Seeing as I've decided to really tackle this project, some things I have to say.
1. Making sure the story properly links up to White 2/Black 2 is not a priority for me.
2. There will be shipping (i.e. romance). What ships this story will have will be my own prerogative. It will be some time before any couple will be seriously hinted at.
3. There will be no OCs.
4. I won't contradict or negate the plot of Black/White, but expect some things to be different.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
It was a beautiful Autumn day in Unova. Yet today there was a certain, uncharacteristic silence in Nuvema Town. The word had spread that the four teens who were well known, and liked, around the small town were going to leave today. Even the usual chirping of the Pidoves seemed to be absent in honor of this event. The four would be leaving on a Pokemon journey, and wouldn't be back for a long, long time. That was the plan, though one of them was facing a very difficult hurdle in leaving.
Bianca's father was carrying a tray to his daughter's room. He had strictly forbidden her from leaving to go on this journey, and she had to be upset with him for it, but he knew it was a sound judgment call on his part. Bianca was too naïve about the world outside, she wasn't ready for it, she had to stay here for now. Yet she would likely be bitter about this for quite a long while. A tray filled with her favorite foods, he hoped, would ease her out of her bad mood. He opened the door…
"Bianca, it's breakfast. You should-" His words stopped cold as he glanced left to right, his daughter was nowhere in the room. The Oshuwott was gone too. Bianca's things, her hat, her purse, had also vanished. With no sign of a break-in, there was only one possibility.
"She ran off." He suddenly dropped the tray filled with various breads and fruits, letting the food spill across the floor. His eyes darted to the alarm clock in the room, which had been set to go off several hours earlier then usual. He was immediately furious in the face of the fact that his forbiddance to allow her to go had been completely ignored. Before anymore time transpired, he had turned and was racing to the house's front door.
Hilbert was asleep in his bed. His room had been cleared of books and debris, but it was still a wreck. The bookshelves were still knocked over and the walls were still cracked. His mother hadn't been able to really begin cleaning up yesterday's mess.
His mom was already in the room. Her first attempt at waking him up was simply to shake his shoulder. When it quickly became clear that it was futile she raised the sleeping boy up to a sitting position and shook him a little more forcefully. She frowned as she stopped shaking and Hilbert's head hung forward. A collection of resounding gongs couldn't wake her son up. She laid him back down, and although she couldn't say she approved of… whatever it was Cheren had done yesterday, she might have been tempted to use such a surefire way of getting Hilbert up. Then she heard a little sound coming from above and looked up.
"Aren't you supposed to be in your Pokeball?" She asked the Snivy as it stood on one of the blades of the currently motionless fan. The Snivy looked down at her with an offended expression, then waved an arm. Hilbert's mother cocked her head. "Are you… going to try and wake him up?"
The Snivy nodded, then crossed his arms. The woman stepped back as Snivy readied himself. He jumped off of the fan and began to hurtle down toward its trainer with a confident glint in its eyes. It landed, his cranium smashing into Hilbert's gut. Breath whooshed out of Hilbert as his head rose and his eyes snapped open. His head landed back on the pillow before he began to slowly get up and look with dizzy eyes at Snivy, who was now sitting peacefully on his trainer's stomach.
"I'm so happy to have a Pokemon, I could just puke." Hilbert groaned out, rubbing a hand against the side of his head.
"That's no way to talk about the Pokemon who managed to wake you up." His mother lectured. "Put your clothes on, you know what today is."
Hilbert grunted before rolling out of bed. "Naturally. I'll be away from Nuvema starting today."
He had looked away from his mother and didn't see her slightly somber look. She quickly moved to speak of something else. "Bianca came by earlier." She said. Hilbert gave her a look. "She said she got excited and wanted to hurry on ahead, and you should meet her on Route 1."
Hilbert raised an eyebrow. "She does things at her own pace, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, but trying to completely rush it doesn't sound like her."
"I know that." His mother crossed her arms. "She was here before the sun had even risen, and she was in a hurry, but it looked more like she was racing against a clock, almost like she was desperate to get out of Nuvema."
"Well, now it really doesn't sound like Bianca." Hilbert went over to the desk his clothes were at, and found a handy little map of the Unova region. He smiled and pocketed mom's final little gift. "I suppose I'll have to find her on Route 1, then. Cheren and Hilda look like they were also in a rush?"
"They're waiting near the exit of Nuvema. Better get going before they think you're staying." Hilbert frowned, his mom smirked that sometimes mischievous smirk of hers.
