AN: Chapter 8 is here! Hilbert is going to battle a lot in this chapter!


The timburr slammed its piece of timber at Oshawott, the pidove struck at Archen as it escalated to an aerial battle, while the tympole attacked Drilbur.

"A triple battle?" Hilbert asked.

"Seems fair enough, since we both have three Pokémon," N said. "Now, let's begin..."

Oshawott managed to grab the timber that slammed him, but Timburr lifted the timber along with Oshawott and slammed him to the ground. As Oshawott got back up, Timburr shot a scary face to Oshawott, frightening him. As Oshawott fell back, Timburr punched Oshawott with full concentrated power, sending Oshawott flying.

"Oshawott!" Hilbert cried.

As he got back up, Oshawott seemed confused, as he started to hit himself.

"What the-!? He's confused!?" Hilbert yelled.

"DynamicPunch," N said. "A rather inaccurate move, but if the attack lands, it will confuse the opponent."

"So it manipulated Scary Face to make an opening..." Hilbert said. "Damn it! He's still tough as ever...!"

"Should you be worried about Oshawott alone?" N asked.

Hilbert quickly turned to Drilbur, who was struggling with the tadpole-like Pokémon, then looked up to the sky, where Archen and the pigeon Pokémon were having a dog fight. Hilbert quickly took out his pokédex and scanned the three Pokémon.

"Timburr, the muscular Pokémon," it read. "These Pokémon appear at building sites and help out with construction. They always carry squared logs."

"Tympole, the tadpole Pokémon," it read. "By vibrating its cheeks, it emits sound waves imperceptible to humans. It uses the rhythm of these sounds to talk."

"Pidove, the tiny pigeon Pokémon," it read. "These Pokémon live in cities. They are accustomed to people. Flocks often gather in parks and plazas."

"The timburr will probably use its log to connect to its fighting moves..." Hilbert quickly deduced. "The tympole will probably use sound waves along with some water attack, and the pidove is probably going to go for a dog fight..."

"Again with the pokédex?" N asked. "Well, I guess people can't change that quickly."

With a wave of N's arm, Tympole vibrated its cheeks, making a horribly echoing shout that rang through Hilbert's team.

"Gah! Hyper Voice...!" Hilbert muttered as he covered his ears. "Drilbur...! Mud Slap!"

Withstanding the Hyper Voice to a certain degree, Drilbur managed to get some dirt and fling it at Tympole's eyes. The dirt made Tympole stop shrieking, relieving the three from the horrid voice, and healing Oshawott of his confusion.

"Dig!"

Drilbur dug into the ground, attempting a sneak attack on Tympole as it was blinded.

"Hydro Pump into the hole," N told Tympole. "It's a few steps in front of you.

Tympole, listening to N despite being a wild Pokémon, hopped a few steps until it felt the hole, and shot a tremendous amount of water into the hole.

"Shit!" Hilbert muttered.

Within a few moments, Drilbur suddenly shot out of the ground, being shot out by the Hydro Pump.

"-Guagh! Not again!-" Drilbur yelped.

"Mud Shot."

"Drilbur! Metal Claw!"

Tympole hurled a blob of mud at Drilbur, while Drilbur, in the midst of its pain, managed to sharpen his claws and slash down the Mud Shot. As the Hydro Pump ceased, Drilbur dropped down towards Tympole.

"Now smash it with Metal Claw!"

Drilbur slammed his sharpened claws at Tympole's head, making it flinch from the force that the fall created, inevitably fainting it.

"One down, two to go!" Hilbert cheered.

"Should you be rejoicing yet?" N asked. "Focus Punch."

As Drilbur landed on the ground, Timburr came behind it and smashed its fist at Drilbur with extreme force, shooting Drilbur into a wall.

"What the–!? Drilbur!" Hilbert cried.

"A tremendously powerful move with perfect accuracy that only a few fighting types can learn," N explained. "But for a Pokémon to use it, they must focus energy without getting interrupted in any way what-so-ever. You probably didn't notice because you were focusing on Tympole's Hyper Voice."

Drilbur fell out of the wall, fainted. Hilbert quickly recalled Drilbur to his pokéball, then shifted his attention to the dog fight in the air. No matter how many attacks Archen threw at Pidove, it would only dodge it and land hits of its own on Archen.

"-Gah! You little freak!-" Archen growled.

"-Catch me if you can!-" Pidove taunted as it flew away.

Archen was seething in rage as he tried to strike down Pidove with his attacks.

"Calm down, Archen!" Hilbert yelled. "Use Agility to catch up to it!"

"-Shut up! This bird is gonna pay!-" Archen barked as he pursued Pidove.

"It's not using Agility...?" Hilbert asked. "Don't tell me...Taunt!?"

"You need to learn to pay attention," N said. "Like so."

Before Hilbert could realize it, Timburr once again nailed Oshawott with the timber.

