"Later, Mom!" Hilda shouted as she laced up her boots and leapt off the front porch of her house. "Thanks for breakfast!"

The tranquil nights underneath the stars and the occasional hotel stay could never compare to the comfort of Hilda's own home in the rural seaside town of Nuvema. She always enjoyed returning to visit friends and family, and the food back at home was always guaranteed to be top-notch.

Her mother stood in the doorway to see her off. "Anytime, dear! Take care! Try to stay out of trouble."

Despite earning the title of Pokémon League Champion and solidifying her status as one of the top Trainers in the region, Hilda's mother nevertheless always expressed concern for her safety.

"Always do!" Hilda called over her shoulder as she sped off.

Hilda ran through the streets of the rustic town, periodically returning friendly shouts from passers-by as she made her way toward the edge of town. Today was a new day filled with possibility, adventure, and, with any luck, new Pokémon to capture and index. The sun had just started to emerge from beyond the eastern treeline as it cast orange and gold rays onto the undersides of the clouds, lighting them up like billowing flames against the pale blue sky, and the quaint town had begun to stir as people went about their morning routines. Energetic children were on their way to school, grizzled dock workers and fishermen were headed to the wharf, and store owners were stocking their storefronts as they prepared for business.

Hilda slowed to a walk as she made her way toward the outskirts of town, drinking in the scenery as she passed through quiet fields dotted by trees, hay bales, and farmhouses. In the distance atop a large hill, she spied a high-tech building fitted with solar panels, wind turbines, radio communication towers, and satellites. Adjacent to the building were a greenhouse and a large pasture where various Pokémon resided. This was her destination: Professor Juniper's lab. It had been some time since she last had Professor Juniper review her Pokédex, and she was sure that the Professor would be thrilled by all of the new additions and research data.

A cool and refreshing breeze rushed forth from behind the automatic door as Hilda stepped inside the building. The sunlit atrium was mostly empty save for one or two aides briskly passing between different wings of the building and a man sitting behind a circular counter in the center of the room whom Hilda did not recognize.

"Hello there," the man said, greeting Hilda with a smile.

Hilda tensed up slightly as she approached the handsome man. "H-hi. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. You're Hilda, right? I've heard quite a bit about your accomplishments. League Champion, huh? Good stuff, good stuff."

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, that's me!" Hilda's face flushed, and she began blinking nervously.

"Nice. Professor Juniper's always singing praises about you. It's pretty cool to finally see you in the flesh."

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool." Hilda laughed loudly and awkwardly as she shifted her eyes about the room, futilely attempting to mask her infatuation and act calm.

A painful moment of silence passed.

"So... can I help you?" the receptionist finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, yeah! I'm, uh, I'm here to see the Professor."

The receptionist chuckled knowingly. "Sure thing. I'll send someone out to escort you into the lab. Just have a seat and they'll be right out."

"Yeah, sure thing... thanks."

Hilda flashed a goofy smile before taking a seat near one of the large windows. She flipped open her Pokédex and began browsing through some of the more interesting National Pokédex entries, though this was mostly cover to steal a few furtive glances at the receptionist. Her nose was buried in her Pokédex when a familiar voice echoed throughout the lobby.

"Hi, Hilda!"

Hilda looked up from her Pokédex to see her friend Bianca standing before her. "Oh, hey Bee! How's it going?"

"Busy as always," Bianca sighed, her hands firmly planted in her white lab coat's pockets. "But there's always something to do here, so it's never boring! Still, I kinda miss going on adventures with you and stuff. Sometimes I wish I was back out there, going to new places and meeting new people and Pokémon, but I like it here, so it—"

"Yeah, speaking of new Pokémon," Hilda interrupted before Bianca had a chance to continue, "that's why I'm here to see the Professor. I wanna show her my Pokédex, and I also figured I'd drop in while I was in town and say hey."

"Oh, cool! Have you finished the National Pokédex already?"

"Not yet, but I'm gettin' there."

Bianca began bouncing energetically. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go! I wanna see what totally awesome new Pokémon you caught!"

Bianca dashed down the hallway leading to the main lab with Hilda in tow. As they approached the lab, Professor Juniper was already waiting for them at the door.

"Well, hello there, Hilda," Juniper said cheerfully, "Always a pleasure to see you in person."

"Hiya, Professor," Hilda said. "I was in town and wanted to show you my Pokédex progress so far. I'm really far along!"

