I had reached the highest a Pokemon trainer could ever reach. I had obtained the most precious title in the history of Pokemon trainers. I was the Grand Master, the strongest trainer out there and I was the first Grand Master in over fifty years. It was a long time, but I had one problem understanding why so few managed to obtain the title. In order to become the Grand Master you had to beat all the current Champions. Which meant four of them, and in my case six. I decided to take the hard route and defeat two former Champions. Did I have to? No, but I wanted to. You would think a Grand Master would do grand things, which I have done. I have travelled the world and helped people. I have battled, I have trained and I have simply enjoying mixing with the people. No one knew I was the Grand Master, so to them I was an ordinary trainer with a lot of skill. But now I was standing here, outside the school in Viridian City, and doing something that I had never thought I would be doing. How did this happen again?
"So, what sort of favor are we talking about?" I asked, looking at the former Champion of Unova while we were standing outside the door of one of the biggest mansions I had ever seen. Of course, it belonged to one of the richest families in the world.
"I'm sure you know of the White family," Alder started, I nodding shortly before Alder continued, "Now my good friend Alexander has asked me of a favor. His daughter, Hilda, is visiting a school in Kanto. While she never has been bad in school, it seems like there has been a major difficulty spike for her and now she has trouble getting through the classes. So Alexander asked if I knew of someone who could possibly tutor her. He specifically requested for an experienced trainer but also for someone who possibly could help open up and become more social, getting some friends and interacting with more people."
"So I should simply befriend his daughter while also helping her with school?" I asked, making sure I understood everything Alder said correctly.
"Yes, but maybe Alexander can explain it better than I can." Alder said, the door to the mansion finally opening.
"Ah, Alder!" a middle aged man greeted us, not looking older than forty, "I am happy you are here. I suppose you are Ash Ketchum?"
"Yes, that's me. So what exactly do you want me to do?" I asked, surprised that a man with such wealth would not simply hire someone to do this instead of asking Alder to find someone.
"My daughter, Hilda, as Alder has probably told you is visiting Viridian High School. Before she started going there school was no major problem for her. But now her grades are not that good and she has problems keeping up the principal has told me." Mr. White explained.
"So I am simply to help her pass with flying colors?" I joked a little, Mr. White smiling as well.
"Pretty much. But I also want, if you can, you to help become a bit more social. She left most of her friends here and I have not heard from her that she has made any new friends over there." Alexander added. How hard could this possibly be?
"Alright, I'll do it." I stated, Mr . White's face lighting up considerably at my words.
"I cannot say how happy I am about this. Now, there are two things you should know about my daughter though," Mr. White started cautiously, quickly grabbing my attention, "Hilda is not always the most friendly person, and can sometimes act like a brat. Even if she does, she does not mean it every time. She is also blind."
"She's blind?!" I exclaimed. How can someone go to a normal school if they're blind?!
"I see you are shocked, but you do not need to worry. She has managed fine together with a servant I sent with her who is helping with everything she cannot do," Alexander quickly added, taking away some of my worries, "You will obviously need to help her with that as well. I will immediately call Marcus to return once you have arrived in Viridian City. Now, how much do you want?"
"You don't need to pay me anything." I responded honestly, not wanting, or needing, any money for doing a task like this.
"You are truly as incredible as Alder said you would be. It has been a long time since I have met someone like you."Alexander stated, shaking my hand while laughing at the same time."I am expecting to hear from my daughter by the end of next week, and if not I will have you chased across the entire world."
"I plan on making sure everything goes fine for her, so there is no need for you to worry." I said, hoping he would not go through with the threat. It would be rather inconvenient for me to have to travel the entire world by trying to not get caught by him.
"I'm happy to hear that. I will arrange so that Skyla can fly you back to Kanto whenever you are ready to go." Mr. White stated. I somehow expected him to be less friendly and more stuck up. Maybe I should not judge without knowing everything.
"Thank you, Mr. White." I thanked him, earning a glare.