"Oshawott!" Hilbert cried.

"What will you do now?" N asked.

Hilbert leered at N as he looked to his two remaining Pokémon.

"I need to at least calm down Archen..." Hilbert muttered. "Archen! Calm down! You can't win like that!"

"-Shut up! Let me thrash this piece of crap!-' Archen barked.

Finally, after all the abuse that Archen inflicted on Hilbert, he snapped.

"WOULD YOU LISTEN FOR ONCE!?" Hilbert yelled, making everyone stop in their tracks.

Archen looked at Hilbert in a newfound fear.

"If you let your anger get the best of you, then you're going to lose!" Hilbert yelled. "Just listen to me!"

Archen glared at Hilbert uneasily. He still didn't know if he should trust him.

"Fine, if you don't want to listen to me, then do whatever you want," Hilbert said. "...But use your head and think calmly, instead of just rushing in an attack."

Hilbert smiled to Archen, something that surprised him.

"I trust you, so you better win!" Hilbert cheered.

Archen stared at Hilbert for a moment, then turned to Pidove.

"-Heh! I don't need you to tell me what I already know!-" Archen roared happily.

N looked rather astonished at Archen's response toward Hilbert.

"Interesting..." N said. "Archen's willing to cooperate with you despite the initial protests it gave."

"So?" Hilbert asked.

"...You aren't like most trainers, you know that?" N chuckled.

"What're you talking about now?" Hilbert asked.

"Maybe Hilda was right about you..." N said. "But now...!"

But as the two were about to continue, a loud roar interrupted their fight. They turned to see a large dog-like Pokémon with an even larger mustache charging at Oshawott and Timburr. The two small Pokémon dodged out-of-the-way as the large dog crashed to the stage.

"What is that!?" Hilbert gasped, scanning the dog.

"Stoutland, the big-hearted Pokémon," it read. "This extremely wise Pokémon excels at rescuing people stranded at sea or in the mountains. It is also the evolved form of Herdier."

"A fully evolved Pokémon!?" Hilbert exclaimed.

"Might I ask what you two are doing?" a voice asked.

They looked up to see a black woman with large teal hair, teal eyes, white shirt and teal pants, and carrying an apron over her shoulder, standing in front of the museum.

"Who're you?" Hilbert asked.

"The name's Lenora," the woman introduced herself. "And I'm the owner of this museum. Now do you mind telling me what all the fuss is about?"

"...No, we were just having a little battle," N said, glaring at her. "But, we're done here."

N waved his arms, where Timburr went over and picked up Tympole and walked away, while Pidove flew away from the museum.

"-Hey! We're not done here!-" Archen growled.

"I'll be taking my leave now," N said. "Hilbert. Let's meet again."


With that, N took his leave. Confused, Archen descended from the sky and landed on Hilbert's shoulder, which Lenora took notice to.

"Why, isn't that an archen?" Lenora asked in surprise.

"Huh? Yes...?" Hilbert asked, as Archen leered at Lenora and clutched to Hilbert's hat.

"So you found it!" Lenora said with relief. "And I assume that you caught Archen?"

"Yes," Hilbert said.

"That's a relief," Lenora sighed. "We were researching archen and tirtouga after we revived them from fossils, but they somehow escaped. I sent two other trainers to look for them, but it looks like yo managed to find one before they did."

Hilbert grimaced a little at the mention of 'two trainers'. Archen noticed this, then growled at Lenora.

"I would like it if you would give Archen back to me..." Lenora said. "But it looks like he would rather be with you than in the museum."

"So you'll let me keep him?" Hilbert asked.

"Uh huh," Lenora said. "It's a waste to keep it locked up here, when it could be explorin' the modern world."

"Alright! You heard that, Archen?" Hilbert cheered.

"-Alright! I get to explore the world!-" Archen exclaimed with happiness.

"By the way," Lenora asked. "Do you know that man?"

"Huh?" Hilbert asked. "Well...not really..."

"Strange..." Lenora said. "If I recalled, that man was the one who donated the fossils that we used to revive that archen and tirtouga."

"Seriously!?" Hilbert gasped. 'So he's responsible for Archen being in the modern world...and knowing him...he's probably the one who set them free...'

"Did that man ask anything in exchange for donating the fossils?" Hilbert asked

"Hm?" Lenora asked. "No, just a tour of the museum, that's all."

"Is that so..." Hilbert replied. 'Was he after something in the museum...?'

"By the way, are you interested in challenging the Nacrene Gym?" Lenora asked. "I caught a glimpse of your battle, and I gotta say, you seem pretty strong!"

"Eh...Sure," Hilbert said. "I heard the gym leader was also the owner of the museum. Since you just said that you were the owner, then that means..."

"Quite sharp you are," Lenora said. "Yes, I'm the gym leader of the Nacrene Gym!"

"So where's the gym?" Hilbert asked.

