The following morning Ash and Hilda met up out the front.
"So, I was thinking we just have a relaxing day today, after everything that happened yesterday. What do you think Hilda?" Ash asked, to which Hilda replied "Sure. There's a couple of things I want to do in the market, and we can go to Big Stadium and Small Court in Nimbasa City"
"Great idea" Ash responded, and their first port of call was the Market.
When they arrived, they found the Ex-Plasma Grunt, who immediately waved them down, and asked Hilda "Hey, how's the Incense going?"
"It's going nicely thanks. A nice little power bonus. Plus Dewott really enjoys the scent" Hilda replied, to which the Ex-Plasma Grunt replied "That's very nice to hear. Water-type Pokénon love the scent of the Sea Incense, so, that was a good choice"
"True" Hilda replied. Ash then said "We'll see you around, and by the way, you're the real Team Plasma, not the Black-clad Terrorists called themselves Team Plasma"
"Thanks, Ash, that means a lot" the Ex-Plasma replied as they headed for other stalls.
The other major stall Ash and Hilda arrived at the Moo Moo Milk stall, where they both got a Moo Moo Milk each, but also a few for their Pokémon. After a quick conversation, they depart, enjoying their milk.
"So, where do you want to go today?" Ash asked, to which Hilda replied "Nimbasa City of course. Rollercoasters, Big Stadium, Small Court and the Pokémon Musical"
"Heh, of course," Ash replied, and they headed out of Driftveil City.
Ash and Hilda finished their Moo Moo Milk as they reached Nimbasa City, and Ash sees that Soccer and Tennis were on in Big Stadium and Small Court.
"So Hilda, how good are you at Soccer?" Ash asked, to which Hilda replied: "I fancy myself as relatively good".
"Alright", let's go" Ash replied, and they entered.
When they arrived, Ash and Hilda saw a group of Strikers kicking balls around.
"Hello and welcome. Come to try out Soccer?" one of the Strikers asked, to which Ash replied "Sure. I haven't seen much of this game, so I'd like to give it a try"
"Great," the Striker said, before adding "What are your names?"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town" Ash replied, while Hilda responded, "I'm Hilda from Nuvema Town".
"Hilda? Like, Hilbert's little sister Hilda?" one of the strikers asked, to which Hilda nodded. The striker smiled, and said "Well, nice to meet you. He's mentioned you a couple of times, and it's nice to finally meet you"
"That's great to hear" Hilda replied, smiling. The strikers then guided Ash and Hilda onto the field. After a quick explanation of the basic rules, Ash and Hilda started on some basic ball skills.
What Ash didn't know, is that Hilda has played Soccer quite a bit growing up, and though Ash picked the game up relatively quickly, when they took each other on in a quick scratch match, in this case first to get a goal.
Hilda turned out to be quite skilled at Soccer, while Ash struggled. And although Ash's team was able to get a couple of shots on goal, the goalie for Hilda's team was able to catch or deflect it. Hilda's team also got several of shots on goal, including a shot from Hilda, it took five shots for Hilda's team got past Ash's goalie and score a goal, ending the game with Hilda's team's victory.
"Whew, you were right when you said you fancied yourself as quite good at Soccer, you were right Hilda," Ash said, to which Hilda replied, "I told you. I played Soccer a far bit in school"
"Cool," Ash replied. He then added, "So, how about we get some lunch, then head for the Pokémon Musical before heading to Small Court?"
"Sure" Hilda replied. As they went to leave, Ash said "Thanks for the game, that was pretty intense", to which one of the Strikers replied "No problem" as Ash and Hilda departed.
Ash and Hilda had a quick wash, then had their lunch at a local burger store and enjoyed it. Ash picked a chicken burger while Hilda picked a Double cheese Beef burger. Once they finished their meals, Ash and Hilda headed for the Pokémon Musical. Ash knew that Hilda wanted to participate, but participation was not Ash's cup of tea.
When they arrived, Hilda immediately ran up to the registration desk and registered for the next event.
Ash chuckled, and when Hilda had registered her name and her Dewott, Ash approached and asked: "So, which one is she entered in?"
"Exciting Nimbasa, do you want to participate, or watch?" the registrar replied, to which Ash responded "I want to watch"
"Alright, just head through the door on your left, and take your seat" the registrar replied, and gave Ash his ticket.
While Ash sorted out his seat to watch the Musical, Hilda was busy dressing up her Dewott. Once ready, she joined the others.
"Participants for this musical are: Jackson will participate with Bitey, Tanjio will participate with Panny, Emily will participate with Gothie and Hilda will participate with Dewott. And the show you'll be participating in is Exciting Nimbasa. That is a popular show among teenage boys" the old man said. Hilda nodded, then he ended with "Once you're done with dress-up, let's go". And while the others went to dress-up, Hilda waited, having already dressed up Dewott. After a few minutes, everyone is ready, and they headed towards the stage.
As Ash entered, he noticed that most of the audience were young men around his age. He took a seat and waited.
