A/N: I do not own Pokémon.

Chapters 1-9 have been revised as of 24/06/2020. Chapters 1-13 have been edited in order to make them easier to read as of 28/07/2020.

Please enjoy.


I had quite the pleasant dream. I was an established Pokémon trainer, and together with my six partners at my side, we prevailed over the Pokémon league and became the champion of the Unova region.

I was smiling wider than ever before. My partners, who stayed by my side through thick and thin, through sickness and health, were standing proudly beside me as I received a badge from the reigning champion. His face and body were incomprehensible to me, but I knew that he was the champion just from looking at him. Or her?

Their identity didn't matter to me in my dream; I just knew that I had defeated them in a Pokémon battle for the title of Champion. And I was the one who'd come out on top. The former champion took my trainer ID and ran the front against a scanner. They took my partners' Pokéballs and placed them into a machine not unlike those you'd find in a Pokémon center to heal your Pokémon.

On a monitor above the scanner and machine, a projection of my body appeared, with my current outfit. My partners stood beside me, each of them looking triumphant. The projection of myself had an interesting, yet expected facial expression: pride. Yes, I and my partners felt pride in what we'd just done.

The champion returned my trainer ID and the Pokéballs to me. They gave a low bow, not unlike a butler's, and extended their hands to me for a handshake. Unfettered from the pride I was feeling, I grasped their hand in mine, giving them a firm shake of hands.

The champion and I broke contact and looked into each other's faces. Though they didn't have a face, their eyes were still clearly visible. Sharp, piercing eyes that threatened to unveil my every secret and emotion. An expression that could only have been tempered through prevailing over the most perilous of trials with their own partners. Their mouth was still incomprehensible to me, but I could tell they were giving me the slightest of smiles.

The champion began to speak. "Congratulations, Hil-" They said, cutting off my name at the end. "You are hereby recognized as the Unova Pokémon League's Champion. Will you accept your title?" They asked.

I glanced at my partners. Three of them were in agreement with the former champion, urging me to accept the title. The elemental monkey to my left and one other to my right urged me not to, implying that there was more for me to do. However, my starter, who stood to my right, gave me a knowing look. A look that told me that deep inside, I know what my answer must be.

I nodded at my starter and acknowledged the rest of my partners. It was true: I knew what had to be done for the sake of the Unova region. I looked into the champion's eyes with a gaze of my own. A gaze not anywhere as all-knowing as theirs, but one tempered through my own trials. Trials and challenges that I would never forget as long as I lived.

Before I opened my mouth to give a reply, I looked back, over my shoulder. My closest companion was there, by the entryway, having just defeated the Elite Four themselves. Like the champion, their figure and face were unclear to me, but I knew that it was them just by looking at them.

They gave me a smile, as if telling me to follow my heart. That I already know what my answer is. I shot them a smile back, to acknowledge their advice and to thank them for all that they've done for me. Their starter, who was standing beside them, nodded at my own.

I looked back at the former champion, ready to give my answer. They raised their eyebrow as I looked into their eyes, but it lowered as soon as they saw the look in my eyes. I was ready to give my answer, and they knew it.

I opened my mouth to speak, and gave the champion my answer.


"Beep! Beep!"

A shrill sound entered my ears. A sound that, though I'd been waking up to it for the past five years of my life, was one that I would never get used to. I groggily opened my eyes and turned my head to the end table beside me, taking a good look at the device making the noise.

"Arceus damned alarm clock… I was sure I set it at 9:30 AM. not 5:30." I thought, glaring at my alarm clock. Unfortunately for me, glaring wouldn't stop its shrill ringing, so I angrily brought my fist down onto the big button on the center of the device. "I don't care if that puts it on snooze or not. I just want it off." I thought, sighing in relief as the alarm clock finally shut up.

I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. No matter how much I tried to close my eyes, hugged the blanket or tossed and turned, the damage had already been done. "It's useless. I can't go back to sleep." I thought. "Whatever. I'll get an early start. That dream would have kept me up anyway." I thought as I glanced at the alarm clock. "6:30 AM."

I pulled the covers off of my body and slowly placed my feet on the birch floorboards. They creaked as my feet touched the ground, clearly showing its age. "I'm going to have to ask mom to get these replaced with wood that isn't older than she is." I thought, tiptoeing over to the rug on the floor. I walked across the rug and in front of the full body mirror to check myself out.

"Hilbert Blake, 17 years old, about to get his first starter Pokémon." I thought. I was wearing a simple, sleeveless black muscle shirt over my torso, and similarly black shorts over my legs. My usual sleepwear. My bushy, dark brown hair was a mess, but that was to be expected. "Maybe Cheren was right. I really do wear too much black… but whatever." I thought, sighing to myself. "I'm going to have to run to the department store." I thought, pulling at the edge of my shirt.

I made my bed, then slowly made my way downstairs so as to not wake up my mother. I went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, then pulled out a handful of Oran berries. I put one into my mouth and chewed on it, savoring the taste. "It's always a different experience every time. The flavors dance around your tongue, leaving you wanting more." I thought as I chewed on the berry. I swallowed it and let out a satisfied sigh, then put some extra Oran berries into my pocket for later.

The moment I stepped out the door, I was immediately greeted by the bright rays of the morning sun. The rays of the sun shone on our doorstep, perhaps trying to give me a greeting. Unfortunately for the sun, I was in a sour mood from having wrongly set my alarm clock. "It's too bright." I thought, trying to block out the sun with my open palm.

