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The sky rumbled above Turffield as heavy clouds threatened to unleash buckets of rain upon the farming community. Normally, you'd love to sit up and listen to the rain as it assaulted the roofs of each and every house nearby, but tonight was a different matter. You looked at the clock beside your bed.
It was 4 in the morning, and you couldn't get back to sleep. After all, you'd been awake for two hours now feeling absolutely awful, alternating between unable to breathe and coughing your lungs out. When you went to bed earlier, you felt fine aside from a little crackle in your voice, but clearly you had been hit with something much more severe.
You felt both restless and exhausted in this state of sickness, but ultimately, you were also very alone despite the Pokemon that were asleep around you. Cooper and Mr. Muscle, your Typhlosion and Machoke, were asleep by the foot of your bed, while your Furret, Tawny, was laid sprawled out on the windowsill. And yet, your bed still felt empty to you.
You knew why, of course. It was all because of that farmer. Milo. Sweet, sweet Milo. Good grief, if he knew how sentimental you were getting over missing him... Ever since that day in the woods, where you had to battle a Trevenant while rescuing the baby Wooloo named Olive, the two of you had been near inseparable. The dinner date that had been planned was traded in for a week's worth of the farmer fawning over you as your arm and scrapes healed up. It was no surprise that, by the end of that week, you had officially affirmed to yourself that you were in love with Milo. The gym leader’s kindness and friendly nature had warmed you up to him, but what sent you over the edge into love was the fact that, despite your hesitance in opening up to him, he had thrown away so much hard work to come and find you when you needed help. Rightly so, though, he scolded you in earnest concern for running off without getting him first. Had his Shiftry not arrived, you likely would’ve become another missing person on the Galarian police force’s wall.
That’s why it pained you that you were too scared to voice your deeper feelings for him, even after some months had passed. You hated to be rejected by him, especially now that your parents were adamant in wanting to meet him. You had eventually told your mother about what happened in the woods, and naturally, she told your father about it as well. They wanted to meet the man that had saved their daughter, but you were still hesitant to let them meet Milo due to him being a gym leader.
Even though he was different from others…
“Baaahh!” “Betsey, shush!”
The sound of rustling outside had stirred you awake, but the ache of your body and the raw agony of your throat made you want to slip back into sleep. You could hear something shifting around in the flower bushes outside, and the quiet baaah-ing of a Wooloo told you that you had company. Slowly, you sat up in the bed and moved towards the window, unlatching it and pushing it open. The light of the sun outside blinded you, forcing you to shield your eyes.
“Mornin’, Y/N! Sorry if we woke you up!” You looked to see Caleb standing by a collection of gardenias, with Betsey on the opposite side sniffing through tulips. The smell of rain hung in the air, and clouds lingering in the air made you wonder if there was another chance for rain. “Milo was wonderin’ if you still wanted to go to Hulbury to meet Miss Nessa and Mr. Kabu for lunch, he’d love to have you there!”
Shit , you groaned to yourself. You remembered Milo had said something about meeting some of the other gym leaders, but the moaning of your stomach proved to interrupt your say on the matter; it was just audible enough that Caleb looked at you with just a faint twinge of worry. “Dang, I’d forgotten all about it… I don’t think I can, Cal. I think I’ve got a nasty case of something, and I don’t want to give it to anyone else...”
“Aww,” Caleb whined, his pink hair seemingly falling with disappointment . But he perked up as he scooted closer to the window. “D’you want me to go get Milo? I bet he’d love to take care of ya!”
As furiously red as your cheeks could burn, you vehemently waved your hand to Caleb’s face. “N-no!! I don't want him to give up his plans for me! He's already done so much for me, I can't-" A pang in your stomach knocked the breath out of you as it broiled violently. "I-I'll be back!!" You sped to the bathroom, leaving Caleb looking back to Betsey with skepticism.
You laid back down on the bed, exhausted from going back and forth to the bathroom. Your mouth felt even worse, and the growing mountain of water bottles beside the bed didn’t help to quench your thirst. By now, Caleb and Betsey had gone ahead back to the farm, where it had taken a few more tries to convince the little farmer that he didn’t need to summon Milo to your house to babysit.
Not that you would’ve minded some company, but you didn’t want to put Milo out of getting to visit with his friends. It did make you a little lonely, as you hadn’t made a whole lot of friends while in Galar. At least, no one else your age-
*ring-ring* *ring-ring*
It was your phone ringing. You hoped that it wasn’t Milo, but at the same time longed to hear his voice. You searched for it in the blanket and sheets and finally found it. But your jaw dropped when you saw who was calling. * beep* “Mom??”
“Honey! How are you? I hope I’m not interrupting anything!”
“Nah Mom, it’s fine. I was just laying around here at home today. How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing good! You sound a little funny, dear. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s pretty late over there, isn’t it? What’s going on?”
“Well, I was talking to your father earlier about how we hadn’t been able to see your new home yet-”
You silently sighed, the crawling feeling of your stomach trying to make its escape as you knew the conversation coming up. “Now Mom-”
“I know, you didn’t want us to worry about you, but after what happened the other day, we just really want to see that you’re doing okay-”
“And I am-”
“Personally see that you’re doing okay.” You heard your mother sigh, knowing well that this was a hard conversation to have. “I know you don’t want us to worry, but we’d feel better seeing that you’re really settled and doing well.”
