Hiccup groaned as he slowly came to. The moment he opened his eyes he thought he'd gone blind but before panic started to take control he caught sight of the moon. It hung high up the sky lighting up parts and pieces of his surroundings. The moment he'd woken up he hadn't noticed but the surroundings were familiar. It was the same place earlier that day or yesterday? Either way, he could see the campfire, a sketch book and two other figures laying closely around him.
He couldn't quite remember having lost consciousness, only remembering that he looked into Meloetta eyes before everything had gone dark. It wasn't something new to him though, up until now it had happened several times with different Pokemon. Even with Toothless, though Hiccup didn't know if the dragon could be classified as a Pokémon. Het never seen another of his sort. Anyway he couldn't remember and he'd stopped worrying about it after it happened the first few dozen times. Besides in the end it had brought him a lot of opportunities he'd never have without it.
For a moment he laid there quietly, enjoying the peace and silence around him. But it wasn't long before the huge reptile that was curled around him noticed that his charge was awake. With a few grumbles and other odd noises the dragon stood up and stretched extensively. He probably wasn't used to napping at night Hiccup mused silently. When both he and Toothless had woken up Meloetta didn't last long, though she had a lot more trouble than the both of them.
"Mel? La mel." Meloetta mumbled dazedly as she floated around a bit. She didn't seem to be very awake though as she almost hit a tree twice. Both times Hiccup steered her the other way as all of them rose with the night. "Meloetta if you're so tired you can lean on my head if you want?" She'd done it before so it didn't matter much to him. Still not entirely awake she nodded and slowly floated over to him before sitting on his shoulder and leaning over the back of his head. For a moment he thought she immediately dozed off before he felt small hands pluck at his hair.
Pokemon often seemed to like his hair but none of them would actually explain why! It frustrated him a lot before he'd made peace with the mystery. It was still annoying not to know but it wasn't like he minded it. At least as long as Toothless doesn't lick him with that sticky tongue of his. He could swear the dragon did it on purpose, even though he knows it doesn't wash out!
When he felt a push on his side he was pulled out of his thoughts as he saw Toothless standing next to him. He put his hand on top of the dragon's snout and scratched it lightly. Toothless seemed to enjoy it and purred loudly in delight. "Yeah bud, we need to get some supplies since I don't have any after that last raid. Besides I need to talk to Lenora about something." The dragon barely nodded in understanding as Hiccup kept scratching him. When an idea suddenly came to him he let out a slight smirk before starting to scratch Toothless like crazy. Slow he moved his hands until they reach his partners throat just below the chin. As soon as he scratched there the dragon was down for the count and plopped down on the ground seemingly made out of mush and entirely satisfied. Without paying his friend another look he moved over to where the camp fire was put out and picked up his pouch that had gotten loose and the sketch book.
The pouch was quickly strapped to his hip before he looked at the booklet. It was Meloetta's now but they were going to fly soon and he doubted the little songstress could keep up with a sketch book half her size in her hands. When he glanced at her he saw she still kept nodding off so he put the book in his pouch, better safe than sorry. Once the fire was checked and all traces that they'd been there had been removed he turned back to Toothless.. Who was still laying lazily on the ground.
"Hey Toothless, we need to go!" When the dragon didn't react Hiccup just sighed. The moon was still high but it was slowly moving down the horizon. It would probably be light in another few hours and they'd planned to be at Nacrene city before light. They weren't too far away though, at the moment they were in the forest between Nacrene city and Black city. Most people didn't come here before dawn, the Pokémon were extremely wild and the surrounding could be harsh. Hiccup though, he'd been here plenty of times and besides he knew most of the avoided forests in Unova, it was where he spent most of his time.
"Come on you useless reptile, we need to go!" He deadpanned as he tried to coax Toothless into getting up. It seemed to work when his friend stood up slowly and moved to stand next to him, not without a whack of his tail though. "Ow! What'd you that for!" The dragon only raised an eyebrow in response. Hiccup huffed, "Well it's true isn't it?" Another whack. "Ow stop that!"
"Come on let's go." Without another moment for them to start bickering again Hiccup got onto Toothless' back smoothly. The dragon slowly sank to the ground and stretched his wings to their full span. It took him only another seconds to flap his wings and take off into the sky. It wasn't surprising for Hiccup to have Toothless fly at such high speeds so abruptly but their little passenger wasn't. "Mel Mel Mel Mel Mel Mel!" The songstress yelled in his ear as she clamped onto his arm. She was thoroughly panicked.
"Toothless could you slow down for a bit?" He yelled over the loud noise the wind made while they ascended. Toothless heard him clearly and they all slowed down to a peaceful speed though the dragon seemed disappointed. Hiccup patted him under his chin for comfort before turning his own attention to Meloetta who was still clutching his arms and hiding her head against his shirt. Slowly he lifted his arm up and put his hand on her head. "Hey don't worry," he said gently. It seemed to help as she calmed slightly. "Toothless just likes his speed, he probably didn't think there was anyone who didn't. If you think it's scary then we'll slow down for a bit. We can always fly at high speeds later and you don't have to come with us if you don't want to." After a few minutes she finally calmed down entirely and let go of his shoulder to float on her own. It seemed she could keep up as she stayed next to Hiccup.
"You alright now?" He asked. She nodded with a smile before sitting in front of him on Toothless' back. Toothless turned his head around for a minute as he looked Meloetta in the eyes. Hiccup knew he was asking her if she was alright and in his own way for her forgiveness. She nodded happily to, what he could see, both reasons before closing her eyes in the wind. Hiccup smiled as he watched their new friend, looks like they'd gotten another who loved the sky as much as they did. He figured they'd taken her by surprise and that she would come to love high speeds just as much as they do.