Nuvema Town, in southeastern Unova, was always a sleepy town. It's not typically a town that people would visit, but it's a perfect town for people that just want to get away from the world. At an hour like this, however, it was completely deserted, everyone still nestled up in their beds… except for one, unfortunate teenager who set his alarm too early.

I stretched my arms and legs and took a walk around town. Pidove were flying around, chirping as loud as they could. They were singing a song of some kind, or perhaps talking to each other. "They look like they're having fun." I thought, smiling to myself.

I looked up at the flock of pidove. One of them appeared to have noticed my gaze and split off from them, landing right at my feet. I crouched down and gently rubbed the top of the pidove's head, eliciting a friendly chirp from the Pokémon. A small smile formed at the end of my lips as I took an Oran berry from my pocket. I placed it on my palm and held it out to the pidove, who immediately stuffed the berry into its tiny beak. "You must have been hungry. Eat well." I nodded at the pidove.

The pidove chirped and flew off, joining its flock. I saw it off, watching the flock fly towards parts unknown. I sighed and stared at my palm where the pidove had eaten from. I recalled the dream I'd had earlier, about becoming the champion. "What a flight of fancy." I thought.

I walked towards a bench near the edge of town and sat down. I stared off into the horizon, watching the sun rise. "No matter what, the sea never changes." I thought. The waves of the sea were almost rippling in the sunlight, schools of alomomola just barely visible beneath the surface.

Above the water's edge, I could see flocks of tranquill flying, looking for a meal. One of the tranquill dove into the water and pulled out a basculin, having found its meal. I sighed as I watched the event happen. "Such is the circle of life, I suppose." I thought as I watched the tranquill fly away.

Placing my elbows on my knees and cradling my chin with my palms, my mind slowly drifted to the few friends I have in town.

Cheren Wright. A boy around my age, with black hair and a stern gaze. I've known him ever since I moved into Nuvema Town five years ago. As my only male friend here in Nuvema Town, we found ourselves around each other a lot. Our interests often conflicted, however, but we were still good friends.

Bianca Bell. A girl also around my age, with blonde hair and a bright smile. Again, I've known her ever since I moved into Nuvema Town, but I suppose we were friends from the moment we met, at her eager insistence. I didn't hang out with her as much as I was with Cheren, but I suppose that was to be expected.

And then there was-

"Hilbert? Is that you?" A sleepy voice called out from behind me. Sighing, I looked up and back to verify who called out to me.

A girl around my age, with dark brown hair kept in a ponytail and an icy cold, judgmental glare. She was currently dressed similar to myself, though her tank top and shorts were white instead of black. Noticing me turning back, she walked over and took a seat beside me.

"Hilda." I acknowledged.

Hilda Whitley. She moved into Nuvema Town around the same time as I did, but before me and my mom arrived. As to whether we were friends…

"You're up early. I don't usually see you around at this hour." She said, yawning.

I yawned back. "I doubt anyone's up at this hour. Even you."

"Yeah, I guess I'm usually not. I kind of did mess up setting my alarm clock." Hilda said, sighing. The dark circles under her eyes were a testament to her lack of sleep.

"Really. I did too." I replied.

"Guess we're both exhausted." Hilda said, sighing. I joined her and we both let out a deep sigh; an elegy to our lack of sleep.

"What time did you sleep last night?" Hilda turning to face me.

I turned to face her and let out another deep sigh. "You would know. You were at my place until 10 PM."

"Ehe, I suppose I was. That movie was really good, okay?" Hilda said, smiling.

"It was, but it probably wasn't worth the splitting headache I have right now."

"I guess. My head does feel like it'll split open any second now." Hilda said, grasping her forehead.

"Do you usually come here?" Hilda asked, looking around us.

"Yeah. I like the view." I said, staring straight ahead. "The ocean looks wonderful in the morning." I thought.

"It's pretty nice, isn't it?" Hilda said, taking in the scenery.

"Yeah. The view, the ocean breeze… It's what I live for, I suppose." I said, still staring straight ahead.. Hilda and I sat there in silence, watching the sun rise.

I loosened my body up and reclined on the back of the bench. This naturally raised my head, allowing me to watch the pidove flocks soar across the sky. They seemed to be flying south. "Migrating already? That's early." I thought. Recalling the earlier moment I had with a pidove, a smile formed at the end of my lips.

"What are you so happy about?" Hilda said as she looked at me, surprise written all over her face.

The smile immediately left my lips. "Is it that unusual?"

"Nothing, it's just that I could count the amount of times you've smiled on both hands." Hilda joked as she raised both her hands in mock exaggeration. "So, what's gotten into you? Tell me." Hilda asked, a gentle smile plastered on her face.

I groaned. "Nothing."

"Come on, you never tell me anything! Come on, please?" Hilda said as she put on the faux-lillipup eyes. While admittedly adorable, they were not enough for me just to ignore how annoyed I was getting.

"No, I'm not telling you." I said, then glared at her. Her lillipup eyes started to look more like scolipede eyes.

"Ugh, you're a jerk." Hilda huffed, crossing her arms.

I realized I was being kind of a jerk, though my usual attitude was exacerbated by the time of day. I scooted closer to Hilda and gently placed my hand on her back, below her neck. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a jerk." I genuinely apologized. I hoped.

"Wh-?" Hilda shot up like a bullet and placed her hand on the place where I touched her. "Don't go touching people without permission, you weirdo!" She sputtered out, faster than I ever heard her talk before. I stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm… sorry? What's gotten into you?" I apologized again, this time curious. Hilda's face seemed to have turned a little red.

