season with me! You have the chance to be a semi-professional Performer with the Kalos Performer's Association!"

"K-Kalos? No way, I got a contract offer from Kalos?!"

Verdante, who knew how much this meant to her Trainer, began jumping for joy, and Florence was gushing with the same joy that Kara felt;

Milady Kara, how truly delightful! It would seem that your marvelous efforts and successes have brought you the rich rewards you so justly deserve!

Kara couldn't believe the chance in front of her, but...suddenly a sobering thought occurred to her.

"Serena...is this a now-or-never offer?"

Serena gave a knowing smile. She recalled an almost eerily similar conversation between herself and Palermo all those years ago, during her Rookie season…

"Normally, Kara, yes. It would be a take-it-or-leave it deal. But luckily for you, you've got me. I remember having to make that choice; I could either continue traveling with Ash, or leave him behind for the sake of my career."

Kara was hugely relieved. Serena was to her the same kind of mentor and idol that Marcus had always been to Milo.

"Heh, you read me like a book, Serena. I know I haven't known Milo all that long, but we've gotten really close, with everything that's happened. I just don't think I could leave that behind right now. Y-you said the contract would be for next season?"

"That's right. It just so happens – you're welcome – that your contract would begin about one month after the Lily of the Valley Conference ends."

Kara was absolutely breathless with shock. Her dream had just materialized in front of her with a beaming smile and a familiar face. It was too much to take in.

"I-I don't know what to say…"

"How about 'Yes, Serena, I'd love to come perform in Kalos with you next season'?"

Kara laughed aloud and hugged her famous cousin tightly, crying happy tears into the young woman's shoulder;

"Y-yes, of course I'll go! Oh my gosh, Serena, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Well", Serena answered kindly, "I think I might, but all the same, I'm so glad you're happy. Welcome to your new career, Kara. I think you'll go far."

Unfortunately, Serena couldn't stay long; she'd flown out alone and had to fly back to Kalos almost immediately to be back in time for her next Master Class Showcase. So, once Kara signed her pre-contract agreement (the real contract would come later, once the season was closer), Serena gave her one last hug and a final congratulations before heading out.

"Competition is stiff this year", she'd remarked as she left, "Aria is trying hard for one last big win before she retires to be a producer like Palermo, and Shauna has been hot on my heels lately as well."

Still, Kara was bubbling with excitement and talked Milo's ear off about it the entire rest of the evening. Many of the details and speculations went straight over his head, but he was at least kind enough to pretend to pay attention, which was more than could be said for Amaya, who commented, "That's great, congrats" before stuffing her favorite pair of headphones on her head and returning to her training.

Milo really was excited for his girlfriend; she'd been given a marvelous opportunity. Still, he was hard-pressed to think about anything but his upcoming battle against Marcus' fearsome Absol.

He trained as much as he could that evening, but the nerves wouldn't leave, like they usually did. He was all but trembling by the next morning when it was time for Amaya's Gym battle.

Seated in the stands, he gave his head a shake to try and pay attention, trying to support his friend as he knew he should;

"This is a three-versus-three battle between Marcus the Leader and Amaya the challenger! Trainers, are you ready?"

Both of them nodded, and the battle began. As was tradition, Marcus made the first call;

"Honchkrow, get in there!"

"Thought so", commented Amaya, "Leon, let's do this. Start with Swift."

As the Spark Pokémon launched the attack, Marcus responded quickly;

"Pursuit, Honchkrow!"

Amaya had gambled perfectly; she was betting that Marcus loved that trick at least as much as Milo did, and she was ready for it.

"Turn and Ice Fang!"

Honchkrow squawked in surprise and pain as Leon anticipated its arrival perfectly and landed a solid Ice Fang.

"Steel Wing from there, Honchkrow!"

Leon had assumed his opponent would back off, and was unprepared for an immediate counter; but two could play that came. As the Luxio was still tumbling over himself from the Steel Wing, Amaya called,

"Now Thunderbolt him!"

"Pursuit again!"

"Thunder Fang!"

It was a quick series of events, but it ended up with Marcus falling for the same trick as he had the first time. Honchkrow avoided Thunderbolt easily, but took another hit from Thunder Fang instead of landing Pursuit, and the Big Boss Pokémon was looking rather disheveled.

