Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 6: Seeing Stars in Mesagoza
Milo was immediately greeted with a massive slope that he had to climb, huffing and puffing all the while before he was able to actually see Mesagoza. The teen's jaw dropped at the sight of the city, and he slowly panned his head around to actually take it all in.
Mesagoza easily lived up to its name as the biggest city in Paldea. The main square alone stretched out before him for what seemed like miles, with an enormous beautifully painted mural splashed with vibrant shades of every color of the rainbow. The grassy lawns that stretched across the city were obviously well taken care of, as were the flower beds and shrubs that added to the beauty of the city itself. Staircases and bridges weaved throughout the city and added a layer of verticality to Mesagoza.
Hundreds of people crowded the streets, with Milo spotting several people wearing the Naranja Academy uniform. Even more surprising was the sheer amount of Pokémon that were out and about, flying through the air or simply following their Trainers as they made their way through the city. Milo watched on in interest as a young man wearing a biker helmet sped across the nearby path on top of a strange lizard-like Pokémon, quickly vanishing from his sight. Milo realized after a moment that he had a smile of wonder on his face.
"Wow… It's even better in person." Milo muttered as Reggie cried out in his arms. It was at that moment that Nemona chose to join Milo, panting even harder than him as she gave him a pained smirk.
"All right, here I am! We finally made it, huh?" Nemona wheezed before she stood up, taking in a few gulps of air before throwing apart her arms and facing forward. "This is Mesagoza! The biggest city in Paldea!"
"I'll say. This place is enormous." Milo remarked, eyeing the tall buildings and still wearing an expression of genuine awe on his face. "Definitely bigger than Motostoke. So tell me about Mesagoza."
"It's been a big trade hub since a long time ago. Lots of folks come here to learn about advances in technology and all kinds of other stuff." Nemona explained, huffing as she finally caught her breath. "Mesagoza is known as the crown jewel of the country. There's loads of awesome history behind it, including famous battles that have taken place. There was even a time when pirates invaded and a big chunk of the city was burned down. But you'll learn about that in Miss Raifort's class. All you need to know is that this city has it all, and there's tons to do and see!"
"I did a bit of research on the city this past week when reading about Naranja Academy." Milo chimed in, putting a hand to his chin. "According to Director Clavell on his podcast, there's been a big push from foreign companies to set up shop in Mesagoza. Especially since being close to the academy allows them to recruit students fresh out of school."
"Yep. Obviously there's competition between them, but we do have businesses like Silph Co. and Aupuni Industries that have offices in Mesagoza, though the latter one we keep an eye on for obvious reasons." Nemona remarked with a shrug that Milo understood. Things had been relatively peaceful for the past few years. No one wanted another maniac trying to end the world like what had happened in Alola a few years ago.
"So give me the highlights. What's right by us?" Milo asked.
"There's a hair salon where you can change your look, plus places with tasty food and fixings…And that's just on this main street! Loads to see and do here!" Nemona said as she pointed at various shops within their line of sight. "What do you want to see first, Milo?"
Milo opened his mouth to answer, only for his stomach to rumble. It was then Milo considered that he had in fact given his lunch to Koraidon and that he had only eaten an ice cream since breakfast that morning. Add in the fact that he had hiked several miles, and Milo realized he was starving. "To be honest, I want to check out some of those restaurants."
Nemona smirked teasingly at Milo, crossing her arms. "Hah! I didn't have you pegged for a big eater!"
"You try living with my Mom and not be a foody." Milo pouted, crossing his arms and flushing as Nemona chuckled at his expense. "Besides, a certain dragon-lizard thing ate my lunch for the day. I'm grabbing some food as soon as I can, if our schedule allows it."
"Nah, that's smart. You can't battle well with a growling tummy, right?" Nemona remarked before suddenly gasping, putting a hand to her mouth. "Oh, and speaking of battling…"
"Again!? We just battled!" Milo yelped as Reggie groaned in Milo's arms, dreading having to battle Nemona more that day. Nemona quickly waved her arms, a panicked expression on her face.
"No no! Not that, I swear…at least not yet." Nemona muttered the last part quietly enough that Milo couldn't hear before clasping her hands together with a wide smile. "I wanna be sure you'll be able to Terastallize your Pokémon too, Milo!"
