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)

25. Chapter 25 - Revelations

Milo Chapter 25 – Revelations

Under cover of the soft blanket of darkness, four figures crept along the rooftops of Lily City's rundown western district. They moved swiftly and smoothly, with practiced ease. Against the starry night sky, their inky black silhouettes were practically invisible to any but the most observant. Two humans and two Pokémon dashed grimly along.

Suddenly, the lead figure stopped at the edge of a roof, holding up one fist. The others all followed suit, and all four flattened themselves down on the roof, invisible now to the naked eye. As they crawled to the edge and peered down at the building across the alley, one of them said in a barely audible whisper;

"Anything you see; call it out."

The building they were surveilling had two lit windows, and four pairs of eyes scrutinized these with laser sharp focus.

"PsyForce Tribe grunts in uniform. Clear Psychic activity."

"Means they're not trying very hard to keep hidden", was the reply, "So it's not a general outpost. They're here for a specific reason."

Both Pokémon and humans, noted one of the Pokémon on the rooftop.

"Pokémon and humans together. Likely means it's a full operation, not just spying or preventative infiltration."

"Agreed", answered the other watcher, "This...is worth worrying about. I say we set up, then we go back – make a real plan and do this right."

"Are you sure?" hissed the second human, "We're perfectly prepped for a raid; why not right now? It's just grunts. We can take them out quick and easy."

"No", came the firm reply, "Too many unknowns – too many factors. We make our report, and come back when we're sure. Here, everyone take a monitor. One goes here, the other three on the other sides of the building."

Making no more noise than a shadow, the four figures split up. The first human stayed and placed a strange-looking device on the rooftop. The device was about apple-sized, and shaped like a cube. In the middle of it was an odd black and white crystal. Several sensors and wires were hooked up to it, and the whole thing was encased in weather proof glass. It was fixed in place by a Grimer-infused adhesive.

Once this was done, the figure, face covered below the eyes by a black face guard bearing a white insignia, looked up. The others wouldn't be long. Sure enough, the first of the two Pokémon came rushing back quickly, blue rings giving off a soft, eerie glow in the dim moonlight.

It's done.

The other two followed quickly, and soon the four figures were off. They left the way they had come; slipping off in absolute silence above the dark streets of Lily City. Inside the building, none of the Psychic users or their Pokémon were any the wiser; they had no idea that the hunters had just become the hunted.

Milo

"Whew, finally", exclaimed Milo as he ripped off his Order of Shadows hood and face mask, "That thing is freaking stuffy."

"I won't argue that", agreed Marcus, as he ran a hand through his own recently freed hair.

"I still think we could've taken them down."

Marcus sighed. This was probably inevitable, but it was best to head off Milo's reckless idea before it gained any traction;

"Look, bro. Let's say we did that. All the info we had to go on was a ten minute scouting op", Marcus' voice resounded around the dark walls of the empty warehouse they'd used as a staging point, "There could be literally anything waiting in there that we didn't notice, and an ambush would be too big a risk."

Milo wouldn't back down. It was unlike him, but this time fury overtook his logical faculties. He was pissed beyond belief that the Tribe seemed to be able to pull and pinch their secret strings to manipulate his life at will. He growled and shot back at his brother;

"What could they possibly have that we couldn't handle? We have three blessings between us, not to mention Dark Aura, plus Azura and Absol. We should just take them out now, while we have the element of surprise!"

"Down, boy", came a low, crooning female voice from the dark interior of the warehouse. Both brothers stopped dead and four heads snapped to the direction of the voice. A familiar figure stepped out of the deep shadows, her silvery hair floating down her back.

"Sh-Shadow Master Karen", Marcus managed a respectful bow of the head despite his shock at seeing her, and Milo followed suit.

The woman chuckled, and gave a small grin as she approached Milo;

"I appreciate your fervor, dear Milo", she reached out and patted the side of the young Trainer's face, "In this case, though, Marcus is right. We can't risk one of the Order's most valuable assets on a blind raid."

She's rather creepy, really, noted Azura.

"Milo", mused the Dark type Elite, "have you stopped to consider why the Tribe is doing what they're doing?"

"Uh...They want to hurt me? However they can?"

"Hmph. A trifling guess, but not entirely wrong."

"Shadow Master", interrupted Marcus, "I'm all for explanations, but is now really the time for this?"

"Oh, Marcus", Karen just laughed and gave a dismissive hand wave, "You worry too much. Your adorable little brother deserves to know exactly what he's caught up in."

The Gym Leader scowled, but receded into a huffy silence.

"Now, Milo, you've been told of how the Order began, yes?"

Milo's brow furrowed. He remembered the story, of course, but how was that relevant to him?

"Uh, sure...We were outcasts because people were freaked out by Dark Aura. We did the whole evil bandit thing for a while until Ziron showed up and we got our act together. Then we took down the corrupt Aura Guardians, and we've been secretly focusing on the Tribe and the League since then. That's more or less it, right?"

"Definitely less", smirked Karen, "Ziron didn't show up randomly and decide 'hey let's be good guys'. He was just as much an evil bandit as the rest until he got shocked out of it."

"Shocked out of it? Shocked...how? Literally, or figuratively?"

Marcus at last spoke, his voice low, "Figuratively. The Order's darkest day produced its finest ever Master."

"Uh...that's ominous…"

Karen's smug smirk disappeared in an instant;

"Years after the founding of the Order, at the height of our thieving days, we got very ambitious. We set our sights on a town, a small farming village that worshipped the triad of supernatural elements; Psychic, Dark, and Ghost. Ziron was a young Shadow at the time, and he'd told nobody that this town was actually his hometown – he had run away rather than expose his Dark Aura."

"Why'd he run away?" Milo couldn't help himself, "I mean, if they worshipped Dark types, wouldn't they be cool with Dark Aura?"

"Ah, so there is a brain behind that handsome little face", Karen's smile was again rather creepy, but thankfully she moved on rather than dwell on her odd comment;

"Good catch. We don't know all the details, but it seems that a human having control over Dark powers was considered blasphemy. At any rate, what matters is that Ziron left that town and his family rather than face the consequences."

Marcus took over, his voice low and serious;

"The Order targeted the town, just to prove they could. They kidnapped two of the town's children and demanded control over the whole village and a hefty tribute on a regular basis. Rather than lie down and obey, the townsfolk mounted a rescue operation and, against all odds, it worked. In reality, Ziron had a hand in that, as well. He went behind the Order's back to help return the kids to the village."

"He couldn't bear to watch his family be abused, after all", said Karen, "The two kids they used as leverage were Ziron's younger siblings – twins; a boy and a girl."

