Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet


Chapter 7: Naranja Academy


By the time Milo had reached the top of the staircase, he was huffing and puffing. Nemona wasn't much better off. Milo was mostly unable to appreciate the massive Academy that now loomed above him, with dozens of students loitering in the courtyard with even some sitting on the grass with their classmates and Pokémon.

"Hah…hooh…Milo, follow me. I'm gonna…Lobby." Nemona wheezed as she staggered forward, barely doing better than Milo who was breathing hard after trekking up the rest of the stairs. And while he knew the exact reason he was having trouble with the stairs, it didn't annoy him any less.

Nevertheless, Milo followed his neighbor towards the castle-like Academy and Nemona tapped a small panel on the side of the enormous oak doors that led into the school, causing them to creak open and allow the two students inside. Milo was immediately struck by glorious air-conditioning, which made him sigh with relief. He then noticed his new surroundings and his eyes widened in surprise.

Nemona finally took a deep breath and exhaled, giving Milo a bright smile and a wave. "Okay, I'm alive again. Here we are, Milo! Welcome to Naranja Academy! This here's the entrance hall!"

"Whoa…and this is the entrance?" Milo asked with an awed voice, overwhelmed by what looked like a multi-levelled library combined with the lobby of a luxury hotel. There were several study areas where students were reading or quietly conversing, with small terminals dotted around the foyer displaying the Academy sigil. At the front desk a kindly woman was talking to another student about a missing book.

"You can sign up for all kinds of classes at the desk behind me, and those halls off to the sides lead to all different parts of the school." Nemona explained before looking around the enormous lobby/library/entranceway herself. "It's totally big enough to let loose and battle in here, but for some reason, they banned Pokémon battling in the main entrance…"

"Master Milo. Miss Nemona." The two students turned around at the familiar voice and saw Director Clavell approaching them. He stopped a short distance and crossed his arms behind his back. "How did you find your first school commute?"

"We had a blast! Caught some Pokémon, had some battles. Definitely an interesting start to things." Milo responded with a smile, earning one from the Director himself.

"I imagine Miss Nemona's high spirits helped with that. She's a true asset to our fine academy." Clavell said as he glanced at the Trainer in question. "Not that I was expecting any less from our Champion-ranked student council president. Reliable as ever, Miss Nemona."

"Well, I know how to look after my friends! Right, Milo?" Nemona said to her new neighbor, who simply responded with a thumbs up. Nemona's expression suddenly changed to surprise before she turned to the Director and said, "Oh! But speaking of which…we saw those Team Star kids in town, Director!"

"You did?! Where?!" Clavell exclaimed, showing open shock at this development.

Nemona crossed her arms with a frustrated expression. "It was down the stairs from the front gates. They were hassling this kid with an Eevee backpack…"

Clavell sighed quietly, clearly troubled. "That is quite the news. Are they still to be found out there?"

Nemona shook her head and gestured to her fellow student. "Actually, Milo flexed on 'em and ran 'em off."

Clavell turned to look at Milo with a stunned expression. "You don't say…And I only gave you a Starter Pokémon this morning."

"It was nothing. Really." Milo remarked, trying to downplay what he did. He was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with all of the attention he was getting now. While Nemona smiled at Milo with pride, Clavell looked at him with concern.

Eventually Clavell nodded, though now he wore a frown. "Of course it's a fine thing to try to help a fellow student, Master Milo…But you may wish to show a bit of restraint as you find your feet here at our Academy."

"Of course, sir. It won't happen again." Milo promised the Director before the man turned to Nemona.

"And, Miss Nemona, do remember that the school's staff is here to resolve any such troubles." Clavell chided the girl, who blinked twice before nodding in response.

"Uh…right! Yes sir, Director!" Nemona said sheepishly, remembering full-well that she had actively encouraged Milo to take part in one of the two battles against Team Star.

Clavell then took that moment to adjust his glasses, his expression thoughtful. "A child with an Eevee backpack, you say…I suppose that might have been Miss Penny. I'm relieved to hear she's come to class, at least."

