The long-awaited Christmas revels didn't begin until well after 7 PM, following the arrival of Scott, whose coming was heralded by the piercing squeal of incensed tires hurling down the Pallet roads. The five of them―Professor Oak, Scott, Hanako, Red, and Black―had been seated around the brand-new ebony table that Hanako had brought up and had just finished up their toasts (all except Red, of course) when a sharp tap on the door suddenly caught their attention. "Another guest?" Black heard Hanako ask as he went to see who it was.
Well, Mew? he asked. Any hints, or am I supposed to guess it again? There was no audible reply from the little Psychic type, who had mysteriously vanished from sight and sense ever since it and Hanako had returned from their little trip to Viridian City earlier in the day. Instead of receiving some kind of muttered musing to interpret, he got a direct answer in the form of a vision of the clear blue skies. What? he pestered but to no avail. The connection had been severed.
Black continued to mull over the question of what a blue sky was supposed to mean as he opened the door absentmindedly. In front of him stood none other than Blue (Oh.) Oak, who was tapping his foot impatiently. "Finally! It's about time you got here!" exclaimed Blue with a cheeky smile. He crossed his arms and arrogantly regarded Black with one eye as he continued. "My Rhydon could still have opened the door faster than you even after a large meal."
The mocking comment earned him a broad grin from Black, who knew this was Blue's way of saying hi. "It's nice to see you too, Blue. Professor Oak said you'd show up."
The Viridian City Gym Leader's smile got even larger at the mention of his grandfather. "Oh? Did he now?" He gave Black a playful punch on the shoulder, which caused the other trainer to stumble out of his way, and stepped inside. "Thanks for getting the door, by the way." Black snickered at Blue's retreating back as he closed the door and hurried to join him in the kitchen, knowing it was going to be an interesting evening now that a loudmouth had joined them.
He cheerily stepped through the threshold and stopped dead in his tracks as he caught up to him. Black had a sudden flashback to being inside the Cold Storage as he sensed the emotionally charged atmosphere in the room. He sidled his way into his seat as noiselessly as possible while Blue and Red looked at each other, deadpan expressions front and center on both faces. The ticking of the kitchen clock was the only thing that sounded as the seconds went by in silence. Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Finally, after a perfect minute had passed, Blue's poker face gave, causing him to crack and beam at Red, who still hadn't dropped his facade yet. He waved a hand in greeting, choosing to ignore his old friend and rival's impassiveness. "Yo, Red! It's been a while."
Black turned to Red, wondering how he'd choose to respond to all of this. To his complete surprise, Red's face relaxed as he presented Blue with a small half-smile and a nod. "It has," he replied. Everyone in the room involuntarily adjusted themselves more comfortably back into their seats as the quick exchanged rapidly drained the tension in the room.
Hanako stood up to usher Blue to his seat as she welcomed him. "Blue! It's a pleasure having you over for dinner on this special night! Please, have a seat." She sat him right next to Red, who shuffled a foot back and forth. "Can I get you a drink?" she asked.
Blue blinked, trying to catch up to the odd changes in pace. "Uh, sure, I guess," he answered blankly. "I'll have some cold water, thanks." Hanako rushed off to pour him a glass as he turned to Red. "So have you heard the news about the Pokemon World Tournament yet?" Red glanced over at him, his ignorance of the subject readily apparent. "The Pokemon World Tournament?" Blue repeated, clearly expecting a different reaction. "Don't tell me! My bellicose little Red, with his track record, would surely have heard about only the largest gathering of battle saints to date by now?" He gasped dramatically. "No way... I'd never imagine the champion of Unova as the type to withhold information!" Blue cackled wickedly at the fun he was having like he'd been deprived of it all his life.
"Actually," said Black, interrupting Blue's ersatz performance with a finger, "it's former champion to you. And I hadn't a clue there was such a thing going on until now. How'd you find out?"
Now it was the Viridian City Gym Leader's turn to be confused as he looked both Black and Red up and down quizzically. "I got a letter inviting me to the event. How did you two not get one with your reputations?"
"Well, I suppose I couldn't remain silent about it forever," interrupted a voice. The three former champions whirled around at Scott, who had spoken up. He gave them his signature smile and pushed his sunglasses further up his nose as he gave them a thumbs up. "It's a really long story," he told them. "So I think it's best if we did all this over the meal."