Here she paused, expecting Milo to have some comment. Strangely, he just stood there, silent. The Shadow Master raised an eyebrow, but soon continued the story;

"As you might imagine, the Order didn't take too kindly to the rescue. The darkest day in our history was when we took revenge on the village. Too afraid to disobey orders, Ziron helped burn his own hometown to the ground."

"Wait, what?" Milo spluttered, "They – we – burned it down? The whole village?"

"Yes", Marcus picked up again, "In one night, no less. Eventually the town was rebuilt, but it never fully recovered; the scars were too deep. You've seen it, Milo. You've been to Celestic Town."

"No way…" Milo's eyes shot wide open, "The Order burned down Celestic? That's insane!"

"It's true", Karen affirmed, "We're not done yet, though, so shut up and listen like a good boy. Now, after the razing of Celestic, Ziron knew he couldn't keep going with the Order as it was. He considered running away, but in the end he decided to change the Order from within. That's when we began to look more like the Order of Shadows you know today. As it turns out, though, the damage was already done. Ziron's two younger siblings were among the only survivors. Needless to say, they didn't exactly appreciate Dark types very much after that, and each of them turned to one of the other elements in the triad."

Milo's eyes narrowed as his brain hit top speed. He could tell where this was headed, incredible though it was. Karen laid it out;

"The brother devoted himself to Psychic types, and tried to control whatever he could. He was determined that if he was in control of everything, nobody could ever put him through the kind of pain and fear he had experienced at the hands of the Order. Today we call him Psyfer, the leader of the PsyForce Tribe."

"Aeon was his twin", Milo guessed, "She devoted herself to Ghost types, right?"

Karen nodded, "She hit the other extreme. She decided that if such destruction was possible, then the only thing that the world was capable of was absolute chaos. Thus, the only way to save herself from further pain and anguish was to be an agent of chaos instead of its helpless victim."

"Whoa…"

Milo was, needless to say, lost for words. This was really heavy stuff.

"Let me ask your next question", prompted Marcus, "What all does this have to do with you? The answer comes from your blessings."

"The blessings? But...I'm not the only one who has those, right? They don't target you guys like this, do they?"

"Not just the blessings in general", answered Marcus, "Specifically your blessings. You have two of them, and you've gotten very good at using them. The last person who could access and control more than one was Ziron himself. The instant you did that, in their minds, you became Ziron incarnate."

"That – well, it sounds cool, but I'm guessing it's bad news for me. Right?"

"Very", answered the Gym Leader vigorously, "You absolutely demolished the Spirit League's backbone at Celestic the first time you unleashed those two blessings, otherwise they'd still be gunning for you. The PsyForce Tribe is more subtle, but their recent attacks have given us a clue as to how desperate they are. They're flailing, acting without full consideration, lashing out at any half-brained scheme they can think of to get at you."

"So that's why they sent Candice after me? And then the report?"

"Yes", confirmed Marcus, "But, looking back now that we know more, it started before that. They first tried to trap you in Eterna. Remember when they made a seemingly random power play? They knew Gardenia would respond, and that I would be called in. It looks like they were betting on me calling you in as backup. Two Mind Queens might have been enough to overwhelm you before you could trigger the blessings, but they didn't count on Ark Monty interfering."

Milo was shaken at this; "You mean…the entire operation in Eterna was a failed trap? A trap they set for...me?"

Marcus nodded, then elaborated;

"After that, Psyfer started getting truly desperate, and making mistakes. What you did in Eterna nearly robbed him of two of his best servants, and it reminded him of just how afraid he was of you...and of Ziron. To him, you're basically one and the same. In this case, that's actually good, in a weird way. He's so freaked out right now that he hasn't taken the time to come up with a more effective plan."

"Umm", Milo frowned, "I'd say making half of Sinnoh think I'm a cheater is pretty darn effective."

"Milo, think for a second", Marcus shook his head, "The Tribe is out to take you down in any possible way. If they took the time to consider it, they'd realize they could probably get to you by going after Amaya, or Kara. Heck, even Mom and Dad, or Myrian would be fair game. I wouldn't put it past them to attack me or Dee to lure you into a confrontation. Luckily for us, they're so blinded by fear and irrational hate that they have tunnel vision. You're the only thing in their sights."

"Damn. So...what do we do now?"

"Now we've caught them in the act", Karen's grin was truly evil, "We can do to them exactly what we did to the League outside Celestic."

"Okay", nodded the Rookie, "but how? They're in the middle of a city, here."

"I have a plan", said Karen carefully, "It's very risky, I won't lie – especially for you, Milo – but it should guarantee they get what's coming to them."

Milo was nervous, but then a series of memories flashed by him;

He remembered the gaunt faces of the people he and Marcus had rescued from the Floaroma Windworks. He remembered the horror of the Spirit League going after Kara. He remembered Marcus' terrified face when they had to fly to Eterna and rescue Gardenia. He remembered the pain etched into Ark Monty's brave grimace as the Mind Queens and their cronies tried to bludgeon him into the ground. He remembered Myrian's sad eyes when he'd been accused of cheating. The more he was targeted, it seemed, the more people around him suffered.

These people won't stop unless we stop them, he knew.

Milo, Azura spoke up for the first time since their grim conversation had begun, Your team is with you. No matter what, we'll protect you. We'll protect our friends.

"I'll do it", he said, "Whatever it takes, I'm in."

"Excellent", Karen's face lit up, "Here's the plan…"

Amaya

Damn, she thought to herself, This sucks. There's no perfect answer.

She was seated in her dim hotel room, three files laid out in front of her.

Johto, Sinnoh, or Kalos…

The Sinnoh offer had come in a few days after Jenks had delivered the others. It wasn't a full professional contract, but a 'junior' contract. Essentially, Sinnoh wanted to keep her around, but not give her a full-fledged spot on their pro roster.

"They just don't want anyone else to get me", she muttered, "Still, it'd be cool to stay with my home region and earn my spot eventually."

She sighed, knowing that plan was more sentimental than practical. She grimaced, hesitated, then pushed the Sinnoh file away. That left just two. She'd been sitting on the bed staring at the closed files for the better part of three hours at this point.

Her room was silent. Kara was taking the opportunity to get some general training in with her team while they had no Showcases to prepare for, and Milo was off doing one of his superhero wannabe things with Marcus. Amaya should've been training, she knew, but this decision was driving her mad. It had come down to this now, Johto or Kalos, and the choice was pulling her world apart. She sat there on the hotel bed in the dark room, legs crossed, hunched over, head in her hands, cursing the fact that she had to pick only one.

"It's my head versus my heart", she said to herself, "Johto is ideal for me. It's focused on raw power, and I have plenty of that. They like Trainers who aren't afraid of anyone, who can make a statement. That's literally me."