"Hilbert Blake, let me spell it out for you. A girl's nape is one of the most sensitive parts of her body, so having it suddenly touched feelsreallyfreakingweird!" She sputtered out the last part of that sentence so fast I couldn't even make heads or tails of it.

"I see… in that case, I'm sorry for being a jerk, and for touching one of your most sensitive areas." I said as I looked into her eyes. Hilda looked incredibly flustered as I said the last part. So flustered, in fact, that she ran away.

"Work on your wording next time, you pervert!" She yelled out as she slowly disappeared from view.

I looked down at my left hand, then looked up at her as she ran away. "What the hell…?"


"Unbelievable! First he pisses me off, then he touches the back of my neck, and- urgh! Hilbert really, really pisses me off!" The thoughts raced through my head as I ran away from Hilbert.

I was already in a pretty terrible mood from earlier. For some reason, my alarm clock bugged out and woke me up way earlier than I'd wanted. "Seriously, nobody should be awake at this hour!" I complained to myself. I shook my head and thought about my dream from last night. "And it cut my dream off at the good part. I'm never forgiving that dumb piece of plastic." I thought.

I must have run to the opposite edge of town, because I could see the road leading to Route 1. "Wow… there was grass as far as the eye could see." I could have almost called it beautiful, if it weren't for the wild Pokémon in the grass.

I leaned back by a tree, staring at the rustling of the grass. Every now and then, a patrat would poke its head out of a bush, stare at me then scamper away. "Ehehe… so cute." We were finally getting our starter Pokémon today, so I was super excited.

I must have gotten so excited that I didn't notice the lillipup that was right in front of me. I crouched down to meet it at its height. "Aww, you're adorable! Good morning!" I greeted the lillipup, extending my arm out to pet it.

The lillipup's tail shot straight up. Within seconds, it was fiercely - but adorably - barking at me. I slowly backed away from the tree I was leaning back on, trying to get away from the lillipup.

"Come on, nice boy… or girl… I wouldn't do anything to hurt you…" I raised my hands in surrender as the lillipup kept following me, barking all the way. The lillipup, probably having enough, pounced, soaring into my left thigh.

"Ow!" I cried, the pain causing me to drop to my right knee. The lillipup freaking tackled me! I looked back up at it and it was still growling, ready for more. "Good… boy…" I weakly cried at the lillipup as it reared its head for another attack. "Ugh, this sucks…" I tried to think through the pain.

The lillipup tackled me again and knocked me over, flat on my back. I could feel my forehead stinging from where it collided. The lillipup was still barking, still ready for even more. "Argh… help… anybody…" I weakly groaned as the lillipup went for the kill.

To my surprise, the lillipup indeed soared off the ground, but in the complete opposite direction from me. Huh?

I opened my eyes and saw Hilbert towering above me, lillipup struggling between his hands. I looked into his eyes, and there were no traces of his angry glare from earlier. Only… concern? "Hilbert…?"

"It's a good thing I followed the sound of this guy's incessant barking." Hilbert said, deeply sighing as the lillipup tried to free itself from his grasp. He gently placed the lillipup back on the ground, where it immediately prepared to pounce.

"Hilbert, watch ou-"

"Don't worry." He said, staring the lillipup straight in the eyes.

Hilbert reached into his pocket and brought something out. "Blue, spherical… oh, an Oran berry." I thought. He placed the Oran berry onto his left palm and gently extended it to the lillipup. The lillipup, still staring at Hilbert, apprehensively walked closer to him and ate the berry out of the palm of his hand.

Hilbert took out another Oran berry. "Just how many did he have…?" I uselessly thought.

"Want another one, boy?" Hilbert said, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard before. He even seemed to be smiling. The lillipup yipped happily and dug into his palm again, happily munching on the berry. Hilbert affectionately rubbed the lillipup on the head and put his hands in his pockets.

"Go on, go back to your family. I bet they miss you." He said, genuinely smiling at the lillipup. It responded with a happy yip and bolted back into Route 1, eventually running into the grass.

Hilbert walked towards me and extended his right hand out to me. "Come on, get up. You're a mess." He said. All traces of his earlier happiness were gone, and seemed to be replaced by annoyance. "Ugh…"

I begrudgingly took his hand and stood up, dusting myself off. "Urgh… my leg and head still hurt from where the lillipup tackled me." I thought. Hilbert must have noticed something and took his hand in mine. "Wha-?"

"Let's go back to my house. I'll get you patched up." Hilbert calmly said.

I stared at our linked hands and narrowed my eyes. "Okay, I get that, but do you really need to hold my hand?! What did I say about not touching people without their permission before?!" I complained.

"It's either that," Hilbert said, turning to look into my eyes, "or I sling your arm around my shoulders. Your leg must hurt a lot." He gestured towards my leg, which was shivering slightly in pain. "Tell me, which one would both of us rather prefer?" He sneered. I groaned, knowing I didn't have a comeback.

"If your hand starts to sweat, I'm letting go."

"You hardly have a leg to stand on, Hilda. Your hand's been sweating ever since I grabbed it."

"Shut up!"


I took Hilda into my house, still holding her hand. I let her sit on a chair by the dining room table, then I went over to the freezer and prepared an ice pack for her leg. "Seriously, this place is just as clean as it was yesterday. Unlike a certain someone's house…" Hilda said as she placed an elbow on the table, cupping her cheek in her hand.

I scooped some ice out of the freezer and wrapped it in a towel."Mother drilled the basics and intermediates of cleaning into my head. Cleaning has become sort of a hobby for me."

