Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 26: Sparks
One Week Later…
Naranja Academy
Language Class
"My dear students! How ARE you all today? Feeling good, I hope?"
Milo leaned back in his chair as the class returned the greeting that the instructor had given them. The instructor in question was a smiling man with darker skin and short black hair, with a tasteful goatee on his chin. He wore a crisp black and gray suit with a yellow tail-like pin that resembled a Raichu's tail. A pair of expensive-looking polarized sunglasses were clipped to his suit's pocket.
"Je m'appelle Salvatore. My name is Mr. Salvatore!" The teacher greeted them all with a friendly smile and an accent Milo had yet to place yet. Though, the teen realized that from the teacher's introduction that there was a new student or two within the class.
"Merci beaucoup! That is, thank you very much for your attention here in my class!" Salvatore continued, clasping his hands together. I'm so heureux - or happy - for this chance to re-experience my younger days with you all!" the teacher called to all of them, earning a chorus of agreements from everyone. Milo remained silent and instead patted his Applin, Smith, that had cried out alongside the others.
"Do you know what 'Salvatore' means? It means 'savior'! So just imagine I'm here to SAVE you from spooooky new languages. Haha! Funny, no?" Salvatore laughed for a moment, though that didn't have much of a reaction, so he continued. "That's right! My classes will teach you about various languages from different regions."
"You may say 'Good morning!' or 'Hello!' as a greeting, but people from elsewhere may say 'Bonjour!' or "Salut!' I've heard there's even a popular streamer out there who smashes several languages together and says ''Ello, 'ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!'" Salvatore said with a grin, adapting a rather interesting accent that Milo and most of the class recognized immediately.
"Yeah, that's Miss Iono!" Nemona laughed at the impression, with Salvatore nodding in acknowledgement of that fact. Milo found himself smirking a little. He actively followed the streams of the Gym Leader of Levincia and was a fan of her himself. It was a bit fun to see her work referenced in one of his classes.
"Are you fluent in Iono-ese, Mr. Salvatore?" Sara asked, giggling despite herself.
"I dabble a little." Salvatore admitted, chuckling softly. "Miss Iono is a friend of mine and I do watch her streams on occasion. Some of the educational bits she does in her shows were influenced by some of the conversations we've had. She's always eager to have a new angle for her streams, and those segments tend to do well for her numbers."
And my respect for this Academy and what it stands for has dropped several notches. I've watched you drool over that woman's streams! I know what they're like! Not even the slightest bit educational.
"Okay, her streams are interesting and entertaining and Iono is gorgeous. We all suck for watching her. Now can you be quiet?" Milo thought at the Remnant, who grumbled with annoyance but went silent once more.
"Ahem! But back to the lesson, my dear students. There are so many regions out there in the world, and each can have their own unique languages!" Salvatore explained as he stepped out from behind his lectern and began to walk around the class.
"Gracias, merci, xièxie, arigato, danke—these all have the same meaning! Can you guess what it is?" Salvatore asked the class, his eyes darting around the classroom to see if anyone would be bold enough to volunteer. His eyes landed on Milo, who inwardly sighed at the clear expectation to answer the question.
"They all mean 'thank you', don't they?" Milo said quietly, with Salvatore beaming at the student and clapping his hands together.
"Waouh! Milo, was it? Bravo! That's correct! And speaking up is important in language learning, too!" Salvatore praised the Galarian, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"Aaaaap!" Smith cried out, with Salvatore chuckling as he patted the Applin on the head before turning around and walking back towards the front of the classroom.
"Gracias, merci, xièxie - these words all mean 'thank you.' I guess some of you probably knew at least one of those! Despite meaning the same thing, their lengths and sounds are all different! Isn't that interesting?" the Language instructor asked the class, earning a round of nods.
"And now, apropos of nothing, let me give you all one of my wise words of advice! When you travel abroad, you should try to speak the local language as much as you can—even if you can't speak it very well! I'm sure your willingness to try will make the people you meet très heureux - very happy!" Salvatore advised the students, with Nemona nodding her head at the teacher's words. Salvatore placed a finger to his temple and closed his eyes, as if in deep thought.
"Honestly, from my experience, just being able to say 'hello,' 'delicious,' and 'thank you' in the local language will get you pretty far." The Language instructor then chuckled and gestured towards the class with his hands.
"For everything else, just pretend you're Mr. Mime and gesture away!" Salvatore let out a joyful laugh, but was interrupted by the familiar chime of the school bell.
"Oh! There's that pesky bell. I guess that's all the time we have for today! Well, adios! Mata ne! À la prochaine! See you later, everyone!" Salvatore said merrily to the students, many of which returned the farewell from the Language instructor. Milo got out of his chair and made sure he had his things before scooping up Smith and heading towards the door. He glanced back towards Nemona, who was still packing up her things.
"I'll catch you later, Nemona. Gonna go to my room and be a vegetable today." Milo said to his friend with a tired smile, waving to her before he left the classroom. He didn't have time to see the worried frown on her face before he left, however.
Milo made his way down the hallway, holding Smith the Applin in his arms and debating whether or not he wanted to go to lunch or not. He figured the chances of someone bothering him was pretty high.