"You do not need to be this formal, especially if there is no one besides us, and please do not call me Mr. White. Call me Alexander." Mr. White, now Alexander, corrected me. Now I could only wonder if his daughter was as kind as he was.
A Grand Master acting as a tutor? The former Grand Master would probably be laughing at me for doing something like this. There were people out there who had ben educated as tutors and now I had to do that instead of them. But, maybe it would not be as simple as I expect it to be. After all, she was blind. Walking towards the school, the sound of a Pokemon battle immediately caught my attention. Should not these be held on the battlefields? Trying to locate where exactly the noise was coming from, I spotted it in an instant. A girl was alone battling three trainers while only having a single Pokemon to her aid against the three Pokemon of her opponents. Something was definitely not right here. Seeing that one of the Pokemon, an Emboar, was about to strike I had to act quickly.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" I shouted, Pikachu darting from my shoulder in less than a second before hitting the Emboar from the side. Starting to sprint, I quickly followed Pikachu while identifying the other Pokemon. A Tyrannitar and a Hitmonchan.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of the boys exclaimed, having blue spiky hair and an expression showing anger.
"That does not matter. You are attacking her and her Pokemon in an unfair situation." I stated, glaring at all three of them.
"So what are you going to be doing about that?" the same boy asked.
"I'll be taking you on." I responded, tracing my fingers on my pokeballs. Before I could react a total of eighteen Pokemon were now surrounding me. As much confidence as I had in my Pokemon, eighteen was still a challenge considering I had not brought my strongest Pokemon with me. Sadly, all of their Pokemon looked powerful, so that was not helping me either. But, I was the Grand Master. Which meant I had faced harder challenges than this.
"That's enough!" a loud voice boomed over the field, the three students without hesitating recalling their Pokemon and running away. Giving the girl and her Pokemon a short look, I could not spot any major injuries, except some burns on the Servine's body.
"Ash?" the now recognizable voice asked, I looking up at the man who once was the starting point of my journey and gave me Pikachu.
"Professor Oak?"
"So, what brings you here?" Professor Oak asked, handing me a cup of coffee, "I thought you were travelling the world after you won the Pokemon World Tournament with the others."
"I was travelling, until I met Alder while I was in Unova." I explained. Did the professors not know who the new Grand Master was? "He asked if I possibly could help one of his friends, who turned out to be Mr. White."
"Mr. White? You're talking about one of the world's richest men, right?" Professor Oak questioned, making sure we were both talking about the same person, "So, what did he ask of you?"
"He asked to me to be the tutor of his daughter, Hilda." I stated, remembering the conversation we had, only a few days ago.
"You were asked to be her tutor? Well, that's a change." Professor Oak admitted, chuckling. Who would have thought that I, Ash Ketchum, would become a tutor? Then a completely different thought came into my mind.
"Hey Professor, have you heard anything from Gary, Paul or Brock?" I wondered, not having heard anything from them since we won the Pokemon World Tournament together. Waiting for a response, I was surprised as I watched Professor Oak laugh. Why was he laughing?
"I guess I can tell you. They are all here, working at this school." Professor Oak stated. Was he joking?
"You are serious when you are saying that Paul and Gary are working here? I can understand Brock, but not those two." I responded. If they truly were here, then I would meet them eventually.
"You will find out soon enough, but I think now is the time for a proper introduction to Ms. White," Professor Oak said, changing the topic entirely, "She should have finished her current class and is most likely about to get something to eat. If we're lucky we can catch up with her before she has to return to class. We don't want to interrupt her." Professor Oak added, finishing his coffee while I finished mine before he lead me to wherever my new pupil would be.
"So, how exactly does she manage to battle? She cannot see anything, right?" I inquired, trying to think how it would be to battle without sight.
"It is actually more than impressive. She relies completely on her Pokemon and her hearing in order to compensate for her lack of sight." Professor Oak answered. I could probably win an easier battle by relying completely on my Pokemon but my hearing was not on a level where it could partially replace my sight. Helping her would be hard, but when has that ever stopped me?
