Show-Off: Chapter 35 posted 22/11

[Chris 2.1]

Hey everyone. I've been rabbiting on about it for quite some time, and here is the first chapter of my new fic, Show-Off. It's a lighthearted contest fic, about a guy called Milo whose about 20 years of age. It's set in Johto - my favourite reigon - and I hope you enjoy reading it. Currently I am embroiled in exams so I won't be posting a new chapter for a few weeks, but please let me know what you think of the first chapter.

Show-Off
-I-
Departing Pua Samoa

It was beginning to turn into a beautiful day. In the middle of the Whirl Ocean, separating Cianwood City from the rest of the Johto reigon, the sea sparkled like an array of the most beautiful jewels. Birds rode the salty air currents and whooshed through the skies as soft, mallowy clouds stretched from each other and formed again. Cianwood, situated on an island of the same name, was a quiet yet active city, with a large community feel as opposed to cities like Ecruteak and Goldenrod. The Gym Leader, Chuck, was a formidable opponent, specialising in fighting Pokemon. However, while people flocked to the island for an official Johto Gym Badge, many were appalled to learn the dojo was empty.

Instead, located high in the mountain range overlooking the flat city, Chuck was sitting among some of his fighting Pokemon. A letter was clutched firmly in his hand, wrinkled from being folded and opened time and time again. Chuck looked to see his Poliwrath waiting for an instruction.

“Keep up what you’re doing,” groaned the tired looking man. His once neat beard wilder and unruly, Chuck seemed to be taking less and less care of his appearance. The colour and personality from his normally warm face seemed to have been wiped off. Poliwrath went back to smashing boulders.

A figure appeared at the summit of the mountain range.

“Get off your arse, Chuck.”

Chuck whipped around.

“Milo!” he exclaimed. The young man smiled with warmth and enthusiasm as he stared at the Gym Leader. Milo was wearing combat trousers and a casual shirt; his black hair was styled intricately and he looked alert and ready.

“How did you get up here without a mark?” Chuck asked keenly, noticing the steep incline and Milo’s well-kept appearance.

“My friend helped me out,” Milo noted, as a Medicham, legs crossed in meditation, rose up the summit with her arms by her side. The area she inhabited rippled around her - a result of using her psychic powers. The Medicham slowly lowered herself until she was standing next to her trainer.

“Lazy boy,” Chuck scoffed. “You have a fighting Pokemon and you are turning her into a simplistic mind-reader . Where are her kicks, or her punches?”

“Medicham is good with brains and brawls,” Milo reminded the man. “Like me.”

At the latter comment, Chuck chuckled.

“Still cocky…” he murmured. “When will I ever get that out of you?”

“We Mitchelson’s are a cocky bunch,” Milo said. “It’s in our blood.”

“You got that right,” grumbled Chuck, taking his seat on a flat rock. Milo looked at him and frowned.

“So come on,” he said. “I’ve been looking all over for you in Cianwood and nobody knows where you are. Tell me what you’re doing up on this bloody rock.”

“Hmph,” Chuck grumbled. “Training.”

“Sophie says she hasn’t seen you come home for three days,” Milo said. “How important is this training, if you’re not even running the Gym?”

“Hmph,” Chuck said again, a snarl on his ravaged face as he thrust a letter into Milo’s hands. Milo scanned the piece of paper as Chuck reminded himself of the words he had read so many times.

“They’ve taken your position away?” Milo asked as he read. “No!”

“Part of aLeague Reclassification,” muttered the fighter, distraught at the formality of the cold words.

“What’s happening?” Milo said, having put the paper down.

“You’ve finished reading?” asked Chuck.

“Fast reader,” Milo murmured.

“I didn’t get given the details, but I spoke to Clair and she has told me that the element-themed Gyms are being overhauled in favour of strategy-based ones,” explained Chuck. “They are establishing ten Gyms across Johto, but trainers only need to conquer eight to enter the league.”

“Right,” Milo said.

