Chapter 17: Enveloped in Kindness
When Hilbert stepped out of the Opelucid Gym, he was immediately greeted by a good handful of people; Professor Juniper, Whitlea, Cheren, Bianca, Iris, and...Molly?!
"Mum?" Hilbert exclaimed. "How'd you get here so quick?!"
Molly walked over and ruffled Hilbert's hair. "Did you forget I have a Togekiss? Once I cleaned up in Pinwheel, I flew right over here."
"So, was Drayden as tough as ever?" Professor Juniper questioned.
Hilbert opened his badge case with a cheeky grin, showing off all eight. "Take a look! You should've seen Roger out there, he was amazing!"
Whitlea and Bianca squealed and pulled Hilbert into a tight hug. "That's awesome, congrats Hilbert!"
"Congratulations! With that, you have all the Badges," the Professor commented. "In any other situation, I'd show you where Route 10 is from here. But for right now, I'll just tell you what I found about Reshiram. I felt it was better to tell you in person."
"Okay?" Hilbert looked up at Professor Juniper hopefully...and those hopes were dashed when the Professor said, "I actually haven't figured it out yet. But I do know that it'll wake up to someone that it deems worthy. But don't worry! You've become so strong, and you've changed so much since you left Nuvema Town. I'm sure you can awaken Reshiram-"
"An' what if he can't?"
Everyone turned towards Molly, whose arms were crossed.
"Molly!" Professor Juniper exclaimed. "Are you saying you don't-"
"I'm no' sayin' I don't believe in him," Molly interjected. "On the contrary; if it were up to me, Hilbert would've been a Hero of Truth yesterday. But the thing is, it's no' up to me."
A moment of silence passed as the implications set it. Whitlea spoke up; "Are you talking about Reshiram?"
Molly nodded. "This kinda thing is a two-way street, innit? What if Reshiram does wake up, but decides that they don' like Hilbert's guts?"
Iris hopped in place in response. "That's not how it works!" she shouted. "The Light Stone is literally Reshiram's dormant form. If they didn't like his guts, he would've been ashes already!"
A moment of silence passed as Molly absorbed the information.
"Is that right...thanks for informin' me. I'm more familiar with the legends in Galar," Molly admitted. "But the point I was tryin' to make was; it's true that Hilbert should do everythin' he can to awaken Reshiram. But he shouldn't just rely on that happenin'. Legendary Pokemon prob'ly don't care much for time constraints."
"I'm afraid that's true," Cheren admitted. "We don't know when N is going to face the League, but we can't rush Reshiram's awakening either."
"So, what do you suggest?" Bianca asked.
"if Hilbert has somethin' in his roster that could stand up to Zekrom's power, that would work," Molly mused. She then noticed that everyone else was staring at her and she continued, "What? Zekrom may be revered as a deity, but it's still a Pokemon. I mean, it's no' like it's Arceus we're talkin' about here. It's got t'have some kind of weakness. If Hilbert has somethin' that can exploit a type disadvantage, he won't be goin' in completely unprepared if Reshiram's no' awake by the time he reaches N and Zekrom."
Another long moment of silence passed as the group assessed this information.
"Mum," Whitlea said. "I know you don't know much about the Unovan legends, but geez! Whenever the two dragons fought, there was never a clear winner! While we don't know what would happen if Reshiram was taken out of the equation, we also don't know that Zekrom won't just raze through his team!"
"...What if I had a Ground-type?"
Everyone turned to Hilbert as he spoke up. He had been oddly quiet for the better part of the conversation.
"Back in Dragonspiral Tower," he explained, "I thought the air felt charged just before I saw N with Zekrom. It felt similar to how the air around...around Matt felt when he absorbed an Electric move. Being a legendary wouldn't nullify type immunities, right?"
"Now that I think about it, probably not," Cheren answered. "Like Ms. Williams said, this isn't Arceus. I don't want to bring up Jude, but-"
Hilbert flinched at the mention of Jude - as inevitable as it was when he mentioned Dragonspiral Tower.
