After surviving the hurricane that was Professor Juniper, we finished our tea in relative silence. There was some small talk here and there, but it wasn't anything important. What was important was what Juniper said before leaving.

"Hey, didn't Juniper say that she has a present for you?" I asked Hilda, who had to think for a second to sort through everything Juniper said before her face lit up.

"Oh yeah, she said something like that. Took me some time to figure it out, and I guess I could go to her now," She said, making Rosa clap her hands together, making her the center of attention.

"Well, how about Radko goes with you? He needs to go to see Juniper as well," She proposed, taking me slightly back before realization dawned on me.

I actually had to meet her as well. God, this was going to be tiring.

I sighed before looking at Hilda who had her arms crossed.

"Come on, let's get this over with," I said to her and she reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah, the sooner, the better," She agreed before standing up and taking a large purse with her that matched her outfit.

Diana barked for attention before looking at me with a pleading expression, as her first meeting with Juniper wasn't to her liking.

"If you want to, you can be inside the pokéball," I offered to her and she immediately took the invitation and eagerly waited. The pokéball engulfed Diana soon after, and I pocketed the ball before turning to Hilda.

"I am ready. How about you?" I asked her and she breathed through her nose before nodding.

"Yeah, I am. I know where her lab is, so let's go," Hilda said, before opening the doors leading outside. She waved her mother goodbye before disappearing. Rosa waved as well, before sighing and turning her attention to me.

"I know Hilda can be a little off-putting, but she is a sweetheart underneath. I know you'll be fine together," She said with a smile, making me raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked her.

"Well, with how things are going, I think Juniper has a Pokémon ready for Hilda which means she'll leave the town," She answered and her smile became a little pained, "I just hope she will find what she is looking for on her journey."

"Right, but that still doesn't answer my question," I pointed out, to which Rosa laughed lightly before a small smirk adorned her features.

"Juniper is hard to deter when she sets her mind on anything. Make use of that information however you will," She replied before shooing me away with her hands.

"Now, off with you. Juniper isn't a patient person," She urged and I eventually took my leave. Her words left me more confused than before, but I didn't dwell on them for long since I spotted Hilda outside.

"You took your time," She said, making me look at her with an unamused stare.

"It didn't take even a minute," I said to her, making her sigh, again.

She has been doing that a lot.

"Forgot mom can get a little talkative I guess. This way," She prompted with her head, before aiming for the largest building in this town, "Professor Juniper's lab is there."

I nodded and wordlessly trailed behind her. The sun shone a brilliant yellow glow on the entire town, as colorful leaves were picked up by the wind. I stared into the wilderness for a second, admiring the sight before continuing my stride.

We soon reached the door leading inside the house before Hilda knocked at the door.

"Professor Juniper!" She shouted, "We're here!"

Rustling came from the other side, before, with a click, the doors opened with Juniper behind them. She peaked through the gap and spotted Hilda before a wide smile adorned her features.

"Oh! Hilda!" She exclaimed happily, "You arrived just in time. Come on in!"

Hilda nodded before following Juniper inside the house. I would have followed suit if the doors didn't close with a bang right in front of my face.

I stood there, completely dumbstruck by the doors, mouth agape.

"Did… Did she just close the door on me?" I was completely baffled, to the point of thinking that Juniper just wasn't a person. There was no way she could be this airheaded.

I was hoping that Hilda would at least say something, but after waiting for a few seconds, I groaned and loudly knocked at the door.

"Professor Juniper!" I yelled. A surprised yelp came from the other side before the door I almost face-planted into opened again, Juniper behind them.

"Hello? Can I help you? I currently don't have time for anyone right now," She said through the doors before locking her eyes with mine.

"Oh wait, you are that owner of the Deino back from Rosa's house!" She exclaimed, fully opening the doors and I spotted a snickering Hilda, her mouth hidden with her hand, behind Juniper. I glared at her before adorning a small smile.

"Yes, I am the owner. I became a trainer recently and I need a mentor and you were the closest professor I could have found," I explained to Juniper patiently and her eyes widened, her meek demeanor changed in an instant.