After his mom left the room, Hilbert put on his clothes and started to head downstairs. The Snivy was back in its Pokeball for now. As he reached the kitchen, he noticed someone else was in the house.
"There's her friend." The man, who Hilbert immediately recognized as Bianca's father, turned his attention to the boy. The man walked up to Hilbert, and it took a great amount of bravado on Hilbert's part to not retreat as the clearly angry face was thrust to within an inch of his own. "Bianca ran off to go on your precious little journey."
Hilbert blinked. Well, that certainly answered why Bianca had been in such a rush. Bianca's father continued to talk. "Hilbert. You've always been a good example setter, and you've never lied or gone back on your word on important matters. So I'll ask this, will you find Bianca and bring her back?"
"Y…" Hilbert paused for a moment to think. "Yes, sir."
The older man smiled. "Good. She isn't ready for something like this. Find her and bring her back to me." He turned and left. "I need to talk to the Professor next. She's the one who started this whole mess by letting Bianca have that Oshuwott."
Hilbert gulped. The man might end up holding Juniper, and maybe Cheren and Hilda as well, responsible for what Bianca was doing. Hilbert felt the urge to get to the exit of Nuvema as fast as possible, and left with an obvious swiftness.
His mother was left in the kitchen by herself. Taking in a deep sigh she turned back to the counter. She didn't like the fact that Hilbert was leaving, but accepted it. A journey throughout Unova was something Hilbert definitely needed. Even if it meant that she would likely be lonely without her son around. Bianca's father on the other hand… had always been overwhelmingly overprotective, and simply rejected the idea of his daughter leaving. Bianca was, admittedly, not well versed in what the world outside Nuvema was like, but she did have people to depend on. She wondered what Hilbert would do when he found Bianca. He wasn't one to go back on his word, as Bianca's father said, but… he did love the occasional loophole.
"Cheren, Hilda." Hilbert got to the exit of Nuvema Town. Ahead of them was Route 1. He had chosen to run to reach the exit and took a moment to hunch over and catch his breath. "Bianca-"
"Went ahead of us." Cheren interrupted. Hilbert raised his head to his friend. "She came to my house too. Except that I was awake to talk to her. I assume you weren't." He turned his head to look down the route. "All she said was that she'd be by a tall tree."
Hilbert looked from left to right down Route 1. He didn't see any sign of the girl. "There are a lot of tall trees."
"Suppose we start looking, and not just leer at the route until we find her?" Hilda asked with a flippant tone. She walked ahead. Cheren sighed, then motioned with his head at Hilbert to follow.
The search started out slowly. Every tree along the route's path, as Hilbert said, was tall and fit the bill of Bianca's directions. The three of them closely examined the area around every tree alongside the route. They searched for a good ten minutes, and Cheren was starting to get honestly worried.
"Bianca." Hilbert suddenly said with a relieved tone, catching Hilda's attention. Hilda turned and looked where Hilbert was looking. She spotted Bianca sitting beside a tree trunk. The girl stood up.
"You finally made it." She smiled. "I was getting… worried."
"If you want to be found faster, give better directions." Cheren took a second to glance around the route. "Saying 'meet me by the tall tree' is not going to get you found quickly."
Bianca looked down at the ground. "I had hoped we could have all shared the first steps of this journey. But, my dad, he…"
"Oh, that's right." Hilbert made a deep sigh and collected his thoughts before talking again. "Your dad, came to me and asked me to make sure you head back to Nuvema. I told him I'd do that."
Her stomach knotted at the words and her jaw dropped as the sense of horror permeated her. She rushed forward and got her face in Hilbert's face. "Hilbert, please! I want to do this with you three, please don't-"
"So." Hilbert interrupted, brining a finger up to silence her. "We'll take the long way back." Bianca blinked. "Come on. We're going on this little journey." He looked past her. "Your dad said just make sure you got back. He never said we had to come right back."
Bianca's mouth hung open as she slowly understood, then she gave an easy smile at Hilbert's way of thinking. The weight inside her gut was dissolving.
"Of course, this means that we have to travel together." Hilbert added. "I can't make sure you're doing anything if I'm not with you. I won't completely go against his wishes."
Her smile didn't fade. "I don't mind. I'm glad we can do this."
