The gym was… rather odd. Hilda didn't know what to make of it. The walls were slathered in honey and the paint job was definitely unique. One problem, she was in a small hexagon room! Where's the gym leader? What in Arceus is this?

"Hey there champ-in-the-making!" A gray-haired man with sunglasses addressed her.

"What's up with this gym?" Hilda immediately asked.

"The theme of this gym is walking through the walls."

She gave him a confused look, "What?"

"I know that sticky sweet honey may seem impossible to pass, but if you keep trying you'll fall through." He directed her to a wall of honey, "Just push right through it!"

Hilda grinned, "Oh, I get it. So it's like a game of Red Rover."

"Er… yes if you put it that way."

Red Rover was one of Hilda's favorite games as a child, she was never the kind to shy away from rougher games. Red Rover being no exception.

She eyed the honey wall and muttered to herself, "Red Rover, Red Rover, let Hilda come over!" Before making a beeline for the wall. Now enveloped in the sweet sticky substance, the wall put up quite a resistance before giving way and allowing Hilda to pop right through. Now covered in the delicious honey, she licked her lips, wiped her nose, her eyes, and took her hat off and made an attempt to shake the honey off to no avail. So instead she used the back of her hat, which had the least honey on it, to clean her face.

It suddenly struck her, of course, this is the bug type gym. It was designed like a beehive. After walking down the hive-like corridors, she came across yet another honey wall! Much to her annoyance.

"As much as I love honey. This is taking it a bit too far." Hilda remarked to herself. Again she darted into the luscious wall and came out the other side with a little resistance. Now she finds herself in a hexagon room similar to the entrance. The color scheme was a tad different, the floor was a glowing purple, and instead of another honey wall there were a set of stairs.

Hilda hauled herself up the stairs, which wouldn't be hauling if she wasn't getting weighed down by honey. As she made her way up the stairs she left behind a sweet gooey trail behind her.

At the top of the stairs, she stood on top of a gorgeous stained-glass stage. On the opposite side, Burgh stood there waiting.

"Welcome to the Castelia City gym!" He then realized who he was talking too, "Oh hey there Hilda! I didn't recognize you covered in all that honey!"

Hilda sputtered some of the honey, "A little advice Burgh! Why don't you try something other than honey walls!"

He came to her with a damp kitchen towel, chuckling, "Here, try to clean yourself the best you can. I actually am considering a redesign. You're not the first that's complained."

"You don't say?" She mumbled, wiping herself down.

"So anyway, thanks again for your help. My bug Pokémon are scurrying with excitement about getting to battle you."

"Is that so? Well it would be rude to keep them waiting how about we get this battle started now?" Hilda encouraged, tossing the towel back to Burgh.

"Sounds good to me! Let's get straight into it!"

Let the gym battle between challenger Hilda and gym leader Burgh commence!

"I know what Pokemon I'm going to use! Pignite let's go!"

Pignite sparkled out of its Poke ball showing off its muscles!

"Oh tough opponent!" Burgh acknowledged, "Whirlipede!"

He sent out a lavender cooned Pokemon out, prompting Hilda to check her Pokedex,

Whirlipede, the Curlipede Pokémon and the evolved form of Venipede. Whirlipede can spin its hard shelled body like a tire to smash into opponents.

"Oh boy, this is going to be a long battle." Hilda shut her Pokedex, "But I'm ready! Pignite use ember now!"

"Whirlipede! Use Poison Tail!"

Pignite shot fireballs out of its nose and used its breath to blow them quickly toward the rushing Whirlipede. The fast moving air fanned the fire and made them bigger, burning the bug Pokémon harshly.

"Whirlipede use Pursuit!"

Whirlipede rolled for Pignite.

"Pignite use Flame Wheel!"

Pignite ignited himself and ran for Whirlipede, seconds before impact Whirlipede inexplicably vanished. Causing Pignite to disengage his fire and look around for his target.

The bug suddenly appeared behind him and struck him with a dark power. Pignite yelped out then flipped around to face his opponent.

"Pignite use ember!"

The buffed fire pig repeated the shooting embers and they rained down on Whirlipede, knocking it out quickly.

"Whirlipede return!" He returned the tired bug Pokemon, "Could it be time to bug out of here? No, no, I refuse to be squashed! Leavanny go!"

The next Pokémon he sent out was a thin, tall, bipedal insectoid Pokémon. It has a broad, split leaf around its large, round head and it has long antennae that end in semicircles.

Hilda looked at her Pokedex,

Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon and the evolved form of Swadloon. When Leavanny finds a small Pokémon it makes clothing for it with its arm cutters, using leaves and sticky silk.

"Sounds like a very motherly Pokémon." Hilda nodded.

"Don't let that fool you." Burgh warned, "Leavanny's a tough bug! Leavanny use razor leaf!"

"Pignite use ember now!"