“Clear is in charge of Attack,” Chuck started. “And areas of speciality will include other stats like speed or evasion. The idea is by getting eight you are adequately equipped to enter a league. People can tailor a team to take on fighting Pokemon these days. Then they tailor a team to take on steel types in Olivine. Then the same for Ecruteak and so on, and before you know it, they know sod all. But asking them to experience different aspects of battle is more important.”

“So you said there are more Gyms,” Milo recalled. “Where else are they being put?”

“I’ve no idea,” replied Chuck. “But Azalea’s Gym has been flagging for some time. If you ask me, they’ll take that and put it somewhere else.”

Milo, having competed in the Johto league last year, recalled his travels to Azalea Town in the south. It was a small, welcoming town, very pleasant and hospitable. But the Gym was small and the leader rather weak.

“Is everyone losing their jobs?” Milo enquired.

“I don’t know,” Chuck replied. “I doubt they’ll replace everybody, especially since some people have connections. But word is that Eusine is taking my position.”

“What!?” Milo asked bleakly. “That scientist guy? What’s his speciality?”

“I don’t know,” came the reply again. Milo wondered if Chuck might know more if he didn’t spend his time sitting on a rock.

“I can’t believe they took your position,” Milo said quietly. “What are you going to do?”

Chuck said nothing.

“When I was looking for you...I spoke to Sophie,”Milo said.

The man let out a big sigh. “I just can’t face anyone, not even Soph. That Gym was my pride and joy. I loved it.”

“Look,” Milo said absently. “I’ll speak to my Dad about this…see if he can get you your job back. Until then, take as much time as you need to get over this. It’s a shock. Just let the people that care about you help you heal.”

“Yea,” Chuck said.

“If you’re still here tomorrow, I’ll be pissed off,” Milo said, smirking. “And don’t think I won’t check.”

He gripped a Pokeball and walked along the ridge. Milo stared across the vast ocean, able to see Olivine Port in the distance. Far from Olivine and Cianwood, however, was a lush, verdant island that Milo called home. He hurled the Pokeball forward as a fantastic beast emerged from the light.

“Medicham,” Milo called to his Pokemon, as a Flygon emerged from the Pokeball. “Teleport home - see if we can beat you”

Medicham gave a doleful nod as Milo clambered onto his large draconian Pokemon. Chuck stayed silent as Milo pointed into the air; Flygon gave a powerful flap of his wings and boosted up into the sky; Medicham caused the air to ripple as she teleported away, and Chuck was bowled off his rock by the intense surge of wind blasting from Flygon’s ascent. Sand whipped up and lay across the range as the boy disappeared over the horizon.

*

Life was blissful on the island of Pua Samoa, just off from Cianwood. It was home to the Mitchelson family, and their wealthy estate. There were acres and acres of lush tropical greens, beautiful sandy beaches, and a team of workers who looked after and maintained the natural beauty of this place. The huge, white house, regal-looking and divine, was well known around the Johto Region, and the family was commonly seen at large parties across the continent with Johto’s upper-class social circle.

Milo landed in the large garden, staggering off slightly as Flygon touched down. While he found flying uncomfortable, the coolness factor paid off. As he looked around, he could see Medicham lazily waving her hand in recognition as she lounged in the sun.

“Dammit ,” Milo grumbled. “Looks like we lost, Flygon.”

Flygon sighed; his trainer knew nothing of space and physics. The Pokemon flapped up again and took off around the island; there was a sandy alcove two miles away where Flygon liked to relax; the heat was less intense and the cool winds were luxurious. Milo unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the ground as he wandered into the house. Medicham casually flicked her finger, banishing the shirt to the wash room upstairs .

“I’m home!” yelled Milo.

“Afternoon, Mr Mitchelson,” said Andrew, one of the men who worked for them. “How are you today?”

“Yea, not bad,” Milo murmured. The marble entrance to the house looked stunning; pillars of the same, creamy marble supported the high ceiling, where two staircases wound up to the upper floors together. There were large portraits, some of Pokemon, adorning the walls. A lady was tending to a large floral display, acknowledging Milo as she went.