"So we've split into teams, huh?" Hilda asked, offering a cheeky little observation. She was with Cheren, and apparently Bianca would be going with Hilbert. "Well, no one's being left out, so fine by me." She turned her head, putting a hand on the visor of her hat. "We heading out or wha-" She suddenly shuddered and looked down. A little Lillipup had brushed its fur against her leg.
The Pokemon was pushing its way through the tall grass, then looked up with an almost endearing look of curiosity at the four humans before turning and disappearing.
"Wild Pokemon." Cheren said. "Pokemon not in the possession of a trainer. They're everywhere in the wild. I… haven't ever seen one this close." He reached for his Pokeball and released his Tepig. The little Fire type stretched itself and waited for orders. "I suppose I should get started with training. I wont allow either of you two to get a head start on me."
The Tepig was tensing itself up, waiting for a wild Pokemon to appear. Hilbert and Bianca glanced at each other, then they both reached at the only Pokeball they had with them.
At last they reached Accumula Town past Route 1. The three Pokemon had done well to get used to battle against Lillipups and Purrloins. At this point all three of the little things had become exhausted. The next step was to find some way to help them get back up to speed.
Snivy had adamantly refused to be put back in its Pokeball like Oshuwott and Tepig. It instead walked right beside Hilbert, bruised all over but walking just fine. Though it seemed to be motivated by pride rather then truly being hale and healthy.
"You three made it!" A familiar voice called out to them. They turned to see none other then Professor Juniper. The professor walked over to them and smiled, particularly at Snivy, who remained as prideful and arrogant as it had been the day Juniper had procured it. She was surprised that it was warming up to Hilbert so quickly.
Cheren pushed his glasses up his nose at the sight of Juniper. "What are you doing here? Didn't you tell us that you couldn't travel around Unova?"
Juniper smiled at the tone. "Accumula is basically next door. I think I can leave the lab for that long. And, I needed to make absolutely sure you all know something." She gestured at a particular building. "A way to heal your Pokemon when they're hurt."
Hilda looked to the side. "Um, I guess I don't really need that explanation. Shall I just pace around for a moment?"
Juniper shrugged. "Sure. It's not complicated, and one of your friends will probably explain it all to you later. Just don't wander too far from the building." The professor led the three trainers inside. Hilda shrugged and started to circle the building.
She had only just gotten to the back of building of her first trip around when she started to hear a voice.
"…worthless little failure!" She heard someone yell. She blinked and stopped, turning toward the direction the voice came from. It was coming through some bushes… she looked back at the building her friends had entered, and decided she had enough time to investigate whatever she heard.
Through the foliage, Hilda found what was clearly a Pokemon trainer, like her friends. It was yelling at a small Purrloin, it had to have been his Pokemon. "You can't win the easiest battle. We've been on this journey for a week and all you've done was lose over and over again. You are the worst starter a trainer could have!" Hilda gaped as the boy walked forward and actually kicked the terrified Purrloin in its face, knocking it off of its feet and slamming it hard into a tree trunk.
The display would have been all the incentive Hilda would have needed to rush forward and physically attack the boy. By the time she was done, he wouldn't be able to get back to his feet by himself. Instead, something else happened.
"Stop." Another male voice chimed. The trainer and Hilda both looked to see a boy in a white shirt walk into the scene. The boy flashed a repulsed look at the trainer, then offered sympathetic eyes for the trembling Purrloin. "Is this what you wish to do? Hurt the Pokemon when it fails the cruel expectations its trainer puts on it?" The boy talked… strangely quickly.
"Shut up." The trainer snapped back. "You don't know me. Purrloin, attack him!"
The Pokemon looked at its trainer then slowly walked forward, shivering with fright, up to the person it was ordered to attack, mumbling small sounds out. The boy did not lose the sympathetic look it had for the little Pokemon. He knelt down and extended a hand. "Shh. I know what you're saying. Your life is horrible and terrifying with him. You deserve to be free, free with your natural beauty." The Purrloin continued to walk, and it didn't attack. Instead, it allowed itself to be picked up by the strange boy.
"Wha-" The trainer stared in disbelief. "Purrloin! I ordered you to-"
"You have no right to be with this Purrloin." The boy responded. "Torturing it the way you do… I will give it freedom." Without speaking further, he turned around and started to leave, the Purrloin leaning its head onto the chest of its savior.