Because they weren't flying as fast as they could have it took them four hours to get to Nacrene city. It didn't matter much to them though as they all enjoyed each other's company. After those four hours had passed Hiccup could finally see Nacrene city coming into sight and he patted Toothless' neck. "Hey bud, I can see the city coming into sight can you land in the forest?" The dragon just rolled his eyes at the question while Hiccup and Meloetta laughed. "Sure of course you can, sorry for asking oh mighty dragon!" He would have added a bow to it but considering they were hundreds of meters up in the air and Hiccup had his clumsy moments he'd decided not to.
Despite his taunting Toothless was definitely a good flyer and had them on the ground within minutes. Though that was probably expected from someone who grew up with wings. Though considering his own two feet at time? Maybe you couldn't take it for granted.
As soon as Toothless touched the ground they got off of Toothless and stood next to him. Hiccup saw the dragon start to walk towards the direction he'd seen the city in and cleared his throat loudly. Toothless stopped abruptly and looked in his direction while Meloetta was watching the situation in confusion.
"Toothless you know the drill." He stated, the dragon didn't seem to hear him and looked to his surroundings. "You know we can't risk it! Not after last time." As soon as he mentioned that Toothless turned to glare at him but Hiccup wouldn't back down on this. "Yeah I know it wasn't your fault but you are one of a kind and people are going to be interested. Not only good people and we can't risk you going on a rage again like that. Don't worry I'll make sure to be careful." It didn't seem to calm his partner entirely but he did seem to understand the importance. Especially in a city they frequented. Hiccup though noticed something after his little speech and backtracked a little. "One of a kind? Hey Mel I haven't seen your kind before, not to be rude but are they rare?" He tried to ask the last part as gentle as possible, some Pokemon had taken offense to it before and he'd learned to be careful with topics such as species.
The little songstress gave him a sad look and nodded her head. The sadness in her eyes made him give her a gentle smile which seemed to brighten her mood a bit. "Don't worry you've got us now!" It did the trick as the sadness left entirely. Hiccup continued. "But Mel if you aren't too common I don't think it'll be smart to take you with me to the market." The target in question tilted her head in confusion. Hiccup was pretty sure by now that Meloetta was very young, she didn't have a certain wisdom to things most Pokemon had. Even if she hadn't met a lot of humans Pokemon instinctively pick up things during their lives.
"Just like not all Pokemon are nice not all humans are either. Some will do nasty things to get what they want. Though the odds of that happening are pretty low I don't want to risk it." She nodded in understanding but her actions said otherwise. She floated up to him and gripped his arm tightly refusing to let go. "Mel I can't take you with me! I don't want to risk it." It didn't seem to help though as she only gripped harder.
Meanwhile Toothless was watching from a distance with amusement shining in his eyes as he grinned his usual toothless grin. Hiccup almost wanted to groan in annoyance, why oh why did he always get the stubborn ones! He was about to once more try to get Meloetta to let go before he looked her in the eyes directly. She stared back intensely before both their eyes started to glow once more. This time though it wasn't too bright, they only shined more in their natural color. Both green and blue focused on one another yet not seeing each other.
Hiccup this time though wasn't losing consciousness, he refused to call it fainting, and was instead suddenly rapidly looking through several pictures and visions. Almost all of them were of Meloetta, it was very similar to the first he'd asked Toothless on what his pride was like. Most of the pictures were of her exploring the forests and having the time of her life. It was a vision though that held his attention. In it he watched as she was attacked by a man with green hair with a weird visor covering one of his eyes. The man face wasn't too clear, probably because Mel's memories weren't too clear and the man was wearing a cloak covering almost everything. His hair was only sticking out while the visor reflected some light allowing him to see both. It was blurry but his green hair definitely stood out.
He watched as the man summoned several Pokemon to try and capture her. He was surprised when he saw her disappear into nothing. It was an incredible ability Hiccup thought as he watched the memory worriedly. He had to remind himself that this wasn't real when he saw the man direct one of his Pokemon to the direction she was in.
From how he'd gotten to know Meloetta he really expected her to panic and run, but in an unexpected show of calm she let go of her invisibility and turned to face him. It surprised him to see such a dedicated expression on her face. He was even more surprised when she started to sing and change. Together with the melody of her song she slowly started to change more and more. Eventually when she stopped singing her entire look was different. She now had auburn hair that seemed to be stylized in a high bun and red eyes. Everything that had formerly been ocean green was now the same auburn color as he hair. The microphone she wears on her ear was now some sort of brooch in her hair. Other than that her dress had turned into a tutu at the bottom in four separate pieces that looked similar to petals. Pirouette forme his mind somehow revealed.
Soon it became clear though that it wasn't only her looks that had changed. When she started to singlehandedly defend herself from three other Pokemon. It was clear that she wasn't going to win, they had more experience and had more number. But despite that she managed to hold on her own and was wearing them out. He didn't know how long he was watching but when an Eelektross, one of the Pokemon in the group, suddenly used flash it seemed Meloetta had her chance to escape. Without even looking to where she flew she made herself invisible and flew into the forest at high speed. It seemed as if the man hadn't managed to find her when the vision ended.
