A little outlook on me... My name is Hilda White and I was born to Johanna and Norman White, my parents. When I was just three years old, my father decided to move back to Hoenn, the region he was born in due to his father being diagnosed with cancer with only a certain amount of time left to live. He had wanted to spend every last moment with him that he could. He wanted my mother and me to come with him, but my mother refused. She had told him Unova had the best education for me and she was not going to budge an inch. My dad explained to her that it would just be a temporary move but she didn't listen. At first, or so I've heard, my mom was very cross with him that he was leaving us, but eventually she understood.
Except my father never did come back.
The Hoenn to Unova boat, H-U Sailor, had crashed and the little to no survivors that there were did not include my dad.
I was so young at the time and didn't understand as to why my mother had suddenly changed from happy and joyful to moody and depressed. I remember getting shouted at for doing the tiniest of things. Dropping my toy, not finishing my food, or leaving my room untidy.
I had asked where dad was one night and my mom broke down. Right in front of me. I had thought I did something wrong so I hugged her, claiming I would be careful with my toys and I would always finish my food and I would just be a very good girl for her. Doing so, it was like I had only made matters worse.
It's painful, to go back to those times. My mother had never told me what happened to my father, always turning off the documentaries that were made about the H-U Sailor and the news reports whenever I came into the room. I noticed nothing. Everything had seemed fine and non-suspicious. My mom had also made it strictly clear to the Trainers school that I started when I was 7 that they were not to discuss it in front of her daughter.
Years and years had passed, me still believing my dad was out somewhere in Hoenn with his job and still continuing to support us by sending us money. My mom had told me that his father eventually died and he wanted to be by himself for a while. I never knew how long that while was going to be, but I never dare questioned it. Every birthday and Christmas my mom had pretended to send cards from him. I was so happy that my dad remembered these things. My mom did not act or look the least bit guilty. She looked happy.
It was only when I turned 13 did I find out. That 10 years ago Norman White died on the H-U Sailor. I was at my last year of Trainers School in the corridor putting on my shoes ready to head out for lunch. Shanice, Belle, and Ava, whom were first years, were standing close to me whispering. I got the occasional glance here and there until it really started to bug me. I remember getting up and walking over to them, asking what their problem was. If I remember correctly, things went a bit like this...
"Is it true your dad Norman died?" Belle had asked me, ignoring my question.
"Are you, like, an orphan now?" Shanice butted in.
Ava had nudged her.
I remember being confused for a moment or two but then made them all get their facts straight.
"Number one, my dad did not die. Number two, I'm not an orphan. What's with these questions?" I remember having my fist clenched and I was starting to get very mad at these dumb first years and their dumb, pathetic - and not to mention, random - questions.
"Only Sam, Mary, Casey, Vanessa and James survived though?" Shanice said confusedly.
"And your dad isn't any of those?" Belle asked.
"Unless, like, the documentaries totally forgot about your dad!" Shanice said.
"But how..?" Belle said.
"What the hell are you three talking about?!" I butted in, all too loudly.
"Norman White, right?" Belle asked me. "Your dad?"
"Yes..?" I had said.
"He died, right?" She asked again.
"No..?"
"Well apparently he did!" Shanice butted in.
"On the U-H Sailor ten years ago Norman White was proclaimed dead in the boat accident. It was said he had a wife and a daughter back in Unova, Johanna White and Hilda White." Ava told me.
"And that's you." Said Belle.
"What's all this fuss going on here?! Hilda, was that you making all that racket?!" Miss Eli walked over to us.
"Miss..." I said.
"Aren't you supposed to be out for lunch?! Last years went out 10 minutes ago! You know the-"
Before Miss Eli could finish what she was saying, I remember running out of the school all the way past Pok mon Day Care in Route 3 and all the way to Nacrene City. I ran to the library and headed straight to the Unovan Accidents section. There was nothing about a H-U Sailor and nothing on Norman White, which made me believe the first years were lying. Before leaving the building completely, I decided to ask at the left counter at the front which caters for the library.
The librarian had greeted me and asked if she could help. I had asked if there was any books on the H-U Sailor or Norman White. After a few minutes of waiting whilst the librarian checked at the back room, she had said all books on the subject were out.
"So there really was an accident that involved Norman White?" I remembered going numb, I remembered feeling sick and of course I remembered the tears that appeared in the corner of my eyes.
"Yes, it was a tragic accident that occurred ten long years ago in the Unovan East Sea in which Norman White had lost his life. In fact it had several documentaries made about the incident including books like you've asked for, but they're all out which I'm sorry about."
"But that can't be true...? He's in... he's..." I remembered being completely out of it. I remember feeling the tears that had ran down my cheeks and I remember running out of the library all the way back home.