The trainer's jaw dropped, then he trembled with violent indignation at what had just happened. He turned around and saw Hilda and immediately rushed over to her. "You saw that." He pointed at the leaving boy. "He stole my Pokemon. Tell someone that-"
Hilda suddenly slapped him across the face, hitting him hard enough that he was knocked to the ground. "Why don't you just go home and tell everyone how much of a failure you are as a trainer?" She glared at him before walking right past the trainer she doubted anyone could ever say anything good about.
"Hey!" She called to the boy who had the Purrloin. He stopped and turned to her as she ran up to him. "I saw that. I didn't think someone so cool was going to jump in like that."
He looked at her with… peculiar eyes. "I couldn't let the Purrloin suffer at his hands." The little Pokemon was laying down in his arms, it was relaxing, but still clearly very tense. It was completely covered in bruises, that kick to the face clearly wasn't the first time its former trainer had brutalized it. "Pokemon are my friends. I won't let friends suffer under trainers like that." He looked down, close to Hilda's waist, looking for any sign of a Pokeball. "You are not a trainer?"
"Yeah. I don't really want a pet, and being a trainer doesn't really interest me."
He blinked, then smiled at what might have been a kindred spirit. "I believe you and I could become very good friends." She looked slightly embarrassed by the words. He seemed to want to say something further, but whirled, leaving with the Purrloin still in his arms.
Hilda watched him leave. She took in a deep breath, simply overwhelmed at how he had taken control of that situation and saved the Purrloin. She turned around, seeing no sign of the cruel starting trainer. The only thing that one could have done in his situation was to do exactly as Hilda told him to do. She brought a finger up to her lip and wondered if she was forgetting something.
"Ah. My friends." Her eyes widened. Her legs bolted into movement, she'd never live it down if they were just there outside the building, tapping their feet for her.
"So, this is a Pokemon Center." Juniper explained. "Think of it as a sort of Pokemon hospital. But there's more you can do here then just heal your Pokemon." She led the three to the counter. "In other regions around the world, this service would be conducted in another building called a Poke Mart. Here in Unova, you can find the services in the Centers." She turned to the counter, and put some money down. The clerk took the money and pleasantly handed her a small tray. Juniper turned around and presented the contents of the tray to the three. "Here are some spare Pokeballs. You'll need them out there on the road."
One by one, Hilbert, Cheren, and Bianca each took five Pokeballs. Juniper then directed them to another counter at the back of the building. A woman dressed like a nurse was on the other side.
"This is what you three really want to pay attention to. The nurse here can heal your Pokemon at the terminal in the back. What's more, the service is completely free. Let's demonstrate that." She put a hand out and waited for all three Pokeballs to be handed to her. The nurse accepted the Pokeballs and placed them on a large black surface. The terminal behind her lit up, showing a bar that Hilbert guessed measured the vitality of the Pokemon.
The service was done in barely a minute and the Pokeballs were returned. The nurse allowed the trainers to release their Pokemon and see them now fit, healthy, and devoid of even the slightest scratch.
"Any questions?" Juniper asked. None of them had anything to say to her. She smiled. "Alright. We've barely been in the Center five minutes, but knowing her temperament, Hilda is probably already wondering what's taking so long."
They all left the Pokemon Center to find Hilda waiting for them. The girl breathed a sigh in relief that she had gotten back in time. She prevented herself from stooping from the exhaustion of running back, and, thankfully, none of them noticed that she had clearly just ran a fair distance.
"I'll be heading back to Nuvema now." Juniper announced to the four. "I can't be away from the lab for very long."
"I'd be careful." Hilbert said, drawing a confused look from the Professor. "Bianca's dad said he wanted to talk to you about the fact that you let her even have a Pokemon. He wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine about it."
Juniper's head lowered and she exhaled. "I think I'll stay in the Center until tonight, then. I'll just sneak back into Nuvema when the moon is up." She brushing a hand across her forehead in preparation for the undesired but inevitable showdown with the man. She was already forming an argument to justify her actions, which Bianca's father would likely just dismiss. The automatic doors of the Center opened and Juniper slipped back inside.
"So, what next?" Hilda asked, tilting her head curiously. She looked up in the air. It was starting to approach evening… they might be able to hit the next town before nightfall if they rushed it. Or they could try to find a place in Accumula to stay for tonight.
They all collectively thought, and Bianca slowly looked around, and something caught her interest. "Hey, something's happening over there." She looked to the center of Accumula Town, seeing a gathering of people. Impulsively curious, she was already zipping over to see what was going on.
