So I decided to take an even longer trip down nostalgia road outside of replaying Black. Yes, I dug up one of my first completed fanfictions, which was a rendition of this one.

Holy shit, wow. First off, it was Chessshipping. Once a shipper always a shipper, I guess. But instead of Hilda and Hilbert, their names were Anna and Noah. And while N was kept to his true character, Cheren and Bianca were just plot tools with dialogue. They had no purpose other than having "Anna" wreck them. And I totally mary-sued Hilda, if that was possible. Everything was so cliche, and, apparently, it is a two-part story because I ran out of room in one notebook. I left it on a cliffhanger where "Anna" decided to sacrifice herself by throwing herself off her Swanna because Team Plasma was attacking them mid-flight.

I couldn't find the second notebook.

So I guess I'll never know the full extent of my original, cringy writing.

What's even funnier is that I dug out fanfiction older than that one. Like, shit I wrote when I was ten and thought the anime was good. I found my very, very first fanfiction and… wow. Apparently, I used to ship Pearlshipping before I found out Ikarishipping was a thing.

Also, Sara's art is now out on my deviantart, AmytheEeveeLover! Be sure to check out Vale's art and profile too!

Amy47101 does not own pokémon. She only owns her OCs and the corresponding art for said OCs.

o.0.o.0.o

The Adventure Saga

The Truth Behind Us

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda could only stare in disdain out of the corner of her eye as she walked alongside Black. He was happily whistling a tune that was driving her absolutely nuts and was swinging his arms back and forth like everything was fine and dandy.

It started with a simple challenge, really. Once they had taken exactly ten steps onto route one, Cheren decided he was done with the childish antics and untangled himself from the two girls. Bianca whined about him being a killjoy and Hilda snickered at him adjusting his jacket, trying to appear unflustered.

He rambled something about getting to Accumula, and Hilda agreed. She wanted to see what the prices were on pokéballs and stuff. After all, she only had the stuff her dad sent her for her sixteenth birthday back in September and the items Professor Juniper had kindly gifted to them as a 'trainers starting pack'. She knew how fickle some pokémon where when it came to catching them, and she didn't want to waste all of her items on one battle then not have enough money to buy more.

However, Bianca instead issued a challenge. She insisted they see who could catch the most pokémon before they reached Accumula Town. Hilda could almost immediately tell that she wasn't doing this because she actually wanted to compete… No, Hilda was certain that she wanted to search all across Route One to see if that Litwick was still around.

With her back turned, Cheren had the most pitiful look on his face. He glanced over at her, nodding towards Bianca, as if asking if they should just break the news to her. Hilda shrugged. While she was one to be frank and honest, she didn't want to be the one to break her heart like that. Plus, she didn't want Bianca to give up before she even started.

Cheren sighed, and suggested that they split up. Bianca grinned and immediately went right where Hilda thought she would; the direction Litwick went. Cheren massaged his temples for only a moment before he went in the same direction, not technically following her, but keeping close enough to make sure she didn't get hurt.

Hilda chose to go in the opposite direction, but failed to really find anything worth catching. After all, all that was on Route One were generic 'pet pokémon'; Lillipup, Purllion, and Patrat. She didn't expect anything better, and didn't plan on really catching anything.

Unfortunately, she ran headlong into Black, and he was perfectly happy to annoy the crap out of her. Honestly, he wasn't even that annoying, he just had that damn air about him that drove her absolutely nuts!

"Can you stop that?" she demanded. He abruptly stopped whistling, and smiled at her.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Might as well," Hilda snapped back. "You're going to ask anyways, aren't you?"

"Oh, I will, but I'm glad I got your permission first."

He smiled. She scowled.

"Well?" she snapped impatiently.

"Ah, yes." Black shoved his hands in his pockets and turned fully towards her. "Why is it that you don't like me?"

"Oh gee, you caught on?" Hilda asked sarcastically. "Well, damn. I hoped I could hide it!"

