Chapter Nine – Studying Away

The months dragged on and on, but my grades in all of my classes were steadily improving. Hilbert kept his promise to me; he came over every single day to help me study. Normally, even thinking about studying made my head ache, but studying with Hilbert made things easier. He was tough on me, sure, but I looked forward to seeing him. He was my one true friend here, and I liked the consistency.

I stopped taking notes from Cheren and started staying in class, but my contact with him was not fully ceased. My heart still beat for him, so I made it a point to talk to him whenever Roxanne wasn't around. While this proved difficult, it gave us time to just talk. He was impressed with my ability to not be kicked out of class.

As our first break came around, things at school began to pick up speed. Professor Oak and my other professors tossed assignments at us as though we had all the time in the world, but I was determined to get them all done before I went home. Unfortunately, it would take more than a couple of hours to finish them all, and it became clear that I wouldn't be able to get them all done before I left.

Not to mention that Cheren's leaving distracted me from my assignments.

"Bye, Cheren!" I called out my window, waving to him as he jumped on his Unfezent to fly home. He waved at me as his Unfezent kicked off from the ground. "Have a great break! I'll see you when I get home later, okay?"

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" Hilbert asked from my desk as I shut the window. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, confused by his question. What part of break and I'll see you when I get home later did he not understand? He couldn't possibly think that I would be staying at the school while everyone else went home to relax.

"Home," I said plainly, and Hilbert laughed. "It's break. I'm going home."

He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, leaning so far back in my desk chair that I feared it might tip over. But then I realized that if he hit his head, he might remember that I needed to go home for break. And then I felt guilty for wanting him to hit his head, but it was too late—I couldn't take the thought back.

"That's interesting." Hilbert spun slightly in the chair so he was facing me, and I put my hands on my hips. Over the past few months, Hilbert and I had grown comfortable enough with each other that neither of us feared being rude to or snippy with the other. It was something that I took advantage of far too often, and I knew Hilbert did, too. But neither of us really meant it when we were rude; we just wanted to protect each other.

"Say whatever you're going to say," I said, waving him off and grabbing my suitcase from my closet. I had been packing to leave for a few days now; I couldn't wait to get out of this place. However excited I was to see Hilbert every day, I still didn't like this school as well as I should. Having one friend meant that I could tolerate it.

"I'm just saying that it's interesting that you're going home." He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes. "Well, at the rate you're going, I'm predicting that you're going to pass—" I felt my heart swell with excitement; the possibility of getting Professor Oak's internship finally felt realistic with this encouragement. "—in the bottom percent of the class."

And then my heart shrunk again.

"Hilbert," I snapped, and he rose from my chair.

"Hey, I've been in your shoes, remember?" he pointed out, and I stuck my lip out in a pout. "I came in with an unimpressive résumé, and I was laughed at for it, too. But, as I've told you many times, I worked my tail off to make sure that I was the best. You can do it, too, Hilda. I have faith in your abilities, but you need to have faith, too. If you want that internship, you're going to have to stay and study over break. You know you won't get any work done if you go home."

He walked over to me, passing me Professor Oak's textbook. I grabbed it and whacked him in the arm with it. He rubbed the spot I hit, laughing despite this, and I couldn't help laughing with him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him to thank him for always being so right about me. I never would have made it this far without him.

"I hate you," I told him, smiling as I said it.

"I know," he responded, and I could hear the amusement in his voice. I saw his ever familiar smile when I pulled away from him. "I hate you, too."


"Okay, Hilda, how about this one?" Bianca flipped a page in my book, her finger following the words on the page as she read. "There have been debates in recent years about the security of Poké Balls. Explain what the suggested problems with ball security say, and provide at least one name of the leading scientists researching this topic."

I hummed, tapping my fingers on my desk as I tried to concentrate. Cheren was leaving for Christmas break soon, and I didn't want to miss him before he left. Apparently he was heading to Sinnoh with Roxanne for vacation, and I needed to make sure he got one last look at me before he left. I couldn't imagine spending two weeks with that woman, and he needed something to last him.

"I got this," I said, clicking my nails against the wood surface of my desk. "Scientists, including a man named Gregoire Donte—who leads a research team in France—found that Poké Balls may not necessarily protect Pokémon from all conditions. For example, within the last year, they discovered that overexposure in water leads to flooding with the ball. Water-type trainers are supposed to exert extreme caution in water, especially those who battle in the sea."