"Hey, Professor," Bianca giggled, "I guess you didn't have to call her after all!"

Juniper smiled. "Yes, this is a rather pleasant coincidence, isn't it?"

Hilda was confused. "Huh? Call me? Something up, Professor?"

"As a matter of fact, something is up," Juniper teased. "I was going to call you and speak with you about it via phone, but now that you're here, I'll just brief you while we get your Pokédex scanned."

The beeping and humming of high-tech electronics filled the air as they entered the main lab. Aides were tending to various computers and devices as they performed precarious experiments and analyzed complicated sets of data. Hilda was always awed by the sheer amount of specialized machinery in the lab, each serving some important role in the Professor's research.

"Shall we begin?" Juniper motioned toward a slot on the side of a large machine that looked like a solid wall of lights and keys.

Hilda stepped toward the machine and inserted her Pokédex into the slot. She felt something lock in place within the electronic monolith, and the Pokédex was gently pulled into the machine's bowels. On a nearby monitor, a progress bar appeared, indicating the time remaining on the analysis.

"Splendid," Professor Juniper said. "Now, while that processes, I have a favor I'd like to ask of you, Hilda."

"Sure thing, Professor. Shoot."

"Last night, Fennel contacted me and was in a frenzy." Juniper paused and let out a short chuckle. "Well, I suppose that's par for the course for her, but she seemed even more excited than usual. Evidently, she has it on good faith that a very rare Pokémon has recently appeared in the Dreamyard, near the ruins of the old Pokémon Energy Laboratory."

Hilda was interested. "That so? How did she find out about this rare Pokémon? And what is it?"

"As I recall it, she overheard a few Trainers in a local café talking about how they saw it while training near the old facility, then she interviewed them and managed to get them to dream about it. She said she was able to save the dream so that she could play it back and try to figure out where the Pokémon was."

"And lemme guess, you want me to go catch it?"

Juniper laughed. "Ah, I'm sure you saw that coming a mile away, Hilda. I'll have you know that she specifically asked for you. I'm sure that you, the Champion who tamed a legendary Dragon, should have no problem with this challenge."

Hilda's eyes narrowed. "A challenge, you say?"

"But Professor," Bianca chimed in, "what kind of Pokémon is it? Maybe Hilda's already captured one!"

Juniper smiled in a way suggesting that she was hiding something. "I highly doubt that she's seen anything like this Pokémon. If what Fennel says is true, it's quite a rare find, indeed."

The machine beeped satisfactorily, indicating that the Pokédex analysis was complete, and Hilda's Pokédex emerged from the slot.

"Well, how about we put that to the test?" Hilda said as she reclaimed the device, issuing a challenge of her own.

"Oh, I will certainly review your Pokédex." Juniper chortled as a smirk slid across her face. "But... I can assure you that you have not encountered a Pokémon such as this one."

Bianca was shaking. "Ohh, Professor! I can't take the suspense! What is it?!"

"Yeah, Professor," Hilda said, "I can't exactly catch it if I don't know what I'm looking for."

Juniper chuckled at their eagerness. "It's..." She stepped away from the two girls and paused for a moment, then turned around and grinned. "...a surprise!"

"Aw, come on!" Hilda shouted. "You can't just leave me in the dark like that!"

"Y-yeah, Professor," Bianca said, "that's so not fair! Now I really wanna know, too!"

Juniper began laughing somewhat sadistically, clearly enjoying the girls' discomfort. "I will say this much: it is a Pokémon both new and familiar. Anyway, the two of you will find out soon enough. Fennel will tell you all about it when you reach Striaton City."

Bianca tilted her head to one side. "W-what do you mean, 'two of us'?"

Juniper sat at a holographic terminal and began reviewing the data from the Pokédex analysis. "I would like you to accompany Hilda. It would be a wonderful opportunity for you to do some field research."

Bianca's eyes widened. "R-really?! You mean it, Professor?!"

"I mean it."

Bianca drew in a huge breath before shouting loudly and leaping into the air. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy! I've been cooped up in this lab forever and I've been waiting for a field expedition for sooo long, and I get to travel with Hilda!" She emitted an incredibly high-pitched squeal, and Hilda thought that Bianca was about to burst like a balloon under the intense pressure of her own excitement.

"My, my," Juniper pouted, "I didn't realize that my research was boring you this much, Bianca."

