Show-Off
-III-
Crocodile Cooler



It was the night before the Olivine Contest, and Milo was contently sitting in the coolest bar in Olivine City - Starboard Sixty. Filled with nautical décor, given a slightly modern, hip twist, it was where a lot of the cool people spent their time, and even Jasmine had sometimes been spotted here.

This was where Milo was in his last hours before bed - he found the hotel a bit bare and lifeless, and despite the price Meredith was paying for him to stay there, he only went there to sleep. He had explored Olivine during the days and had been sending both Ruby and Medicham to Noize, the salon his mother recommended. However when they tried giving Medicham a facial, the wily monkey unleashed a telekinetic blast and fled. It took Milo the remainder of that afternoon to track her down, and while Jake had found it amusing, Paulo was furious.

The Arcanine, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the lavish attention, and Ruby spent each day receiving treatment from Paulo to keep herself nourished and beautiful. Milo and Medicham would spend this time training, focusing on their battle skills for the approaching contest. He gave his two Pokemon a pep talk regarding the next day, and had to recall the Pokemon into their balls, as Pokemon were not permitted to be out in bars.

“Can I join you?”

Milo looked up to see a girl standing by the bar, not far from him. She was slim, with wavy caramel hair and a silk dress. She had a colourful drink adorned with fruits and ice, sipping it. Milo smiled and indicated for her to come over, furrowing his brow.

“Do I know you?” he asked, taken in by her warm eyes.

“I don’t think so, no,” the girl said, setting herself in a seat and resting her drink. “My name is Eva. I recently took over my sister’s Gym here.”

“That’s it,” Milo said, scanning her with his eyes. “You look a lot like Jasmine.”

“Oh, thank you,” Eva said, smiling. “Well Jas took up coordinating full time. She didn’t like juggling the two, and the Gym Reclassification gave her the chance to move on.”

“I’m pleased for her,” Milo said warmly, vaguely recalling the Gym Leader‘s passion for contests.

“So what brings you to Olivine, erm…”

“Milo,” replied the boy. She gave a curt nod. “I’m competing in the contest tomorrow.”

“Oh cool,” replied Eva. “I’m going to be there because Jas is judging it. Giving support, you know. I never really enjoyed contests.”

“Hmm,” Milo murmured. He didn’t want to admit to this pretty young girl that he, too, loathed the immaculation and precision of contests. Now he had to act the part, as if he were a proper coordinator. “So what theme is the Olivine Gym under the Reclassification?”

“It’s the Defence Gym,” Eva said proudly.

“And what sort of Pokemon do you use?” Milo asked, keen to know more about the transformation. Eva smiled.

“I can’t divulge that information,” she laughed. Milo smirked. “You might raise an army to defeat my team. I train a lot of Pokemon that all specialise in high defence.”

“I like a challenge,” Milo replied.

“Come to the Gym then,” replied Eva, toying with Milo as she slurped her drink. While Milo would loved to have demolished this girl’s team with his league favourites, he knew that the combined efforts of Medicham and Ruby would not be enough - especially after Ruby’s ‘emergency grooming’ following the casual match with Tauros. Milo soaked in the silence momentarily, and hastily changed the conversation.

“What are you drinking?”

“It’s a Crocodile Cooler,” replied the girl, showing the bright drink to Milo. “Try it.”

“I’ll stick to beer,” Milo said, making a beeline for his pint. Eva gave a fake shudder.

“Beer? Urgh. Horrible drink.”

“You hate beer?” Milo asked, pulling a face.

“Well yes…“ Eva said. She saw Milo’s expression and drew a sharp breath. “But you needn’t pull that face! I can’t believe you hate cocktails. Olivine has got the coolest drinking spots in Johto!”

“There’s a tavern in Cianwood I’m a bit more fond of,” Milo said, looking around the inside of Starboard Sixty. He saw a Moose Head wearing a snorkel and rolled his eyes. “It’s much less gimmicky.”

“Do you cheer up after a few beers?” asked Eva, causing Milo to start laughing.

“I’m plenty cheery,” he said, in a mock-argument tone. “And I promise by the end of the night I will have you chugging beer like a pro.”

“And who says I’m staying here all night?” asked Eva coyly. Milo raised his glass.

“Well I certainly am,” he said. “Isn’t that enough?”

Eva smiled.

*

Some hours later and Milo awoke with a start. Blinking to adjust to the sudden bursts of sunlight piercing the windows, he found that he was not in fact in his hotel. The walls were lilac, the room unfamiliar. A sharp stabbing sensation in his temples told him he had drunk too much. Smacking his lips together and swallowing, the taste of beer and hops echoed in his throat. The new Gym Leader of Olivine City lay next to him, fast asleep. Spying his clothes in a pile on the floor, Milo had a sudden thought.

The Contest.

It was today! Milo cursed as he peeled the covers back and slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake Eva. He grabbed a Pokeball and rolled it across the floor. It opened quietly, and Medicham materialised. Taking a quick look around the room, she rolled her eyes, perhaps knowing the drill here, and held a hand up as Milo, clad only in boxer shorts, rose a few feet from the air. With her other hand, Medicham flicked the two socks from the floor and guided them onto Milo’s feet. Next, her hand raked across the room as the discarded t-shirt rose, diving over to Milo and sliding over his head. As his arms wriggled into the sleeves, Medicham directed the jeans onto his legs and lowered him back to the ground.
There was a noise; looking to the bed, Milo saw Eva turn in her sleep. Hastily doing up his zip, Milo made sure he had Arcanine and Medicham’s Pokeballs, and held Medicham’s shoulder.