"Don't you have a vibrant personality?" he mused.

"Yeah I do, what's it to you?" Hilda snapped back.

"That was a compliment."

"Don't care."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"So, are you going to answer my question?"

"I don't know, you're so…" she waved her hand in the air. "I just don't like you! You're to polite! To freaking nice to everyone! Plus you totally flirted with Bianca, in front of us! And that stupid smile of yours pisses me off!"

"… So from what I'm getting," Black said slowly. "You dislike me because of my overall maturity and how I'm much more mature than you, thus, in turn, you feel as if you are speaking to another adult rather than a peer."

"Go to hell, that is not what I said!" Hilda snapped at him. "I could care less if you were six, sixteen, or sixty, if I have something to say to you, I'l tell it like it is! And I think," she jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You're a damn creep for flirting so blatantly with Bianca!"

"Why are you so caught up on that?" Black asked, not even phased by how hard she jabbed him. "Her name was fitting and beautiful, and I told her just that."

"You made a damn pass at her!"

"I had no such intentions."

Hilda look him in the eye, and scowled. His smile seemed genuine, but his eyes were less than that. They were deceitful, and whatever his intentions were, they were less than genuine.

"You're lying."

"Now why would I do that?"

"If I knew I would tell you." Hilda glared at him, then turned and walked away.

"Are you jealous?" Black asked. Hilda stopped, then slowly turned and looked over her shoulder. Black waved his hand through the air, and for a moment, the gentle smile was replaced by something else. Something more arrogant, almost. "If you want, I could weave together something sweet that would make your heart jump."

Hilda could feel her rage bubble for a moment, but she slowly exhaled, then smiled.

"Thank you for that." she said in a cheeky voice. "Because now I know any compliment you decide to give me will never be genuine, so don't even try."

"Is that a challenge?" Black asked, his arrogance seemingly bolstered. Yet he kept his gentle smile and tone of voice. With his head bowed, he spoke as if this were a joke to him. "Because I'll have you know that I never back down from a challenge."

Hilda kept her distance, but Black continued.

"I have connections, Hilda. Connections that you couldn't even imagine." slowly, he raised his head. Hilda narrowed her gaze. Again, the gentle smile, like a perfected look of honesty and integrity. And yet, his eyes gleamed with arrogant pride. "So, allow me to propose a bet."

That caught her ear.

"What are we betting?" she asked.

"Now, now, patience, Hilda." he said. "It's a virtue, you know. Lets set our ground rules first. In my office, the bet is that any girl who can resist my charms for more than three hundred days will get a substantial reward. The reward is bolstered every time I get someone else to say 'I love you'."

"So what, I have to go three hundred days without becoming putty in your hands?" Hilda snorted. "Alright then. Sure. And where do you work? A burger joint? What makes you think I'd want your three hundred dollar bet?"

"What makes you think I work at a burger joint and the bet is that small?" Black asked.

"Dude, you're like, my age. In other words, you're barely qualified to be a trainer, let alone have a well-paying job."

"Well, by Unovian standards, yes." Black responded. Hilda wasn't sure how she was supposed to take that. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, then averted her gaze.

"For record purposes," Hilda said slowly. "How much is the reward at?"

"Oh, let's see…" Black looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at the sky as he fiddled with the brim of his hat. "Hmm… With the prize getting bolstered every time someone falls for me, and considering this has been going on for a few years now…" he brought his gaze back to hers. "I think we're bordering about a hundred grand now."

"A h-hundred grand?" she gaped. Black smiled. "As in… one hundred thousand?"

"Yes." he cocked his head. "Interested?"

"How much do these people put into this damn bet?!"

"Well, the last girl was a particularly stubborn one. Very cold…" he closed his eyes, shutting her off from what he felt. He smiled again. The picture of innocence and warmth. "But once you jump past a few barriers, she was like a cute little Lillipup. A lot of people were riding on her to be the one to not crack. But they were wrong. And so, that really wracked up the price on the bet. And with each day they go without falling for me, the price of the personal bet goes up. Obviously, she lasted pretty long. Obviously, she lost."

