I closed the doors to Hilda's room tiredly with a small click. My hand fell off the doorknob before I breathed a long and weary sigh. An idle tear or two still formed in my eyes that I immediately had the need to wipe away and I soon found my room with all of my belongings, still waiting for me to pick up.
I instead sat down on the bed and buried my head inside my hands, trying my best to not break down again. As much as I wanted to feel fine after my moment with Hilda, I just couldn't.
The wound was fresh, and it would take time to heal, but thinking about it now wouldn't get me anywhere.
Taking a small shower that helped me calm a little, I made myself presentable because of just how haggard I looked in the mirror. It seemed like I aged more than a decade before my long blond hair invaded my field of vision.
I tried to brush it away, but my bangs were unrelenting.
"What to do with you?" I thought, bringing them for inspection before an idea came to me.
Spotting my bag with bathroom supplies, I dug inside for a hairband and I was able to find a color similar to my hair. I took my bangs that almost reached my neck, and tied them into a short ponytail, allowing no hair to fall on my face.
I tilted my head from side to side to see if I did my job right, and the ponytail was centered. It looked rustic, unrefined, and maybe a little girlish too, but I didn't spot a place here where I could get a haircut. Besides, Hilda was going to challenge the gym today, so I wouldn't have time for it anyway.
With a self-reassuring nod, I packed all of my stuff before leaving the room, locking it with the key, and left it there for the nurse to pick up.
Once I reached Hilda's room, a sudden knot formed in my stomach. The feeling that my father wouldn't do something so selfish was still there and absolutely hated Hilda for it. I just couldn't get rid of it.
It honestly hurt, but until I could find my father and he gave me the answer I was looking for, then this feeling was going to last.
Would I still be able to forgive Hilda if she was proved wrong?
The thought made my stomach growl, not only because of the knot but also because I was rather hungry. I didn't eat the breakfast I took after all.
With the shake of my head, I deemed it necessary to eat before jumping to any conclusions. God knew people could get uncomfortably grumpy and unreasonable just because they hadn't eaten anything yet.
I was about to knock on Hilda's door when they suddenly opened, revealing her inside before, with a small jump, she yelped in surprise.
"Oh Arceus above, don't scare me like that," She said while breathing a sigh of relief before she was caught off-guard, again, by my new hairstyle.
"You look…" She trailed off before eyeing my new ponytail, "Different."
"It's not that big of a change," I said, "If you think it looks bad, then I'll just use some wax to—"
"No," She interrupted me, "It looks surprisingly good on you. Though why a ponytail? I thought a bun would be more up a man's alley."
"Trust me, that's the last thing I'll tie my hair into," I said to her before a smile graced her lips, but it quickly morphed into one of concern.
"You alright?" She asked.
"I… Look, I am quite conflicted right now, and some time alone will help me clear things up," I bobbed my head down, "And something to eat as well."
"Oh, right. Well, we have no time to lose. After I win the next gym badge, it's straight to Castelia," She said while closing the doors behind her with a click of the lock. I instinctively backed off from her a little and she raised an eyebrow.
"Ok, why are you backing away? I'm not gonna bite you," She said.
"I'll just keep my distance for now. Not until I sort my thoughts a little," Was all I said, and once Hilda realized what I was referring to, she only let out an 'oh' before nodding in understanding. Her face dropped a little too.
After a quick breakfast, and talking out our plans, we headed out towards the Nacrene gym. It didn't look any different to me, but I was sure Hilda was a little nervous, but I just couldn't find myself to try and comfort her. I was a mess of emotions right now and I wouldn't probably make the situation any better.
Once we announced ourselves at the reception, we skipped the entire museum and went inside the library with the referee already waiting for us. He wore a white button-up shirt with black pants and dark glasses. His eyebrows were knitted together, making him look like he wore a permanent scowl.
"So, you must be Hilda Hymerlay?" He asked with a gruff voice, and Hilda nodded, "Then that's great. Lenora is waiting for you under one of these bookshelves."
We both stared at him for a couple of moments before Hilda let out a "Huh?".
"You heard me," The referee said, "Under one of these bookshelves."
Oh, this was another gimmick, wasn't it? Wow, these gym leaders didn't like to challenge people the normal way.