"You must be new to Nacrene City," Lenora chuckled. "This museum is the gym!"

"What!?" Hilbert gasped, looking at the museum. 'Well, after the restaurant gym back at Striaton, probably should've seen this one coming...'

"Normally, we're closed now," Lenora said. "But since you saved that archen, I'll let you challenge the gym even if it is closed! It's on the house!"

"Thank you!" Hilbert exclaimed. "But, I need to heal my Pokémon first..."

"No problem!" Lenora exclaimed. "Once you're ready, come back to the gym! Use this pass so that you don't have to deal with security."

Lenora handed Hilbert a cardLenora recalled Stoutland to its pokéball and headed back to the gym.

"I'll be waitin' young trainer!" Lenora said, then entered the museum.


N was walking towards the Pinwheel Forest, fondling with the cube that he had on him, deep in thought.

"Lord N!" a voice called out.

The voice belonged to Hilda, as she raced up to him.

"Hilda," N said happily. "How was your mission?"

"It was successful, my lord," Hilda reported. "I have saved the tirtouga."

She took out Tirtouga's pokéball and released the prehistoric turtle. The turtle looked around nervously and saw N.

"Hey there," N gently said, kneeling to Tirtouga. "How are you?"

"-C-Can you understand me?-" Tirtouga asked shyly.

"Don't be alarmed," N assured Tirtouga. "I can understand you."

"-That's weird...-" Tirtouga replied.

"Now, Tirtouga," N said. "Do you want to be free?"

"-Huh? Free?-" Tirtouga asked.

"If you want," N proposed. "We, Team Plasma, will set you free in a pristine environment, free from any possibilities of poachers to hunt you down. You are free to do whatever you please."

Tirtouga looked a bit confused at N's proposition, then looked to Hilda for an answer.

"So? What do you want to do?" N asked.

After a moment of thought, Tirtouga dragged itself towards Hilda and rubbed his head along her leg.

"-I want to stay with Hilda...!-" Tirtouga declared.

"I see," N said, surprised.

"Lord N?" Hilda asked.

"Tirtouga wants to stay with you," N said.

"Is that true?" Hilda asked Tirtouga.

Tirtouga nodded in response.

"Okay then," Hilda said happily. "Welcome to the team, Tirtouga."

Tirtouga chirped in happiness as Hilda took out three other pokéballs. She released her entire team, the shiny Dewott, Bisharp, and Timburr.

"Everyone," Hilda announced. "This is Tirtouga. He is a new member of our team."

"-H-Hello...-" Tirtouga squeaked.

"-So you're a new member huh?-" Timburr asked. "-Welcome to the club, man! My name's Timburr! Nice to meet ya'!-"

While Timburr cheerfully welcomed Tirtouga, Dewott and Bisharp retained their professional attitude and examined the new member.

"-What do you think of him, Bisharp?-" Dewott asked.

"-As long as he doesn't slow Hilda down, I don't give a shit,-" Bisharp grumbled, arms crossed.

"-Well anyway...-" Dewott said, turning to Tirtouga. "-I am Dewott. The humanoid there is Bisharp.-"

Bisharp glared at Tirtouga, intimidating him.

"-N-Nice to meet you...-" Tirtouga stuttered.

"-Tch...Well, likewise, I guess...-" Bisharp muttered.

As the four Pokémon were getting to know each other, N looked towards Nacrene City.

"? Lord N?" Hilda asked. "How was your investigation of Nacrene City?"

"...I met up and fought Hilbert," N answered.

"What!?" Hilda gasped.

"At the museum," N explained. "He must have went there to return the escaped archen."

"Archen? Hilbert caught it?" Hilda asked.

"Yes. He even became Archen's trainer," N added. "But I doubt he would actually return Archen. He seems to care for Archen too much to just return it to the museum."

"I see..." Hilda said with relief. "Well then, shall we return to the castle?"

"That sounds like a good idea," N said. "I do have something in mind though..."

"What would that be, my lord?" Hilda asked.

"Hilbert was heading for the museum," N said. "If I recalled, the museum was also the gym there..."

"Lord N?" Hilda asked.

"I want to see Hilbert's gym battle," N said. "I'm curious to see how skilled he truly is."

"That is an excellent idea!" Hilda exclaimed.

"Glad you like it," N said. "Well then, let's get going."

AS Hilda rushed ahead, N followed, where he took out an Xtransceiver.

"...It's me," N said. "...yes...proceed as according to plan..."


After getting his Pokémon healed at the pokécenter, Hilbert headed back to the museum. As he entered the museum, he swiped the card, allowing him access to the museum. As he entered the museum, he saw several fossils, ancient tablets, and artifacts. There was even a large skeleton of what appeared to be a dragon Pokémon on display. Hilbert took one good look at the dragon skeleton, and shivered a little.