She was spot on. Johto had long been labeled as 'old-fashioned' for this reason. Johto-based professionals fit more or less the same mold. They were tough, rough around the edges, and their go-to plan in any battle was to let raw strength carry the day. Kanto was much the same way, but…well, the fans there bordered on xenophobic. It had been years since a non-Kanto Trainer had signed a full contract with that League.

"Then there's Kalos", Amaya frowned, "All flashy and fancy. They might as well call it the Milo League, he's perfect for them. He's got the easiest decision ever; all he has to do is follow Kara."

Kalos was the definition of finesse. Amaya was almost surprised they'd even extended her an offer; she was so far removed from the vibe of the region. Milo, on the other hand, was the very definition of a Kalos Trainer. His mind games and tricks and strategies would absolutely amaze them.

"He's going to blow their minds", she chuckled to herself, "I give it two seasons before he's their headliner. Damn, it'd be so great to stay together…."

This was the crux of the issue. Logic told her she should choose Johto, but…that would mean splitting away from her two best friends, and she couldn't bring herself to make that call. They were the dream team, the all-conquering Rookie trio. How could she break that up just to sign for a League that was a 'better fit' for her?

"Kalos could do with someone like me to shake them up a bit", she reasoned to herself, "I can be the bite to their bark…"

Still, the voice of reason inside her was screaming that she was never going to single-handedly change an entire regional League. If she went to Kalos, she'd never be as successful as she could be elsewhere.

She sat there debating back and forth with herself for another hour without moving before finally throwing the files onto a table and stepping away.

"I can't do this right now. I just…I should focus on the Conference first. Damn it…"

All in all, that night was a rough one for both Rookie Trainers. Milo tossed and turned, trying to maintain his confidence as the very real possibility of taking on the PsyForce Tribe loomed large just as the Conference was about to get started. Amaya had a hard time sleeping as well, still spinning in circles in her mind. She should go to Johto, but she wanted to go to Kalos. Johto...Kalos...the Tribe...the Conference….

Fortunately, the next day produced few surprises. With less than one week left until the Conference, it was a welcome relief to have just one day go according to plan. With the Conference approaching, the 'perfect day' was now thoroughly regimented. Jenks had put them on a strict schedule with regards to any activity that could be made public. He was adamant that this was crunch time for Milo and Amaya's public image.

Breakfast was early (but not too early) after which they found an open practice field and did some hard training (but not too hard). The goal was to give the idea to anyone watching that they were preparing diligently for the Conference – otherwise they could be labeled as arrogant for not taking it seriously. At the same time, if they were perceived as trying 'too hard', they could be construed as desperate Rookies who knew they had no chance and were doing everything they could to close the gap. Even when they did train in public spaces, it wasn't very productive. They had been advised to train at about 80%, so as to disguise the full potential of their teams.

Of course, once their prescribed public training hours were complete (they began jokingly referring to these as their office hours) they had a space quietly reserved in the basement of their hotel where they could do the training they really needed to do.

"Looking good", nodded Marcus, standing opposite his younger brother in this private training space, "How do you feel about it? It's different from what you normally do."

Milo had been working on Aurora's new Ice tactics, using Hail as a camouflage before launching any attacks.

"Feels good", nodded the JPTA grad, "It's just a different rhythm than the others, which is an adjustment on my part. But yeah", he knelt down to pet his tired, but appreciative Glaceon behind the ears, "I think it'll be great. I'd be more worried if I was up against the real professionals, but we should have just enough wiggle room to pull it off."

"Hey, don't discount these folks", warned Marcus, "I mean, you've got some premier semi-pros left in the pool. They're more than capable of punishing small mistakes."

In an effort to make the Lily of the Valley Conference more accessible to new Trainers, the rules had been altered several seasons previously to disqualify anybody who had already won the Conference from entering again. Thus, most of Sinnoh's biggest Trainers were no longer eligible, having already won their title. The fear, initially, was that this would make the Conference less popular, but instead the opposite effect was observed. The influx of newer Trainers made the entire event less predictable and more prone to turnover, upsets, and shocks. If anything, the Lily of the Valley Conference was a bigger deal than it had ever been.

"Oh, believe me", Milo assured his older sibling, "I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm just saying, I'd be a lot more scared if this was the Master's Conference."

"I get you", nodded Marcus, "Besides, this is a slow year all around. I think people are giving the Conference a break to focus on the World Challenge. These days that's probably a more viable way to get good exposure."

It was late now, and the two brothers packed up their things and returned their Pokémon, making their way back up to Milo's room to hang out for a bit.

"Yeah. Hey, how far do you think you'll be able to get in the Challenge this year?"

"We'll see", shrugged Marcus. The World Challenge was by far the biggest event in the world for Pokémon battling. Every Trainer from every city and region in the world was eligible to enter as long as they had a valid license and some Pokémon. It happened every other year, and the qualification tournaments were rapidly approaching.

"I mean, I'll make it out of the Hearthome round, barring some kind of catastrophe", mused the Gym Leader, "Then it'll come down to the draw. If I can avoid Flint and Volkner in the Sinnoh Finals, I should have a clear shot at a deep tournament run."

"Really? That's it", Milo laughed incredulously, "That's all you're afraid of out of the entire Sinnoh region is Flint and Volkner?"

"Well, yeah", Marcus was still very nonchalant, "I mean, Cynthia could crush me, but she doesn't join the party until later, and the only other person who's probably stronger than me right now is Lucian. Usually, I'd say don't count on type, but my team is literally immune to all of his favorite strategies."

"Wow", Milo felt like a kid again, awestruck by his older brother, "Fair enough. That's crazy to think about, though. I mean, you're literally one of the top five Trainers in Sinnoh, and you're just chatting about it like it's nothing."

"Heh", Marcus couldn't help a chuckle, "Well, top five is ambitious, but I'd put myself at a comfortable pick for the top ten, at least. Let me give you some advice, little bro."

He paused, and took a second to make sure he worded this correctly;

"When you get near the top...well, it's a lot like climbing a tall tree or something. The best way to keep going without getting freaked out is to look up, not down. In my case, I don't say to myself 'wow, I'm stronger than 85% of Trainers in the world'. I say to myself, 'I need to keep going, because I have a list of such and such people who are still stronger than me'. See what I mean?"

Milo turned the advice over in his head.

"Makes sense", he said at last, "So...For me it'd be like saying 'I should make sure I can beat Amaya because she's as strong as me', right?"

"Exactly", Marcus was relieved to see his words were well understood, "That's a much better motivator than saying 'only semi-pros and Rookies are here, and I'm better than almost all of them'. At the top levels of Pokémon battling, having a strong mindset is just as important as having a strong team. Remember; if you aren't getting better, you're getting worse. There's no middle ground."

With that last golden nugget of Trainer wisdom, Marcus left his younger brother alone for the night. Milo did his best to take the advice to heart, and redoubled his efforts over the next few days. He had to be careful not to overexert his team so close to the looming Conference, but he pushed them as far as he dared, and they never complained. This tournament meant just as much to them as it did to him, after all.

