Pokémon: Ancient Scarlet

Tearing Up Tera Dens

After getting lost and having to ask a passing Trainer for directions, Milo was eventually able to track down the large gate that led out of Mesagoza, out to the west. The teen stared at the gate for several long moments, gulping nervously as he considered what this actually meant. The Voice's reappearance today meant that the Nuzlocke Curse was most definitely still in effect. And that meant his life was on the line with every battle he took.

Remember...You made this deal.

"I know that!" Milo growled back as glanced skyward, exhaling hard as he tried to get his emotions under control. Looking at the young man, however, you wouldn't even be able to tell how frustrated and scared he truly was. "You can't imagine what it's like! You know, I could just stay in school and travel around normally. Avoid the Gyms and Titans and all the other stuff! What do you have to say about that?"

I'd say that you would be completely squandering your second chance and the possibilities open to you. What's better, kid? Defying the odds and truly embracing life? Or hiding like a coward because you're too scared to take a risk?

Milo looked down and truly considered the words that the strange presence was saying. Because as much as Milo didn't want to admit it, the Voice was completely correct. He had chosen this and he had made the deal. Was he really that much of a coward that he wouldn't even take the risk to try and explore the wonderful new world he was a part of?

He had two new friends and a strange acquaintance asking for his help to do extremely interesting things. Hell, if it wasn't for the fact that he was being kept in the dark about Team Star, he might've gone off to tackle that particular challenge first. It was frustrating to admit, but the Voice was right, and it was actually trying to help him for some unknown reason. This sort of experience was why he wanted to move to go to Naranja Academy in the first place.

"Fine...You're right. It's hard trying to really process all of this." Milo sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on calming himself down for several moments before adding, "Thanks for setting me straight. You're still awful, but I do appreciate you not being a total asshole for five minutes."

Remember that the next time you get sassy with me, Florian.

The presence of the Voice faded as Milo cringed from his own name being used against him like that. Milo heard the ringing of his Rotom Phone and jumped up with some surprise, even as it flew out of his pocket to show that Nemona was calling him. Confused as to why she was calling him even though he had seen her less than two hours ago, Milo answered the phone.

"Hey! It's me, Nemona!" the girl yelled out from over the phone, the sound of wind in the background. Milo wondered if she was riding her Paldean Tauros much like he was riding Koraidon. "We should call and catch each other up on how things are going from now on!"

"Sounds good to me. I'm about to head out of Mesagoza."

"You decide to set out heading west from the school, right, Milo?" Nemona asked her neighbor, who snorted with amusement. Naturally she had guessed that sort of thing.

"Yeah, I ended up deciding to tackle the Gym out west. You said it was about a two or three day walk from the city, right?"

"Yeah! Starting from there, you'll be pretty close to Cortondo! With Koraidon, I wouldn't be surprised if you got there by nightfall if you made a beeline straight for the town!" Nemona gushed, causing Milo to smile at the girl's excitement. "Anyways, that's where you'll find the Bug-type Gym! You can go take on the Gym Leader if you want!"

"Bug-type, huh? With Reggie that shouldn't be too hard." Milo remarked, causing Nemona to laugh. A loud moo sounded off in the background, followed by the cries of several Pokémon. Milo wondered if his neighbor was battling wild Pokémon while on the phone with him, or just not paying attention to where she was going.