His decision having been made, Milo opted to skip lunch and head straight to his room. Unfortunately, he only got a few steps past the lunch room before a shout caught his attention. Milo turned around and saw a familiar student with green hair running towards him.
Flynn stumbled to a stop, panting slightly. Milo raised an eyebrow and wondered if it was too late for him to run to his room. Upon realizing that it'd come off as rude, he instead chose to address the President of the Crystal Containment Crew. "You good, mate? Where's the fire?"
"I've been meaning to talk to you for the past few days. I wanted to apologize for Rafael's conduct. I don't know what got into that maniac!" Flynn said as he straightened up, looking at Milo with a frown.
"It's not your fault he tried to murder people." Milo pointed out, his voice perfectly neutral. His mask was in place, so Flynn had no idea of the smoldering anger behind it.
It had taken several days for Milo's white-hot fury to simmer down to an acceptable level, and the only reason he hadn't stormed the nearest Team Star Base was because he had promised himself not to until Juliana was out of the hospital. Arven had also done his best to hammer home the fact that what happened to Juliana was almost certainly an accident, and Milo had seen the video enough times to reluctantly accept that fact.
"Yeah, but he's the 3XC Vice President and I'm at least responsible for him being there. He didn't want to be and I made him, and if he wasn't there then he might not have freaked out so bad. Rafael can't stand Team Star." Flynn explained, with Milo considering that information. Director Clavell had mentioned that as well the other day.
"Do you know why?" Milo asked.
"Nah. This was way before my time. I'd ask one of the upperclassmen, maybe they know." Flynn answered as Milo crossed his arms.
"What if I just asked Rafael?" Milo suggested, wondering why Flynn hadn't done just that.
Flynn flinched at the question and shook his head quickly. "I wouldn't. Man's been absolutely livid since the other day. They're talking of taking away his scholarship for endangering the lives of students, even after Team Star's actions at the pep rally. Just…don't talk to Rafael. He's angry enough to not care about getting violent and I'm worried someone's going to get hurt because he's not thinking clearly." Flynn warned Milo, who nodded in understanding.
After a few minutes reassuring the other student that Milo knew that Flynn wasn't responsible for Rafael's actions at the pep rally and that the Galarian held no grudge against him, Milo continued on his way to his room. He made it about halfway there before he encountered his neighbor.
"Milo! ¿Cómo estás? How are you? I know we had class together, but I did want to check on you and see how you were doing!" Nemona cheerfully greeted her friend, who offered Nemona another weary smile in return.
"Hanging in there. It's been a long week. How about you?" Milo asked as he began walking again, with Nemona falling into step beside him.
"I'm all done for the day! Not much is on my schedule this week, so I have plenty of time for battles!" Nemona said excitedly, smiling brightly at him as she unclipped a Poké Ball from her belt. "Does my Rival want to get some training in today?"
"I'm not really feeling up to battling today, Nemona. Like I said earlier, today's an indoor day for me. Tomorrow I'll be hitting the battle courts and figuring out my game plan for dealing with Team Star. I probably won't be around much after that." Milo admitted to his friend, who bit her lip with a concerned frown at hearing that.
"Do you…do you want to be alone today? Or can I just hang out?" Nemona asked Milo, who looked at her with some surprise.
Ever since Milo had returned to the school after Juliana's hospitalization at the hands of Team Star, he had noticed that Nemona was spending more and more time with him. Milo had eventually realized that the Champion was trying to support Milo during a stressful time.
It was something that the teen appreciated immensely. Though, he was a bit surprised with how protective Nemona seemed to be of him.
Even more shocking was the fact that Milo had been opening up to the Champion more and more over the past week. He had already confided in her the same information that he had talked to Arven about during their picnic lunch in regards to his sister Amy and his father Diego. Nemona had patiently listened to Milo and hadn't pushed for any further information.
"She's really worried about me, isn't she? Nemona's never seen me so angry or upset. Tch. Not sure if I've ever been this pissed before." Milo thought darkly, looking away from Nemona as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "Team Star is going down, one way or another, but it's not fair to make Nemona worried. She's just looking out for me."
"You can hang out with me if you want. I won't be very good company, but I always enjoy hanging out with you." Milo said with a weak smile to his friend, who brightened up considerably. Milo and Nemona made it to his room and the Galarian teen opened the door, calling out the rest of his team and quickly preparing all of them lunch and setting out food into various bowls.
Nemona offered to use Milo's kitchen to make them something to eat, which was an offer that Milo accepted. Nemona was a solid cook when it came to simple meals, though there usually tended to be an emphasis on nutrition instead of taste.
Meanwhile, Milo stashed away his books and cleaned up his room a bit before loading up a game on his Nintendo Switch, letting out a long sigh as he sat down on his bed. Watt curled up on Milo's lap while the rest of his team napped around Koraidon, who snored lightly from his large bed.
Nemona ended up making them some grilled-cheese sandwiches, including an extra one for Koraidon, which of course made the massive lizard very happy. While they weren't up to the insanely high standard that Arven had for sandwiches, Milo still found it delicious.
Milo ate his sandwich while sitting on the floor and Nemona sat in his desk chair, and for a while the two students silently enjoyed their lunch along with the Milos team. Once he was done, Milo tossed their plates into the sink and plopped back down onto the floor, sighing again as Nemona looked at him with some concern.