"Oh thank Arceus." Milo sighed, patting Reggie on the head. "I still don't get what that actually is, but I appreciate it anyway Nemona."
"No worries!" Nemona responded brightly, giving Milo a thumbs up. "There's a few things that gotta get done for that to happen, but I'll take care of 'em! Meanwhile, you just have fun looking around the city for a bit!"
"You sure?" Milo asked.
"Yep! There's so much to do - grab a bite, buy some accessories to spice up your uniform…within regulations of course!" Nemona added after a pause, earning a laugh from Milo.
"Any recommendations? There's no way I can explore even a fraction of this place today. Plus I want to actually get to the school before sundown." Milo asked the Champion-ranked Trainer, who considered that question. It was already well past noon, after all.
"If you want my personal recommendation, you've gotta see Delibird Presents! They sell handy items for Pokémon to hold." Nemona suggested to Milo, who smiled at that. Of course the Champion would recommend a store like that. But it was still something that piqued Milo's interest, so he'd go for it.
"Once you've seen your fill, we can meet up again in front of the school! Just…be ready. The stairs up to the school are no joke." Nemona warned Milo, who couldn't help a smirk at the dread in Nemona's voice.
"They can't be that bad. Maybe you just need to up your cardio game?" Milo suggested, earning a smirk from Nemona as she shrugged.
"You'll see for yourself soon enough." Nemona said playfully, sticking her tongue out at Milo before she began walking towards the school. "Later, then! Get pumped for some Terastallizing!"
Milo watched Nemona run off yet again, leaving him to slowly walk up the steps and enter Mesagoza's main square. Again, Milo's senses were almost overloaded with the sights and sounds of the population of the biggest city in the region going about their day. Shops lined the sides of the square, the center of which had a massive circular mural that Milo slowly walked towards, and upon further observation Milo noticed that it was a massive sundial of sorts showcasing the symbol for every Pokémon type.
The teen continued to wander around the main square for a time, even calling out his team to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. On the topic of that last one, Milo's stomach growled painfully and the boy realized now was as good a time as any for some lunch. Milo sniffed the air and looked to his left, heading to where he could smell something delicious.
Upon entering the Go-For-Broke Grill, Milo and his team walked up the front counter where he was greeted by the cashier. After less than a minute of deliberation, Milo ended up ordering the most interesting-looking thing on the menu, which was the Klawf al Ajillo and a Fruit Punch. He also purchased some Pokémon food that was mostly made of toasted potatoes covered in various spices that the cashier assured Milo his team would love. Currently the Pokémon in question were peeking up at the counter with interest, with Milo holding Reggie in his arms as he tried to decide if he wanted to order anything else. He ended up ordering some extra sides of bread, which was rather cheap.
The Galarian teen walked outside and went to a nearby table, which even had an umbrella stand to protect him from the sun beating down from above. Milo set the food on top of the table and instructed his Pokémon to hop up on top of it so they could eat along with him. He even called out Koraidon, who emerged with a growl in a flash of light.
"Hey there, big fella. You want some lunch?" Milo asked the strange creature, who tilted its head for a moment before sniffing several times. Koraidon barked out before nodding its head, moving closer to the table, much to the alarm of Sparky and Cocoa.
"Hey guys, don't worry about it. Koraidon's part of the team too. It won't hurt ya." Milo said placatingly to the two newer Pokémon, who both stared at the larger Pokémon in confusion. Koraidon growled softly, leaning forward and sniffing them both before grunting.
"See? We're all friends here." Milo said with a smile, grabbing a chunk of bread and dipping it into the soup-like liquid that the large Klawf claw was sitting in. The boy handed out the chunk of bread to Koraidon, who scarfed it down hungrily before wriggling with what Milo realized was delight. Milo did the same with his other Pokémon, who all enjoyed the extra food on top of the special Pokémon food that their Trainer had gotten for them.
After making sure his team was taken care of, Milo dug into the Klawf al Ajillo himself and hummed as he sipped some of the oily soup. It was a little spicy, but the vegetables and the Klawf meat were delicious. Milo took a chunk of bread and dunked it into the soup before taking a large bite as his team chowed down on their lunches beside him.
It was a sensation he never thought he'd know. Milo had wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer for so long. After everything he had dealt with, he finally came to Paldea to have the chance to go to school. Break out of his shell at long last. It was almost overwhelming for the boy, who couldn't help an excited grin on his face.