The music started and showed at sunset, a brown floor, with rocks at the back, and Krokorok, Pansage, Gothorita and Dewott. They danced onto the arena, then showed off their outfits. Dewott was wearing a Green Barette, holding a Whisk and a Paintbrush, with a bib, and wearing a Witchy Hat and a Hula Skirt. They did their routine, and when each of the participants got the spotlight, they showed off their props. Hilda's Dewott swung around its paintbrush and the whisk as he danced around and flipped around, obviously having an absolute ball. At the end of the performance, Dewott bowed, to massive applause.
Hilda and the others returned to the foyer, and the old man said "Hmmm, Good job! It was a great musical! In fact, I've received comments for you from the audience", and everyone was in quiet anticipation, hoping they've done well.
"I am really pleased. I will give then to you in order!" the old man added, then he continued with "Hilda's Dress Up performance was very cool! Your Dewott played its role very well!"
"Thanks" Hilda replied. The old man then went to the next contestant, and added "Tanjio's Dress Up performance was very cute! Watching your Pokémon's sharp moves, I also felt cute"
"Aww, whoever said that is so sweet" Tanjio responded, blushing slightly. The old man then went to the next contestant, and continued with "Jackson's Dress Up performance was very unique! Watching your Pokémon's sharp moves, I also felt unique!"
"Thanks" Jackson replied. The old man then went to the last contestant, and concluded "Emily's Dress Up performance was very unique! The Pokémon used Props to convey such abundant expression, just as if they were actors"
"Thank you" Emily responded. The old man then returned to his original spot and finished with "Thank you very much for your participation today. Please join another musical again! Have a great day!" and with that, the four of them headed out.
Ash and Hilda met up in the foyer, and Ash said "Well done, I enjoyed that"
"Nice to hear. So, we're heading for the Small Court?" Hilda responded, to which Ash answered "Of course", and at this, they departed.
When they arrived at Small Court, they saw Smashers playing tennis.
"So tennis is today's sports event on," Ash said, to which Hilda replied "Cool. Didn't play Tennis as much as I did with Soccer, so that'll be interesting"
"OK" Ash replied, and as they approached, a Smasher saw them, waved, and said, "Hello, do you want to try some Tennis?"
"We'd love to" Ash and Hilda both replied, to which the Smasher responded "Cool. Amber, you give Hilda your racket, I'll give Ash mine, and we can show them how to play", to which Amber nodded, and they both handed over their rackets.
"So, what are your names?" Amber asked, to which Ash replied "I'm Ash from Pallet Town", while Hilda responded "I'm Hilda of Nuvema Town"
"Hilda? You wouldn't happen to be related to Hilbert, would you?" Amber asked, to which Hilbert replied "Yes, I'm his younger sister"
"Awesome! Oh man, he was the guy who rescued me from Team Plasma when they attacked Big Stadium and Small Court" Amber replied, shaking Hilda's hand, who smiled and responded "He mentioned that he had rescued a Smasher from Team Plasma, seems that was you. Good to know you're OK"
"Heh, good to know. Now, let's get going" Amber replied, and they headed for the court.
Ash and Hilda played a quick practice game, to get used to the rules of Tennis, then played a full set. Although Ash streaked out to a three-game to one lead, Hilda hit back and won the next three games in a row. Ash and Hilda kept going back and forward, until Ash broke Hidla's game at five games to six, and went on to win seven games to six.
"Whew, that was a close match. I'm not even mad that I lost, that's how close it was" Hilda said, to which Ash replied "That seriously could have gone either way"
"Good going Ash and Hilda, that was a fun game to watch," Amber said, to which Hilda replied "Thanks, it was fun"
"We'll be heading back to Driftveil City now. But, we may return sometime in the future to play another game" Ash said, to which Amber replied "That would be great. See you around", and at that, Ash and Hilda departed, waving.
After another quick wash-up, Ash and Hilda went for a couple of rollercoaster rides before heading to Dinner and returning to Driftveil City for the night.
Meanwhile with Jessie and James
The communication was opened, and Giovanni appeared.
"Jessie, James, we have your next assignment," Giovanni said, to which James asked "Sure. What is it?"
"We need you to attack the Season Research Lab and grab the Serene Grace Deerling. Serene Grace is Deerling's Hidden Ability, and we need it for the next stage in our plans" Giovanni replied, to which Jessie added "It will be done. Where's the meetup point?"
"Hide in Mistralton Cave until the meeting point is decided on, nobody will expect you to hide in there" Giovanni replied, to which both Jessie and James nodded, and Meowth responded "We won't let you down"
"I have confidence that you won't. By the way, if you can capture any of the Scientists, and convince them to join Team Rocket, that would be a bonus" Giovanni replied, to which Jessie responded "We'll aim for that too"
"Good. I wish you good luck. By the way, the control devices used by Neo Team Plasma, here they are. Use them on the Scientists if you have to. Good luck, do not fail" Giovanni replied, and the communication was cut.
"Alright. I'm thinking of striking at night. Apparently, the Scientists live there 24/7, so we should launch our attack at night" James said, to which Jessie nodded, and replied "Sounds like a plan". The trio then departed.
During the night, on Route Six.