"I feel like I'm a big ball of angst and problems these days. I'm probably not a lot of fun to be around right now." Milo muttered as he ran a hand over his face as the game loaded. Nemona tilted her head in confusion, and so Milo elaborated. "I'm just a mess. I'm so angry and frustrated and it's so hard to keep myself focused on what's in front of me…by the way, thank you for listening to me, Nemona."
"Thank you for telling me what's on your mind." Nemona said with a patient smile, causing Milo to look back at her. Milo matched Nemona's smile with his own before leaning against his bed, focusing on his game and enjoying Nemona's company. For her part, the Champion just allowed herself to relax with her friend.
The past week as a whole had come and gone without any surprises. Milo attended his classes while trying to form a game plan for dealing with Team Star, trying to grapple with his fury towards the group. Nemona was an almost constant fixture at Milo's side whenever she wasn't running errands for the Pokémon League or attending her own classes.
This, inevitably, led to several awkward moments where Arven also wanted to hang out with Milo. Weirdly enough, it resulted in a situation where the two older students were forced to coexist with each other while trying to support Milo during such a rough time period. And it was something the Galarian appreciated immensely between his two closest friends at the Academy besides Juliana.
The next day, however, had Milo departing his room and heading out to the track in the schoolyard. Arven had been insistent on Milo getting some exercise while at school, and the older student's nagging had finally paid off. The Galarian wore a simple black t-shirt and gym shorts, but felt out of place as he walked around the schoolyard and watched various other students running or working out alongside their Pokémon.
"It's a good thing Nemona agreed to meet me out here for some training. I only have to do this for a half hour." Milo muttered under his breath. After hanging around the edges of the track awkwardly, a familiar shout caught his attention. A black-haired woman in a black jumpsuit that Milo recognized as Dendra, the Battle Studies teacher.
"Osu, new kid!" Dendra said brightly, punching her fists out and getting into a stance. "Have you come out here to the schoolyard for some training?!"
"Uh, yeah. I'm not really sure where to start though." Milo admitted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Aha! I knew I could see a fighting spirit burning behind those eyes of yours!" Dendra laughed merrily, walking past Milo with an excited grin. "Why don't we do a bit of running together here to get to know each other a little better? Even if you don't know how to work out, anyone can do some cardio and it's great for you!"
"Um, sure? I guess that'd be a good place to start-" Milo began to say, only for Dendra to cut him off.
"Ready? Let's go!" Dendra called before jogging off onto the track. Milo blinked a few times before sighing and running after the Battle Studies teacher. The Galarian winced at the sensation, his feet hitting the track hard again and again as he attempted to keep up with Dendra.
However, what Milo noticed immediately was that the energy he had while running seemed to remain constant. Soon enough he had completed a lap and had plenty left in the tank for more running, which confused the teen. He continued in his efforts to keep up with Miss Dendra, who was effortlessly outpacing him on the track and occasionally called words of encouragement to him over her shoulder.
"You got this, new kid! Push it! Dig deep and keep going!" Dendra cheered Milo on with a wide grin. Milo grit his teeth and continued to run alongside the teacher as she easily jogged slightly ahead of him.
Soon enough, Milo and Dendra completed three entire laps of the courtyard, which Milo would later find out was a three-quarters of a mile in total distance. As Dendra motioned for Milo to head into the grass, Milo realized just how odd it was that he had managed such a feat.
"I shouldn't be able to do that. I should be wheezing and coughing like crazy, but I've got plenty of energy to go. Is this from eating the Herba Mystica?" Milo wondered aloud as he slowed down, panting hard but in a controlled manner. If his body wasn't so sore, he'd be able to run even more.
"Phew! That really worked up a nice sweat!" Dendra said with a laugh before she clapped Milo on the back enthusiastically, nearly knocking him over. "You've got a good pair of legs on ya, new kid!"
"T-thanks ma'am. Maybe I should just stick to cardio until I get more used to it. I don't know anything about working out." Milo caught his breath, smiling tiredly despite himself.
"Now, it's important to do cool-down stretches, even after a lighter workout like that. Are you familiar with those or do you want some pointers?" Dendra asked the student, who realized that he had no idea what she was talking about. And so Dendra taught Milo the importance of stretching before and after working out and what to look out for to avoid a potential injury.
"Oh! A good 'bout of training sure does make a body hungry, doesn't it?" Dendra asked Milo, who cautiously nodded. "I'll let you have one of my homemade sandwiches as my way of saying thanks for running with me today! Feed those muscles!"
Dendra reached into her jumpsuit pocket and pulled out a somewhat flat sandwich in a zip-lock plastic bag. She eagerly handed it to Milo, who stared at the sandwich…and had many, many questions as to why the Battle Studies teacher had one on her.
But, Milo was starting to get hungry. So he succumbed and opened the bag, taking a tentative bite of the sandwich. Immediately the teen's gag reflex kicked in and Milo's eyes went wide in shock. This sandwich was awful!
Meanwhile…
Arven had just finished making snacks for his team, as well as a stacked club sandwich for himself and Moe to split. However, as he prepared to spread a liberal amount of mayonnaise on the sandwich, a chilling wave of pure horror crept over the teen.