Your stomach growled, and you knew that soon you’d have to make another break for the bathroom as you fought back a hacking cough. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with meeting Milo, would it?”
The silence on the other end told you that you had hit a tender spot. “Well it would be nice to! I don’t get why you’ve been so tight-lipped about him. You’ve been so eager to tell us about your life there, but when it comes to this Milo boy, I’m not sure I understand what the deal is-”
The broiling feeling in your gut made you groan audibly. You clenched the blankets of your bed as you fought to keep composure.
“Honey, are you okay??”
“I-I’m fine, I’m just-” An itch in the back of your throat told you that your time was once again up and you quickly clambered to the bathroom, phone barely still in hand, as you hit the toilet at full force. It took a minute or so for you to catch your breath before you could wipe the saliva from your mouth and bring the phone back to your ear. “I’m fine,” you repeated shakily.
“Uh-huh,” your mother replied, hardly sounding convinced. “You know better than to hide that from me. How long have you been sick, dear? A few days? A week?”
“Not even! This is the first day, it started real early this morning-”
“You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“MOM, really?? We just barely got to the point of dating, and he’s not interested in anything like that!”
“I’m just concerned, dear. Listen, I know you’re not gonna like it, but-”
“Don’t do it.”
“Your father and I have already looked into buying tickets for the next flight over. We want to see you! And if you’re sick, then that’s all the more reason to come and see you.”
You rested your head against the bowl of the toilet, not caring just how nasty the toilet might’ve been after all your trips back and forth. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t tempt me. You’re well overdue for some love from your mother! And your father too, of course. It’ll be fun, I promise!”
Like hell it will , you thought. “I can’t afford company, Mom…”
“Don’t you worry about it!” You could hear the muffled sounds of your dad also speaking in the background. “You’ll barely know we’re there, pumpkin!”
“Oy, Caleb! Have you seen my smartphone?” Milo peeked his head out of the doorway to find Caleb playing with a few of the Wooloo back at the farm. “I should be getting a call from Nessa right about now, so I-... What are you doing??”
Playing, as it turned out, involved a water hose and some many globs of mud now dissolving in the streams that flowed away from the bunch of Pokemon. “Cleaning off Delilah and Matilda… They got stuck in a mudhole ‘fore I came back from Y/N’s house.”
Milo’s cheeks flushed to pink as he grinned at the mention of your name. “Well it looks like they sopped up a whole feed tank of it! By the way, how was Y/N doing? Getting ready for dinner?”
Caleb jumped at the mention of the dinner - he’d forgotten about that, and suddenly remembered about you being sick. And that you had him promise that he wouldn’t tell Milo about you being very, very sick. “Uh.. she’s good! But she said she wouldn’t be able to go to dinner.”
“Oh? She was excited about it yesterday.. Wonder what happened?”
Caleb shrugged, looking away from his brother. “Maybe she just had somethin’ to do all of a sudden?”
“I guess so…” A quiet melody from inside faintly reached Milo, recognizing it as his smartphone. Caleb peeked into the doorway to make sure that Milo was out of earshot.
“Baah!!” Betsey bleated at Caleb as the water hose continued to run water on top of Matilda’s wooly head.
The young boy sighed, turning the water hose off. “Sorry, girl… Do you think I should tell him about Y/N?”
Betsey tilted her head while Matilda shook off the excess of water. “Baahhh!” Matilda hollered at the kid, trotting up to him and nudging him towards the house.
“But she told me not to say anythin’! If I tell him-”
“Tell me what?” Caleb looked back up to find Milo standing at the doorway again, his phone in hand.
“N-Nothin’!” Caleb stammered, while Betsey and Matilda looked on annoyed at the behavior of the young man. “I’m gonna go finish the rest of my chores!!” Caleb ran off towards the farmhouse, leaving Milo more than confused at the reaction.
“Baaaah!” Betsey looked back towards Milo, perking up at the sight of the farmer.
The farmer stretched his arms and slid his phone into his pocket. “Well Bets, it looks like we’ve got a change of plans today!”
“It sure is lovely out here. Last night’s rain really did help a bunch!”
For Milo, it was an easy choice to visit you once his day cleared up. The farmer had initially had plans to eat with Kabu and Nessa before heading to Circhester to help Gordie with some gym work. He had also asked you to go, but had found out by Caleb that you had decided not to go at the last minute. And he had almost settled with that answer.
But then Nessa had a change of plans, and Kabu decided that he needed to work back at his gym. So, naturally, Milo decided to take advantage of his newfound free time and came to visit you, if he might be so lucky to still catch you at home.
He was surprised to find Cooper answering the door, the fire Pokemon quick to retreat to the back hallway, and the gym leader dutifully followed him, hoping to see you again.
But Milo sure didn’t expect to see you huddled by a toilet, looking as if you’d been homeless for a week. His freckled face quickly switched to concern when he saw how exhausted you looked. Despite that, his cheeks turned pink when he realized that you were still in what looked to be your sleep clothes, and also seemed to be cradling your left arm. “Are… you okay, Y/N? You don’t look so good…”
“Uh, h-hi…. I’m fine,” you lied, hoping to Heaven above that he wouldn’t stick around for long. You felt self-conscious; here he was looking handsome in casual wear far different from his gym uniform, and here you were looking like a hermit. “But what are you doing here? I thought you had plans??”