"Yeah, she was running up the steps towards the school last I saw. She seemed kinda shy." Milo remarked, shrugging his shoulders. "I can relate, to be honest."

The Naranja Academy Director turned back to Nemona and said, "Ah, and Miss Nemona. If you'd be so good, do report to Mr. Jacq about this Team Star business. As your homeroom teacher, he should be kept apprised of all such goings-on."

"You got it, sir!" Nemona responded brightly, causing the older man to chuckle before glancing down at his wristwatch.

"Ah, but look at the time. You two had better hurry along - classes will be starting soon." Clavell instructed the two students, with Nemona turning to Milo with a wide grin of excitement.

"We're in class 1-A, Milo! It's the General Studies track classroom. C'mon, I'll show you the way!" Nemona said before walking towards the east wing, with Milo following behind her. After going through a labyrinth of hallways, they arrived at the classroom that was labeled for Mr. Jacq.

"Lemme go in real quick and figure out what the game plan is. Wait here!" Nemona instructed Milo before darting into the room. Less than thirty seconds later Nemona poked her head out of the classroom. "So, Mr. Jacq told me to have you wait out here until he calls you in. And then you just tell the class about yourself. Easy peasy."

With that, Nemona darted back into the classroom and left Milo by himself outside. The nervous teen crossed his arms, rubbing them uncomfortably as he listened to the chatter inside the classroom.

Nervous?

"Yeah…I don't like getting up in front of people. Social anxiety is the worst…Embarrassing, huh?"

There are worse things to be afraid of. But that's also not your only fear, is it?

"How do you know these things? Are you some kind of weird god?"

I'm sure you'll learn what I am eventually.

"All right then, keep your secrets." Milo grumbled before he heard many voices speak up at once.

"Good morning, Mr. Jacq!" the students chorused as the teacher chuckled softly. Milo could hear the muffled footsteps from outside the door.

"Hello, hello, everyone. We have some exciting news this morning. Who wants to hear it?" a relaxed voice asked the classroom of students.

"Oooh oooh! Me! I want to hear the news!"

"Are you getting a promotion?"

"Are you getting fired?"

"I've got it! You're pregnant!"

Milo hastily covered his mouth to avoid bursting into laughter at that comment. As it was, there was a series of laughs coming from the classroom, including from Mr. Jacq.

"Last I checked, no. I'm not pregnant, Steve." Mr. Jacq said as soon as he stopped chuckling. "I suppose I should have told you sooner, but we have a new little friend joining our happy homeroom as of today."

"Oh wow! That's awesome!"

"I wonder what they'll be like?"

"All right! You can come on in!" Mr. Jacq called out, and after exhaling a nervous breath Milo opened the door and walked right in. The classroom was fairly colorful, with an electronic board at the front where Mr. Jacq was sitting. Seated in front of the teacher were several rows of desks where the students watched Milo walk inside with interested expressions. Milo turned towards the class and saw that besides himself, there were 23 other students. Nemona gave Milo two thumbs up, which made him feel a little better about how nervous he was.

Mr. Jacq himself was a man who looked to be in his early thirties with messy purple and gray hair and hexagon-shaped classes, glad in a T-shirt, sweatpants, a white lab-coat and a pair of sandals. He had a relaxed, easygoing smile on his face.

"Could I trouble you for a few words introducing yourself?" Mr. Jacq said to Milo, who nodded stiffly.

"Right. I'm Florian Caballero, but please just call me Milo." The teen said to the class, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "I'm originally from Motostoke in the Galar region, and it's great to be here. I hope we can all be friends."

"So calm and collected! He's pretty cool!"

"I dig the accent!"

"I wonder if he likes tea?"

Milo smiled at the last one as Mr. Jacq grinned at his students. The teen felt some of his nervousness fade away. "Looks like everyone's eager to meet you Milo. All right, then. Who wants to be the first to ask our new friend a question?"

"Me! Me! Can I ask a question?!" Milo turned to a boy in the front row who was grinning cheerily at him. "What's your favorite thing about Pokémon?"

Milo blinked at the question and considered it. "I only became a Trainer today, but…Honestly, I like just about everything about Pokémon. I can't really decide."