"As expected of a museum, I guess..." Hilbert said with little interest. "But still, why do they must have a Dragon-Type Pokémon exhibit of all things...? God, they freak me out..."

As he made his way further, he did notice a black stone on display.

"What this?" Hilbert asked.

He checked out the stone. It was rather rough, as if it had existed for ages, yet retained a rather magnificent form and pattern.

"What is this?" Hilbert asked, rather interested. He looked at the sign. "The Dark Stone...? Wonder what it is..."

Hilbert looked at the stone, mesmerized. It was as if it was calling to him. AS he was about to reach it, he snapped out of it.

"Focus, man..." Hilbert said to himself. "The gym battle's first."

Hilbert shifted his attention away from the stone to the museum and headed further into the building.

"W-Who's there!?" a voice suddenly shouted.

As Hilbert was about to reach out for it, the voice stopped him, snapping him out of his trance.

"Huh...?" Hilbert blurted.

He turned to see a man wearing glasses, pointing a flashlight at him.

"Who are you!? Why are you here!?" the man stammered. "I'm calling security!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm not a burglar or something like that!" Hilbert blurted. "I'm here to challenge Lenora to a gym battle!"

"Huh? But the gym's closed now..." the man responded.

"She said that I could challenge her now," Hilbert explained. "Since I managed to capture the archen that escaped the museum."

"Oh...!" the man said. "So you're the boy who Lenora was talking about..."

"You know Lenora?" Hilbert asked.

"Well, she is my wife," the man said.

"Seriously?" Hilbert asked.

"The name's Hawes," the man introduced himself. "I'm the assistant director of the museum. Sorry for accusing you of an intruder, but in this darkness, you looked shady. Literally."

"I guess..." Hilbert admitted. "So, Mr. Hawes, what is this stone?"

"Oh that?" Hawes asked. "It's not really valuable. It was found somewhere at the desert. We put it on display because it looks pretty."

"I...see..." Hilbert said. 'So it's okay to put useless shit on display?'

"Now, I do believe you have a gym battle with Lenora," Hawes said. "I'll lead you to the gym."

"Thank you, Mr. Hawes," Hilbert said.

As Hawes headed to the back of the museum, Hilbert followed, but not before taking one last glimpse at the stone.

'There's got to be more to that stone...' Hilbert thought. 'I just can't put my thumb on it...'

Hilbert eventually took his attention away from the stone and followed Hawes.


At the back of the museum, Hawes turned on the lights, where Hilbert found himself in a vast library as far as the eye can see.

"Whoa...!" Hilbert exclaimed. "This is the gym?"

"You can say that," Hawes answered.

"So what's the challenge?" Hilbert asked.

"Simple," Hawes explained. "You must find the entrance to the battlefield."

"How?" Hilbert asked.

"You need to search for memos from Lenora within the books," Hawes said.

"Within the books!?" Hilbert gasped.

He looked at the horizon of what seemed to be an endless supply of books.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." he muttered. "Please tell me you have some advice..."

"I suggest the first shelves," Hawes said. "I can't say anymore, or it won't be a challenge, will it?"

"I guess you're right..." Hilbert said. "Well, it'll be lonely by myself."

He took out his pokéballs and released his entire team.

"Alright you guys," Hilbert said. "We're looking for a memo in one of these books. Help me look for it."

"-Goddamn that's a lot of books!-" Oshawott gasped.

"-Will we be able to finish this in one night?-" Drilbur moaned.

"-What's a book?-" Archen cawed.

"We don't have all day..." Hilbert said. "If we want to fight the gym leader, we better start searching."

And such, the team explored the front of the library in search of the memos that Lenora hid in some of the books. After several books searched through, Hilbert finally found a memo.

"Finally," Hilbert said. "Let's see...the next memo is...'what was the first Pokémon you encountered?'...the hint is somewhere in the middle rows...goddamn scavenger hunt..."

As Hilbert muttered something to himself, they continued their search for Lenora's memos. After several hours of searching, figuring out the questions and going through what seemed ot be hundreds of books, they finally found the last memo.

"Finally..." Hilbert groaned. "This better be the last one, or so I swear that–!"

As soon as he found the last memo, the floor suddenly shook.

"What the-!?" Hilbert blurted.

He fell on his butt, where the shelf that he was searching through moved, revealing a hidden staircase.

"What the hell!?" he blurted.

"Congratulations," Hawes said. "You cleared the challenge. Now you can face Lenora."

"Finally!" Hilbert cheered. "Seriously, that took like two hours!"

"You better be prepared for the fight," Hawes advised. "Lenora is a strong gym leader!"

"I would assume," Hilbert said "Well, let's do this."

The team roared in approval and determination as he recalled them to their pokéball and went down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, he found himself in front of a large battlefield, where Lenora was waiting at the opposite side.

"About time you showed up!" Lenora said. "I assume you're ready?"

"Hell yeah!" Hilbert exclaimed. "After that book hell, I need some action!"