Toothless watched patiently as his partner slowly came back from his vision. He probably would have worried himself endlessly if he wasn't familiar with Hiccups visions. It had happened on several occasions and no matter how much the boy saw they never lasted more than a minute or two, well at least the natural ones. The both of them had learned that a Pokemon could induce one if it willed it strongly enough. Rarely did those take too long but they were unpredictable and did last longer, sometimes with side effect if induced with ill intention. Those worried Toothless. In this case though it was Meloetta who induced one and he did trust her.
While Toothless was thinking Hiccup slowly came too, feeling like someone had just hit his head with a sledgehammer. It took him a moment before he figured out where he was and what had happened. Meloetta also had to orientate herself before she realized where she was, though it seemed to be slightly easier for her.
"Meloetta what was that for?" Hiccup complained when he was capable enough to. The little Pokemon just puffed up her chest proudly causing Hiccup to sigh in exasperation. "You could have just shown me you can take care of yourself! You know maybe a demonstration or a discussion but no my friends have to literally infiltrate my head. how lovely!" The sarcasm was dripping from his voice but it was in no way mad. He didn't feel angry in any way, sure it was tiring experience every time but it always seemed to be necessary. Even now he'd at least learned that he needed to keep Mel away from that guy with the visor. That last bit would be difficult though especially considering he didn't know what the guy looked like for the most part.
Slowly he stood up, he felt a bit wobbly but it didn't take long before his balance came back and walking was longer a problem. "Hey guys I really think I'll going to go visit Lenora now. After that I'll pass by poke-markt to get our supplies so we can leave here." He was about to move away before he felt something pull on his shirt. Looking down he could see Meloetta stubbornly pull on his shirt. He looked towards Toothless pleading for him to help but Toothless only gave him an emotionless stare that seemed to bore through him. Sighing in defeat he held up his hands. "Fine! Mel you can come with but you have to camouflage yourself when there are people and Toothless.." He pointedly stared at the dragon. "You will stay here." He only got a huff as a reaction but Hiccup supposed that was the most he'd get.
"Come on Mel, don't mind the him he just loves to sulk anyway." Before the dragon could make some kind of a comeback or get revenge Hiccup moved out of the way and left for Nacrene city. Meloetta followed him as she was mesmerized by her surroundings.
It wasn't long before they neared the city. Hiccup had purposely chosen to enter through the park as it was both faster and much less busy. Meloetta had taken up her seat on his shoulder once more and was enjoying the view. "Hey Mel, did you know Nacrene city is also called the city of art?" She shook her head in wonder before turning her eyes towards the city that was rapidly coming into view. "It's because many artist gather here to try out their ideas. You'll probably see plenty of drawings and art works. If you want we can go take a look but only if you'll promise to stay out of sight." The last part was said sternly but she didn't seem to mind as only wonder filled her eyes.
She did keep her promise though, the moment they'd entered the city and they were surrounded by people that was when she disappeared. He still felt the weight on his shoulder but her entire form had disappeared, it was amazing. They passed many street that were filled with graffiti art and vendor filled with the weirdest of toys. Several times did he feel her weight leave his shoulder to have a look. Despite not being able to see her he could sense her position vaguely and made sure to keep close. It was only when they'd finally reached the Nacrene museum that he actually whispered to her that they needed to go. He could almost see the disappointment on her face and told her they would visit later.
There was a long row in front of the museum but he just bypassed it taking the privet door. Lenora had told him to use it if it was important and he thought it was. The moment he entered the museum he was greeted by several workers there whom he knew. Each one of them greeted him amicably before telling him that Lenora would be back soon. Apparently she was out on an errant from professor Juniper so he was sent to the room behind the cupboard to wait.
Meloetta apparently though it was private enough and revealed herself again. "MEL!" She suddenly exclaimed with sparkling eyes. The enthusiasm rolled of her in waves and almost seemed to drown him. "Mel la mel, ta mel la!" She floated around erratically while holding her head with her hands. She almost seemed to be in love causing Hiccup to sweat drop. "You liked it that much?" She nodded vigorously in response and only continued on her sugar high stampede through the room. Hiccup really hoped Lenora didn't mind if anything broke because the odds where high something would if Meloetta continued like this.
"Well well Hiccup, seems like you got yourself a pretty impressive friend there." Panic rose in him for a moment before he recognized the voice. He took a deep breath and stood up. "Well Lenora you know how I am! Nobody could resist being friends with a toothpick." He proudly gestured to himself causing the both of them to laugh. It took them both a few moments to calm down.
"Well Hiccup long time no see, what you here for then?" She asked politely giving him a small hug. Hiccup returned it before standing in front of her. He noticed Meloetta had hidden herself once more. "Hey Mel you can come out. I trust her besides she's already seen you." She didn't come out though and stayed hidden, he did feel a push behind him though. He figured she was hiding behind him and shrugged slightly towards Lenora. "She's shy don't worry. Anyhow I've got some info you might want to know." She raised an eyebrow in question as Hiccup became serious.
"A few days ago I acquired some information that referred to the Nacrene museum. Apparently this new group called team Plasma is planning to steal the dragon skull from your museum." He could hear her gasp slightly but he just raised an eyebrow in question. She sighed in response "Almost a week ago this team plasma you're referring to held a speech in Accumula town. They preached about how Pokemon were superior creatures and that we should let them go and no longer bind them to us. Many people listened for some reason and it's already causing people to become restless."
Hiccup listened patiently as she explained about team plasma. It was almost laughable how team plasma acted like hypocrites. Despite wanting the liberation of Pokemon, they still used them and treated them the same as any other team. He had seen some honest people on the team though and had to admit that some of their methods were a lot better than teams like Aqua and Magma, or even team Rocket. The last one could be plain pathetic though sometimes.