The student's grin widened at the answer. "Really? Awesome! I'm totally the same! How can you decide on just one thing?"

"Does anyone else have a question for their new classmate?" Mr. Jacq asked the class as Milo swallowed, trying to remain calm. So far so good.

Nemona bolted out of her chair with a smile. "Me! I have a question!"

"Um…okay. Shoot." Milo asked the girl, wondering what she wanted to ask him in front of a crowd of students that she couldn't have asked earlier during their walk to Mesagoza.

"You went through all the trouble of enrolling here, so spill, Milo…What do you hope to get out of it? You must have some kind of dream, right?" Nemona asked her neighbor, her expression one of genuine interest. Milo was surprised she had chosen now to actually ask Milo about it.

"I don't actually know, Nemona." Milo admitted with a frown, which caught several students attention.

"I grew up hearing about this place from my Dad. And my mom's art career means we could afford the move to Paldea." Milo answered with a shrug, a wan smile on his face. "Trainer Schools in Galar weren't the best, so we got the idea to move here. A few years later I'm at one of the best schools in the world on a music scholarship. Maybe I'll become a pro. Maybe I'll get a job somewhere else…I guess I just wanna figure things out here."

"Fair, I get it!" Nemona responded with an understanding smile. Around her several of the other students wore surprised and contemplative expressions at Milo's honest response. "The possibilities are endless, right? Who can decide! Thanks for answering, Milo!"

Milo smiled at his friend's enthusiasm and picked another male student way in the back for the next question. "What's your favorite Pokémon?"

The new student hummed for a moment, still smiling. "Corviknight. It looks awesome and it's such a big part of life back home in Galar. I've always wanted to catch one for myself."

"You can find them here in Paldea!" the student responded gleefully. He then caught himself and laughed. "You just gotta watch out for Tinkaton. Them and Corviknight don't get along too well."

"Guess I'll have to find out what a Tinkaton is. Uh…Alright, next up is…you on the right!" Milo pointed to another student, who did a fist pump.

"What instrument do you play!?" another girl blurted out from the back of the class. Milo took note that she had very tanned skin, but not quite in the same way as Nemona's. Milo opened his mouth to answer, but the teacher clapped his hands loudly and cut Milo off.

"Sorry, but that's all for now, folks. We've got a lesson plan we've got to stick to. I'm sure you'll get to know all you want about Milo over the course of the new school year." The Instructor said with a warm smile, turning to Milo. "Well, thank you for telling us a bit about yourself, Milo. I'm Mr. Jacq. I teach biology here at the Academy, and I'm also your homeroom teacher."

Jacq stuck his hand out and Milo firmly shook it, smiling at the man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Jacq pointed to a spot in the middle of the classroom. "That's your seat. Second row from the front." Milo walked over to the indicated seat as Jacq clapped his hands together with an easy smile. "All right, you ragamuffins. Be nice and friendly to our new classmate!"

"We will, Mr. Jacq!"


To Milo's surprise, the class passed pretty smoothly. Apparently today was the third day of class for the new semester, so Milo didn't miss anything despite arriving at school so late. Most of the first week was orientation anyways, so Milo didn't lose anything but missing most of the first day.

As Milo later found out, students were typically able to come and go in regards to their classes, so long as they attended enough to satisfy credit requirements per semester. As such, Jacq spent most of the period reviewing the syllabus and classroom expectations.

Before he even knew it, the bell had run for the end of class. Mr. Jacq bid farewell to everyone, reminding them to be at the classroom at 0800 sharp. Milo quickly made an alarm for a 0700 on his Rotom Phone, but as he finished he looked towards where Nemona was sitting and was surprised to see that she was already gone. Milo frowned before sighing, realizing that the Champion-ranked Trainer likely had far more important things to do than show him around campus or anything like that.

"Looking for Nemona?" Milo turned to his right and towards the girl that had been sitting next to the Student Council President. She offered him an easy smile and added, "She got called to the Staff Room just now. She's usually running all sorts of errands for the school."

