Chapter 21: Silent Heroine at the Laundromat

1/9, afternoon

It was early January in Castelia, and the weather was simply awful. Hilbert looked outside the large window and saw the snow and rain mix that was falling down in a graying blur. On the overhang, there were many icicles dripping water, slowly growing. The streets were slick with gray slush. It might have been a time to head north and train along Route 4 and Desert Resort. Then again, that would require going out in that weather.

Instead, he found himself at a laundromat, getting his clothes cleaned and taking care of his gear. "It's one of those less glorious days for a traveling Trainer," he said. "But you have to get things taken care of."

There wasn't any other person in the laundromat, save for the evening attendant who looked half-asleep, if not napping in the chair. But his Litwick was on the table he was sitting at, listening to him. "Huu."

Hilbert tried rubbing Madeline's side. She seemed to appreciate that and leaned into his hand while closing her eyes. So far, she wasn't showing the happy attention his other Pokémon would have given. She was still homesick. At least she trusted him now. "Nasty weather out there, isn't it?"

About then, the door jangled as two people entered. Hilbert looked over in time to see Hilda kicking slush off her boots and Kyurem not bothering. She looked over and waved at him.

"Hey Hilda," he said, waving back. "How's it going?"

She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Then she headed for the washing machines and put her bag on one of them with a heavy thump.

Over at the counter, the attendant lifted his visor up and looked at them. "Good evening," he said. "More or less. Are you that girl who's supposed to have Kyurem?"

Hilda nodded and pointed to the long haired boy with her. He just nodded too.

The attendant chuckled. "Eh, I don't believe it. That immortal Pokémon stuff is just old nursery stories. But you should've heard my gran go off on a tirade because you have him; she says this winter's going to shut down the whole region because he's active."

She just shrugged. Kyurem said, "That would be counterproductive."

Still thinking it was a joke, the attendant shifted his visor back down and seemed to go to sleep. But Hilbert found the exchange odd. She should have said something, made some joke or exaggeration about her guardian. Not stay quiet. He patted the Litwick, then got up and went over to the washers. "Something up? You're being strangely quiet."

Hilda looked serious for a moment, nodding slowly while she pulled out her clothes and sorted them. Then she looked at Kyurem, who said, "She's not to speak for today, as she's lost her voice due to using it too much after yesterday's antics."

"I see," he said. "You were trying to speak like Ghetsis for a long speech. I thought it was good." She seemed happy to hear that, although then it was weird that she wasn't replying. "Must be tough to be silent for a day."

She made a determined face and put a fist partly in the air. And the wants running right under that expression made her thoughts fairly clear. This was a challenge and she was going to take it on full force, like everything else.

Thinking he might help, Hilbert tried to sort the clothes with her. "Good luck on that; I don't know how much I can help… what's this?" He picked up a mesh bag from the pile that had been pulled out. The mesh was thick enough that it was hard to see through, but he caught a glimpse of a pink flower on white fabric. And the shape of it… oh wait, that was a bra. "Ack, sorry!" he said, handing the bag to her and feeling his face turn red in embarrassment.

Hilda grinned wide and seemed to be fighting breaking into laughter. Instead, she elbowed him and gave him a wink. That was definitely meant to tease him.

"I am not a pervert," he said, trying to keep it quiet so that the attendant didn't overhear. But when he looked at her, he couldn't help but imagine her in that underwear and… and sometimes it was just better to say nothing than to say the truth and get in trouble for it. "Erm, I'll just leave you to this." He went back over to the table where Madeline seemed uncertain of what had just gone on.

A few minutes later when her laundry was started, Hilda released her Minccino and Drilbur, then came over to sit near Hilbert at the table. She was still amused at his expense, but it wasn't long before she was paying attention to the Pokémon instead. Mimi had decided to check out the laundry machines, getting up on one and tying to figure out why it was vibrating. On the table, Madeline had hopped closer to Hilbert, watching the newcomers (especially Hilda) carefully. Olette came up near Hilda, who took the Drilbur's paw and began looking over her claws.