His tone was gentle and light, like it was funny that his co-workers had formed such a bet. But when he opened his eyes, they betrayed his smile and tone of voice. They were full of confidence and blatant arrogance. He was proud that he managed to create this record.

"So let me understand this," Hilda said slowly. "On hundred thousand dollars if I manage to not, quote unquote, say I love you, right?"

"Plus the additional funds going in considering how long you last." Black said enticingly, like when she did when she with food when she wanted Eevee to behave.

"And, Arceus forbid, I do fall for you, what am I loosing? My dignity?"

"For the most part, yes. That's what happens with most of the girls." Black's eyes flickered with interest. Hilda waited, she knew he had something else to say. "But I want to spice things up a little bit, this time around."

Hilda felt her mouth form into a now signature smirk, a smirk she only wore when she knew a profit was at hand.

"State your terms loverboy, I'm not afraid."

And at that moment, his tone changed to a more… mischievous tone with malicious intent. Or a sadistic tone with a lighthearted air. She wasn't quite sure, but somehow he managed to make his, no doubt, unenjoyable terms sound almost… pleasant.

"If you say 'I love you', before the three hundred days are up, then you have to travel with me for three hundred days. No more, no less. So, Hilda," he held out his hand. "Do you want to play?"

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda had decided to take his bet, simply because she was confident in her ability to avoid admitting anything more than utter hatred towards him. Let him try all his tricks to wrack up a hundred grand reward, she'd be the one to dodge them all.

She had turned sixteen on September eighteenth and she honestly had her license at the end of December. But with Cheren's sixteenth birthday falling in January and Bianca's later on in April, they didn't collectively recieve their licenses until June. Apparently, it took time for processing or whatever, and plus, they needed all those hair and DNA samples, along with confirmed X-rays of teeth in case they ended up dead or something.

It was all a horribly long affair, beginning with all those disappearances of children that started when she was about a year old. After about, three years of this, that's when all the DNA stuff began. When she was eight, they raised the ages of obtaining a license, and it apparently varied from region to region, based on what Bianca's newest friend, Vale confirmed. Hilda had learned that, in some regions, it became an almost ritual thing. The kid comes out, they take hair samples and all that jazz, then updates it when they obtain their license.

It was a very nutty world they lived in.

But that was besides the point. Currently, it was the beginning of June, a lovely time to start a journey with the warm weather Unova often had. So if she did the math right, this stupid bet would be over about mid March of next year. Which she was totally okay with, because she had enough resilience to not be taken down by his stupid game. She wanted to see him loose this bet, and hand her that sweet, sweet money.

"Hilda!" Bianca was bouncing happily as she waited on the edge of the Accumula. "Oh, and Black too! You found Black!"

"Unfortunately." Hilda sighed.

"Did you catch anything new?" Cheren asked. Hilda glanced back over Route One.

"Not really. I didn't see anything of interest." she shrugged. "I figured if I wan't going to use it in battle, I may as well not catch it."

"That's really sweet." Bianca said.

"Or practical." Cheren said. Bianca pouted to him.

"Cheren…"

"What about you, Bianca?" Hilda asked, turning her attention back to her blond friend. Bianca's entire face went from a sad pout to a bright smile.

"Hilda, it's so great!" Bianca said excitedly, bouncing on her feet. "I found Wick!"

"Wick?" Hilda furrowed her brow. "Oh my Arceus, that Litwick?!"

"Yeah, she waited for me! Six whole years…" Bianca's eyes glassed over for a moment, then she smiled again, wiping her eyes. "It's just… really, really great!"

"So then, you…?" Hilda trailed off, looking at Cheren.