"Perfect!" Bianca jumped up from my bed, bouncing up and down on my floor and making my desk shake. I laughed as she pulled me to my feet, forcing me to jump up and down with her. I laughed, spinning around with her. This was the most fun I'd had all week, and it was so nice to have this short break.

A knock on my door distracted me, and Bianca and I stopped our bouncing. But I couldn't help but skipping to the door anyway, hoping to see Cheren's face as I opened the door. Instead, I was greeted with a large, poorly wrapped package in front of a face. I smiled at the sight anyway, even though I knew quite well that it wasn't Cheren.

"Ho, ho, ho!" the voice behind the package boomed, and I laughed, stepping aside so he could come into the room. He lowered the package from in front of his face, handing it to me. Hilbert grinned when he saw the smiled on my face, chuckling at the craziness of this situation. Here he was, the serious one, messing around. "For you."

"That's so sweet, Hilbert," I said, giggling again as I tore the paper off the package. It was—oh, how nice of him to get me yet another book to read. But I couldn't stop myself from smiling when I read the title: Ethics for Dummies.

"Oh, my goodness…" Bianca whispered from behind me. She stepped forward, holding her hand out to Hilbert. "My name is Bianca. I'm Hilda's best friend from home. It's so nice to meet you—now, I'll leave you two alone. Bye, Hilda!"

I laughed, doubling over as Bianca escaped the room. I knew exactly what she was thinking—that Hilbert and I were more than just friends. But she knew why I came to the Academy. She knew I was here for Cheren. Still, I had to admit that Hilbert was one of the best friends I could ever hope for, and this gift was so sweet—he thought of me. Oh, but I hadn't gotten him anything.

"This is really nice of you, Hilbert…" I said, still holding onto the book as I wrapped my arms around him. I was beginning to feel comfortable here, and clearly, so was he. He had gotten into the habit of holding me when I hugged him, and the movement seemed so natural, like we had been friends for years. It definitely felt like it.

"Hey, Hilda…"

I dropped my arms from around Hilbert's neck the second I heard Cheren's voice. He burst through the door, his hair tousled and his face contorted in frustration; he looked so handsome. I always thought it was so cute when he was upset, but maybe I had always taken it for granted.

"Have you seen Roxanne?" Cheren demanded, his fists clenched.

I smiled, just picturing how perfect things would be when Cheren and I were back together again. We would be the two best Pokémon Professors in the whole region—no, the whole country! We would have our little fights, and he would get riled up and his hair would get all messed up—and then we would make up again like we always did.

"Hilda?"

"Huh?" I shook my head, snapping back to the present. "Oh… oh, sorry, no. I haven't seen Roxanne."

"Damn it," Cheren snapped, turning on his heel and heading back towards my door. He slammed the door shut behind him as he left, and I stood staring at it for several seconds. At least I had gotten what I wanted—Cheren saw me one more time before he was stuck with Roxanne for a week.

Hilbert waved a hand in front of my face, and I nodded, squeezing his present against my chest. "Hilda… I don't know if this is something you've picked up on, but… have you noticed that whenever you're around Cheren, you tend to—how do I put this nicely—well, you tend to dumb yourself down? A lot."

I furrowed my eyebrows, shaking my head. "What?"

Hilbert shrugged, but I could tell he was itching to say whatever was on his mind. And knowing him, he was probably right—as usual. "Well, I mean, it's not really any of my business. But I kind of get the feeling that Cheren is actually the one stopping you from performing at your greatest potential, meaning that the man you're trying to impress is actually holding you back."

Whoa. Whoa. That was going too far. I didn't dumb myself down to impress Cheren. I was trying so hard to impress him with my brains, after all. Wasn't that why I was here in the first place—wasn't that why Hilbert was here helping me?

But… when had I ever been at my best? With Hilbert… with Bianca… with my Pokémon… never once had it been with Cheren. Though my grades had been steadily improving in all of my classes, I was usually too busy staring at Cheren to participate on my own. And I knew the answers. I knew all of them. So, why hadn't I answered?

