The Legend of Nature, the protector of all Flora and Fauna, the Sky Warrior.
Those were the names held by the Pokemon, that was gently laying on a branch of the tallest tree in the forests of Sinnoh.
Its ears perked up, almost imperceptibly, as it felt a strange aura on the horizon.
A Mid-Sinnoh Night's Dream - IV - Natural Gift
They got out of the forest days later, tired, hungry, and cold.
Luckily, they stumbled straight into Floaroma town, the village of flowers. A villager spotted them and quickly came up to help.
A homebody type of woman, blue overalls and a pink sweater, holding a flower bouquet in one hand while supporting Dawn with her other.
"This happens too darn much. Travelers thinking that just because it's north of Jubilife, there ain't no issues." The woman murmured, letting them follow behind her to a house.
Starly perched on Turtwig's back, pecking the last of the twigs out of its feather. Her and Chimchar had dealt with most of the bugs they encountered in the forest, before Lucas managed to catch them. Barry wasn't interested in Bug-types, and Hilbert didn't really feel a pull towards any of them, so they left it to their resident try-hard.
"Thanks for the help, we really didn't expect that." Hilbert gratefully took a Fresh Water and gulped half of it down in one swig.
"It's not your fault, there just ain't enough signage 'round those parts." The woman shook her head.
"Are there any inns around here, Mrs. McKonelly? Hotels, I mean." The woman had introduced herself and her husband as, you guessed it, flower farmers.
"Oh, no, Floaroma don't have enough travelers for that sorta thing. You're all welcome to stay here for a few nights."
"Really?" Dawn seemed surprised.
"It's no trouble, really. Our kids aren't around very often, off traveling through Kanto and Johto and such…" She looked briefly sad, but shook it off. "So stay as long as you like! Well, with a purchase of flowers, maybe?"
Hilbert chose not to mention the logistics of trying to sell flowers in a town known for having widely available flowers you could pick just about anywhere.
"Thank you for your kindness." Dawn bowed, quickly smacking Hilbert on the back of his head to take the hint.
He bowed too, as did Lucas and Barry, fearing an angry woman's wrath.
Golett chose to as well, eliciting a chuckle from the kindly middle-aged woman.
"Auntie! Auntie!" A little girl ran up to Mrs. McKonelly the next morning, crying her eyes out, and clutched at the woman's overalls.
"Aw, what is it, sweetheart? Did you get stung by a Combee again?"
"No, Auntie! A lot of mean people came to the windmill!"
"What do you mean, mean people?" She crouched over to wipe the little girl's tears away.
"Some mean people in weird suits went in there and locked the door! I heard Daddy yelling!" She cried.
Hilbert jumped to alert, turning in the direction the girl came from.
Dawn put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait. We should let the police handle this."
"There aren't any police around here. That sounds like Team Galactic, and if they're doing something, I'm going to check it out." He held his cross-transceiver up to his ear after tapping in a number.
"Hilbert? How are you, do you need something?"
"Do you have one of those PC uplinks? One that I can access from my cross-transceiver?"
"I haven't invested in one quite yet, I haven't needed to. Is there an issue?"
"Team Galactic is doing something, and I'd like to have backup."
"Again? So soon?"
"Yes, I'm in Floaroma town."
"Would you mind picking some flowers for me, while you're there? I hear that Gracidea flowers grow rarely-"
"Professor, I'd hate to be rude, but that is NOT the issue right now."
"Well, I'm sorry, but if there isn't a PC box nearby, I can't do much for you."
"Ah! Fine! Abra, Teleport!"
"You have an Ab-" The good professor was cut off as Hilbert fell from the ceiling, Golett landing on top of him, and an Abra slowly floating down on top.
"Well, this is a surprise."
"Pokemon. Need 'em." He held out his hand, gesturing for the balls, from the bottom of the pile.
Rowan sighed and grabbed them out of his desktop PC transmitter, before putting them in Hilbert's outstretched hand.
"Thanks. Abra-" They were gone as fast as they arrived.
Rowan sipped some coffee as one of his assistants burst through the door.