Milo chuckled, bringing a hand to his head. “Well, I did. But Nessa called a while ago saying her folks needed help elsewhere, and Kabu’s got work to do at his gym, so that leaves me free for the day!” You’d be so lucky , you thought to yourself. “But are you sure you’re okay? Why are you on the floor-”
“Milo, I’m fine, I just need to-” Your throat itched, and your stomach rolled again. “Oh nooo…”
“Y/N, are you-”
“Get out!!”
Mr. Muscle quickly pulled Milo back from the doorway and Tawny pushed the door shut, and the group was greeted with the sounds of more heaving and other grossly embarrassing sounds.
About 5 minutes earlier...
You had finally made it to the kitchen to try and eat something, feeling a little bit better after your earlier trips to the bathroom and many hours laid coughing and hacking in bed. The sickness that had destroyed your throat and gut had calmed down for a bit, and you actually felt hungry for the first time in hours. The leftover pot of 2-day-old stew in the fridge sounded heavenly, and you were primed and ready to grab the first clean bowl and spoon you could get to and savor some of that delicious broth and maybe, Heaven willing, some of the potato and beef chunks that you had put in after a minute or so in the microwave.
But you misjudged just how quickly things could go south.
It started with the trip to the kitchen. You rounded the corner and saw that fridge, practically heard it calling your name. Crossing the floor would only take one step, two, three… But the fourth step came into contact with a puddle of water, and you swore loudly as you reacted with just enough force to throw you off your balance. Your foot slipped forward, you went back and turned just in time to collide with the floor on your left shoulder.
The crash woke up Tawny, who rushed into the kitchen to find you writhing in pain and water that you could’ve sworn had no way of being there. “Furr??” The Furret ran to you, checking over you to see that you were responding, but you blinked back tears; your shoulder felt shattered. But the second your stomach began that nasty churning feeling, you broke out into a cold sweat. “MR. MUSCLE!!” The Machoke barreled out of your bedroom and into the kitchen to find you on the floor, struggling to stand. “I need to g-get to the bathroom!!” You quickly choked out that you had hurt your shoulder, and Mr. Muscle dutifully helped you to the bathroom- and not a moment too late, as the second you hit the linoleum floor, you were lost to the urges of your own body. By the time you had finished, the stew no longer sounded good, and you were certain that you would have to throw it out by the time you were better. On top of that, your shoulder throbbed and pounded so severely that you considered having Cooper get a doctor.
That’s when the doorbell rang. Your heart dropped, fearing that it might’ve been your parents showing up after all, but when you tried to get up to answer it, Mr. Muscle stopped you from standing, and Cooper stomped through the house to get to the door. In the silence, you wondered how Milo’s dinner was going with his friends-
Your heart rate jumped a note when you recognized the distant voice that turns your head and heart to mush. It didn’t get any better when you looked up to face him in the bathroom doorway either.
There was no refusing it now: Milo wouldn’t leave you alone once he found out you were sick. Even if you swore up and down that you were easing out of it, the farmer declined your attempts to sway him, and he set forth to the kitchen to prepare something better for you. Meanwhile, you were now stationed in the living room with a makeshift sling holding your arm to your chest. Milo had called the local doctor about coming to check on the shape of your shoulder, but by poor luck the doctor had been called to the outskirts of Hulbury following an incident with two Trainers getting violent after a battle. Nurse Joy gave him instructions on how to wrap and support it, and Milo was a quick learner.
And you were quickly embarrassed. “Milo… You really don’t have to stay here… Mr. Muscle can watch the food, he’s helped in the kitchen before…”
You could hear the farmer in the kitchen, humming to himself. It was a sweet tune that you’d hear from him nowadays. At the farm, when you’d pass by heading to work in the morning, he’d be singing the song with the Wooloo joining in, and late in the afternoon when you were heading home, the song would be in full swing as a soulful ballad. You were lucky if he didn’t catch you passing by, but he was lucky if he caught you too distracted by the singing (and maybe other thoughts) to make it home before he could get the Wooloo herded away. Because then he could walk you home, and the two of you would lose track of time just wandering around the farmlands until it was either too dark to see or too cold to stand. That didn’t stop the two of you from finding somewhere to stop for even more visiting. And flirting. And just being a nauseating, super-sweet mess of innocent hormones that it was a wonder the two of you hadn't gotten a little out of hand. Not that either one of you would allow it, sure, it's just that-
"Rah!" Cooper had snuck into your line of vision, a bowl of brothy soup in his paws. Your face burned red, as it had many times before, when you realized that he had walked in on you daydreaming again. You hated that, but more importantly, you had just briefly forgotten that Milo was still here.
"How's it taste?" You jumped at the sound of his voice. He had been quiet in his movement to the bathroom- oh god, you remembered the earlier horror of emptying your stomach just after he came - and hadn’t said much else since getting you moved to the living room couch. “There’s quite a lot of bulk to it, but I imagine you need the broth more than anythin’ if your stomach is that upset.”