Jessie and James break into the Season Research Lab and capture two Scientists, as well as the Summer and Winter form of Deerling, while the Autumn and Spring forms escaped the facility, and another Scientist managed to avoid Team Rocket's attack and ran for Driftveil City.
The following morning, Ash and Hilda awaken to a tense situation.
"What's going on?" Ash asked, to which Nurse Joy replied "The Season Research Lab was attacked by figures in dark clothes"
"What? When did this happen?" Ash asked, to which Nurse Joy replied "Last Night"
"Then we'd better get going, and find out what's going on," Ash said to Hilda, who nodded and they departed.
They didn't get far, however, before they found an Officer.
"Oi, what are you doing here?" the officer asked, to which Ash replied, "Is there any way we could help?"
"Well, we'd love for you to help find the missing Deerling, it looks like two of the Deerling have been stolen by whoever attacked the Season Research Lab, and the other two are running around in Route Six" the Officer replied, pointing to Route Six. Ash nods, and he and Hilda departed.
When they arrived at Route Six, Ash said "I think we should split up, so we can cover more ground", to which Hilda nodded, and said "Sure", and at this, they separated.
With Hilda
Hilda searched for a little while, focusing on the south of the Route. After about twenty minutes, she finds an Autumn Deerling grazing near the water.
"Aw, that's a cute Pokémon," Hilda said and she got out her Pokédex.
The voice in her Pokédex said "Deerling, the Season Pokémon. When sensing confrontation, Deerling hides in the grass. It also changes its appearance as the season's change."
"Cool," Hilda said. She sent a message through her Xtransciever and kept an eye on the Deerling until the people taking care of them arrived. When they arrived, Deerling ran up to the Scientist and affectionately rubbed his hand.
"Thanks, ma'am," the Scientist said, to which Hilda replied "No worries". The Scientist smiled, then headed back to Driftveil City.
With Ash
Ash headed to the north of Route 6 and started looking around for the other Deerling. After a while, Ash notices a deer-like Pokémon looking towards a cave, though not Chargestone Cave. Getting out his Pokédex, he scanned it.
The voice said "Deerling, the Season Pokémon. When sensing confrontation, Deerling hides in the grass. It also changes its appearance as the season's change."
"So this is a Deerling," Ash said. He slowly approached, then kneeled next to the Deerling.
"Hey, are you OK?" Ash asked, to which the Deerling looked at Ash, nothing but panic on its face, and called at him, then at the cave.
"Alright, sounds like whoever's attacked your facility ran into that cave," Ash said. He then offered his hand to the Deerling, and he helped guide the Deerling back towards Driftveil City.
When Ash and Hilda reunited, the two Deerling ran up to each other and nuzzled each other.
"There are two caves in the north of Route Six. And I found this Deerling near one of the" Ash said, to which the Scientist asked, "Which one?"
"The one on the other side of the river" Ash replied, to which the Scientist replied "Sounds like whoever attacked our station fled into Mistralton Cave"
"That's where Cobalion was two years ago. I recommend extreme caution, Cobalion is a powerful Legendary, from what my brother told me" Hilda replied, to which Ash responded "Even so, we'll have to go in there to rescue the captured Scientists. If Cobalion shows up, run for it, alright?"
"Alright" Hilda replied, nodding. It was obvious that she was nervous, so Ash walked over and placed her hand in both of his.
"You'll be OK Hilda, so long as you stay close to me," Ash said, and when Hilda still seemed nervous, Ash put a hand on her shoulder, then embraced her, which she returned. After a few moments, they broke apart, and Hilda said "I'm as ready as I could ever be"
"Alright, then let's get going," Ash said, to which Hilda nodded, and they departed.
As Ash and Hilda walked across Roue Six they see the amount of damage that had been done to the entrance of the laboratory. The door to the lab was lying on the ground, damaged severely.
"How did that happen?" Ash asked, to which Hilda replied: "Whoever took the Deerling", to which Ash nodded. An Officer caught up with them, and said: "Do either of you have Pokémon that know Surf?"
"No" both Ash and Hilda replied, to which the offer said "Oh dear, then I recommend letting me tag along, my Wailmer will be able to carry all three of us across to Mistralton Cave"
"Well, the more help we can get against Team Rocket, the better" Ash replied. The Officer asked "You've fought Team Rocket before Ash, what advice can you give?" to which Ash replied "You have to be careful taking them on. But, if you can handle a mix of Status Conditions and outright attacks, you should be OK"
"Alright, noted" the Officer replied.
Soon, they arrived at the river separating them from Mistralton Cave.
"Wonder how Team Rocket got across," Hilda asked, to which Ash replied "They probably have a Pokémon capable of using Surf"
"Likely. Well, Wailmer, let's do this" the Officer said and Wailmer materialised. At once, Ash, Hilda and the Officer clamber on, and Wailmer starts taking them across the water. As they do, Ash said to himself "We're coming for you Team Rocket"
Soon, they had arrived on the other shore. Getting off, the Officer withdrew Wailmer.
"Here we go. Remember, if anyone encounters Team Rocket, inform me, I have the experience of taking them on in the past. If you run into Cobalion, run for your life" Ash said, to which both Hilda and the Officer nodded, and they proceeded inside.