"Bianca, wait-" Hilbert called out to the girl, but stopped as she quickly got out of earshot. He sighed, then motioned at Cheren and Hilda to follow. He suspected that traveling with Bianca was going to get him involved in a lot of things he'd rather stay clear of.
Upon some slightly raised ground stood a… strange group. Hilbert had never seen the uniform they wore before, but it reminded him of the knightly orders he read about in History class. They stood in single file, facing the gathering crowd that Hilbert and his friends were a part of. Some of them on the far left and right side had a hand around a pole that waved large flags with an insignia foreign to Hilbert on them. It looked like a large letter P…
The line of figures broke to allow someone with a far more unique outfit to step forward.
"Hello, people of Accumula Town." The man started, looking over the exceptionally large amount of people the small town had. "I am Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. I am here to speak of our cause of Pokemon liberation."
Hilbert blinked at the words and turned to Cheren. Cheren seemed to be knowledgeable about almost everything, but even he just shrugged. He was as oblivious as Hilbert was right now.
Ghetsis continued to talk. "Since before recorded history, humans have lived alongside Pokemon for the benefit of both species. We live together, fight together, struggle together, and both become stronger in the process. Those facts are what many consider to be common sense. But, I beg you to ponder… is it really sensible?"
Murmurs began to rise through the crowd. Ghetsis' question was a bold one, and perhaps one no one had really tried to ask before. He may as well have said that two plus two didn't equal four.
"Perhaps the more sensible path is the opposite one. Trainers order Pokemon to do as the trainers please. We work them, have them battle for us, all under the guise of being our 'partners'." There was a slight note of repulse as he said that last word, almost as if he believed that the word was nothing but a pleasant lie. Hilbert felt a strange, nameless churning in his gut.
"Pokemon are creatures with unlimited potential. By taking them and having them do our bidding, we stunt that potential. How do we rectify this situation? How do we free Pokemon from our oppression?"
Again, the crowd began to talk amongst itself. Finally, one anonymous person asked "Free them?"
Ghetsis nodded at the voice. "Yes. Yes, that is absolutely correct. Only when Pokemon and humans are apart from each other, not depending upon or exploiting the other, can we truly allow Pokemon to reach their true potential."
"I am not trying to tell you to release any Pokemon you have today." Ghetsis said with an understanding tone. He had a warm, fatherly smile, and his eyes exuded such… kindness. As his eyes darted through the crowd he was for just a millisecond staring straight into Hilbert's eyes. The sight chilled Hilbert to his very core. "I only ask that you think about what I have said today. Think, and maybe, act." He bowed his head. "I and Team Plasma thank you for your time." He turned around, slowly beginning to walk away. Those with his group, Hilbert heard Ghetsis call them Team Plasma, followed Ghetsis, taking their flags with them.
The crowd begin to speak in hushed tones, their minds now filled with many foreign thoughts. Slowly, they dispersed to go about on their way. As the crowd broke up, Hilbert saw a boy who was looking straight at him.
Hilda's eyes widened as she realized it was the same boy who had rescued the Purrloin. He walked up to them… his eyes darting across the Pokeballs that three of them had.
"Your Pokemon… are speaking to me." He said, speaking so quickly it seemed like he was trying to not be interrupted. He did not take his eyes off of the red and white balls.
"Don't talk so fast." Cheren's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "And what do you mean our Pokemon are talking to you? They're in their balls."
"I hear them." He answered. His eyes wandered from the balls to examine the quizzical looks he was getting. "You… cannot hear them? That is tragic." He put a hand over his chest, closing his eyes and seeming to think deeply about something. Slowly, he looked at them, focusing entirely on Hilbert. "My name is N."
Hilda would have been fast to make a joke about such a strange name, but she had already developed enough respect for N to not say anything. "Well, I'm Hilda. This is Bianca, Cheren, and Hilbert. They were asked to complete a Pokedex… I'm tagging along with Cheren."
"Completing a Pokedex?" There was a slight twitch in his face, to Hilbert it almost looked like N was offended. "How many Pokemon will be hurt, or jailed in Pokeballs, for that goal to be reached? I am a trainer, and I wonder… are my Pokemon really happy? Are they happy to battle?" His expression was blank remorse. "This one… your name is Hilbert? Let us battle. I want to hear more of your Pokemon's voice."
The Purrloin N had saved came out of a Pokeball. It made its cry and looked determined. Hilbert shrugged and released his Snivy, the Grass type smirked as it stood across from the Dark type.