“Ahh,” you sighed, taking the bowl from Cooper, who peered at Milo through hesitant garnet eyes; he could tell that the farmer’s presence was making you nervous, despite getting to know him after what happened with Olive. “Yeah, I haven’t been able to keep much down… But it looks really good!” You slowly took hold of the spoon in the bowl, that little bit of warmth from the soup spreading through your hands and up your arms. Stirring the contents around, you scooped up a small spoonful of the broth and brought it to your lips. You were careful to blow on it so you wouldn’t burn yourself, but out of the corner of your eye, you could tell that Milo wasn’t paying much attention - as a matter of fact, his gaze was down to the floor, as if there was some mysterious being on the floor that had him captivated. His distant gaze was so locked away from you that you wonder if maybe he wasn’t feeling well. The broth smelled delicious… but your own worry was stronger than your stomach. “... Is something wrong, Milo?”
Milo shook his head, his gaze only barely breaking from whatever had him entranced to look back at you with a smile. “No, I’m doing good!”
“I… didn’t ask if you weren’t doing good, but…”
He scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry about that… I’m just thinkin’ about some stuff.”
“… Like what?” Before you could ask anything else, your phone started ringing. “Oh geez, this better not be-” You reached to answer it, but hit the phone just right to do two things: hit the ignore button, and knock the phone off the end-table. “Oh, shoot!! Maybe that was the doctor from town?”
Milo chuckled and reached to pick the phone up from the floor. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it-” He picked it up and started to hand it to you, only for the phone to start ringing again.
“Here,” you started, turning to set the bowl down on the end-table with your free arm. “I’ll answer it-” But Milo beat you to the punch.
“Hello?” He answered the call. “This is Milo, Y/N is-”
“Milo? The Milo?!? ”
Oh shit . You recognized that voice instantly. Your stomach rolled again, but you fought to keep control. “Milo, g-give me that phone!”
Milo backed away, while Cooper switched his gaze to you, who looked as though you were about to rock’n’sock a redhead. “Yes? My name is Milo, but I’m not sure I know who-”
”This is Y/N’s mother!! It’s so nice to finally get to talk to you! I don’t mean to intrude, but I did want to talk to Y/N for a bit- ”
“Mom, you don’t need to-” You dropped just briefly as whatever your stomach had decided to do gave you only a short amount of time to get ready for it. Slamming down the bowl, you rocketed up and towards the bathroom; just before you made it, you tried to reach for your phone on the way past Milo. But he was too fast, and you didn’t have time to fight it. With the door slamming behind you as you tossed more disgusting matter into the toilet, you were unable to hear the rest of the conversation between Milo and your mom.
When you came back out of the bathroom, most of the color that had been on your cheeks had been replaced with a slick sheen of sweat. However, you were more worried about whatever your mom had conned Milo into divulging…. Or vice-versa. You weren’t worried that Milo would be overly nosy, but you were worried that your mother would say something to offend the poor boy into running off back home and not speaking to you until a week had passed. Or two.
When you spied your phone sitting on the chair he had taken earlier, it didn’t take much to fear the worst. You groaned audibly and collapsed back onto the couch, pulling the blankets that Milo had laid down for you back around you as you resigned yourself to your suffering. Soon, you found yourself waking up in a start; the blankets you had around you were soaking wet, the bowl behind you was now cold to the touch, and Cooper was nowhere to be found.
You checked your phone. The last time you had checked it, it was…
What time was it again?
The world swayed as you struggled to focus on the numbers on the phone. The sides of your vision started to darken, and before you could do anything, the world began to spin. Darkness was all you could see.
“-to nu…. Tati…… ian to nurses’ stat…..”
Nurses….??
“Nurse Canian to A&E Department, Nurse Canian to A&E Department. ” Nurses. You must be at the Turffield hospital. It only made sense that you’d be at one. You didn’t remember anything up to the point of Milo answering your mom’s phone call and-
The walls tried to bend in as your head swam, but you steeled yourself. You still didn’t know what Milo and your mother had talked about, but if you could be honest, you were starting to feel guilty. Your fear of your mother and Milo’s discussion was only showing its ugly head because of your own past being brought to life. Not only that, but any hesitance in being any closer to Milo hung on the anxiety you had of Milo judging you for your past. It was clear to him you hated to talk about it; everything in Goldenrod City that you had left behind… it was the mighty wall standing between you and Milo. And it might have collapsed on both of you while you were busy heaving in the bathroom.
“Oh good, you’re awake!” An elderly nurse walked into your room; the look on her face told you that she was a little surprised that you were awake, but the bags under her eyes and the fly-away that stuck out from her updone hair let you know that you weren’t her only concern. “For a moment there, I thought you mighta been a goner. How are you feeling?”
“A little light-headed, but okay-ish otherwise… How long have I been here??”
The nurse looked at a watch on her wrist as a Chancey waddled in behind her; it cheered as it made its way to your bedside to check the monitors beside you. As a matter of fact, you looked around to find that you were hooked up to multiple monitors to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs. “I’d say… You’ve been here about five hours.”
Had you been drinking water, you likely would’ve choked on it. “FIVE HOURS?!”