Knowing that Kyurem didn't talk a lot, it seemed to Hilbert that he had to carry any conversation today. "This Litwick decided to come with me for a little while," he said. "I named her Madeline. She's shy around human girls, though." Hilda seemed interested in listening, so he told her of how Banshee had gotten the Pokémon to him.

They both had to pass time while waiting on laundry, so after a little while, Hilbert got out a deck of cards and offered to play a game with them. Hilda was able to use a notepad to get across anything she wanted to say. Surprisingly, it turned out that Kyurem couldn't read the human language. It took more time to explain the symbols on the cards to him than to play a simple matching game. and by the time he got it, Mimi had figured it out too and sort of played along (she had a tendency to show the card she was looking to match, rather than just indicating a number, but it was still rather impressive).

But in that unusual card game and evening of doing laundry, Hilbert felt something he hadn't in what seemed like a long time. He felt that the others wanted to be with him and were glad that he was around. The light wasn't as intense or brilliant as before, yet Hilbert found himself loving this time more than what had come before. Maybe it was just knowing what the true absence of that light was like. Or maybe it was because their interest was more honest.

Or was it because Hilda seemed to have some kind of attraction to him that wasn't forced?

At one time, he had loved it when girls had fallen in love with him. It had been a powerful feeling, knowing that he could get them to do whatever he wanted and they'd forgive him out of love. But now that he thought back on it, it made him feel awful. He hadn't really loved them back, only loved the feel of their desire for him. He didn't want to end up like that again.

But as he was folding up his clothes and putting them away in his bag, he realized that he didn't want to let go of this light just yet. The weather outside was still cold and gray, with the slush turning to large wet flakes; that would only make him feel more miserable if he left like this. He didn't know what Hilda was planning on doing, though, or if he'd be welcomed to come along. And what if he only wanted to stay there because he liked being wanted? It wouldn't be any better than before.

Hilbert felt like that was the case, though. He wanted to stay with them because he wanted to be with her. Maybe at first, it had just because he thought he could get some use out of knowing her. Now, he liked her bold enthusiastic manner, and even her disregard for personal safety if it meant entertaining others and doing the right thing. And she probably wasn't the most beautiful girl he'd run across, but she did have her charms... and it had been intriguing to consider what she might look like in only underwear. Not that he'd tell her that.

How was he supposed to keep her interest, though? Hilbert hadn't had any trouble with getting girls on dates before. Then again, those girls had either asked first or had feelings so intense that he knew they'd say yes before he even asked. Hilda's attraction to him right now wasn't strong; in fact, she might not even notice those feelings. How did he ask if it was that small? Or more importantly, how did he get that attraction to grow into love?

She was already checking on how dry her clothes were, so there wasn't much time to act. Feeling a little silly in being like this, Hilbert went over to her and asked, "Would you like to go out for a coffee or cocoa? I know a great cafe here in Castelia; it's a little out of the way, but it's one of the best places around."

Without giving it much thought, she smiled and nodded. Hilbert smiled back; that was better. There hadn't been any need to worry over it, just so long as he didn't fall back into old habits.

"What do you mean to do with her?" Kyurem asked, getting up from the table with the other Pokémon and coming over to them.

"Just hang out for the evening," he answered, looking to the dragon boy. When their eyes met, Hilbert felt a slight chill in how Kyurem was staring at him. Hilbert's smile weakened; this was worse than dealing with the overprotective fathers who drilled him on what he meant to do with their daughters that night. He couldn't rely on Attract to win over trust this time.

Kyurem stared at him a moment longer, then asked, "Would you protect her if something went wrong?"

A little insulted at that, Hilda frowned briefly, then rolled her eyes and went back to pulling clothes out of the dryer.

"I think she can handle herself in most cases," Hilbert said. "But if something did go wrong, then yes, I'd help protect her too."

He felt approval from both of them on that bit of diplomacy. Good. Nodding, Kyurem said, "Then she's in your hands tonight." He looked to Hilda. "Not that I don't trust you, but we have certainly angered Plasma. I need to go speak with someone; I'll find you two in a few hours."