"Gee, good housewife much?" Hilda snickered.

"And whose house is always a mess?" I immediately shot back.

"Ugh. You know I hate cleaning." Hilda pouted.

I stared at her. "Every time I visit, I want to drop everything I have and clean your kitchen from top to bottom. And that's not even mentioning your bedroom." I said.

"Ugh, I try to time your visits so that it's always after the housekeeper cleans up." She said, embarrassedly looking away.

I smirked. "Not like it matters. You're in my house practically everyday, you know."

"If my leg didn't hurt like hell right now, I would have gone over there and smacked you for being a smartass. What happened to that apology?" Hilda complained.

"I apologized for being a jerk, not being a smartass." I snickered, knowing full well how much I was annoying her.

"It's the same thing!" She said, slamming her fist onto the table.

I immediately looked up at the staircase with an expression of mild fear. "Careful, you'll wake up mother." I said.

Hilda immediately relented and went back to leaning her elbow on the table. "S-Sorry." She stuttered out, having experienced the wrath of my mother firsthand in the past. "That takes me back…" I thought.

I brought the improvised cold compress over to Hilda and kneeled down in front of her, getting a good look at her leg. "Which leg hurts?" I asked.

"My left leg. Now stop staring at my legs, you creep!" She said as she nearly kicked me in the face.

"Careful there." I groaned, applying the cold compress onto the spot that looked like a large bruise.

Hilda quivered as I placed the cold compress on her bruise. "Ugh, that's cold…" She complained.

"Hold this over your leg. I'll make us some breakfast." I said, handing Hilda the ice pack. She immediately perked up the moment that last word left my mouth.

"Mmm, Hilbert's cooking… truly, food for the soul." She joked. "Really, could you make that sound any more suggestive?" I said, chuckling.

"Whatever. Make us some breakfast!" Hilda said, clapping her hands together and nearly dropping the cold compress.

I gave her a mock salute. "Coming right up." I said, then headed towards the kitchen.

Soon enough, the smell of freshly cooked food filled the house. I walked back towards the dining table, bringing two plates of rice, emboar bacon and scrambled tranquill eggs. "...You think it's weird that we eat Pokémon?" Hilda asked, staring at the plate.

I blinked. "Don't think about it too hard." I said, waved it off.

"If you say so…"

Gingerly, Hilda took a spoonful of rice and bacon and ate it. I must have been staring, because she stared at me with disgust in her eyes. "Can you not stare at people while they're eating? Seriously, you're such a creep sometimes." She said, in between bites.

"I only really get to cook for you and mother. It's a bad habit." I said, looking away from her.

"Creepy stares aside… this does taste really good, Hilbert. As good as ever, really. Say, why'd you start to learn how to cook, anyway?" Hilda said as she stared at the plate.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Coming from you, that's a real compliment." I said. " There isn't much to do in this town, so I started practicing how to cook. After a while, my mom said my cooking tastes better than hers, so she told me that I'd be the one handling the cooking for our household." I continued, recalling the memory.

"Hey, you mind if I come over here for dinner every night? Dad's always busy, and I can't cook to save my life…" Hilda pouted. I looked her straight in the eyes.

"You would make a great wife, you know that?" I deadpanned.

Hilda glared at me. "Feminists all around the world just cringed at your joke, you idiot." She said, bonking me over the head.

I rubbed the spot where she smacked me. "What was that for?"

"Crimes against women. Now hurry, your food's going to get cold." Hilda said as she immediately stuffed more food into her mouth.

"Usually, the one who makes the meal is the one who says that…" I pointed out, then shoveled some food into my mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just eat!"

"Oh, Hilda? Is that you?" A voice came from the top of the staircase. "It looks like my mother woke up." I thought, then turned to look at the source of the voice. My mother walked down the stairs and gave us a bright smile.

"Good morning, mother. I saved a plate for you in the oven." I said, nodding at my mother.

Hilda gulped. "G-Good morning, Mrs. Blake…" She nervously greeted.

My mother simply laughed. "Nice to see you again, Hilda! What brings you over so early?" She asked.

"Hilda here got assaulted by a lillipup. I took her here, patched her up and now we're having a nice breakfast." I quickly summarized.

"You're leaving out the parts where you were being a total jerk." Hilda commented, glaring at me. "I also left out the part where you were floored by two tackles of the lillipup." I glared back.

Hilda looked away from me. "...Bleh." She spat

My mother laughed again. "Ahaha, seems like nothing's changed between you two. Always play-fighting!" She said.

"We are not play-fighting!" We yelled in perfect unison, looked at each other then immediately looked away.

My mother gave another hearty laugh. "Ahaha, sure. I'll go take a walk outside so as to not disturb your 'nice breakfast'. See you later!" She said as she walked out the door.

Hilda sighed deeply as my mother walked out the door. "Your mom's a real peach, you know that?" She said.

"It's hard to believe I share the same genes as her…" I said, slowly shoveling more food into my mouth. It really did taste good.

"You know, I don't mind cooking for you every night. I already do cook lunch for you practically every other day. Helps me practice more, and you get to have a good meal. What do you think?" I offered.

Hilda shot me a bright smile. "I would be an idiot to say no."

We finished our food in silence. Comfortable silence, fortunately.


I patted my belly. "That was probably the best breakfast I've had in years. Seriously, why don't you tell Cheren and Bianca about this? It's a shame that only I know." I asked Hilbert, a big smile on my face.