"Seemingly, Wick and Roggenrola stuck together," Cheren said simply. "As we found them together. There was no sign of the Petalil you caught, Hilda."

"Damn." Hilda sighed, adjusting her ball cap on her head. "It would've been nice to have seen her again."

"Maybe you will!" Bianca said encouragingly. "She's probably out there waiting like Wick and Roggenrola was waiting for us!"

Cheren rolled his eyes behind Bianca. Hilda had a feeling that she knew what he was thinking. Wick and Roggenrola were probably not waiting for them, they probably were having trouble figuring out how to get back to their natural habitat, or maybe they found route one was an easier habitat to live in for them. Either Petilil disliked the environment and moved to one she found more comfortable, or Petilil thrived in this new environment and managed to hide herself from humans very well.

"But hey, isn't this great?!" Bianca beamed, holding her arms out as they stood at the very beginning of pavement, indicating that they were, indeed, in front of Accumula Town. "We're outside Nuvema for a reason other than school! What are you going to do, you guys?"

"Whatever Hilda does is fine with me." Black said immediately. Hilda could feel herself flinch, like she just got snapped back to reality. Over all the happy back and forth banter with her childhood friends, she almost forgot Black was there.

Hilda chose to ignore him. Let him follow her everywhere, she didn't care. Lets see how ballsy he is when she decides to walk straight off a cliff!

"I want to check the prices on items here." Hilda said, crossing her arms. "What about you?"

"I wanna shop for pokéballs!" Bianca said, holding her fists to her chest and bouncing like a child in a candy store. "I read in school that different pokéballs can have different effects in battle, and I think that would be really cool to test!"

And with that, she ran off.

"She's way to excited for her own good." Cheren sighed. "She forgot to mention that Vale will be meeting us here. She's coming down from Striaton now, apparently."

"She got a X-transceiver?" Hilda asked skeptically.

"No, she called from the video phone in the pokémon center. Route Two is pretty short, so she should be here soon."

That made sense, Hilda decided. The only person she knew that was more broke than she was is Vale, after all.

"I'll wait for go try to hurry Bianca along." Cheren sighed. "I already know everything about pokémon centers, but I know Bianca is excited to see Vale again."

"Excited enough to forget she called." Hilda joked. Cheren smiled, only slightly.

"Apparently."

"So I'll wait for Vale?" Hilda asked. Cheren nodded.

"If that's okay with you." Cheren stated. "I know you said you wanted to check prices here, so…"

"Nah, I already know how everything is priced, but I'm wondering if I can get a discount." Hilda shrugged. "So I'll just have you ask and report back to me. That cool?"

"It's fine." Cheren nodded. "Vale's supposed to meet us by that plaza over there." Cheren turned towards a small plateau with a couple benches at the top. "I'll grab Bianca."

"Alright!" Hilda grinned, giving him a two fingered salute as he left. Hilda herself turned on the heel of her boot, walking towards the plateau and climbing up it, then settling on a bench.

"Vale?" Black asked, settling himself next to her. Hilda glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then crossed her arms, making a point to move away from him.

"She's a friend Bianca introduced us to a few months ago. She came from Johto to train here, and has been taking classes with us in order to get her Johtonese license legal in Unova." she walked forward. Black trailed behind her. "The official school is in Striaton though, and she had to go there to get her official lessons."

"I know that." Black responded. "With the official Department of Education being stationed in Striaton, most foreigners need to get their licenses approved there after a few months of classes. For Unovian residents, small schools are stationed in each major city. Those who live in smaller towns such as Nuvema and Undella often travel to cities in order to receive their education. The school in Accumula was only established because the walk from Nuvema to Striaton was far, not to mention Striaton has a lot of people from out of the country coming every day to obtain a legal license."

"Are you from around here?" Hilda asked, point blank. Blacks lips curled up.

"Perhaps." he answered cryptically.

Well, that got her no where. She was curious about where he was from, as he seemed to know about Unova, but that bit about the Department of Education sounded like something he had read from a brochure, maybe even a textbook.