"Then why didn't you say that sooner! Of course, come on in!" She said while I gave her an awkward smile. Never did I think I would meet a living and breathing hurricane, but I took her invitation and went inside.

Hilda was still snickering in the back before I reached her.

"Not funny," Was all I said, but Hilda kept her smile.

"Says you," She replied. I sighed before looking around the home, and I was almost startled.

This wasn't a house, this was a lab. That professor title wasn't just for show then.

White tiles adorned the ground with two desks filled with files and personal possessions. There was a strange tuberal glass machine that glowed in a cyan color and something akin to a heart monitor.

But the weirdest part was that the white tiles abruptly ended to my right side, revealing a regular household with no doors or any form of privacy. God, my sister would be screaming how this house wouldn't architecturally work.

"Anyway, I'll get to you later. First, I need to address Hilda," Juniper brought me out of my stupor and I nodded.

Juniper went to her desk and began examining a box that I brought from Accumula Town. I even saw the small streak of red on the side and I instinctively touched my wound through my coat. Thankfully, I didn't feel any pain, Rosa did a fantastic job treating my wound.

Juniper took out a razor and sliced through the tape with ease, before opening the box, and inside was… another box.

Granted, it looked much more pristine with its metallic sheen, but it still was another box. I kept looking at the small case while Juniper had the biggest smile on her face before turning to Hilda.

"This is for you, Hilda," She said, giving the case to Hilda who took it with a raised eyebrow. She inspected it from top to bottom before looking back at Juniper with a questioning look.

"Go on, open it. There is a clip right," Juniper pointed at the middle of the case, "Here."

After Juniper pointed out the clip, Hilda pressed it and the case sprung open with very little fanfare. What was inside however made Hilda gasp.

"It's…" Was all she said before Juniper eagerly finished for her.

"A pokéball with a Pokémon inside! That's right! I have a Pokédex with a case for badges and everything at the ready," She listed off while Hilda still gazed at the box, her eyes glued to the red and white sphere.

"That's… for me?" She asked, eyes filled with hope and a dash of excitement as well. Juniper gave her lop-sided grin while having one hand on her hip.

"And who else should it be for? You waited long enough and it's time to catch up to your friends," She clapped her hands, similarly to Rosa. Well, since she was able to set everything up then maybe it was my imagination how airheaded she was.

"Now, open it! I actually have no clue what Pokémon is inside, but I'm sure it's safe enough to open it inside here."

Nope, my assessment was spot on. A living hurricane.

Hilda gingerly took out the pokéball into her hand and gave it a light squeeze while having a contentious smile before throwing the ball into the air. The pokéball opened and white light erupted from it as a silhouette of a Pokémon appeared in the light.

Once the light subsided and the ball somehow landed into Hilda's hand, we gazed at the Pokémon that appeared, all three of us actually.

The creature slowly opened its red eyes as it gazed around the room. It was over half a meter tall while standing on stubby hand legs and balancing itself with its short tail. It had quite the big head for its body with a horn on its scalp that was a dark shade of green while the rest of its body was light green. Its tusks looked like it permanently had a bone inside its mouth while a small collar was around its neck.

Had to say, it looked kind of cute.

"Axew?" It said, looking up to see Hilda who ducked down to its eye level, a radiant smile adorned her face.

"Hey there," She said with a calm and inviting voice, quite the contrast to how she talked with me, "Want to be my partner?"

Juniper was on her toes, probably ready to scoop up the little guy and examine him since she was giving it the same look when she spotted Diana for the first time. She held her horses however and waited for Hilda.

The little guy, who was probably named Axew, tilted his head to the side while having one of his little arms pointing at himself.

"Yeah, want to go on an adventure?" She asked him and the Axew let out a happy "Axew!" as his confirmation. Hilda was about to pick up the Axew… but Juniper beat her to it.

"Oh my Arceus! An Axew!" She said, picking up the Axew, much to its chagrin, "Oh I am just lucky today! I meet two dragon types, both of which I have little information about! This is so exitin—OW!"