“Quickly,” he said. “Teleport to the Contest Hall.”

“Morning,” came a groggy moan from Eva, who opened her eyes and looked up. Medicham placed her hand on top of Milo’s, and in a mere second the two were whisked away from the house. Eva rubbed her eyes, wondering if she had just imagined a boy disappearing from her bedroom.

Meanwhile, in the town centre, Milo popped into existence and stumbled forward. He fell into the wall of a narrow alleyway as Medicham crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t give me that look,” Milo rasped, dusting himself off and walking onto the open street. The walk to the Contest Hall was short; Medicham evidently knew where to take him. Wondering if he would see Eva today (she mentioned Jasmine was judging, and wanted to show support), Milo felt that his brief fumble the night before could seriously affect his chances in the contest. Nevertheless, he walked into the Contest Hall, opening the doors and feeling the cool breeze from the air-con blast down his neck. He approached the desk, seeing the wide-eyed, alert lady standing there rigidly. She had the telephone clasped tightly in her hand, pressing it to her ear.

“Sheldon I told you I needed you to tape ‘How Clean is Your House’. This week’s episode is filmed in Ecruteak city, that’s near us! I want to see what the houses are like in Ecruteak, since you won’t take me there for a day trip!”

“Erm, excuse me?” Milo said, aware he was running late as he recalled Medicham. “I’m here to participate in the Contest.”

“ONE MINUTE,” she mouthed, holding up a long, spindly finger. “Sheldon I am close to breaking point…well I would ask Vicky but she was let go last week. I told you this. Credit crunch, isn’t it! Well we can still go to the expensive supermarket. Just when its busy, so people can see us there. Anyway Delia and Gordon need their cereal and don’t skimp on the grapefruit quarters!”

Slamming the phone down, she blew the hair from her face and blinked rapidly.

“Hello,” she replied in a sudden, warm tone.

“Yes, hi, I’m here to compete in the contest.”

“You are?” she asked.

“Yes,” Milo said crisply.

“OK!” the lady yelled jovially, swiping Milo’s card into the computer and bringing up his file. “Right Milo! You are entrant number 08. The Lounge is just around the back - that’s where the coordinators are all relaxing before they are called on.”

“Ok,” Milo said. His Pokemon were scanned and appeared to be healthy and in fine condition. The lady thanked Milo and wished him good luck, before tending to someone else. Milo walked through the gathering crowds and went through a door for coordinators only. Inside, there were a group of people tending to their Pokemon, brushing them, hanging out with them, or mingling with each other as a large screen showed the introduction to the judges for the contest.

Milo could see the beautiful French girl Gina arguing with her dogsbody as someone was doing her hair. She slipped into a casual conversation with a reporter during this time.

“Yess, thees contest wil be my tuffest yet,” she proclaimed.

“And how do you find contests compared to the catwalk?” asked the reporter.

“Jusst as demanding!” she cried. Milo, realising she was a model, was further infatuated by her beauty.

“I know EXACTLY what you’re thinking,” said a girl next to Milo. She was an overweight, round girl, but with a warm-looking face and slightly worried eyes. “Gina Gourmante, the most amazing model in Johto…HERE. She makes me look hideous.”

“Don’t blame her,” Milo said indifferently, noticing the smell of wet dog.

“My name is Nanette,” the girl said, holding out a hand. Milo scanned her before turning his attention back to the screen. “This is my second contest.”

“My first,” Milo murmured.

“Only your first? But you seem so calm,” the girl replied. “I’m really worried. Gina Gourmante makes everyone else look so rubbish. I wish I’d worn a different top.”

“Your Pokemon gets judged, not you,” Milo reminded her.

“Oh you’re right, but it still worries me so much. I got so lost on the way here…”

Tuning out the girl’s moaning, Milo looked on the screen and saw number 3 already being called out - a boy who sent out a Manectric. He began commanding it to leap and dive across the arena as it emitted flashes of golden sparks. The appeal was interesting, to say the least, ending in Manectric discharging a bolt of blue lightning from his cone-like head.

The screen showed the judges giving their scores. The first judge, the mayor of Olivine, gave the appeal 6.8, citing it as illuminating and exciting. The next judge awarded the boy with a 7.0. Milo watched as the third judge was revealed to be Jasmine, the ex Gym Leader and sister of Milo’s drunken conquest the previous night.

“That was a very nice appeal, James,” Jasmine said kindly. “You know I love electric types deep down. You showed off Manectric’s speed and electric attacks very well. I’m giving you an 8.0”

James’s score was counted up and displayed as 21.8 out of a possible 30. He left the stage, as the MC had a quick chat with Jasmine and they discussed her new contest career. Jasmine explained that her younger sister, and new leader of the Gym, Eva, was now accepting challenges at the new Defence Gym. Next came a coordinator who was using an Oddish, leaving Milo rather disinterested.

“What number are you?” asked a man. Milo looked to see a handsome man in his thirties, wearing a navy suit and white shirt.

“Eight,” Milo replied.

“Ah. Twelve here,” he replied, sitting down next to Milo.

“I was one of the last to enter,” Milo said. “I don’t get why I’m earlier than you.”

“There was someone else who was number eight,” the man muttered, thinking for a minute. “He left before the contest started though. I guess they’d rather fill his spot than tack you on at the end. I’m Charlie.”

“Milo,” he replied, shaking the man’s hand. “You do this often?”

“Contests?” Charlie asked. “Not over here. I’m from Kanto, but I’m in Olivine on business. I’m trying to win a ribbon for my little girl.”

