- Prologue -
March 6th, 2012. Sundown. Somewhere in Unova.
"So this is your ideal."
Glossed, faraway eyes soaked in the black dragon before them as it bared its fangs. The smoke from the falling rubble above hazed the air, yellow dots of light spilling in from the cracks.
Hilda looked at N, the roar of Zekrom filling her heart with fire. The floor trembled, and she stood firmly in place, her breathing even as the cry echoed.
N smiled.
"In a distant time, two heroes clashed to see who was stronger—who would be the one to change the world." He closed his eyes and extended his arms, lifting his head into the light. "Today, history will repeat itself. Today, the world will know who is right and who is wrong." He opened his eyes, a wild look inside of them that Hilda had never seen before. "The future is before me! My truth will become the world's reality!"
Reshiram let out a horrific cry, and Hilda adjusted the rim of her hat as she inhaled.
"Show me your power!"
A red light swelled in Reshiram's mouth, fire pouring out as it unleashed its attack.
Without faltering, Hilda opened her mouth to fight back.
April 18th, 2013. Afternoon. Route 110, Hoenn.
Hilda felt like she was on fire.
The harsh light of the sun glared into her eyes, and she squinted in annoyance before pulling down her hat to shade herself.
Hilda pushed through the sticky air, her forehead dotted in sweat. Her legs felt heavy, too wobbly to carry her much farther. Noticing a rock up ahead, she came to an abrupt stop. She had definitely seen that rock before, and her face fell in realization.
She had been going in circles.
"I'm going to die out here," she muttered to herself. She slumped against a tree to catch her breath. Closing her eyes, she slid to the ground in desperation, and everything turned to black.
"What I do next… I suppose that's something only I can decide."
Hilda lazily blinked open her eyes, her vision static and spotted. She wiped some drool from her mouth as her eyes adjusted slowly to the light. She hadn't slept the night before, and her mind was still dizzy from sleep. She inhaled and held her breath.
"Right," she said suddenly, exhaling as she slowly got back on her feet. "There's no turning back now."
Hilda noticed a shadow speed past her on the ground, and looked up quickly to a glass road hanging in the sky. A biker slid down the path, and Hilda pursed her lips in frustration before looking back to the tall grass before her.
"Sorry, bikes only," Hilda mimicked bitterly. She whacked her hand against a blade of grass to make a path.
She let out a sudden gasp and stumbled forward. Her foot got caught in a ditch hidden in the grass, and she held out her arms to catch her balance. She winced, but then paused when she craned her neck backwards to see the mouth of a small cave. Pushing herself away from the ground, she flattened the bottom of her shirt as she stared in careful wonder.
"Did a Pokemon do this?" she mused aloud. She bent down her head to peek into the cave. A dull light flickered at the end of the tunnel, and Hilda's breath hitched.
Someone was inside.
Feeling uneasy, Hilda silently pulled a Poke Ball from her bag and firmly gripped the rim of her hat. Pursing her lips into a hard line, she took a step inside.
Her heart fluttered, apprehension swelling inside of her. Her mind shut down, and her head throbbed with an image of castle doors opening before her. She shook it off and bit her bottom lip. When she reached the end of the tunnel, she hesitated as her body went still. She took a deep breath before poking her head around the corner, and her heart dropped at what she saw.
It looked like the room of a child. Posters of Pokemon were hung on the walls of the cave, bright mats and dolls littered on the floor. A computer was placed on a small Poke Ball table, its screen displaying a bright blue sky. Hilda became dizzy, imprinted images crashing back to her of a dark room where a child used to play alone.
She felt sick.
"According to my research, this is trespassing."
Hilda gasped sharply. She spun on her heel to see a boy propped against the wall with a paper bag hanging from his wrist. Pausing, her eyes widened in realization.
"—Brendan?"
The two had met before—just once. He had been aiding Professor Juniper at the time for something or other (she hadn't bothered to ask what for), and she had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time to cross paths with him. The week she had spent with him had been a headache, and she was more than glad when she was relieved from having to babysit him. To run into him all the way out here made her think fate hadn't been kind to her as of late.
Brendan's eyes lit up upon recognition, and he grinned as he stood up straight.