Hilbert shrugged in reply. "I didn't 'tell' anyone. I didn't think it was that interesting until you showed up during lunch one day and demanded you make me something." Hilbert said.

He took the plates and stood up, then made his way to the sink. He let running water run across the plates, thoroughly soaking them, then turned the faucet off and made his way back to the table.

"Ehehe, I guess I did. I don't regret it at all, though, since your cooking's always so delicious." I said, chuckling at him.

Hilbert sheepishly turned away. "You're flattering me. Really, you are." He said.

I put my hands on my hips and grinned at him. "Oh, are you getting embarrassed? Not used to being praised by me, huh?" I said.

"I'm not used to being praised in general. Especially from you. Now cut it out, you'll make me blush." Hilbert said, back still turned to me.

"You're… physically capable of blushing?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Hilbert audibly sighed. "Yes. I am. Though that's something nobody in this world has ever seen barring myself." He said.

I poked at Hilbert's side. "Is it because you turn away every time you blush?"

"Argh!" He groaned, then turned back at me. A light pink was very clearly dusting his cheeks.

"Haha! I saw it!" I cheered, laughing out loud.

Hilbert could only sigh at having been exposed. "You're impossible…"

"Come on, it's not all bad. Here I thought the only emotions you were capable of were 'smug', 'slight irritation' and 'anger'." I continued, egging him on.

Hilbert's expression quickly formed into a glare. "And those are the only three emotions you'll ever see from me for the rest of your life."

"Urk…" Hilbert's glare is normally pretty scary, but that one was even scarier than before. "Ah, crap, I messed up…"

Hilbert slowly walked towards me and placed his face directly in front of mine. Our noses were barely touching, and I could feel his breath… "Oh no, this is bad…"

Hilbert stared into my eyes and slowly grabbed my shoulders. Resigning myself to my fate, I closed my eyes for what was about to happen. "I must be blushing furiously right now…" I thought, anticipating the worst.

I felt one hand leave my shoulder. Still keeping my eyes closed, I was awaiting the inevitable… until I felt a sharp pain on my forehead.

"Ow!" I opened my eyes to see that Hilbert flicked my forehead with his finger, smirking all the way. I brought my hand to my forehead and stared at him. "What, were you expecting something else?" He snickered.

"Grr… Don't play with a girl's heart like that!" I yelled out for all to hear.


"Let's call it even. We both saw each other incredibly embarrassed. Deal?" I extended my hand towards Hilda.

Still blushing, she slowly accepted my hand and shook. "Deal."

I checked my watch. "Cheren and Bianca are supposed to arrive here around noontime. It's 7:30 AM… wanna watch a movie?" I pointed to the TV.

Hilda shrugged and nodded her head. "Fine. What do you have?" She asked.

"I think we have Destiny Deoxys." I said, walking over to the shelf and pulling out the DVD.

Hilda looked at the DVD in my hands. "Oh, that one's a classic. It was set in the Hoenn region, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. It sold really well in Hoenn, and unexpectedly in Kalos. Seems that people all around the world just love alien movies." I mused.

Hilda nodded in agreement with the people all around the world."Hey, I do too. They're awesome."

"Mind getting the movie ready? I'll go make us some popcorn." I said as I tossed the DVD over to her.

"Got it." She said, then slid the DVD into the player. I nodded then went over to the kitchen.

Eventually, we sat beside each other in front of the TV, a bowl of popcorn in her hands for some reason. Every now and then, as the movie continued, our fingers would meet from inside the popcorn bowl. Every time it happened, she wore an expression of surprise on her face while I smirked back at her. At one point, I intentionally grabbed her fingers instead of the popcorn, making her yelp in surprise.

"Focus on the movie!" She commanded.

The movie ended, and the bowl of popcorn was empty. I tossed the bowl of popcorn onto the coffee table and started to stand up. Strangely, Hilda tugged on my arm, beckoning for me to sit back down. "Hm?" I asked.

Hilda looked into my eyes with her trademark faux lillipup eyes. Though that time, they didn't seem to be faux... "Leaving so soon? We barely get to spend time alone together, you know." She said, still tugging at my arm.

I stared at her with an incredulous look on my face. "...The hell do you mean? You're here everyday. Half the time, I'm cooking lunch for three." I complained.

Hilda let go of my arm and sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, there's no rush. Wanna read a book with me?" She said. "Or at least, talk about one." She followed up.

I nodded and sat back down. "What kind of book?" I asked. "It's a novel that I read recently. It's called The Mysterious Rotom." Hilda said.

"Cheren mentioned that in passing the other day. What is it about?" I asked.

Hilda closed her eyes. "It's supposedly based on a true story back in Sinnoh. A city was facing mysterious power surges, and eventually the city's entire power grid shut down. Engineers and Pokémon trainers alike tried to figure out what was happening."

"Sounds like an urban fantasy. I didn't think you were into those kinds of books." I said.

Hilda shrugged. "If it's fantasy, I'm probably going to read it. Anyway, without spoiling it too much, the main character - a new trainer - met a rotom and befriended it. All of a sudden, the city's power came back on, but when the boy and the rotom got into a fight… well, you can get the idea."

"It's a book that really gets into the nitty gritty of Pokémon and human relationships. You should give it a read sometime. I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it." Hilda said, smiling at me.

I smiled back. "Do you have a copy? It sounds like a good way to pass the time." I said.

Hilda nodded. "Yeah, I'll lend it to you. Mind lending me a movie in return?" She asked.

"Of course. But first things first, we have dishes to wash." I said, nodding in reply.