"It might've been more eventful than I would have liked, but today's a really good day." Milo thought with a mouthful of food and happy Pokémon around him, enjoying the warm weather and the delicious lunch in the vibrant city they were all now in.
Meanwhile…
Today was a terrible day.
At least it was for a morose-looking girl staring up at Naranja Academy from Mesagoza Square, not too far from where Milo himself was enjoying his lunch. The girl had multicolored red and blue hair and a dour depression, her large glasses hiding unhappy black eyes. She wore a large black hoodie with Poké Ball on the front with a large fluffy backpack that resembled an Eevee. On her legs were a pair of gray shorts hidden by a transparent skirt and leggings with red and blue pluses and minuses on them.
"Oh no…I can't do this." The girl whispered, unable to look up at the school that towered above Mesagoza. To her, however, it was an enormous giant monolith that struck raw fear into her heart. The girl's knees wobbled, and she began to have trouble breathing as her vision swam, the anxiety swiftly overwhelming her. To the girl's surprise, a Poké Ball clipped to her belt popped open, revealing a Sylveon looking up at her with concern.
"Veeeon?" the Pokémon questioned worriedly, reaching its ribbon-like feelers around the girl's hands and meeting the girl's eyes. The girl almost sobbed in relief as some of the terror washed away, but she realized she needed to sit down. She quickly made her way to a nearby fountain and practically collapsed onto the stone seat, exhaling as she wiped her face free of sweat and tears.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm totally…and completely not okay." The girl sighed harshly, putting her head into her hands. She was nuzzled by her Sylveon, earning a weak smile from the girl as she hugged the Intertwining Pokémon.
"Maybe I should call and let him know how things are going…Distract myself for a few minutes. Bolster my morale. You know?" The girl suggested to the Sylveon, who purred at the suggestion as the girl pulled out her Rotom Phone and tapped a few buttons on it. After two rings, a familiar voice answered.
"Good afternoon, darling. Are you already set up at the Academy? A bit ahead of schedule, aren't you?" spoke a warm voice over the phone. The girl flushed at being called "darling", but her smile widened at the affection in the speaker's voice. She was already feeling a little better.
"G-g-good evening. Um, sorry to bug you. J-just wanted to let you know I'm back in Mesagoza. Had, um, a little bit of a freak out. A-Aurora dragged me over to somewhere we could take a break." The girl admitted, sighing deeply as she leaned back and closed her eyes. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Penny, you have nothing to worry about. You'll be just fine. My girlfriend isn't about to let some Academy get the better of her."
"That's easy for you to say. You're awesome." The girl known as Penny hated the fact that she was whining, but the anxiety was overwhelming. She glanced up at Naranja Academy and saw that the school still loomed above her like a monolith, causing her heart to beat wildly. Aurora the Sylveon cried out in concern, wrapping her ribbon-like feelers around the girl's shoulders.
"Maybe so. But still, you're there now and you're the one who wanted to go through with this. All I can do is be with you in spirit and support the hell out of you from back here. Not that you need it, of course."
"Still can't believe I managed to get a boyfriend as good as you. I don't deserve this." Penny whispered, smiling at the laughter coming from the phone.
"You deserve the world, darling. Thankfully, I'm pretty bloody amazing, so it worked out pretty well for the both of us." Penny snorted at the remark, but after a few seconds pause her boyfriend spoke again.
"Listen to me." The voice over the phone now carried a note of firmness, causing Penny to go quiet. "You are strong. And the smartest woman I've ever met. You can do this. And you know I would never say something like that if I didn't completely believe it. Alright?"
Penny couldn't help but giggle at that. "You're right. S-sorry, my anxiety is getting the better of me again. Stupid brain being stupid and all that. That does make me feel a little better."
"It happens to the best of us. You're going to do great, okay? Just…try and make some friends while you're there." Penny's eye twitched at the request. It had been something they had discussed at length in the past, and the topic filled the girl with dread. "You need to work on not hiding so much. It's a crime for someone like you not to be seen out in the world. Network, get out of your comfort zone, and leave your room for goodness's sake."