Hanako came back carrying a plate full of colorfully tantalizing hors d'oeuvres. "I agree. We've all said our toasts, so let's begin!" They silently munched for a while after that, savoring the delicious crostinis and bruschettas topped with cheeses and meats handpicked by Black as the food made its way down their gullets.
Finally, when everyone had had their fill of the appetizers, Scott began to talk. "Alright, now that our stomachs are a little full. To really understand everything, I suppose I'll have to go far back." Scott tapped his chin for a second before shrugging. "Alright. First, the history. Everything that I've accomplished so far, including getting Red here back down from Mt. Silver, all starts with something I'm sure you're all familiar with: a dream. Growing up, everyone around me—that is, my friends and peers—all shared some variant or other of the common goal of being the 'very best.' I, however, was—as one might call it—the oddball of the group. You see, I had no intention of aiming for the top spot in a tournament or festival. My dream was to instead perfect the art of battle."
Scott paused for a moment to help himself to a slice of ham, chewing thoughtfully as he did so. "With that end goal in mind, I left home on a quest to find strong trainers. On reflection, I suppose it was a terribly long and difficult journey. It took me years and years of struggle before I finally gave shape to my dream in the form of the first Battle Frontier. Now, several years after realizing my first ambitions, I have started to set my sights on something bigger. I want to open up another Battle Frontier, one unlike any other, filled with some of the most powerful trainers in the world! The crème de la crème of battle saints, if you will." Black exchanged a glance with Red at the dramatic statement.
"I've had the idea for quite some time, actually, and all of the pieces were in place already. It was only a matter of whether or not I wished to go through with my plans. One of the things I did to prepare for the creation of the new Battle Frontier was make my way up the ranks of the International Pokemon League. See, being appointed to their board of directors is an incredibly advantageous position to be in when you're someone like myself, who wants credibility and a name to their battling organization. The League has all you need: a powerful marketing voice, widespread connections, and, most importantly of all, a large fanbase.
"Despite all of that, though, I still lacked a method. And I couldn't propose my idea to the League until I thought of one. Then, in walked the Gym Leader of Driftveil City."
"Hey, that's Clay!" Black interrupted. It sure was nice hearing about the people of Unova after all his travels.
Scott nodded. "Exactly. Turns out he was looking to increase the flow of tourism into his city. When the League asked him what solutions he had in mind, he offered to have his city host a Pokemon World Tournament to find the world's strongest trainer, as a way to spur 'friendly, inter-region competition.' As you can imagine, I jumped at the idea as it would further my own agenda as well. So, between the two of us, we worked out a deal with the International Pokemon League and the rest is history. Last week, the advertisement concerning registration for the World Tournament was aired in Unova. The ones for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh just came out yesterday, officially starting the final countdown. Which means it's only a matter of time before the Frontier Brains for my newest attractions make themselves known."
"Seems like you've had a busy year, Scott," Blue observed with a dry smirk. He closed his eyes and took a sip of his cold water nonchalantly.
Blue's comment earned him a round of hearty laugh from the owner of the Battle Frontier. "I guess you could call it that. The final details of the Tournament have also been worked out. But, before we go any further, I still have one thing left I need to do." He turned to Red with a serious expression. "Hiya, Red. The name's Scott. I'm sure you've heard a lot about me from Black, so I'll cut straight to the chase. I've been keeping a close watch on you, which is why everything that has happened so far ever occurred. I would like to do what I have done with Blue and Black and invite you to the Pokemon World Tournament to try your hand at becoming one of my potential Frontier Brains. You've been on my candidate's list for quite some time now. So, whaddya say?"
"Sure," Red said simply. Scott's entire body seemed to jerk forward at Red's unexpected response, obviously having anticipated the need to persuade him. "I accept," he confirmed as everyone stared at him in surprise. Black watched the former mountain hermit for a few long seconds as he absentmindedly shoveled an excess of sugar into his tea, trying to make sense of it all. He, like Scott, had expected Red to have taken a few days to weigh in on the pros and cons. Or, at the very least, take some time to ask for a few reasons why he ought to consider. Was it possible that he had already done that in the time Scott had been talking, having predicted such a turn of events?
The owner of the Kanto-Hoenn Battle Frontier, for his part, took the unprecedented development all in stride. Beaming more widely than Black had ever seen him, he said to Red, "That's excellent! I'm looking forward to the possibility of collaborating with you." He leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, tapping his chin thoughtfully all the while. "Now, what am I forgetting? Ah! That's it!" Scott counted off his fingers as he continued. "So... we've given the invitation, they've all accepted, now all that remains is..."