"Sir! I heard a large crash! Did Garchomp go looking for Hilbert again?"
"No, nothing like that. I don't think we'll have issues like that for a while." He took another sip. "Though, please make a note. If those kids end up on the news again, please block any voicemails from Johanna for a few days. I think I almost needed my hearing aids after she finished her last call."
Hilbert landed on Lucas and Barry after being teleported back to where he was standing. They got out of the pileup relatively quickly though, straightening themselves out.
"So, I'm going to lead with these two, and… Well, I didn't actually think too far ahead. If there starts being a major issue, they'll be our last resort."
"Since when is it our responsibility to deal with terrorists?"
"Since I decided it would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Come on, let's go." They turned and ran off towards the windmills.
"Let us through."
"You're not members of Team Galactic, scram." The man in the jumpsuit guarding the door sneered.
Tyranitar and Garchomp let themselves out, imposing over the both of them from behind Hilbert's back.
"Let us through."
"Uh… Yeah, sure thing…" The grunt quickly dropped the key and ran off.
Hilbert picked it up and wiped some dirt off of its rusty finish.
"...Dude, what would you have done if he didn't drop the key?"
He stopped short of putting the key in the lock. "I probably would've had Golett use Phantom Force to sneak under the door's crack."
"...You're scary, sometimes, man. It's cool, but kinda freaky." Barry couldn't take his eyes off of the massive pseudo-legendaries behind Hilbert.
"Whatever works. There's a little girl scared to death for her father, and you think Golett would let me let that slide?"
"You're more scared of your partner than an evil team?"
"Aren't you?" He clicked open the door.
On the top floor of the Valley Windworks, grunts were pushing around a scientist, while one of Team Galactic's three- No, four commanders crossed her arms and made her demands.
"Listen, Mr. Vastimosa, all you have to do is give us the codes to unlock the power conduits, it's not like we're asking you to sacrifice your life's work or anything."
"That's exactly what you're doing!"
"Details, details, bah. In our new world there will be no need for such things, do you hear me- What was that?"
An ominous roar echoed up the stairs and down the corridor towards them.
"Ah, a Tyranitar?" The newest commander, Charon, adjusted his glasses. "I had no idea one of our new recruits had such a Pokemon." He could tell what species it was by just the cry.
"But why would they be using it-"
A massive plume of dust flew out of the stairwell, nearly a dozen feet out. Luckily, most of their team members were at the opposite side of the building.
A teenage boy walked out of the dust, clearing the air with his cap and shaking his hair out. "I think I overestimated these guys. I think Lucas could've done this on his own."
"...I'm not sure if I should feel insulted by that." A boy in a red cap followed, a slight flame flickering behind him.
"Anyway, I think the Sandstorm was a teeny bit overkill, man." A blond kid walked out as well.
"Who are you?" Shouted Mars, as the dust cleared.
"Who are we? Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" He put his cap back on and readjusted the strap.
"You Probably Don't Know How Things Work Around Here, So Let Me Fill You In."
"Neither do you…" Lucas muttered.
"I Am He Who Fights Monsters. The Trainer That Battles Other Trainers, And The Pokemedic Of The Soul."
Golett stepped in front of him and whirred his drill.
A look of realization crossed the grunts' faces, and the two Commanders had the slightest look of surprise.
"Guess Which One I Am Today-" He tried to ask, before being slapped upside the head by Barry.
"That's enough of that."
"Ugh, fine." He rubbed the back of his head, fixing his hat at the same time. He looked up at the grunts.
"Listen up! We're Team Black, and I'm its badass leader, the mighty trainer, Black! Our reputation echoes far and wide-"
Slap.
"Get on with it."
"Okay, okay." He recovered from the second smack and readjusted his cap again, before standing up straight. "We're going to be kicking your asses today, if you don't mind."
"What the- Are you ill? I'd feel a little guilty for beating up on someone who's mentally deficient." Mars cocked a hand on her hip as she tossed a Pokeball up and down with the other.
Lucas sighed. "No, he's just like that. And it works, somehow. I'd recommend getting out before Golett puts a hole in the wall."
