Pokémon: Ancient Scarlet

School Days

The next week or so of school passed by without any issues, and Milo settled into a relatively normal schedule, much to his relief.

Milo was shocked to learn that as a result of his actions against Team Star, his status as the school celebrity lingered long after the battle with the two Team Star Grunts on the Academy steps. Milo's reputation was further bolstered by the boy's humility regarding the situation, which unfortunately for the Galarian made him even more popular.

Despite that, Milo found himself spending time with both Nemona and Arven outside of class, though due to Arven's strong dislike of Nemona, never at the same time. Milo grudgingly admitted that Arven was a friendly enough guy when he wasn't under immense stress and fun to be around for the most part, though he was still somewhat prickly at times.

Milo even spotted a few occasions where Arven would lapse into long silences, a rather depressed expression on his face. Milo eventually decided to bring Juliana to some of his lunches with Arven, and thankfully she was able to inject some much needed life and joy into proceedings.

Sometimes Arven would even make the three of them large bento boxes filled with fresh vegetables, perfectly steamed rice and meat that was seasoned just right. Arven was always happy to cook for Milo and Juliana, the latter of whom warmed up to the older student fairly quickly, which Milo found immensely amusing due to the fact that Juliana was even more of a foodie than he was.

During these lunches Milo learned a bit more about the older teen. The most surprising of which was the fact that Arven was practically a pro when it came to surviving out in the Wilds on his own. He gave Milo and Juliana both tips on what brands of clothes and supplies to buy when going out on your own. The trio had even made a few excursions into Mesagoza proper to shop for equipment to ensure a comfortable time outdoors.

However, these excursions into the city were something done fairly rarely, as Arven wasn't usually around Naranja Academy, at least compared to the rest of them. The older student left the Academy for long periods of time despite having room and board at the school. According to Nemona, Arven had only a handful of credits under his belt despite being an upperclassman like her.

However, due to being the famous Professor Sada's son and the fact that his education already had been paid for by his mother in advance, Arven was able to come and go as he pleased without any serious consequences.

Milo wondered what Arven was up to during his long absences away from Naranja Academy. Unlike Nemona, who occasionally had to take a day or two away from class to deal with Student Council issues or even to assist the Paldean Pokémon League with important matters, Arven had no such obligations. So what kept him away from the school?

During the periods of time that he didn't hang out with Arven or Juliana, Milo happily enjoyed his lunch and dinner periods with Nemona. The Champion-ranked President of the Student Council was always thrilled to hang out with her new rival and neighbor. Spending time with Nemona would always leave Milo feeling rather tired, but he always had a smile on his face. Nemona also took that time to introduce her friend to her true team, the one that had led her to victory against the Champion of Paldea.

Her ace, Tornado, was a friendly Paldean Tuaros who was a bit protective of Nemona out in the wilds. Milo wasn't surprised, given how ditzy Nemona was sometimes. According to Nemona this was the Pokémon that had won her the Championship, and Tornado hadn't ever lost a battle.

Then there was Oswaldo the Orthoworm, a Pokémon that Milo had never seen before but looked somewhat silly to the new Trainer. According to Nemona, he was a rather goofy Pokémon and was notorious for being difficult to wake up in the mornings. Then there was Dedede the Dundunsparce, which was the evolved form of Dunsparce. Even more interesting was that Nemona's Dundunsparce was an apparently rare Three-Segment version of the Pokémon who had a rather irritable disposition, but always listened to Nemona no matter what.