“No chance,” Milo replied. “That thing is mine.”

Charlie gave a patronising laugh and polished a Pokeball. The Oddish trained fled the stage in tears after her Pokemon began exhibiting a rather odd smell, receiving a terrible score. The next trainer to really intrigue Milo was a cute young girl who ran onto the stage and released her Pokemon - a pink Koffing. Smirking at the ugly Pokemon, Milo was shocked when the trainer ordered a sweet scent, causing coils of thick, bubblegum-blue powder to waft from the Pokemon’s pores. They swirled like candyfloss into dream-like shapes, before the Koffing then used a Charm attack to blast bright, pink hearts through the sugary-scent.

“Check that out,” Milo said, to nobody in particular. “How did she get her Koffing to learn those moves?”

“That’s what coordinators do,” Charlie told Milo. “It might not be the best appeal, but everyone’s going to be talking about the Pink Koffing.”

It turned out that the judges highly applauded the girl’s inventive appeal, and she came away with a total score of 22.2. Milo looked to see number seven being called up - looks like he was going up next. It also looked as if number seven was Gina, as she got up, swept past everyone and made her way to the stage, gripping a Pokeball readily. Ignoring Charlie, Milo looked at the screen.

“We are very honoured to have with us this afternoon Miss Gina Gourmante, appealing as coordinator number seven!” cried the MC. She was an athletic looking girl with lots of pep. Gina stepped out to a deafening round of applause from the crowd - some people even had banners and flags with her name and picture on. Milo was shocked.

“Zeel, I choos you!” she cried, hurling the ball high into the air and releasing her big, furry Seel. It landed on the ground and clapped its fins happily, getting a great reaction from the audience. “Beegin! Aqua Jet!”

Nodding, Seel was propelled high into the air by a torpedo-like jet of water. It sent him like a bottle rocket into the air, where he flipped and somersaulted for the crowd.

“Now, ice shard!”

Nodding, the Pokemon arched down and blasted a jet of thick icy chips straight to the ground. The jagged shards all stuck, in a circular pattern, into the floor as Seel landed in the centre. Gina ordered Seel to then use aurora beam, and the Pokemon, as it blasted the bright, rainbow beam of icy moisture, span around so as to direct the light into the various iced stones surrounding it. To finish the appeal, as the icy shards glowed with powerful aura, Seel blasted a delicate jet of water directly up, in the vain of a fountain.

Rapturous applause broke out as Milo watched, impressed, and the buzz around the lounge area grew. Gina stood with Seel as she heard her scores.

“Fantastic appeal from you Gina,” said the Mayor. “9.0.”

Gina nodded politely as the second judge gave his score - 9.0. Gina smiled happily as Jasmine surveyed her for a minute.

“I loved it,” she said, grinning and giving her a 9.5, resulting in 27.5. Gina gave a beaming smile as Seel waved to the audience. Milo got up and walked behind the stage, waiting for his name to be called out as Gina recalled Seel and strode calmly off the stage.

“That was good,” Milo said weakly, as Gina passed.

“I know,” she replied, not even looking at him as she went. Shocked, Milo heard his name and number called out and strode purposefully onto the stage. Straight away he scanned all the faces of the audience and, being used to stadiums where he couldn’t make out any faces at all, was slightly shaken by the surge of people looking at him.

Sweaty fingers clasped around his Pokeball and Milo cleared his throat.

“Ruby!” he yelled, hurling it forward. “Take to the stage!”

In a burst of bright light, Ruby landed on the arena, placing her paws down on the ground. Instantly, Milo zoned in on a particular audience member - Eva. She sat near the front, looking irritated. Milo cleared his throat and commenced the battle.

“Er…go for an extreme speed!” Milo called. Nodding, Ruby bolted through the air in a silvery streak. “Unleash fire!”

Flames were released from her jaws, and they trailed behind her, cloaking her form, making her look like a scarlet and red blur. On Milo’s command, Ruby blasted out golden stars that trailed behind her as she ran around the arena. The judges looked impressed, and following on with the appeal, Ruby leapt high into the air and span around wildly, whisking the flames into a huge ball and sending them back down to the arena, where they whooshed outwards in a tremendous display. Landing deftly, Ruby faced the crowd as they applauded keenly.

“A wonderful performance,” Jasmine noted. “Arcanine worked seamlessly with her flames and the whole thing worked well. I give you a 9.0.”

“Thanks,” Milo said. Jasmine didn’t seem to recognize him, but, thinking about it, she will have battled countless trainers in the last year. The second judge, whom Milo didn’t know, spoke.

“An enjoyable appeal, yes,” he said stiffly. “7.8.”

Milo thought that seemed a bit low, due to his comments. He said nothing.

“Good coordination between yourself and Arcanine,” said the Mayor of Olivine. “I liked the style of the appeal. I’m giving you a 9.0.”

That made a total score of 25.8. The audience applauded as Milo walked off the stage, basking in the shadowy backstage area, free from all the people staring and anticipating. Concerned that wasn’t high enough to progress, Milo was oddly miserable, sitting down as Arcanine placed her head on his lap.

“You did great,” he said quietly, stroking her fur. She closed her eyes dreamily. “Mum would be proud.”

Ruby nodded. Milo saw Gina tending to an impressive-looking Ampharos. The girl with the pink Koffing was looking at the ribbons in her case - she had two others. The man named Charlie eventually went up to appeal, using a Solrock. The large, eerie Pokemon glowed with a faint, sparkling light as it spewed and manipulated snakes of flame like mythical dragons. He got a good score, higher than Milo’s. Throughout the appeal stage, Milo was deep in thought. His sister, and even his mother before her, competed in these tirelessly. It was exciting seeing what people were doing, but ultimately, Milo hated standing around.