As Honchkrow retreated to a safe distance, Marcus waited for Amaya to make the next move. She didn't have much patience for mind games, so she took the initiative she was given;

"Get in there, Leon! Swift, and Thunderbolt!"

"Now, Sucker Punch!"

Leon went flying as Marcus laughed triumphantly;

"That's the thing about Dark types; we've always got one more trick up our sleeve!"

Is that so, thought Amaya, well, I've got plenty up my sleeve, too.

"Let's go all out, Leon. Rapid Thunderbolt!"

This was part of Amaya's effort to diversify her strategy. If an opponent was trying to play the evasion game, just launch every attack possible until something hits, and go from there.

Sure enough, Honchkrow maneuvered its way through the first two Thunderbolts, but was struck by the next two before finally going down.

"Honchkrow is unable to battle, Luxio is the winner!"

Marcus narrowed his eyes and shifted his stance. He was at his most dangerous when he was backed into a corner, and he knew it.

"Hmm. Well done, but you've got a ways to go. Let's change it up! Sneasel, you're in!"

"Sneasel? Uh, okay...Leon, return. Coral, let's do this."

Amaya was pressing the emergency button; Milo knew it, Kara knew it, and most importantly, Marcus knew it. For whatever reason, this hadn't been part of her plan.

Shoot, Amaya thought to herself, how do I fight a Sneasel? Umm, what do I know, what do I know…Uh, they're fast. And they're part Ice. Ah, crap, out of time.

"Coral, start with Twister!"

"You'll have to do better than that! Aerial Ace, Sneasel!"

Impossibly fast, Sneasel all but disappeared before slamming its perfectly accurate Aerial Ace into Coral. Amaya was learning to think on her feet, but this required her to be at her absolute sharpest;

"Dragon Tail, now!"

It wasn't the strongest Dragon Tail ever, but it was at least fast enough to catch the retreating Sneasel and wallop it into the side of the arena.

"Don't let up! Water Pulse and Hydro Pump!"

If Sneasel had time to escape, Coral was facing a huge speed disadvantage. Sensing the urgency of her Trainer, Coral put extra venom into her Water Pulse, catching the Sharp Claw Pokémon as it tried to dash away. The Hydro Pump connected as well, and Amaya felt good about her chances, until Marcus finally got a command in;

"Icy Wind, and Aerial Ace!"

This time, Amaya took just too long to figure out the trick. Icy Wind dealt damage, but that wasn't the point. Its purpose was to blind Coral just long enough to get Aerial Ace in and cover a hasty retreat. It worked to perfection, and Sneasel landed both hits safely.

"Keep up the pressure, Sneasel! Dark Pulse!"

"Twister and duck!"

It wasn't the clearest of commands, but Coral understood well enough. She fired up a Twister and flattened herself to the ground as the Dark Pulse went safely above her.

"Get through and Hydro Pump!"

Using her long body to slide under the raging Twister, which the Ice type was fully occupied trying to dodge, Coral was able to get into point blank range and fire off a Hydro Pump that left Sneasel out for the count.

Unfortunate, thought Marcus as he recalled the Sharp Claw Pokémon, I thought I'd be able to make more out of her confusion, there. Still, this ought to make her think.

"Alright, let's make this count! Houndoom, you're last up!"

This time around, Amaya's gut instinct got the better of her;

"Coral, you can still take this thing! Hydro Pump, now!"

Marcus crossed his arms and said nothing, as Houndoom dodged easily.

"Water Pulse, Coral. You can hit this thing."

"Feint Attack, Thunder Fang."

Another classic trap move, and Amaya had left Coral totally exposed. The Tender Pokémon cried out as Thunder Fang struck home, but Marcus wasn't done.

"Follow with Crunch, then away."

"Dragon Tail!"

Amaya really had only one strategy when opponents got uncomfortably close, and Marcus read it like a book. Houndoom got his Crunch in and leapt nimbly away from the attempted Dragon Tail.

"Okay, Coral, try Twister, and Hydro Pump."

Marcus had seen that one too;

"Twister's a cover, Houndoom. Get around, and Thunder Fang again."