"So where is she?" I asked, Professor Oak pointing at a table where a girl was sitting alone. Wasn't that the girl I had helped earlier? Wearing her brown hair in a ponytail, together with a white cap, a black vest with a white t-shirt under and shorts, saying that she was good looking was an understatement. If I had been going to this school when I was her age I would have possibly been more interested in her in such a way. But now I had other things to worry about, like been her tutor. Walking over to her table, with Professor Oak in tow, I coughed lightly in order to get her attention.
"What is it?" was the rough greeting I was given by the girl who I would have to teach.
"Ms. White, your father has hopefully told you that you would be given a tutor, Is that correct?" Professor Oak asked, waiting for a response from Hilda.
"Yes, he has mentioned it. You are my tutor?" Hilda states, looking at me like she actually could see me.
"Yes, I'll be your tutor." I responded smiling.
"Well then, my day ends early so how about we start right now?" Hilda said, standing and heading straight for the exit.
"I hope you know what you are getting yourself into!" Professor Oak shouted after me, nearly missing the comment while trying to keep up with my new, and first, student. Man, she was fast. Following her through the halls, we eventually reached the main doors and left the school, which was when decided that she could stop walking at such a speed.
"So, tell me something about yourself," Hilda demanded, starting to walk again before deciding to settle on a bench, not too far from school, "Are you just gonna sit there, or what?"
"If you insist on knowing something about me. I am Ash Ketchum-"
"You are Ash Ketchum?!" Hilda exclaimed, her jaw dropping, "You and your team won the Pokemon World Tournament, and you are also one of the few to ever have beaten the Kanto Battle Frontier!"
"You seem to know a lot about me already," I said, before an idea comes into my head, "How about I show you my home before we start with the tutoring?"
"You live close by? Let us go then!" Hilda quickly answered, no hesitation about my suggestion. If she decided that quick she could also manage to take the faster way back to Pallet Town. Taking a pokeball from my belt, I throw it into the air to reveal one of my oldest and most trusted Pokemon. Quickly mounting Pidgeot, I held out my hand for Hilda and waited for to get in a comfortable position.
"You better hold tight, unless you you got a parachute somewhere!" I announce, lightly pressing my right foot against Pidgeot's side as a sign for him to fly. Feeling her grasp on me tighten, I lean forward a little before Pidgeot shoots off into the sky.
"You better warn me next time!" Hilda complained, crossing her arms and turning her head away from me.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, "But stop looking like that, else my mother will probably overwhelm you with worry."
"What do you mean?" Hilda asked, but I did not get the time to answer before the door opened and I was greeted by my mother.
"You're home!" was all I could hear while my mother was seemingly trying to crush me in her hug.
"Mom, cannot breathe." I managed to get out, my mother instantly letting go of me.
"I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, hugging me lightly this time, turning her attention to Hilda once she was done, "And who do we have here?"
"I am Hilda," Hilda introduced herself, not bothering to include her surname in her introduction.
"She is my student." I added, my mother looking like something incredible had happened.
"Well, I'm not going to hinder you then from starting. How about you head over to the laboratory? Tracey should be there so he can let you inside so you can head outside."
"That is a great idea." I responded, Hilda shrugging her shoulders at the suggestion. Giving my mom another hug, I turn around and start walking towards Professor Oak's laboratory with Hilda walking next to me while looking around.
"Is that Professor Oak's laboratory?" I hear Hilda mumble to herself. I had to admit that it still was an impressive sight, seeing the laboratory from all the way down here.
"So, how many Pokemon do you have?" I started, hoping to strike up a conversation with her so I could get an idea on how to teach her something.
"I got three." Hilda answered, pointing to the pokeballs on her belt. Remembering the Servine I saw with her when those boys were attacking her, I knew one thing I would have to do.
"What exactly happened outside the school?"