“Cheer up,” came a voice. Milo looked up to see Jake, the boy from the salon, standing by the door.

“Why does everyone think I’m grumpy,” Milo said, albeit in a frustrated, grumpy tone. “Are you competing?”

“No, I got the day off to see the contest,” Jake said. “Paolo is doing my head in. Hey, Ruby was really good, Milo.”

“How did you get back here?” the boy asked..

“I said I was the personal groomer of a contest Pokemon,” the boy joked. “You ok?”

“Yea, just bored,” Milo sighed. “It’s weird not seeing you sweeping the floor or being behind that desk.”

“I can live without that salon,” Jake said. “I love watching contests. I heard Gina Gourmante is here, too?”

“Yup,” Milo said, pointing to the girl as she shone her Ampharos’s jewel on its tail. Jake let out a squeal as Milo, bored, fumbled around with Medicham’s Pokeball. On the stage, a boy did an inventive appeal with a Spinarak, using its string to accurately depict the Battle of Hastings.

“She’s so amazing,” gushed Jake. The Spinarak kid left the stage and the scores were all put together. The top four were placed up with the pictures from their contest pass, and those four would face off in battles to decide the best coordinator.

“Oooh, it’s announcement time!” Jake said, gripping Milo’s arm. Milo shook him off.

Looking, he saw Charlie, Gina and the Koffing trainer’s pictures appear, as well as the terrible picture of his own face.

“You got through!” Jake yelled.

“I saw,” Milo grumbled, not appreciating the boy’s loudness. The pictures were paired up, showing Milo had to battle Charlie if he wanted to advance to the finals. Milo exchanged a look with the cocky, suited man, who smirked. There was a brief interval while the stage was cleared for the next rounds; Milo and Jake took two minutes to go outside and get a bit of fresh air, this being an ideal opportunity for people to have a cigarette or go to the toilet.

“How do you feel about facing that guy?” Jake asked, leaning against the wall.

“Fine,” Milo said. “He seems to be all talk. His appeal was quite good though.”

Jake murmured a response, looking at his phone. He looked slightly cross, deleting something and putting his phone back in his pocket.

“So you got any advice?” Milo asked. “I know I have to be stylish and stuff in this battle.”

“Combo’s are good,” Jake said. “Just don’t treat it like a Gym Battle.”

“Ok,” said Milo. Medicham was battling, and she was good for the job. Milo wanted to work on her elemental punches, and reminded himself that he should do that the next day. He spent a few more minutes taking in gulps of fresh air, before Jake left to take his seat and the interval drew to a close.

“Look who it is!” came a voice. Milo turned to see a cold-looking Eva storming over.

“Hey you,” Milo said cheekily. She narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t be all sweet you creep,” Eva snapped.

“What’s wrong with you?” Milo asked, keeping an innocent façade while knowing full well what was bothering the Gym Leader.

“You just disappeared this morning!” Eva yelled.

“I had to get to the contest - I’m competing,” Milo explained. “Got my semi-final match in a second.”

“Do you have any idea how cheap I feel?” the girl said, looking hurt. You couldn’t even say goodbye and leave. No, no, you have to fucking TELEPORT out my room!”

“I’m really sorry,” Milo replied. Eva shook her head.

“I was so stupid to stay out all night,” she muttered. “If I told Jas about this, you’d have got nothing more than 1.0 in that appeal, you do know that?”

“So why didn’t you tell her,” Milo asked, staring the girl in the eyes. Eva hesitated.

“Because…I like you,” she said suddenly. “You’re a…nice guy. I don’t want to be so cruel.”

“Look, I left without a word this morning, that wasn’t right,” Milo admitted.. “Eva, I‘m sorry for the way that made you feel.”

The girl‘s narrowed eyes softened slightly.

“I’m planning on winning this contest, so I really do need to go. But if you come into Starboard Sixty tonight, there’ll be a Crocodile Cooler waiting for you.”

Smiling, Eva assured Milo she would be in the area, and explained that she wanted to see her sister judging, and due to a Gym challenge would have to duck out early. Wishing him good luck, she walked off, waving softly.. Milo bode her farewell and went backstage again, where he saw that his battle against Charlie was first.

“Milo?” came a voice. A PR-type lady addressed Milo, consulting his name on a list. “If you could make your way onto the arena please?”

“Yea, yea,” Milo said, walking past the other coordinators.

“Good luck!” came the voice of Nanette, the overweight girl.

“Thanks,” Milo murmured.

“I can’t believe you got a better score than me,” rasped a well-spoken boy.

“Deal with it,” snapped Milo, as he walked onto the stage to a rapturous applause. The MC for the contest introduced Milo, who stood on one side of the arena, which was a simple painted area for them to battle, with the usual markings around the perimeter and split across the middle. Charlie walked out onto the stage, too, receiving similar levels of admiration from the crowd. His suit looked so smart, and he seemed so relaxed as he waved to someone in the stands and straightened his tie, standing opposite Milo.

“Coordinators, please pay attention to the following rules, from the Johto Contest Guidelines,” the MC said sternly. “The match will last five minutes. It is a singles match, requiring a different Pokemon than one used in the first round. You must battle your opponent with style and grace, displaying the natural characters of your Pokemon while attacking your opponent. An Appeal Gauge, on the scoreboard, displays each Pokemon’s appeal. Being struck by particularly effective contest combos, or attacks lacking in accuracy or grace will result in a loss of points. The winner is the coordinator whose Pokemon has the highest Appeal Gauge of the two or, if a Pokemon is knocked out, the surviving Pokemon is the winner. Do you both understand the rules?”