The days continued to slip by in this manner. Early start, 'office hour' training until early afternoon, real training in the evenings, get to bed on time. The media surrounding the two breakout stars swirled and grew as the time passed. Others joined them, too, now that the event was nearly come. Damion, who had beaten Candice eventually, never quite got through Volkner. Nevertheless, he was able to take the last set of qualification exams and qualify that way. Elsewhere, Nova (Jet's former Trainer) had managed five badges before she, too, relented and qualified via the entrance exams. With all the added attention and new faces around Lily Island, the 'public' training sessions became mostly a series of practice battles against fellow Conference entrants.

These battles, too, were heavily regulated. Per official League rules, they were not allowed to battle any more than 3 on 3 matches. This was intended to prevent people from using these practice battles to gain an unfair knowledge advantage over their potential opponents.

Three days before the Conference, Milo was doing his office hours at a battle park just a few blocks north of the great, gleaming Lily Stadium. He was about to start a 2 on 2 practice battle against a man in his thirties named Evan, who claimed to be an 'Eevee line specialist'.

"Ready over there?" Evan called across to Milo, who grinned excitedly back;

"Ready as I'll ever be! Let's kick it off! Blaze, you're in!"

"I'll start with Tide", Evan released a Vaporeon.

Hmm, this should be a good one, Milo's brain hit battle speed, and information zipped through his mind like lightning, Vaporeon has the obvious type advantage, and it's a ranged fighter with the special attack to back it up and the mobility to dodge if needed.

"Okay, Blaze! Heat Wave, let's make him move!"

"Be direct here, Tide", Evan countered, "Go for a Hydro Pump!"

Blaze's instincts had served him well. He had sprinted to one side immediately after launching the Heat Wave, and was safely out of the way of Hydro Pump. Milo nodded approvingly and decided to go with the flow;

"Quick Attack around, then Double Team and Brick Break."

Evan's Vaporeon had survived the ineffective Heat Wave without much trouble, and the Eevee specialist countered quickly;

"Water Pulse, Tide! On your right!"

"Break off, Blaze! Momentum!"

It wasn't the clearest of instructions, but Blaze got the idea. Instead of turning inwards to land Brick Break, Milo's Infernape used the speed he'd built to continue across the face of the wide-range Water Pulse, escaping by the narrowest of margins.

"Now Water Gun, Tide! Lead him!"

What a play, thought Milo for a split second, How do I…

Then it came to him;

"Drop! Low Kick!"

Evan's eyes shot wide open as the Flame Pokémon ducked into a neat roll, all of two inches underneath the perfectly aimed Water Gun. Before he could react, a white-furred foot shot out and brought the veteran Vaporeon to the ground.

"Stop, STOP! Tide, return!"

With a rueful smile, Evan explained himself as he recalled the Bubble Jet Pokémon;

"No need to go all out here, we know how that was going to end, right?"

"Fair enough", nodded Milo.

Aww, come on!

Blaze wasn't pleased – he would rather have closed out his win.

Easy, pal. You had him beaten to rights, and this isn't supposed to be a full battle. That's a veteran move on his part.

"I guess I'll switch as well", called the Rookie, "Your call this round, Evan."

No matter what Evan called, Milo's hand was already hovering over Azura's Pokéball as Evan made his second round pick;

"Ferno, let's go!"

Milo froze.

...Ferno? I know that name! It can't be-

Sure enough, a magnificent Flareon burst onto the field with a loud cry.

A million thoughts screamed through Milo's brain in that instant, and it took every inch of self-control in his body to wrench his hand away and not release his shiny Umbreon.

"Milo?" Evan noticed his pause, "You alright over there?"

"I – I'm fine. It's just – where did you...Never mind. I'll ask after the battle. Let's, uh", he at last recovered himself slightly, though he was still reeling internally, "Let's turn the tables. Jet, show them a real type advantage."

Jet, called Milo urgently as his Floatzel took the field, This is going to be mostly you, I need some emergency thinking time.

Eh? Whatever you say, man...All good?

Yeah, I'm good, I just – I know that Flareon, I think, and I need to figure it out ASAP.

Okay, you got it. I'll handle him.

As Jet took off unbidden, Milo reached back into the recesses of his mind, sifting through memories as fast as he could.

Ferno...Ferno...Why do I know that name? It has something to do with Azura, I know…

He was barely paying attention as Sunny Day was cancelled by a well-timed Aqua Jet from his aptly named Floatzel.

After ten seconds of furious thought, it occurred to him. The story his Umbreon had told him, way back in Oreburgh…

What was it she'd said...She had heard her mom call out when she was hiding under the tree...

"Who's there? Who is it? Oh! Oh, dear Arceus, Ferno it's you, thank goodness!"

That's...that isn't possible! Azura saw her parents die, she was THERE! This can't be happening. I...I need to win this as fast as possible and ask Evan away from everyone watching.

There were a few dozen people gathered around, as usual when Milo or Amaya trained on a public field. They were a mix of fans, fellow Trainers, and the occasional reporter. Not people Milo wanted around to discuss such a potentially sensitive topic.

His focus snapped back to the battle. This Flareon was a wily one, and was keeping Jet largely at bay. He was doing so by preempting Jet's favored Water moves at all costs, limiting him to smaller, quicker hits that were much more survivable.

"Jet", called Milo, taking an active hand in the round at last, "Give him the two-step. Hydro Pump."

This was a combination move they'd just invented recently. Milo hadn't wanted to reveal it in training, but this situation had just become extremely important.

Hell yes! Let's dance, flame boy!

Jet's Quick Attack brought him flashing around to Ferno's right side. There Milo's Sea Weasel paused and took a big breath, mouth wide as if he were charging his Hydro Pump.

"Cancel it", called Evan again, "Ember!"

"Now, Jet!"

A second Quick Attack took Jet back around, just as Ferno's Ember flew harmlessly past him. Unable to react in time, the Flame Pokémon could only brace himself as the real Hydro Pump racked him for huge damage.

"Whew, that's one heck of a move, Milo!"

Evan good-naturedly returned Ferno and crossed the field to shake hands with his young opponent;

"You'll go far in this tournament, kid. Mark my words."

Milo stepped forward, mind racing as he met the Eevee specialist in the middle of the field;

"Listen, Evan. Can we talk somewhere? I, uh, need to take a break anyway, and, umm...I wanted to ask you about – about, uh, the chip missing from Tide's ear."

Evan raised an eyebrow curiously at the young man, but Milo quickly mouthed the word 'please', and Evan began to understand his intent.

"Ah, certainly! There's a nice cafe just a couple blocks away, seems like a great opportunity for a good chat over coffee with a fellow Trainer."