"Oh, cool. I'll go find her then. Thanks…?" Milo trailed off as the girl chuckled.

"Suzie. See ya around, Milo!" the girl said with a friendly wave before Milo headed out of the classroom-

And realized that he had no idea where the heck he was going.

Unfortunately for him, this turned into an hour-long trek through the hallways of the school while growing increasingly annoyed with himself. Worse still was that he couldn't find his way back to the entrance of the school, where the terminals that gave people directions were located. Finally as Milo stopped and rubbed his temples with frustration, he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey dork! You lost?"

Milo blinked at the very familiar voice and whirled around, a wide grin on his face as a girl walked right towards him with a matching smile. She had long brown hair styled into a braided ponytail and expressive brown eyes, wearing a similar uniform as Milo except that her sunhat was a navy blue color as opposed to white.

The girl and Milo walked towards one another for several moments before the girl ran forward and tackled Milo into a fierce hug. Milo returned it, laughing as he was reunited with his childhood best friend.

"Juliana! About time you showed up!" Milo said as the two separated, with Juliana giving him a once-over. "It's really good to see you again."

"Same to you, dude. You look well enough. Last time we did a video call was back when you were in the hospital!" Juliana said reproachfully to Milo, who winced at the girl's bluntness. Especially because it was at that moment Milo realized that his best friend hadn't come alone and that three other female students were watching the exchange with bemused looks.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Things were hectic the past month. But I'm here now!" Milo said with a grin to Juliana before peeking over her shoulder to get a better look at Juliana's friends. Milo noticed immediately that two of the girls were what looked like identical twins with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, with the only difference between them being that one of the girl's had a faint scar on her left cheek.

The third girl had long jet-black hair with tanned skin and a friendly smile, her dark brown eyes twinkling with amusement. Milo realized this had been the girl who had asked what instrument he played back in Mr. Jacq's class.

"Julie! Introduce us!" the two twins chorused in unison as the third girl rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"Right-o! Milo, this is Sara and Kara. They're twins who are both in the Humanities Track. This is Nalani, an exchange student from the Alola region! Turns out she's in your class and in the General Studies Track, just like us." Juliana introduced her friends, earning Milo a round of waves from the girls. "This is my best friend from back home, Florian Caballero. Call him Milo though, because he gets cranky if you call him anything else."

"Do not!" Milo said in a not-cranky manner. The girls laughed and one by one shook Milo's hands. The non-twin girl blinked in surprise before taking a step back and pointing at Milo.

"Oh crap, you really are the guy who thrashed Team Star!" Nalani realized, her mouth wide in shock as Milo nodded. "That video blew the heck up over Festival Plaza! Everyone's talking about you!"

Juliana nodded knowingly, patting Milo on the shoulder. "Told ya it was him. I'd recognize this dork anywhere. Though that does beg the question, Milo. Didn't you just get your first Pokémon today?" Juliana asked Milo, who shrugged again. "How'd you beat two of those goons back-to-back?"

"Yeah, I got my first Pokémon this morning. And they weren't that hard to beat. Is it really that impressive?" Milo asked the girls, who all nodded. "I stand by that statement."

"Guess humility is one of your strong suits, huh?" Nalani asked with a smirk, causing the teen to shrug in response.

"So getting back to the original topic, were you lost?" Sara asked Milo, who sighed but nodded. The twins both snickered before Kara said, "It happens. We can show you around if you want."

"I was trying to find the Staff Room to meet up with Nemona, but I have no idea where I'm going. So…yeah, thanks." Milo said awkwardly, smiling at them before Juliana grabbed Milo by the arm and pointed forward dramatically.

"Come, my loyal companions! Let's give Milo the grand tour of our distinguished Narrrrrranja Academy!" Juliana proclaimed with a fist pump, rolling the r in Naranja as hard as she could. Juliana and her friends closed in around Milo, cutting off the chance for escape.

"Figures that Julie would be friends with other people who also have no sense of personal space." Milo commented as the girls laughed all around him. Not that Milo necessarily minded. He was a teenager after all, and Juliana's friends were all really pretty.