"I sense a disturbance in the Force…" Arven whispered, clutching the butterknife he was holding tightly. "As if a good friend of mine had just eaten a disgusting sandwich."
Thank goodness I don't have normal senses. That thing looks like something a Meowth ate, spat up and crapped in.
"It tastes about as good as it looks. It's super dry…ugh, and what's with the smell?" Milo fought back with a grimace as he ate the sandwich, not wanting to be rude to the instructor that was watching him. However, Milo privately thought even he could make a better sandwich than Dendra had.
"How was it? I hope it was tasty." Dendra asked Milo as he finished his impromptu lunch. The Galarian looked a little pale and nauseous and seemed to be holding back the urge to burp.
"Uh, yeah, tasty…" Milo remarked with a shudder, which Dendra noticed.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that. Heh…" Dendra laughed awkwardly, which was something that caught Milo by surprise. "I'm athletic and all, but I don't know the first thing about making good food….as your honest reaction just reminded me."
"Sorry ma'am." Milo apologized, but Dendra waved her hands with a smile.
"Oh no, don't apologize! Just gives me more reason to keep working at it. The only way you can improve at what you suck at is to keep trying, you know?" Dendra said with a laugh, though Milo could tell the woman was at least a little discouraged. "Well, uh…see you later. Enjoy your sore muscles tomorrow."
Dendra waved at the student before jogging off towards the school proper, and despite the terrible meal, he found himself smiling a little. He had gotten a little closer to the Battle Studies instructor, which was a positive, he felt. She might not have been a good cook, but she was nice and overall a supportive instructor who had given him solid advice.
However, Milo turned his attention to another matter. Nemona still hadn't shown up in the courtyard and was almost ten minutes late, which worried Milo. Usually she was early for anything involving battling, so this was out of character for her.
The Galarian student left the track and decided to wash down the awful sandwich Dendra had given him with a drink. He swiftly found a vending machine and bought a lemonade, downing it quickly. He threw away the can and turned around, and that was when he finally spotted Nemona.
Talking to a visibly furious Rafael.
Kid, you should probably get over there.
The Remnant's voice was firm, but Milo was already moving towards the two Trainers, who were in intense conversation. The teen cursed his aching legs, but ignored the pain as much as he could to get there before anything could happen. He could now hear their conversation.
"-and yet you continue to act out instead of dealing with them yourself? Do you realize how you looked on that livestream? You nearly killed someone, Rafael!" Nemona tried to explain to her fellow upperclassman, who's right eye twitched.
"And what the hell would you have done? Those little idiots deserved some second-degree burns. Always coming onto campus and acting like they own the place. What did you expect me to do?" Rafael's words were forced through gritted teeth, as if he was just barely holding himself back from shouting.
"I expect you to act like someone of your age and Trainer Rank! You're supposed to act as a role model to younger students, not terrify them!" Nemona shot back, with Rafael closing his eyes and glancing away from Nemona. "Your actions have consequences, Rafael!"
Milo moved even faster as he saw Rafael's hand dart out and suddenly grab Nemona by the collar of her shirt, pulling her up off of the ground with a pained gasp from the Champion. Several students cried out at the scene, but none of them seemed willing to draw the fury of the Vice President of the 3XC and one of the more skilled Trainers within the school.
"I don't like your tone, Champ. And I don't have to take disrespect from an absolute weirdo like you!" Rafael snarled at Nemona, drawing back his fist as pure fury ignited in his eyes. Nemona shut her eyes in fear of the blow that was sure to come.
"GIAAAS!"
Rafael flinched at the sudden roar and released Nemona, who dropped to the ground and nearly fell over if she hadn't been grabbed and pulled back by Milo. The teen was standing beside Koraidon, who was furiously glaring down Rafael with flames trickling from its mouth and red static crackling around its body. Rafael gasped as he stared at the ferocious creature, as well as the freshman who was giving him a look of such cold fury that it was almost as intimidating as the beast standing beside him. He also made note of the fact that Milo was standing protectively in front of Nemona, who seemed to not know what to make of the situation.
"You mess with her, you mess with me! Back off!" Milo's words were almost a growl he glared up at the upperclassman, who suddenly barked out a laugh as he took another step back.
"You wanna catch these hands, you limey little prick? I ain't scared of you!" Rafael said as he cracked his knuckles, with Milo crossing his arms with an unimpressed frown.
"M-Milo, stop! You're going to get in trouble!" Nemona whispered to the freshman, who continued to stare at the older student dead in the eyes.
"Come on, mate. Make the stupid freshman shut up. Because I've had a really crappy week and I'd love to see you try." Milo challenged the upperclassman, his eyes practically flashing with anger. He then slowly raised his chin and tapped it mockingly. "Take a swing. Do it. I dare you."
Rafael raised a fist, but saw that Milo wasn't showing any signs of fear. Just the same composed frown of barely-restrained anger. After almost ten seconds of waiting, Milo nodded at the older student. "Exactly. Now apologize to her. Just because you're an angry asshole, that doesn't give you the right to physically assault people."