"Commander, that's the guy that collapsed the Oreburgh gym!" Yelled one of the grunts, edging towards one of the windows.
"I know that, dimwit." She looked over his shoulder. "Where's that Tyranitar I heard earlier?"
"He's guarding the first floor."
"I could've sworn I heard a Garchomp as well…" Muttered the old man, tapping the frame of his glasses near his ear.
"Oh, you did." He looked past all of them, out the window behind them. His focus turned to the hostage scientist. "Sorry, sir. If you're not aware, Team Galactic is under investigation by the International Police."
"I can assume so! Is my daughter alright?"
"Yeah, Mrs. McKonelly is taking care of her right now. Anyway, you don't mind a little property damage, do you? I'm sure Interpol will pay for the damages."
"...Do what you must." The scientist huddled low to the ground and covered his ears.
"Right then. Garchomp! False Swipe!"
Too little too late, the grunts turned towards the opposite wall in time for it to be sliced through horizontally, sliding it off onto the ground.
The Dragon-type hung in the hole in the wall, claws pierced through the ceiling, hanging on the roof for grip, and its feet on the newly opened floor. Wind whipped through the room, sending paper scattering. Glass from the sheared-off windows peppered the ground below.
"Wow. What's a kid like you doing with two Pokemon like that?" Mars seemed impressed, barely looking over her shoulder, simply pointing a thumb back at the newly opened balcony.
"I don't know either, it just kinda happened." Hilbert shook his head, posing with his arms crossed. "Listen up. You can either walk away... Or I walk on your face-"
A Hyper Beam from the Commander's Purugly flew over his shoulder.
"Okay then, option two." He ducked, running behind cover. "Garchomp, False Swipe! Knock out these wackjobs! Golett, use Drain Punch on the Purugly! Team Black- RIP AND TEAR!"
"...Until it's done?" Asked Lucas, confused, before he was tugged behind cover by Barry.
Monferno joined in the battle against Purugly, using Mach Punch to keep it off balance long enough for Golett to get in range.
He was a short Pokemon, and he was made of rocks. Not the speediest.
Garchomp was doing its duty well, knocking out Zubats left and right, before using False Swipe on anyone who got too close, not seriously hurting them, but soundly incapacitating them. The pseudo-legendary still couldn't fit in the building, so they had to start clearing the corridor. Piplup was shooting Water Guns at any upright grunts, pushing them towards the hole in the wall, and making them feel a bit more slippery.
The other Commander, Charon, had a strange orange thing covered in electricity dancing on his palms, attempting to use electric moves on Piplup, Monferno, and Starly, who was shooting Gusts in an attempt to aid Piplup.
Eventually, Purugly finally fell into a heap, and Mars was forced to recall her ace.
Charon tutted his words. "Bested by a child…"
"Shut it, old man. We have to go."
"But where? Do not worry, for the genius, Charon, has your answer!" A Ralts appeared in a flash of light, out of its Pokeball.
"No! Golett, Focus Blast!" Hilbert yelled, desperately trying to keep them from doing exactly what he would do in their situation. The golem started glowing and began his chant.
"Go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-"
In the name of my freedom, my purpose, and he who has given it to me.
In the name of those who are weak, have become weak, and those who would protect them, begone!
"Ralts, Teleport us away from this mess!" In the blink of an eye, the two commanders were gone, and Golett's move hit nothing but the portion of the far wall that was left.
"Damn!" Hilbert swore, kicking up a puddle.
Garchomp looked at him curiously, tilting its head.
He only then realized the state of the room. Sure, ignoring the giant puddle, soaked papers everywhere, and that big hole in the wall…
All of the grunts had been left behind. They were still breathing, clearly, but none of them could gather the energy to move. Per the use of False Swipes.
The previously-hostage scientist shakily stood up and started trying to wring the water out of his lab coat.
Hilbert held his cross-transceiver up to his ear.
"Looker, you're gonna love this."
"You keep this up, Black, you'll have a job in my department in a year." Looker took the last notes he needed and put the Trainer ID back on the KO'ed grunt's person. Officers from a variety of places flew in on Dragonites, Staraptors, Pidgeots… Whatever they could grab, to look like they were doing something. Interpol had a massive passenger helicopter for this kind of thing on standby in Sinnoh, the camo pattern painted over with a Pikachu head on the bottom.