She got bit by the Axew, and immediately let go of the guy. It scurried back to Hilda, before hiding behind her, scared of Juniper. Thankfully, she wasn't bleeding and I stifled a chuckle. What made me curious however was what she said about meeting 'dragon' types.

Didn't know what that meant. Hopefully, I will be brought up to speed.

Juniper was extremely close to pouting but sighed instead while rubbing her hand.

"Oh well, I guess that will come another time," She relented reluctantly, "Well, congratulations on obtaining your first Pokémon, Hilda!"

Hilda kept her gaze at the Axew, who still stared daggers at Juniper, before giving the professor a thankful nod.

"Thank you," She said.

"Now, I've got your trainer card here with your own Pokédex," Juniper said while giving Hilda said items, "Some pokéballs as well. You do know how to catch a Pokémon, right?" Hilda gave her a nod, "Great, now, time to calibrate your… everything, really."

She said before going to the computer and started typing on the keys with frightening efficiency. I turned to Hilda who was petting her Axew before she brought out the pokéball, ready to call it back.

"Axew!" It pleaded.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'll let you out soon enough," She said, before shooting the beam and it engulfed the Axew inside the ball. She looked at the ball with a smile before pocketing it inside her purse.

"Well, I guess you are going to leave this town then?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Yeah, now I can catch up to my brother," She said determinately while balling up her fist. Juniper then sighed after standing up from the computer before reaching us again while scratching her head.

"Well, that should take care of everything. Now," Juniper turned to me, "You want me to be your mentor?"

Although I thought for a second I might regret it in the future, I nodded anyway.

"Yes, I am fairly new to this trainer thing, and I am mostly doing this for Diana," I said to her, making her quirk a brow.

"Diana? Oh, you must mean your Deino then. So, do you want to go on the road to become a Champion as well?" She asked with a small smirk, "You would have quite the competition."

Hilda tilted her head towards me, somehow expecting an answer out of me while I brought a hand in front of me.

"Actually, that's not why I'm here," I said, taking both of them back, "I just want to get home and I hoped you could have helped me in some way."

"Home?" She parroted while tilting her head, "I mean, of course, I could help you, but what does it have to do with you becoming a trainer?"

"As I said, it's mostly for Diana, but until I find my way home, walking around this place with these 'Pokémon' everywhere and knowing nothing about them seems counterproductive," I explained, earning a hum from Juniper.

"Well, I can certainly help you with that, but you sound like you never met a Pokémon in your life. That's hard to imagine these days," She said, making me sheepishly scratch my back.

"Let's just say I am a special case because I have no idea how to explain my situation," I responded.

"We got time, we want to help find your way home after all," Juniper said with a smile, "Besides, I still haven't drunk my daily coffee yet."

Oh god, I didn't want to think about what Juniper looked like when overdosed with caffeine.

I pushed that thought aside and turned to Hilda who had her arms crossed.

"If you want to, you can go on ahead. I don't think you are that interested in my life story," I said to her which she shrugged.

"Call me curious. You hardly come by good gossip in this little town," She answered, much to my surprise.

"Alright, do you drink coffee?" Juniper asked with her already being near the coffee machine, ready to push buttons.

How fast was she!?

"I… I guess I will have one," I eventually answered, making Juniper smile again. Honestly, she probably stuck some duct tape on her face to smile forever.

"I want one too," Hilda followed up, before sitting down on the table in the other room.

"Great!" She exclaimed and started to work on our coffee. Once she pushed a few buttons and fished out three cups, she turned to me.

"Might as well start," Hilda prompted and I sighed before retelling what had happened to me so far to my mentor, as well as this sassy girl that was somehow curious about it.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

"And now, I am here. Thanks to your mother, I'm now back on my feet and ready to begin my search," I finished before sipping the rest of the coffee that was only lukewarm, but I drank it anyway.

The silence filled the air for a small moment before Hilda let out a "Huh.".

"You know that kind of story would send you to a center to check if you are mentally ok, right?" Hilda asked, to which I shrugged.

"You don't have to trust me, but I have never met a Pokémon until I met Diana. I spotted a Wii in your room, so there must be somebody out there who heard about my home," I said.