Rafael let out an angry exhale as he dropped his fist and crossed his arms, so as to not give in to any urges of violence that were crossing his mind. "Fine. I'm sorry I grabbed you, it was unbecoming of me."
"I…um…okay?" Nemona said with some confusion, genuinely unsure how to react to such an openly insincere apology.
"Right, now that we've gotten official confirmation that you're a Grade-A piece of work, what's your deal with Team Star? You tried to kill those idiots the other day and Juliana nearly died from that accident." Milo said to Rafael, who's left eye twitched for a few moments in raw fury at being confronted like this. He was also very aware of the several students recording them at the moment with their phones, so he decided to give the freshman his answer.
"Because Team Star's a bunch of bullies who run around doing whatever the hell they want. And they're the reason my little brother Hugo withdrew from the school, along with a bunch of other students." Rafael explained, scowling angrily at Milo. "Poor kid came home crying after those clowns terrified the hell out of him. Begged our father to send him somewhere else. He's at Blueberry Academy now and I hardly ever see him. And it's all Team Star's fault!"
"Is that so?" Milo remarked, crossing his arms.
"You bet. And I've never forgiven them for driving my little brother away from here. We were supposed to take on the Elite Four together, you know. Be Co-Champions once La Primera steps down…" Rafael remarked, smiling as he closed his eyes at the thought. He then shook his head and sighed with irritation. "Tag-Team Champions. That would've been something…"
Rafael's expression hardened as his scowl of anger returned. "But Team Star took that dream away. So yeah, I tried to set those idiots on fire. So what? They deserve it. I'm sorry your friend nearly died from what happened, but Team Star's not innocent. They shouldn't have shown their sorry faces around this school. If it wasn't for the fact that they all hide in those stupid bases with dozens and dozens of them inside, I'd have torched them myself by now."
"So you don't think you can take them on?" Milo assessed, with Rafael's eye twitching again at the accusation. He didn't deny it though, only scowling even more.
"You think you can do it, hotshot? I saw what you did to those idiots online a few months ago. You dealt with two of them easily enough. You think you can walk right into the lion's den with that attitude?" Rafael challenged Milo, who responded with a nod to the shock of the upperclassman.
"Absolutely. Because Team Star doesn't scare me and neither do you." Milo said with a winning smile before turning around and grabbing Nemona's hand, leading her away from the sputtering and bewildered form of Rafael. The Galarian also didn't see the respect in the eyes of the students who had watched him stand up for the Champion and deal with Rafael's anger.
Milo walked with Nemona for several minutes through the school, his thoughts whirling as he considered the information he had been given. He released his Poker Face and let out a harsh exhale, feeling the anger that had been building during that entire exchange.
Team Star was an anomaly. They certainly needed to be stopped, especially after the information he had been able to gather over the past few days. At this point in his journey, Milo felt confident enough in himself that he felt he could take on one of the Team Star Boses and he now had the proper motivation to do so.
"Cassiopeia better call soon though." Milo inwardly fumed, wondering why the mysterious figure hadn't reached out to him.
And then, Milo considered his own actions and how he had handled the situation with the furious upperclassman, as well as the blatant lack of fear Milo had felt. Milo had stood up to someone who was perfectly willing to try and seriously injure a bunch of people with fire and tried to physical assault a Champion-ranked Trainer.
"I can't believe I just did that." Milo suddenly realized as he stopped in his tracks, blinking several times in shock at his own actions. "I just stood up to someone waaaay stronger than me and talked trash to him like it was nothing!"
You did. You also made him look like a moron, which I found very amusing. I should probably also mention that there were several students recording that exchange on their phones. It's amazing what you humans can do when you give yourself a chance to grow and become stronger.
"Those Gym Battles and Titan fights must've had some kind of effect on me. Usually I'm not that…snarky. Or bold. I can keep calm when things get dicey, but never just outright taunting someone who wants to hurt me!" Milo yelled internally, wondering what had gotten into him.
Compared to the Titans and facing down challenges where your life is on the line if you lose, a furious idiot like Rafael isn't very impressive. It's likely a combination of those two things, plus you standing up for your friend. Who, by the way, happens to still be holding your hand.
Milo realized this himself and glanced at Nemona, who was still staring at Milo with wide eyes. Milo gasped and let go of Nemona's hand, blushing profusely in embarrassment.
"S-s-sorry about that, Nemona. I just wanted to get you away from that maniac before he tried something else. Are you okay? Should we see the school nurse?" Milo asked his friend, who shook her head. "Are you alright? You look flushed."
Nemona blinked a few times before looking away from her friend. It was then that Milo realized that Nemona was actually blushing almost as much as he was, a look of bewildered surprise in her eyes.
"S-Sorry, I'm just…no one's ever stood up for me like that before..." Nemona admitted quietly, rubbing the back of her head. "I was honestly afraid he was going to hurt me. And you made him back down, just like that. That was really brave of you, Milo. Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. You're my friend. You would've done the same for me in a heartbeat. If I was a better friend then that jerk wouldn't have gotten near you-" Milo began to say, but Nemona put a hand on his shoulder and he stopped speaking.
"No. You're a great friend, Milo. Thank you for that. It…it feels good, seeing that you care so much about me." Nemona said with a warm smile, bowing her head to him for a moment before suddenly perking up. "So, now that Rafael's dealt with, what's next?"