Disappointment rippled through the onlookers as Milo left the field. On his way out, he motioned with his head to Kara, who was seated on a bench watching the proceedings with passing interest. Brows furrowed, the Performer got up and followed quickly.

"Hi, Evan", she introduced herself briefly, "I'm Kara, I'm with Milo. Uh, is everything okay, Milo?"

"I could ask the same", said the older man, "As glad as I am that you were observant enough to notice Tide's chipped ear, I know that's not what this is about. You almost lost it there when I sent out Ferno."

"Evan", Milo asked carefully, "How did you get to be an Eevee specialist? I mean, it seems oddly specific."

"Well, it's actually quite a story", responded the middle-aged man with a grin, "I've always been the wandering type, you see, and I'm a bit of a do-gooder."

His wiry body confirmed this; Evan was moderately tall and thin as could be. His face had a rugged brightness to it that made him stand out.

"Before I get into that, though, can I ask where we're actually headed?"

"Oh, uh, yeah", Milo was definitely off, and neither Kara nor Evan could quite fathom why he was being so skittish and urgent all of a sudden, "Can we go to my hotel? There's a private training space there. I just – I have a theory, and if I'm right I think this should be kind of a private thing."

Evan nodded slowly, and launched into his story;

"Hmm, okay. I'll play along, Milo. Anyway – becoming an Eevee specialist was never my intent. In fact, my first Pokémon was a Ralts that became my Gallade; Valu. I've always had a restless spirit, so I made my way from home in the Hoenn region all the way out to Kalos. I was doing the whole travelling Trainer bit over there when I happened across a Pokémon smuggling ring."

"Smugglers?" Milo's heart quickened, "Like, Pokémon poachers – that kind of thing?"

"The very same", nodded Evan grimly as the group arrived at the hotel and proceeded down to the private training area, "As soon as I found them, I knew we couldn't just turn tail. Those captured Pokémon needed help, and by golly I was going to do something."

"Good for you", growled Milo, "I hate when people like that abuse Pokémon."

"You and me both, Milo", responded Evan with the same conviction, "You and me both. Anyway, this particular group was in between raids, and had only two Pokémon at the time. There was a Sylveon there that was doing its best to protect the other one – a young Eevee. I busted them out. Valu and I decimated their camp, but I had no idea how to care for two Pokémon as maltreated and injured as those two were."

"It's hard to know anything in that kind of situation", offered Kara gently, "Nobody's really ready for a thing like that."

"You're right, miss Kara", Evan picked the story up grimly, "I've never been more scared than I was then. As a Trainer, I did the only thing I could think of. I carefully captured the Eevee and Sylveon and got them to a Pokémon Center as fast as possible. I believe it was Cyllage City. Luckily, their wounds weren't life-threatening, and they recovered. While I waited on them, Nurse Joy told me that Eevee are among the most highly sought after Pokémon on the black market. They are rarer than most Pokémon, and their variety of evolutions make them incredibly valuable to wealthy buyers."

"Ugh", Milo shuddered, "That just makes me sick. How could someone do that?"

Reaching for his belt, he released Azura, who felt his anger and nestled close to him.

"Anyway", he asked, "You said you kept the Sylveon and the Eevee?"

Azura, he added mentally, This man apparently rescues Eevee-line Pokémon. He's an Eevee specialist.

That's very touching, she replied.

The shiny Umbreon settled in, as Evan continued with a smile, "That was the beginning for me – the Eevee I rescued that day later became Tide, who you just fought. Since then I've busted up at least a handful of smuggling rings that dealt in poached Eevee-line Pokémon. Most recently, actually, I was here in Sinnoh when I rescued the Flareon you battled – Ferno."

Azura jumped up in an instant, and her voice exploded into Milo's brain;

FERNO? Milo, did he just say Ferno? That's my dad, Milo! Ferno was my Daddy, I have to see him! Tell this man, tell him! Milo, PLEASE!

"Is...something wrong?" Evan looked nervously at Azura, who was visibly frantic.

"Th-this is what I was wondering about", Milo could barely speak himself, "Could you bring out Ferno? Please? I think...well, you'll see."

Azura stood stock still, now, her chest heaving. Hesitantly, Evan reached to his belt and poked the button on one of his Pokéballs. Out came the still-tired Ferno, looking curiously about. Even Milo and Kara stood breathless as Azura leapt, seemingly in slow motion, towards the Flame Pokémon.

DADDY! DADDY, IT'S YOU! I – I thought you were dead, I thought...I...Oh, DADDY!

Ferno the Flareon, however, looked only bewildered, and Azura stepped back, her voice small and afraid;

D-Daddy? Do you...remember me? I-it's your Eva…

As Azura used her old Eevee name for the first time in many months, Ferno's face at last melted first into disbelief and then straight into tears. Now it was he who leapt forward to embrace and nuzzle his lost daughter. Milo felt Azura connect her mind to his, and a strong male voice filtered through;

My daughter! I don't believe it, this can't be happening! I thought we had lost you forever. Oh, my Eva, my Eva, my Eva...You're here, you're really here…

Milo sank to his knees, overcome with emotion as tears gathered in his own eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder – Kara's.

"Milo?" The Performer asked softly, "What is all this?"

"That's...Evan, you rescued Azura's father. Did you find Ferno in the woods outside Veilstone? Gassed by a gang of well-armed poachers?"

Evan's face went slack at the question.

"Impossible. How did you…? Oh, but that means…! Ah, Psyonne!"

He fumbled at his belt, reaching for another Pokémon. Within seconds, an Espeon emerged.

MOMMA! Azura leapt forward, and Ferno delivered the shocking news;

Psyonne, my dearest, it's our Eva! She's really here, our Eva has found us again after all this time!

Eva…? EVA? Impossible! Oh, my daughter, how I've missed you! We thought you had been taken, that the human poachers had found you! Oh, Eva, Eva…

A hush fell over those present, human and Pokémon alike. The reunited family stood in a close-knit huddle in the middle, all in tears at this impossible coincidence. Evan eventually told his side of the story in a hushed voice;

"I don't...I can't believe this. You're spot on, Milo. I found Ferno and Psyonne outside Veilstone, nearly dead from the gas the poachers had used. I had to capture them; they were too weak for me to treat on the spot. When they recovered, Psyonne told me all about their daughter – Eva, the shiny Eevee. We – we all assumed she had been captured…"

"She ran away", said Milo, "That night, she waited under the tree as she was told, and the poachers never found her. She saw Ferno and Psyonne lying on the ground, out cold, and...and she was so sure they were dead."

As they watched, Azura's parents stepped back to admire her new form. Psyonne had the presence of mind to project their conversation telepathically to all those present;

My dear, you've become a marvelous Umbreon, said Ferno, Is this young man your Trainer? I'm so proud of you, Eva – ah, but you aren't Eva any more, are you?