Kind of ironic this was the 'normal' type gym leader.
"Do you know how large this place is!?" Hilda shouted at the referee who didn't even bat an eye, almost as if he was already used to outbursts like this.
"And your objective is to find the right books with the right hints," He summarized, making a vein pop on Hilda's forehead.
"And you won't even give me the first clue!?" She roared.
"Again, find it yourself," He responded.
Hilda groaned in frustration before storming inside the gym without any indication, forcing me to follow her, but I was stopped by the referee.
"You're forbidden to help her in any shape or form. If you do, you'll disqualify her," He said sternly, making me nod in affirmation.
"I can still go inside the library, right?" I asked and he barked a small laugh.
"Of course you can, the challenge isn't that complicated anyway. She'll find her way eventually."
Somehow that didn't reassure me at all.
With a sigh, I left the referee and Hilda to their charges before plopping on one of the chairs, deep in thought of what I was going to do in here while Hilda completed her challenge. The last time I was here, I was looking for something that wasn't even here, but there might be some books that could hold my interest.
Standing up from the chair, I went to the same bookshelf I found Lenora once and remembered that one book called 'Branding'. Maybe that would allow me to pass some time.
After taking my time finding the book and successfully acquiring it, I went back to my table and opened the book that greeted me with the front page, revealing all kinds of Pokémon. Some looked normal while others were borderline crazy and even scary too.
But I wasn't here to look at pretty pictures.
A sudden cry of victory echoed in the library, throwing me completely off of my reading. I heard another shout and this time, I could pinpoint it was Tusky shouting in victory. My surprised expression formed into a deadpan stare before turning back to the book I had.
Flipping a page or two revealed the outline of what this book was about and my initial description was spot on, but the catastrophes weren't the ones to cause the branding, but…
I had to do a double-take before reading out loud.
"Very few Pokémon of larger power that can cause world-altering effects inflict the Branding," I quoted the book before I browsed through it more. It mentioned Branding a lot, so much so, I almost found it annoying.
The keyword being almost.
This read was fascinating and baffling at the same time. Fascinating in a way, because it said that people with the Branding could take on traits from the Pokémon that caused it. Not physical traits, but more related to their typing.
But baffling because I couldn't for the life of me see anybody be able to shoot lighting out of their hands or create fire out of thin air. I knew Pokémon were already kind of hard to believe they existed, but this would be pushing it.
It didn't stop me from reading the rest of the book though.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
I heard another shout from the depths of the library, making me groan in frustration over the fact that Hilda just couldn't keep her mouth shut, or at least stay quiet.
This was a library after all, even if a gym was right under it, or wherever it was.
I closed another book about berries and their use in cooking before finding the right spot for the text and aimed to find Hilda to see if she was done with the entry challenge.
I had to say it was starting to take awfully long.
With each step echoing satisfyingly in the library, I strode towards the noise of battle and too much groaning before spotting Hilda doing another battle with a librarian and soundly defeating him with Bunni shouting triumphantly.
Hilda called her back inside the pokéball before pumping her fist.
"And that! Should be the last clue! Alright, what is it?" Hilda demanded of the trainer in front of her, who just breathed a long defeated sigh.
"You'll find it in a book about berries and cooking," The trainer said, making me perk up. I just put that away not so recently, and I was about to tell Hilda where it was if I didn't stop myself.
Hilda tilted her head towards me, surprised to see me.
"Oh, Radko, I was expecting you to wait for me in the museum," She said.
"Do you really believe that I would wait for that long in there?" I shout back with crossed arms.
"Figured as much. Anyway, I still need to find that book, then it's straight to Lenora," She said, pumped at the prospect of fighting Lenora, the usual nervousness Hilda had was gone while adrenaline pumped through her like a drug.
I just had to hope she wouldn't get too full of herself.
She rushed to find the book that I was reading not so long ago, and I wordlessly followed her, not wanting to interrupt. I kept my gaze at Hilda for the entire time, watching her search from book to book, until a small yellow firefly was flying right in front of me, obscuring my view.
Wait, a firefly? How the hell did a firefly get here?
I tried to swat it away, but it went right past my hand like it wasn't even there in the first place. I turned around to try my best to get rid of it and suddenly, it was gone. I was apparently loud enough for Hilda to hear.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked me, hands-on a book in the meantime.