"Hey, it's City Girl!"
Hilda scowled at the unwanted nickname. "Hilda," she huffed. She slightly pulled down the rim of her hat as she collected herself.
Brendan dismissed her comment. "What are you doing all the way out here in Hoenn?" He smiled wryly. "Did you come chasing after me?"
Hilda reddened—though it wasn't noticeable, as her face was already flushed terribly from the sun—and placed her hands on her hips.
"In your dreams," she spat. He laughed, which only irked her more. "And what I do is none of your business!"
"Careful." Brendan closed his eyes and lifted a finger. "You're in my secret base, you know."
She gave him an odd look. "Huh?"
"Secret base. My Pokemon dug it for me." Brendan placed a fist to his chest with pride, but when Hilda still looked unimpressed, he furrowed his brows and held up a finger. "You know, a hide-out I can use when I need a breather from being out in the field all day. Secret bases are all the rage in the Hoenn region. Lots of trainers have them!" He gave her a sly look. "Impressed?"
"It looks like a playroom," Hilda answered flatly, and Brendan went red in frustration.
"It looks cool," he countered. She looked unconvinced, and he became flustered. "It looks better than you do," he shot back. "You look terrible."
Hilda looked down at herself, suddenly aware of what a mess she was. Her clothes were stained brown from dirt, bits of grass caught on the end of her jean shorts. Her hair puffed out like a balloon of frizz, strands messily hanging over her sunburnt face. She quickly straightened out her shirt, stung by the abrupt comment.
"Thanks," she said curtly, dusting off the bottom of her shorts. "Just becoming one with nature and all that."
Brendan snorted. "Is that what you call it?"
Hilda glared at him and he grinned before walking past her to the Poke Ball table. He placed his bag on the ground and reached inside. Hilda opened her mouth to speak, but instead could only purse her lips as she watched him wordlessly.
"I thought you were on break," Brendan said after a moment. He pulled a Potion from the bag.
Hilda lifted her head and stared at him, caught off guard. She was surprised he remembered something so small, and she found herself wondering why he even bothered to remember it at all. Realizing she hadn't spoken, she quickly shook off the thought and let out a huff. She slipped a case from her own bag and snapped it open. When she held it out for him, a gold badge pinned to the fabric shined in the light.
"I'm back in commission."
Brendan's eyes trailed over to the case and raised his brows in surprise. "A Dynamo Badge." He whistled lowly. "So you came all the way from Mauville, huh?" He snickered. "You must have been lost for days."
"Who said I was lost?" Hilda asked coldly.
"Slateport City isn't far from here," Brendan continued, ignoring her. Hilda perked up at the city's mention. "I actually just came back from the Slateport Market myself." He shot her a grin. "If you ask me nicely, I might consider taking you."
Hilda twisted her face in irritation, but she didn't falter. "Why?" She nodded to a Swablu plush on the floor. "So you can buy more dolls?"
Brendan's shoulders tensed, and his nose scrunched in embarrassment as he picked the plush off of the floor and placed it carefully on a shelf beside a Mudkip doll.
"Fine, you can just stay lost for all I care."
Hilda rolled her eyes and began to walk backwards towards the door. She didn't need another headache.
"I can take care of myself," she started, adjusting the rim of her hat.
"You're leaving?" Brendan feigned a hurt expression. "I was going to make tea and everything."
Hilda cringed at the thought of sitting down to tea with Brendan in a child's playroom.
"Tempting, but I'd rather set myself on fire." She stopped at the mouth of the cave and gave him a two-fingered salute. "This little reunion has been a blast."
"Don't miss me too much," Brendan called, and Hilda gave a huff as she turned on her heel to the light.
"I'll manage."
The sky was a hazy blue, black shadows of flying Pokemon dotted against the white sun. They blurred together, coming in and out of focus, sometimes seeming as though they weren't moving at all. Hilda lay on the ground, her ponytail digging into the back of her head, though she was too drained to bother to care.
Maybe this was a mistake.
She felt so lost, and no matter how much she strained her eyes, nothing looked clear to her. She felt like she was standing in front of a post of different signs, each shooting arrows out in different directions. But when she tried to move, she looked down to see her feet swallowed by the ground.