Didn't really lessen the intimidation factor, as it took off a few minutes later, carrying the accomplices away for questioning. The wind nearly whipped his hat off, but Golett was sitting on his shoulders and held it down.
"You can call me Hilbert. Black is my father's… Wait, no. It's my code name, you could say."
"Exactly. As an investigator myself, we must ensure secrecy by using code names only."
"Whatever you say, Zenigata."
"I hear that enough from the wife, I don't need to hear it from a kid too." The officer looked up at the rapidly retreating helicopter. "Good job though. I trust we can rely on Team Black in the future?"
"I'm just some kid taking the gym challenge, heh." He waved at Dawn, who was walking the little girl from earlier back to her father, now changed out of his soaked work clothes.
"You say that, yet you've done this much in a mere month." Looker looked- Er, stared up at him, from where he was sitting on Garchomp's shoulders.
Hilbert held out a finger and thumb, pretending to squish the investigator from his high-up view.
"...You know what, never mind. Have fun when you get to Eterna city." Looker waved him off and walked towards the town's center, folding his arms behind his back.
Waiting a moment, almost preemptively so, he tapped in a number on his communicator.
"Sweetie? What's wrong?" It sounded like his mom was cutting vegetables on the other side of the line.
"Okay, before you get the phone call, I don't think I was on the news this time."
"...What did you do, Hilby?"
"Nothing crazy, it's all fine. But like, if guys from the International Police show up at the house, don't be shocked."
"WHAT DID YOU DO, HIL-"
He ended the call there, laughing. It would probably be fine. Practicing some desensitization couldn't hurt.
Floaroma had an impromptu festival after a few days, and the members of 'Team Black' were the guests of honor. Seeing it would be rude to leave without attending, Hilbert quickly caved into Dawn's demands that they go without much argument.
It was a fragment of Sinnoh's earlier culture, before the Pokemon world was globalized, but there were these fancy dresses, called 'Kimonos'...
Hilbert recalled that in one of his pamphlets on the plane ride, those were worn during the summer months' festivals, but didn't want to spoil the mood.
"...How the hell am I supposed to wear this? It's cold outside, and I'm not going to put on tights for something like this." He looked at the blue cloth that was draped over his body. It matched his usual jacket's dark shades, and he'd been forced to discard the hat.
Mr. McKonelly laughed at his terrible hat-hair, before whipping out a comb.
Lucas and Barry were in a similar situation to him. Lucas's was a lighter sky-blue color, matching his jacket, while Barry's was a honey-like yellow. Similarly to him, Lucas's hair looked plain weird without his beret.
It all paled in comparison to Dawn though, because when she walked out of Mrs. McKonelly's private bathroom, Hilbert swore his heart skipped a beat.
Her cloak was pink, but had deep purple and white highlights, like a royal dress. Her hair was done up with traditional hairpins, which the missus bragged were made of the bones of a Legendary Pokemon.
He didn't believe her, mainly because everyone says that, but also because he was too awestruck.
"...What? Is my hair loose somewhere?" She noticed his expression and put her arms back, trying to feel around her hair.
Mr. McKonelly chose the worst time to add his opinion. "Well, you see, Dawn, teenage boys get really excited when-"
"Hush, dear." His wife quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him off towards their bedroom.
"..."
"...Anyway!" Hilbert interjected into the following silence, sure his face was beet-red, and refusing to look at anyone's face. "We should go now, right?"
And so they did, their partners trailing alongside them.
There were glowing lanterns flying in the sky, scattering flower petals among them like rain.
The greatest lights came from the town's center, where sounds of merriment echoed far and wide across the valley. The natural glow from the moon and every star in the sky glittered across the dewy grasslands.
Hilbert was frozen in awe, seeing what the night sky really looked like for the first time in years.
Dawn nudged him. "Something wrong, Hilby?"
She was intrigued when he didn't even object to his nickname being said, and just kept looking at the sky.