"I need to get ready to deal with Team Star, and that means organizing the right team for the job. We were going to hit the battle court and get some training in, remember?" Milo asked the girl, who beamed at him and nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, let's hit the battle courts! They tend to empty out around this time since classes are about done for the day." Nemona said eagerly, doing a small fist-pump.
With that the two Trainers quickly made their way towards the courtyard, falling into step with each other. Milo had turned his thoughts towards half-formed plans and strategies in his head.
Meanwhile, Nemona's whirling thoughts were on the teenager walking alongside her. She wasn't sure if she was confused, excited, scared, or anxious but she knew she needed to talk to him. Milo's most recent actions in defending her from Rafael cemented the fact.
"Hey, Milo?"
"What's up?"
"I have a question for you. An…offer."
"Oh?"
"There's a neat little event happening next week in Mesagoza. It's the yearly Friendship Festival that happens in West Mesagoza. I was…um, w-wondering if you wanted to spend the day together. Explore the festival." Nemona asked her friend, who looked at her with a stunned expression. "Just the two of us. You've had a rough time of things and I think we'd have a lot of fun there."
"I…um, sure Nemona. I'd love to." Milo agreed with a mixture of happiness, confusion and apprehension. He was almost concerned by how relieved Nemona looked for a moment there, but soon the upperclassman was beaming with joy again. Milo noticed that she was still sporting the blush from earlier, though it had faded somewhat.
"Fantastic! We're going to have so much fun!" Nemona practically cheered before realizing what they were in the middle of doing. "Well come on then, let's get to the schoolyard! We've got to get your training in and then we're getting dinner! My treat!"
The duo hastened in their trek to the courtyard, with the Galarian wondering what was going through Nemona's mind and how she had asked him to spend time with her like that out of the blue. Specifically, time alone with just the two of them.
Kid, you might have actually just scored a date with your crush.
"Wait, what?"
You just stood up for her in a way that even she admits no one ever has before. And she just asked you to go out for a day of fun with just the two of you. That sounds like a date.
Milo's face slowly turned more and more red as the Remnant went on, and he didn't even dare chance a look at Nemona.
"There's no way! She's so far out of my League! She could have any guy in the school that she wants! Why would she be asking me out? There's got to be way cooler people than my nerdy ass to go out with?
And yet she enjoys spending time with you instead of anyone else she could be with. She obviously sees something in you that she doesn't see in other people.
"You know, you're being surprisingly nice today. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were impressed."
Oh damn, does it actually sound like that? I'll have to try harder to show my contempt.
Milo inwardly smirked at the sarcasm of the Remnant, who seemed to have earned a little respect for the Galarian after standing up to Rafael. All too soon, Nemona and Milo entered the schoolyard again and made their way to the battle court. Milo called out the team he had been planning on battling with against Team Star, with Nemona nodding in approval at the lineup.
Reggie, Cocoa, Watt, Volt, Fleur and Shelly.
Crocalor, Wooper, Pikachu, Pawmi, Steenee and Shellder.
"I can't train them up too much, but I'm thinking I could get them some more practice. Especially Volt, Fleur and Shelly." Milo explained as he gestured to the three Pokémon in turn.
"I should probably point out that I can't help you directly, as much as I would like too." Nemona remarked with a wince, rubbing the back of her head. "I was kinda banned from doing anything to Team Star."
"Really?" Milo asked, wondering who could have the authority to do that.
"Yeah, La Primera banned me from interfering with the Team Star situation. She wants Director Clavell to handle it and said that I'm not allowed to do anything that'll create an issue for the Pokémon League. Considering how much work I do for the League, they don't want me damaging my reputation. It's a stupid mess and I wish I could help…" Nemona trailed off weakly, but Milo smiled at her understandingly.
"Don't worry about it, Nemona. There's nothing stopping me from knocking those fools down a peg or twelve." Milo remarked with a casual shrug. "By the way, thanks for keeping me company these past few days, Nemona."
"You know, I actually like spending time with you, Milo." Nemona said to her friend, who looked at her and saw that the Champion looked annoyed. "I know you appreciate me, but you do a lot for me too. That's what friendship's all about, right? So please stop acting like I'm spending time with you out of pity or something, okay?"
"Y-yeah…okay. Thanks." Milo stuttered, with Nemona's usual smile coming back in full force. "It's sometimes hard to come to grips with, you know? That people actually want to spend time with me and do all this stuff for me. I feel like I don't really give a whole lot in return."
"That's nonsense. If people didn't want to spend time with you, Milo, then they wouldn't. There's no one else I'd rather have for a Rival than you." Nemona said with a fist pump. "Now, let's get to the good part! Making sure you and your team are ready to take on Team Star! Do you know which Base you're tackling first?"
Milo nodded, having made the choice days ago. "Segin Squad, the Dark Crew of Team Star. They're led by a guy named Giacomo."
"Giacomo…I remember him briefly from my super early school days." Nemona remarked, drawing Milo's attention. "He wasn't a bad guy, but he was insanely strict for no good reason. At least that's how I remember him."