Just like that, Coral went down in a heap, her body still crackling with electricity from the last Thunder Fang.

"Milotic is unable to continue, Houndoom is the winner!"

"Hmmm", Milo frowned as Amaya recalled her fallen Milotic, "She always makes that same mistake. It's becoming her Achilles heel. Still, she's got two left to work with, she should be alright."

"Alright", called the Twinleaf Trainer, "Granite, let's do this."

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

Marcus was trying to inflict damage from a safe distance, but Granite was ready to tank a few hits;

"Slam, straight through!"

"Gah! Move, Houndoom!"

Houndoom couldn't cancel his Flamethrower fast enough and was crushed underneath the massive Rock Snake for huge damage right off the bat. Still, he wasn't down yet.

"Get out of there and Crunch this thing for all you're worth!"

Houndoom wriggled its way unceremoniously out from under the Rock Snake, but Amaya knew she had the advantage; Houndoom didn't have any good moves for dealing with Rock types.

"Stay there, and Iron Tail."

Granite took a Crunch to the body, but was able to smash Houndoom with an Iron Tail in response, which left the Dark Pokémon dazed.

"Rock Tomb, and Slam again."

Houndoom was fast, but just not fast enough, as he was trapped by the super effective Rock Tomb and left helpless against Granite's second kamikaze Slam. The round was over. Granite had sustained significant damage, but had used his insane endurance to power through and deal reckless damage enough to knock Houndoom out quickly and efficiently.

The sizeable crowd applauded fervently; many of the watchers were tourists from other regions who were thrilled to experience firsthand the top notch battling for which Sinnoh was famous. Cameras seemed to be flashing from every direction as the two combatants shook hands in the middle of the field, and Amaya received her Shadow Badge.

"You're improving", commented Marcus, "I noticed you did a better job recovering, even if your snap decision skills could use some work. Congratulations on the win! Am I clear to post the battle footage?"

"Go ahead", answered Amaya, "And thanks for the advice."

As Amaya strode off to go heal her team, Marcus pointedly turned to where he knew Milo was seated in the stands and flashed his brother an intimidating smirk.

Okay…Okay…Milo was struggling to control his breathing.

Man, this is going to be insane…How am I supposed to beat Absol? Even with a full team, there's no way! Geez, this'll be really rough.

Normally, Azura would have the presence of mind to offer words of encouragement and help soothe her Trainer's nerves. This time, however, she was just as nervous as he was.

I'm really not sure about this either, Milo. Let's just…try not to make fools out of ourselves, I guess. Maybe we'll get lucky.

Yeah, right…

All too soon, Milo's waiting time had come and gone, and it was time to step onto the field. Across from him stood his childhood hero, still smirking at him with confident ease. Marcus knew this was a guaranteed win for him. He was doing this on purpose. Taking a shaky breath, Milo heard the announcer say;

"This will be a six versus one match! If the challenger can knock out the Leader's Pokémon, he wins! Trainers ready…Battle begin!"

"Absol, it's time."

Oh boy, there he is. There's Absol. It's now or never, Milo. Just stick to the plan.

"Drake, let's go! Start with Dual Chop!"

Drake was by far the bravest of Milo's Pokémon when it came to putting himself on the line for the sake of victory. He unquestioningly charged Absol, his claws glowing.

"Pursuit."

Azura was proud of her Pursuit, but Absol was on another level entirely. Drake was sent flying into the far wall with a huge thud.

Still…urgh…still good, Milo.

Almost hyperventilating at this point, Milo called out;

"Okay, Stone Edge!"

Marcus must have expected Drake to go down in one hit, because he certainly was not prepared for the Stone Edge that struck Absol and sent the Disaster Pokémon stumbling back. Milo saw his brother's eyes narrow;

"Absol, Dark Pulse."

"Drake, DIG!"

Drake's battling instincts served him well; he was already halfway underground when Milo gave the order.

"Absol, jump! You know it's coming!"

Absol easily leapt over Drake's Dig attack, but Milo had a backup for that, based off the time he'd fought Amaya's Granite;

"Mud Shot, Drake, no time to wait!"