He snapped his fingers as his face lit up. "Right. There's still the requirements you have to complete. I hope I've stressed enough how very selective this competition is; even with an invitation, you have to continue proving your worth to the very end.
"To register for the Pokemon World Tournament when it opens, you must have earned either sixteen badges from two regions and at least made it to the quarterfinals in their respective conferences or obtained all of the Frontier Symbols from either the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier or mine. Whichever of the two options you chose aside, they must have been acquired within the time span between the countdown to the World Tournament and its registration week in order to count. Therefore, Black, I'm afraid your Frontier Symbols won't qualify, having been obtained before the countdown." The addressed hummed to indicate he'd heard.
"Both regular and titular conferences will be held each month within every region starting in January until the month before the start of registration in order to allow you a chance at qualifying, should you choose that route.
"After registration, there will be an opening ceremony, followed by the preliminary, which will be marked by a mass-purge event. Then, the main tournament will ensue with the various battling officials of the five regions joining in after a few rounds. Finally, the end will be marked by a little something-something that I'm supposed to remain hush-hush about." Black poked amusedly at the slice of ham he'd helped himself to earlier as he listened to Scott's voice rise higher and higher with every passing sentence. "However, on account of the fact that I've personally watched Black battle and know what he's capable of, I—we, as the Pokemon League, are willing to make an exception to the requirements regarding his and your entry, Red."
Both Red's and Black's ears perked up. "Rather than have you face, say, all seven of my Frontier Brains, I'm offering you the opportunity to merely battle two of them in a tag team battle. If you can defeat them both, the two of you will be automatically qualified to register for the Pokemon World Tournament. What do you say?"
The former champion of Unova glanced over at his fellow title holder. "Well? What do you think?" Red's head gave a small twitch to the left to indicate his approval. "I should probably also remind you that partnering up requires that you at least give verbal commands to your Pokemon." Again, another shrug from Red. "Okay, Scott. It's a deal."
"That's excellent," said the owner of the Battle Frontier with a grin. "I can't wait to see what the two of you together will produce, heh heh." Scott helped himself to a sip of his drink as he stared off into space.
No other words were exchanged as everyone unanimously stood up to help clear the table and wash the dishes. When the last plate had cleaned and dried, the six of them made their way toward the living room, where the fireplace was already lit and awaiting them cheerily.
Black and Blue took a seat on either side of Red on the sofa, lazily lounging about as they waited for someone to start up the conversation again. When no one did, Black decided to ask Scott the question he'd had this morning. "Hey, Scott." The owner of the Battle Frontier perked up at the sound of his name. "I was wondering: is there a particular reason behind my being chosen to find Red." Suddenly, everyone in the room was sitting up attentively as they waited for Scott's answer.
He took a moment to scratch his chin before responding. "That's a tough question to answer. Truth be told, there really isn't a pressing reason for why you were the one to bring Red down." When he saw the look of confusion on Black's face, he further elaborated. "Nothing in the line of 'the Chosen One,' I mean. I only started to take notice of you after your victory over the Unova champion, Alder, a while back. It was more like reading the headlines and then forgetting about it more than anything, really. So imagine my surprise when your name repeatedly popped up again, first as the victor of the Sinnoh League and then the Indigo Conference."
Black's cheeks turned a rosy pink as he pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Er, thanks," he muttered.
"Hm. By that point, I had all eyes and ears on you, waiting. So when I'd heard you'd also managed to conquer the Indigo League and were coming down to Pallet Town in search of Red, I made a beeline for Professor Oak's lab in the hopes of intercepting you, both to recruit you to the Battle Frontier and because I figured if anyone could give Red a run for his money in a battle, it was you. It would appear as though I was right."
Black opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a sound at the door. Everyone's heads snapped to the source of the noise as the person outside tapped lightly once more. "Ah, that must be my sister!" cried Blue.
"You have a sister?" asked Black, whirling around to look at Blue, who shrugged.
"Of course," he replied simply. "I thought everybody knew that."
"Not me."
"Well, you just got here."
Another knock. "Are either of you going to get that?" interrupted Hanako. "Because otherwise, I will." She didn't wait for an answer, making her way quickly to the front where another beat was being sounded. "Coming!"
"Good evening, Mrs. Hanako!" cooed a voice outside. "How are you on this fine Christmas Day?"