“Yes,” said Milo, hearing Charlie say the same. The MC raised her hands.

“BEGIN!”

Milo gripped Medicham’s Pokeball and plucked it from his belt. In a quick motion he hurled it across the arena, noting Charlie did the same. In a bright flash of light Medicham emerged onto the arena, and a subsequent picture of her appeared on the screen. Milo caught the ball as Charlie’s Pokemon, a Charmeleon, roared loudly.

“Charmeleon, ember shower!” called Charlie. As the flame on its tail burned brighter, Charmeleon span around wildly, causing a flaming streak to circle around him. The tail burning higher and higher, rogue embers began bursting from the flame and tearing across the arena due to the sheer speed at which the fire-type was spinning. Looking at the foe, who resembled a meteor shower, Medicham held her hands out and used her telekinesis to try and stop the onslaught. The surge was too much, however, and she lost her focus, causing her to lose points on the Appeal Gauge.

“Damnit!” Milo cried. “Get in there with a thunder punch!”

Medicham nodded and sped along the arena, fist held out as it buzzed with frenzied voltage. As Charmeleon stopped spinning, he gripped his tail and swung the flame-end like a dangerous mace. Before he could strike though, Medicham slugged him across the face with the electrified punch. Reeling from the pain, jaw twitching, Charmeleon growled.

Milo noticed that Charmeleon, despite being hit by such a strong attack, didn’t lose much on his gauge, probably due to the battle-orientated nature of the assault. Recalling his battle with his sister at home, Milo remembered the defining moment when Medicham made a combo using shadow ball, and thought attacks of this nature would work much better.

“Ok Medicham, levitate using telekinesis,” Milo ordered. By projecting a force down upon the ground, psychic Pokemon such as Medicham were able to force themselves up into the air. The crowd looked impressed by Medicham, levitating effortlessly. “Now go in for a high jump kick!”

Speeding along the arena like superwoman, Medicham’s command over her psychic powers were impressive. Charmeleon flexed his claws as Medicham got nearer, but Milo had other plans.

“Now, lower your telekinesis. High Jump kick off the ground!”

Medicham leapt from her flying-pose, feet pressing into the ground and launching herself high up into the air, where she did a somersault on the ascent. In mid-air, Medicham flung a Shadow Ball out from her palms; the initially small orb got bigger as it sped down, guided by gravity, crackling with shadows as it exploded over Charmeleon’s head.

“Yes!” Milo yelled, as Medicham teleported back to her side of the arena. Charmeleon staggered, losing a lot from his Appeal Gauge.

“Charmeleon, Flare Blitz!” yelled Charlie. Charmeleon nodded and dived forward, bursting into flame and skidding along the arena like he was on a skating rink. Flames trailing behind him, the burning figure extended his fiery claws and sped towards Medicham. Milo watched the fire and smiled.

“Psychic to manipulate the flame. Then send Charmeleon back.”

With one hand held up, Medicham directed the flames surrounding Charmeleon to whip up into the air, curling into a scorching orb of flame burning like a miniature sun. Charmeleon leapt at Milo’s Pokemon, who used her other hand to launch the Pokemon back through the air, where he landed on his back with a thud. Wielding the large fireball, Medicham hurled it forward, where it exploded around Charmeleon and, due to the complexity of the attack, caused Charmeleon to lose a lot more points.

“Keep it up!” Milo told his Pokemon, who nodded. The timer was ticking now, and there wasn’t long left, but Milo was enjoying the mischievous, strategic element of battle.

Charlie ordered a flamethrower; the jet of fire shot into Medicham, who was caught off guard. She shook the damage off, conjuring up another thunder punch and racing through the air. Charmeleon leapt forward with a slash, the two Pokemon clashing in the middle of the arena, with claws raking Medicham’s face as she slugged Charmeleon in the stomach. Rolling back, the Pokemon leapt up. Medicham rose to her feet and stared at the foe.

“Go in for another slash!” Charlie ordered. Charmeleon leapt at Medicham, but with a lazy flick of her hand the Pokemon was hoisted up into the air by his tail, hovering in the middle of the arena. Milo and Medicham glared at the dangling Charmeleon as seconds trickled away.

“Use psychic to manipulate his flame,” Milo said firmly. Medicham twisted her wrist and clenched her fingers; squeezing the air she caused Charmeleon’s flame to burn brighter and brighter, coiling it around the suspended lizard as it hung like a burning chandelier. The crowd watched on, impressed, as Charmeleon was made to become the centrepiece for the arena.

“Swift!” Milo ordered. A flurry of golden stars sped through the air, spiralling around the large cone of fire and grazing at Charmeleon from within. Applause rang out as Charmeleon’s meter continued to drop, and the timer finally reached zero.

“TIME!” cried the MC, raising her hands. Medicham dropped Charmeleon on cue, where he smashed into the ground, limbs splayed.. “That was a fantastic battle guys, let’s see what the judges have to say!”

“An intense match,” the Mayor told Milo and Charlie. “Milo, you and Medicham battled with purpose, and aptly displayed the qualities of your Pokemon. From the start you led the match and never gave in. Well done.”

“Yes, well done Milo,” the man in the middle said - Milo had no clue who he was, but lapped up the complements. “Charlie, while Charmeleon got the lower score, you still demonstrated a great deal of control and precision over his fire attacks.”

“Thank you,” mumbled Charlie, looking diminished at his loss. Jasmine took a deep breath.