Mud Shot struck the retreating Absol, and Marcus somehow missed the trick in Milo's order. 'No time to wait' was the younger brother's hint to his Pokémon that he should launch another attack without waiting to be told. Drake responded perfectly, flinging himself bodily at Absol with a Steel Claw at the ready.

As Absol grunted in discomfort, Marcus retaliated swiftly, unhappy at how many hits Drake was landing;

"He's close enough now. No escape."

A huge Dark Pulse sent Drake crashing yet again into the wall. He was done.

"Gabite is unable to continue! Challenger, your second Pokémon!"

Shoot, Milo was sweating now, Absol's power is unreal! Okay, the plan, Milo, stick to the plan…

"Jet, your turn! Get in there, bud!"

How'd we fare in round one? The Buizel asked tersely.

Better than expected, but he's just as powerful as we thought.

"Jet", he called aloud, "Aqua Tail! Be ready to move!"

"Pursuit", called Marcus calmly, "then follow."

Jet heard the call and his instincts took over. He launched the Aqua Tail, then whirled around and launched a Quick Attack straight into Absol's face as it came in for the Pursuit hit.

"Sol", the famous Dark type barked in surprise. That trick usually worked.

Jet used the momentary confusion to launch another Aqua Tail, and this one struck home. Absol flailed backwards and Marcus stepped in to recover the situation;

"Razor Wind. Be ready to respond."

Milo wasn't the only one who could signal his Pokémon without ordering a move. Jet was blown back head over heels for quite a bit of damage, and Milo tried to continue pressing the attack;

"Get back in close; Aqua Jet!"

But that was exactly what Marcus had hoped for. He nodded at his Dark type, and Absol preempted the Aqua Jet with a savage Sucker Punch that knocked Jet unconscious.

Damn! Milo cursed mentally, One small mistake and I lose Jet…I'm already two down and it's like Absol's not even feeling our attacks!

"Buizel is unable to continue! Challenger, your third Pokémon!"

"Ugh…Okay, okay! Blaze, you're up next! We need you, pal!"

Across the field, Milo could see Marcus' feet shift ever so slightly. A fully evolved, wicked fast Fighting type was exactly the kind of thing that could really give him problems, especially now that Absol had taken a few hits.

Still, the Leader reminded himself, with the difference in power level this should be relatively straightforward.

"Prove your speed, Blaze! Mach Punch!"

"Meet it. Psycho Cut!"

"Now JUMP! Close Combat!"

Blaze knew this was coming; it was one of his favorite battle strategies. Bait the opponent out with a head-on challenge, and Milo called the jump switch eight times out of ten. Hungry for success, the Infernape gave a mighty leap, and came down in a flurry of fists and feet that pummeled the unprepared Absol far harder than he or his Trainer expected.

"No! Absol, Toxic! Then Razor Wind!"

Blaze had put a solid dent in Absol's health, but was unable to escape the poison that infected him before Razor Wind tossed him back like a rag doll, only to come crashing to the ground.

"No time to lose, pal", said Milo grimly, "Mach Punch, Low Kick."

"Sucker Punch, Absol."

Marcus had made another miscalculation. He presumed the Low Kick was intended as a follow-up move after the Mach Punch, but Milo and Blaze were on the same wavelength; Low Kick was the only real attack, Mach Punch was another fake move. As Marcus' Disaster Pokémon leapt in with a Sucker Punch, Blaze dropped acrobatically underneath it with the kind of agility only he could muster, and delivered a punishing Low Kick that brought Absol tumbling to the floor.

"Heat Wave, Blaze!"

He had but a moment, he knew, before Absol would be back in his face with power to spare, but that moment was all he needed. A mighty Heat Wave rocked the arena, and Absol got up slowly, with a noticeable grimace. Instead of closing the distance, Marcus opted to remain far away and let the Toxic take its toll.

"Dark Pulse, Absol."

"Move!"

Blaze dodged comfortably, but Milo knew the clock was ticking for his Flame Pokémon. Toxic was not a good thing to play around with. Blaze had maybe a minute or two left.

"Try Flare Blitz, Blaze!"

It was a powerful move, but Absol stood his ground fearlessly as the Gym Leader called;

"Psycho Cut."