“Andrew, have you seen Mum?” Milo asked.

“Mrs Mitchelson is currently at the pool, as is Miss Mitchelson,” Andrew noted. Milo nodded and walked through the large archway going through into the kitchen. The mood was different here; dark mahogany and granite worktops crafted a sensual theme as Milo bypassed the large dining room table and headed left to the outside pool.

The cracked paving wound towards the pool, where Milo’s Mum, Meredith, sat in a bikini and soaked up the rays of the sun. The pool looked tempting in the heat, with cerulean water shimmering like the ocean itself. There was a large table and chair set carved from stone here, and a barbeque pit for when the family were entertaining. Meredith had not noticed her son, for she was on the phone.

“Hey,” Milo muttered. “Mum.”

“Hm? Oh! Milo. Hello,” Meredith said lazily, taking her shades off and batting her eyelids. “Gosh, it really is bright with these off! Are you ok?”

“Fine,” Milo said. His mother had the same jet black hair, but hers, it seemed, had been styled this morning. Frizzy and curled, she resembled a darker Marilyn Monroe as she sat playfully on a lounger, sipping an elaborate cocktail from a glass. She spoke again.

“Mia, honey, how are you getting along?”

Milo turned and saw his sister, older by only a year, leave the house and come over to her mother. She had with her a little Vulpix, who looked startled by the large body of water. Vulpix carefully walked around her trainer, thus creating a gap between her and the pool.

“Not bad,” Mia said, running a hand through her long, caramel hair. She had the same facial structure as her mother, and the same slim physique; Mia, however, had bold brown eyes, unlike the blue of her mother. “Did you get on the panel for Goldenrod?”

“No I did not,” Meredith said curtly. “They want last year’s Grand Coordinator to be on the panel. Apparently less and less people remember who I am.”

Milo resisted the urge to laugh at his mother’s statement; as winner of the Grand Festival twelve years ago, Meredith had done a few low-profile jobs in the coordinating circuit, and talked about little else. The notion that someone didn’t know who she was amused Milo. Meredith was currently having a biography written for her by her P.A, Carlo.

“Oh, Mia honey, The Fire Stone was delivered,” Meredith noted to her daughter, pointing to a package on the table.

“Thanks,” Mia said, walking over. Milo watched as his mother’s Luvdisc leapt from the swimming pool, spinning as she spouted an intricate jet of water all around. Mia watched, disinterested, as she opened the package and took out the amber coloured stone. For Meredith, nothing was too good for her daughter, and she had ordered a heart-shaped stone to be delivered. Beaming, Mia held the stone and bent down to her Vulpix, holding it close. Vulpix’s beautiful eyes looked briefly at the fiery core of the stone, before the energy was drained from within and Vulpix began to glow softly.

Remembering not to use the pool until Luvdisc got out, Milo was not particularly interested in watching his sister’s Pokemon evolve; as the shape began to grow and long, elegant tails sprouted from the end, the energy from within the stone was fading. Milo had used a stone before to evolve his Exeggcute into an Exeggutor and was not impressed by the feat anymore. When the light died down, Meredith lifted her sunglasses and looked at the taller, more athletic fox - Ninetales.

“Congratulations honey,” Meredith said to her daughter. “Your Ninetales is beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Mia said, grinning as she stroked her Pokemon. “Do you like her, Milo?”

“I’ve seen better Ninetales,” Milo said indifferently.

“Oh shut up,” Mia snapped. “Just because you’ve competed in a league you think you’re so better than me.”

“I am better than you, sis,” Milo retorted. “I came 2nd in the Johto League. What have you done recently?”

“Erm I’ve just won a contest in Olivine City thanks,” Mia scoffed.

“Contests? Oh please,” Milo said.

“Mia honey, when would you like Andrew to take you to Goldenrod City?” Meredith asked, amid the heated argument.

“You’re going to Goldenrod?” Milo asked.