The nurse scratched her head as she began to say something, but the sound of footsteps outside the door warned you that someone was in immediate trouble: that someone being you. “Ah, perfect timing! She’s up and at it now, sir. If she needs anything, just sound the bell on the wall by the bed and one of the nurses at the desk will come by and check on her.”
“Good to know. Thanks a ton, Darla.” Any other day, your eyes could’ve rolled out of your eyes at the sound of Milo still being as cheerful as ever. It dawned on you that he was likely the one that brought you to the hospital, which meant that he was probably about to scold you again for not taking care of yourself. Delia nodded to Milo and to you before exiting the room with Chansey in tow, leaving Milo to enter the room and close the door behind him just barely to give you some privacy. In his arms was Olive, that sweet baby Wooloo with a pink ribbon tied around her neck. “Well… I can’t say I had a trip to the hospital planned for today!” He chuckled to himself, unaware that your nerves were exposed and that you were wracked with personal frustration. He was smiling, but you could see a hint of concern in his eyes. “..... Please tell me you’re feelin’ okay.”
You nodded, of course. “Just a little dizzy.“ You shivered as the hospital’s AC kicked on; looking around, you finally noticed that your left arm was supported in a sling. “Can’t wait to get home, though. Am I free to leave?”
“Not yet,” Milo said, scratching his head. “I hate to tell you this, Y/N, but you’re lucky that Tawny found you when we came back… Thankfully we made it to Hammerlocke quick enough-”
“We’re in Hammerlocke?!” You collapsed back onto the pillow behind you, head spinning as you fought to remember anything that happened while a twinge of pain radiated from your left shoulder. Milo frowned at your reaction, pulling up a chair to the bed as he released Olive onto the bed. “My god… what’s wrong with me? I haven’t been this sick in-”
“Years?”
You didn’t want to look at him, but you could tell Milo’s gaze was glued right to you. Olive inched closer to you, bleating softly before choosing to sit right on your lap. She helped to keep you warm despite the creeping feeling of a chill streaming through you. “Yeah...”
Specifically, it’d been over a decade.
The farmer sighed. He pulled his hat off, running a hand through his hair. Still as messy as ever, it refused to act right, and his clothes were covered in enough dirt that you wondered if maybe he’d done some work before making the sudden trip over. “You had me worried there, Y/N… I didn’t think you were that bad off after I’d first stopped by, but it really did frighten me when we found you in the livin’ room. I didn’t think Cooper was ever going to let me near you to see if you were okay.”
You smiled faintly, remembering that Cooper was always super-protective of you. “He’s always been like that… I guess I must’ve just been really tired.”
But Milo shook his head. “That’s not exhaustion, hon’. That’s dehydration, second to a major stomach virus. The doctor said you must’ve had some form of seizure after we got you to the hospital in Turffield. They were able to treat you for what had happened at home, but your condition wasn’t good... They were barely able to fly you here, but thankfully Hammerlock Gen’s emergency unit was able to take care of the rest.”
You leaned forward, taking a moment to run a hand over Olive’s wool. It took a little bit to process it all, but still you were bothered by the overarching issue you couldn’t reconcile. You hated to ask, but you couldn’t avoid it for long. “Milo.... What did my mom tell you when you were on the phone with her?”
“Huh??”
“Be honest with me.” You looked to the man that stirred your heart, the one who had spent hours of time with only taking care of you on his mind. “What did she tell you? She’s like a busted fire hydrant sometimes, you can’t get her to stop when she starts. I can’t handle her motor mouth sometimes-”
“Y/N, it’s okay!” Milo placed a hand on your blanketed knee, Olive barely stirring at his touch as she was snoozing away in the comfort of your presence. You could feel your eyes stinging at the embarrassment; you always hated your frustration getting the best of you. “She asked how you were doin’, and I told her what happened. I figured you didn’t want her to worry, but I did have to tell her we were headed here when she called back.”
“She called back??”
Milo nodded. “Yeah. When she first called, she mentioned talkin’ to you about coming over to Galar to visit, but I told her you still weren’t feelin’ well. She wanted to fly here, but I think I managed to calm her down. She knows you’re in good hands here..” Milo’s cheeks were tinged pink, but he looked nervous. “But… she did act a little funny..”
“About what?” You hated to ask, but you had a feeling…
“When I told her who I was, she seemed a little shocked that I was a Gym Leader…. You did tell her who I was before, right?”
You sucked in a breath. And suddenly, your desire to confess to him your feelings - long since dormant after being sick - was overtaken by the desire to spill your guts once again. You laid your head in your hands and groaned.
“Y/N?!” You glanced to Milo, who looked as though his heart was breaking at some unknown refusal only he had heard.
You couldn’t keep anything from him anymore. You shook your head, and you wouldn’t dare tell him that your heart was already breaking. “No. I couldn’t. After everything I’d been through, I didn’t want to worry her, or Dad… They knew of you, but didn’t know about you.”
Bless Milo, he looked to you with such confusion and concern, you wondered if maybe he had made the decision to himself to never ask you out again. But you could see the cogs in his mind turning. “So they knew we were chummin’ around, but they didn’t know I was a Gym Leader…” Then his eyes widened. You didn’t know if it was one of the monitors or something from the hallway, but you were sure you heard an audible click the same moment he put two and two together. “Is this about…?”