"They simply do not like me. Normally I would just blow them off with my name but they would probably dislike me even more if I would do that." came Hilda's answer, after a long silence during the walk up the stairs to the laboratory. Accepting the answer, I decided on not saying anything right away and instead simply opting to be quiet before knocking on the door to the laboratory.
"Hey Ash!" Tracey greeted me, standing in the doorway and wearing a similar sort of clothes as always.
"Hey Tracey," I greet back, shaking his hand. It had been away too long since I had been here.
"So, what brings you here, especially with a guest?" Tracey asked, not surprising me with the question.
"This is Hilda," I introduced her, once again deciding to skip telling anyone her full name. I had to admit that I was impressed, she had not hit something or tripped once. Did she only rely on hearing me walk?
"Welcome to Pallet Town." Tracey now also greeting Hilda, smiling warmly at her.
"Tracey, I planned on taking her outside. If you got anything to say, say it now or come outside later." I interfere, not wanting to interrupt but I really had some things I needed to do. Walking past him, through the laboratory and back out again I was quickly greeted by the sound of my Pokemon. One thing I was definitely happy about was that they did not try to crush me anymore under their combined weight. That did not mean they loved me any less.
"You got so many Pokemon!" Hilda reacted, walking over to my Pokemon and patting as many as she could while they looked her over before accepting her.
"Why do not you let your Pokemon out as well? My Pokemon will take care of them." I said, urging her on. Releasing her Pokemon I had to admit one thing. They looked quite impressive for someone who had never travelled the world and battled like I have.
"So, what are we going to do?" Hilda broke the silence. Did she expect me to have an answer to everything? A battle would probably be the best thing to do first.
"How about a battle?" I answered, a grin quickly spreading over her face.
"You are on!" Hilda quickly stated, creating some distance between us before calling over her Servine.
"You sure look confident, but I can tell you that will not matter. I am not here to win or lose, but I am here to help you." I explained, Pikachu leaving my shoulder and standing opposite of Hilda's Servine. I was really interested in how she would battle, maybe I could find something that could possibly help her.
"Grab him with Vine Whip!" Hilda ordered, not hesitating the least. I had only to wait for the right moment.
"Jump, then Iron Tail!" I shouted, Pikachu dodging the attack in the last second with a forward flip while charging up his attack. Flipping forward, I watched Pikachu slam his tail into Servine. "Finish it with Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge it!" Hilda desperately tried, but it did not matter. There was no way Servine would be able to dodge Pikachu's Thunderbolt. The instant Servine got hit it was over. It was simply impossible to not get knocked out by that attack. Seeing that it was already over, Hilda's head dropped with a rather sad expression on her face. She really felt disappointed in herself. Wait a second. How could I know that? Trying again, I immediately recognized it. I could feel her aura! And it was a strong to boot. Maybe I could truly give her a gift that she deserved.
"I think I know of a way for you obtain sight. At least to a certain degree." I said, Hilda's expression shifting from sadness to shock.
"Are you serious?" Hilda questioned, probably thinking I was joking.
"No. I am fully serious, but it will require hard work on your part together with also battling and studying." I responded, a genuine smile on her lips. Before I could say anything else I could fell two arms wrapped around me in a tight hug.
"Thank you." Hilda managed to get out, nearly crying into my chest.
"You deserve this more than anything, and I will try my best to make it work for you."
Well, after reading a ton of fanfiction I eventually got this idea and decided to give writing a chance. This is my first fanfiction, so I hope did everything justice. Ash and every other of his friends/rivals are in their mid-late twenties, while Hilda and her classmate are 16-17. Hilda and Ash will not be paired, and as I wrote in the summary this story will contain femslash. I already got a pairing planned for Ash, which won't be taking place until a few chapters in. Also, each chapter will focus on only one main character, for the most part. I will either makes it clear who is the focus character or I will straight out write it. So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Acceptance. I got no fixed update schedule, but I will try my best to update as fast possible. Reviews are more than appreciated, especially with feedback!