The super effective move struck Milo's Infernape head on. That hit, along with the mounting damage from Toxic, at last brought Blaze tumbling to the ground for the last time.

Absol…actually looks tired now, Milo noticed. At last, a flicker of hope came to life within him. Maybe this wasn't so impossible after all.

If I can hurt him…I can beat him.

With renewed energy, he called his fourth team member, "Aurora, you're in! Just like we drew it up!"

Hah! The proud little Eevee yipped as intimidatingly as she could, No scary Absol can scare me! I'm not afr…Oh, he's big.

He's tired, Aurora, we've done great so far. Come on, girl!

Milo opted to let Marcus move first. The only way he would be able to rack up damage using Aurora would be to react perfectly to whatever Marcus tried to do.

"Flamethrower."

"Shadow Ball and move!"

Aurora leapt nimbly away from the oncoming Flamethrower and threw a Shadow Ball at her opponent. It hit, though it barely tickled the much stronger Absol.

That's okay, Milo encouraged his small Pokémon, Any hit is a good hit in this fight.

"Again, Absol."

Milo knew better than to use the same trick twice;

"Aurora Protect! Then use Return!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Aurora's Return was a valiant effort after the second Flamethrower, but the moment she dropped her Protect, Dark Pulse slammed into her with brutal force. It was a one-hit knockout.

"Eevee is unable to continue. Challenger, your fifth Pokémon!"

Milo was still fired up. If only Ferra could get in a few hits, then maybe – just maybe – Azura stood a real chance at victory, despite all odds.

"Come on, Ferra! Let's give it everything we've got!"

As soon as his Riolu emerged, Marcus made his move;

"Another Dark Pulse."

"Ferra, dodge forward and Focus Blast!"

As the small Emanation Pokémon miraculously escaped Dark Pulse and launched a surprise Focus Blast, Milo kept right on going before Marcus could react;

"Follow that in close; Force Palm and Cross Chop!"

At last, he had grown overconfident in his excitement. Ferra managed a respectable Force Palm, but Marcus was more than capable of defending against his weaknesses;

"Psycho Cut, Absol."

Milo's face fell as he realized his mistake. It was too late. The super effective hit was enough to take Ferra out in one savage blow. Just like that, the battle was one on one.

Still, Marcus frowned, I really didn't expect a Riolu to go in like that. I'll admit I'm impressed.

"Alright", Milo threw his final Pokéball, "it all comes down to this, Azura!"

Absol's chest was heaving, his face scrunched up in concentration. He hadn't expected to be pushed this hard, either.

"Absol, Razor Wind."

"Pursuit, Azura!"

"Ha! Pursuit!"

In a lightning fast sequence, Azura escaped Razor Wind, only to find that Absol had disappeared and preempted her Pursuit with his own! She was sent sprawling across the floor, but jumped back to her feet, ready to continue.

"Hmm. Dark Pulse, Azura!"

"Show them a real Dark Pulse, Absol!"

"Quick Attack, Night Shade!"

This was a strategy Milo had recently invented. He knew his Pursuit trick would only work so many times; this new combo had almost the same effect, but gave him a new way to pull it off. He was pleased to see that it worked like a charm. As Marcus spent a split second too long trying to figure out what was coming, Azura zipped around to Absol's flank and walloped him with a Night Slash that sent him tumbling head over heels.

"Up, and Flamethrower!"

"Redirect it with Confusion!"

Azura's psychic blast was enough to send the powerful column of flame safely to her right, and Milo yelled,

"Dark Pulse, again!"

Before Absol could cancel his Flamethrower, Azura's Dark Pulse smashed into him face first. Marcus grimaced as he faced the very real possibility of losing this match. Azura was far stronger than she looked, and the combination of her ability and Milo's quick thinking made them vastly more resourceful than he'd counted on.

Come on, he reminded himself, I've still got this. Just get it done, nothing fancy.

"Absol, Razor Wind!"

"Pursuit!"

It was the same combo as before, but Milo was caught unprepared, and had gone with his first knee-jerk reaction. This time, Marcus was ready to punish him for it;

"Turn and Night Slash!"

Azura cried out in pain as the attack plowed through her right before she could strike.

I – I can…still fight!

