Chapter 9: Stop and Think

As he returned his last Pokemon, Cheren couldn't help feeling frustrated.

Of all the Trainers he's battled, why is Hilbert the only one he could never beat? It isn't that neither of them were bad trainers - Cheren always treated his Pokemon with respect and kindness while training, and it was clear that Hilbert did the same. They both had four Badges too, so it wasn't like they were on unequal footing. Other than Hilbert having more Pokemon in his party than him, anyway...

Shit. Battling Hilbert just after burying his Gothita was a really bad idea. Hilbert even asked if he was sure about battling in the first place (had he known something was up?), but Cheren had insisted anyways.

Now look where it got him. Beaten in a battle that he really didn't have his mind set into.

Arceus, this wasn't easy.

"Cherry? You doin' okay?"

Cheren startled when he heard the voice, and looked down at Hilbert's Maractus. She seemed to be looking up at him quizzically, as if trying to figure him out. And then there was Hilbert, who seemed to be even more concerned-

Elesa's arrival had saved him from saying anything that would give him away. Especially since they had encountered Alder - the current Unovan Champion - not long after. Of course Cheren knew who he was; being a Champion was ultimately what he wanted. He had been completely starstruck. Hilbert...not so much. He supposed that shouldn't be too surprising (considering his mother).

Cheren didn't want to be jealous of Hilbert, he really didn't. But then Alder mentioned Hilbert's mother, and noticed Hilbert's unease when the subject came up. That was odd; normally Hilbert would be a lot more at ease when the subject of his parents came up. Granted, Hilbert's mother was by far the most intimidating person he had ever met...but that never seemed to phase Hilbert before.

Why? Aren't you proud? Do you have any idea how lucky you are?

This bridge was a long one! Carmen had never seen one before, so she had been hopping around and catching the occasional feather as she went along. They were pretty, what else was she supposed to do with them? It was only when she caught sight of a little human sitting on the shoulders of a much taller human that she paused. They looked like they were having fun...and the little human looked like a little version of the big one! What was the word for that...a daddy? Or was it a mommy? Hmmm...

"Hey, Hilbert?" Carmen questioned as she hopped towards Hilbert with feathers in hand. "You have a mommy and a daddy, right?"

"Uh..." Hilbert blinked, as if wondering where that came from. "Uh, yeah. I got a sister, too."

"Ooooh! What are they like, what are they like?!"

"Why are you so interested in learning about them?"

"Well..." Carmen seemed to deflate at this question. "Us Maracti...Maractuses? We don't...really have families. Especially me. After I learned to talk like people, the only friend I had in that desert was Jude, so..."

Hilbert's face softened. Did he not know what to say to that? After a minute, he spoke up again.

"My sister's name is Whitlea. We're actually twins; she was born a few minutes after me," he explained. "We wanted to travel separately, otherwise you'd have met her by now. I think she started with a Tepig like Bianca did."

"Uh-huuh~?"

"My dad's a professional shiny hunter. Well, he'd call his job 'shiny chaser,' he hates calling it 'hunting'. You know, differently-colored Pokemon? We call those 'shinies,' and they're really, really rare. My dad has this really uncanny knack for finding them, so people pay him to do that for them."

"And your mommy? Mister Alder seemed to know about her already."

"That's because my mom used to be a Champion; I don't doubt that they've met before. She wasn't a Champion here in Unova, though. She came from Galar, which is a region really far away from here."

"Your mommy's a Champion?! Why don't you talk to her about those Team Plasma guys? She could take care of them no problem!"

"Former Champion. That was a really long time ago," Hilbert responded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And I haven't told her because the minute she finds out about how I've been confronting them, she'll seek me out first. Then when she finds me, she'll ask me if I'm okay, and then she'll ask if my Pokemon are okay. And then when she's assured that we're all okay, she'll pinch my ear and demand what the flyin' bloody hell I was thinkin'!"

As he told her this, Hilbert pinched his own ear and started to pull himself along. Carmen couldn't place what he did with his voice (was this something people called an 'accent'?), but it made her giggle anyway.

He stopped after a minute and continued, "She's scary when she's mad, is what I'm saying. Besides, she's in Galar right now anyway. Communication on the XTranseiver between regions is really rough."