Because of Cheren. Because Cheren was a distraction. I could be the best—I had been before. I knew that answer today with Bianca. But if Cheren had been there, I would bet money that I would have gotten it wrong.

So, this whole time… I could be this phenomenal student with ambition and possibilities, not unlike Hilbert, but I was being held back by someone who was heading off on a vacation with another woman. Why hadn't I seen it before? Why hadn't Hilbert said anything sooner? If Cheren was holding me back from reaching my greatest potential, then I made a mistake.

I was wrong. I didn't need Cheren.

"You're right," I whispered, and Hilbert's eyes widened. Had he not been expecting me to agree? I always knew when Hilbert was right. "Wow, you're right! I've been made fun of and blown off, and I've been completely throwing all of my chances to succeed right out the window!" I laughed, holding my new book in the air. "Let's do this thing. I'm going to face Cheren and be better than everyone else."

Hilbert grinned, tapping me on my shoulder. "You found your chip."


"It's completely reasonable to say that Pokémon are bound to the trainers who captured them," Cheren explained, and Professor Oak nodded. "Most Pokémon, if not all of them, are loyal to their trainers no matter how they are treated. Sato had every right taking his Machoke back from Walker. Sato captured it, so the Machoke belonged to him. It doesn't matter whether the Machoke fled from Sato or not—the Pokémon belonged to him, so he got to keep it."

"Great. Excellent deduction, Cheren," Professor Oak said, picking up his book from his desk and flipping through the pages to find another discussion topic. But something about this whole thing bugged me. If this was about Pokémon ethics, then the situation didn't sound ethical as it stood. Cheren's response left me uneasy.

So, I shot my hand into the air. Hilbert gave me a thumbs up from behind Oak, and when the professor called on me, I smiled. I could hear some murmurs from the back row; whatever I was about to say, they thought, would be pure entertainment. Even Professor Oak seemed surprised, and a little worried, about what was about to unfold.

But I had this under control. I knew what I was talking about.

"Cheren makes a good point," I began, and Oak nodded. "However, I think that part of being a trainer is listening to what our Pokémon want. Is it ethical to put a Pokémon, who was currently in a poor situation that did not suit its needs, back into that situation? Of course not. Sato may have been Machoke's trainer, but that is not to say that he owned it. Machoke didn't belong to Sato. I think it's reasonable to say that Sato had no right to take Machoke back because Machoke chose to leave Sato behind. Allowing Sato to get away with this means that we're saying it's okay for trainers to neglect their Pokémon."

"Perfect. That's exactly the answer I was looking for," Professor Oak said, and my heart stopped.

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. No, I did. Because I just did that!

Professor Oak smacked his hand on his desk, setting the book back down on the desk. "All right, for next time, I want you all to have the last chapter completed with annotations. Oh, but Hilda, could I have a word with you before you leave?"

As the rest of the room filed out, I stayed behind to wait for Professor Oak. I swung my bag over my shoulder, walking slowly—hesitantly—towards the old man. I couldn't be getting in trouble… I had done all of my reading lately, and I just participated during class. But I didn't know what else he could want…

"Excellent job today. Do you have a copy of your résumé with you, by any chance? You are applying for my internship, aren't you?" he asked, and my heart resumed beating. It picked up speed, beating so hard against my chest that it was probably visible. Professor Oak wanted my résumé! He actually wanted me to apply for the internship!

"Uh, yes," I said, reaching into my bag and pulling out one of my résumés. I always kept a few with me—after getting that piece of advice from Hilbert. "Thank you so much for considering me, sir. I appreciate it."

"Yes, of course. Here, Hilbert, put this on file," he said, passing it off to the assistant. Hilbert nodded, winking at me before heading off to Oak's office. Oak left the room, as well, and soon I was the only one left.

So, seeing as I was all alone, I squealed until my voice died out.


Author's Note: Wait. Did something good actually just happen to Hilda? All thanks to Hilbert, of course. What a nice guy! What a genuinely nice guy! :D

In the musical, Hilbert's character mentions that Hilda's character gets dumber around Cheren's character, and Hilda's character agrees in, like, a second. I thought this needed more reasoning. So, I made Hilda reason through it. It seems more realistic if she sort of fights with herself about it before agreeing with Hilbert.