"Awwww…Alright. It'll be hard…But I'll do it!" Penny said with a determined fist pump that she realized after a second that her significant other couldn't see. She flushed with embarrassment at how silly she must've looked and said, "Thank you for answering, by the way. I know you're busy. I feel bad having to bother you just because I had a freak out…feels like I'm abusing your support or something."
"You can always call me for a pep talk, darling. I don't mind at all." The affectionate laugh over the phone made Penny smile and reassured her. "I'll call you again right before bed. I'm only an hour or so ahead of you, so we don't have to worry about time zones. Take care, darling. I love you."
"Love you too." Penny mumbled, her face burning bright red at the words. The call ended and the girl looked up at the infamous stairs that led to the famous Academy and slowly marched up them, bolstered now and reinvigorated by the words of her boyfriend. She already missed him, but even he couldn't help her deal with all of her problems. She had to be brave and confront her fears.
Penny felt pretty good up until she finished getting up the first round of stairs. She heaved a tired sigh and wiped her sweaty face until something caught her eye. Two teens walking towards her, a male and a female each around her age were dressed in Naranja Academy uniforms, except these two students wore large white helmets with shimmering stars emblazoned on the sides. The girl's blood went cold at the sight, especially when she saw both teens notice her and start heading your way.
"Oh no. Oh nonononononono-" Penny's panicked train of thought was swiftly derailed, completely snapping her back to reality.
"Hey you!" The male called, his tone attempting to put on a friendly tone. Penny realized immediately how fake it was and cringed as the two teens drew closer to her.
"You look like you're in the market for some cool new friends! How about you join Team Star? We're the best damn thing in Paldea! Way better than this lame-o school!" the male said to Penny, who shrank back from the two of them.
"I…I n-need to…go…" Penny gasped in a panic, trying not to meet the eyes of the two pushy teens. The duo exchanged an annoyed look before their smiles returned.
"Don't you get it?! If you join Team Star, you can shine as bright as anybody!" the girl said to Penny, who simply stared at the girl without responding. How could she? Out of all of the implausible scenarios her anxious mind had come up with for how today would go, this was not one of them.
Unfortunately, silence was not the answer the female Team Star Grunt wanted, as the girl scowled with annoyance. "Seriously, what's with you? Don't you wanna burn bright with awesome friends like us?"
Aurora the Sylveon hissed at the Team Star Grunt, wrapping her feeler's around Penny's left arm as the girl sighed and closed her eyes, looking away. "...Not really."
"Look - we've got a quota we're supposed to fill for new members, so just sign up already!" the girl snapped at Penny, who looked back at the girl with some surprise in her eyes.
"Um…I'd rather not…" Penny mumbled in response, with the Team Star Grunt stomping her foot in frustration at the response. She opened her mouth to retort, only for a new shout to interrupt the girl before she could speak.
"OI! Leave the lady alone!" came an unfamiliar shout, causing the two Team Star Grunts and the girl to look towards the source of the noise. It was a rather short teen wearing the Naranja Academy uniform, looking at the two members of Team Star with narrowed eyes as he stepped protectively in front of Penny.
Milo had been having a pretty good day now that he had arrived in Mesagoza. He'd had a delicious lunch with his team, went window-shopping through some of the apparel shops in the city and had even taken a look through Delibird Gifts. He didn't buy anything, mainly because he wanted to come back with Nemona to get advice on what worked best with his team. He had even gotten a really silly picture with him and his team outside of a store, complete with Reggie and Cocoa standing on Koraidon's head with a doofy smile.
He was surprised when he trudged up the first half of the stairs that led up to the school to see two teens aggressively questioning a girl who very obviously looked uncomfortable and was giving them short responses. The two teens questioning the girl were one boy and one girl, both wearing Academy uniforms but with the addition of white bike helmets covered in stars.
Milo watched for a few moments, and when the girl wearing the white helmet began throwing a tantrum, he decided to step in. Now the Galarian was standing across from the two teens while standing in front of the girl that they had been pestering.
"Huh? You want in on this, too?" The girl asked Milo, sounding annoyed at the interruption.
The male member of the duo spoke up. "If you're here to sign up, we'll get to you next! We've nearly got this one in the bag!"
"Sorry, I'm new around here. Didn't realize the big Doofus Convention was this week." Milo remarked mildly, looking the two of them up and down. The two teens scowled at the dig, but took that moment to puff out their chests proudly.