"I… don't pay attention to me, you focus on your challenge," I said dismissively while she gave me a deadpan stare.
"Right," She drawled, before continuing her search through the book while I was just baffled by what happened. This place was getting worse for my mental health.
"Ah!" I heard Hilda shout, earning my attention and I saw her with a note in hand that had a different color of parchment than her text.
How did I miss that?
Hilda mumbled what was written on the paper until she looked up where the book was located. She took a chair to give herself a boost before reaching far inside the bookshelf and I heard an audible click.
The entire bookshelf shook in response, almost knocking Hilda off the chair, making me rush to her. She regained her balance after flailing her arms around before gazing at the bookshelf in awe. I stared at it as well, because of what it was doing.
It was moving.
While we both gazed at the bookshelf, it was able to move away to reveal a staircase underneath that led down inside the library. We both looked at each other for a few moments before I broke the silence.
"Do you think she is down there?"
"Positive," She said, her gaze morphed into a determinate stare, "Let's go, I'll beat this gym on my first try. Unlike my brother."
"I'll only say to do your best out there," I said, earning a small smile from Hilda.
"Thanks," She said before going down the stairs and I followed her inside. We reached another arena with a large Pokémon field at the ready while contained pyres illuminated the area with dim light. Bones and rare ores were at display, showcasing their age and value inside their glassy confines while bookshelves adorned texts that seemed too important to show to the general public.
It became a little harder to breathe in here, but it wasn't because of any dust, in fact, this place was clean, pristine even. I looked around the place, only to spot Lenora standing on the other side of the field with her arms crossed and a wide grin in place.
"You took your time getting here. I was thinking for a second that you wouldn't find this place," She quipped, much to Hilda's annoyance.
"If you didn't make it so convoluted then maybe I could have been here much earlier," She shot back with crossed arms, "Hope you're ready for what I'm about to bring."
If Lenora's grin wasn't wide before, it certainly was now.
"Your fire burns so brightly, little girl," She said, before her face grew serious, almost intimidating, "Though you need the fuel to keep it alive, and make sure I'm not the one to snuff it out. I almost did so with your brother."
"Trust me, my brother is only half of what I am. I will not be as easy to defeat as him," She said defiantly while pointing at Lenora with one of her pokéballs.
"Prove that with your actions, not your words, little girl," Lenora challenged while bringing her own pokéball from her apron.
"Alright!" I suddenly heard a shout from the field, revealing the same-looking guy we met at the entrance, ready to judge the match.
How did he get here so quickly?
"This is a match between Hilda Hymerlay and Lenora of the Nacrene City gym! Each trainer gets to use two Pokémon regardless if either side has that many or not!" He shouted while I found a place to take a seat and observe the fight, "Let the battle begin!"
"Bunni, come out!" Hilda shouted.
"It's that time again, Benny!" Lenora yelled as well while two pokéballs flew into the air and both opened at the same time revealing Bunni and Benny.
The funny thing was that both were Herdiers.
The two dogs were staring daggers at each other, growling to intimidate each other while the two trainers were caught off-guard, to say the least. Lenora was the one to snap out of her trance first.
"I see you trained your own Herdier. Good to know," She said while Hilda held a shaky smirk in place.
"Then this battle will be only about whose one is better," She remarked before shouting, "Bunni! Work up!"
"Counter that with a Work Up of your own, Benny!" Lenora commanded as both Herdiers began to absorb the same sand particles I saw in Hilda's fight with Cress. They were ready to go guns blazing if their feet clawing at the ground wasn't any indication.
"Fine, Bunni! Get another Work Up!" Hilda commanded, and while Bunni was confused at first, but she obeyed anyway and made another dust cloud appear to get absorbed. The only problem was that Lenora had the same plan as well.
"Very well, Work Up again, Benny! We'll show them how it's done!" She shouted and this became a huge back and forth. Neither side wanted to break the cycle at all while both Herdiers were pretty much jacked up with adrenaline.
They were so sporadic with their movement, it was honestly surprising they hadn't ignored their trainers and went for each other's throats.