"But how did you get this information anyway?" He was startled by the question and realized he'd been drifting off slightly. He didn't know how much of her explanation he'd missed and decided to answer the question outright. "I infiltrated their aircraft." He stated nonchalantly leaving out most of the details. Lenora though didn't seem to notice that and went for the first thing that did seem be important to her. "You infiltrated an aircraft of an unidentified team?!" She seemed to have an shocked expression but it quickly morphed into anger. Hiccup despite noticing her anger didn't really get what the problem was. "Yeah, so what?" That turned out to be the wrong thing to say though when she exploded.
"So what?! You're a fifteen year old kid who should be leaving these affairs to adults. I hope you took Toothless with you!" His sheepish smile though apparently told her all she needed to know. "Why are you always so reckless Hiccup? You're not supposed to be doing something like raiding teams all over the place. I can understand you want to help Pokemon but you can't keep doing this!" Her rage slowly disappeared as she almost plead for him to rethink his ideas. Hiccup though wouldn't have it, he'd decided to take this path three years ago and he would keep following it. "Why? Why can't I do it? Cause I'm a kid? Well then you can stop telling me this because I've never been a kid, I don't even know how to be a kid!" He yelled the last bit before huffing slightly from anger. Why did they have to have this conversation every single time he visited. He didn't look the woman in her eyes as he'd see the usual pity she had when he said something he hadn't wanted to. "Anyway I came to tell you that." He was about to walk of before a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him around. He didn't even have the chance to struggle as he was pulled into a giant hug from the woman.
"Okay Hiccup you win. It's your dream and vision, but at least let me worry about ya when you're here." She whispered in his ear. She held onto him for another moment before letting go. Now that the both of them had calmed down the mood seemed to be a lot better than before.
"You know what?" Lenora suddenly said pulling his attention to her with a smile. "I'm having a gym challenge in a few minutes I think, wanna come and watch?" It was a question but she probably already knew the answer. Hurriedly he rushed up the stairs through another door that led to the gym grounds. It was only when he looked around that he noticed nobody had arrived yet. "Me..la?" He heard from his shoulder causing him the chuckle. The little songstress was probably dizzy from his running charade.
"I guess they haven't arrived yet." He mumbled to himself looking around. The gym field itself was quite plain looking. It had the usual Pokemon battle marks on a field made of normal ground. The battle ground itself was located in a greenhouse that was built behind the museum and connected by door. Only the backdoor led to it though, well besides the fire exits. Next to the entry door were two tribunes were people could sit. Surrounding the other sides of the field were plants and all kinds of flowers. It was a pretty sight but considering the flowers were quite common it was also a bit plain. Hiccup moved to sit on a small patch of grass under a tree that was close to one of the tribunes. If no one was here yet he could at least enjoy a bit of nature while waiting. He made his way down the stairs on the tribunes and onto the field. He quickly moved onto the field of plants surrounding the field and sat down at the base of a tree. The place itself wasn't too far removed from the field and was easily reached.
Hiccup was about to close his eyes as he made himself comfortable before he felt a nudge on his side. It was quiet for a moment or two before Meloetta came into sight once more. "Mel La?" In her hands was the same flower she had been drawing previously when they had still been in the woods. He gave her a smile before reaching into his pouch for her sketch book. "Make sure to stay out of sight though and at least in the same room as me." He said sternly as he found what he'd been looking for. Meloetta smiled brightly while nodding vigorously, "Ta!" Hiccup could only shake his head in exasperation and she almost pulled the sketch book from his arms. And to think she'd been so timid only a day back! He briefly wondered if it was because she was a girl before shaking the thoughts away. That came too close to stereotyping for his liking, it was exactly the thing he loathed.
The little songstress moved to sit next to him as she continued the drawing she'd started earlier. She was in plain sight but Hiccup was glad though. He hadn't given her the chance to finish her drawing and it made him feel a little guilty. Especially when seeing the bright smile on her face. He noted in his head to let her draw more often.
Their peace and quiet wasn't something that lasted long though as he faintly heard voices and footsteps approaching. He was about to motion for Meloetta to hide only to find she'd already disappeared. He figured she had better hearing considering she was a Pokemon highly involved with sound. The sketch book had also disappeared this time.
The approaching group, he quickly realized, was only a few more seconds away from the door. Just as quickly as he expected the doors were opened only to have a boy run into the room. "So this is the Nacrene gym!" He didn't yell but his voice was still very loud. "Can't wait to battle, right Pikachu?" His smile seemed to almost fall off his face that was how wide it was. "Pika!" His partner, a Pikachu, had the same expression. Quite curiously he noted that both trainer and Pikachu were entirely in synch. Each actions was done by the both of them together as if they were two pieces of a puzzle. It made him think of Toothless and him, a bond he'd seen only rarely in the last few years.
The boy was wearing a red and white cap with a blue Pokemon symbol on it. He was short and had black spiky hair. He wore a short sleeved, zipped up sweater. It was mostly white and blue but the zippers were yellow while a half circle pattern on his shoulders were black. On his hands were a pair of fingerless gloves. His pants were black and long while his shoes were red and black. Hiccup noticed that he was probably the same age or older than him.
