Latelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelatelate. Sorry! If I had any say in it, school wouldn't be so time consuming! Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon and I still don't make any profit from it.
Hilbert's POV
Hilbert stood waiting for Bianca. She promised that she would be just a moment in the store, but Hilbert had been standing at the door for about a half an hour.
They had arrived at Accumula Town late last night. The Pokemon Center was still open luckily, so they rented two rooms and fell asleep. They both missed breakfast that morning, so Bianca suggested they go shopping, and hopefully find a restaurant. Before they had a chance to eat, Bianca saw a shoe store and, well, hadn't come out yet.
He waited a little longer, but got really bored and really hungry really fast. Eventually, he started wandering around.
As he was looking at the shops, he saw a young man walking slowly behind him. He had long green hair and had a small smile on his face. His head was down, as if he was thinking really hard about something.
"Hey, you!"
Hilbert stopped looking at the boy behind him. A different, much shorter boy was running up to him.
"Who, me?" Hilbert asked. The boy nodded.
"Yeah! I'm Jerry!" He shouted with way to much enthusiasm. "Do you have any Pokemon?!"
Hilbert studied him. He had on a bright red jacket and a brown cap that was turned backward. He wore baggy jeans and really big sandals. He was also about two heads shorter than Hilbert.
"Well?" His voice was high pitched. "I want to battle!"
That caught Hilbert's attention. "You do?" He straightened. "I do have a Pokemon, and I accept your challenge!"
Jerry clapped his hands. "Yay!" He ran a couple yards away from Hilbert. He grabbed a Pokeball out of his pocket. "Go, Pidove!" He threw the ball, his cap sliding over his eyes. The Pokeball glowed and a small Pidove flew out of it. It landed gracefully, it's wings spread out.
"My first REAL battle with Oshawott!" Hilbert thought, his heart pounding. "Go, Oshawott!" He released Oshawott's ball and Oshawott jumped out of it, his cute brown eyes shining.
"Cool!" Jerry shouted. "An Oshawott!"
Hilbert heard a small sigh behind him. Curious, he turned his head to see who it was. The green-haired boy was leaning against a pole, watching Hilbert and Jerry closely.
"Why is he staring at us?" Hilbert was about to ask , but Jerry had already started the battle.
"Pidove, use gust!" Pidove flapped it's small wings until it was airborne. It flapped it's wings harder, stirring the air. A large stream of air smacked Oshawott in the face. He struggled, trying to block the wind with his short arms.
"Oshawott, move out of the way!" Hilbert commanded. He tried to step to the side, but Pidove's air current followed him.
"Keep it up, Pidove!" Jerry encouraged. Despite it's trainer's command, the Pidove's wind eventually died down. It landed softly on the ground, panting. "Huh?!"
"Now's our chance, Oshawott! Use tackle!" Oshawott recovered quickly from the gust attack. He ran forward, ducking his head.
"Pidove, use growl!" Pidove rose it's head, it's eyes narrowing. It spread it's wings aggressively, but stopped suddenly, a blank look crossing it's eyes, giving Oshawott enough time to knock it down.
"Pidove!" Jerry yelled. "I thought we worked on this! Don't forget my commands!"
Hilbert smirked. "Your Pidove didn't attack because it... forgot what you told it to do?" He snorted. "Seriously?!"
Jerry glared at him. "Yeah? So what?" His voice squeaked. "I can still beat you just fine!"
Hilbert tried not to burst out laughing. "Um... okay, kid. What ever you say..."
Jerry turned a bright red, his face almost the same color as his jacket. "Y-yeah! I mean what I say!" He grabbed the rim of his hat. "Pidove, use attract!" Pidove was off the ground again, its yellow eyes angry. Suddenly, he kissed the end of his wing and blew it towards Oshawott. A pink heart flew at Oshawott.
Oshawott stared at the heart as it floated around him. It disappeared abruptly and Oshawott stopped watching it.