"Alright, that's enough!" Hilda suddenly shouted, earning Lenora's attention, "This is getting ridiculous. I say we end this with a single Take Down! The Pokémon standing wins!"
Lenora had to do a double-take before a small bark of laughter escaped her lips.
"I like your guts, girl!" She said, before shouting, "You heard her, Benny! Take Down!"
"You too, Bunni!" Hilda commanded as well.
A defining "Herdier!" echoed in the arena from both Pokémon, before white light enveloped them both, and in the blink of an eye, they charged at each other. They were so fast, almost like a lightning bolt, before a loud crash vibrated through the arena when the two Herdiers collided.
The impact was so hard that it almost felt like a grenade exploding. It created a shock wave of wind that almost knocked me from my seat while I put both hands to cover my face from any dust. My ears rang while I tried to regain my balance before gazing at the huge dust cloud created by the two ridiculously powerful dogs.
I spotted Hilda holding her pokéball with both hands, clutching it tightly while Lenora had a passive expression, waiting for the cloud to settle.
Everyone waited with bated breath, but soon enough, the dust cleared, revealing both Bunni and Benny on the ground, passed out.
"Both Benny and Bunni are unable to battle! It's a tie!" The referee shouted while both trainers with downcasted expressions called their pokémon back. Both said a few reassuring words before they grabbed their next pokéball.
"Buck! It's your time to shine, again!" Lenora shouted while throwing her pokéball and soon, a Patrat looking Pokémon emerged from it. That was probably its evolution if I had to guess. It stood taller than a regular Patrat and had yellow lines that made it look like it was wearing armor. Its tail was much longer and it remained bushy at the end.
"Watchog!" Buck said, crossing his arms, and was ready for anything that Hilda brought out. She clutched Tusky's pokéball tightly before throwing it.
"Tusky, show how strong you got! We have to make Diana jealous!" She shouted while Tusky appeared with quite the fanfare.
"Fraxure!" He shouted while also crossing his arms.
But he wasn't an Axew anymore.
I stared at Tusky for a solid second while I could spot Hilda with a shit-eating grin, but I was too preoccupied with Tusky himself.
He got big, but not to the point of being tall. He was still rather short, but those tusks with red tips gained considerable length and his jaw looked menacing. The color of his torso also changed into dark green and he looked like he was wearing a suit of armor. With his arms and legs increasing in size as well, he looked ready to battle that Watchog.
I could only hope they could pull it off.
"A Fraxure? This early?" Lenora asked in disbelief before a small scowl adorned her face, "This might be tougher than I thought."
"That's right," Hilda said, mimicking Tusky's stance, "I'll repeat what I said back in the Striaton gym, where I couldn't back up my own words."
She pumped her fist while I could see the fire in her eyes, making me adorn a smirk.
She was fighting to win.
"I'll mop the floor with you," She said with an intimidating voice, "Tusky!"
"Hax!" He responded.
"Get your Dragon Claws at the ready," She commanded while Tusky's now sizable arms gained even more length as they were enveloped by vibrant green claws, "And charge!"
"Don't think I'll make things easy for you! Buck, attack that Fraxure with everything you have!" Lenora shouted.
"Watchog!" Buck roared before his arms were also enveloped by white light that formed into similarly-looking claws before charging at Tusky.
And the dual began.
Tusky went for a hook that was immediately blocked by Buck, who then took hold of Tusky's arm before stabbing him right into his shoulder, the claws passing through the Pokémon. He grunted in pain but held on before using his other hand to slash at Buck's arm that pinned his other one.
Buck had no choice to let go unless he wanted to be slashed, but Tusky used that chance to close the distance before lacerating Buck's chest. He shouted in pain, but no blood came from the wound, but that shout meant it hurt.
They stared at each other for a couple of moments, before resuming their duel. They traded blows while the sound of clashing claws rang in my ears and sparks were flying everywhere.
I was captivated by the sight.
At first, I thought that Pokémon would enjoy simple and calm lives, but I could finally see that some lived to battle. Tusky was a great example.
I could see him enjoying the fight with a small smirk in place, even if he got blocked by Buck, who had the same expression. It was like seeing two gladiators facing off against each other in a battle for dominance. Whoever lost had to bow to the other.
And neither was nowhere near close to giving up.