"We're Team Star, kid. We burn so bright, it hurts to look at us! But you knew that, right?" the male remarked, grinning at Milo who gave him a deadpan look in response.
"Nope. Never heard of you." Milo responded honestly, shaking his head. Milo glanced back at the girl behind him who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. "You're good, right? Saw these guys bugging you and it didn't feel right to not say something."
The girl nodded timidly in response, and opened her mouth to speak when an annoyed squeal came from the female Team Star Grunt ahead of them. "Ugh another ignorant little nobody…"
"Excuse me? If I'm a nobody, then what the hell does that make you?" Milo asked, flashing them a grin. "At least I'm not wearing a bike helmet that looks like it was designed by my grandma."
"Here I'm finally a part of Team Star, and still I get no respect? I gotta work my way up the ranks…" the female Grunt grumbled, stomping her feet up and down childishly.
Her male counterpart tapped her on the shoulder, looking at her bracingly. "Hey - we can't just let something like this slide! The honor of our team's on the line, so we've got no real choice but to battle, yeah?"
"Oh damn…Didn't think that I'd have to battle again." Milo thought with a grimace, knowing what was coming.
"That's true!" the female Team Star Grunt exclaimed, grinning nastily. "You keep watch on that little four-eyes over there! I'll make sure this fresh-faced nobody ends up seeing stars!"
Milo sighed as the two Team Star Grunts quickly put some distance between themselves and Milo, who called out Reggie. The teen watched on in confusion as the girl struck a pose, drawing a star with her arms before pulling out a Poké Ball with a smirk on her face. "Shroodle, show them some respect!"
The Galarian teen grimaced as the Nuzlocke Curse struck him, but endured it as he pulled out his Rotom Phone to see what this new Pokémon was.
"Shroodle. The Toxic Mouse Pokémon. Though usually a mellow Pokémon, it will sink its sharp, poison-soaked front teeth into any that anger it, causing paralysis in the object of its ire. To keep enemies away from its territory, it paints markings around its nest using a poisonous liquid that has an acrid odor." Milo nodded as his phone flew back into his pocket, focusing now on the battle he was in.
The Team Star Grunt instructed her Shroodle to use Leer. While Reggie winced at the harsh look he was being given, Milo already knew how this was going to go down.
"Ember!" Milo barked as Reggie steeled himself and fired off a fireball of pure fire that exploded hard against the side of Shroodle as it tried to dodge. The Toxic Mouse Pokémon shook slightly before looking towards the Fuecoco with a hiss.
"Hit 'em with Scratch!" Milo was surprised by how quickly the little mouse reacted to the command, skittering forward and delivering a nasty scratch to Reggie's face. The Fuecoco cried out in pain at the hit, causing his Trainer to frown.
"Reggie, power through it and hit it with another Ember!" Milo called to his Fuecoco, who shook off the pain much like Shroodle did and gave his opponent an annoyed look before firing another Ember. This once served to be more effective than the first and as the fireball struck, it scattered small flickers of flames into the air.
As her Shroodle hit the ground it fainted. The Team Star Grunt let out a squeak of surprise, shrinking back for a moment before clutching her head with frustration. "How come I'M the one seeing stars?"
"Hey, I appreciated that pun. Maybe you guys aren't too bad after all." Milo remarked lightly as he grinned at the bewildered expressions on the Team Star Grunts. Meanwhile behind Milo, Penny was observing things with a stunned expression. She then frowned as an idea came to her, and began lightly tapping her forehead with her fist as she muttered to herself.
"Urk, why's a nobody like you so good at battling, anyway? That's just not right…" the female Team Star Grunt grumbled with annoyance while her male comrade recoiled in surprise.
"No way, he beat you?!" the teen yelped, his eyes widening in terror. "Does that mean I gotta battle this kid now since I'm higher up Team Star's ranks?!"
"Pero bueno! What do you think you're doing?!" came a familiar shout to all of them, which made them look towards the stars that led up to the Academy. Nemona was running down the stairs, her expression set into an unusually stern frown. She noticed Milo and immediately ran over to him, with the two Team Star Grunts paling in unison at the sight of the Champion.
"Ugh! It's that student council dweeb!" the male Grunt hissed as the female Grunt noticeably trembled beside him. Both of the Team Star Grunts knew that there was no one in the entirety of Team Star that could stand up to the Champion-ranked Student Council President of Naranja Academy.