"I remember Cassiopeia mentioning that the Team Star Bosses are all former students of the Academy." Milo replied, nodding his head. "What can you tell me about him?"
"Not a lot. And you'd be surprised how many students here at Naranja Academy are a part of Team Star." Nemona admitted, causing Milo to look at her in complete shock. "It's probably why they haven't all been expelled yet. There's a couple hundred students total who are a part of Team Star and live out in those wacky bases out in the countryside. Just getting rid of them all would be a terrible look for the Academy, you know?"
"Which is probably why they haven't been dealt with by the faculty. So what's Giacomo's deal, Nemona?" Milo asked his friend, who shrugged her shoulders.
"I was too busy focusing on my Gym Challenge to really pay attention to what happened at school way back when. I don't think he's been on campus for around two years now?" Nemona remarked, frowning as she thought about it.
"So tell me what you do remember." Milo said to the Champion, with Nemona nodding in response.
"He's smart, but focused way too much on rules and seemed to really enjoy the power he had in making them. I remember him shouting at me for having green highlights in my hair. I think he got some grief over it." Nemona remarked, gesturing to the streak of bright green currently in her hair before putting a hand to her chin as she struggled to recall the Team Star Boss from when he was a student at the Academy.
"How was he as a Trainer back then?" Milo asked.
"He didn't care for it, which is probably why I can't remember much of him besides the insane love of crazy strict rules. But I also don't remember him as a bad person, though. I think he had strict parents and that was what he was taught. From what I remember, he had a rough time of things before leaving the school." Nemona hummed as she thought harder, but shook her head to show that what she had said was all that she could recall.
"He's about to have an even more rough time. That goes for the clowns in Segin Squad." Milo muttered darkly, crossing his arms. "I did a bit of research online and saw that it was members of Segin Squad and Schedar Squad that crashed the pep rally. And I'm going after them first."
It's very convenient that Giacomo was your next target anyway, in terms of where you should go next. I'd be very careful in dealing with a group as big as Team Star though.
Milo considered that and sighed tiredly as he looked up towards the night sky. He was so, so angry at the mysterious group of delinquents for what they had done to Juliana. But even moreso, he was frustrated at his own emotions and how they had completely dominated his thinking the past few days.
Milo snapped out of his thoughts when something bumped into his leg, and he looked down to see Cocoa looking up at him with her usual smile. Milo smiled back at his Paldea Wooper, kneeling down to the ground as he glanced at his team. Reggie, Watt and Fluer all seemed to be looking at their Trainer with concern.
"Sorry Cocoa. You and the others must be worried, huh? I'm not acting like myself." Milo apologized to his Pokémon, shaking his head. "You and my human friends have been great these past few days. I'll bounce back and be back to normal in no time. Thank you. Now, who's ready for some training?"
"Wooo! Now that's our Milo!" Nemona cheered, with Milo's team crying out in agreement. Cocoa hopped up and down beside Milo, smiling up at him.
And then Cocoa began to glow.
Milo and Nemona gasped as the Paldean Wooper illuminated the area around them with a pure white light. Meanwhile, Cocoa's body shined a gentle blue color as she slowly elongated and expanded in size. When the glow of evolution finally faded, a new Pokémon stood in Cocoa's place.
It was a brown fish-like Pokémon with a rounded body with a darker brown coloration on top and a lighter brown color on the bottom of its body. It had small four rounded legs and a short dorsal fin on its lower back that extended into a stout bulbous tail. Six light purple spots sat in the middle of the Pokémon's back.
"Clooood!" Cocoa cried out, slapping her tail onto the ground with a heavy thump. Milo just stared at his Pokémon in amazement, stunned that she had just evolved like that.
"That's so cool! Cocoa evolved into a Clodsire!" Nemona said with an excited fist pump, marveling at the Pokémon's new form. "She must've been super close to evolving this whole time!"
"Wow…look at you! You look so strong, Cocoa!" Milo said with a genuinely delighted laugh, making the sound for the first time in days. Nemona saw the pure happiness on the teen's face as he knelt down on the ground and rubbed the Clodsire's head.
"Aww, look at you now, Cocoa! You're all big now, huh?" Milo asked Cocoa, who looked up at him with her black bead-like eyes. Did you do this just to make me feel better?"
"Clooood!" Cocoa replied as she bobbed her head up and down, wearing a wide smile. Milo pulled out his Rotom Phone and scanned his Pokémon, with the entry popping up a moment later.
"Clodsire. The Spiny Fish Pokémon and the final evolved form of Paldean Wooper. When attacked, this Pokémon will retaliate by sticking thick spines out from its body. It's a risky move that puts everything on the line." The Rotom Phone explained to Milo, who was sitting on the ground in front of his newly-evolved Pokémon. He rubbed the Clodsire's head with a big smile on his face.
"That's right. You're my big, silly girl." Milo laughed as he rubbed Cocoa's cheeks, earning another happy cry from the Clodsire. Nemona watched the exchange with a fond smile, but then she heard Milo gasp.
"Wait…Nemona. I have a plan." Milo said quietly, his eyes suddenly alight with a fire in them that Nemona hadn't seen before. But it was a fire she recognized with some familiarity. It was the excitement of learning something new about battling, a feeling Nemona knew well. And it was something that, seeing it happen with her friend, made Nemona's own heart race.