His heart fluttering, Milo called one last desperate attack;

"Dark Pulse!"

This one's for real, Marcus knew, Now we'll show what power means!

"Dark Pulse!"

The two attacks collided and pushed against one another in the middle of the arena.

"BREEEE!"

"SOOOOLLLL!"

At last, power did indeed win out, and Absol's Dark Pulse came crashing through the shiny Umbreon. Nobody moved. As the air cleared, Marcus and Absol watched with bated breath. Azura gave an almighty effort to push herself upright.

In his mind, Milo heard her struggling to command her failing muscles;

I…I must – I can still…I…

She was so close. Absol was thoroughly exhausted; Milo and his team were so very close to achieving the impossible…But with a gasp, Azura's strength at last gave out.

Milo sank to his knees in defeat as Azura crumpled to the Gym floor, unconscious. He'd lost. He'd been swept. A six to zero loss in a Gym challenge.

"Umbreon is unable to continue! The victory goes to Marcus the Leader!"

The cheers from the crowd were rather subdued. The first match had been a real back and forth struggle, and the Rookie challenger had ground out an impressive win. But this second kid had been allowed the use of his whole team and still couldn't defeat a single Pokémon! Sure, he'd come close, but he'd gotten swept in a comprehensive performance by a frighteningly strong Leader.

Marcus

Heedless of the crowd's reaction, Marcus strode confidently across the field to Milo, who was still on his knees, head in his hands.

"Hey. Bro. Milo."

His little brother stood up, but wouldn't – couldn't – meet his eyes. Wordlessly, Milo accepted his handshake before turning on his heel and trudging towards the exit, where Amaya and Kara could be seen worriedly waiting for him.

He'll be alright, Marcus told himself, He's a big boy; he can take a loss. We all lose sometimes.

Shortly after the battle, still riding his high from the emotional victory over his little brother, the Hearthome Leader was filling out some 'official' Gym challenge paperwork in his messy back office when he heard his phone line ringing, and picked up. He was pleasantly surprised to see Gardenia's lovely face on the other side of the call.

"Hi, beautiful, what's up?"

His grin faded slightly as she failed to return his smile, instead giving him a look of disapproval,

"I saw your fight against Milo. That was pretty mean, you know that?"

"Ah, come on, that was the whole point! I had to take him down a peg! It was supposed to be a little mean."

"I get that, but you took it way overboard. I mean, you set him an impossible task, and if that wasn't enough, you let him get this close to accomplishing it. Then you beat him. Publicly. You might actually have dented his career, Marcus."

"What? No, nobody expected him to win. This was just a statement on my part. I haven't dented anything."

He was feeling rather uncomfortable now, as his girlfriend's quiet logic began to click into place;

"Marcus, did you hear what I said? I saw your fight. Live. It was playing here in Eterna. Milo's not just a spot-filler on local news stations anymore; that battle was on some of the national networks. Not the major ones, but still, national television. His first Gym battle with that kind of audience, and the invincible rookie gets swept by his older brother. Six to zero? That was excessive. I'm telling you firsthand from listening to the commentary, a lot of people are convinced that he's just a flash in the pan after seeing you thrash him."

"That seems like an exaggeration", argued the Dark type Leader, "They know better than to judge based on just one battle."

"Oh, do they?"

Gardenia turned to the computer screen next to her, and began furiously typing, looking for something. After a few seconds she opened a link on their call and let a video clip play. It was some of the 'armchair analysts' for SBBN2, watching footage from the last round of Milo and Marcus' battle. They had the very end of it on loop, and Marcus felt his heart sink as he watched Azura crumple to the ground again and again…

"Alright", said one of the commentators, "we'll give it to our panel; your overall thoughts?"

One woman on the couch responded coolly with a shrug, "Truthfully, I'm kind of disappointed. We'd been hearing from people with their ears to the ground that this Milo kid might be the next Elite-level Trainer, but to get swept like that-"

"Whoa, let's acknowledge what he was up against", jumped in one of her colleagues, "He was fighting well above his level there, that thing was a top tier Absol. Surely that excuses the loss?"

