She hadn't wanted to go out on a night like this, but enough was enough.
The train carriage shuddered and groaned as it rounded a bend, yet Hilda remained unfazed, adjusting her hat so that it hid her face more effectively, stuffing her hands into her pockets and ignoring the stink eye an old couple were shooting in her direction.
Good, they didn't recognise her.
They probably thought she was some delinquent, off to have under-aged sex and do all the drugs. After all, that's all teens got up to nowadays. She would've laughed, though she wasn't keen on drawing attention to herself.
There was a little Lillipup at her feet, staring up at her with wide eyes as if it knew who she was. She glanced down to it and smiled slightly, though made no move to pet it, as much as the urge to cuddle the dog Pokémon was overwhelming.
It's trainer, a little girl who looked about seven, gazed at her with the same fascination as the pup. She was sure this girl knew her identity, yet the girl never made a peep. She just held her gaze, unblinking, akin to the same fascination an entomologist would have when looking at a new species.
An announcement echoed over the loudspeakers, announcing their arrival in Anville Town. Hilda rose to her feet and hefted her bag over one shoulder. The train glided to a halt, though she didn't even stumble in the slightest, used to the sensation as these trips were common.
The night air was cold, bitter even, though her coat was enough to protect her from the brute force of it. She knew she should've worn jeans. Oh well, a bit of cold wouldn't kill her.
She glanced up to the sky as she made her way across the platform. Thousands of stars, far more than could be seen back in Castelia or Nimbasa City. A flock of Murkrow flew overhead, chattering to each other like girls in the changing room.
Hilda tugged the hood of her coat over her hat and paced up the steps. Amazing. She'd been out in public for a full hour and had yet to be swarmed with people. It was refreshing, honestly.
She had never intended on becoming Champion. She had never intended on taking down a criminal organisation. She had never intended to become the biggest celeb in Unova. Yet fate is a cruel mistress.
If she had to summarise the celebrity lifestyle in one word, it would be 'hell.' The constant attention from every person on the street wasn't too bad at first until she realised that it would never die down. She could hardly breathe without the cameras being shoved in her face and the microphones being pressed so close that she could heard the crackle every time the smallest of breaths slipped out.
All she wanted was to raise Pokémon, yet now she was stuck in a whirlpool, destined to be stuck there for an eternity.
Hilda never liked the idea of fate deciding her path, thus rebelled against it whenever possible. She stopped making public appearances, only rarely cropping up when she was caught going for a walk or something equally mundane.
She left home, despising the idea of forcing her mother to live through the constant harassment from some ass with a pencil and pad destroying the wood on the front door. As soon as she disappeared, the reporters seemingly forgot her mother even existed. For that, at least, she was thankful.
She just vanished.
Occasionally, someone would claim to see the elusive Champion of Unova, outside of the Pokémon League of course, she was willing to put up with that much, but for the most part she wasn't noticed.
A soft breeze made it's way through the small town, barely disturbing the inhabitants for even a sparse second. Hilda inhaled deeply and stared down to the train tracks.
She could jump.
She could wait until a train passed, then jump. That would end it all. She actually considered it for a few moments before she shook her head and rubbed her face. No, she couldn't do that. That would be giving up and she was stubborn as a mule.
Besides, as much as she hated the spotlight, at least she had moments of peace.
She would occasionally visit the only friends she still had who didn't just see her as a celebrity first and person second.
Cheren and Bianca.
While it was a tricky business, sometimes the press were so busy with other stories that she could sneak over to Aspertia City and spend the day with her childhood friends. She never realised just how tired she was until she was there, sat with her friends on a bench, listening to their rare squabbles about something minor. It made her forget that there were crowds of people desperate to meet her, battle her, comb through her whole history for the latest scoop.
The last time she had visited them, she'd battled Cheren. Nothing big, just her Serperior verses his Stoutland in a one-on-one. Yet that one battle filled her with more excitement and childlike joy than any League challenge had brought her in the past year.
Afterwards, the three old friends stayed up all night, drinking hot chocolate and watching bad action movies, laughing like nothing had changed, acting like they were still the same kids who set off from Numeva Town after receiving their first Pokémon. Bianca nodded off halfway through the fifth movie, Hilda following mere moments later. Cheren could've complained, but kept his lips sealed, shifting to doze off beside the two girls.
They could pretend they weren't teens struggling to find who they really were in the world.
Hilda had been stuck with the conundrum ever since the fame started giving her headaches. She had yet to come up with a decent theory. She glanced down to her bag and removed a Poké Ball from one of the many inside pockets.
She wondered where he was.
She would be lying if she claimed the thought of going after him hadn't crossed her mind. They had separated on terms that she wasn't satisfied with and it drove her mad. Or maybe it was just the butterflies that went crazy whenever the thought of him crossed her mind.
Emotions always clouded her brain and confused her, even when she was a child, but thinking of him fried her head like the eggs Cheren was so good at cooking up. Maybe she was insane. It wouldn't surprise her.
She paced across the bridge, towards the small square in the centre of the tiny railway town, Poké Ball tightly clasped in one hand.
The one thing that stopped her from searching for him was always uncertain to her. Was it fear? Maybe. Was it laziness? Possible. Was it the fact she hadn't a clue where the start? Most likely.
But now, with the legendary creature that mirrored his in her grasp, she decided to take the step. While the news outlets would start all sorts of rumours about her, probably even make up some ridiculous story to go with her disappearance, she would be so far away that she wouldn't pay heed to their ramblings.
The creature in the Poké Ball sprang forth. It wasn't even slightly subtle, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. She was sure of the sudden, heavy gazes of the few passers and how their numbers were quickly multiplying, yet refused to look away from the massive creature she had somehow tamed.
The black dragon let out a roar that sent a small group of kids scurrying behind their parent's legs, though Hilda didn't even flinch. She reached a hand up and the beast complied, lowering it's snout to a level in which she could pet it.
"Hello, Zekrom." She said softly. The dragon made a softer sound, one that reminded her of a Skitty purr. She smiled. The thought had finally hatched into a plan. While it wasn't as in depth as she'd have liked it, it gave her an excuse to travel, get away from Unova for a while.
Arceus knew she needed a break.
She climbed onto Zekrom's back with more difficulty than she'd care to admit. The creature roared once more before taking off, leaving the town of Anville behind in a harsh gale that lasted a mere few seconds.
The wind almost blew her hat off – 'almost' being the key word there – though even if it did, Hilda doubted she would care. A flock of Pidoves flew just a few feet below them, not particularly bothered by the dragon and celeb above them. 'If only people were this disinterested in who we were,' Hilda thought briefly.
They rose in the air, the cool air raising goose bumps that went unnoticed on her exposed legs. She gripped Zekrom's back tightly, the massive creature gliding with such effortless grace that it almost made her jealous. Again, almost.
"Head south, Zekrom." She yelled to her Pokémon. The creature made a sound of confirmation and altered it's course.
"I'm coming, N," She murmured before she and Zekrom disappeared into the dark, cold sky.
A/N: Who should be working on his multi-chapter fics? This guy.
I've been playing Alpha Sapphire [Go Team Aqua!] and I just felt the urge to write a Pokémon fic. I would've written Hardenshipping [because Archie is a dork and Maxie is a nerd], and I may do so in the future, but I wrote some super quick Ferriswheelshipping in an hour instead. [It's not even Ferriswheelshipping because there's nothing massively romantic about this fic, but eh, it's N and Hilda.]
Anyway, now to go work on my multi-chapter fics instead... If I can find any inspiration.
- Ria.