"She's gonna report us if we don't book it…" the female Grunt whispered fearfully. "Thankfully she's distracted."
"I can't believe you, Milo!" Nemona chided her neighbor, who was surprised at the stern tone the normally cheerful girl had now. He wondered if he had violated some major school rule or something.
Nemona promptly shattered that thought into a thousand pieces by giving Milo a wide smile, closing her eyes. "You don't have to go find randos to battle! You'll have all the battles you'll ever need…with me!"
Milo stared at Nemona for several long seconds, processing that he wasn't in trouble and that his friend apparently had yandere tendencies.
Which unfortunately for him, he thought added to her charm.
"That's really not what happened…" Milo briefly explained how he ran into the two students bothering a girl and how they challenged him to a battle. Nemona gasped, a hand going to her mouth. "Wait - THEY picked a fight with YOU? Wow, I read that way wrong! Sorry!"
"No worries. But seriously, what's with these guys? Do they actually go to the Academy?" Milo asked Nemona as she looked at the two Team Star Grunts, who both quailed at the Champion's glare.
"I get it now. You two have got Team Star written all over you for sure! I bet you were trying to pressure people into signing up again, weren't you?" Nemona demanded to know, causing the two Team Star Grunts to start sweating bullets.
"Ah, hi. We weren't…not doing that." The male Grunt responded sheepishly, causing Nemona to sigh with frustration.
"Well, that explains it." Nemona muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes in thought. She then spoke a bit louder and said, "As head of the student council, stopping this type of nonsense would normally be MY job…"
Nemona opened her eyes and smiled at Milo. "But this is also the perfect chance for you to try my amazing and ultra-rare gift to you!"
Nemona reached into her backpack and pulled something out, handing it to Milo excitedly. Milo looked down at what he had been given, holding his hand out and examining it with interest. It was a strange orb that resembled a Poké Ball, except that it was black and somewhat translucent, allowing Milo to see a shining blue gemstone that seemed to radiate light. It was even sparkling within the afternoon sun, and Milo could feel the power thrumming through the strange sphere.
"With this Tera Orb, you can Terastallize your Pokémon during battle!" Nemona explained as Milo stared at the sphere with a curious expression. Meanwhile Nemona looked down at Milo's Fuecoco and said, "Let's see. After it Terastallizes, I'm pretty sure your Fuecoco will beee…an Fire type!"
"Wow, you can tell from a glance? Guess that's why you're the expert." Milo remarked, impressed at his friend's insight.
Nemona chuckled at the praise, flashing him a smile. "Normally you've gotta take special classes to be able to get one of these Tera Orbs, but I put in a good word for you!"
Before Milo could thank her, Nemona bolted to the side of the square and called, "Now time to give it a whirl! You'll learn to use it faster in battle than if I just explain it to you!"
"Sounds good." Milo responded, giving the girl a thumbs up. Meanwhile the Team Star members were actually sweating with fear now. Even worse, there was a crowd starting to form on the Academy steps and on both sides, with roughly a dozen people on both sides observing the exchange with interest.
"Wait, what? You want this kid to practice whaling on us with his Tera Pokémon, is that it?" the female Team Star Grunt whined, causing Nemona to give her a somewhat smug smile.
"Got a problem? You wanna battle me instead?" Nemona asked smoothly, causing the male Team Star Grunt to noticeably shiver.
"Hnnng…Never mind! I'll take my chances with the new kid!" the male Team Star Grunt yelped, drawing a Poké Ball as Nemona rolled her eyes. Milo snickered the entire time, enjoying the fact that Nemona wasn't taking any crap from Team Star either.
"Then take your places, and…battle!" Nemona called from her position as referee for the showdown between Milo and Team Star. Penny continued to watch on, now with an interested expression as the male Team Star member struck the signature pose of the group and sent out a Yungoos. Milo gasped once again as the curse struck him, and Reggie gave him a concerned look that Milo responded to with a smile and nod.
He then looked down at the Tera Orb in his hand and considered how exactly to use it. He thought about how Nemona had used the Tera Orb earlier in their battle outside Mesagoza…and then he looked up at the Team Star Grunt and smirked.