“Yes…” It took Milo all of the strength within him to not immediately rush to hug you when the tears started falling. “The Johto Gym Challenge.”
It was well over a decade ago. You were a feisty child, brimming with a natural talent for Pokemon battles well before you were old enough to go on your own journey. Goldenrod City was ablaze for years with pride regarding your skills - despite the size of the city, word spread quickly due to your parents’ widespread support for your future efforts. The city also held monthly battle fairs within the local school system, so you and your friends grew up with Pokemon and learning how to master the abilities that would come in handy to win the regional challenges.
That’s why it wasn’t quite so surprising when you decided to forgo taking the journey for two years in order to train, making sure that you were at your absolute best before you left town. By the time you were ready to start, Trainers near and far in the Johto region knew of you as one of the best in the area and were excited to see how you would handle the competition. Unlike previous years, however, some issues in the handling of Trainers battling local Gym Leaders led to the installing of a new order in how Gym Leaders were battled; this new order rearranged the Gym order where, in your case, you would wind up battling Goldenrod’s Gym Leader, Whitney, as the final Gym Leader before moving on to the Elite Four. This was fine to you, as it gave you a chance to experience Whitney at her most powerful, while still being certain that you were able to beat her despite how tough her Normal-type Pokemon were to some Trainers in previous years; you still laughed at how one female Trainer from New Bark Town would come back time after time after time to fight Whitney, losing each battle with frustrated tears on her face while swearing she would win the next one.
But your trouble started when you made it back to Goldenrod just after beating the seventh Gym Leader. You came home and greeted your parents that afternoon, realizing just after sitting down to catch up with them that you didn’t feel too well. A sore throat and a crackle in your voice. You brushed it off as a minor cold coming on, but your mom knew better. She sent you straight to bed, and would check on you later on to find you coughing your lungs out at 12am.
You said you’d be fine in the morning.
She said you’d be staying home until you got to feeling better.
You woke up that next morning absolutely out of it between trips to the bathroom, and your mother swore up and down that it was because you were taking the league too seriously and not taking care of yourself. But you were adamant that you HAD to battle Whitney no matter what because you didn’t want to let down everyone that had been cheering for you; you wanted to prove to them that you wouldnt’ be taken down so easily. It took you begging your father between gulps of water or whatever fluids you could keep down to have him go with you to the Gym just in case something happened. Your mom relented, but ONLY because your dad would go with you.
That’s not to say you couldn’t hold your own, as your dad saw, along with anyone else watching at the Gym, when you and Whitney started your battle. Since it was the tail end of your League journey, you and Whitney were fighting with full teams compared to Whitney’s usual two Pokemon lineup from before. Whitney had made a comment before that not many Trainers had been to see her just yet due to the new Gym order, but she was aching to sink her nails into a Trainer that was ready for the challenge - the implication that Whitney had been staying updated on your journey, as a so-called “hometown prodigy”, was not lost on you.
That’s why, even now as you told Milo the whole story… It was still hard to really accept what happened.
The battle was going great. Whitney matched your Pokemon blow-for-blow as things heated up, and you had switched out most of your normal team for Pokemon that could withstand Normal-type Pokemon. You had planned to use Cooper to end the battle, and had Mr. Muscle as a last resort since he was loaded with enough Fighting moves that could definitely take out Whitney’s Pokemon. And you had her Tauros, her second-to-final Pokemon, almost on the ropes! But then Tauros beat Cooper, and you were left to your final partner. And that was just fine! You had planned for this. You had your strategy all planned out once you left the seventh Gym. No matter what Whitney had planned, you were certain that your team had all the moves to take them out. Mr. Muscle and Tauros battled well, and finally Tauros went down. Whitney called out Miltank, and you could see victory in your grasp; you knew exactly how to deal with Miltank. Miltank charged Mr. Muscle, a flurry of attacks followed, and in a lull of action, you moved to use Dynamic Punch.
But that’s not what Mr. Muscle did, and it was too late to fix the mistake. According to your dad, it didn’t sound like you had said Dynamic Punch; whatever you had said, Mr. Muscle interpreted your command as the move Strength. Mr. Muscle attacked Miltank, knocking a good chunk of energy out of the opponent Pokemon… but it still stood, just barely.
But it didn’t matter. Miltank then used Zen Headbutt. Mr. Muscle didn’t last against it. And shortly after that final attack, Miltank was unable to continue.
By technical ruling, Whitney was the winner. And you should’ve realized that. You’d experienced a loss on a battle before. But somewhere between your senses and your intention, there was a disconnect. You yelled that it wasn’t fair, that it wasn’t supposed to go that way. Referees called the match in Whitney’s favor, and told you that it happens to the best of trainers. You wanted a rematch. But not on a later date.