I remember thinking everyone had got it wrong. That Norman wasn't dead, he's living a happy life in Hoenn. I remember thinking what if they were talking about a different Norman White. It was possible. But how many Norman Whites could there be that had a wife and one daughter and who was taking the H-U Sailor ten years ago?
I remember rushing inside of my house and saying "Mom, mom! You can never guess what."
But of course she knew. Miss Eli had called her up and told her about the first years, but it was already too late. I had knew. And my mom didn't even deny it. Which made me break down, just like how my mother did all those years ago. I remember her saying that she was sorry over and over again, and that it was not to cause me any pain.
"How long was you planning on lying to me?!" I remember screaming. "What if one day when I am old enough I wanted to go and visit him?!" "WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE SAID TO ME THEN?"
She realized it would have caused me a lot less pain to tell me back then instead of me finding out or her eventually having to tell me. But she realized all too late.
But I'm 16 years old now. Although three years is a short time, I've healed and grieved. I can never truly forgive my mom, and she knows that. But I think inside she knows one day I would be able to find it in my heart to truly forgive her. Me and my mom get along just fine, minus the incident of course.
I had completed Trainers School in Striaton just fine. My studies did go a bit rocky towards the end, which was understandable because I had also found out that the school kept it from me too, not to mention those who I called my friends. It was a lot to take in at the end of a school year.
On the last day of school three years ago we were allowed to go to Dreamyard for the whole afternoon to catch and keep any Pokemon of our fancy. It was one per student. Dreamyard is owned by the school and as a gift for the leavers they let us all have a Pokemon.
Pupils at the Trainers School were only allowed to have their starter Pokemon. If one were to rebel and catch another, they were forced to release it. So being able to get another Pokemon - finally - was such a big thing.
That's where I met my Muna, Yum . Well, she's a Musharna now. I had used a Moonstone on her about a year ago before realizing she would not be able to self learn another move now. It was a silly mistake, but I love her. I also love my starter Poke', Tepig. Those two are the only Pokemon that I have, unlike the rest of my school year leavers who, after they finished school, caught all they could get and put six Pokemon in their party as soon as possible.
After leaving Trainers School at 13 and gotten the qualifications to prove I know everything there is to know about being a beginner Trainer, I had moved to Nacrene City in a Student Home three months after. Student Homes are all over Nacrene City, with a small cafe for the students to work in and a library to study at. Student Homes are mostly popular with those who had just finished Trainers School and want to move onto either a Trainers Program or Comprehensive Program.
A Trainers Program is for those who want to get their Pokemon to the highest level possible and wanting to earn all eight gym leader badges from around Unova, then going onto battling the Elite 4 and the Champion and earning a Trainers qualification. Not many have this qualification, and it's a lot to take on. The Trainers Program Trainers qualification leads to being a possible gym leader and is handy to have if you ever want to be a Pokemon Scientist.
A Comprehensive Program is for those who are academic and want a qualification for a promising job. If you have an ambition to teach, to run a Pokemon fan club, to be apart of a big business in Castelia and so on, then going with the Comprehensive Program would be best.
It is not unheard of for a trainer to take on both at the same time, but it's rare. It depends on the person or not if it can be an achievable and realistic goal, but in the end it's completely your choice. The trainers who go onto Student Homes want to be independent to find out what they want to do for themselves.
I chose both Comprehensive Program and Trainers. Mind you, I was only 13. But I knew my dad used to be a gym leader in Petalburg back in Hoenn and I wanted to make him proud.
My mom only agreed for me to stay in a Student Home since Nacrene was so close to Nuvema. She also only let me take the Comprehensive Program when I was 13 and said I could also do the Trainers when she thought I was old enough.
"I'm not letting you travel all around the region at your age." I remember her sternly telling me.
It was like I always was closed off from the rest of the world. I was only allowed to ever go to Accumula Town, Striaton City and Nacrene City. There was one time, when I was 11, me and my mom and her friend all went to Castelia for a day trip. I don't remember much, but from what I do remember, it was wonderful. I knew that I wanted to study there in the future.
I went to Secondary School after Trainers School, one step at a time to complete the Comprehensive Program. I go to the one in Nimbasa City, taking the bus from Nacrene every morning. It's a school catering for music but is in the Comprehensive Program scheme so I thought why not.
I have one year left to go through then I'm off to college. That's if I get the standard marks. I want to go to college in Castelia City. I've heard that it's fairly hard and they expect a lot of you there.
But I've been through a lot of hard things in my life so far, so this is not anything that I'm unable to take on. The Unovan Education system is the hardest of them all, or so I've heard. But I think I'm doing alright.
To be continued...