"But seriously though, what's Vale like?"

"Planning on adding her to your trail of broken hearts?" Hilda shot back. Black shook his head.

"Now, now. One heart at a time, unfortunately. Wouldn't want that reward to get to big to fast."

Hilda crossed her arms and leaned back on the bench. Yes, she decided, this was going to put a whole new meaning on the term 'get rich quick'.

"You still haven't answered my question." Black hummed. "Is that normal for you, Hilda?"

"Who says I need to answer your question?" Hilda snapped back. Before Black could answer, however, a couple approached them.

Hilda could only stare at their odd dress. One had red hair that curled around her cheeks and the other had hair that was concealed under a hood. The only way Hilda could describe their clothes was that of a knight, complete with a crest on their chests. They both had gentle and apologetic looks on their faces.

"Excuse us," the male said. "But we've reserved this area for an event, and we need to set up. Would you mind moving somewhere else?"

"Can't you set up around us?" Hilda asked. "We're supposed to meet a friend here, and she doesn't have any way to contact us for a change of plans."

"Never mind her." Black said with a kind smile. Grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her up and moved aside. "Good luck with your presentation!"

"Hey, asswipe!" Hilda snapped to him, trying to wrench her arm free as he dragged her away from the plateau. "What gives? Hands off!"

Finally, Black dropped her hand, turning to the group that pretty much shoed them away. His mouth was pressed into a firm line as he watched them for a few moments, then he smiled at her.

"I think your friend is on her way." Black said, looking over her. Hilda huffed, turning and looking over her shoulder. True to what he said, Vale's tall form was walking towards them, awkwardly walking around the people that were gathering to watch the strangely dressed people set up for their event. Finally, the tall girl managed to make her way in front of them.

"What's going on?" she asked, turning her body fully to see what was going on.

For whatever reason, Vale always did that, along with jumping if she was suddenly approached from the same side. She, Bianca, and Cheren learned that the hard way when Cheren walked up to her left side to see how she was progressing on her application when they first brought her to Accumula. Vale had whipped around and smacked him straight across the face with her right hand, almost as if it was a involuntary reaction. She was sincerely sorry, and apologized profusely for a week or so, but Cheren's already distrustful opinion on her lowered to an even worse level.

Hilda assumed it was because she couldn't see through the hair that covered her left eye, but then again, she couldn't understand why Vale refused to clip her hair back.

"Some sort of event or another." Hilda responded, placing a hand on her hip. "They kicked us off the plateau. Did you get here okay?"

"Just fine." Vale answered, turning back to them with a small smile. "My license is completely legal now."

"So you're free to battle?" Hilda grinned, looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes." Vale shut her eyes. "But I think when it comes to you, I'll take a raincheck. Bianca already warned me about your compulsive need to battle, win, and collect your profit."

"Aw, damn, that got to you already?" Hilda teased.

"Who's this?" Vale asked, directing his gaze to Black. Hilda glanced at him when he didn't introduce himself, but Black was dead set staring at Vale. His smile had dropped, and he was staring at her with an almost analytic gaze. Hilda elbowed him in the ribs.

"Introduce yourself, asswipe." she hissed. Black seemed to snap out of it then, and smiled warmly.

"My name is Black." he said, holding out his hand.

"Vale." Vale responded, shaking his hand. Mid handshake, Hilda heard Bianca calling to them. Turning to look, she saw Bianca's usual bright colors running towards her. Unfortunately, Bianca tripped and fell just inches before reaching them.

"Aw, man," she whined. Vale offered her a hand, and Bianca gratefully accepted. "So close."

"I heard you have something exciting to tell me." Vale said.

"Yeah!" Bianca grinned. "Hilda, Cheren, you too!"

In unison, the three released their recently obtained pokémon. Hilda made sure to scoop up Oshawott before he decided to cause trouble with Snivy.