N looked as the two Pokemon postured and readied for combat. His heart sank at the sight, but he said nothing. Hilda stood off to the side, not sure who she should be rooting for.
Snivy made a cry and rushed forward. The fur across Purrloin raised, and it braced itself for the impact. Snivy's head collided with Purrloin's, and they were locked in a stalemate.
"More!" N called. "Let me here that Pokemon's voice!"
Purrloin pushed as hard as it could, and managed to make Snivy start to back up. It continued to push until Snivy reached its hands out to put them on Purrloin's shoulders and leapt over its opponent.
Snivy landed behind Purrloin and tackled its enemy from behind. Purrloin skidded away and nearly fell over, but regained its balance and came back to make a scratch across Snivy's cheek. Snivy rubbed a hand against the new marks on its face and narrowed its eyes.
"Try that new trick we learned on Route 1." Hilbert called. "Vine Whip!"
Snivy nodded, then reached an arm out. A long vine suddenly protruded from its wrist, growing with no apparent rhyme or reason. Snivy twisted and then swung his arm, and the vine struck the Purrloin right in its face. Purrloin hissed and charged forward, evading a second attack from the long vine and scratching a claw across Snivy's stomach.
"Tackle it!" Hilbert commanded. Snivy retracted the vine and moved forward, ramming its head into the Purrloin's side. The Pokemon rolled away. "Keep the pressure on!" Snivy obeyed, running forward again, but the Purrloin stood up and ducked to the side, putting its tail down and letting Snivy trip over it.
Rather then crash, Snivy put its arms out and caught itself, immediately getting back on its feet. It followed through with its order, crashing into Purrloin and tossing the Dark type away. Snivy pushed its advantage, ready to end the battle, but stopped as a great foot came down in front of the Purrloin.
"Enough." N spoke, calling an end to the fight. "I won't allow my friend to be hurt further." He turned around and picked the Purrloin up. It was a little banged up, but still healthy and clearly still had a lot of fight left in it. Despite that, to N it seemed like every pore of Purrloin's body was exuding pain and suffering, things the Purrloin just shouldn't be forced to go through. The little Dark type looked up fearfully, the memories of how it was usually rewarded for failing still so cruelly fresh in its mind. N instead patted it on its head.
N looked at Snivy, blinking once, then twice at the Pokemon. He looked up at Hilbert. "To think there could be Pokemon who would say such things…"
His eyes drifted to the Purrloin. "When jailed inside a Pokeball, a Pokemon cannot ever reach its true potential. They can't be the perfect beings they are." He took a step away and then turned around. "For the sake of Pokemon, my friends, this world must be changed." He departed swiftly, not looking back at the four.
"Such a strange guy." Cheren brought a hand up to his chin.
"I… kind of like him." Hilbert said. "At least he cares about Pokemon."
Cheren glanced at Hilbert. N was one of the most overdramatic people he had ever met. He didn't believe N could actually understand Pokemon talk, either. He quickly shook his head. "Anyway, my next stop will be Striaton City. That's where I'll find the first Gym. The best way for trainers to grow stronger is to challenge every Gym. What about you?"
Hilbert shrugged. "If the Centers are free to use, I think I'll take care of the little things that Purrloin did to Snivy before I go on." He looked at the scratches on Snivy's body as the Pokemon came back to him. It offered no verbal protest to being put back in its ball. "Might as well always be on the road as refreshed as possible."
"Makes sense. So for now, this marks the end of all four of us traveling together. I'll just see you and Bianca in Striaton." He made his farewell, Hilda hurried after him.
Hilbert turned around to see Bianca smiling at him. "Congrats on winning! I knew you'd win."
"Ah…" He was embarrassed by the praise and turned away. "Of course, Bianca, thank you. Let's, um… get back to the Center."
N stood by himself in the woods. His long hair blew with a nice breeze. Slowly, he took the Pokeball out and released the Purrloin. The little cat looked at him and tilted its head. N crouched down and brushed a hand down the Pokemon's back.
"I'm sorry you had to be hurt in that battle." N whispered. "It's time you returned to the freedom you deserve."
The Purrloin walked up and rubbed itself against N's leg, then looked at N and nodded. It started to back up, keeping N in sight for a moment, before then whirling and running into the tree line.
N turned around, looking in the direction of Accumula Town. His thoughts were on that Snivy, and the unbelievable claim it had made. He also thought of the trainer of that Snivy.
"Hilbert…" N said, knowing, without knowing how, that today's meeting with the boy was just the first of many.
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