"I'm not talking about Jude. I have a few other Ground-types that might help out," he responded. "I got Napoleon too, remember? I can't guarantee I can wake Reshiram up, but I got a few Pokemon that could strike back against Zekrom anyway."
"Let's see 'em," Molly ordered. "I'll give ye pointers if you want."
Hilbert hummed as he thought over Molly's offer. "I think I'll be fine with that. I'm gonna need your help with something else, anyway. I'll tell you once I figure out my team."
"Hilbert, before you do that..." Professor Juniper seemed a little uncertain as she asked, "I also wanted to ask. Do you regret setting out on your journey?"
Hilbert couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"
"I was just thinking. If you didn't take off when you did, you wouldn't have been tangled in all this," the Professor responded. "In a way...I feel a little responsible, because I'm the one who gave you Michelle."
Hilbert took a moment to think about his answer. What the Professor said was true; maybe if he had taken off earlier instead of Whitlea, he wouldn't have to go through everything he did. But at the same time...wouldn't that just put Whitlea in his position? It was an unsettling thing to think about.
Even without that detail, he knew his answer straightaway. "No, I really don't. You might be right about the timing...but if you hadn't given me Michelle, I wouldn't have had the chance to journey through Unova, and make all the friends I did!"
"That's the best answer you could give, and for exactly that reason!" Professor Juniper grinned (the relief clear on her face), and gave Hilbert a small present. Inside that present was a Master Ball, and Hilbert was stunned at the present. "You seem to know what that is already - it's a Master Ball. If you awaken Reshiram, you gotta catch it, right? Or you could just use it on whatever Pokemon you want; it's up to you!"
"Holy-" Hilbert stammered before finally saying, "I can't thank you enough!"
"Don't worry about it! This is really the best way I can support you with the circumstances. I do have this to say, though," Professor Juniper said. She took a deep breath before saying, "No matter what happens...be true to yourself. And don't forget that you're not alone; because your Pokemon are always right beside you."
As sweet as Napoleon was, HIlbert knew that the Elite Four probably all had some kind of answer for an Ice-type. He didn't want to risk losing Napoleon like he lost Captain, so unfortunately the Vanillish had to be benched.
The good news was that he only had three Ground-types to choose from. Not only that, but he could technically pick any of them and not have any glaring type disadvantages in his team (if he kept everyone else).
First option was Toast. Honestly, Hilbert wasn't as keen on picking her (if only because he only just got used to having Dodger on the team after losing Matt - even with Toast's Ground-typing, he felt like having two Electric-types would be pushing it a little). Hilbert decided that maybe she would be the last resort if the worst happens. Besides; three modest-natured Pokemon in his team might be pushing it, but four?
Then there was Admiral. Technically he could have a Seismitoad and a Samurott in the same team while only sharing, what...one weakness? But at the same time...if there was anything that had a Grass-type move, Admiral was done for. He didn't know if any of the Elite Four had any Grass-moves, but better safe than sorry.
So in the grand scheme of things, it didn't take Hilbert very long to pick Garfield as the sixth member of his team. The Lucky Egg that he was given would help out training by a lot, but it would still take time for him to catch up with the rest of the team. But Hilbert remembered how eager to fight the Drilbur was when he encountered him in the wild - Garfield had a will to fight that Admiral and Toast seemed to lack in comparison.
It was a really good thing that he had everyone else in his team out when he spoke with Garfield the first time - Michelle, Roger, Merlot, Dodger and Belle. At first, the Drilbur seemed to refuse joining the team, and Hilbert was almost willing to try bribing him with food...but then Merlot said something that caught the Drilbur's attention. Garfield looked between Michelle and Merlot, as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.
Michelle had the smuggest grin on her face as she answered whatever question Garfield may have had. Hilbert had no idea what any of them said, but that was what seemed to convince Garfield; after a small outburst, the Drilbur marched over to Hilbert and extended a paw out to him. He changed his mind?!