"Oh, how cute!" Vale complimented. "I actually got a new addition too, if you want to see."

"Oh, yes!" Bianca beamed. Vale grasped her own pokéball, pressing the button. The capsule popped open, a small yellow ball of fuzz came out. Bianca's face went from excitement to horror and she let out a startled scream. Stumbling back, she scrambled behind Cheren, using him as a human shield. Vale looked utterly confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked, allowing the Joltik to crawl onto her hand and up her arm.

"Bianca, you're sixteen." Cheren chastised. "Don't you think it's about time to get over that fear of bugs?"

"They're creepy!" Bianca shouted, garnering a few looks from people gathering to see what those people from before are planning. "And she's letting it crawl on her!"

"Aw, no." Vale sighed as it crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder. Using her index finger, she rubbed the top of her head. "Joltik is very sweet. He's just a baby."

"He seems smaller than normal." Cheren said, glancing over the pokémon. "Usually they're the about the same size as a humans entire hand, from finger to wrist. But he's barely the size of your palm."

"That's because his egg hatched prematurely." Vale said, continuing to pet the little guy. "Some of the preschool students were hatching eggs as a class project, and one of them dropped his before it was due. They thought he wasn't going to make it for a couple weeks, but after a month in the pokémon center, they thought he would be okay."

"So you adopted him?" Bianca asked timidly. Vale let the little guy crawl onto her hand again.

"Yeah." Vale smiled, turning him around and looking him in the eye. "I think he might have potential, but if not, I think I'll keep him as a pet. He's to adorable to let go."

Suddenly, trumpets went off, similarly to that in which one would hear if royalty was being announced. Everyone snapped to attention, turning fully to the stage. There, banners with that same crest from before was printed. More people dressed as knights stood in a row, and at the ends of the plateau was one grunt each, holding up a banner. The one who had blown on his trumpet had lowered it, opening his mouth to speak.

"Attention, people of Accumula Town!" he announced. "I present to you, Ghetsis Harmonia!"

The grunt stepped aside, and the grunts parted, revealing an older man with angular features, wearing an outfit that was either really elaborate or really gaudy, Hilda couldn't be sure. He was wearing a a white robe, with an elaborately designed brown piece with blue rectangles above it, holding a two-toned cloak with eye patterns above his robe; the left side of his cloak is purple while the right is yellow. He had on brown loafers, and that same crest lays right below the collar of his cloak.

He had pale green hair and his left eye was covered by some sort of red device.

"Good morning, Accumula Town." he said, his voice calm and peaceful. "My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

"The hell is this?" Hilda muttered under his breath. Other people were murmuring the same things, wondering what he meant alnong the lines of pokémon liberation.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

He walked to the right side of the stage to address the people there. At this point, most everyone was nervously and skeptically looking at their pokémon partners.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers... They are forced to fight when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

The murmurs among the crowd almost immediately seized. Hilda looked around in wild anticipation as she waited for someone to say something. But not a word was muttered. Just confused and unsure looks.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"Liberation!" someone shouted. Vale inhaled sharply at that, whipping around towards the voice. Hilda looked at her oddly. Bianca pulled gently at her sleeve.

"You okay, Vale?" she asked under her breath. Vale didn't reply.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals."

He had walked down to their end now, and Hilda made sure to muster up her most ferocious glare. What right did this man have to tell them what was right and wrong? If he thought having pokémon and training pokémon was bad, then he could just not own them. He didn't need to guilt trip everyone else.

And for a moment, it looked almost as if he had paused to look at them. Hilda was sure that she saw them, but Vale took a step back, almost as if the look he was giving them was too much for her.

"Everyone," he said, walking back towards the middle of the stage. "I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

And with that, the grunts parted, allowing Ghetsis to go into the middle of them. Like a human barrier, they surrounded him, banners in hand, and they left the plateau.