No, Daddy, Azura cooed softly, I'm Azura now. Th-this is Milo, he's been taking care of me and helping me get stronger. H-he's the best human I've ever met.

Milo's face flushed at the unexpected and sincere praise from his first-ever Pokémon, but he was still too overcome with emotion and disbelief to say anything.

Oh, Ev- I mean, Azura, Psyonne caught herself, You should meet someone. Evan? Could we introduce Nea?

"Oh!" Evan started, as though he couldn't believe he hadn't already thought of this, "Of course! She wouldn't know...here we are."

He fished around for a moment before releasing an Eevee. It looked particularly young, and immediately curled up against Psyonne's leg, looking nervously around at the new faces;

Azura, began Ferno with a proud, fatherly smile, This young kit is Nea. She is your younger sister.

My...my sister? Azura was incredulous, and took a hesitant step towards the younger Pokémon, who looked up at her with the same confusion and wonder on her small, brown face.

B-big Sis? Nea's voice sounded not unlike Aurora, before she evolved, though with perhaps a bit less exuberance, You're...not gone?

No, Azura got down low to be at her new sibling's eye level, No, I'm really here. It's an honor to meet you, little Nea. Welcome to the f-family.

Evan leaned over to confide in Milo, "That little Eevee has played a huge part in their recovery process, you know. After losing Eva, they blamed themselves. Psyonne in particular was extremely distraught. They didn't intend to have another Egg, but when they did...I think it helped them start picking up the pieces."

Milo's heart swelled as he saw and felt the pure joy radiating from Azura. After a silent minute, he leaned over to Evan and suggested;

"We should probably give them some space and time to talk through everything, you know?"

"Agreed", nodded the older man, "They'll find us when they're done, I'm sure."

Milo, Evan, and Kara quietly took their leave of the precious family reunion, and sat down in the lobby; Milo and Kara together on a couch and Evan in a fancy armchair. For a while, they said nothing, as their emotions settled down from their incredible chance discovery.

"So", Kara broke the ice eventually, "If you're more focused on stopping smugglers, what brings you to the Conference this year?"

"As it happens", Evan sat back in his chair, "You're a big part of my reason for entering this year, Milo."

"Oh", the young man flushed, unsure of how to respond, "Uh, I'm glad to hear it. How do you mean?"

"Azura, for one", chuckled the Eevee specialist, "I mean, I never suspected she was actually Eva, of course."

He paused before backtracking, "Actually, to be totally honest, I'll admit it had crossed my mind very briefly; the odds of there being another shiny Eevee were, after all, astronomical. Still, it felt like the odds of you somehow having found and bonded so strongly with the exact same Eevee that Ferno and Psyonne had lost were equally impossible, so I didn't even mention it to them. I didn't want to get their hopes up."

"I get you", Milo said, "When we left Hearthome to get to Veilstone, Azura looked for her parents at the Lost Tower. She was devastated when their spirits didn't appear to her; we assumed they had already moved on without waiting for her."

"That would have been tragic indeed. Really, though, the reason I entered the Conference to meet you came down the fact that you have both Azura and your new Glaceon. I could tell by their battling when I watched your fights that they cared deeply for you, and I felt a certain kindred spirit, if you will. It was irresistible, and so...well, I didn't resist and here I am."

"Well", Milo was still a bit unsure of himself, "Uh, I'm really glad you found me."

The trio sat and chatted for another few hours before the newly reunited Eevee family came upstairs to find their Trainers. Azura was, of course, over the moon. Milo and Evan met several more times over the next few times during Milo's public training sessions. Milo's shiny Umbreon was bursting at the seams to show her family how powerful she had become since their separation. Evan was also quite helpful; he was able to give Milo expert tips on caring for Eevee-line Pokémon, things the veteran had picked up in his years of experience. Evan's company, and the joyous (albeit unexpected) reunion of Azura to her family made the final days tick by extraordinarily quickly. All too soon, it was the night of the Conference's kickoff.

Marcus

The Gym Leader ushered his family courteously into the VIP box seats he'd managed to obtain. Cynthia had been more than willing to pull the necessary strings the minute he'd explained that his parents wanted to come watch the opening ceremony of the Conference. Another family sidled into the row behind them; Amaya's parents had come as surprise guests.

"Wait", Amaya had said suddenly the night before, "Who's at the door? Uh…Dad? Mom?"

"Surprise!" Amaya's dad roared gleefully, "We'd never just miss our daughter's Rookie Conference, would we?"

Try as she might to hide the evidence, everyone could tell that the Twinleaf girl was absolutely glowing with pride at having her parents watch her battles in person. Marcus had kindly put up the funds for both families to stay in a hotel near the two Trainers, and now they along with Kara all crowded in as the show got underway;

It was late evening, and when the stadium lights began to fade down, an eerie darkness descended on the stadium. Accordingly, a hush fell over the crowd. Every single person was on the edge of their seat, the same thought running like wildfire through every mind;

It's starting…!

"Ladies and gentlemen", came the announcer's dramatic voice, "It is with pride, honor, joy, and enthusiasm that I welcome you to the one and only Lily of the Valley Conference."

From each Trainer box below on the battlefield of the revered Lily Stadium, brilliant white fireworks shot upwards in perfect unison. At first two at a time shot into the air, but as the announcer continued, the brightness and volume of the beautiful explosives grew and grew;

"This season, we have witnessed once again the skill and power of the world's greatest Pokémon League! Nowhere else is the competition so stiff, nor the Trainers so strong! This season, the Trainers of Sinnoh have given us drama, fascination, admiration, power, suspense, and thrill!"

Louder and brighter grew the fireworks, and a large, circular podium began slowly rising in the middle of the stadium. Spotlights turned on and rove about the crowd as the suspense and energy built up. The bright fireworks and lights overshadowed whoever was on the center podium, and people craned their necks and strained their eyes to see who would be giving the opening performance;

"Here to perform for us in a celebration of the glory of our proud region, please welcome…the one and only…the talented…the beautiful…DAWN HIKARI!"

Screams of delight exploded from the tens of thousands of fans, as the spotlights snapped to the center podium, where Sinnoh's famous Top Coordinator stood with her arms wide, a huge smile on her face.

Pure ecstasy was the only way to describe the mood in the stadium as Dawn amazed and inspired her loyal fans for a full half hour. All six of her Pokémon joined together under her perfect direction to produce appeals and displays of beauty and brilliance that sent even the most casual Dawn fans into an absolute frenzy. Little Myrian, sat with Marcus and her parents in the VIP box, all but lost her voice screaming with delight at one of Sinnoh's favorite celebrities.