"Um... okay, then." said Hilbert. "Use, tackle, Oshawott!" Oshawott didn't move. "Um... hello? Oshawott? Are you okay?"
Across from him, Jerry grinned ear to ear. "Pidove, use gust!" Pidove flapped it's wings and large blasts of air hit Oshawott. He flew backwards and landed hard on the ground.
"Oh, no!" Hilbert yelled. Oshawott lay still for a moment, but he slowly rose back to his feet. He swayed clumsily, switching from his left foot to his right foot.
Hilbert groaned. "Oshawott, what in the world is the matter with you?"
Jerry laughed. "Pidove used attract on Oshawott, so now she's all clumsy!"
Hilbert gaped. "SHE?!" He looked over at his small Pokemon, who was grinning sloppily. "Oshawott's a GIRL?!"
Jerry laughed again. "Let's finish, Pidove! Use gust again, full power!" Pidove flapped his wings as hard as he could, picking the poor Oshawott off the ground and into the air.
"Oshawott!" Hilbert yelled. Oshawott fell from the sky and and landed hard on the ground with a harsh crash. "Oh, no!" He ran over to his Pokemon.
"Oshawott, are you okay?" He bent down and picked Oshawott up. Oshawott curled up in his arms, looking up at him sadly. The effect of attract had worn off, leaving Oshawott and Hilbert unsuccessful with their first battle.
"It's okay, Oshawott." Hilbert whispered. "You did your best."
Jerry and Pidove walked over to Hilbert. "Good job, um..." Jerry paused. "What's your name?"
Hilbert looked up at him. "Er- I'm Hilbert." A small smirk crept onto Jerry's face, but it vanished quickly.
"Good job, Hilbert." Jerry extended a hand and helped Hilbert to his feet. He eyed Oshawott. "You seriously didn't know your Oshawott's a girl?"
Hilbert blushed. "Erm... well-"
Oshawott shifted her position and looked up at him cutely, fluttering her eyes. Hilbert started feeling bad. "I'm such an idiot!" He thought to himself. "Idiot, idiot, idiot..."
"Er..." Hilbert said awkwardly. "Sorry, Oshawott." Oshawott smiled at him shyly and laughed.
"She forgives you." Hilbert turned around. The green-haired boy was standing behind him. His eyes were mysterious. "And Oshawott also apologizes for not telling you her gender beforehand."
Hilbert looked at Oshawott. "R-really?" Oshawott nodded guiltily. Hilbert looked back at the boy. "How did you know that?"
He smiled. "I can understand what Pokemon are feeling." He petted Oshawott's head. "Hello, Oshawott. I'm N." Oshawott blinked at him and said something quietly. "Do you like your trainer... his name is Hilbert, correct?" Oshawott brightened when she heard his name. "Why do you like him so much?" Oshawott started to reply, but Hilbert stepped back.
"Um... listen, I think it's cool you can talk to Pokemon and all, but Oshawott needs to, uh, get her... um, injuries healed." He took another step back. "So, you can... talk to Jerry and his Pidove, while we go to the Pokemon center." He turned around. Oshawott looked at him, confused. "So, er, we'll get back to you later, um..."
"N" said the boy.
"Huh?" said Hilbert.
"N's my name." he said.
"N." Hilbert said. "Bye." Hilbert darted off quickly, leaving Jerry and N staring after him. Oshawott looked at Hilbert, her eyes slightly angry and confused.
"Sorry, Oshawott." Hilbert said. "That 'N' person was starting to creep me out." He touched Oshawott's forehead lightly, where the gust attack had done the most damage. "And you really do need to be healed."
Oshawott's anger disappeared and she calmed down, letting Hilbert carry her to the Pokemon center in silence.