It was only after the boy came barging onto the gym grounds though that he noticed the boy wasn't alone. Aside from Lenora he apparently had three traveling partners, or maybe just spectators he didn't really know. There were two boys and one girl. The girl had an Axew sitting in her arms out of its poke ball just like the other boy. She had a very dark tint of blue hear that was partially tied into ponytails with the rest hanging down her back, also in a ponytail down the end. She had chocolate colored skin and was wearing a light yellow and pink dress shirt with a ribbon at the hip. The dress shirt was pink around the hips were it hung similarly to a skirt and around the wrist and neck. Under it were a pair of white and yellow leggings. Her shoes were orange with a single yellow stripe on the top.
The guy standing next to the girl with an Axew seemed to be the oldest of the group, probably in his twenties. He had grass green colored hair that was short with only a little bit sticking out on top. He was wearing a neat vest suit that was black with a white undershirt with long sleeves. The buttons on his vest were yellow and all closed neatly. Under his chin was a green bow-tie. His shoes were brown and fitted neatly under his suit.
Lastly was another boy around their age maybe a bit older. He also had green hair but a tint lighter and a lot longer. It was hanging down to his back in a ponytail He had a black and gray cap on his head. This kid was wearing a white vest with a collar and a black shirt with long sleeves under it. The vest did have any buttons and was closed entirely on the front. Hanging around his neck was a pendant, it was similar to the planet Saturn only with two rings instead of one. He was wearing sand brown colored pants with a chain hanging from his hip. Hanging on the end of the chain was a cube. Other than the curious keychain he was wearing a pair of green shoes.
Hiccup wondered for a moment what the cube was for, it was quite big and looked like it would get in the way. It was golden colored and shaped like a Rubik's cube, it wasn't one though. The middle square of each side on the cube was colored black. Also on several other squares on each side were small circles of green, randomly positioned. It had captured his attention for a moment as he studied it.
"Hey! Who are you?" He suddenly heard from his left ear. The suddenness of everything caused him to stumble backwards in surprise. His foot misplaced itself on the ground and For a moment he felt a loss of balance. It didn't last long though before a hand grabbed onto his arm and pulled him upright. "Woah! Sorry, you alright?"
Hiccup looked up to see the boy holding onto his arm and pulling him back onto his feet. The boy looked startled but seemed to be genuinely sorry. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "Yeah don't worry. You just startled me, I think." The other boy seemed to be relieved before once more smiling. "Yeah sorry about that, I didn't mean to. I'm Ash by the way and this is Pikachu." He said pointing at him and Pikachu respectively before holding out his hand in a greeting.
Hiccup stared at it for a moment before reciprocating it. "Nice to meet you Ash, I'm Hiccup." Mentally though he was counting down before... "Hahaha, Hiccup?! Is that a name?" He started laughing. Hiccup stared blankly at him before walking past him towards Lenora. He'd quickly come to know how people reacted to the names his village gave in the outside world. Experience had told him that a reaction without laughter was rare, it had also told that explaining wouldn't really help. So he'd learned ignore them before continuing the conversation, if he felt like it.
While Ash was laughing hysterically behind him, not yet noticing his conversation partner had left, he walked towards Lenora. The gym leader had moved down the stairs with Ash's other companions while they'd been talking. "Lenora, is Ash your opponent in the next gym battle?" He asked as he neared. She gave him a smile before nodding "Yeah, I couldn't give it to him immediately because of some problems but they've been resolved." Hiccup though just gave her a confused expression. "A Problem?"
"Yeah, a Yamask had been haunting this museum for a while so I had to close it for a while. Last night they helped me find it. It took us a while but it had lost its mask so we had to find it. Eventually though it left and I opened my gym today." Hiccup nodded in understanding. "Is that why the museum was so busy today?" This time she was the one who nodded. "Yes it's been awhile so when I announced it people flooded in this morning." She sighed dramatically with what she said but Hiccup could see the relief in her eyes.
"Well I guess it's good Yamask found it's mask." He stated truthfully before turning to the other three people watching their conversation. The girl was becoming inpatient and he'd rather not cause something. The other guys though just seemed interested and distracted respectively. The cube kid Hiccup noticed was looking towards the tree he'd been sitting under. Hiccup narrowed his eyes as watched the kid continue to stare. He'd have to keep an eye on this one, whether he noticed Meloetta was there or not. The other guy was just studying him the same way he'd been studying him, he was probably one of the more knowledgeable ones in the group. Or had more experience with people.
"Anyway I guess I should introduce you guys shouldn't I?" Lenora said breaking the silence that had fallen for a moment. Hiccup nodded and she turned so that she was facing each of them. "Well Hiccup, these are Iris," she pointed to the girl, "Cilan" the suit guy, "and N." Wow he was still staring towards Meloetta. "I suppose you already met Ash." Hiccup nodded, "yeah he was most kind at accepting my name." The heavy sarcasm didn't fall on deaf ears and everyone looked towards the kid that was, for some reason, still laughing.
"Anyway Iris, Cilan and N, this is Hiccup." She motioned towards him. Iris was the first to turn to him.
"Well don't mind Ash he is still a kid after all! Anyway I'm Iris and this is Axew, nice to meet you!" Iris held out her hand, which Hiccup took, and shook it. The statement confused him a little though considering she seemed younger than him? The little dragon that had moved itself into her hair gave him a wave, which he returned with a small smile. "Nice to meet you too Iris, Axew."
Not a moment after Iris Cilan moved towards him and held out his hand first. Hiccup took it and they too shook them. "I'm Cilan, it's a pleasure to meet you." Cilan said while smiling politely, Hiccup returned the smile before letting go of the hand. The last person N still hadn't taken his attention off the spot that he thought Meloetta was probably still drawing. He really needed to watch this N kid, he wasn't going to risk Meloetta safety over some gym battle. He didn't want to be rash though, he was sure Meloetta was enjoying herself and he didn't want to ruin it. Besides it wasn't even sure that N was actually dangerous or even knew it was Meloetta specifically who was sitting there.