"I'm sorry, Radko, but I have never heard of this 'Czech Republic' region you're talking about. The way you described it made it sound very similar to Kalos, but I'm not well-versed in geography," Juniper said with a shake of her head, making me slump.

"But don't fret! I'm pretty sure somebody in Castelia City must know a lot more than I do. It isn't named the main port of Unova for nothing," Juniper said while pointing with her index finger at the ceiling and winked.

"Huh, I guess I have my destination then," I remarked, my expression brightening slightly.

"Aaaand I have an awesome proposition for you!" Juniper said excitedly.

"And that is?" I pressed.

"How about taking Hilda with you?" She asked innocently. Once the question reached Hilda's ears, her eyes were wide as saucers before standing up from her sitting spot, leaning on the table with her hands.

"No, absolutely not!" She protested, "I can't have him slowing me down when my brother is already at the second badge! I need to catch up to him!"

Juniper however gave Hilda a stern look, shutting down the rest of her protest. I honestly didn't expect Juniper to be able to do something like that.

"Hilda, I know you are eager to battle your way through to the Pokémon league, but you know what people say. It's about the journey, not the destination," She said with her arms crossed, "Besides, while Pokémon are great company, having a partner for the travels will make it less boring. Hilbert certainly has a colorful company, so I'd say having a trainer that didn't know about Pokémon not until recently certainly fits the build well!"

I didn't know if I should feel offended or not.

"I…" Hilda tried to protest again, but her head slumped, a contemplating expression on her face, before looking up with determined eyes, "Fine, but I have one condition."

"Name it," Juniper eagerly offered. Hilda however, instead of addressing Juniper, looked at me with her lit eyes.

"Fight me," She demanded.

I blinked once, blinked twice, then thrice before realizing what she meant.

"Ah, you mean a Pokémon battle, right?" I asked her to make sure.

"Oh for the love of—" She pinched her nose, "Of course I mean a Pokémon battle!"

She pointed to the doors leading outside.

"Outside, me against you. If you win, I'll let you tag along. If you lose, you're on your own," She stated. I breathed through my nose, before looking at her with a pointed look.

"You aren't backing away from this, are you?" I half stated, and Hilda had a smirk in place.

"What? Afraid you're going to lose?" She challenged.

"No, in fact, Diana will mop the floor with you," I shot back while crossing my arms.

"Prove it then," She pumped her fist before storming outside. I stood up as well, aiming for the exit before Juniper picked up a few papers and pencils, eager to see the battle as well.

I snorted at the sight, bringing Juniper's attention to me.

"What? It's not every day you get to study two dragon types that I have very few notes on," She justified while I waved it off.

"I'm not judging you, professor," I reassured her, making her sigh.

"I told you to call me Juniper. I hate formalities," She said before urging me to go outside, "Now go, Hilda has many virtues, but patience isn't one of them."

I nodded and headed outside, the afternoon light shone on the town, giving it a vibrant orange glow. Hilda stood in front of me, a stance that radiated confidence with a pokéball in hand, ready to send out her newly acquired Axew.

Juniper appeared soon behind me with a portable table and a chair and set up a station for writing. God, that woman went to any length to get anything she wanted.

"Hope you're ready!" Hilda shouted before throwing the ball into the air before erupting white light and Axew soon appeared, ready to battle as well.

"Axew!" He shouted challengingly.

I gazed at the duo, their personalities almost being a mirror of each other. I smiled absentmindedly at the sight.

"This isn't like that brat," I thought, before fishing out Diana's pokéball and I opened it with little fanfare. Diana stood proud and tall, before turning her head to me.

"Maybe I could…"

"Diana!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist, "You want to fight!?"

"Deino!" She shouted at me, making me smirk.

"Alright, I'm ready," I said to Hilda.

"Very well, I'm going to be the necessary witness then," Juniper said, readying her pencil and paper, "I'll start the battle for you."

"On my mark."

I eyed Hilda's expression and this was the first time I saw the drive in her eyes. She was so eager to fight, and her Axew was the same.