You wanted a rematch right then. They refused you. Whitney refused you, and told you to go home and rest. But you said no, and then proceeded to throw a five-alarm fit in the gym about how it wasn’t fair, that Mr. Muscle used the wrong move, that you had everything planned out, that you were the best in town-
It all stopped when you began heaving and convulsing, and you were quickly rushed to Goldenrod’s hospital. It wasn’t until later when you woke up the next night that you found out what you had done. You didn’t even remember what you had said, what you had done… You had no clue that the whole city was now abuzz with the news that Goldenrod’s “golden girl” had been a bitter brat after losing her eighth Gym battle. But after finding that out, even in the hospital, nurses and residents were whispering about you; it didn’t take brains to know that. That’s why it hurt you when you found out one specific insult that you had thrown at Whitney and the Goldenrod Gym that you couldn’t let go of:
“I hate you Gym Leaders! I hate you all!!”
It seemed trivial coming from a pre-teen. It had to have seemed so trivial. But it stabbed you so deep when your father told you about it that, even when he told you that none of the staff or Whitney held it against you, you broke down into a heaving, shaking mess. Your parents tried to comfort you, but it did no good. You swore from that point on that you would have nothing else to do with the league or battling. No more Pokemon Battles with other Trainers. No more training your Pokemon for the next journey. No more Gyms. No more Gym Leaders.
By now, your tears had dried, but in the place of the sadness was a stern peacefulness. One that had come with learning a hard lesson.
“I didn’t go into the public very often after that. My grandparents, the ones that lived near Olivine City, agreed to let me stay with them for a while until I had finished school, and even then I didn’t get out much. I still had my team of Pokemon, and kept up with some of my friends from Goldenrod for a while… But even those friendships didn’t last long.”
Milo scratched the side of his head, having been leaning against his hand as you told the whole story. “But if they were your friends, they would’ve understood how you were feelin’, right? Surely they didn’t drop your friendship over that-”
“It wasn’t them that dropped it.” You swallowed hard at having to correct him on that. “Kids learned pretty quickly that their parents didn’t want them around me, thinking I’d be a bad influence. I didn’t mind it after a while.... You get tired of kids repeating the same story over and over after a while, thinking it’s some big secret to share behind someone’s back.” You leaned back onto the pillow; your eyes were heavy after telling such a burdened history, but you wouldn’t be able to sleep after all this. “I know now that I was in the wrong... Always have been. But saying that now won’t erase the shame of it all. I acted like a brat. The whole city knows I did. The region wasn’t too far behind, I’m sure.”
“But that was years ago! There’s no way people would stay on your hide about all that after all this time, surely?” Milo countered, a weak smile upon his rosy cheeks. You could tell he was trying to cheer you up.
But you shook your head. “I never told you how I found out about Galar, did I?” The farmer shook his head, and you returned his smile with a similarly weak grin. “It hasn’t even been a year yet and I’ve done so much here… All of Turffield welcomed me here, with no idea of my past… And above all of them was you.”
Gosh, Milo’s cheeks burned red. “Darlin’, how could I not?? I admit, maybe our first meeting could’ve been much better, but all the same I was still so glad to meet you! Betsey sure seemed to have taken pride in bringing us together, too!” Bless your heart, you couldn’t forget Betsey’s thievery that dragged you into all this with Milo. You wouldn’t admit it outright, but you’ve had plenty of times where you wanted to hug Betsey for being the guiding light to the absolute angel that was Milo. “Had it not been for Betsey’s mischief, I don’t think I would’ve gotten to meet you the right way!”
You tilted your head. “What do you mean?”
Milo flushed red again, but this time his lips formed into a frown. “To be honest, I don’t usually keep a lot of close friendships. The other Gym Leaders like Kabu and Nessa and Gordie, sure, but not with people outside the league circuit. A lot of publicity around it all, I’m sure you know. I guess in a way I know how you feel, just on the other end of the scale. It must’ve seemed so strange to you that I didn’t disclose bein’ a Gym Leader in that first letter, but…” He sniffled, and leaned back in his chair. “I guess I really was nervous that you wouldn’t want to come around if you knew I was a Gym Leader…”
“And that was before even knowing about me,” you added. You weren’t gonna lie, your eyes felt a little misty after hearing all that. You hadn’t thought that Milo might’ve been in a similar boat, just flowing in a different current than you. “And it’s not like I truly hate Gym Leaders, but… after all that, my mom and dad were just really careful about the topic of Gyms and Gym Leaders after that. We all knew I was being foolish, but sometimes it was just better to not mess with the topic.”
“Kinda like dealin’ with an angry Ekans in a box, huh?” Milo offered a grin, and finally, you gave on in return.
“Sort of like that.” You ran a thumb along Olive’s side, the sweet little Wooloo still out like a lamp in your lap. “And I think, if people just left it all in the past, it would’ve been fine.”
Milo scooted closer, the chill of the hospital seeming to affect him more than you or he realized on account of the goosebumps on his bare arms. “Did someone bring it up back at home?”
“Actually it was at work.” Your jaw tightened at the memory of it. “After high school, I took up classes to get a degree in broadcasting. I did some work in Lavender Town in Kanto for a few years before transferring to the Goldenrod Radio Tower back home. Worked my way up for two years before becoming a DJ on a small-time talk show covering trainer profiles. And I loved it! And if I were still there in Goldenrod, I’d still be working there.”
“So what happened?”
