Midna Town was a quaint little town, one with cobblestone paths and old-fashioned houses. Milo had expected the town to be more gnarly, considering it was built around a mine.

"Midna Town was created gradually as miners began to settle down around Midna Mine." Milo read from a pamphlet. They were walking around town together, taking in the sights. Phillip was doing more than taking them in - he stole pictures and bought souvenirs. "The gym was constructed after the death of Gym Leader East and the subsequent closing of his gym once he was discovered to be a cultist.'"

Flynn perked up. Milo knew she loved gossip. "I remember that! Wasn't he an admin in the Sky Cult or something?"

"Something like that." Milo said. "I can't believe someone of that caliber was a cultist. People used to say he was the strongest gym leader and everyone respected him. Utterly despicable."

Phillip shrugged. "Maybe he was born into it? When you live your whole life like that, it's hard to escape.""

"Yeah, but tons of people have rough childhoods and still become good people." Milo pointed out,but he wasn't so sure.

"He's right." Flynn said. "What's that old saying? 'It's not the circumstances of your birth, but what you do with the gift of life that defines you.' He made his choices. So did Iscariot and other cultists."

Milo bit his lip, a nervous habit of his. On one hand, Phillip brought up a good point. Most of them didn't have a choice to be in a cult. But it was hard to feel sympathy for them after meeting Iscariot.

"So you said there's a gym here?" Phillip asked Milo. "We should check it out."

"Why?" Flynn wondered. "You're not old enough to enter the Pokémon League. The age cap in Torren is 17."

"Milo is." Phillip pointed out. "So are you. Why don't you guys enter?"

Flynn shook her head. "No way. I'm waiting until I'm older."

Phillip smiled at Milo. Milo had to fight the urge to smile back. "What about you, Milo?"

Milo shook his head. "I- I can't. I'm not prepared at all and I'm not nearly strong enough -"

Phillip put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, relax. It's okay."

Milo blushed.

When they arrived at the Pokémon Center, Milo checked his phone. Shit. Several calls from Dakota. Milo slipped away from his friends with an excuse that he had to place a call, which wasn't a lie. Flynn gave him a knowing look that Milo ignored.

Once outside, Milo called Dakota.

A picture of Dakota and Milo appeared on the screen. Dakota's smile was bright and playful, while Milo's was forced. Like Milo, he had tan skin and curly hair, but his skin was a shade lighter and his hair was perfectly styled. Milo remembered taking the picture - he told Dakota to smile, but Dakota refused unless Milo was in the picture too.

"Milo?" Dakota sounded worried. Milo internally cursed.

"Hey, Dakota." Milo said, wondering if pretending the call dropped would work. Probably not.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?" Dakota demanded.

"I accidentally left my phone on silent-"

"You could have been dead, or worse -"

"The only thing worse than death is this conversation." Milo muttered.

"Very funny, asshole." Dakota snapped. "I was worried sick. You were attacked by a cultist yesterday and I had to hear it from Mom and Dad!"

"I was waiting to call you tonight, because that's when I usually call. " Milo explained. "Besides, I'm sure Mom and Dad told you that I'm alright. I didn't even get a scratch."

"They did, but that's not the point." Dakota snapped. "To them, as long as you're not dead it's not their problem. They didn't tell me if you were scared or crying or-"

"I didn't cry." Milo said. He considered throwing the phone, except he was far too responsible to do such a thing. "And I wasn't scared. I fought back. We won. Can't you just be proud of me?"

"Milo, I'm always proud." Dakota said. "But you need to understand your limitations. It's okay if you're scared or hurt. It's okay if you want to come home."

"I'm not coming home." Milo said firmly. "I'm an adult. I can do things on my own just like any other adult - "

"But you're not like other adults, Milo!"

Milo went silent. It took Dakota a second to realize what he had just said.

"Milo I didn't mean it like that-"

Milo hung up. He felt his cheek burning, and it took him a second to realize he was crying.

Dakota's right. Milo thought. I'm not like everyone else. Flynn or Phillip wouldn't sit here and cry. They'd do something. Something to prove that they were strong.

Milo wiped his eyes. He knew what he had to do, but did he have the courage to do it?

You need to understand your limitations.

It's okay if you want to come home.

You're not like other adults, Milo!

Milo wiped his eyes one last time, then walked inside. He headed straight for the reception desk.

Milo took a deep breath. "Hi. I'd like to register for the Pokémon League?"

A/N: So Milo is entering the Pokémon League. But what does Dakota mean when he says Milo's different? And how far will Milo get?

(P.S: Dakota is an OC created by ViceBachelor on . Go check him out!)