"My, aren't we the feisty trainer!" Lenora said with some excitement. "Before we start, what's your name? I've meant to ask that."

"It's Hilbert," he answered.

"Well then, Hilbert," Lenora explained. "The rules are a 2 vs 2 single battle. So you can use only two of your Pokémon. You can switch into either of them, but not to anyone else. Whoever faints the other's Pokémon first wins! Sounds good?"

"Let's do this!" Hilbert roared.

"Well then, Hilbert," Lenora declared. "I'm going to research how you battle with the Pokémon you've so lovingly raised!"


"Archen, let's go!"

"Watchog, you're up!"

Hilbert released Archen, while Lenora released an upright meerkat-like Pokémon with large cheeks and a single, pointed incisor sticking out of its mouth.

"The hell's that?" Hilbert asked, scanning the meerkat with his pokédex.

"Watchog, the lookout Pokémon," it read. "They make the patterns on their bodies shine in order to threaten predators. Keen eyesight lets them see in the dark. It is also the evolved form of Patrat."

"Another fully-evolved Pokémon!?" Hilbert gasped.

"So you're going to be using Archen, eh?" Lenora asked. "Well, let's see what you got!"

"-Heh! You look like a derp!-" Archen taunted.

"-Big talk, for a small bird.-" Watchog snickered.

"-The hell d'you say!?-" Archen growled.

"Archen, AncientPower!"

Eager to land a hit, Archen roared and pointed at Watchog, where a cluster of rocks from the ground emerged and shot at it.

"Dodge them, then go for Hypnosis!" Lenora commanded.

Watchog jumped and dodged every rock shot at it, then glared at Archen with glowing eyes, making him fall asleep.

"Crap! Wake up, Archen!" Hilbert yelled.

"Now, use Crunch!"

"Oh God! C'mon, Archen! Wake up and use Agility!" Hilbert quickly commanded.

As Watchog went to crunch Archen with its fangs, Archen woke up from the hypnosis and instantly moved faster than before, dodging the attack.

"Now AncientPower from behind!"

Archen quickly flew behind Watchog and launched another cluster of rocks at it, this time making contact.

"Keep going at it!" Hilbert yelled.

"Try to land a Crunch on him!" Lenora commanded

Archen flew circles around Watchog while it tried to crunch Archen to no avail, as it launched clusters of rocks when Watchog missed.

"So you utilize Agility's speed to land a hit," Lenora said. "A hit-and-run stragety...Not bad, but not quite!"

"Now, one more time!" Hilbert commanded.

"-What's the matter!?-" Archen roared. "-You're too slow!-"

"Now, use Confuse Ray!"

As Archen was about to land one more hit, Watchog flashed a sninister light from the patterns on its body, instantly blinding Archen in the light.

"-Gaugh!?-" Archen cried.

"Confuse Ray!?" Hilbert gasped. "Crap!"

Archen fell to the groind, confused from the light.

"You heard what the pokédex said, right?" Lenora asked. "That Watchog makes the patterns on their bodies shine?"

"So it used that ability to counter Archen's hit and away strategy..." Hilbert muttered.

"Exactly," Lenora said. "Now for the main attack! Hyper Beam!"

"What!?" Hilbert gasped.

Watchog charged a tremendous amount of energy into its mouth and aimed it at Archen, where it shot a powerful laser at the bird.

"Dodge it!" Hilbert cried.

But Archen was too dazed and confused to listen to Hilbert, getting him blasted by the beam and smashing into the wall.

"Archen!" Hilbert cried.

Archen managed to snap out of the confusion due to the blast, but he started to whimper crazily.

"Crap...that must have taken more than half of his energy..." Hilbert muttered.

"Hyper Beam, one of the strongest normal-type moves in existence," Lenora explained. "Although there are a lot of risks and costs, the power is sop tremendous, it will even dent rock-types!"

"But...after a successful hit," Hilbert said. "It needs to recharge..."

"Yes indeed," Lenora said. "But with the right moves, Watchog can buy time to recharge."

"Those moves are Hypnosis and Confuse Ray, I presume?" Hilbert guessed.

"You know your stuff, challenger!" Lenora exclaimed. "With the opponent confused and asleep, Watchog can always get enough time to recharge."

Hilbert grimaced as Watchog managed to recharge from the Hyper Beam.

"-Eek! Please, have mercy!-" Archen pleaded. "-I'm sorry for acting arrogant!-"

"That was a mighty fine strategy you used," Lenora said. "But it wasn't quite enough apparently! Now, Crunch!"

"-Now you know your place!-" Watchog roared triumphantly.

As Watchog lunged towards Archen, confident to finish him off, Hilbert only snickered.

"We're not done yet!" Hilbert exclaimed.

As Watchog dove in to crunch Archen, Archen grinned and smashed the back of his wing at its face.