Later, Hilbert sat quietly, eating his lunch in the cafeteria at the Pokemon Center. His mind had been reflecting the battle, and he was starting to regret it. "I can't believe he actually won!" Hilbert thought. Just thinking about the battle made his stomach hurt. "How did that Jerry kid beat me and my Oshawott?!" He suddenly remembered his last conversation with Professor Juniper.
(Flashback)
"Thanks for the Pokemon, Professor!" Hilbert said, trying to sound enthusiastic, although he was frustrated.
Professor Juniper beamed at him. "No problem!" She leaned close to him and whispered, "None of the trainers in the past wanted your Oshawott, so it's been here in my lab for a long time." She gave him a hopeful smile. "You will take care of it, right? It has waited so long for a trainer."
"O-of course!" Hilbert stuttered, wondering why Oshawott was neglected before.
(End of Flashback)
Hilbert chewed softly. He had promised the Professor that he would take good care of Oshawott, and he didn't plan to fail her, or his Oshawott. "But... still..."
"There you are Hilbert!" Hilbert stopped his long train of thoughts and saw Bianca standing in front of him with a small tray of food.
She sat down and smiled at him. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She opened her milk carton and took a sip. "I've been thinking, wouldn't Cheren and Hilda be hear by now?"
Hilbert shrugged. "I guess," he said, although he'd rather not see Hilda. "Unless she battles me..." he thought mindlessly. "I'd have the type advantage..."
"Here, Snivy, eat up!" Hilbert looked over at Bianca. She held a leppa berry in her hand, and Snivy grabbed it with his vines. His put it in his mouth and reached for another one. Hilbert just barely got a quick glance of Snivy's eye, which had been cut when he and Bianca battled for the first time. From what Hilbert could tell, Snivy's eye was scarred beyond repair. He seemed happy though, continually stuffing leppa berries into his mouth. Bianca let him, and went back to talking with Hilbert. "So, where's your Oshawott? Isn't he with you?"
"She..." Hilbert corrected her, "...is with Nurse Joy." He stood up. "I'd better go get her."
Um... alright!" Bianca called after him. "We'll see you later~!" Hilbert hurried away, aware of his rudeness toward his friend. He knew she was just trying to help, but... now...
"Nurse Joy!" He shouted loudly. A couple of heads turned towards him, but he ignored them. "Is Oshawott healed?"
Nurse Joy and an Audino greeted him from behind a counter.
"Yes," Nurse Joy said. She held a Pokeball in her hand. "Here you go! All better!" Hilbert took the Pokeball from her.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," he said, and quickly walked out of the Pokemon Center. He held up his Pokeball and called Oshawott out. He stood quietly for a moment, the said, "Um... what do want to do?"
Oshawott looked confused, so Hilbert clarified. "Well, I decided that if we wanted to become better friends, then we might as well do something entertaining. Together."
Oshawott's eyes widened. She ran over to him and gave his leg a hug. She whispered something and Hilbert bent down and patted her head. "She must have always been lonely; she has been in Juniper's lab for a long time..." Sympathy filled Hilbert's heart, and he felt compassion for the little Oshawott. "Maybe, it IS a good thing that I chose her for my starter..." He felt bad for her, he didn't want her first experience as a trainer's Pokemon to be terrible.
"I promise, Oshawott," he said, determination pounding at his chest, "I'll take really good care of you, and you will never regret any of my- no, OUR- journey!"
Now that Oshawott is starting to accept Hilbert's friendship, will Hilbert really live up to his promise? Why was N so interested in Oshawott, and can he really understand Pokemon? Please review to find out!
Okay, I've known since before I started this story that Oshawott would be a girl, but I decided it would be a fun twist for Hilbert to discover this after he started his journey. Anyway, if you have any comments, (like how late I am with putting this up) or ideas for the future, I'm all ears! (Or would it be eyes, since I'm reading this?)
By the way, healing in the Pokemon Center takes a little longer than in the games. Just... thought I should put that out there.
Thanks for reading! ~.:MetaDawnKnightMistEon:.