"Well hello, Daisy!" cried Hanako. "I'm doing fine. And who's that behind you? Could that possibly be Leaf?" Black's eyes turned to Blue and Red as they both stiffened unexpectedly at the mention of the name. "Oh, it is you! How wonderful! You two look absolutely lovely tonight. Come in, come in and join us." He watched as Hanako made room for the two visitors outside to step through, curiously wondering through the constant babbling who they could possibly be to get her to gush like that.
"... and Red's here tonight, too! You can't imagine how positively ecstatic I am: It's been so long since I've had this sort of a holiday," Hanako was saying with a small wave of her hand. "Here, let me help with that jacket and those bags."
"Thank you," said the two visitors as they walked inside. The first woman to appear looked to be about somewhere in her early twenties, with soft, cascading, light brown hair that eerily resembled a certain Gym Leader's own. Her caramel eyes shimmered with warmth as her gaze swept the room. She handed Hanako her small handbag and black jacket, revealing a simple black dress with a flowery, blue and white poinsettia print near the neck.
She smiled and waved kindly at everyone. "It's nice to see you all tonight! I'm Daisy Oak for those that don't know me." Leaning down, she took off her matching high heels and made her way towards the small gathering of people with a small bounce in her step. "Blue! It's been so long! You hardly ever come to visit in Cerulean City. That hurts, you know." She pretended to pout as the Viridian City Gym Leader winced.
"Yeah," he said nervously. "Heya, sis." He gave her a small wave as she took a seat on the armchair to his right. "And if it isn't the Leafy Greens. Travel well, little Romaine Lettuce?"
The girl known as Leaf gave an indignant huff and small wave to everyone as she nodded politely in thanks to Hanako and handed her her purse. She gave Blue an intense glare as she took off her white hat, which had a pink Pokeball logo on the front. It was actually a rather intimidating sight, seeing this sixteen-year-old girl (was she actually sixteen? Black wondered) put her hands on her hips and lean forward slightly to give his friend's rival the evil eye.
"You know I don't like being called that," she scolded Blue. "Although I do have to admit I'm rather flattered you finally settled on a pet name for me." She took a second after removing her athletic shoes to dust off her pink skirt and fix her sleeveless teal shirt before making her way over to the other remaining armchair on Black's left. She peered over at him, asking in a pleasant voice, "Hi! I'm Leaf Green. And who might you be?"
Black reeled back slightly as she rested her head on her arm, which was in turn on top of the chair's armrest. "D-erm, Black. I'm from the Unova region, which is why you've probably never seen me before."
To his surprise, Leaf smiled broadly at him as something seemed to register in her head. "So you're that trainer I've been hearing about that's been making his way through all those Leagues! I've been hoping to run into you, seeing as to how you make quite the decent trainer. You and I should have a battle with Blue and Red sometime." She glanced at the other two boys who were following along with the conversation. "Just like old times."
"Belligerent as always I see," Blue noted. "You and Red would make a fine couple."
"As if you two wouldn't," Leaf snapped back. An awkward hush filled the room as everyone awkwardly shuffled their feet. Red's face was positively glowing as it flushed a shade of scarlet akin to a ripe Tamato Berry at the remark, while Blue simply turned away from Leaf with a small "Tch!"
"So, uh, Leaf," Black started hesitantly, keen to break the tense silence, "tell me a little bit about yourself." It was a pathetic attempt at an icebreaker, but it would at least get everyone talking again. If Leaf noticed anything about it, she didn't say.
"Hm? Well... let me see. What is there to say?" she asked herself.
"I agree," Blue interjected unexpectedly. "What is there to say about you?"
Black rolled his eyes in exasperation as the two started to go back at it again, trading verbal blows with each other. "Have they always been like that?" he wondered aloud.
"Yes," replied Red, much to his surprise. He stared at him expectantly, waiting for more. When none came, Black turned to the adults in the room.
Daisy covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she giggled. "They've had something of a mutual rivalry with each other since they were young: you could almost say Leaf, Blue, and Red were the three starter types. If I didn't know any better, I would even say they had a crush on each other."
Both Blue and Leaf paused their bickering to wheel around and yell indignantly at Daisy. "I do not!" they shouted simultaneously.
Hanako let out a small laugh as they went back to trying to tear each other's throats apart. "Red, Blue, and Leaf used to play with each other as children," she explained. "Those three were practically inseparable growing up. They even started their journey together when they were ten. That's why I was so sure that they would travel together, but I guess something came up that caused them to separate." She stared off wistfully for a second. "Either way, it doesn't matter now as they all eventually found their way to the Indigo Plateau and became champions!"