At last, with a final flourish, and a huge bow, the performance ended, leaving the whole stadium breathless. Applause rained down, and Dawn took it perfectly in stride. When it at last died down, she spoke for the first time;

"Thank you! Thanks so much, Sinnoh! It's my great honor to be here to help ring in this year's Conference! Are you all ready to kick this thing off?"

A roar from the crowd followed dutifully, and the Coordinator raised a hand dramatically, and yelled;

"Then may I present to you…your Pokémon League Champion! Cynthia Shirona!"

From behind and beneath Dawn's central podium rose the famed Champion, leader of the strongest League in the world, undeniably the second-most powerful Trainer in the world behind only Ash Ketchum himself.

"CYN-THI-A! CYN-THI-A!"

"Sinnoh!" Cynthia yelled in reply, casting her hands out to ask for quiet;

"A thousand thanks for your great enthusiasm!"

She waited another few seconds for the noise to die down at least enough that she could talk over it;

"This season's battling has seen more than its fair share of drama, upsets, and shocks, and it has all led to this! The sixty four Trainers who have gathered here represent the very best of the Sinnoh region's up and coming talent. It is my duty as Champion and my distinct honor to present them to you as we reveal the lineup and groups for this year's Lily of the Valley Conference!"

With that, the spotlight went dark, and all attention turned to the jumbo screens on either side of the stadium. A sort of 'teaser video' had been created, boasting the highlights of the year's entrants – There were periodic cheers as people in the crowd caught glimpses of their favorites in the hype video.

"There he is!" Myrian screamed and jumped around in her seat each time Milo was featured.

"Well", Marcus smirked as the video wound on, "We know who the League has been paying attention to."

His point was very clear; Coral's Hydro Pump had just made its fourth appearance – the most of any individual Pokémon in the tournament. Granite also got his fair share of screen time, but the kicker was when a certain blue-ringed Umbreon flashed across the big screen, and the noise level in Lily Stadium spiked;

"Haha!" Alexander laughed with pride, "Just listen to that! Milo and Azura make quite the iconic duo."

With one last brutal display of power, an Ice Beam from Damion's Empoleon, the video came to a dramatic conclusion. A round of appreciative applause rang out from the thousands assembled, and the murmurs of excitement rippled all around. It was time.

The real reason there was so much hubbub about the opening ceremony was coming up. The groups would finally be revealed – the first round of the Conference placed every Trainer in a pool of 4. There were 16 of these pools, and each would play out a round robin of 2-on-2 battles, after which the best 2 Trainers of every group would advance to the single elimination bracket proper.

It was all well and good to speculate on who might fare well and who was more likely to fizzle out, but once the groups were official, the predictions and calculations could truly kick off:

"Here they are, Sinnoh!" Cynthia was in the spotlight once more, "The Trainers who will be competing in this year's Conference!"

While the crowd had focused on the video, the competitors had been brought out and now stood in a circle around the Champion's podium.

"There he is!" Kara quickly spotted Milo and pointed him out frantically.

"There's my girl!" Amaya's father was almost in tears at the sight of his youngest daughter standing amidst the grandeur of Sinnoh's most famous battle arena, "You show them what you can do, 'Maya!"

"Ladies and gentlemen", Cynthia was clearly just as excited as the crowd, "Without further ado…"

Here we go, thought Milo, Straight face, don't freak out. No matter what.

"I give you…"

I've earned this, Amaya told herself, I deserve to be here, and I'm not afraid of anybody.

"…your lineups! Let the Lily of the Valley Conference BEGIN!"

As she exclaimed, the screens flashed back into life, divided into 16 even sections. The onlookers franticly searched these 16 groups, looking for the names they cared about. The crowd gave a huge roar that only got louder as every one of the thousands of people assembled looked for their favorites, or looked for good matchups.

"There!" Zoe, Milo's mother, pointed ecstatically, "He's in Group 12!"

"Amaya's in 5!" Kara had called it out, and Marcus gave a quick rundown;

"Looks like Milo's the lucky one", he had to shout to be heard over the delirious noise of Lily Stadium, "He's the top seed in his group. Amaya's the third seed; she'll need a big first round to get into the bracket."

Amaya

She could only stare, transfixed. It had taken her only a second to find her name and face next to all the rest on the giant screens. She was ranked third in her group.

I'm not even supposed to get past round one, she realized, I'm projected to go out in the group phase. If this plays out like they think it will, I'll be out on Day One.

The first eight groups would compete on Battle Day One, two days after the opening ceremonies. The last eight groups, including Milo's group 12, would battle the following day – Battle Day Two.

Amaya knew she should be happy to be there. She should be proud that her name and her face were up on that screen. She had earned her place here, and she wanted to feel accomplished. Instead, she felt only anger.

How can I be the third seed? I'm the freaking Hammer! I never lose! Milo loses more than me, how is he the top seed?

She scowled the rest of the way through the formalities, and all the way back to the hotel. She almost totally ignored Milo, who was over the moon, practically babbling about how cool it was to be in the Conference, how big Lily Stadium was, blah blah blah.

A year of work, she glowered, Eight badges, and all those Rookie Challenge wins, and I'm third in my group? It's ridiculous. What the hell were they thinking?

Predictably, all the friends and family were gathered together in Milo's suite when the two young Rookies at last made their way back. Marcus, being Marcus, had already constructed a pair of detailed charts showing each and every possibility for both Trainers; he'd evidently been too impatient to wait for them to begin.

The scribbles on each of the charts ran this way and that – if person A should beat person B, then this battle only mattered this much, but it was far more crucial if person C actually upset person A, because then the whole group would be closer together. It was probably wise to save the best Pokémon for this battle, unless that battle went this way…

"I still can't believe I'm third", blurted the Twinleaf girl.

"I was surprised, too", said Marcus grimly, "I can only guess it's because you've really just been battling other Rookies. Anyway", he tried to appear reassuring, "The group seeds really don't mean anything. It's just a way to split the groups up somewhat fairly."

"Still", grunted The Hammer, "That's crap."

Marcus only nodded before getting eagerly back into his chart, wondering whether this situation might call for such and such response, unless this other condition played out like that…

Prep Day

The day between the opening ceremonies and the first set of group battles was supposed to be a day for the Trainers to relax and get their plans together, but in reality it was one of the most stressful days Milo or Amaya could remember. They did some light training, but not much.

"You can't afford to have tired Pokémon; this round is absolutely critical", Marcus had explained, "Not only do you have to qualify, but a strong group phase performance will give you a lot of momentum going into the bracket."

Most of their day was spent in the hotel, with the television tuned into every sports channel they could find. Every single one was speculating and predicting the Conference.

"Let's talk about this year's Rookie representation in the Conference", said one broadcaster.