“Yes I am,” Mia said. “Mom and I are flying there from Olivine. We’re going to see the sights, I’m going to take part in the contest, we might catch a broadway show…”

“Oh,” Milo said. “How long will you be gone?”

“A week,” Meredith said. “Your father has ordered a security team to look after the place while we are away.”

“What about me? I’m going to be here,” Milo reminded her.

“Milo, the estate is gigantic. You cannot look after the entire place on your own, especially since you’ve been going out so often.”

“I suppose,” Milo muttered. “Listen, I meant to ask. When is Dad back from Saffron City?”

“He is there on business; I suspect another week or so, around the time we get back,” Meredith said. “Why?”

“I spoke to Chuck today,” Milo answered.

“Who?” Mia asked, recalling her Ninetales and tossing the lifeless fire stone away.

“The Gym Leader of Cianwood City,” Milo replied. “Well, ex-Gym Leader. There’s being some overhaul done.”

“Oh yes, your father mentioned that,” Meredith said lazily, before turning to her daughter. “Now Mia honey, I’ve just got a message from Julia, my friend from Goldenrod. Did I tell you about my friend from Goldenrod?”

“Wait, what did Dad say?” Milo asked.

“No, I don’t know who Julia is,” Mia replied.

“Well she says she is hosting a ball at the Goldenrod Casino on the 17th…if you want, we can get tickets for it. I could take you shopping for a new dress?”

“Sounds good to me!” Mia grinned, beaming with excitement.

“Hang on, Mum, listen to me,” Milo interrupted. “I need help with Chuck. What does Dad know about it?”

“I like the sort of patterned ones they have in Goldenrod,” Mia noted. “Remember when we went at Christmas? But also the block colours are still in…”

“I have a gorgeous one from a boutique in Blackthorn,” Meredith said. “The fashion in Blackthorn is a cut above some of the other stuff here. Milo, are you ok?”

“Yes,” I want to know what’s going on with this Gym Leader overhaul thing,” he said angrily. “Chuck mentored me for years - he’s a good friend! And if Dad can help me out…”

“Milo nobody cares about some scabby guy in some crappy Gym! Me and Mom are talking dresses, so if you’re not coming with us, buzz off,” said Mia. Milo took a look at his sister and narrowed his eyes, walking away from the pool and back through the house, furious at the lack of attention.

*

“Hello. Vivienne Northwood speaking.”

“Hi, erm, it’s Milo Mitchelson. Is my dad there?”

“Who is your dad?” came the curt response.

“Er well…Michael Mitchelson. He owns the company. The guy who pays you.”

“One second.”

Milo sat in the living room as Medicham did some basic routine yoga, despite Milo’s suspicion she was using telekinesis to cheat somewhat. Hanging on the phone, Milo knew no other way to contact his father, who was constantly on business somewhere else. His company did a handful of things Milo was never really sure of, but what he did know was that it provided the family with the lifestyle they enjoyed. Michael Mitchelson was in Saffron currently trying to take over Silph Co, making it a division of his own company Mitchelson Enterprises.

“Hello Milo? Vivienne again. Sorry we can’t reach your father right now.”

“Oh,” Milo muttered.

“He’s in a very busy meeting, I suggest you try again later,” she explained.

“When does his meeting finish?” Milo asked.

“I have no idea,” Vivienne replied.

“Good god Vivienne, what the hell are you getting paid for?” Milo asked wildly, questioning the girl’s usefulness.

“I answer the phones. Goodbye.”

With ringing proving to be no good, Milo slumped back in the sofa, feeling dejected by his mother and sister and abandoned by his father. It had always been this way; Milo took after his dad, while Mia took after her mom. But with Dad being away, Milo was stuck with the two coordinators, who were obsessed with this trip to Goldenrod.

Milo could see Mia outside with her Ninetales, practicing fire attacks and ghostly apparitions. Mia generally got taken all around for the contests; she didn’t travel herself. As a result, she seemed to have a lot of free time. Feeling ignored after trying to help Chuck, Milo wondered what he could do. Since he came home from the Johto League he had done little else but and spar with his old mentor, or host parties at the estate.