Black looked back at the bickering duo with a newfound respect. Three champions out of Pallet? That was even more than back in Nuvema. "You're telling me all three of them gave up the champion seat to Lance?" He thought back to his first encounter with the red-haired Dragon Master and winced.
"Funnily enough, that's right," replied Professor Oak. "Blue was the first to reach Lance, but he was promptly defeated by Red, who in turn lost to Leaf."
"It's only because Red's Pokemon were already worn out from Blue's battle prior," Leaf interrupted politely, waving a hand.
"Why didn't either of you stay?" Black asked Blue and Leaf.
"Too much work," shrugged the girl. "Jokes aside, I just didn't feel like being tethered to a position like that. There was so much more of the world I wanted to see."
"And you, Blue?"
"I wasn't ready," he said bluntly.
Leaf's eyebrow soared, as did Red's and Professor Oak's. "That's not what I was expecting."
The Viridian City Gym Leader scoffed. "As if you'd understand. Gramps gave me a nice little lecture after Red handed my ass to me on a silver platter." Blue continued, cutting Professor Oak off before he could voice an objection. "Which, looking back on it, I deserved, much as I hate to admit. My time as the last stop of many Indigo champion hopefuls has taught me that much, at least." Blue's grandfather leaned back into his seat, completely felled by Blue's humble admission. He said nothing as he took a long, hard look at his grandson. Blue shuffled his feet in agitation as he saw his grandfather's intense gaze. "What? Did I say something again?"
"No," said Professor Oak, shaking his head. "On the contrary, my boy, you merely surprised me with how much you've grown, both as a trainer and as a person."
Blue gaped in awe at the researcher for a few seconds before letting out a hearty bellow. "Gee, thanks, Gramps. Honest. Coming from you, especially after all these years... Whew! It's just..." He took in a shaky breath in an effort to stop himself and failed miserably.
"... For someone who's matured, he certainly seems quick on the draw to banter with someone else," Leaf finished.
Red nodded. "Agreed." Blue shot them both a frigid glare as he finally calmed down.
Black suddenly had a thought. "Hold on," he said, gaining everyone's attention.
"Go on," urged the Viridian City Gym Leader impatiently.
"Are you participating in the World Tournament, Leaf?" asked Black.
She looked at him in surprise, and then pulled out a stamped letter. "Yeah. Are you all?" She looked around at everyone as if noticing for the first time just how large the audience was. "Oh hi, Scott. I didn't see you there."
Scott held up a hand in greeting. "It's alright. You and Blue gave us quite a show, after all." The two Pallet Town natives' cheeks were aglow at the remark, causing Black and Red to smirk.
"You two know each other?" inquired Blue.
Leaf stuck her tongue out playfully at the Viridian City Gym Leader. "Sure do! Scott and I met while I was roaming aimlessly near the outskirts of Johto, and he invited me to the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier that was nearby. Speaking of..." She paused to run back and dig into her pack, shuffling around its contents haphazardly as she muttered to herself. "Lemme think... where could it be?... Tada!" Leaf triumphantly produced a case, which she pushed open to reveal five, sparkling slips of paper inside. "Gold Commemorative Prints!" she declared proudly.
"Prints?" Black repeated confusedly.
"They're the equivalent of the Frontier Symbols you're familiar with, Black," explained Scott.
"I see. Thanks."
"Funnily enough, I just got my last one from the Tower Tycoon Palmer yesterday. It was supposedly a few hours after the initial start of the countdown too." Blue, Red, and Black stared at her as she laughed ruthlessly, unable to believe her luck. "Which means I will be seeing you all at the Unova region where the Tournament's being held."
The conqueror of the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier helped herself to another round of laughter as Hanako returned from the kitchen with a small tray of drinks. "I hope tea will be enough for now; the hot chocolate's cooking if anyone wants some of that later." She handed each of them a cup and set down the tray on the table in case anyone wanted some sweetener.
Black reached over and helped himself to a few healthy spoonfuls of sugar. He stirred the white crystals into the clear liquid, watching as they gradually vanished from sight. Once he was certain that all of the solids in the drink had dissolved, Black raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. A vague, salty flavor filled his taste buds with the first contact. He set the teacup down again, carefully scrutinizing the innocent drink with uncertainty.