"I'll try to help out, but I'm not very good at washing dishes. You know this." Hilda said, sighing.

I blinked and stared at her. "It's possible to be not good at washing dishes?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"Shut up! Just let me help." Hilda said, then stood up and went to the kitchen. I chuckled and followed behind her.

"So headstrong."


"Seriously, how hard can washing dishes be?" I stubbornly thought as I walked to the kitchen. "You just take a plate, run it through the faucet and let it out to dry, right?" I thought. "There's no way it can be any harder than that." I tried to reassure myself.

"Alright, what do we have here…" I muttered. There were the two plates we used for breakfast, the two mugs we drank out of, the utensils, and the popcorn bowl which was still on the table. "Compared to what we have at my house, this is practically pristine." I thought, my gaze running up and down the sink.

"Wait. Why are they in the sink already? And they're wet!" I said, Hilbert's actions from earlier just now sinking in.

"You don't soak your plates at home?" Hilbert asked, now standing beside me.

I turned and stared at him. "Why would we do that? Don't wet things smell worse than if they were dry?" I asked.

Hilbert blinked and brought a palm to his forehead. "What's that for?!" I exclaimed. "Hilda… have you ever done a dish in your life?" He asked with a monotone voice.

I blushed furiously as I nearly slammed the disk onto the kitchen counter. "Of course I have! Here, let me show you."

I took a plate and glared into his eyes. He gestured at the faucet, beckoning at me to show him how it's done. "I'll wipe that smug look off your face." I thought. I turned the faucet on and thoroughly rinsed the plate with the running water. After a thorough rinsing, I placed the plate on the dish rack where it could dry.

"There. Perfect." I said, puffing my chest out.

Hilbert stared at my perfectly-washed dish for a few seconds. "Zero out of ten. This dish is practically unsanitary." Hilbert said, then took the dish back out.

I placed my hands on my hips. "What? Why?!" I shouted.

"For one, you didn't even use dish soap. Two, you didn't even use your hands. Three, you didn't even use a sponge." Hilbert said, enumerating his points on his free hand.

"You need to do that…?" I asked, curious.

"You really have never done a dish in your life." Hilbert said, staring at me disappointedly.

"So what if I didn't?! Urgh, our housekeeper usually does the chores…" I complained.

"Right..." Hilbert said, the dish still in his hand.

I sighed. "Dad and I both suck at chores."

"Let me show you how it's done." Hilbert said, then properly showed me how to properly wash a dish; soap, sponge and everything.

"Now, it's your turn." Hilbert said, then passed the other plate to me.

"Okay… I just have to scrub it like this, right?" I said, scrubbing the dish with a freshly-soaped sponge.

"Keep going. Then rinse." He said, gently guiding me along.

Soon enough, the plates, utensils and cups were spotless. Even the popcorn bowl was. "I felt like I learned a lot at the cost of some of my dignity." I said, deeply sighing as I was hunched over the kitchen table.

"Now you can save money on having to hire a housekeeper." Hilbert said, chuckling.

"If you teach me how to mop the floor or clean the windows, then sure. Oh, and laundry too." I said, smirking at him.

Hilbert looked flabbergasted. "You can't even do that much?!" Hilbert said. "Kidding. Of course I know how to mop the floor. As for laundry…" I trailed off, grimacing at him.

Hilbert looked like he wanted to collapse on the floor right then and there. "...It's not like it matters. We're leaving for our Pokémon journey anyway." He said, probably for the sake of his own sanity.

My eyes started to sparkle. "I'm super excited. How about you?" I asked, eagerly looking at him.

"Get your face away from me." He said, placing his hand over my face and shoving it away. "Hey! Jerk." I complained, nearly headbutting his hand.

Hilbert pulled his hand away from me. "I couldn't care less, really. I'm perfectly fine just staying here in Nuvema Town, but the professor insisted." Hilbert said.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Hilbert. It'll be fun!" I said, trying to convince him.

Hilbert sighed. "I suppose. I guess I do want to see more Pokémon." He said.

"Eh, it's a start." I said, then checked my Xtransceiver for the time. "It's still 10 AM. You wanna watch another movie?" I asked.

Hilbert suddenly looked interested. "I've been meaning to watch this one with Cheren, but could never find the time to. It's called Celebi: Voice of the Forest." He said.

I placed a finger on my chin."Oh, that one was a book before it was a movie. I really enjoyed the book." I said.

"Don't spoil anything for me." Hilbert said, then made his way over to the living room.

"I'll try not to. Try not to cry, okay?"

Hilbert rolled his eyes.


I checked my watch. "11:55 AM…"

We had just finished watching the movie. Contrary to what Hilda had said earlier, it was she who had broken down in tears. "That ending always gets me. This twist at the end…" Hilda said, then started crying again. Admittedly, a few tears fell down my own face at the end.

"It was really good. I'm glad I got to watch it." I said, stealthily wiping away a few tears.

Hilda snagged a tissue from the table and blew her nose into it. "The movie adaptation really did the book justice. Visualizing it in your head and seeing it on the screen give you such different experiences…" She said, blowing her nose again.

"I'm amazed they managed to get Professor Oak as an actor for this movie. Or was that just someone acting as the professor?" I said.

"It looked like the real deal to me. You can't flip through the channels on the TV without seeing Professor Oak's face appear at least once. It must have been a high budget movie." Hilda said.

"I suppose." I replied, throwing a tissue into the bin.