"-Sike, derp!-" Archen growled.

"What!?" Lenora gasped.

"Yes! Just as I thought!" Hilbert cheered.

As Watchog flew back, Archen stood back up, revealing a half-eaten round, yellow berry.

"A Sitrus Berry!?" Lenora gasped.

"I found one on my way here," Hilbert said. "Since Archen gets weaker at half health, I figured he needed the recovery."

As Watchog stood back up, Archen charged at it.

"Intercept with Hyper Beam!"

As Archen charged at Watchog, Watchog managed to blast Archen with a Hyper Beam, but unlike last time, Archen didn't seem to budge this time.

"What!? It resisted it!?" Lenora yelled.

"Now, Acrobatics!"

Archen flew at blinding speed and nimbly struck Watchog with great force, pummeling the meerkat to the ground, effectively fainting it.

"Alright! One down!" Hilbert roared.

"...Now I get it..." Lenora said as she recalled Watchog. "All those AncientPowers were all to gain the stat boosts."

"Yep," Hilbert said. "AncientPower boosts the user's entire stats, so Archen used it as many times to gain the stat buffs."

"And you even made some insurance with the Sitrus Berry to cancel out Archen's Defeatist ability," Lenora deduced. "Since it only takes effect when its health is at half."

"And since Archen isn't holding an item after using the Sitrus Berry," Hilbert added. "Acrobatics' power doubles. And when combined with the attack boost and special defense boost from AncientPower..."

"It could charge in without a worry of taking much damage," Lenora said. "And it would definitely KO Watchog."

"Exactly!" Hilbert said.

"Well done," Lenora complimented. "A mighty fine strategy. But what if AncientPower didn't boost Archen's stats? It only has a 10% chance to boost stats, so what would happen if it didn't take effect?"

"...Even then," Hilbert proclaimed. "I believe in Archen. I believed that he would definitely pull it off!"

That answer took Lenora by surprise, followed by a chuckle.

"What determination and bond you have!" Lenora exclaimed. "That is truly impressive! So there are trainers like that. But..."

Lenora took out a different pokéball and released her Stoutland. The large dog made the battlefield shake as it landed on it.

"Let's see how you deal with him," Lenora challenged.


Outside the museum, Hilda and N snuck behind the museum, eager to see Hilbert's gym battle.

"Where's a window where you need one...?" Hilda muttered, having searched around the premises for a rough hour.

"You okay?" N asked.

"I'm fine, Lord N," Hilda responded. "I just need to find a window where the battlefield is."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just sneak in?" N asked.

"Then all of this effort would have been in naught!" Hilda complained.

"Okay, I guess..." N sighed, as if he was dealing with a stubborn child.

As Hilda moved on forward, she didn't see the root in front of her due to the darkness.

"Kya!" she cried as she fell, but N managed to catch her in his arms just before she hit the ground.

"Are you alright, Hilda?" N asked.

Hilda looked up, seeing N up close, holding her as the moon shinded down on him. The sight made her cheeks flush a bright red color.

"I-I-I'm fine, my l-l-lord!" Hilda stammered as she got back up. "L-l-l-let's keep heading on, sh-sh-shall we!?"

Hilda rushed ahead, leaving N behind in her embarrassment.

"What's the matter with Hilda?" N asked himself before going after her.

They eventually found a window located low to the ground that lead to the basement, where they heard a faint rumble that faded as soon as it was made.

"Looks like they already started," N commented.

"Then let's go see!" Hilda said.

They crouched to see through the window, seeing the battle.

"It looks like Hilbert is winning," Hilda commented.

"How can you tell?" N asked.

"Well that faint rumble must have been that Stoutland landing on the battlefield," Hilda deduced. "And Hilbert still has Archen out on the field, and it has several wounds on him."

"Let me see," N said, nudging next to Hilda to make room.

Hilda, blushing, scooted over for N to see the fight.

"? Are you alright, Hilda?" N asked.

"Huh!? Wh-Wh-What makes you say that!?" Hilda blurted.

"Your face is red," N said. "Do you have a fever or something?"

"I-I-I-I am perfectly healthy and fine!" Hilda yelled accidentally, forcing them to roll to the side and away from the window.


"? Did you hear something?" Hilbert asked.

"I don't think so..." Lenora said. "Anyway, let's continue this fight, shall we?"

Stoutland glared at Archen rather menacingly, making Archen tremble a little.

"He's trembling?" Hilbert asked. "...Stoutland's ability must have Intimidate..."

"That's right, challenger," Lenora said. "With Intimidate, your Pokémon's attack stat drops."

"Which means Acrobatics just got nerfed..." Hilbert muttered. "So let's try a special attack...AncientPower!"

Archen summoned a cluster of rocks and shot it at Stoutland. Interestingly, unlike Watchog, Stoutland took all the hits.

"? Why isn't he dodging?" Hilbert asked.

