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Milo heaved a sigh as he tried to corral all his Wooloo together before wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
The sun was now shining brightly in the sky above Turffield, signaling the beginning of what should’ve been a lovely day. At least, it would’ve been a lovely day had he not been so overwhelmed, had it not been the end of what had been a vicious storm.
Though his wide-brimmed hat provided fairly good cover from the pervasive rays of sunlight, he angled his head downward as best he could to avoid accidentally burning his eyes. His herding partner, Yamper, nipped at his heels as they walked together through the fields, attempting to wrangle all his wayward Wooloo.
For once, Turffield seemed to be buzzing with activity, but it was only because its townsfolk were attempting to salvage what they could after the storm.
After making sure that all of his Wooloo were safely in their pen, Milo bent down to give Yamper a little pat on the head. “Thanks for helping me out today, boy.” Then, he headed down a grassy knoll to where his garden was hidden, tucked away behind the fence that guarded his house.
With Yamper still racing behind him, Milo eventually knelt down in the dirt, examining each and every colorful blossom and delicate shoot before him. With a sigh, he shielded his eyes, smudging dirt across his forehead. A shadow crossed over before him, and he was so stunned at the sight of her that he nearly forgot to breathe. “Nessa?”
“Hey there, stranger.” Nessa stood before him in a light blue blouse that billowed with the wind and a flattering skirt that flared out at her waist. A pair of shades rested atop her head, and she wore flimsy sandals that sunk deep into the mud.
“You're interrupting my weeding,” Milo replied as shortly as his conscience would allow. Then, he returned to the pile of weeds he'd uprooted and flung aside, ignoring her as she stood before him.
Bending forward slightly so that he'd hear her, Nessa asked, “Weeding so early in the morning?”
Milo didn't know why she was asking such a question when she already knew that he woke up at the crack of dawn to get chores done and train with his Pokémon. He chose to remain silent as he continued pulling up weeds and sorting them into little piles at her feet.
“Milo…?” Nessa tried, finally crouching down beside him.
It took every bit of willpower he could muster in order for him not to respond. Milo was never one for being impolite, and he didn't want to leave her hanging, no matter how desperately he wished to work in silence. But he couldn't think of anything to say. What words were there to express how terrible he truly felt right now?
Kneeling down in the dirt beside him, Nessa didn't make a single complaint about her outfit getting muddy. “You do know that I'm here for you… don't you?” When he still didn't reply, she sighed, reaching for his hand. Her hands were soft in his, and she stroked his muddy calluses with her thumb as they knelt together in his garden beneath the brilliant sun.
His Wooloo occasionally peeked out at them from beyond their fence, and his Yamper eventually popped up by his side with a little bark and wag of its tail.
“Milo,” Nessa began again after giving Yamper a short belly rub. She searched his gaze with her soft blue eyes. “You're never this quiet… What's wrong?”
With a short gesture out toward the far reaches of his garden, Milo went back to work.
Nessa gasped sharply as she fully registered the scene laid out before her. “Arceus, Milo… What happened here?”
“Storm came through last night.” Milo’s expression soured slightly. “Beautiful day now, but…”
His garden was wrecked. Plants had been uprooted. Blossoms had been crushed. Weeds had been left untouched by the harsh gales that’d swept through the area. Even his gate had been knocked off its hinge, and a few of his house’s windows had been broken.
Her eyes softening, Nessa squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Don't worry, Milo. We’ll have this place back to normal in no time.” Then, she joined him as he weeded and cleaned up the wreckage.
“I hate seeing my flowers dead,” Milo admitted. “Feels like I've failed them.”
“You haven't,” Nessa promised. “What happened wasn't your fault.” She reached out to wipe a smidge of dirt from his nose. Then, she pulled a few packets of flower seed out of her skirt pocket and handed them to him. “Here.”
Milo’s voice caught at the back of his throat as he accepted the packets and threw his arms about her. “Nessa… Thank you.”