“Well I thought Milo played dirty,” she said, to a shock reaction from the audience. “Telekinesis was used over and over; you didn’t explore Medicham’s fighting attacks as much as you could have. You simply tossed Charmeleon around very effortlessly.”

“What a load of shit!” Milo called. The MC raised her voice.

“Now, now, we’ve heard what the judges have to say,” she said cautiously. “But we all know the match comes down to the highest score! With the higher Appeal Gauge, Milo Mitchelson goes onto the finals! Congratulations!”

Milo gave a gasp, smiling broadly as it sank in. He knew he had gotten through when the match was halted, but hearing it said, and seeing the crowd cheer wildly made everything seem so real. Intense excitement rushed through his body, in his blood…and Milo left the stage with Medicham.

In the relaxation room, many of the coordinators stayed to watch the finals, and applauded Milo as he entered. As the stage was being cleared, Milo saw highlights being shown on the big screen, and was impressed at the visual displays he created with Medicham.

“We did a good job,” he assured his Pokemon, who nodded as she sat down; a nurse came along and sprayed Medicham with a healing spray, tending to cuts and the like while she recovered.

“I can see why Mom and Mi like these things,” Milo said. “It was so funny when you just manipulated the flames from Flare Blitz and hurled them into Charmeleon.

Charlie came over to where Milo sat.

“Good luck in the finals,” he said warmly.

“Thanks man,” Milo replied, shaking Charlie’s hand. “I liked your Charmeleon.”

“Thanks,” Charlie replied.

“I guess I might see you in another contest somewhere,” Milo muttered, but Charlie held his hand up to silence him.

“I’m flying to Celadon city tomorrow morning, so I won’t be in anymore Johto contests,” he explained. Milo nodded.

“Well when you see your little girl, and she asks where her ribbon is,” Milo said. “Tell her I have it.”

Shocked by Milo’s cockiness, Charlie said his goodbyes and left the Contest Hall. Not long after Milo was relaxing, he was ushered back onto the stage for the finals match, where he learned he would be facing successful model Gina Gourmante.

“Good work,” said Jake, who had appeared backstage again. “That was amazing!”

“I know,” Milo said, smirking.

“I liked it when you used psychic to manipulate Charmeleon’s flames,” he said. “That was clever.”

“Thanks, thanks,” said Milo, enjoying the praise from the stylist.

“I’ll see you after the contest!” Jake cried.

*

Standing on his side of the battle area, Milo looked at Gina Gourmante as she strode over, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes. The French model had undergone a costume change since the appeal stage, now wearing an ocean blue dress with a set of shocking pink pearls. Her shoes matched her pearls, and she had a whopping ring on her finger.

“Please welcome the challengers onto the arena!” called the MC. The crowd were cheering and applauding, some waving large banners of support for Gina. She gave a fickle wave to the fans, smiling. Milo’s eyes locked onto hers, anticipating a smile, but she ignored him.

“The rules are as standard. You must each select a Pokemon. You must battle for five minutes and, if a winner is not decided in that time, the highest appeal gauge will decide the winner. Good luck, both of you.”

A timer popped on the large plasma screen.

“BEGIN!”

“Medicham go,” Milo said, unleashing his monkey. She leapt out the ball as white light expanded from the clasp; readying herself for the match, she observed Gina kiss her Pokeball’s top and spin it through the air. From the similar flash of light, a large, yellow Pokemon emerged. It had a glowin orb atop its tail and two large, cone shaped ears. This was Ampharos.

“Medicham use shadow ball,” came the first command. Hands held close, Medicham pulled fizzing tendrils of shadow from the atmosphere, melding them into a flesh-like lump of swirling colour. Ampharos was just standing there as sparks danced along her fine fur. The sparks simply generated and clashed amongst one another, leaving Ampharos open.

Medicham pulled one hand away and, with the other, hurled the ball through the air. At that precise moment, Ampharos’s tail glowed with an intense white; bursts of brilliantly pure light were emitted from her tail, and as Ampharos ran left and right sporadically, the shadow ball flittered off into the wall.

“A clever use of charge and flash to really expand on the illumination!” gasped the MC. Medicham was staggering with confusion, bright lights popping up in her line of vision. As she rubbed her sore eyes, Ampharos leapt out of nowhere and swung a flaming punch into Medicham’s jaw.

“Hey!” Milo snapped, his Pokemon rolling along the ground. “Medicham, use mind reader.”

Nodding, she closed her eyes and felt for presence around her. Using her mind, she was causing the air around her to ripple and tweak with applied pressure. Ampharos clenched her fists as she unleashed a spearing bolt of lightening through the air. As it sped along, nearing Medicham, her sudden alertness allowed her to leap to the side and roll, turning to see the bolt char the ground. Ampharos lost points on his appeal gauge.

“Now use psychic,” ordered Milo. Holding her hand forward, Medicham grasped Ampharos in place. She began levitating him off the ground carefully, applying more force when she writhed and struggled. Gina watched calmly as her Pokemon rose higher into the air.

Medicham’s eyes were narrowed as she stared coldly at the hapless Ampharos. Milo’s muscles were tensed as he eagerly watched Ampharos’s Appeal Gauge slide further and further down - being unable to counter the attack was costing him points.

“Amphy!” Gina cried. “Shock wave!”

Sparks fizzed and buzzed along Ampharos’s golden fur as they jumped along the Pokemon’s body. A sudden burst of lightening exploded off his fur and swept out across the arena in a dangerously wide radius. Milo knew shock wave was an attack that rarely missed, and that, despite being physically imprisoned, Ampharos could expel attacks easily. The attack smashed into Medicham and hurtled her across the arena as Ampharos fell from the grip, taking damage but finally being free from the telekinetic grip. Medicham began to get up, looking at Milo and wondering what to do next. They didn’t need to think long, for Gina was giving out the next command.