"Is something the matter, Black?" asked Hanako.
"Er, not at all," he replied. To prove his point, Black took a healthy swig of his tea, only to recoil momentarily afterward at the impossibly saline taste that flooded his mouth from tongue to roof. He hurriedly threw an arm over his mouth as he doubled over, retching and heaving as some water unexpectedly made its way down his throat.
From behind him, Mew finally made its first appearance of the night as it guffawed maniacally. Leaf and Daisy leaped to their feet in shock at the sight of the non-compos mentis Mythical Pokemon, who began flailing about loudly in the air. Hanako calmly came over and handed Black a napkin, having grown used to Mew's ideas of a prank long ago, and gave him a few smart slaps across his back for good measure.
The commotion in the room slowly died down as Black's breathing returned to normal. He sat down back down in his seat with a relieved sigh, not even bothering with the pink Psychic type that was hovering above him. "Mew?" it asked, gently nudging his head. The unspoken message was clear: You're not dead yet, are you?
Black looked daggers at it from beneath the shadow of his hat, the reflecting light from the fireplace giving his eyes a murderous gleam. "I'm fine now. No thanks to you." He pushed himself up off of the back of the sofa he was sitting on, catching Leaf's confused look as he did so. "Leaf, Daisy, meet Mew. Mew, Leaf and Daisy. It's a really long story."
Leaf blinked. "Uh, hi, Mew."
"Mew!" waved Mew. It scurried over to the girl and immediately began to toy with her hair using Psychic.
Black sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Mew certainly knew how to make a dramatic appearance. He let out a grunt as he got to his feet. Every pair of eyes in the room fixed on him as he made his way toward the entrance. "I hope it's alright if I excuse myself for a while. I need some fresh air after that little fiasco." Without waiting for a reply, he softly closed the door shut.
The cool night air struck Black like a slap to the face as he walked blankly off the steps to Hanako's house, chapping his lips and causing him to shiver. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he tried to get some warmth back into them.
Black pulled out his team's Pokeballs and tossed them into the air, calling out their inhabitants. His five remaining party members appeared with a happy cry, watching him expectantly. "Hey, everyone," he said holding out his arms. "Happy holidays!" Samurott, Hydreigon, Metagross, Dragonite, and Lucario all tackled him in a massive group hug as he laughed beneath them, squirming to get out from underneath. "Ahaha! Okay, guys, cut it out. Gah—you're going to squash me, haha!" He wrestled with them for a moment, trying to get his team off of himself before some bones were crushed. Finally, he sighed in resignation and simply laid there, giggling uncontrollably as his sides and face were nudged affectionately.
By the time Black had managed to carefully work his way out from underneath his Pokemon, he was red-faced and panting from all of the laughing and rolling he'd done while on the grass. He got up and dusted his clothes off and then nodded at his team. They took off to explore their new environment for a bit while he settled himself down on the steps underneath the amber glow of the porch light.
A thought abruptly crossed his mind as he stared up at the infinite night sky: an unspoken oath made just before he'd become so entangled in Scott's elaborate schemes for his new Battle Frontier. His heart began to pound as he thought about how best to approach the call he was about to make to his mother. How would she react after barely hearing from him all these years? Would she be mad? Taking a deep breath to reassure himself and still his antsy nerves, Black dialed his mom's number into his Xtransceiver and waited as the little square screen hummed melodically...
Extra
Several months prior...
Nate Wayland glanced down at his Xtransceiver again impatiently. The little square screen stared up at him innocently, buzzing softly as it worked to establish a connection with his mom, who'd asked that he call her when he finally arrived in Nuvema Town. "Come on," he grumbled. "Stupid thing!" He was just about to disconnect the call when his mom's face abruptly burst to life onscreen. "Oh! Hi, mom!"
His mother's features lit up when she realized who it was that was calling her. "Nate! How are you, dear?"
He couldn't help but grin broadly at her, despite the recency of their previous call. "I'm doing fine."
"That's good to hear. I take it you're still taking care to change your underwear between battles?" Nate's mom gave him a sly wink, causing him to redden profusely.
"Wh—Mom!" he spluttered indignantly. "I've been on my journey for more than a year now! I have the Dragon of Truths, for goodness' sake! I think that's more than enough to tell you whether I've been changing my underwear or not."