"Hey… You guys go on ahead, we'll catch up."
Turtwig and Golett nodded, though the latter giving them each an extra-long glance, before rejoining the group. Garchomp and Tyranitar did the same, attempting to quietly follow as well, though the sounds of their footsteps were still quite loud.
Barry shrugged, said something about there being more food for him and Lucas, and tugged the other boy down the path, letting more than an entire party's worth of Pokemon follow them.
Hilbert shook his head, finally coming out of his stupor, but still focusing on the sky. "Huh? Did you say something?"
She smiled, and grabbed his hand, pulling him down a different trail. "There's a place I found when I was playing with Mr. Vastimosa's daughter. I think you'll love the view there, let's go!" She whispered, while excited nonetheless.
Dawn pulled him to the top of a hill in the flower pastures, through the trees lining Floraroma. From outside, it was barely visible, but once you were at the base, you could see the clearing was large enough to comfortably walk circles around. There was a large tree at the top of the hill, filtering the moonlight through twigs and branches.
There was a tiny wooden bench next to the tree, carved with dozens of pairs of initials. It was where they sat down.
Hilbert was still zoned out, watching the moon ever-so-slowly inch its way across the beautiful night sky.
"You don't remember seeing the sky like this before, do you?" She asked him, planting her hands next to her sides on the bench, and stretching out her legs.
"...Unova is a polluted mess," Hilbert said, his head shaking slightly. "I never saw the stars. When the moon was out, it was always layered with fog and smoke. I heard people talk about the 'Pokemon in the Moon', but all I've ever seen is a white blob in the sky."
"What do you think? Now that you're looking at the real thing."
He didn't answer, but a wet trail started working its way down his cheek.
She sighed, the barest hint of a smile crossing her face.
"The first thing I noticed about Sinnoh was the air, how it tasted on my tongue. I have some memories of what it was like growing up here, but they're all faded and weak. I left too early for me to actually let any of that soak in. So, it was a shock when I got here. Jubilife is crowded too, but it's nowhere near as bad as Castelia is back in Unova. I still couldn't see all the stars though..." Hilbert raised a hand, weakly reaching out. "I guess the few I did see, my brain just figured they were planes or satellites. But now, looking at them… I'm just overwhelmed."
"In a good way?" She asked.
He didn't answer immediately, only reaching out further, like he could take hold of the sky itself, and clench it within his fist.
"Yeah. In a good way." He cracked a smile, watching the light bend around his fingers.
Dawn reached up and wrapped her hand around his, slowly pulling it back down to the bench, and letting their grasp rest between them.
They sat like that for a while, letting moonbeams soak into their skin.
"I think… I want to protect that feeling." He said, knocking his head against the tree. "I want other people to feel what I feel, without fear or anger. Human or Pokemon."
"And that's why you do what you do?" She asked, not looking away from the sky.
"I don't know why, but I feel it in… My heart. As corny as that sounds."
"No, I get it. Is that Team Black's mission statement?"
"Ha, sure."
She didn't say anything.
"...Thanks, Dawn." He said, nodding.
They sat in another silence. It was quickly cut off by a childish giggling.
"Ooh, miss Dawn is alone with a boyyyyyyyy, don't you know that's how you get cooties?" A little girl walked up, making silly faces at her.
"Annette, we're having a grown-up conversation. Shoo." Dawn said, laughing.
Hilbert couldn't help laughing himself, at the absurdity of his time so far.
Fighting two dragons, blowing up a gym, fighting thugs, fighting thugs again but with the backing of Interpol, sitting under a tree with a girl…
Anyone would laugh at the idea of having that kind of life. Not in mockery, but… You know?
A guardian of nature stared down at them, from the highest branches of the tree.
Its head was cocked to the side, curious.
Of course, that wasn't the first human Shaymin had ever seen with that sort of worldview, but it was interested nonetheless. Something about the boy seemed… Different. Maybe the scent? Though, the Grass-type had been near travelers from other regions before, and it wasn't just that. Something about his energy, indeterminable, but still there.
Turning back invisible, it decided to keep an eye on the boy in the future.