“Ampharos use flash and iron tail!”

Charging across the arena, Ampharos swung his tail around as a bright light shone from it. Medicham shielded her eyes slightly, but when the light became too intense she closed her eyes and simply waited, using her mind reader ability to predict where the opponent was going to strike. Due to flash failing to disorient Medicham, the appeal gauge slithered down. Medicham was unable to accurately perceive where Ampharos was, and the long, shimmering tail thwacked her in the face. Blood burst from her mouth but she did not utter a sound, refusing to let her opponent indulge in her pain. She swung a karate chop around but Ampharos blocked it.

Milo’s eyes scanned the big screen; he was doing ok. Medicham’s bar was slightly higher than Ampharos’s.

“Levitate,” he ordered, recalling the technique he used against Charlie. Hands expelling telekinetic energy against the ground, Medicham rose up about a foot off the air, narrowly (and, it should be said, accidentally) missing a thunderbolt aimed by Ampharos.

“Now, go in for a high jump kick!” Milo yelled, watching his Pokemon speed through the air. Ampharos screwed his tiny black eyes up and clenched his fists, expelling another burst of lightening. Medicham dropped her psychic prowess, using her feet to pounce off the ground as she dropped and launching high into the air.

“Shadow Ball!”

Hands crackling wildly, Medicham moulded together a shadow ball and hurled the fizzing orb down at Ampharos. In quick retaliation, the Pokemon swung her tail around and smashed apart the shadow ball, causing escaped strips of darkness to squirm back into the air.

There wasn’t much time left. Ampharos raced forward with a fire punch, but Medicham swung under the punch and chopped the large yellow Pokemon across the neck. As the foe fell backwards Medicham flicked her hand up; Ampharos rose into the air slowly. Medicham then forced her palm down, causing the Pokemon to smash into the ground.

“Brutal!” Gina scoffed. “Amphy, thunder!”

Medicham lifted Ampharos up again, as the Pokemon began charging up energy. Slamming the opponent into the ground again, Medicham watched as the sparks dancing on Ampharos’s body began jumping and fizzling, rising up from her body like a gigantic bolt of lightening. Milo saw this.

“Use one hand to hold Ampharos down,” he urged.

Hand aching with the intense concentration, Medicham focused hard as the huge, cataclysmic electric entity surged through the air.

“Use your other hand to repel the attack!” shouted Milo. Eyes jerking up, Medicham held her hand out, applying telekinesis to halt the oncoming attack. The bolt froze, the occasional rogue spark leaping into the air or peeling away from the gigantic attack. Time trickled down as Ampharos lay there under Medicham’s hold.

But Medicham was struggling. Sweat slid down her forehead as her eyes flickered from the exhausted Ampharos, pinned down, to the large swarm of sparks mere feet from her face. Holding both off, and diverting her psychic powers was consuming her. She began gasping and exhaling large gulps of air.

Milo knew that he was asking too much. Medicham was clearly strained from the dual attention.

“Focus entirely on keeping the thunder away,” he commanded. Nodding, Medicham flicked her wrist and left Ampharos unhindered on the floor. She brought her other hand up to grasp the oncoming lightening, furrowing her brow slightly. With a heave, the thunder attack was launched up into the rafters, where it burst into a riot of vigilante sparks. They zoomed across the ceiling like illuminated meteors, raining down on the arena blissfully. Medicham closed her eyes with satisfaction as she suddenly felt a heavy plough to the back of her head.

Collapsing to the ground, Medicham only felt the effects of the focus punch, distracted completely by redirecting the intimidating thunder attack. Ampharos was exhausted, watching the psychic Pokemon lay motionless on the ground.

“Medicham?” Milo said. The MC was watching intently, a flag-bearing hand twitching in anticipation. Rolling over, Milo’s star Pokemon shook her head.

“MEDICHAM HAS BEEN DEFEATED!” the MC yelled, as applause broke out and Gina feigned surprise. Ampharos jumped up and down as Milo walked over to Medicham. Gina appeared on the large plasma screen, applauding, bowing, blowing kisses and hugging her Ampharos tightly. Milo, without saying a word, recalled Medicham and turned to walk off the stage.

He hadn’t even noticed Ampharos preparing for a focus punch. The move was notorious for its long preparation time, and it was usually a risky move. Gina had fooled Milo into concentrating on the large thunder attack. As he walked past the curtain and backstage, he knew that a similar result would have occurred had he focused on keeping Ampharos pinned down; the thunder attack would have struck, and he would have felt just as low.

Irritatingly, he was beating Ampharos on the Appeal Gauge. Knowing that a knock out had defeated him, as opposed to intricate contest technique, was very frustrating. Milo was good at battlers. He should have won.

Oddly, applause rang out as Milo entered the chill out area. Some of the previous competitors had stayed to watch the final, and seemed to congratulate Milo on his good fight. He had never been so touched by complete strangers before.

*

The sun began to dip with a tangerine glow as Milo stood outside the contest hall. Medicham was being taken care of on the Pokemon Center inside, while Ruby was in her ball. For the first time in months, Milo craved a cigarette, and wondered if he could find a Newsagents or Off License nearby. Milo saw the door to the hall fly open and Gina Gourmante stormed out, her spineless agent behind her.

“Fuck me,” she snapped, in a brittle, London accent. “I hate the press.”