"Now, Roar!"

Stoutland let out a huge roar, startling Archen and somehow sending him back into his pokéball.

"What!?" Hilbert blurted.

In his place, Oshawott was forcibly summoned.

"-What the!? The hell just happened!?-" Oshawott grunted confused.

"Roar forces a switch to your opponent's Pokémon," Lenora explained. "Since your Archen has all those stat boosts and mind-blowing speed, even Stoutland would've had some trouble."

"So you forced a switch to evade that..." Hilbert growled.

"Now, let's see your how your Oshawott handles Stoutland!" Lenora exclaimed.

Stoutland suddenly attacked Oshawott, forcing him to go on the defensive.

'Damn it...!' Hilbert thought. 'I was going to use Drilbur to lower its accuracy and go for a hit-and-run strategy...but now I can't switch to him since Oshawott's now my second Pokémon...'

Lenora noticed the look of anger in Hilbert's expression and grinned.

"Looks like you were planning to use someone else," Lenora said.

"...Even if this wasn't according to plan," Hilbert shot back. "Oshawott's still my star partner! We'll still beat your Stoutland!"

"-Bring it, bitch!-" Oshawott roared as he created his blue blade.

"That's the spirit!" Lenora cheered. "Now let's see what you can do! Use Retaliate, Stoutland!"

"Intercept with Razor Shell!"

Stoutland roared loudly and charged at Oshawott, who slashed at Stoutland. But the force of Stoutland's attack was too much, smashing Oshawott to the wall.

"-Gagugh!-" Oshawott gagged.

"Oshawott!" Hilbert cried.

"Retaliate does double power when the user's ally fainted the previous turn," Lenora said. "Looks like Stoutland got his revenge."

Stoutland glared at Oshawott as he got himself out of the wall.

"Like that'll stop us!" Hilbert yelled. "Water Pulse!"

Oshawott shot a pulse of water at Stoutland at point-blank range, but Stoutland didn't budge.

"-The hell!?-" Oshawott cried.

"Return!"

Stoutland smashed into Oshawott, smashing him back into the wall.

"The hell was that!?" Hilbert gasped.

"Return," Lenora explained. "It's power is based on the user's bond with the trainer. I had Stoutland ever since it was a Lillipup, and we've been through thick and thin, so Return's power is at its max!"

Oshawott gagged a little as he fell out of the wall.

"Water Pulse again!"

Oshawott shot another pulse of water at Stoutland, but with the same results.

"You should know when to change tactics if it didn't work once," Lenora said. "Now, let's finish Oshawott off with Thunder Fang!"

Stoutland charged electricity to his fangs and charged at Oshawott, but instead, it rammed into the wall.

"What!?" Lenora gasped. "Stoutland!"

As Stoutland dislodged himself from the wall, he looked confused.

"He's confused!?" Lenora exclaimed. "! Water Pulse!"

"Looks like it took effect..." Hilbert sighed in relief.

"So you were aiming for Water Pulse's confusion effect, eh?" Lenora asked.

"Pretty much..." Hilbert said. "Now's your chance Oshawott! Razor Shell!"

Oshawott jumped into the air and dove towards Stoutland, who was still confused. As he fell, he glowed a violent blue aura, where his blade increased in size. Oshawott then sla mmed his blade at Stoutland's head, pummeling him to the ground.

"Alright! A clean hit!" Hilbert yelled. "And Torrent activated, yes!"

"-Take that!-" Oshawott growled.

But despite the powered blade attack, Stoutland got back up, now healed from the confusion.

"-Oh shit!-" Osahwott exclaimed.

"What!?" Hilbert yelled.

"Stoutland is tougher than you think!" Lenora shot back.

"-Impressive...-" Stoutland growled to Oshawott. "-But I shall not fall for it again!-"

"Let's go for another Razor Shell!" Hilbert commanded.

"Roar!"

Stoutland roared once more, forcing Oshawott back to his pokéball, and forced out a weakened Archen.

"Not again!" Hilbert yelled.

"Thunder Fang!"

Stoutland bit Archen with electrified fangs, KOing Archen instantly.

"Archen!" Hilbert cried.

"Now that is was switched out," Lenora stated. "All the boosts it gained during its fight against Watchog are no more!"

Hilbert recalled Archen and sent out Oshawott, who was still tired.

"-Goddamn it...-" Oshawott mumbled.

He tried to move, but the pain from Stoutland's punishment was too much to bear.

"Now, let's finish this!" Lenora yelled. "Giga Impact!"

"What!?" Hilbert yelled.

Stoutland jumped into the air and rocketed towards Oshawott with all the strength it had in him. Oshawott tried to move out-of-the-way, but his legs were too much in pain to do so.

"Looks like this is game set!" Lenora exclaimed.

"Goddamn it...!" Hilbert muttered. "This can't end like this!"