“Hey, Mia,” Milo called, as he walked out into the garden. Mia turned around. “You seen my Rhydon anywhere?”

“Look at you. Your Pokemon don’t even like to hang around you!” she laughed.

“They chill out when they’re not pummeling opponents,” Milo replied back. “Like you. Remember when Flygon annihilated your Swellow?”

Mia sniffed. “Vaguely. Battling for contests is so different though. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You still need to beat your opponent, like I have done to you before,” rasped the boy. Mia narrowed her eyes and turned away, although she continued to speak to her brother as flames shot from her Pokemon’s mouth.

“What I love, little brother, is our relationship,” said Mia. “You always put yourself on this pedestal far above me - ‘oh, I competed in the Johto league’, ‘I won badges’, and yet when you look at it, really, nobody actually cares, do they? Dad’s too busy to listen, Mum is busy putting her efforts into my career and I am far too bitter towards you to even think of helping you out. So next time you want to try and get one over me and brag about your conquests, just remember that nobody actually cares, Milo.”

Shocked at his sisters outburst, Milo swallowed. His sister, despite being narrow-minded and vain, had a very valid point. Nobody in his family turned up for his qualifier matches; his mum was presenting at the Grand Festival and thus Mia tagged along, leaving Milo battling to a crowd of strangers. While he had grown up independently, there was an aching feeling of loss. A need for approval burning inside Milo as he struggled to overcome this startling revelation.

“Medicham,” barked Milo. In a flash, Medicham teleported to her trainer’s side. Mia saw this and her Ninetales stalked forwards softly, her caramel eyes staring at the foe.

“Oh we’re playing it this way, are we?” Mia asked, a hand on her hip. Milo nodded. “Ninetales, go for a flamethrower.”

Ninetales nodded and opened her jaws, blasting a streak of roaring flames through the air. They whooshed straight towards Medicham, who merely flicked her finger up into the air. The mass of scarlet and gold flames bolted up and soared into the sky where they burst into showering embers. Mia looked dumbfounded as Medicham looked around, bored.

“Ninetales, quick attack, go!” Mia yelled. As the creature leapt across the garden, a streak of light burst behind her. “Now go into fire spin and leap!”

In a flash, Ninetales leapt high into the air and twisted her neck, releasing a snaking rope of fire around her into a temporary ring. Bolting through the ring, she landed on the ground and continued her attack at Medicham. Milo looked at the stylistic, aesthetic quality of Mia’s battles - pointless.

Medicham leapt up into the air and avoided Ninetales, landing in the centre of the temporary arena. Ninetales turned and unleashed a series of shimmering, golden stars; they tore through the air and span wildly, but Medicham held a hand out and the stars began to slow down. They travelled with less speed, spinning slower and slower, until they were frozen in mid-air, hanging like decorations between the elegant fox and the astute psychic Pokemon.

“Punch.”

Milo’s command was empty and lifeless, because the technique was used so often. Medicham used her PSI to move the stars, encasing them around her fist like a glove. She leapt forward and punched Ninetales in the face, causing the stars to shatter and the foe to stagger back across the arena.

“Iron tail!” Mia cried. Ninetales’s beautiful, wispy tails shimmered silver, before she whipped around and struck Medicham hard. She was hurtled back, but stopped in mid-air, floating and recuperating from the attack. She held a hand out and gripped Ninetales, throwing her across the arena and into the ground.

“Now use a shadow ball, Medicham,” Milo said. Feet firmly on the ground again, Medicham held her hands apart and focused a she charged up an orb of collected, ghostly energy. Wisps of shadowy darkness coiled inside the orb’s membrane like smoke as it increased in size.

“Ninetales destroy that attack with swift!” Mia yelled, noticing that Medicham was unable to focus her telekinesis while making the shadow ball. Ninetales nodded and blasted the stars like gunfire. Milo saw this and had to act fast.