Hilda acknowledged this with a wave goodbye, then continued with her clothes. Hilbert waited until she was done, then they recalled the three other Pokémon and headed out. In this slushy cold weather, none of them would appreciate being outside. He didn't really like this kind of weather, but it was nice in that he could bring out an umbrella and Hilda stayed close to him for that.

On one of the smaller streets that was not quite as lively as others, Hilbert brought her to a small storefront that wasn't marked by much, just a sign with a coffee cup overhead and a picture of a saxophone on the window. The store inside kept a similar humble atmosphere, but it was warm and inviting, a place to get out of the rush and bustle of everyday life in Castelia. There was an old bar in the back, and small tables around the room. Next to the bar, there was a small stage where a pianist and a guitar player were provided some live music in the form of blues. There were a number of customers in tonight, most involved in their own private conversations.

The bartender greeted them with a friendly smile and a wave. "Evening, Hilbert. How's your return trip been going?"

"Nothing like I expected," he said, smiling. "But it's working out. Oh, and this is a friend of mine, Hilda."

"Good to meet you, young lady," he said, shaking her hand. "And aren't you that girl in that video making fun of Ghetsis? That was a real hoot."

She nodded, happy for that acknowledgment. "Yeah, but now she's lost her voice for doing it," Hilbert said. "It was worth it, though, right?" And she agreed to that.

'That's too bad," the bartender said. "It make you sore?"

She nodded and rubbed her throat.

"I've got a nice drink that can help fix you up from that," he offered. "Get some chamomile tea with honey and a twist of lemon, and that'll soothe minor irritations. Would you like me to brew one for you?"

"I'll pay for it," Hilbert said. "And could you get me a mocha and cream?"

"Sure enough; I'll have 'em ready in a few." He then went off to get the drinks made.

"Thanks," Hilbert said, then took Hilda over to one of the unclaimed tables. This would be a nice place to sit and talk. Or write, in Hilda's case.

Kyurem went to the rooftop of the building the Laundromat was in and transformed into his true form. While up there, he observed the storm above and the city below. He knew people called the harshest winters his and he could create region-wide chills if he wanted. But this wet snow didn't quite qualify; at least he didn't think so. He didn't see many normal winters, as he slept through many of them.

For a few minutes, he closed his eyes and felt the temperament of this storm. With his power, he could guide its movement, its winds, its precipitation. It felt natural, though, not induced. If this winter was harder than usual, it was a coincidence that he was awake for it. Feeling satisfied with that observation, he took off into the air and headed northwest.

Sand began to mix with the snow as he grew close to the old location of Shira. It had been a long time since he had been there, but that wasn't his goal. When he got over the water of the bay, he descended and searched out a particular area. There were a few small islands there, including some which were obscured by the sandstorms. Kyurem landed on one that was of a decent size, then used his powers to send out a message. Hopefully there would be a response.

The sand in the air began to diverge, revealing a presence coming through. And then he was there, a tall white and blue dragon; the glow of the gem on his chest was fading as he set himself on being on the island. Dialga was the master of time, and thus his memory worked forwards as well as backwards. This made him one of the few Pokémon he could trust in fixing this problem, as he would understand why Kyurem was doing what he was.

But his memory wasn't all that perfect. "Have you made any progress on researching what happened?" Kyurem asked.

"May 4th at the top of Dragonspiral Tower," Dialga replied. "That was when she died."

That was less time than he was hoping for, but perhaps enough. But there was something about that which made him raise his head. "At the tower?"

He nodded. "You know rules. Those who are eligible may enter, not just the chosen heroes. She followed one of them inside."

"Hilbert and N, right? What happened inside?"

"I still don't know that." He bowed his head in apology, but seemed just as concerned. "You call me to this particular point for a reason."

Kyurem nodded. "Someone is using Palkia's powers. Ghetsis, the main spokesperson of Team Plasma and one of their Sages. I've seen them warp three times now, but this last time, I definitely caught the scent of her power. Is she here at this time?"