Nate's mom smiled innocently at him. "You can't ever be too sure, hun," she replied. "Even the greatest heroes forget the smallest of things every now and again. That's why their moms are there." He rolled his eyes in exasperation and let out a long sigh at the exaggerated wink she performed. "So I take it you're in Nuvema Town right now?"
Nate nodded. "Yeah."
"An old friend of mine lives there. We haven't talked since I last saw her seventeen years ago before her, er, trip. Her name's Faythe Black." His mom paused expectantly as if waiting for some sort of response.
"Her name doesn't ring a—" Nate stopped with a gasp, his eyes widening as he realized why the last name sounded so familiar. "Wait. You don't mean—"
"Yes. She happens to be the mother of the famous Hilbert Black. I was wondering if you'd drop over and say hi to her for me after you go and see Professor Juniper. I'm sure you could learn a thing or two from her too; she was a trainer, after all."
"Uh, sure. I'll pay her a visit."
"Thank you, Nate. Well, you'd better get to it soon. Tell me how it goes, alright?" Nate nodded. "Take care!"
"Okay. Bye, mom." He pressed the red button that ended the connection, staring at the blank display for some time, trying to sort out his thoughts. Hilbert Black's mom, huh? At long last, he was finally going to get some answers on the person whose existence had so long eluded him. This trip might actually turn out more interesting than he'd originally thought...
.
"'Blacks' residence,'" Nate read, peering down at a short red mailbox. "Huh. This must be it." He hastily straightened up with a loud crunch of his back to take a gander at the former champion's house, unable to contain his curiosity. Before him lay a blue-roofed two-story house atop a small hill, which stood like an isle in the midst of an endless sea of lush peridot grass, a unique species amidst the well-kept masses. Only the resplendent maple tree—whose verdant leaves were fully capable of giving the waving grass a run for its money—situated off to the right of the property shared the house's predicament, serving as the only source of shade for the place. A small dirt pathway flanked on either side by the most stunning amethyst bellflowers Nate had ever seen scaled up the majestic little hill, leading straight to the Blacks' front door.
As he made his way leisurely up the slight rise, Nate noticed a pair of Pokemon sleeping off to the side in the cool darkness of the tree, blissfully unaware of the world. He easily recognized the larger of the two Pokemon as a Tyranitar, having had a number of prior experiences with them under his belt. The green Armor Pokemon's finned partner took him a good deal longer to identify as a Vaporeon, a species particularly uncommon in Unova. Nate blinked. That was odd. Where, then, had Black (or his mom, pointed out his mind) gotten ahold of it?
His musings were unexpectedly cut short when he heard a sharp rustle within the leaves above. Nate's head snapped up as he attempted to locate the source of the sound. It took him several long moments of visual sweeping before he finally espied a mysterious red band that seemed to float in midair next to the maple's trunk. "Huh?"
A tentative step back revealed that the red band belonged to a body, which in turn belonged to a green Pokemon. "No way," murmured the teenager. "You're a..."
"Sceptile," finished the Sceptile. Though it was slightly shorter than him, there was something about the Grass type's composure that set Nate on edge. It positively radiated an aura of calculated collectedness as it leaned on the tree trunk casually from atop the thickest branch, watching him with a half-lidded gaze. For a second, Nate thought he could see the flash of a superior intelligence in its eyes.
He continued to maintain eye contact with the Sceptile for some time, unsure of how it would react. Once he was certain that the Forest Pokemon would make no move to attack, Nate tentatively disengaged himself from their intense staring contest so as to focus on more pressing matters. Adjusting his visor so that it rested more securely on his head, he continued on up the brief trek toward the home of the Hero of Ideals, all while under the intense scrutiny of the Blacks' Sceptile.
It took him two tries with the doorbell before someone finally answered the door. Nate couldn't help but take a step back in surprise when he saw a Zoroark warily peek out from within, a scowl creasing its face. Its expression slowly shifted to that of inquiry as Nate simply remained rooted to his spot, speechless. I'm waiting, it seemed to say.
"Oh! Er, my name's Nate Wayland," he began hesitantly. "I was told that Black's mom lives here. Her name is Faythe, right?" The Zoroark nodded once. "My mom's an old friend of hers. She wanted to me to stop by and say hi." After a moment's hesitation, the Zoroark sighed and stepped aside to make room for him to enter before he could ask if he could come in. Nate hurried inside as the Dark type softly closed the door behind him.
"Welcome home, dear!" called a voice from within. "Did you find the friend you were looking for?"