“Chuck the shadow ball into the air!” he ordered. Medicham held her hands up and blasted it into the sky as the stars tore into her torso. She staggered back, wincing in pain as the sharp edges cut like glass, all the while the shadow ball spinning up higher and higher. “Now, get it back! Ice punch!”

Medicham used her psychic prowess to boost herself up into the air - rather like a powered jump. Soaring up after the shadow ball she created delicate crystals of ice around her palm, gently moving towards the shadow ball and decreasing the temperature around her. Due to the lack of aggression in the punch, the shadow ball was not destroyed. Instead, the coldness surrounding it caused the weak membrane to glaze over with a shimmering frost; sparkles from within made the attack look like a grim Christmas decoration.

“Use Jump Kick to send the attack into Ninetales!” Milo yelled. In a split second Medicham swung her foot into the partially-frozen shadow ball; it swept down towards Ninetales, smashing into her body and causing a rupturing mass of swirling shadow and frosted diamond. Mia watched in shock as the shadow ball burst into life, swathes of dark energy curling high into the sky among chunks of ice. After Medicham landed, Ninetales got to her feet, but did not hear an order from Mia.

“How did you do that?” Mia asked.

“Do what?” Milo said.

“That attack…you froze the shadow ball, and it released when it…that was amazing,” she murmured, more to herself than her brother. She took another glance at Milo and frowned.

“It did look pretty impressive,” Milo said, smirking. Medicham cleared her throat, reminding Milo it was her that performed the combo. Mia stormed through the garden, Ninetales hurriedly following. “Hey, Mia! Where are you going?”

“Shut up!”

“Wait a minute,” Milo said to himself. Mia was amazed at the science and beauty of the attack…did she see it as an appeal, similar to a contest? Was she shocked at the precision and execution of the attack, perhaps?

Milo and Medicham wandered across the garden when Milo was stopped by one of the gardeners, June. She was a sweet lady in her late thirties who had a small apartment on the island, as did many of the people the family employed. She was tending to a hedge with two Paras, who were slicing and snipping here and there.

“That was an interesting technique,” June remarked.

“It really pissed off Mia, huh?”

“That was the first time she’s seen you enter her territory,” June explained.

“I didn’t do anything,” Milo replied. “Mia was going to destroy the shadow ball…”

“…so you planned ahead, made sure you could keep the attack by getting it out the way of the oncoming attack,” June finished. “Rather like coordinating an appeal.”

“Hmm,” Milo muttered.

“Point being, Mia knows you’re a better battler than her. But the one thing she enjoys is that you have no interest or strength in contests. From that battle, you’ve certainly scared her, Milo,” said June in her warm voice. Milo thought about this momentarily and smiled.

*

“Oh Milo!”

Milo could barely breathe. His mother flung her arms around him and constricted him with what must be love. Over Meredith’s shoulder, Mia sulked in the doorway.

“I’m so proud of you!” Meredith cried.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to try contests,” Milo lied. “But because you’ve been helping Mia out so much, I felt overshadowed.”

Mia’s choke of disgust was drowned out by Meredith’s euphoric cries.

“You should have said! Oh Milo…Milo Milo Milo! I’m so proud - another coordinator in the family! I know you’ve always been a battler, and your father always enjoyed watching you battle…but I always thought it was a bit too barbaric. Contests are sophisticated.”

“I’m so glad to be from such a prestigious background,” Milo said. “I feel lucky.”

“Oh you are. You should really get training right away! There’s a contest in Olivine City this week…I’ll get Andrew to take you there in the boat tomorrow.”

“But Mum,” Mia grunted. “We’re going to Goldenrod!”

“I can’t go there now!” Meredith said. “I’ll tell Julia to give the tickets to the Ball to someone else. If Milo’s away then I’ll look after the estate. Mia, I’ve still booked you to fly to Goldenrod from Olivine.”

“But I wanted to go with you! Dress shopping! Glamour!” Mia cried incredulously.

“Mia, your brother is starting out in the contest circuit. I need to keep an eye on him!” Meredith explained, as if this was obvious. “And you can still compete in the contest there.”