Leavanny threw sharp leaves like ninja stars at Pignite, who in response countered with fire and lit up the incoming leaves. Leavanny proved itself a very agile Pokémon and danced all around the falling fire.

"Pignite use flame charge!"

Pignite lit itself up and dashed for the dancing Pokémon, Leavanny jumped out of the way but not without getting burnt by some of the fires in the air.

"Leavanny! Struggle bug now!"

Leavanny headed for Pignite.

"Pignite! Flame Charge!"

Pignite set himself alight right when Leavanny was ready to strike him, giving Leavanny a hand-on-hot-stove reaction. While the grass-bug was distracted, Pignite charged and tackled it with all of his flaming fire. Leavanny didn't stand a chance.

Burgh looked surprised, "Is it over? Has my muse abandoned me?" He nodded, "I lost. Return Leavanny."

Hilda was giving Pignite a high-five, when Burgh walked over.

"Losing to you doesn't bug me because you are a-MAZ-ingly strong! This is the Gym Badge! You beat me, so it's yours!"

"Thanks a ton Burgh!" Hilda accepted the badge, "Check it out Pignite!"

"It's the Insect Badge! It's insectible!" He paused upon realizing he fumbled, "Uh, I mean, incredible!"

Hilda chuckled.

"I'm the best guy to tell you, it's the little things that count!"

"It sure is!" Hilda agreed, "It's amazing how so easy we can forget that. My father used to tell me that all the time."

"You learned from your dad? Tell me something Hilda, how many discoveries have you made since you started your adventure?"

"Like what Burgh?"

He took a deep breath, "When I was a kid, my innocent heart was captured by the beauty of bug Pokémon. I drew them and battled with them. And after all this time, I continue to discover new things. A world shared with Pokémon is a world swarming with mysteries."

"That is true. But I myself haven't figured out what I truly want to do." Hilda admitted, "Should I focus on my Pokedex? Should I work on perfecting my Pokémon training technique? I know that if you collect all of the gym badges, you qualify for the Pokémon League but… I'm not sure if that's the road for me, right now I'm only collecting them as a way to meet many kinds of Pokémon, and to get stronger so I can travel farther."

Burgh assured Hilda, "I'm sure that you'll find out what you wish to do."

"But do you really know what I want to do at this moment?"

"What's that?"

"Take a shower… The honey has dried up and now I'm all gross and pasty."

Burgh laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, I definitely need to get this gym redone. I apologize."

Despite the fact that she's gummed in honey, Hilda was triumphant in her battle against Burgh despite his tricky attacks! Now she's opened her mind to the possibilities that her Pokémon adventure could bring her, all she needs to do now is decide.

After Hilda had made it back outside, her Xtranciver started to ring.

She answered, "Hello?"

Bianca appeared on the screen, "Hey Hilda! Where are you now?"

"I just got out of the gym." She held her badge where Bianca could see, "See for yourself!"

"Wow that's great Hilda! Say, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure! What's up?"

"Let's have a Pokémon battle! Iris trained me, and I've become a little stronger. I should be able to protect my own Pokémon now. I'll meet you at the gate to Route 4 okay?"

"Uh… actually Bianca." Hilda laughed a little.

"What's the matter Hilda?"

"I think I should take a shower first at the Pokémon Center I'm… kind of honey coated." She used the camera to show Bianca.

Bianca was shocked, "What in the world happened? How did you…? Did you fall into a beehive or something?"

"Heheh… Sort of! It's a long story. Listen I'll go take a shower, and then I'll meet you at the gate okay?"

"Oh…kay. Sure! I'll wait. See you later!"

"Bye."

The streets of Castelia City were much quieter at night, Hilda wondered on the streetlight lit sidewalks. On the way to the Pokémon Center she passed by a pink and white themed stand with a long line.

Curious, she tapped the shoulder of the man last in line, "Excuse me? What's everyone getting here?"

The man turned around, "Hm? Oh this! Here you can buy the dessert that everyone in Castelia City is talking about! The famous Casteliacone! It's quite delicious."

"Oh really?" Hilda was interested, "Well I think I would like to have one. I love ice cream."

"The line is quite long, but believe me it's well-worth waiting for."

"I sure hope so."

Hilda stood in the long line, but it seemed to be moving a lot quicker than she imagined. Every ten seconds the line would move and she would have to take a step forward. People lined up behind her as the line shortened.

When she finally got to the front the seller greeted her, the Castiliacone cost her 100 Poké Dollars. She paid the seller and watched her take some vanilla ice cream, scoop it into a small bowl, and scattered some blue sprinkles on it.

"Here you go! Have a nice day!"

"Thanks!" Hilda took a lick, "Mmm! This is tasty!" It was sweet, the perfect cold for this weather, and the sprinkles gave it a tasty little kick. Satisfied she continued on to the Pokémon Center, slurping her delicious treat.