As Hilbert glanced at Oshawott, he was surprised to see Oshawott with a determined look on his face.

"Oshawott..." Hilbert said.

"-Trust me, partner!-" Osahwott roared with enthusiasm as his body started to glow a little. "-It isn't over yet!"

"! That's...!" he said.

Stoutland slammed at Oshawott, creating a huge collision that devastated the battlefield.

"That was a good battle, Hilbert," Lenora said. "Well after this, you can have a rematch in the morning...since you already cleared the challenge, you don't have to–."

"–Not yet..." Hilbert said.

"Huh?" Lenora asked.

"We're not done yet!" he roared.

From the collision spot, a blinding light pierced through the clouds of dust, revealing Stoutland being held back by a figure of light.

"What!?" Lenora yelled.

Where Oshawott once stood, the light cleared to reveal an otter with long whiskers, a pink nose, pointed crest at the back of his head, black fur on his waist where a second shell was held. The otter was stopping Stoutland's attack with one shell at hand.

"It evolved into a dewott!?" Lenora gasped.

"Now, show them your new strength!" Hilbert boomed.

"-Take this, you overgrown mutt!-" Dewott roared as he used his free hand and smashed his fist at Stoutland, making him fly to the sky.

"It sent Stoutland flying!?" Lenora yelled. "! That must've been Revenge!"

"Now, let's end this once and for all!" Hilbert commanded. "Razor Shell!"

Dewott grabbed his second shell and created a duplicate blue blade. Dewott jumped into the air after Stoutland and slammed both blades at him, punishing the giant dog to the ground. After the smoke from the collision cleared, Stoutland had fainted, where Dewott stood on top, victorious.


"That was amazing!" Hilda cheered from the window.

Hilda and N had watched the battle to his victory without being caught from the previous outburst.

"I have to say, that was impressive," N commented.

"I knew he could do it!" Hilda said.

"Are you happy, Hilda?" N asked.

"Am I ever!" she responded cheerfully.

"That's good to hear," N said happily. "Now then...let's start the plan."

Hilda's cheerful expression for Hilbert's win suddenly became a serious expression.

"As you wish, my lord," Hilda said.

N nodded, then stood back up. He took out his Xtransceiver, and contacted someone.

"...Commence the plan," N said.


"Alright!" Hilbert cheered. "We won!"

"-Heh! It was nothin'!-" Dewott boasted.

"That was amazing Hilbert!" Lenora congratulated as she recalled Stoutland. "You're more than just a talented trainer, you're a motivated champion! I salute you!"

"Thanks," Hilbert said as he recalled Dewott.

"Your fighting style is so enchanting!" Lenora complimented. "The way you use your skills, your boldness to use such risky moves, and your bond with your Pokémon! You're more than worthy of receiving this!"

Lenora took out a badge and a disk from her apron and handed them to Hilbert.

"The Basic Badge," Lenora explained. "That's the second badge necessary to enter the Pokémon League. And the TM's Retaliate. It does a lot more damage if an ally fainted the turn before you use it."

"Thank you," Hilbert said as he accepted the badge and TM.

"You know, Hilbert," Lenora said. "Some problems you can't solve even if you think about them your whole life. Some problems have different answers depending on the person."

"...I can totally relate to that..." Hilbert agreed.

"Still, the reason I can't keep my curiosity down is this: I want to figure out the truth, but I also have a desire for adventure!" Lenora declared.

"That's a good philosophy," Hilbert said. "Well, I better get going."

"Now hold on there," Lenora said. "Since it's getting late, why don't you stay here for the night?"

"Really? Is it okay?" Hilbert asked.

"Of course!" Lenora said. "You deserve some rest after such a battle! We even have a place for your Pokémon to rest."

"Alright then..." Hilbert said, obliged to the offer. "I'll take you up on that offer."

"That's good to hear," Lenora said. "Now let's see if we had a spare room–."

"Deeeear!" a voice suddenly shrieked

The two turned to see Hawes, who rushed into the battlefield all distraught and scared.

"What!? What's going on!?" Lenora asked.

"Dear! Come quickly!" Hawes exclaimed. "Team Plasma's threatening to steal the bones from the dragon skeleton!"

"What!?" Lenora yelled. "Hilbert, you come too!"

The three rushed out of the battlefield and back into the museum.

'What the hell's team Plasma doing here!?' Hilbert thought to himself as they headed for the exhibit.


To be continued


AN: Team Plasma's up to no good again. Also as you may have noticed, I seriously buffed Lenora's team. But I figured Stoutland would be better than Watchog and it would be more appealing to have more of a challenge for Hilbert. Also he apparently has a fear of dragon-types. This should be interesting in the future. And about pairings (if any of you are interested in that), it could go either Hilbert x Hilda, or N x Hilda. I'm pretty lenient, but I have no idea what the pairing's gonna be for now.

As always, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading, and tell me what you think. See ya next time!