"You have a dream, don't you?"
The words sounded faraway and quiet, and no matter how much she ran to meet them, she ended up back at the same sign post.
Her body felt heavy and hollow. She closed her eyes and inhaled, her heart beat slowing down as a gentle wind spilled over her. Everything became static, the words broken and faint, until she could no longer hear them at all.
"Farewell."
Hilda's eyes shot open and gasped, quickly propping herself up straight. She was soaked, water dripping from the hair in her face onto her thighs. Unsure if she was dreaming or not, she blinked a few times stupidly and attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
"Yo."
Feeling herself freeze, Hilda slowly looked up to see Brendan straining water out of his hat. He slipped it back on and grinned before offering her a hand.
"You looked dehydrated."
Hilda ignored his hand and glared at him, her face burning as she quickly rose to her feet. "You're going to regret—!" Everything went black, and she wobbled, dizzy.
Brendan put a hand on her shoulder to keep her balanced. "Whoa, easy." He popped off the cap to his water bottle and put it to her mouth. "I wasn't kidding—you need to drink."
Hilda opened her eyes slowly, her head throbbing in pain. She became flustered and took the water bottle from him, muttering, "I can do it myself," before taking a sip.
"Drink slowly," Brendan advised, watching carefully.
Desperately gulping down the water, Hilda pulled the bottle away and sighed, feeling refreshed. Remembering who was beside her, she became embarrassed, pulling down the rim of her hat and holding the water bottle back out to him.
"I was fine," she mumbled, and Brendan took the bottle from her. "I just got up too fast."
Brendan looked unimpressed. "Yeah, you looked totally fine passed out it in the dirt."
Hilda pursed her lips into a hard line. She didn't remember being out, and Brendan's water painfully reminded her she had run out of supplies yesterday morning.
She wasn't fine, and she knew it.
"Look," Brendan started. Hilda didn't look over. "I'm on my way to Slateport. Why don't you tag along?"
Hilda said nothing and bit the insides of her cheeks, staring at the ground. Her hands rested still at her sides. Brendan waited, his arms crossed as he watched her. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he held up his hands.
"Message received." He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Holding up a hand, he gave her a wink. "Maybe I'll see you around, City Girl."
Hilda's shoulders tensed, clenching her fists as she heard his footsteps ruffle through the tall grass. After a pause, she inhaled and quickly snapped her head back, but he was already gone.
She stared blankly, unmoving. Letting out a scowl, she kicked the dirt, frustration and hopelessness clouding her head. Defeated, she plopped to the ground. She fisted the grass and looked up to the sky.
The earth dripped orange from the setting sun. Fanning herself with her hat, Hilda watched the shadows from the grass grow tall in the moving light. As she wiped some sweat from her forehead, she noticed a broken shadow on the ground. Pausing, she looked over to see a blade of grass cracked and bent, and she slowly rose to her feet and touched the tip. When she lifted her head, she noticed another. And another.
She cautiously began walking forward, gently sliding her hand across the surface of the fractured blades. Tired, she untangled herself from the tall grass and found herself emerging from the other side. Pulling some pieces of grass from her hair, something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and her breath caught at the sight before her.
The skyline of a city was black against the orange sky. Staring stupidly for a moment, Hilda put a hand to her forehead before letting out a short laugh in disbelief.
"Welcome to Slateport City!"
The sign was lit up with a spotlight as if it was a star hanging from the sky. Hilda got up and ran past it to the ocean, the water pink and purple from the setting sun. She stared in awe and wonder as she came to the edge of the water, her feet sinking into the sand.
It was then she noticed another set of footprints on the beach that had come from the same broken grass. She looked between the footprints and the grass, and she knitted her brows together before it clicked in her head. She couldn't help but let a small smile twitch on her lips.
"What an idiot," she muttered, and adjusted her hat as she closed her eyes.
"Make your dream become your ideal!"
Reaching into her pocket, she took out a round stone, and she glazed her fingers over it before grasping it in her palm. Lifting her head to the city, she opened her eyes.
An arrow was shooting from her, and although Hilda couldn't tell yet where it ended, she knew one thing for certain—it was shooting forward.
Slipping the stone back into her pocket, she took a step to run.
...