"How silly!" one woman suddenly announced, shaking her head. Other trainer murmured the same thing, thinking how weird it was that people actually thought that way.

"Hey, Vale, you okay?" Bianca asked gently. Hilda lifted her gaze towards the taller girl. Vale had gone completely pale, and was shaking. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Vale opened and closed her mouth, as if she couldn't quite decide on what she wanted to say, then abruptly turned on her heel and bolted.

"Hey, Vale-"

Bianca cut herself off as an old man suddenly collapsed to his knees.

"Are you okay?!" Cheren demanded, concerned, considering his age.

"All my life…" the old man sobbed. "All my life I've lived together with dozens and dozens of pokémon. If only I had known how badly they felt…!"

"That's not…" Cheren trailed off, looking unsure on how to respond.

"Mama, should I let go of Lillipup?" Hilda whipped around and saw a child looking tearfully at his mother, begging for advice. His mother calmed him down, telling him no, as Lillipup and he has been together since they were both babies. The pop of a pokéball caught her attention next.

A man in a hoodie had released a liepard. It looked back at him, but he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Come on, just go already." he demanded. "I'm sorry for everything."

The liepard leapt into the bushes. A couple more pops caught their attention. A woman was releasing a lilligant and a man had released a herdier.

"No way…" Hilda muttered under her breath. "No way…! They're letting them go!"

"Just as Ghetsis said." Black muttered under his breath. Up until now, he had been deadly quiet, not saying a word.

"Stay healthy," the man said, waving to the herdier as he walked away from it.

"Hold on a second!" Hilda said, running up behind him. "How long have you known Herdier?! How long has it stayed by your side?!"

A silence.

"Maybe fifteen years?"

"Wha- Mister, I've had one of my pokémon since I was ten years old and I would never release him because of some speech! You're telling me after a decade and a half you're just going to let it go?! All those memories, all the battle you fought, all that love… All of it?!"

"Shut up, brat!" he snapped back at her. "This is the best thing for him. That's what I think. So-" his voice cracked and his shoulder shook. "So some little girl who's barely known the world has no right to say anything!"

Hilda stepped back and watched him go. She looked back at the herdier, who was tearfully looking at his trainers back. She clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails were hurting her palms.

"Hilda, where are you going?" Black demanded, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She slapped his hand away.

"I've made up my mind!" she announced, filled with rage as she turned back to him. "I'm following after Team Plasma, and I'm going to stop them from making more people release their partners!"

With that, she turned and bolted.

All my life, I've been told that my pokémon were my partners, an extension of the family! That's what my dad always said! And even if I have less than honorable motives when it comes to battle, and maybe to some extent I see my pokémon as a means to an end in order to make a quick buck, I'll always remember that they are my partners and a part of me!

These Team Plasma jerks… HAVE NO RIGHT TO TRY TO TRY SPLIT THAT BOND! Wether it be with me… or any trainer!

o.0.o.0.o

When writing this chapter, I couldn't help but feel as if Black is like a discount Gary Oak. I don't know if it's because of the thing withe females, but I'm going to try to form a difference between them. Sorta like Gold and Blake(Lack-Two) from the manga. Both are womanizers, but in different senses with different motives.

But holy cow, in order to write down Hilda's monologue about time and when the DNA stuff began for the trainers licenses, I had to go and write out an ENTIRE TIMELINE, one BEFORE the events of the series, including the kidnappings and the death of Obsidian Green. Unfortunately, my head started spinning because I was trying to figure out everyone's ages by the time the events of The Reality of Serenity takes place, and my head starts spinning. Whoops.

Maybe I should just focus on this story for now? XD

And finally, I'm having trouble with Vale's introduction. Like, I know I rehashed what happened in that beginning disclaimer, so anyone who read it should understand who Vale is.

Also, the more I write Hilda's sass factor, the more fun I'm having. I think she's my favorite interpretation of a character to date.

Amy47101 signing off! ^.^