"Mmm," Dialga went quiet. He and Palkia were like Kyurem and his siblings, in that their powers were connected so deeply that they were hyperaware of each other. So when he shook his head, Kyurem knew it had to be truth. "She is not; she's still in Sinnoh at this point in time. But I do feel her power in this region. We will have to find out why."

"Right. I'll keep watching."

"Wait," Dialga said, leaning his head closer to Kyurem. "I know you wish to succeed this time, and I have agreed to help you do so. That is why I must warn you that you may need to get more active in blocking or directing developing events."

Kyurem felt momentarily angered that he was thought insufficient this time. But then again, he reminded himself that he was well off his known roles this time around. "What do you mean by that? I am protecting her, and I made sure that someone else was watching out for her this evening."

"I don't know exactly what happened in the tower, but I may know part of why it happened." Dialga straightened up, looking off to Castelia City. "At this point in time, the future is uncertain. But there are many dark paths it takes. You do not understand humans that well. Have you seen what happens when male Pokémon compete over a female?"

"Yes," he said, puzzled at the seemingly random direction of Dialga's speech. "I've seen Sawsbuck ram into each other hard enough to break off their horns, but what's that got to do with this?"

"Humans can and will do much worse in similar situations," he replied. "They can also do much better, but when emotions are running high, no one can think at their clearest. Keep that in mind and try to defuse the situation before it blows up."

That gave Kyurem something else to be concerned about, given that he'd left Hilbert to watch over Hilda. He hadn't considered the possibility of the two boys competing over Hilda, but given how they both responded to her, it could happen. "What am I supposed to do about that? I know even less there."

"You will have to solve that problem on your own," Dialga said, looking back to him now. "I'll look into the matter of Palkia's powers being used, so don't worry about that. Is there anything else to discuss?"

Kyurem scowled at him, but Dialga didn't respond to that. "No. But thanks for letting me know how much time I have to work with."

"I'll get back to you at a later point in time," he said, then vanished back into time.

Since he'd be left alone on this island, Kyurem stayed there and thought about what was going on. If N and Hilbert competing for Hilda's favor would somehow lead into her death, the death of his siblings, and the ruin of Unova, then it seemed right to try dissuading one or both before they got too infatuated. He was tempted to cut off both their efforts, threatening them both into keeping a friendly distance. That seemed like a good thing, as the thought of either of them getting that close to her unnerved him somehow.

And that made him concerned about his own feelings.

Some patrons of the coffee shop had left, and others had come in. Hilda and Hilbert were still there, with their Pokémon. Although they had finished their drinks some time ago, there hadn't been any incentive to leave.

"Hoenn is really a beautiful place," Hilbert said, still talking. "I remember when I was at Mount Chimney and there was a group of us just past the ash fields…"

Hilda looked over at Olette, who was busily poking small holes in a napkin. She was losing interest whenever he started talking about himself too much. Feeling that happening again, Hilbert checked himself and searched for something else to say.

"And the trail there had bike paths, even though there were all kinds of small ledges," he switched to. "I saw some interesting Pokémon there too, like this one that was a little round piglet, rather cute, with a long springy tail that it bounced everywhere on. They call it a Spoink, and everywhere it goes, it carries around a large pearl. They don't even craft the pearls themselves; they just carry them around and look into them. Some Pokémon have the oddest of habits."

That worked, drawing her back into listening. It was habit, he figured. She was interested in listening to him and his default conversation was about himself. But her attraction wasn't of the 'forgive you of anything' sort he used to get. It was something that could break, he felt that. And Hilbert didn't want that to happen.

But that still didn't solve whether he did this to feel good or because he really liked her.

He paused and looked at her. "You know, this would be a lot more fun if you could talk."

Hilda smiled and patted her throat. Maybe she felt better, but she didn't want to make things worse again.

Over at the small stage, a third musician joined the guitarist and pianist; this one had a trumpet. "Evening, everyone," he said into the microphone. "You're welcome to push back a few tables and do a little dancing if you feel up to it. We do this twice a week now. Hey buddy, let's start with the usual."