"Sure", answered her fellow analyst, "I think a few names jump off the page right away. There's the usual group of graduates from around the best academies – kids who are only here because they scored well on the League exams – but we also see this nucleus of standouts, a Rookie power crew, if you will."

"I'd agree", the first lady took over, "You have Milo and the Hammer, of course, and I'd also put Damion Parr and Nova of Sunyshore in that category. It's been great to see those latter two develop, even though they've been kind of overshadowed."

"Well, let's ask the question then: Which one of these so-called super Rookies gets further? I mean, now that we have the groups, who does best?"

This question rang out loud and clear all day, over and over again. Every analyst, every announcer on every show, they all wanted to know – would Milo beat out Amaya? Or would the Twinleaf girl come out on top? Some said Amaya's power would earn victory, plain and simple. Others said Milo's experience battling above the Rookie level would carry him deeper into the bracket. Still others set up complicated charts and projections, not unlike Marcus, as a complicated way to say…who knows?

That evening, Milo was stressed twice over. He was freaking out about the Conference, of course, but it was also time to implement Shadow Master Karen's risky plan to draw out the PsyForce Tribe. The Psychic power monitors they'd set up outside the Tribe's Lily City hideout confirmed their suspicions; Psyfer's organization was slowly gathering a sizeable amount of resources and dispatching regular scouts to track Milo's movements. Now it was time to bait the trap, to give them a reason to leave the protection of the crowded city.

"Milo", Kara clung tightly to her boyfriend as he was leaving, "Please promise me you'll be okay."

"I've been fine every time so far", he answered quietly, "Trust me. Trust the Order. We have a plan."

"A plan?" The Performer was struggling to hold back fearful tears as her fist clenched around Milo's t-shirt, "Milo, the plan is to set you up as bait for a whole tribe of crazy, powerful Psychics!"

"Well", as if he wasn't nervous enough already, "Umm, thank you for…summing that up."

"Ah…S-sorry, I just…"

"I get it, Kara", he brought his arms up to hold her gently, and whispered, "Thank you. I promise you I'll be back."

She held him as tightly as possible for another second before at last stepping back.

"Besides", grinned the Jubilife Trainer, "Amaya would murder me if I missed her battles tomorrow."

With that, and a weak grin from Kara, he was off.

Milo

Somehow, he'd held it together just long enough to leave Kara with a smile and a joke. He wasn't nearly as confident as he'd made it sound. With many deep breaths and focused thoughts he made his way past the city's outskirts and out to a deserted patch of grassland cut off from the metropolis by a sufficiently thick tree line. It took a while to get there, but it was necessary to convince the Tribe he was far enough out to be taken. The 'plan', pure and simple, was for him to be out here for a few hours, or until he was ambushed. Hiding in the trees were Marcus and Karen, Pokémon and blessings at the ready. The idea was that once the Psychics showed themselves, the two veteran Order members would jump in and fight on his behalf. That way the Tribe would be dealt with and he wouldn't have to ruin his chances at the Conference by triggering his blessings and being out of commission for half a week. At least…that was the plan.

He released his Pokémon and made to warm himself up, reminding them mentally;

Remember guys, we're for sure being watched. Nothing rigorous here, but it has to look real.

This sucks, replied Jet quite bluntly, I can't act normal knowing those psychos are just sitting out there figuring out whether or not to freaking ambush us.

Tell me about it, grunted Blaze, You weren't there for the big ambush before Pastoria, from the Primal. That kind of crap is scary as hell, man.

Knock it off, warned Azura in no uncertain terms, Let's just get into it. Milo, what are we running?

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts, the young man called aloud;

"Alright, line it up over here. Let's get those warmup reps in, guys."

Light running drills were tough when he could barely keep his legs from wobbling. Nevertheless, Milo forced himself to go through the motions.

"Okay, split up and do some one-hit runs."

This was one of Milo's go-to drills for general training. His Pokémon would spar until one of them took a hit. Whoever took the hit had to do extra running and then try again.

It was tough for anyone else to see, but Milo could tell from the way his team fought that they were having the same trouble focusing on the training.

Come on guys, he coaxed, Just…try to keep your mind on the training. If all goes to plan we don't even have to fight.

Yeah, huffed Drake, Because everything always goes to plan. How comforting.

Shut up and run, retorted Azura as she stepped in and delivered a Shadow Ball to the Garchomp's chest.

Ah, crap. Yeah, yeah, I'm going…

For three hours, the charade went on, hanging by a thread. After the one-hit run drill, Milo led his team in some running, followed by a bit of evasion practice. Then more running, some agility work, a bit of move endurance, more jogging…The whole time, nobody could forget that somewhere very nearby they were most definitely being watched. It was an incredibly tense session, but…no attacks were forthcoming.

At long last, Milo called a halt;

"Alright guys, that was good work. We're looking fit and sharp."

Mentally, he added, I guess it's not happening tonight. That just means we'll be back tomorrow. We have to keep this up for as long as it takes them to come after us. For now, though, I'm calling it.

He saw neither hide nor hair of Marcus or Karen on his way back through the dark trees towards the city, but…well, that was the whole point, after all. It had to appear as though he was acting in isolation.

Kara was, of course, thrilled to have him back without incident, but the whole evening left Milo with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it took him quite a while to fall asleep. As if the Conference weren't stressful enough, now he was in a mind-game standoff with the PsyForce Tribe, waiting for them to start the inevitable battle that would end their ongoing conflict one way or the other…

Author's Notes:

I'm already well on my way through the next chapter, and I promise it will contain the first chunk of the Conference. The reason this chapter does not do that is because this stuff is important, too, and I wanted to give it the attention it deserves. With that said, I hope you enjoyed the big reveal with Azura's family! I have waited a long time to drop that bomb, and I can only hope I did it justice. My one concern is that I've tried to do too much at the same time (again). If that's the case, don't be afraid to call me out, but if it worked I'd love to hear that too! Either way, your input helps me improve as a writer, and it means at the end of the day that you get a better story to read.

To follow up on my plans for the future from the last update: my plan as of now (I reserve the right to change this, of course) is to jump back into the Underground Master story, which you can find on my profile. I would love to start on the Milo sequel right away, but I'm not 100% satisfied with my prep work on it. That being said, I already have 40+ pages of said prep work (including a full first chapter), and I'm just trying to nail down some of my side plots and how the various arcs fit together, so when this does come out it should be one heck of a story. When I'm ready for that, I'll get it going alongside whatever other story I'm working on, probably Underground Master.

Whew, so that's what I have to say about that. Let's get the usual things taken care of; I don't own Pokémon. Please, if you have any thoughts about any aspect of the story, I would love to hear it! I take all your reviews very seriously, and I do consider every one of them. Thank you super very mega much to everyone who has helped me out with advice and thoughts along the way! Thank you readers, and I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do! Until next time, ciao!

-Nano