When he asked Merlot what happened to change Garfield's mind, the only answer was, "I just reminded Michelle of one of her many accomplishments."
Given where Garfield was caught, it didn't take Hilbert long to realize which accomplishment Merlot had referred to.
In a way, battling Hilbert in Route 10 felt like that first battle in his house. There wasn't pressure to beat him for the sake of getting stronger. Yeah, he did say that he needed to know if Hilbert could handle the idea of going up against N. But he already knew that Hilbert was already thinking about that. Why else would he had thought about bringing a Ground-type with him?
The truth was, Cheren was a little more worried about what he could do to help. The more he thought about Alder's advice on figuring out what to do with his strength, the more he made sense. Hilbert had strength, and he was using it to try to protect the bonds between people and Pokemon.
Cheren already had an idea on how he could use his own strength, but there was something he needed to do in order to accomplish that.
As he helped heal up Hilbert's team, he got a chance to do that; "So, Hilbert. About that bet."
"Oh yeah, we haven't checked up on that in a while," Hilbert responded. "Did you catch anything here yet? I got a Bouffalant."
"Actually..." Cheren swallowed before he said, "I'm calling it off."
Hilbert paused as Cheren's words sank in. Whitlea and Bianca stared at him too, as if they were wondering if he really said that. "...What?"
"I concede. You really are something else, Hilbert. I mean that." Once he was done healing up Merlot, Cheren glanced at Hilbert with a small smile. "Even with that rule of only catching one Pokemon per area, look at your team! At this point, there's no way I can compare to you. If there's anything I can do to help you face N..."
"Same," Whitlea supplied. "I know what you asked of Mom about Carmen...but I want to help any way I can too!"
Bianca looked between all of them, a small smile on her face. "Wow...looking at you guys now, it's hard to believe that we've grown and learned so much. A lot's happened, and we all came out of it differently. It's kinda funny how everyone's so different, right?"
"Funny...even at a time like this," Cheren commented. Bianca huffed.
"Hey! Taking everything so seriously isn't gonna change anything," she responded. "Like I said, we've grown a lot since we left Nuvema! We figured out what we want to do, and what we can do with what we've got. All of that's different for each of us, right?"
"Bianca's right," Whitlea said with a nod. "I still don't know exactly what it is I want to do, though...but I've learned to accept that! I got time to figure it out."
"Right! I think that's what makes our journey worth it. Thinking about it makes me so happy!" Bianca concluded, a bright smile on her face. That smile was contagious, and it got Hilbert and Cheren smiling too.
"I think I get it," Cheren responded. "Hilbert, I know N is the Hero of Ideals. Whether or not you become the Hero of Truth, I think you should keep in mind that there are as many truth or ideals as there are people and Pokemon. For us, the most important thing is that Pokemon and people help each other out. That is why we're always by each other's side, after all."
"Is that why you're conceding the bet?" Hilbert questioned. Cheren shrugged.
"It's not the entire reason, but it is part of it," he admitted. "I was serious when I said that I wanted to help. If anything happens to you or to Alder, someone has to pick up the slack. I'll keep training and getting stronger. Maybe I'll catch a few Pokemon on the way, just to learn about them. But..."
Cheren trailed off, worry clear on his face as he extended a hand. "Hilbert...don't be too reckless, okay?"
Hilbert shook Cheren's hand, and was caught off-guard when he was pulled into a tight hug. Bianca and Whitlea instantly got the idea to hug the two as well, turning it into a group hug.
And Hilbert? After a moment, he hugged the three back with everything he had. He found himself not wanting to let go.
Bianca was right; they all had changed since leaving Nuvema. Hilbert wasn't sure if he could put words for how he had changed, but he hoped that he could convey that through hugging them.
A few hours into training in Route 10, there was a sudden downpour.