Milo was given a tour of the entire school, which took the better part of two whole hours. This included all of the other homerooms where the instructors gave out their lessons. Milo also got a look at the School Store, Cafeteria, Director's Office, Nurse's Office, the Entrance Hall and the Schoolyard. Also included was a large treehouse-like structure at the top of the school which Milo learned was a club for students who wanted to relax somewhere with a view. There was even a small café inside of the rather cozy structure, with several bookcases, desks and chairs scattered around to lend it a rather comfortable vibe.

The tour also included 3 large swimming pools that looked like it could be used for professional swimming competitions. According to Kara, one was for actual exercise, one was used for humans only, and one was dedicated to both Pokémon and humans to enjoy the water together. There was even a big water slide for two of the recreational pools.

Unfortunately for Milo, the sight did make him feel uncomfortable. He maintained his poker face and listened as the twins explained how this area was used for fitness and for simply blowing off some steam and cost the Academy a lot of money. He was grateful when they left the area, and let out a soft exhale of relief before reasserting his mask of calm.

He was painfully aware of Juliana looking at him with concern the entire time.

At the schoolyard Milo and the girls took a break so Milo could show them his team. The girls immediately fawned over Reggie, who simply stared up at them with a blank smile while Cocoa and Sparky fidgeted from the attention. Milo debated calling out Koraidon, but he wasn't sure how smart it was to call attention to it quite yet. After all, he knew next to nothing about it.

"Look at him! He's so dang cute!" Sara and Kara cooed at the same time, patting Reggie on the head as the Fuecoco let out a confused growl.

"He's the perfect Pokémon for you, Milo. That dopey expression is a one-to-one match with your usual look!" Juliana agreed, smirking as Milo grinned back at the ribbing.

"That's my son you're speaking about! I shall not accept such slander!" Milo said dramatically, putting a hand on Reggie's head and doing his best to look deeply offended. He then promptly pulled his other two Pokémon into a hug. "Oh yeah, these are my kids too. They just don't like people yet, do you?"

Sparky let out a small chirp of agreement, crawling out of Milo's arms and sitting on his shoulder. Cocoa was happy to remain in Milo's arms, crying out happily as Milo chuckled at his team.

"You got a fourth Poké Ball there, Milo. You're not gonna send out your last 'mon?" Nalani asked the new student, who shook his head.

"I'm not sure if it's okay for them to be out just yet. They're…interesting. I think I'll see about asking Mr. Jacq about it and maybe hunt down the guy who gave it to me before I chance it." Milo explained to the girls, who all looked interested.

"Oooh, sounds mysterious!" the twins laughed at the same time before returning to fawning over Reggie, who continued to look baffled. Milo snorted with amusement, but caught Juliana's expression of confusion on her face. Milo nodded at her, causing his best friend to nod in return. They'd talk about things later.

After another half hour of walking around and getting some insider tips from the girls about navigating the school, which Milo was very thankful for, they eventually arrived at a nondescript door that was labeled Staff Only.

"And here's where we'll leave you. The Staff Room!" Juliana announced dramatically as she did jazz-hands and crouched, much to the amusement of her friends who all gave her a round of enthusiastic applause.

"Thank Arceus you found friends willing to put up with your strange sense of humor." Milo rolled his eyes and walked forward, fist-bumping his best friend as she stood back up.

"She's a weird one. But she's our weird one!" Nalani exclaimed as the twins latched onto Juliana, who burst into giggles.

"Thanks for the tour, ladies. I appreciate you all taking the time to make me feel welcome." Milo said sincerely, earning a round of happy waves and dismissals about how it wasn't a big deal. With that, the girls all began to head down the hallway, with Juliana lingering behind.

"You should join me for dinner later. Have Nemona show you where it is. We can catch up!" Juliana said brightly before bounding off after her friends, sticking her tongue out at Milo as she departed. Milo returned the gesture in kind before opening the door to the Staff Room.

Milo entered the rather boring room which surprisingly held several students as well as staff members. After glancing around the room several times he spotted Nemona talking to someone in a black suit who had a wild mess of black hair with yellow highlights behind them. Milo walked towards Nemona, who was happily chatting with the individual with the oddly massive hair.