"Oh..." Was the XTranseiver that thing on his wrist? Carmen had seen him talking into it sometimes. "You could tell your sister and daddy, though. Right?"

There was a pause on Hilbert's end. After a moment, he finally said, "I'll think about it. Maybe if I get to a point where I can't handle it by myself anymore, I'll let them know."

The Ducklett had perched himself on Hilbert's head and refused to leave. It was just as well, since the bridge technically counted as a new area.

It didn't take long for Hilbert to settle on the nickname Derek for him. When he was told about how Hilbert had been planning to fight the Driftveil Gym at some point, the Ducklett was eager to come along. It was only in hindsight that Hilbert would recognize his nature as rash.

He seemed to love eating too; he gobbled up some of the extra poffins Hilbert got in Nimbasa like it was nothing. Seeing that, Hilbert made a mental note to never introduce the Ducklett to his Darumaka. Those two would surely eat him out of house and home if he allowed it.

Now that he thought about it...the next Gym was a Ground-type Gym. Derek would be a perfect fit for that Gym! And since Matt's Electric typing wouldn't do him any favors in that gym, it was an easy spot for Derek to fill!

Hilbert hated the Cold Storage. That wasn't surprising, seeing as he never liked being cold in the first place. He preferred warmer weather and atmospheres, not the sensation of his fingers becoming icicles.

But he was willing to brave the cold if it meant apprehending Team Plasma, and doubly so since Clay had said he would only let him and Cheren fight the Gym if they helped him out.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long to find Team Plasma. They had been huddled together in some storage unit, so the two worked together to flush them out. As they watched the authorities take them away, Cheren glanced Hilbert's way.

"So, Hilbert. You caught a Pokemon on your way here, didn't you? I got a Timburr."

"Ooh, lucky! I got a Vanillite. I named him Napoleon. You know, after the segmented ice cream? He's got a Quirky nature, so that was the first name I could think of."

"..."

"...What?"

"Don't you mean Neapolitan ice cream?"

"...You mean it's not called Napoleon ice cream?"

From Cheren's expression, Hilbert wasn't sure if he was judging him or just plain flabbergasted. Knowing him, it was probably both.

Hilbert wasn't unfamiliar with losing Pokemon. It wasn't the first time he lost a Pokemon in a Gym either. Critical hits sucked, but there was ultimately nothing he could have done to save Zero.

This time was different. This time, Derek had wanted to fight after Merlot put Clay's Excadrill to sleep, and Hilbert let him. He let the Ducklett fight, and it never occurred to him that Excadrill would have Rock Slide until it was way too late. He knew he was trouble when he realized that Derek couldn't move, and Michelle had to jump in to take Excadrill down.

And oh boy, Clay was mad. He absolutely chewed Hilbert out about making such a stupid call. It wasn't anything he couldn't take (in fact, he was almost reminded of his mother - harsh but fair), but then Clay said this; "Maybe Team Plasma was right if they were talkin' about trainers like you."

That really stung. Hilbert had his gaze solely focused on his feet, so he didn't see Clay's expression as he continued, "Now, don't get me wrong - y' did beat me, so I gotta hand over the Quake Badge. But I ain't keen on givin' it to you just yet. If someone's in trouble, they gotta jump through an extra hoop or two to get themselves out. Consider this your extra hoop."

Hilbert was silent as Clay continued, "Y'know where Chargestone Cave is, right? Meet me there. If you can make it all the way through Route 6 without causin' another death, I'll hand it to ya there."

After Hilbert left Driftveil, he just leaned against the closest tree and sighed. He had lost Pokemon before, but that may have been the first time that he got scolded like that. It wasn't anything he couldn't take, but Clay's words still stung.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to shake off the weight on his chest. If he hadn't let Derek fight Excadrill, he'd definitely still be alive. Derek had wanted to fight, it was true, but Hilbert let him. He let him, and should've known that Clay would've had a rock-type move to counter Flying types, if he had taken a moment to think about that-

Shite. That was a really bad idea.

New Captures

Derek / Ducklett / Male / Rash / Loves to eat / Big Pecks / Met in Driftveil Drawbridge

Napoleon / Vanillite / Male / Quirky / Likes to run / Ice Body / Met in Cold Storage

R.I.P

Derek the Ducklett
(lvl 22 - lvl 28)