"Well", responded the first woman carefully, "for anyone else, it might. But from a Rookie who's supposed to be this invincible wonder-kid; a potential Champion-in-the-making type Trainer? You'd hope he could take out one top Pokémon with his entire team to throw against it."

The rest of the commentators nodded sagely, and just like that the discussion was over.

"Right! Well, let's move on now to the Jubilife Semi-pro…"

The clip ended, and Marcus was, to say the least, crestfallen.

"...Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh' is right!"

He was shocked to hear the repercussions of his little demonstration. He wasn't usually the type to make such miscalculations, which made accepting this one all the more difficult. Gardenia wasn't letting him off easily either, out of concern for his brother;

"Have you even seen him or talked to him since the fight? They had his face on national television as he left, and it was not pretty. You crushed more than just his team."

"Crap. Yeah, yeah, I get the idea...Okay, so maybe I messed up. I was just hoping to remind people that the Sinnoh Gym Circuit isn't a walk in the park! I mean, those two have just been trampling over everyone so far! Wake was the first one to beat either of them; that looks bad on our record."

"Marcus, your job is to evaluate Trainers who challenge you for a badge. If they are strong enough – and we both he's beyond strong enough – you give them the damn badge; that's how the system works! You aren't here to play some kind of numbers game; you aren't a public image consultant! If they have the raw talent to cruise through five badges, they deserve to do just that."

"I...I see your point", conceded the Hearthome Leader with a frown, "Still, though, is it so wrong to remind him that he's not invincible? Is it an awful thing to show him what losing a big match feels like? He's got to learn that eventually anyway."

"Now you're inventing justification for what you did", Gardenia shot back, "when we both know you did that because you wanted to beat your brother and you had this ridiculous idea of 'Gym Leader honor'."

Now truly frustrated, mostly at himself for causing this mess, Marcus at last caved in,

"Okay, fine! I owe him an apology. I should have found a better, quieter way to make my point. How exactly do you propose I make it up to him?"

"For starters, give him the badge. Publicly. Make it a big deal, and explain that even though he lost, he showed more talent than any challenger in years, etc. You know the whole bit. Lay it on thick. Make people understand that he almost took down your elite level Absol with his rookie team, and you weren't going easy – because I know you weren't, and he still almost beat you. Fix his reputation, because you broke it."

"Alright...I can do that. Dee, thanks for re-"

"I'm not done. The other thing you owe him is training. You need to offer to train him until he can do what you asked of him initially. Offer to train him – or better yet all three of them – for as long as they want."

Marcus balked at this. He would love to train his brother, but he was as busy as any other Gym Leader; he didn't have oodles of spare time to spend personally tutoring rookies.

"Dee, you know I can't realistically do that. I wish I could, but my schedule is all over the place."

"Fine", conceded the Grass type Leader, "but at least offer to let them stay at your Gym, use your facilities to train themselves, and let them ask you for advice when they want it. Deal?"

He sighed. He knew, deep down, that she was right. Having Milo stay and train would be fun, too, if his younger brother would take him up on the offer, but the hard part was admitting his screw up in the first place.

"...Deal."

Satisfied, Gardenia at last cracked a smile for the first time in their conversation.

"Now, was that so bad? I don't think so. Alright, you've got stuff to do, and so do I. I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course", said Marcus with a tired wink, "I can't seem to stay away from you for long. Are you using Aromatherapy on me or something?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, dear", answered Gardenia, feigning offense before smirking, "Although maybe I should consider it...if it could 'convince' you to spend more time with me…"

"Hehe...okay, before you get any more creepy ideas, I'm going to go. Love you. See you soon."

He cut the line, and shook his head. Releasing Absol, more out of muscle memory instinct than anything else, he sighed;

I guess I really screwed this one up. I just didn't think it'd be such a big deal.

I'm sorry as well, chimed in his loyal Disaster Pokémon, I should have anticipated this unfortunate turn of events.

Thanks pal, but this one really is on me. Dang...Hindsight's 20/20, but I really should've known better than to pull a stunt like that on the big stage. Well, time to make up for it.

With a wry grin, Marcus made a few well-placed calls to the local media, making the plans he'd promised. This done, he began trudging his way through the halls of his Gym towards his brother's guest room;

Soon enough, he arrived at Milo's door, and knocked hesitantly. From within, his younger brother answered in a small, hollow voice;

"...Yeah?"