“He doesn’t want to do contests! He’s doing this to piss me off!” Mia cried. “MILO!”

“Mia, you’ve inspired me,” Milo replied in a sickly-sweet voice. “I want to be as good as you”

“Oh this is just beautiful!” Meredith sobbed. Milo grinned at Mia as she stormed out of the room, while Meredith beamed at her son like never before.

For the duration of the day, Meredith was planning everything; she showed him a flyer for a contest in Olivine City and explained that it was a P2 contest - this meant that you used two Pokemon, one in the appeal round and one in the battle stages.

“You appeal once, then the top four trainers battle down to two, then those two battle to determine the winner!” she said. “Remember the battles need to be conducted with style and vision.”

Milo briefly wondered how he could battle without vision, but understood the vanity and ego involved in contests. Seeing an intense light in his mother was something he had never seen before. She was brimming with enthusiasm. Milo looked at the flyer for the contest and wondered which Pokemon he would use. Meredith saw his expression and, strangely, seemed to know what he was thinking.

“Milo honey, before you decide who to use, I think you need to repopulate your team,” she explained. “Your Pokemon aren’t suited for contests at all.”

“What do you mean?” Milo asked. “Medicham was good before.”

“Well, yes, I did hear something from June about Medicham, maybe you can use her,” Meredith said. “But Kingler, Flygon, Rhydon…they’re hardcore battlers. They aren’t well groomed to do well in visual appeal stages, and they have no concept of style. Trying to rehabilitate them would be far too tough.”

“So what do I do?” Milo asked. “You want me to catch and raise a new team?”

“Eventually, it would be best,” Meredith said. She plucked something from a small bag she had with her. It was a Pokeball. “But until you have the basics, take this.”

Milo looked as his mother put the ball in his hand. He clasped his fingers around the smooth sphere, noticing it was very warm.

“Ruby will look after you,” Meredith said softly.

“Your Arcanine?” Milo asked, bewildered. Meredith nodded. “Mum, she’s one of your best!”

“She’ll help you find your feet,” Meredith replied. “Come on. We have a lot to sort out.”

*

The next morning, Milo had a small suitcase with him, for he was going to be staying in Olivine City for the week. He was standing at a small jetty on one of the Island’s beaches with Mia, who had her arms folded and looked furious. Andrew was loading her much larger suitcase onto the small boat; the family had a few, for Milo’s father was a keen sailor, but this small one was often used for brief trips to the mainland and back.

Mia held her Snubbull tightly as Milo recalled Medicham and Arcanine. Furious that her brother had such an experienced Pokemon, Mia demanded the same from Meredith, but she calmly explained that Mia needed no such help.

“See you when you finish up in Olivine,” Meredith said sweetly, embracing Milo tightly.

“Maybe with a victory under my belt?” Milo chuckled, making his mother laugh. Mia narrowed her eyes.

“HA!” she said wildly. “Come on. We need to go like…now.”

“Have fun in Goldenrod sweetheart!” Meredith said to Mia.

“Whatever,” muttered Mia, walking onto the boat. Milo gave his mother another quick hug and got on the boat as Meredith said goodbye to Andrew, who got behind the wheel and started the engine up. Mia sat on the deck and watched as they slowly slipped away from the jetty, turning to her brother.

“She gave you Ruby?” she spat.

“Favouritism,” Milo grinned. Mia hit him across the chest.

“You bastard,” she spat. “Hogging the limelight! You don’t even want to do contests.”

“It will be fun,” Milo said.

“You’re not even that good!” she snapped.

“So why did you storm off?” Milo retorted. “You didn’t like the fact I’m coming after you.”

“You think you could beat me in a contest?” Mia asked. “AS IF! You are such a phony. You’re going to start this, it’s going to blow up in your face, and you’re going to look like a massive LOSER!”

“We’ll see,” Milo replied, watching the island Pua Samoa get smaller and smaller as the boat sailed across the vast ocean towards Olivine City. Milo was unsure exactly how everything was going to pan out, especially since there was some truth in his sister’s words .