Milo held out the ball, holding it tightly and letting his thumb hit the trigger on the front of the ball. As the ball began to shake violently in his hand, Milo held it high above him as energy began to flow into the sphere, kicking up a violent gust of wind around him as he stared up at the sphere with surprise.
Finally the sphere flashed brightly, and Milo tossed the ball towards Reggie. As the ball fell down to earth and tapped Reggie on the head it exploded in a shower of light and crystals, causing crystals to explode out of the ground and surround the Fire Croc Pokémon.
Milo gaped at the sight for several seconds before the crystals exploded, revealing Sir Reginald the Spicy in all of his glory. The Fuecoco was completely encased in bright red crystal and faintly glowing, and atop his head was a jeweled crown that resembled a candelabra. Even more incredible was the sheer power radiating off of his Pokémon.
"Oh hell…This is gonna blow." The Team Star Grunt sighed before pointing forward. "Use Tackle!"
Yungoos mimicked his Trainer's weary sigh before running forward, tackling the crystalline Fuecoco and knocking Reggie back a step with a pained growl. Milo adjusted his cap and simply grinned back at the Team Star Grunt.
"Let's see if we can't do some damage here, Reggie. Ember!" Milo called out as his Fuecoco cried out, his Tera Crown exploding outwards with fiery energy for several moments. Reggie then opened his mouth and charged up a pulsating fireball that erupted from his maw, hurtling towards Yungoos at an incredible speed.
Milo's eyes widened at the large fireball that crackled with crimson energy now racing towards Yungoos and winced as the attack struck it. A wicked explosion of flames roared from where Yungoos had been standing, sending the Loitering Pokémon careening backwards into a nearby lamp post with enough force to leave a dent in the metal pole.
"Whoa…that might've been more powerful than the Blaze-powered Ember earlier. What the hell kind of power is that?" Milo thought to himself as the smoke cleared from the battlefield. Needless to say that the attack knocked Yungoos out in a single hit, much to the approval of the crowd now cheering on Milo. He even spotted a handful of students here and there that had been recording the showdown on their Rotom Phones. Milo winced at that, not liking the sudden attention he was now drawing, but he was distracted by the Team Star Grunt ahead of him who was sighing dramatically.
"Your Pokémon burned so bright…" the Team Star Grunt remarked, sagging his shoulders as he returned his charred Yungoos. Reggie let out a happy cry as the crystals surrounding his body shattered, fading away and returning the Fuecoco back to normal.
"Nice, Milo! You pulled off Terastallizing no problem!" Nemona praised her new neighbor, looking at Milo with a proud grin as he knelt down and rubbed Reggie's head. "Moves of your Pokémon's Tera Type will hit even harder when Terastallized, y'know! Sometimes you'll find a Pokémon whose Tera Type is totally different from its usual type. That difference can open up your strategic options!"
"That was definitely something. This thing gave Reggie an insane power boost." Milo remarked with a smile as his Fuecoco gave him a happy growl. Milo looked back down at the Tera Orb and saw it was no longer shining like before. "Um, is it supposed to do that?"
"Yep. You gotta charge your Tera Orb at a Pokémon Center after every use. They've got special equipment that they can use to energize it while they're healing up your team." Nemona explained to Milo as he returned Reggie, nodding in understanding.
A nervous laugh caught their attention as the Team Star members slowly started moving towards the stairs leading down to the lower section of Mesagoza. "W-well…I'll be on my merry way then, yeah? Hasta la vistaaarrr!"
The Male Team Star Grunt bolted down the stairs, followed closely by his female comrade who called, "Me too! Hasta la vistar!"
Milo and Nemona watched as the two teens fled down into Mesagoza proper, and that was when Milo rounded on Nemona. "So you wanna explain what the hell that was about?" Milo asked Nemona, who winced uncomfortably. Milo felt a stab of concern for his friend, but she soon answered Milo's question.
"So, yeah - Team Star is basically a group of students who like to kick up trouble. They hardly ever show up to class, and when they get together in groups, they're a real headache." Nemona explained quietly, ignoring the excited chattering around them from the onlookers who had watched the battle take place. Several students actually cheered out for Milo, who ignored them and focused on what Nemona was saying.
"Even the teachers don't know what to do with 'em, from what I hear…" Nemona sighed, causing Milo to cross his arms as he thought about that. He didn't realize that this was a thing at the prestigious Academy. Perhaps school life would be more interesting than he thought.