"For how you're going to fight Team Star?" Nemona questioned her friend, who continued to pat Cocoa on the head.
"I don't plan on fighting Team Star. I'm going to humble them." Milo said in a careful tone, smirking as he rubbed the head of his newly-evolved Clodsire while glancing back down at his Rotom Dex, reviewing the move-list of his Clodsire and what other moves she could learn.
"What do you have in mind? Is it good?" Nemona asked, her friend's smirk not fading.
Milo nodded, patting Cocoa on the head as the Clodsire hummed with pleasure. The younger student then stood up and looked at Nemona. "Yeah. It's underhanded as hell, but that's the point. But I'll need some practice first. Nemona, can we get some training in with Cocoa and some of the others?"
"Whatever you need. I've got your back, Milo." Nemona said to her friend, who surprised her by standing up and giving her a hug. Nemona grinned and hugged Milo back, grateful that he was bouncing back to his old self and not brooding. She trusted her friend to do the right thing when it came to Team Star, and she would do whatever she could by making sure her friend was able to unleash his full potential against the Segin Squad when Milo went to confront them.
"After all, I can't do anything directly to Team Star…but there's nothing wrong with helping my awesome friend train so that he can face them!" Nemona thought with an inward grin, separating from Milo even as the other teen blushed furiously at realizing he had done that in a courtyard with people around. Indeed, one or two students were already pointing towards the two Trainers in surprise.
"S-sorry, it's been a long week. Um, hopefully I didn't-" Milo said awkwardly, but Nemona waved aside his concerns with a bright smile.
"You're fine! Feel free to hug me whenever you'd like, Milo!" Nemona said as she did a small fist pump of excitement. Milo was somewhat taken aback by the casual response, but Nemona didn't give him time to linger on that further. "But for now, you've got some strategies in mind! What are you thinking, Milo? How can I help?"
"It'll be easier to show you than explain it." Milo responded with a grin, earning one in return from the Champion. And with that, the two Trainers began to spar with their Pokémon, matching smiles on their faces.
However, the two Trainers were unaware of the fact that they were being watched. A girl around their age with a fluffy Eevee backpack was watching them closely from behind a nearby tree, her expression troubled as she watched Milo and Nemona train under the dimming light. As the hours trickled by, the stars slowly emerged from behind the clouds in the night sky to twinkle above the two Trainers.
Milo's Current Party:
Reggie (Crocalor) M - Tera Fire
Watt (Shiny Pikachu) F - Tera Electric
Cocoa (Clodsire) F - Tera Ground
Fleur (Steenee) F - Tera Dark
Shelly (Shellder) F - Tera Fighting
Volt (Pawmi) F -Tera Steel
Benched/PC Storage:
Storm (Wattrel) F - Tera Flying
Floom (Shiny Drifloon) M - Tera Ghost
Fiona (Flittle) F - Tera Grass
Bronson (Barbcoach) M - Tera Fire
Smith (Applin) M - Tera Water
Momo (Skwovet) M - Tera Steel
Donut (Fidough) F - Tera Ice
Echo (Toxel) F - Tera Ice
Graveyard:
Pepper (Maschiff) F - Tera Poison
Sparky (Pawmi) M - Tera Electric
Victor (Venonat) M - Tera Electric
Another evolution has happened, Milo's stopped brooding and Florian/Nemona ship is officially sailing. It's more of a slow-burn than it seems, so don't think I'll have them being an official couple by the time Milo battles Larry or something.
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
Remind me again, why did things with team star wind up like this in the present? It really does seem like they could've been dealt with before. There was something about the old school administration, right? Because it really doesn't seem like anyone is actually trying to help the situation besides Clavel and I get that it's complicated but come on.
That's explained in the main story, but I also don't want to spoil that for those who happen to be reading this without knowing the events of the story. I can PM you an answer for that if you want, but it does have to do with the faculty of the administration from before Clavell and additional factors that are present both in the actual story and ones I'll introduce to flesh things out.
Such as having such a large portion of the student body being in Team Star and the complications of expelling several hundred students from your school. That's not just something you can do without major pushback.
From: General C
At least everyone's ok... For the most part. Anyway, got a brief question for ya. I know DLC is planned, but what about Mochi Mayhem?
I absolutely plan on covering both the Teal Mask and the Indigo Disc respectively, as well as Mochi Mayhem and some of the ID post-game. I'll likely end the story shortly after that post-game stuff with my own Finale and Epilogue for the story.
Big shoutout to those who reviewed since the last chapter, which includes SolanaLeonhart, General C, a Guest reviewer and BraviaryScout. Thank you so much for your support!
Additional shoutout goes out to chrisD .Rose and weridajax for favoriting and following the story!
Also, a super-special-awesome shoutout to General C, who dropped the 100th review for "Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet". We're in triple digits now for reviews! Woooo! And if anyone gets the earlier reference I made in this paragraph, then you get five stars!
That's all for now folks. Thanks as always for reading and supporting the story. Reviews are always appreciated and I answer questions as well. If you haven't favorited and/or followed the story yet, please do! I also upload on AO3 if that's your jam!
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!