The guitarist nodded while the pianist played an intro. "Right. This is our interpretation of a classic song attributed to the peerless musician and muse, Meloetta; just bringing it up to our style, you see." After getting in tune with each other, the three man band started in on their song.

Other people were taking up the suggestion of clearing up a space. Hilbert took Hilda's hand. "Want to join in? Just so long as you don't get crazy like last time we were at a dance."

Amused more than insulted, she nodded and got up to help get chairs and tables out of the way. The guitarist started singing the familiar lyrics; it was very common for Unova musicians to start a show with this particular song and there were many different versions. This one was slow paced.

"You ever done a couples dance?" Hilbert asked quietly. When she shook her head, he said, "Well I won't go all formal on you then. Here, take my hand, and put your other one around my hip." Pulling her closer, he added, "and no, I'm not a pervert."

Hilda nearly laughed, but winked and mouthed, 'You suggested it, not me.'

"I keep getting myself in trouble today, don't I?" he asked, earning a glimmer of approval from her. She liked for things to be funny or interesting; that was good progress towards finding out how to hold her attention.

It wasn't easy to lead her in the dance at first, as she wasn't sure what to do and they ended up stepping on each other's toes. Then there was how small the space was, even after they had pushed the furniture aside; there might have only been a handful of them dancing, but they still bumped into each other. But once they figured things out and got in step with each other, there was a short time where Hilbert thought he didn't want to be anywhere else but here, with an old song bringing Hilda closer to him.

The feeling lasted until something clamped onto his leg and nearly caused him to trip. Hilbert clutched Hilda a little tighter just in case one of them fell over and looked down. A gray furry face looked back up at him. "Sho ka chi!"

"Oh, hi there," Hilbert said. The song was coming to an end anyhow, so he let go of Hilda and picked the Minccino up. "It was Mimi, right? You trying to join in?"

"Ca mi!" The Pokémon hugged him. Hilda scratched the Minccino's head.

"Might as well head on out," Hilbert said, a little reluctant but figuring the other couples were going to stay a while longer. Better to free up some space then. "Where are you staying? I'll walk you over there."

Back out in the cold streets, it was still snowing. Ice was forming quicker, giving many surfaces a dangerous shine. The warmth of the coffee shop hung onto him, but doubts about why he wanted to be with her were trying to break into his heart. What did he really want out of this? He could read the desires of others so well, but trying to read his own was like grasping a cloud.

He was so involved with these thoughts that he nearly walked right into something that didn't seem quite real. Hilbert stopped in his tracks, causing Hilda to stop as well and wonder why. Right in the middle of the air, there was a ghost image. But it wasn't like any he'd seen before. For one thing, it had never been in this spot, or at least he'd never noticed it on this busy street. For another, it wasn't exactly a thing. If he had to describe it like anything, he'd say it was like two glowing threads that had gotten twisted together, sparking off each other.

"Do you see that?" he asked, pointing out the twisted threads. But when he got his hands too close, a spark leapt out at him and he saw…

She was holding him in disdain? Hilbert felt puzzled as to why. Sure, some of the girls had stopped following him and he'd never see them again. But he hadn't had one start to walk off in disgust. He ran back out of the Castelia inn after her. "Hey, what gives?

"I don't think you're as good of a Pokémon Trainer as you seem to be," she said. "Your lessons are either basic or worthless. I want to be really entertaining for everyone, but I don't think I'll get that from you."

Her words were like flickers of darkness, blocking out the light. It unnerved him terribly. "What are you talking about? I've never lost a match, so there's no one who can be greater than me. Look, uh…" who was she again? He'd seen her from time to time since returning to Unova, but there were always so many people to meet.

"Hilda," she said, annoyed. "I don't know how to explain that flawless record, but it makes me think that there's something off about you and your claims. Honestly, I hardly ever see you with Pokémon."