I decided to change the topic. "What Pokémon do you think we're going to get?" I asked. "

Hmm…" She mumbled, putting a finger to her chin. "From what I've been reading, starter Pokémon are typically grass, fire or water types. So maybe we'll be getting the elemental monkeys? You know, pansage, pansear and panpour." Hilda mused.

I shrugged. "I suppose so. Those three are pretty rare Pokémon though. Do you think they'll be comfortable giving them to us rookie trainers?" I asked.

"Hey, they aren't the rarest Pokémon out there. I hear there's an even rarer trio of grass, fire and water types here in Unova." Hilda said, in between sniffles.

"Hm, let me guess." I said. "Snivy, tepig and oshawott. Those three - and the rest of their evolutionary line - have been targets of poachers due to their rarity and strength upon evolving." I continued.

"Yeah, those three." Hilda said, looking at me and nodding. "Cheren says that they can't be found in the wild anymore due to how endangered they are as a species. Pokémon welfare organizations are apparently caring for them, making sure that their species stays alive." She continued, looking down at the tissue.

"Yet, the tepig line is still famous for how delicious their bacon is, so maybe they aren't really endangered." I muttered.

Hilda stared at me. "I'm sure they have their ways. Pignite and emboar meat have been on the decline lately, right?" She asked.

I nodded. "If what's on TV is to be believed, then yes."

"Regardless, I didn't realize their situation was that dire. Doesn't seem like we'll be getting those three." I said, sighing.

Hilda gave a mild shrug."The elemental monkeys may be rare, but at least they aren't endangered." She said.

"Though, now that I think about it…" Hilda placed her finger on her chin again. "There are four of us, and three monkeys. What'll the fourth one be?" She asked.

"I don't know. I've heard stories of trainers in the Kanto region receiving Pokémon that aren't of the starter types, but I doubt they have anything like that in Unova." I said, recalling the shows on TV.

"Oh, really? Like what?" Hilda asked, looking straight at me.

"If I remember correctly… It was an electric type. A pikachu. Another trainer received an eevee." I said as I crossed my arms.

"An electric type? That sounds pretty cool." Hilda said. "Oh, I've heard of eevees too. They're supposed to be really weird and cool, right?" She asked.

"Eevee are kind of special. They start as normal types, but their unstable genetic makeup allows them to evolve into several different forms. From what I recall, three were originally discovered in the Kanto region, where eevee are native to, but two more were discovered in the Johto region. Following that, another two forms were discovered in the Sinnoh region, and another one was found in the Kalos region." I explained.

"Ooh, that's interesting. Do you think we'll get an eevee, then?" Hilda asked. "I doubt it. Every Pokémon that you can find in Unova is native to the region. We are quite a ways away from every other region, you know." I replied. "Though, I guess that won't be true for long…" I said.

"I guess that's true. The boat ride here from Sinnoh took weeks." Hilda said, sighing as she recalled the memory.

"The boat ride from Hoenn took even longer. I spent a month on that damned boat, and half of it vomiting…" I said, shivering as I remembered my poor mother having to clean up after me.

"Hey, what did you mean by 'that won't be true for long'?" Hilda asked.

"I saw something on TV. Apparently the Poké Transfer Lab off in eastern Unova is going to be bringing in Pokémon from other regions into Unova. There have also been reports of fishermen fishing up Pokémon that aren't native to our region as well." I said.

Hilda nodded. "You're up to date. Do you think that we'll find Pokémon that aren't from here on our journey?" She asked.

"We might. Though, the Poké Transfer Lab is rather far away. I think it's just east of Opelucid City." I said.

Hilda pouted. "Opelucid City… that's so far away. I guess we might not end up finding any, huh." She muttered.

"I suppose not." I affirmed. Hilda simply sighed at the prospect of getting any non-Unovan Pokémon dashed within seconds.

"You don't really strike me as the type to get motion sickness, Hilbert." Hilda said, looking down at my stomach.

I crossed my arms over my stomach."Because I don't get motion sick anymore. A month on a boat through stormy waters will do that to you." I said, sighing.

Hilda giggled. "It's nice having these conversations with you, you know." She said, smiling at me. "I feel the same." I said, smiling back.

"Well, well, well. Someone's pretty early." A voice came from the door. I looked over and saw Cheren walking in. "Cheren." I acknowledged.

Cheren crossed his arms and adjusted his glasses. "Again with the curtness, Hilbert? Would it kill you to at least be excited for today?" He scoffed.

"Coming from you, that's rich." I shot back. Cheren simply shrugged.

Hilda gave us a scary smile. "Come on, you two. Save the fighting for when you get your Pokémon, okay?" She said.

I gulped, and Cheren uncrossed his arms. "Fine. Hilbert, I'm challenging you to a battle later." Cheren said as he pointed his index finger at me.

I pointed back. "Gladly."

"Say… where's Bianca?" Hilda asked as she looked at the door.

"Bianca's off at the lab, getting our Pokémon. Professor Juniper will be with us after we've chosen. Seems she wants to leave this to us." Cheren explained.

Hilda groaned. "How… responsible of her." She said. I couldn't help but agree.

"You're pretty early, Hilda. Usually you'd be the last to arrive." Cheren said, smirking.

Hilda stared at him and huffed. "We're getting our starter Pokémon today. No way I'd be late for that!" She replied in earnest.

"I suppose so. You and Hilbert seem really comfy over there, though." Cheren pointed to our close proximity on the couch.

Instead of embarrassedly shuffling away, Hilda simply stood - er, sat - her ground. "Anything wrong with that?" She said while accusingly glaring at Cheren.