Hilbert had no idea where it came from; the sky didn't have any clouds up until that point, and the weather forecast didn't say anything about a storm! The rain was coming down really hard too, so he had no choice but to look for shelter. Michelle seemed to be enjoying it at least, but the same wouldn't be said for the rest of his team. He really needed to make sure Belle in particular was safe; what if she wasn't in her PokeBall? What if-?!
He barely heard a few noises over the howling wind - a bolt of electricity and a pained scream - before the rain stopped Like it never happened in the first place. The only evidence that there was a downpour at all were the fact that he was now soaked to the bone.
At least Belle turned out to be okay. That didn't stop Hilbert from complaining about how he needed to head back to Opelucid to change, but he had no idea what really happened.
Dodger had a better idea. She had been peacefully sleeping when the rain started up, and Hilbert shout disturbed her sleep. She was a cranky Galvantula when her sleep was involved, so she immediately started to look for the source of the noise. She eventually saw a great big something traveling through the wind. It was a good thing her Ability was Compoundeyes, because it allowed her to aim an Electroweb at whatever that figure was without worrying too much about missing. She heard a pained scream before the rain stopped. Not even bothering to wonder what caused the storm or why it happened in the first place, Dodger went back to sleep.
For Tornadus' part, he was just in the area. He cared not for whoever might be inconvenienced by the rain his presence brought, and he didn't see the Electroweb coming until it hit him. Of course he yelled and fled the route in his surprise, and that was when he saw where the web had come from.
Despite the knowledge that it was not Thundurus that did this, Tornadus chose to blame his nemesis anyway. It didn't matter if he had no idea where Thundurus was right now; Tornadus was nothing if not a prideful Pokemon, and he would never admit to the humiliation of being driven away by an oversized electric spider.
Between the Lucky Egg and all the Audino that he had battled, Garfield had caught up with the rest of the team as far as levels. He even evolved into a rather sturdy Excadrill, something he seemed very happy with. He seemed to fit into the team dynamic surprisingly well, too; other than having a rival in Michelle, he seemed to get along with almost everyone.
Speaking of Michelle; the Samurott wanted to fight some Audino too. Hilbert wasn't sure why; maybe it was something Garfield said that set her off? He couldn't be sure of the details without Carmen or Merlot translating. He made sure that Carmen would be safe with Molly, while Merlot was resting in his PokeBall. So he could only guess.
He waited until the tall grass started to rustle, and sent Michelle in to check it out. Normally an Audino could be found in this manner; and with Michelle knowing Revenge it would be a somewhat easy fight.
Hilbert hadn't expected Michelle to be pushed out of the grass. Heck, she was practically tossed out like it was nothing. He rushed over to make sure she was okay - no injuries. Not even a drop of blood. Thank Arceus.
He heard the wild Pokemon approaching, and glanced over to see what it was...only to stop and stare, eyes widening.
Throh were rare enough Pokemon as it was; the number of times he had encountered one of these could be counted with one hand, maybe two. Most people would assume that they were nowhere to be found, but Hilbert learned quickly that they can be found if you know where to look.
The fact that it was a Throh wasn't why Hilbert was staring, though. It was the fact that this Throh was very clearly not its usual red coloring.
Upon the realization that this was a shiny, Hilbert dug into his bag without tearing his eyes away. Throh seemed distracted in its bid to fight Michelle, so he doubted it would run. But with how rare it was to find one of these, part of Hilbert felt like it could just disappear if he looked away.
When he felt the first spherical object in his hand, Hilbert pulled it out of his bag and tossed it...and only then realized that it was the Master Ball that he was given by Professor Juniper.
The Throh was caught with no issues, and Michelle stared in confusion as the Master Ball was teleported into the PC System.
Hilbert never thought it'd be possible to be happier and more hyped than he was upon exiting Opelucid...but what were the odds?! Finding a shiny of a rare Pokemon like a Throh?! That had to be some kind of good omen!
New Additions
Daisy / Bouffalant / Female / Bashful / Sturdy Body / Sap Sipper / Met in Route 10
Shiny Alert!
Jasper / Throh / Hasty / Proud of its power / Inner Focus