"Um…'scuse me!"
Milo looked towards the girl who had been getting bothered by Team Star before he had stepped in. Her voice had been rather quiet, but Milo immediately recognized that she had an accent very similar to his own.
The girl looked away shyly, her cheeks flushing as she realized Milo and Nemona were looking at her now. "I…uh…I just…Well, thanks."
"No problem. Are you gonna be alright?" Milo asked the girl, who nodded before taking a few steps away while not meeting Milo's eyes.
"So, yeah…See you around." The girl bolted up the stairs without another word, much to Milo's confusion. Nemona laughed, thumping Milo on the back enthusiastically.
"Aww, look at you, Milo! Already becoming the big hero around campus!" Nemona said brightly, though she did look up the stairs to the Academy where the girl had run. "I don't think I've seen that girl around. Maybe she's a new transfer, like you…"
"She seemed pretty shy. I'm glad she's okay though. Hopefully those clowns leave her alone." Milo grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms.
"That Eevee bag, though! Love that fluff!" Nemona remarked, snapping Milo out of his thoughts as he thought about it. He wondered why the girl hadn't been wearing a uniform, and wondered if she was a student at all. Still, he had to agree with his neighbor.
"Yeah, her bag was pretty awesome. It was a limited-edition item if I remember right." Milo said aloud as he thought about it, with Nemona looking at him in confusion. "It's a Gigantamax Eevee. I've seen it before during one of Kabu's battles in the past."
"Really? You gotta tell me more about it later, then! I can't imagine seeing something like that in person!" Nemona said to Milo, who promised her that he would do that. "Anyway, seems like the trouble's died down, so we'd better book it up to the school! Get ready to climb the worst staircase in the world!"
Meanwhile…
Arven sighed deeply as he leaned against the wall in an alleyway on the other side of Mesagoza, rubbing his forehead to fend off an encroaching headache. After hours of research in the Mesagoza Library, he still didn't have any more promising leads than what he had discovered earlier that morning.
"Can I really do it though? All on my own?" The teen muttered, rubbing his forehead slightly harder with an annoyed grunt.
That was when a soft ding interrupted his train of thought, and Arven's Rotom Phone popped out of his pocket to show him that one of the students in the Cooking Club text chat had pinged everyone in a message. Arven frowned and decided to open the chat up, and saw that his classmate had uploaded a video.
Arven was about to stow the phone away and ignore the chat once more, but upon recognizing some of the people in the still image of the video, the teen tapped the video to make it play with an interested expression.
To his surprise, the boy that had taken Koraidon off of his hands earlier that day was there, facing off against a Team Star Grunt. He was further surprised when he watched the boy soundly defeat not just one of the Grunts, but both of them back-to-back.
"Whoa…He crushed those Team Star twits like it was nothing." Arven muttered with a wide-eyed expression as he replayed the video, amazed at how effortlessly the boy he had encountered just earlier that day was battling Trainers with far more experience than himself. "Hell, he even Terastallized like a pro and didn't even flinch at the backlash. And this kid has only been a Pokémon Trainer for a few hours. It's like seeing Nemona 2.0!"
Arven frowned as he stuffed the phone into his pocket and thought about it. "Guess he's worth keeping an eye on, even if he wasn't looking after that damn brute for me."
An idea suddenly came to Arven, who blinked twice before putting a hand to his chin. "Maybe going to school today isn't totally out of the question…I probably should apologize for being so rude earlier."
Arven ducked into a side alley, leaning against the wall as he hummed, his thoughts racing with ideas. He then stopped and reached into his backpack, pulling out a rather strange-looking book. It was thin and rather old, but despite that it was in good condition. The hardback cover was a brilliant shade of scarlet, and Arven held it very carefully as he flipped through it, as if scared to damage it.
"It's almost too good to be true, but I can't do this alone. But I'll have to ask. No harm in that, right?" Arven's expression remained thoughtful as he began making his way back towards Naranja Academy, the book still in his hands as he considered what his plan of action would be.
Apologies for the slight delay with this chapter. Been insanely busy lately, but I should have another update coming your way soon!
Big shoutout to SolanaLeonhart and BraviaryScout for reviewing since the last update. Thank you both!
Take care and stay awesome.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!