You sighed. “Johto’s league season was just finishing up last year. We ran a week-long coverage on the best trainers in the region and how they did. Then one of the other DJs made a comment about whether or not any of us had done a league challenge before....” You ruffled your hair, long aware that it was looking like a Pidgey’s nest at this point. “One of them was from Kanto and recognized me as the trainer that pitched a fit at the Goldenrod Gym and nearly bust a gut from how funny he thought the whole thing was. He apologized afterwards, but by then the damage had already been done.”
Milo frowned. “Well, I can see how that would make the experience of working there hard, but I guess I don’t- What is all that??” You had collected your phone and opened it to a picture you had taken ages ago. From far away, it looked like a massive blob of white. But from up close, the finer details showed the truth: they were letters addressed to the radio tower. Addressed to you.
“That one joke on live radio opened the floodgates to thousands of viewers asking about what happened.” You sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of your nose. “The moment I saw all of these, I had a panic attack. The station’s call line was also swamped with callers asking about me.... I couldn’t handle it all. I went home. Never set foot back inside the station. I told them I was resigning from the show, and they understood thankfully.”
Milo leaned onto the bed, the late afternoon rays shining through the blinds on the window behind him. “I don’t blame you. When I started as a Gym Leader, the amount of fan mail I got nearly scared me off the job. But it’s a completely different thing when it’s attention you didn’t sign up for.”
“Yeah… Granted, I had a coworker tell me that by being a DJ, I had to expect things like that… But I didn’t want attention for that.” You yawned, still trying to fight off sleep. “But… there was something good that came from that coworker.”
“Oh?”
You smiled, noticing his questioning look, and slowly, so as not to disturb Olive, you took one of Milo’s hands. “My coworker mentioned doing research on a scandal that happened last year right about the same time. She said that there had been a massive energy issue in Galar that the old league chairman was trying to work on, but instead his efforts put the entire region in danger. She mentioned finding a pamphlet of Galar in her research and thought she might try to visit it someday and gave me the pamphlet, and I found this really cute picture of some of the homes in Turffield from it-”
“And that’s how you decided to move to Turffield.” Milo’s smile was so bright, you were sure it might blind you. But it was nothing but honest. “It’s crazy, you’d think some of these regions were a whole universe away. But… just one piece of paper brought you here?”
“Wild, isn’t it?” You leaned back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. You really were tired, but you hated to rest after finally getting to talk to Milo. “Had she not still had that pamphlet, I don’t think I ever would’ve met you…” You looked to Milo again, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t feeling a little emotional.
But to your surprise, he was looking away from you. Damn near luminescent pink, he seemed to be struggling with something inside him. You reached out to take his hand, but at that moment, someone’s wide golden eyes shot open in surprise to see you. “Bahhh!!” Olive perked up at the sight of you, causing you to jump. Milo also snapped out of his stupor. The baby Wooloo seemed to be in a better mood seeing you awake still, and carefully trotted closer, eager for some attention.
“Yes, Olive, I see you!” You gladly gave her what she wanted, petting her soft wool and scratching her chin, but still, something bugged you. “Um… Milo? Is there something wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
You squinted playfully at the man, offering a light smile. “You seem distracted…” That smile slid away, showing your true concern. “Tell me you’re not stressing out over me being in here.”
His face lit up in a brighter shade of pink, but he waved off the notion. “No, it’s not that at all!”
“Good, because I’ll have you know-”
“It’s more than that...” Oh. Oh no. “... N-no, it’s nothin’ important-”
Olive’s ear perked up, and she looked back at Milo with intent, interrupting him. “Baahhh!!”
Milo jumped back, and quickly shush -ed her. “Olive, you can’t be loud in here!”
But Olive stood her ground. “Baaahhhh!!”
You were watching the whole thing in amusement, but in secret, you were coming apart at the seams. You weren’t dumb.
I mean, I am a little scatter-brained, you thought , so he’s just trying to keep me on the straight-and-narrow by helping out-
No. You weren’t dumb. You had already spilled out your biggest moment of personal anxiety, but good Heaven, you weren’t done. “.... Milo?”
He was in the middle of scolding Olive, but both Milo and the Wooloo looked to you with mild surprise on your face. Normally, you’d be laughing when he “tried” to be stern with his Wooloo. “Yeah?”
“Could I be…. Completely honest with you?”
He smiled. “Only if I can be completely honest with you, darlin’.”
Nurse Canion was sitting at the nurses’ station completing paperwork with a coworker when two things happened:
There was the scream. And then there was the call alarm for the room that Gym Leader Milo’s friend was in.
She got up from the desk and quickly rushed to the room, pushing open the door with another nurse behind her. “What’s wrong?!”
The two nurses arrived to the scene, finding Milo holding the young woman close; the woman, whose name the elder nurse couldn’t quite remember off the top of her head, was bawling her eyes out. If she didn’t know any better, she’d seen a similar reaction about a month ago when one of the younger nurses-
“Awww!! That’s so sweet!” The younger nurse behind Canion squealed, teary-eyed at the sight of the baby Wooloo that was trotting closer to them; they had met the Wooloo just briefly when Milo had arrived from Turffield after his friend had been transferred here.
And judging by the ribbon that was threaded around a tiny ring around the Pokemon’s neck, Canion figured that the two young ones were in for an even sweeter future together.