"Very well, Champion Nemona. I trust you to handle this in my stead." The person, who Milo realized now was a woman, spoke in a dignified but polite tone.

Nemona fist-pumped with her usual excitement. "Sure thing! You can count on me! In fact, I bet this is gonna be fun!"

"I'm glad to hear it. Good day, then." The woman then turned around and Milo actually got a good look at her. She wore a crisp and professional black and blue suit with a yellow ribbon around her collar, with stylized blue gloves with a star-like sigil on them. The woman herself had skin a shade tanner than Nemona with strangely-colored blue and yellow eyes. She had black hair with blue and yellow highlights within it that extended down to her waist and billowed behind her. She seemed to hold herself proudly, and Milo had the oddest feeling that this was a woman who he should never cross.

The woman walked past Milo, stopping for a moment in surprise. "Oh-pardon me."

"Excuse me, ma'am." Milo said as he moved to the side, allowing the woman to pass through. She smiled gratefully at Milo and walked out of the room with her arms behind her back, humming a tune under her breath. Milo stared at her for a few moments before turning back towards a surprised Nemona.

"Oh, Milo! Hey!" Nemona greeted her friend, who smiled back at her with a small wave before jerking a thumb towards the door.

"Hey there. Who was that?" Milo asked Nemona, who smirked at her neighbor.

"Piqued your interest, huh? That lady is…Well, they call her La Primera!" Nemona practically gushed, beaming at Milo. "She's strong, she can do pretty much anything, she's got cool practically coming out of her ears…She's basically everything I wanna be - or that any Pokémon Trainer would wanna be, really!"

"Wow, she's that big of a deal?" Milo remarked, surprised by the fact that a Trainer as skilled as Nemona would be…fangirling over someone else like that. It made Milo wonder even more about the strange lady who had just walked past him.

"Oh! Which reminds me!" Nemona exclaimed, shaking her head and derailing the thought in Milo's head for the moment. "Remember in homeroom when I asked what your dream is?"

"Yeah, it was kind of a cop-out answer, huh?" Milo muttered, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably.

"No, not at all." Nemona said to her friend, smiling reassuringly. "Though, if you're still trying to decide what it is you're looking for…I've got an idea for you! You should try to reach Champion Rank like me!"

"Champion Rank?" Milo responded with confusion before realizing what that would mean. Tons of battles and the chance of earning an early grave thanks to the Nuzlocke Curse. "I don't know…"

Nemona looked surprised at his response, frowning and looking down with a disappointed expression. "Aww, but talent like yours deserves to be used! Hear me out…"

Milo winced at that, immediately feeling guilty about letting Nemona down. After how nice she had been to him today, it felt so rude to Milo to immediately turn her down like that. "Okay, sell me on it. Why should I go for the Champion Rank?"

Nemona's expression lightened up slightly, and sensing that Milo was willing to humor her, launched into an explanation.

"Within the Paldea Region, there's a ranking system for the Trainers based on how many official Gym Badges they have earned by defeating the Gym Leaders. If you don't have any badges, you're ranked as a Beginner Trainer." Nemona began explaining to a curious Milo. "If you have a Gym Badge, but have less than four total, then you're considered a Novice Trainer. If you have four to five Badges, you have the Rank of Adept Trainer. At six and seven Badges, you're an Ace Trainer. And once you conquer all eight Pokémon Gyms you earn the title of Expert Trainer."

"And finally…Champion. The Trainers that reach Champion Rank are the ones who raise their Pokémon really strong. They're pro-tier battlers. Their moves keep crowds absolutely on the edge of their seats!" Nemona gushed, proudly pounding a fist against her chest as Milo smiled at her. It was clear she valued the position she had put so much hard work in for.

"You have to prove yourself to the Pokémon League to officially get the title of Champion. And to do that, you have to do more than just take classes here." Nemona continued as Milo listened intently. "You've got to take on eight Pokémon Gyms and win so you can collect their Gym Badges! Once you've done that, all that's left is a special test - the Champion Assessment."