Dawn tugged him and Annette by their hands, back to the main village, all three of them laughing. Hilbert's happy tears were long forgotten, as, "A man never shows up to a celebration crying! Who the h-"
At which point he was quickly smacked by Dawn. Shouldn't swear around kids, something like that.
Barry and Lucas waved them over, holding pop guns. Monferno was eating some kind of kebab, and the other two starters and Starly were sharing a bowl of berries. Golett was holding one two, though his head barely reached past the top of the stand's table. Tyranitar and Garchomp were trying to make themselves look small, with Abra sleeping, perfectly balanced, on the Dragon-type's head.
It looked like a lot of fun, so they joined in with all of the townsfolk. Floaroma was a small town, about the size of Twinleaf, so they had enough people for a proper festival, even if it was a little sparse.
After messing around, playing some basic carnival games, and eating interesting snacks for a few hours, someone decided to pop open some bottles.
Bottles of what, you may ask? For legal reasons, we can't tell you anything other than it's very fizzy and very sweet.
How Monferno ended up drunk, they'd never know. The fire should have burned the drinks up at the slightest contact, but nope.
They all ended up stumbling back to the house, after the townsfolk insisted they all take a celebratory drink as well. Annette was riding on Dawn's shoulders, but still careful enough to avoid messing up her hair.
"That was fun," Hilbert managed to get out, instead of laughing. He returned his two pseudo-legendaries and opened the front door.
The McKonelly's and the Vastimosa's were sitting at the table, already having some food. Annette hopped off of Dawn's shoulders and ran over to sit next to her mom and dad.
"Did you all enjoy the festival?" Mrs. McKonelly asked.
"I've never seen anything like it… Be sure to send me an invitation next time." Hilbert said, sinking into the couch with a sigh. His teammates did the same, crowding over the most comfortable seat in the house in a pile.
"Would you like something to eat?" She asked, in vain apparently, as she realized they'd all fallen asleep the moment they'd sat down.
The adults in the room gave each other a look, laughing, as Annette ran over and jumped in Dawn's lap. Over the last week, the two girls had become almost like cousins. Soon enough, she was fast asleep as well. It was far past midnight, because when Floaroma town celebrated, they pulled out all the stops.
"Should I get the camera?" Mr. McKonelly asked.
"Oh, yes, definitely," replied the two women.
A few days later, Johanna received a letter from a Pelipper in the mail. Inside was a florally patterned postcard and a picture.
She smiled at the scene of the kids, snoring with their Pokemon resting at their feet, not a care in the world.
She sent a copy along to Michelle and Dawn's parents. Thinking back on it, she hadn't talked with Lucas' family very much.
It was a little depressing to find out why.
AN:
This might be the last chapter for a while, but that's up in the air.
BlackGeneralNocturna, thank you for the review. I did mess up the tag lines for Barry and Lucas in the first chapter, thanks for pointing that out. They're both rival characters, and Lucas was a silent protagonist in the game, so it kinda swaps around. Lucas seems as natural of a name for Barry as Barry does, I guess. I don't know if I'd describe Hilbert as 'girl-crazy', but if that's your view, I won't fault you. I was adding in a healthy dose of thinking girls are cute, it's not a driving personality trait. Of course, it could have been boys too, but Hilbert doesn't seem like the type. Nothing wrong with that kind of thing, of course.
So, Hilbert's declaration of battle against Mars has two references in it. The second should be fairly obvious, as it's from Gurren Lagann, but whoever can guess the first one gets a cookie. Your hint is that it's a Persona-fic I'm writing a sequel to.
Garchomp and Tyranitar will not be used for gym battles, because… Come on, seriously? And he won't use them against other trainers, because that would be serious bullshit. Team Galactic is fair game though.
Golett's a force of nature all on his own. By all means, he should be a Golurk… But I'm not doing that anytime soon. He's like a messed-up Genesect, except gone even more wrong. So, changing colors and lights is just a thing he can do.
Borrowing the one-on-one gym battles from everything ever, because Golett curb stomping everything wouldn't be as fun.
Abra is going to have his turn too, don't worry.