"Might as well give her what she wants," I thought.

"Get set… START!" Juniper announced and Hilda took the initiative immediately.

"Axew! Scratch that Deino, fast!" She shouted, and her partner took action and charged Diana with its surprisingly sharp-looking claws I mistook for stubby arms.

"Diana, brace yourself," I commanded, and Diana nodded, planting her feet to the ground and readied herself. Hilda was surprised at first but didn't command her Axew to stop, allowing it to attack Diana relentlessly.

Its claws slashed into Diana's body, making me grit my teeth but I knew she could take it. The fight with the Patrat showed me she was no slouch.

"Keep it up, Axew! She can't last forever!" Hilda shouted, encouraging the Axew to continue his onslaught. I waited for the perfect moment when the little bugger got a little too predictable.

"Now, Diana! Bite to your right!" I shouted and she did as she was told, catching the hand of the Axew inside Diana's mouth. Hilda gasped lightly before recomposing herself.

"Wiggle your way out of her grip!" She commanded with the swipe of her hand. The Axew pushed away Diana with its feet, releasing him from her grip, and gained some distance.

"You alright?" Hilda asked.

"Axew!" He said reassuringly, healthy enough to continue.

"Alright, let's keep our distance for now. I'll think of something to catch that Deino off guard, be on defense," Hilda instructed, but I stared at her smugly.

"Are you sure you have enough time to do that?" I boasted as small flickers of flame appeared inside Diana's mouth. It felt like I and Diana were on the same page with where I was aiming with my strategy.

"Use that breath of yours, Diana!" I commanded, and the small wisps turned into a purple flamethrower, aiming at the stunned Axew.

"Wait! Axew do—" But it was too late. The fire engulfed Axew, much to Hilda's horror and Juniper's… excitement. I didn't know how I felt about that.

After the fire dissipated, the Axew was still standing, one hand on his knee. He tried to get up but buckled. I thought that Hilda would want to fight more but to my surprise, she stepped in instead and picked up Axew.

"No, you've done great. Don't push yourself too much," She said with a sad smile.

"Ax... ew?" He asked and Hilda reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah, we lost," She admitted. Juniper stood up from her chair, clapping enthusiastically.

"Bravo! What an inspiring battle that was! Both Pokémon did their best, while also giving me some much-needed information!" She was almost hopping on the spot. I petted Diana, as she did a great job, and she leaned her head, happy noises coming from her as well.

Hilda came to me with her Pokémon in her hands and a forlorn look on her face.

"I… Again, I'm sorry. I guess things got a little heated between us," She said. I held up a hand.

"No, it's fine, you don't have to apologize. You had the right to be angry. I just like to speak frankly, and I put my foot in my mouth often because of it," I admitted sheepishly.

"How did you do it?" She asked, but I didn't know what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"How did your De—I mean, Diana, how did she know where my Axew was? Isn't she blind?" She elaborated. Juniper was also nearby, ready to take notes if that paper and pen wasn't any indication.

"Well, since Diana lacks sight, she makes up for it with her ability to smell and taste things and remember them. She is very good at following me with her nose alone, though I still rather like to keep her nearby," I answered, and Hilda hummed, looking at Diana who was now again nibbling at my coat, much to my chagrin.

Juniper on the other hand was already back at her table again, assessing her recent discovery.

A lightning bolt would be slower than that woman, holy hell.

We both gazed at her for a few moments before I looked back at Hilda.

"Well, ready to keep your end of the bargain?" I asked her with a small grin while extending a hand. Hilda playfully clicked her tongue.

"Fine, I guess I could use some company," She relented and shook my hand.

"We have quite the journey ahead of us now, huh?" I remarked, making Hilda adorn a small smile.

"Yeah, we do."

AN: Excuse me for keeping silent. I had real-life problems to deal with that I won't bother explaining.

Anyway, finally reached the point where Hilda joins. Hope you are ready for the shenanigans those two will go through.

If you want to join our discord server full of writers and readers come then, we have cookies.

Link: gg/9XG3U7a

Anyway, have a great day.

God's speed.