"Sounds pretty familiar to me. Galar has something similar, like a lot of the regions do. The fact that it's a test is different though." Milo remarked, with Nemona nodding eagerly.

"It is! And once you pass THAT, then at long last you'll be a Champion!" Nemona cried out, her expression growing in intensity. Milo could practically see the waves of sheer passion rolling off of the girl. "It's every Pokémon Trainer's dream! The coolest title anyone could ever hope to get!"

Nemona then coughed, regaining some of her composure. "Not to brag or anything!"

"It's alright, I still think you're cool." Milo said with a chuckle while Nemona joined him, flushing slightly at how excited she had gotten and losing her composure.

"I reached the Champion Rank during our last Treasure Hunt, you know!" Nemona remarked, putting a hand on her hip with a smile.

"Treasure Hunt? Is this place home to pirates or something? I thought that was only in Alola and Hoenn…no wait, you did mention pirates earlier, didn't you?" Milo questioned, with Nemona snorting in amusement before explaining.

"The Treasure Hunt is a special independent study thing we've got here. Should happen soon! Our last one started not too long after the beginning of this school year!" Nemona explained, pumping her fists as she got excited again.

Milo couldn't help the smile on his face watching her get hyped up, her energy being rather contagious. "You're making this sound like fun, actually. So what do you actually do?"

"It's great!" Nemona cheered, beaming at Milo now. "You get to leave school to go have an adventure and learn however you want!"

"Oh wow…I didn't think the Academy would do something like that. I figured it'd be more by the book." Milo said with some surprise, putting a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Though considering the insane reputation this place has, maybe that kind of thing just works. Eh, what do I know? So you did this Treasure Hunt thing last year. What did you end up finding?"

Nemona nodded and crossed her arms, shutting her eyes as she hummed. Milo was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm and the sudden introspective look on her face. "I guess you could say my journey to becoming a Champion was the treasure I found…maybe?"

"You don't sound too sure." Milo pointed out, with Nemona sighing in response.

"I dunno yet if that's the answer I'm looking for…" Nemona admitted, opening her eyes and looking at Milo. "Anyway, I've got a feeling I'd be able to get even stronger if you and I were both working at it…"

"You definitely made it sound cool. I'll think about it, Nemona. I think I've got some more soul-searching to do first." Milo replied as Nemona smiled back at Milo, pulling out her phone.

"Lemme go ahead and save the Gyms' locations in your map app just in case you decide to go for it!" Nemona said to Milo, who pulled out his phone.

Moments later it beeped as data was transferred to it, and a map of the entire region popped up on Milo's phone with a series of coordinates with small pictures attached to each one, including a series of symbols. From a glance, it looked like Nemona had sent him the locations of the Gyms, with a picture of the Gym Leader and what seemed to be the specific type they specialized in.

Milo could have sworn he heard a bell suddenly toll, and as that thought occurred to him the Voice snickered within his mind. The teen ignored the intruder in his head as Nemona put away her phone.

"Give it some thought!" Nemona said brightly, extending her fist towards Milo, who smiled and tapped it. "And thanks for humoring me, Milo. I appreciate it."

"What are friends for?" Milo responded with a smile that matched hers, causing the girl to beam at him in such a way that the Galarian teen felt butterflies in his stomach.

"How about we grab some dinner? I've got to do some research on a thing for La Primera tonight, but we've got time for some chow." Nemona offered to Milo, who realized with a start that he was actually pretty hungry after the events of the day.

Milo even noticed that the sun was beginning to descend in the sky, and that was when it set in that the myriad of events that had all happened to him so far in Paldea had all just been today.

Soon enough the two friends were walking down the hallway, with Nemona happily chatting to her neighbor about the Gym Challenge and all it entailed. Despite his own reservations and concerns, Milo had to admit that it did sound pretty fun.


Happy Early Spooky Day, peeps!

Apologies for the delay in chapters. This site has taken a nose-dive lately and my muse has been in the toilet, but I'm slowly bouncing back.

Shoutout to BraviaryScout for reviewing the last update. Thanks for the feedback and support, bud!

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!