His patience though didn't seem to be shared as Iris walked over to the green haired kid. She boldly stood in front of him but because of her height he looked over her. Ticked off by the difference in height she raised her arms and waved her arms in front of his face. That seemed to do the trick as N finally looked somewhere else then that tree. "What is it?" He stated calmly. Iris sighed, probably in exasperation Hiccup mused. "N, we were being introduced to Hiccup by Lenora." She seemed hesitant to talk to him and her temper almost seemed buried in hesitation. Hiccup couldn't figure out why though, weren't they traveling partners? N seemed to be slightly embarrassed by his inattention but otherwise remained just as impassive as before. He turned to face Hiccup before nodding his head in greeting, he returned it. "N, nice to meet you." He stated softly, almost reluctantly. "Nice to meet you N." He didn't repeat his name, he never did. Why do so if usually people only ended up laughing.
"Hey!" A voice yelled. It seemed Ash had finally come back from his laughing fit. Hiccup was relieved when he saw he saw Ash hesitantly move towards them. "Uhm, Hiccup I'm sorry for laughing. I didn't realize how insensitive I was being. Sorry." And he bowed enthusiastically. Hiccup waved his hands in embarrassment as Ash continued to stay bowed. Really, an apology was always what he sought for when people laughed at his name but this was too much. "Don't worry about it Ash, I'm used to it. An apology is more than enough." Nobody noticed Lenora frowning about what Hiccup said about his name.
"Anyway I take it you're going to be the one battling today Ash?" He asked curiously. He always liked watching Pokemon battle. Sure it could be cruel and he absolutely loather those who abused their Pokemon in them. But mostly one could see the extreme drive and passion Pokemon and their trainers had for their goal. The amount of sheer will that went into it made Hiccup admire them both.
"Yeah, it'll be my second gym badge! I can't wait for it!" Both trainer and Pokemon punched the air in excitement. Hiccup couldn't help but smile at the sight. Quickly though the trainer had his attention back. "Anyway not to be rude though why are you here? I didn't see you here yesterday?" This time Iris joined in. "Yeah, now that I think about we've been here for two days and have visited the museum many times. Even when it was closed." Even Cilan nodded in agreement as his friends talked. Hiccup listened as they talked to one another about why they hadn't seen him before, finally he interrupted them.
"Well, that's probably because I only arrived this morning and spent most of it until just now exploring all the art work. Nacrene city isn't called the city of art for nothing." Ash just looked confused while Iris and Cilan seemed to understand. "City of art?" Ash asked with the same expression. Iris just scowled and turned to the trainer before pointing in his face. "Really this is why you're such a kid. Nacrene city is famous in Unova as a place where many artists gather. It's why everything is covered in colors and arts."
"Haha, sorry I didn't really notice. I was just so excited for my gym battle." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, again Pikachu joined him in his action. Iris was about to say something else again before, for the first time since the conversation started, N cut in. "But why are you here? Just now you were sitting under a tree in the gym. Are you a trainer?" Hiccup turned to the teenager, two bright green eyes locking onto one another. So he'd noticed Hiccup sitting there before. He could practically hear the interest in the voice, despite N's expression never changing.
Hiccup probably would have been stuttering immensely if he hadn't change so much over the years. Back in his home village he just didn't have confidence in himself. After he left though he'd been in plenty of situations were relying on himself was crucial. His trust in Toothless had skyrocketed while his self-confidence had grown. He was still nervous around people but he could hide it. It was precisely that acquired talent that allowed him to meet N's gaze before shifting it to Lenora.
"Hiccup is someone very precious to me. I've been helping him over the years with various of things. This time he came back to tell me something. I think he was going to leave straight away but when I told him about a gym battle he rushed off to the gym grounds." She smirked at him while Hiccup only flushed in embarrassment at the closest figure he had to a human guardian. He coughed slightly trying to hide his embarrassment before turning back to N. It didn't help to see the amusement in his eyes though.
"A-anyway" he stuttered slightly, "that's why I was in the gym, besides that I'm don't think you could call me a trainer." The red in his face had faded slowly to a manageable tint. "You don't think?" Ash asked from beside N. Hiccup nodded "Yeah, I have plenty of Pokemon partners and friends but I haven't caught any Pokémon." Cilan, Iris and Ash seemed shocked by the revelation while N curiously seemed interested in the subject. He'd been mostly impassive the entire conversation yet this interested him? How odd.
"How can you not have any Pokemon. You travel don't you? I mean Lenora said you were going to leave." The shocked tone of voice didn't leave the entire sentence, Hiccup only looked confused. "I said I never caught any Pokemon, that doesn't mean I don't have any. I have friends that travel with me and we help protect one another." The entire concept though still seemed foreign to the other three as they looked confused. In the end he just sighed and turned to Lenora. "We'll leave it at that. Lenora shouldn't you start the battle?"
It seemed that was all the prompting that was needed to change the subject of the conversation. Ash immediately jumped up in excitement and ran down to the battle field. Even as Lenora tried to explain to him the rules he couldn't seem to stop bouncing up and down. It was within a few minutes that both Lenora and Ash were standing on their respective sides of the field and the battle could begin.
"This battle will consist of two Pokemon each. Only the challenger will be allowed to switch. Whoever defeats the opponents Pokemon first will win the battle. Ready?" The referee called out. When both trainers nodded in agreement the referee raised both flags. "Start!"