"Milo", he began, "it's me, bro. I, uh, wanted to...apologize, I guess."

There was a pause from the other side of the closed door;

"Apologize?"

"Yeah. I put you up against Absol to prove a point, and I guess I misjudged the ramifications of my little stunt. Let me make it up to you?"

Another pause, and the door finally opened. He'd expected Milo, but it was actually Amaya who had let him in. Kara was there, as well, seated next to Milo on the bed. His little brother just looked...dead. Defeated. His face was blank, his head was down, and he was staring emptily at the carpet.

Kara shot the Leader a look that told him she wasn't best pleased with him to say the least, and Amaya seemed similarly prickly;

"Well, this ought to be good. Spit it out, Marcus."

"...I'm giving you the Shadow Badge, Milo."

Milo looked up, confused and still slightly hurt;

"What? No. I don't want your pity badge. I'm going to come back and win it, fair and square. If I have to beat Absol to do it, then I'll beat Absol. Somehow."

"Kudos for the commitment, bro, but I've already scheduled the press conference for tomorrow. I kind of realized; my job isn't just to win or lose. I'm supposed to judge whether you're strong enough to challenge the Conference, and I judge you more than strong enough. So you have earned the badge, just not the same way as usual. Alright?"

Milo just looked at him for a while, and then said, still in the same defeated tone of voice;

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

Crap, I'm sucking at this, it's not going well...Ah, just get through it, come on.

"One more thing, and then I promise I'll leave you alone. I think I can help you with that training you want to do. The Conference isn't for another nine months, so why not take a break and set up shop here at the Gym with me? As a way to say sorry for throwing you under the bus, you three can stay here and use the Gym to train as long as you want. I'll even help you – give you tips whenever I have time. Yeah?"

That certainly got the attention of the young Trainers. State-of-the-art facilities, for free, along with expert advice whenever they wanted, for as long as they cared to stay…

Milo looked at his friends, and asked;

"What do you guys think? I...kind of like it. I guess we could still travel to tournaments and Showcases and whatnot, just have the Gym as a home base, you know? Like he said, it is nine months until Lily of the Valley."

The three of them looked at one another, thinking along the same lines, while Marcus waited apprehensively. Slowly, Amaya nodded and said;

"Six months. I think that'd leave us enough time to finish the Gym Circuit afterwards."

Kara smiled in agreement, "I think that sounds good. Six months is plenty of time to stay here and really focus on training without distractions, too! I know my team could improve quite a bit if we had that kind of time. Milo?"

"...Alright. We'll take six months off of travelling and train here. So, I guess...apology accepted, Marcus."

At last, the familiar grin returned to Milo's face. It was time to train like never before.

Author's Notes:

This is the single largest thing I've ever produced, and it got done within three weeks. I'm stoked about that. I did it that way because this is the grand finale to what I have in my notes as 'Part 1' of this story. Basically, we're halfway done! Thanks so SO much to all of you who have followed along this far, I'm beyond grateful to you! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story as a whole as I move into the second half!

General thoughts: Is this too long for one chapter? I really wanted to get it up, and this kind of grand finale mega-chapter felt like a good idea, but as always, I'm open to your input.

Chapter thoughts: There are a lot of battles in here, and a lot of different types of battles, too. I hope they all came through as vividly as I had intended. There may be lots of questions surrounding the stuff that happened with the Order and the Legendaries, and I promise those will be resolved eventually. Promise. There are also lots of different emotions here; my hope is that they make the chapter vivid without stepping on each other's toes, so to speak.

A tidbit/sneak peek to keep you intrigued; Six months is a long time. Things change. People change. But some things never change. The question becomes…which things never change?

I still welcome all thoughts, encouragements, and (constructive) criticisms. I don't own Pokémon, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your interest in my work. I do sincerely hope you enjoy it. Cheers to you all! See you next time!

Reviews:

Zencolour – Glad you're enjoying things thus far! Expect Amaya's development to continue to evolve as the realities of high-level training really start to set in for our 'heroes'. I appreciate your thoughts, thanks for your consistent reviews!