Buck went for another stab, but Tusky was able to read it and dodged to the side while seizing his opportunity. His claws formed into a fist before punching Buck right into his stomach. He gasped for air before being launched Lenora's way but was able to find his footing without leaving the field.
They both drew heavy breaths, taking some time to gain some much-needed stamina while the trainers gazed at each other, hoping to find a weakness to exploit. Lenora gave Hilda a smirk of recognition.
"As much as this is a spectacle to watch, I think it is about time we—"
"Ended this," Hilda finished for her, giving Lenora a nod.
"Took the words right out of my mouth. Buck, charge!" Lenora commanded.
"Watch!" He responded, growing the same pair of claws before charging against Tusky.
"You too, Tusky. I know you can do it. One last Dragon Claw!" Hilda shouted reassuringly and Tusky nodded before unleashing his claws too.
"Frax!" He shouted at his opponent and charged too. As they were about to clash, however, Lenora wasn't going down without a fight.
"Grab him!" Shouted Lenora suddenly, taking both Tusky and Hilda back. Buck didn't stop his charge and grabbed the stunned Fraxure. Tusky couldn't get out of Buck's grip as he desperately tried to pry the Watchog off, but with little to no success.
"Now, Hypnosis!" Lenora commanded and Buck's hypnotic eyes began to move on their own while he stared at the now captivated Tusky.
Damn, Hypnosis was something you didn't want your Pokémon to bear and I didn't think Tusky had much fight left in him. I turned to Hilda who I thought would be panicking, but she adorned a deadly smirk.
"Right into my trap," Was all she said, before shouting, "Tusky! Close your eyes, and use Dragon Rage!"
"Frax!" He shouted in response before closing his eyes shut, much to Buck's chagrin. He tried to make him open his eyes again by tightening his grip, but that didn't work.
"Damn it! Buck, get out of there!" Lenora shouted desperately, and Buck looked at her questionably before dark flames flickered around Tusky. He realized what was happening and stopped his Hipnosis, and tried to run away, but Tusky stopped him by grabbing him instead. He had a grin on his face as the flames got stronger and stronger, before dark flames erupted from him, burning Buck in the process.
"Buck!" Lenora shouted in worry while gazing at the dark pyre. It felt like an eternity, before the flames subsided, revealing a charred, but thankfully unconscious Buck laying on the ground while Tusky stood over him.
"Fraxure!" He let out a mighty roar triumphantly, before turning to Hilda who was beaming at him. She ran up to him before embracing him.
"You did gre—Ow! Hot!" She shouted in pain, backing off from Tusky who was a little confused.
"Frax?" He asked while tilting his head. Well, at least he still acted like the little Axew I knew.
"Sorry, I didn't know you would be so hot after that," She said before pointing her pokéball at him, calling him back. I took that as my cue and stood up from my spot before reaching Hilda who was looking at her pokéball with a warm smile.
"You did great, Tusky. You've earned some rest," She said and pocketed the ball inside her bag before turning to me.
"Congratulations on your win. Does this one feel more earned?" I asked her and she breathed a sigh.
"Oh absolutely, but I think I'll have to take a nap. I'm exhausted," She said, and while I would rather be on my way to Castelia, I didn't protest or say anything, as much as I wanted to.
"Congratulations on beating the Nacrene gym, little girl. It has been some time since I felt the rush of battle. You and your brother are really something," She then struck a thinking pose for a moment before exclaiming an "Ah.".
"I almost forgot Cheren too. I guess we have a few runner-ups now," She barked another small laugh, "Might as well call the Elite Four to finally stop slacking and get prepared for you three."
"You bet. I won't stop until I find my way up there," Hilda declared with her hands on her hips.
"That's great to hear," Lenora said before bringing out a badge in the form of a book's spine with purple color and two golden lines, "This is the Basic badge. Sometimes, you just need to find a solution and not make a new one."
"Just like how you put hints on how to defeat you in battle?" Hilda asked and Lenora nodded with a smile.
"You've been paying attention. Keep up the good work, it'll only get harder from here," She said, "Take it, it's yours."
Hilda nodded to Lenora and grabbed the badge from her hand. She gazed at it for a moment before clutching it tightly.
"Score."