As gym leader Lenora was first to choose a Pokemon. "Lillipup, I choose you!" She yelled as a Lillipup came out of its Pokémon. Hiccup quickly recognized the little pup Pokemon as the litter of a Stoutland from the last time he was in Nacrene city. Back then the little guy couldn't even walk without falling back to the ground. Now though Hiccup could see the passion he held for his trainer and this battle, it brought a smile to his face. He could faintly hear Iris squeal about how cute it was in the background.
Next was Ash and he took a Pokemon from his waist, "Tepig I choose you!" As flash of bright red light shone before a small pig like Pokémon revealed itself. He blew a bit of smoke through his nostrils before looking back to Ash. When he saw Ash give him thumps up and a smile he seemed to relax and stood more confidently. That wasn't the only thing that had his attention though, Tepig didn't seem to have the same healthy look Ash's Pikachu had. His fur didn't have a normal shine to it and seemed a little dull. He was also slightly malnourished but wasn't at all skinny, almost as if he was recovering.
"Hey Iris" He called, the girl looked his way. "Yeah?" He lifted his hand and pointed to Tepig. "How long has Ash had Tepig?" Iris looked confused for a minute before sighing slightly. "I think it'll almost be about three weeks now. He caught him about a week before his gym battle with the Striaton gym." Hiccup nodded absently before standing up and walking down the stairs. "Hey wait! Where are you going?" Iris yelled. Hiccup smiled before pointing to the tree he'd previously been sitting under, "I'm gonna sit down, besides I can see the battle better from there." With that he tried to make his way down to the field, keyword is tried. Before he could even descent one more step a hand landed on his shoulder. It didn't grip or hurt but it did pull his attention to the person in question, N. "Is there something?" He asked politely. Always the polite one he thought sarcastically, even despite his irritations with the stoic teenager. N nodded "Yes, I was going to ask whether I could join you down on the grass."
Hiccup felt a slight dread at the implications, especially with Meloetta probably still there, but kept his composure. "Why would you need my permission for something like that?" His tone was light be he felt anything but light. It was only when he saw N surprised that he felt a little lighter. At least the guy wasn't entirely emotionless. Without saying another word he made his way down the steps. He quickly heard the steps behind him, following the same route. As soon as they were on the side of the battle field he turned and walked towards the tree with a sigh. Why did he have to say yes? Couldn't he just have made up some excuse about... Whatever! Something! No wonder Toothless always reacted the way he did, maybe he really did attract trouble. Even if he did he'd never admit that to Toothless though. He'd rather keep denying it than have Toothless have the satisfaction of him being right. The dragon would get so incredibly smug when he did. The annoying reptile would literally not stop rubbing it in his face until satisfied, it was a pain.
He glanced behind him at the mysterious trainer. The green haired teenager was keeping his eyes once again on the tree they were heading to. Well, were heading to cause they were pretty much in front of it now. Hiccup paid no attention to the other beside the cursory glance every so often as he moved to sit down under the tree. He made himself comfortable before reaching into his pouch. Smoothly he pulled out a loose piece of paper he'd kept there and a pencil. Lastly he pulled out a small collapsible sturdy piece of plastic. He folded it open to reveal a hard piece of plastic the size of an A4 piece of paper. To Hiccup it was very useful as he could use it to draw on yet it barely used up any space. He turned his attention to the front to observe the battle.
He was about to start drawing when he felt a slight weight on his side and a small breathing sound. He smiled gently when he realized Mel had probably fallen asleep. Assured she was by his side he turned his attention back to the front and watched Lillipup take down Tepig. He supposed he hadn't really been watching the battle despite his fascination with them but right now he wanted to draw Lillipup in action. It didn't take long before he once more disappeared into his own world as he drew with concentration. Only ever looking up every few minutes.
He didn't notice as N curiously watched his gentle smile to the side and his immense concentration on the drawing. The teenager watched amazed as a lively drawing of Lillipup slowly progressed onto the piece of paper.
When Hiccup's sketch was finally finished he carefully reached into his pouch to make sure he didn't wake Meloetta. Slowly he pulled out his coloring pencils before he continued to draw. In the meantime though Lillipup was no longer on the field. Lillipup had won against Tepig with well place take down but lost against Oshawott only barely. Now a very weakened Oshawott was trying to attack Watchog, he wasn't very successful though. After a heavy blow by Watchog's thunderbolt Oshawott couldn't keep standing and fainted.
"And the winner is Lenora!" At the exact same time, Hiccup came out of his trance and put down his pencil. He looked at his drawing with satisfaction before putting the pencils back in his pouch. Carefully he put the drawing on the grass as he folded up his plastic board. When he was finally finished he came onto and odd but strangely amusing sight. Next to him he saw N reaching for it his drawing. But the strange thing was that he was paused halfway through his action. Now he was repeatedly reached for it before pulling back. Hiccup grinned at the odd situation, "You know you could just ask to see it." He said. While he didn't trust him it couldn't harm to show him a drawing.
It was only then that N fully reached for the drawing and picked it up. Carefully he examined the drawing with a seriousness Hiccup never thought would be possible with one of his drawings. "It's amazing." He heard from beside him. "What?" He asked confusedly. Suddenly N turned back to him abruptly.
"This is an amazing drawing, how did you capture the Pokémon's essence so clearly?!" The childlike excitement that suddenly seemed to take over in the usually stoic teenager startled Hiccup. It took him a moment to realize what was being said and by who. Meanwhile though N continued. "You perfectly illustrated his healthy gown almost making him shine, yet the fire in his eyes doesn't lose to it. How did you do it?" At the end of his rant he turned to face Hiccup.