"Nothing. Now, let's head up to Hilbert's room. " Cheren said, making his way over to the staircase.

"Why my room?" I complained.

"What, you afraid we'll see your dirty magazines?" Cheren said, giving me a smirk.

Hilda leered at me. "Don't worry. I always make sure to hide them." I said, practically feeling Hilda's glare searing into the side of my head.

I felt a strange killing intent coming from Hilda. "Hilbert…" Hilda muttered. "Maybe this isn't something I should joke about." I thought.

"Anyway, let's wait for Bianca in Hilbert's room. Let's go, you two." Cheren gestured over to the staircase, and the three of us went into my bedroom.


"Seriously, Hilbert, do you live in this room? Every time I come here, it's always spotless! For a boy's room, this place is way cleaner than it has any right to be." I commented, looking around Hilbert's room.

Hilbert glared at me. "Should I bring up earlier, when you called me sexist?" Hilbert said.

"...Sorry." I apologized.

Cheren took a seat by the desk. "Though I hate to admit it, this place is even cleaner than my room. Good work, Hilbert." Cheren said.

"Why do you hate to admit it?" Hilbert complained.

Cheren waved a hand in front of his face. "Don't worry about it."

Hilbert sighed and took a seat on his bed. It seemed to have been freshly made. He leaned back against the wall, propping his legs up on the bed. "Take a seat, Hilda." He said.

"Scooch over." I said, prompting Hilbert to move.

Hilbert shifted himself slightly to the left. I took a running start and jumped onto his bed, plowing straight into the comforter. "I just made this bed…" Hilbert said, bringing a palm to his face.

I rubbed my face all over his comforter. "So comfy… your comforter is so soft." I said.

"That's because I just washed it the other day. It was starting to smell." Hilbert said, running his open palm across the comforter.

I looked up at him. "What does your mom do around the house if you cook, clean and do laundry?" I curiously asked.

"She works, of course. We need money somehow." Hilbert said, stating the obvious. I shrugged in reply.

Cheren coughed. "Hilbert being an outstanding housewife aside…" He said, to which Hilbert groaned. "I suppose it's been a while since any of us have visited your room." He continued.

"Mm. It's usually me who visits your and Bianca's houses." Hilbert said, nodding in agreement. "And even then, you don't visit too frequently. Always off doing your own thing." Cheren said, giving the slightest of laughs.

I elbowed Hilbert and whispered to him. "Does Cheren know I come to your house all the time?" I whispered.

"Maybe. I don't know. It never came up." He whispered back, giving me a shrug.

I looked at Hilbert, then Cheren, then back at Hilbert. "Huh… I guess this is the first time in a while that the four of us have gotten together. Really makes you think." I pointed out.

"That's probably because Bianca's usually out helping Professor Juniper, you're out socializing with the others in the town, and Hilbert… was apparently being a housewife." Cheren summarized.

Hilbert lowered his head and stared at the sheets. "I make one wife joke and I get hit on the head for it, and you two can make all the housewife jokes you want…" He murmured.

"Fine. Hilbert," I pointed at him, "Was too busy being a good homemaker. Happy?" I said, attempting to placate him.

"Eh."

"Seriously, Cheren, you need to try Hilbert's cooking sometime. I had the absolute best breakfast of my life earlier." I said, smiling and rubbing my belly.

"Breakfast? Just how long have you been here?" Cheren said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Since this morning. Why do you ask?" I said.

"Never mind." Cheren said, frowning. "Whatever, at least you two aren't at each other's throats this time. Arceus knows how loud and annoying your arguments can get." He continued.

"In my defense, it's usually Hilda who gets loud." Hilbert said, turning to me with a smirk.

"And whose fault is that?!" I replied, slamming my fist into the comforter.

"I don't tell you to get mad. You get mad all on your own."

"Ugh! He's egging me on again." I thought. "Grr…" I growled, glaring at Hilbert with all my irritation. He seemed to have gotten the hint and lowered his arms.

"Sorry, I just wanted to tease you." Hilbert said as he gently laughed.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "You're the worst, you know that?"

Cheren stared at us, his glasses nearly falling off his face. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"S-Sorry I'm late!" A shrill shriek rang through the house, eventually making its way to Hilbert's room. The door slammed open, greeting us to the sight of an incredibly winded Bianca carrying a duffel bag.

"You came just in time. These two idiots were about to have a go at each other again." Cheren said, sighing as he pointed at us with his thumb.

"No we weren't!" Hilbert and I said in unison. "Hey, that's my line!" I said, glaring at Hilbert. "No, I believe it's mine." Hilbert said, glaring back at me.

Cheren let out the deepest sigh either of us have heard today. "Let's just get on with it. It's time to get our starter Pokémon, after all." Cheren said.

"Let's not waste any more time." Hilbert said, nodding in agreement with Cheren.

I turned to look at Bianca, who was still panting. "By the way… what made you so late, Bianca?" I asked.

Bianca stopped panting and walked over to the desk, where she set the duffel bag down. "Oh, it's about the starter Pokémon. See, there was a bit of an issue…"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "An issue?"

"See, there are four of us, and typically starter Pokémon are given out in three. Professor Juniper only realized it last night, so she made an emergency request for a fourth starter Pokémon to be delivered." Bianca explained while taking out four Pokéballs.

"A fourth?" Hilbert asked. "Yeah! Apparently, this Pokémon is pretty rare. Not as rare as the other three, though, but rare enough." Bianca said.

"Well, let's see them." Cheren said, gesturing towards the Pokéballs.