“Your public profile is looking fantastic,” the man said. “Now then…you’re scheduled to perform at the Glammerpuss Show in Goldenrod. All the rising stars are going to be there. It should be great publicity.”

“Hang on,” Milo said, nearby. The man leapt out of his skin. “You’re faking the whole French thing?”

“Shut the hell up!” Gina snapped. “It’s my…”

“Persona,” the agent cooed.

“My persona,” Gina said. “Is that ok by you?”

“Well you’re still at least a 7/10 regardless of what you sound like,” Milo mused. “Even though the cockney accent is like nails on a chalkboard.”

“Fuck off,” she said.

“I take it ‘Gourmante’ isn’t your surname, then,” Milo sniggered.

“Can you leave my client alone please?” the agent said fussily. “Gina, we need to get back to the hotel room. You have an early flight in the morning.”

Gina scowled, flicking her half-smoked cigarette into the air. As she stormed off, Milo eyed the cigarette, noticing it rise off the ground with a curious aura. The air rippled around it and it floated towards Milo’s mouth. Turning, he saw Medicham walking out the doors of the Contest Hall. Milo parted his lips and allowed the cigarette in.

“I thought you didn’t like me smoking?” he joked. Medicham shrugged, giving her eyes a lazy roll. “How you doing anyway?”

Medicham nodded.

“You were fucking great,” he said happily.

“I agree!” came a familiar voice. Jake the hairdresser sauntered over happily, beaming at the pair. “Milo, I’m sorry you lost.”

“Technically Medicham lost,” Milo replied. Medicham frowned, perhaps contemplating whether to jam the burning cigarette down her trainer’s throat.

“Gina was amazing though,” Jake gushed. “So beautiful. So typically French, so pure.”

“Yea,” Milo said, deciding to keep Gina’s secret for now. “Very French.”

“Where’s next for Milo Mitchelson then?” Jake asked. Milo stopped for a minute. He entered the Olivine Contest to win a ribbon and prove to Mia how simplistic this entire thing was. The question was very good, indeed.

“I…don’t know,” he said.

“You don’t know what to do?” Jake asked.

“Well…no,” Milo muttered.

“Another contest?” suggested the boy.

“Makes sense,” Milo said slowly, more to himself than to anyone else. “I can try and get a ribbon in Ecruteak. They have a contest hall.”

“You’re a really good coordinator,” Jake told him. “That was your first contest, and you grasped things so well.”

“I did do pretty well…” Milo said.

“Why stop at getting one ribbon?” Jake asked.

“Because I find this social practice deeply self-centred and slightly stale,” Milo pointed out.

“But you’re good at it!”

“I’m good at a lot of things,” Milo pointed out.

“But someone as dynamic as you could really shake things up. Don’t you want to beat your sister at her own game anyway?”

“Hmm,” Milo said.

“And she’ll be entering more advanced contests. Some require ribbons as pre-requisites. Go on.”

“Let’s just get Ecruteak under my belt first,” Milo mumbled, stubbing the cigarette out. “What you on with now, anyway?”

“Job hunting?” Jake suggested. Milo looked at him quizzically. “I skipped work to see the contest. Paulo fired me on the spot.”

“Unlucky!” Milo laughed. Jake turned slightly red.

“There isn’t much work going at the moment,” he said. “What with the credit crunch.”

“God, not you as well,” Milo replied. “Well look, I’m off to Ecruteak City. Ruby’s going to need a bit of care and attention in preparation for the next contest, so why don’t you come along?”

“But I have no income,” Jake said. “No money.”

“I have endless amounts,” Milo pointed out. “Money won’t be an issue. Even in the Credit Crush.”

“Well,” Jake said. “It would be good experience as a stylist…”

“I’ll be catching more Pokemon, you can…expand your horizons and help them, too.” Milo said, thinking he could save hundreds on salon fees with Jake around.

“Ok then,” Jake said. “You’ve got yourself a deal!”

“Cool,” Milo replied. “Pack your bags, I’ll see you at the gates of the city at lunchtime tomorrow.”

Jake went in one direction to his flat, preparing to leave Olivine for Ecruteak City. Milo walked in the other direction, Medicham walking alongside. He forgot how good people were so easy to manipulate.

*

As Milo hurried back to his hotel room, Eva sat in Starboard Sixty with a Crocodile Cooler half-drained. Nibbling on the wedge of watermelon served with the refreshing, citrus drink, she sighed, staring around the quiet bar. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialled a number, her finger skating around the rim of her glass.

“Hello?” came the voice.

“Jasmine, it’s me,” Eva said. “He didn’t turn up.”

“Oh Eva,” Jasmine cooed softly. “Honey…I’m sorry.”

“You warned me,” the girl said. “You said Milo Mitchelson breaks hearts.”

“I gave him the benefit of the doubt,” Jasmine explained. “When I saw him in the salon, and I overheard he was coordinating, I assumed he had turned over a new leaf.”

“Nope,” Eva mumbled. “I really liked him, Jas. He was so funny, so charismatic…”

“You don’t need to tell me,” Jasmine sighed. “Over a year ago he came striding into my Gym and swept me right off my feet.”

“Will you come and meet me?” Eva asked.

“Of course I will,” Jasmine replied. “Dry your tears. Forget about Milo, because he will have forgotten about you.”

Eva nodded, hanging the phone up and blinking back her tears. Maybe Milo would remember her.





*



Next Chapter
Milo catches a controversial Pokemon. And a bunch of free-thinking radicalist hippies threaten the peaceful MooMoo farm when Milo and Jake go on a guided tour.