Hiccup though was in no state to answer. Over the years he'd become slightly used to confrontations and was now able to keep his calm. This though was something entirely different. As the green haired guy next to him kept ranting his face only continued to become redder. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. When the rant had finally ended he grabbed his drawing, stood up carefully as not to wake Meloetta and walked onto the field. Quickly he took a few calming breaths away from the source of his embarrassment before walking up to Lenora.
Lenora was standing next to Ash conversing about how he lost and what he could do about it. He seemed really passionate about having a rematch soon. Iris and Cilan slowly moving down the stairs towards them. "Lenora!" He yelled as he walked towards them. The dark skinned woman turned to face him with a smile. "Hey Hiccup what did you think of the battle?" Hiccup smiled sheepishly before handing her his drawing. She nodded and took it but did open it just quite yet. "Let me guess, you got pulled into your artistically instinct and it didn't let you go until after the battle?" She posed dramatically with a smirk on her face as she exaggerated. This time though Hiccup was prepare for the embarrassment and just smiled back sweetly. "Well if you don't want my drawing then I guess I'll just..." He reached for it in a slow way when she, as expected, pulled the drawing out of his reach. "No, no, I'll keep it. You're drawings are always phenomenal." It was only then that she opened and saw the drawn Lillipup.
"Ooh Hiccup, this is amazing!" She gushed at him. Ash looked over her shoulder as he listened to their discussion. "Yeah you're right. It does look amazing." He too said as he saw the drawing. Hiccup just grinned happily, "Thanks. By the way Lenora. Is that the Lillipup that hatched when I was here last time?" She smiled and nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's the same one. He'd been adamant about wanting to battle and become stronger." Hiccup looked down at the drawing, seeing the spark of fire in Lillipup's eyes he nodded in agreement. "Yeah he's a lot stronger than when I last saw him, also very determined."
She folded the drawing and put it in her pocket just before Cilan and Iris got to them. The four of them started a conversation about what it was exactly that Ash should be doing better. Hiccup though went back and sat down against the tree. This time he was more composed and wouldn't have that ridiculous flush of his on his face if he confronted N.
As expected N was still sitting at the same place but was once again staring exactly to where Meloetta was sleeping. Without a warning he sat down precisely in front of N's view and made himself comfortable against the tree. For a moment he felt the teenagers gaze before N looked to where Lenora and the rest were discussing.
"Why do people battle with Pokemon.." The green haired youth suddenly asked. Hiccup just stared before he too turned his attention to the other four of the field. He thought about it for a bit before answering carefully. "I suppose each person and Pokemon has their reason. Reaching higher heights, getting stronger, to fulfill a dream, anything really." Hiccup turned back to see N staring at him with a confused yet unbelieving expression.
"But Pokemon get hurt battling. Why would someone who claims to care about them force them to battle?" His tone was firm in his belief but Hiccup could see a little doubt had been planted. It probably wouldn't change much but maybe it would get him to think on it from a different view.
"That depends entirely on who and why? Sure just like there are bad Pokemon there are bad humans. There will always be those who abuse and misuse their Pokemon. Leaving Pokémon like Tepig entirely abandoned." He trailed off slightly in thought as he felt movement next to his thigh. He supposed Meloetta woke before continuing. "But that is not universal. Just like there are bad trainer there are good ones. Trainers who long to fulfill their dreams and Pokemon that help. Plenty of times do Pokemon create their own dreams when traveling. They can fall in love with contest or get mesmerized by the prospect of battling. They all learn when they travel and often they develop the same dream as their trainer. Their bond causes them to work hard together, to do anything to reach their dream. It's that fire, that passion and will that makes a battle, a contest or any other activity worthwhile to do or watch, after all what is life without a purpose?" He left his question hanging in the air before carefully nudging Meloetta. When he felt a loss of weight he knew she'd understood and he moved to stand up.
Next to him he watched N repeat the movement and stand next to him. His eyes had returned to their former disinterest yet this time they were determined on something. He didn't want to stay to find out though as the youth's eyes flickered to the tree multiple times. Though this time Meloetta had probably moved it didn't calm his nerves. Without another look he moved onto the field towards Lenora.
"Lenora!" He called, she calmed the conversation she had with the other kids before turning to him. "I'll be going now. I've got something important to do so I probably won't be back for a few weeks maybe a month." She smiled before nodding. "Make sure you be careful, and tell Toothless that if you get hurt in any way I'll chase him to the ends of the earth." Hiccup chuckled knowing that Toothless was terrified of the woman. The first time they'd met her they'd been in a very fragile state, both physically and mentally. She's the one that helped them but Toothless wouldn't let her close to Hiccup until she gave him a thorough lecture on when he should act protective and when he should lessen the leash. It was embarrassing that she'd actually said Toothless had him on a leash but even now he was grateful for everything.
She moved forward giving him a long hug before moving her mouth close to his ears. "If I get any information on team Plasma I'll let you know." She whispered before letting him go. "Make sure you take care of yourself Hiccup or I'll get someone else to!" He chuckled awkwardly before waving at her and running up the stairs through the door.
Without a care in the world he ran through the hallways back out the museum by following the privet corridor only. Halfway his trip he felt the now familiar weight of Meloetta on his shoulder. As soon as he had physical reassurance she was alright he ran even faster quickly making his way to the market. For now he would keep his mind of that confusing green haired kid and concentrate on buying what he'd need for his next location; Undella town.