Flustered by the Professor's response, Bianca immediately began backpedaling. "N-no, Professor, it's not that! I love it here, I promise! It's just, like, I really love being in the field and I haven't for a long time now and—"

Juniper began laughing. "Relax, Bianca, it was just a joke."

"Oh, y-yeah, I knew that..." Bianca hunched over and cast her eyes toward the floor, attempting to conceal her embarrassment.

"Well, Hilda," Juniper said, changing the subject, "your Pokédex looks absolutely fabulous! This is great data. It'll certainly be a boon to our research."

"Thanks, Professor," Hilda responded. She turned to Bianca. "So I guess we'd best be going now, eh?"

"You bet!" Bianca gleefully shouted.

As the two girls headed for the exit, Juniper called out after them. "Best of luck, you two! See you soon!"

Hilda and Bianca made their way toward the building's exit. As they passed through the lobby, the receptionist called out to them.

"Leaving early today, Bianca?"

"Kinda. The Professor sent us out on a special mission!"

"Oh, is that so? Sounds exciting. Well, you two take care, then!"

The girls stepped outside, and Bianca turned to Hilda. "Hey, I gotta head back home and change out of my work clothes, then I'll meet you back at your place, 'kay?"

"Sounds good. I can fly us there." Hilda reached for a Poké Ball at her waist. "Come on out, Storm!"

A flash of light erupted from the Ball, and a Braviary materialized in front of them. He let out a shrill screech and spread his wings as though he were stretching in an effort to relieve himself of cramps.

Hilda jumped onto the Pokémon's back. "Hop on, Bee. He'll get us there in no time."

Bianca clambered onto the majestic Pokémon and wrapped her arms around Hilda's waist.

"Good?" asked Hilda.

"I-I think so, yeah."

"Good. Okay, Storm, let's ride!"

Storm shrieked as he flapped his wings and lifted off the ground, carrying the two Trainers into the sky. Soon, they found themselves soaring briskly over hills, trees, and rivers. In the distance, the vast blue expanse of the sea appeared to stretch out as far as they could see, and the choppy waters shimmered as they tossed the rising sun's rays about carelessly. Before long, they were flying over the roads of the town, and residents periodically stopped to watch the impressive-looking bird as he soared overhead, as Braviaries were a fairly unusual sight in Nuvema Town. Bianca would have liked to enjoy the view, but she was far more concerned with burying her head into Hilda's back and praying for the ride to end.

"Alright, Storm, that's our destination," Hilda declared as she pointed out Bianca's house. "Take 'er down!"

Storm squawked in affirmation as he quickly descended upon the building, landing squarely in the center of the walkway leading up to its entrance. Hilda jumped off gracefully while Bianca clumsily disembarked the Pokémon.

"Thanks, Storm. Come on back!" Hilda recalled him into the Poké Ball. "Alrighty, I'll wait here for you," she said to Bianca.

"Y-yeah... sure..." Bianca was winded, and she laboriously forced each word out. "Just, like... give me a second to... catch my breath..."

Hilda laughed. "Don't do a lot of flying, huh?"

"No... not so much... I prefer to walk."

"Well, you'll be flying like a champ by the time I'm through with ya!" Hilda gave a cheesy thumbs-up.

Bianca slumped forward and sighed upon hearing Hilda's statement. "Okay, well, I'll be out in a few minutes. You can come in if you want."

"Nah, it's cool, I'll stick around out here. It's way too nice outside."

"Well, if you say so. Back in a few!" Bianca disappeared into the house.

Hilda casually strolled away from the house and lazily stared off at the sea, her eyes following a skiff with a Swanna-inspired sail leaving the shore. In the distance, she could see moored ships in the wharf being loaded and unloaded by dock workers as they moved goods between the ships' decks and the warehouses. Farther out, fishing vessels were sailing into the sea, each of their crews hoping for a big haul. She adjusted her hat in order to shield her eyes from the sun, which now burned hotly in the sky.

"A super-rare Pokémon... huh. Wonder what it could be."

Hilda flopped down on the grass, lying on her back as she gazed into the bright blue sky. Tiny wisps and puffs of cloud were scattered about the sky, evoking images of Cottonees being carried aloft by warm sea breezes, and the faint sound of surf crashing against rocky shores in the distance created a pleasant and soothing white noise. As Hilda's mind filled with daydreams of new adventures, she closed her eyes and dozed off to the lullaby of the sea.