Sometimes disapproval angered him, or it was easily explained as jealousy. But there was something, well, honest about this disapproval. He needed to disprove it, and it had to be done fast! Hilbert smiled at her, subconsciously increasing the effect of his Attract state substantially. "I don't teach everything, of course," he said. "But if you're serious about advancing your career with the League, I might be able to help out. I'd have to know that you're serious, though."

Hilda's willpower may have been strong, but his power was able to undermine that readily. "How do I know you're being serious?" she asked, but without much resistance behind it.

Now that she was interested in him again, Hilbert knew he could handle this much easier. "Why don't we go out for some coffee and talk about it this evening?"

The vision broken when Hilda grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. She looked concerned, but when he was able to look at her, she shook her head and waved her hand in the air. The threads evaporated as her fingers passed through it.

Hilbert put his hand on Hilda's, the one still holding on to him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I should have known you wouldn't; it was a psychic memory or something. I don't get it though. It can't be true, but it seemed to be true."

After a moment, she shrugged. There really wasn't much she could say if she hadn't seen it.

"I guess it's not too important." He dropped his hand, still holding on to hers. "I had fun tonight. But, I don't know if I want to make anything of it. I like you, but I'm not too sure about all this." Her feelings on this were hard to read. Almost as bad as his own, as he wanted to keep away until he could figure things out and keep her close by at the same time. "Look, could you just call me when you can talk again? Not like last time, hopefully."

Hilda smiled and nodded.

Hilbert laughed nervously. "I mean, that was incredible timing, catching me right as I was coming out of that shower. But I'd better be clothed next time or," some thoughts came to mind that made him blush, "Oh drat, that doesn't sound right does it? I, um…"

And while he tried to figure out what to say without getting muddled up again, he got an impulse to kiss her and did just that before he could catch himself. It wasn't even a big one, just a short kiss on her lips. But the way it made him feel made it far more significant than any other kiss he'd had. It made it clear that he didn't want to hurt her by just using her. He wanted to know that he was being honest.

He stepped away from her, letting go of her hand. "I'll talk to you some time later, then."

Hilda nodded and for a moment she did seem sad to see him go. Through his power, he felt that she was worried about him and wanted to know how she could help. He needed to figure this out on his own, though.

Then his power picked up two strong feelings of murderous intent.

Although he didn't even see who it was at first, Hilbert knew he had to get on the other side of Hilda. He grabbed her hand again and jerked her away to swap places with her. Then something hit his head and he blacked out.

Hilda felt herself in a happy glow when Hilbert kissed her. Maybe he was trying to say that he wasn't sure about dating at that time, but he certainly did like her. She might not even tease him when she called later, although that would take a lot of willpower to resist. He was still a little too self-centered, but even that might be worn away by this trial of his.

In the next moment, things happened with confusing speed. Hilbert had gone from reluctantly saying goodbye to turning pale and yanking her away from someone who was shouting. There was a sickening thump before she managed to turn around. When she did, Hilbert was already falling onto the slushy sidewalk and some pink haired girl was standing there with a baseball bat in both hands.

The girl looked shocked for a second, then raised the bat again. "Oh, look what you made me do-aaahhh!"

And she screamed because right then, Kyurem descended in dragon form and bit one of her arms clean off at the elbow. Eating the bat as well, he landed and glowered at her with strong hatred. Although the girl had nearly tried to attack her (maybe even kill her), Hilda felt concerned and came up between her and Kyurem. Up and down the street, people were looking in their direction to see a screaming girl minus half her arm, a boy unconscious on the sidewalk, and her staring down a legendary dragon.

This was not going to look good.

I normally don't favor any kind of shipping or write about it. So when I had the chance in this fic, well, I couldn't resist using multiple shippings at once! Haha! And I know this fic has fans on three different ships, which makes it more fun. Blame a reviewer here for nudging me to make use of HildaXKyurem, weird as it is.

I don't mind revealing that the thing Hilbert saw was the timeline that Kyurem is from. And Spoink needs more fans!

Well, so it looks like we could be getting a full-blown sequel to Black and White this year, not an expanded game as usual. What does that mean for this fic? Find out Friday...