A/N: Okay, everyone, it's flashback time. We're now gonna get the first of many small but helpful insights on what happened to Ash! ENJOY!

The Alto Mare Pokémon Center

Hilda watched from outside the healing room as Nurse Joy and her Pokémon expertly healed her Mienshao and Nate's Pignite and Cryogonal. Their methods seemed a bit primitive compared to the Nurse Joys of her home region, but nevertheless, they seemed to do the trick. Glancing at Mienshao, Hilda determined that it had received quite a beating during the battle between her and Nate, due to the effort the Chanseys were putting in healing the Martial Arts Pokémon.

"That was quite a battle," a voice said. Hilda didn't need to look to see who was talking to her.

"I thought I was actually gonna lose back there, bro," she replied. "He really was tough." She smiled slightly. "A worthy Trainer to challenge. I couldn't have been any prouder to fight against him." Hilda silently looked at Pignite and Cryogonal. "His Pokémon really trusted him as well. Very responsible, he is."

"So, what do you think, sis?" Hilbert asked. "D'you think-"

"It has never been 'thinking', Hilbert, as much as it has been wondering. It has always been 'knowing'." She sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment. "Cheren was right in everything he said about Nate. He's an excellent Trainer who takes faith and care in his Pokémon. Just like Ash. Now...the hard part is...having to stick with him, all the way to Ketchum City..." A shiny tear slid from her eye, glinting from the light on the ceiling.

Hilbert, noticing his sister's change in mood, pursed his lips. "He reminds you of him, doesn't he?"

Hilda nodded as a small smile formed on her face. She began to remember the day she first met the Pokémon Trainer that changed her life...

Broawin City, Broawin Island
The Decolore Islands
One year before the death of Ash Ketchum

"Come on, slowpoke!" fourteen-year-old Hilda White called teasingly, giggling as she sprinted down a city walkway, her shiny dark-brown hair fluttering with the wind and her bag swaying from the fast movements she was making. "You better catch up!"

"Wait, Hilda!" cried Hilbert as he struggled to catch up, nearly tripping from a loose block of cement. "Come on, slow down! Dear Arceus, give me a break, will ya?!"

After dashing a couple more blocks, Hilda finally stopped, partaking of her twin brother's exhaustion. As soon as Hilbert caught up with her, the two Trainers collapsed on a wooden bench, panting and resting as a group of tourists crowded around the nearby statue of a phoenix-like bird. Intrigued, Hilda felt all exhaustion in her body vanish within a split-second; she stood up immediately and ran towards the still-forming crowd.

"Hilda, where are you going?!" She heard Hilbert exclaim, but she didn't listen. Instead, she joined the crowd of tourists as the tour guide, a red-haired boy dressed in yellow-and-scarlet clothing who was around her age (she found a slight curiosity at the age of a guide so young, but dismissed it as quickly), addressed the group.

"Here, we have a statue of the famous Legendary Rainbow Pokémon Ho-Oh, the subject of worship by the whole of Broawin City's population. Though it hails from the faraway Johto region, sightings of it have been reported from across the entire planet. It can be easily distinguished by its phoenix-like physical attributes, its dominant color scheme of gold and red, and the rainbows that trail behind its magnificent and wide wings as it flies across the sky.

"Ho-Oh has had a significant impact in the history of Broawin. See, ages ago, this city was nothing more than a struggling village, whose residents had to fight against the rainy springs, windy summers, dry autumns, and cold winters that plagued not only the village, but the entire Decolore Islands. But when Ho-Oh, passing over the settlement, took pity in the villagers, it used its secret powers to bring eternal happiness and peace to the village, and abolished the severe weather that plagued the village and the archipelago. Since then, the village evolved into the Broawin City that you currently stand in. This explains why Broawin City is known to always host a mostly clear weather condition, with the occasional but modest rainfall, and also why Broawin Island is known for its lush and undisturbed greenery.

"Legend has it that when Ho-Oh departed from the village that was to be Broawin, it left behind a shed feather, known to those who study it as a Rainbow Wing. This Wing is stated to help ward off any potential misfortune that befalls upon the city, and that it could be anywhere in the city limits. It has never been found, but should it be found, only those that it judges as having a pure heart can hold it. Otherwise, the person that holds it turns into dust."

Several of the tourists shifted uncomfortably, Hilda included. The tour guide didn't notice, instead beckoning his group to follow him further down the walkway.

"This way, people..." he said as he led them away.

Hilda didn't follow the tourists, instead staying behind to admire the statue. She had seen pictures of ancient drawings of Ho-Oh, as well as a semiofficial photo of it on the National Pokédex, but the statue, colored entirely gold, seemed to evoke a more natural, realistic, and accurate portrayal of the Rainbow Pokémon. Indeed, Ho-Oh looked like a phoenix, with pronounced tail-feathers, an underside, and feathers at the tip of its wings. It had a stripe on its neck, a large beak, rings around its eyes, and a feathered crest. She had never seen anything that looked so magnificent and mighty in all of its glory...

"Cool, Ho-Oh..." a female voice said in awe and wonder.

"Axew!" a Pokémon chirped in agreement.

"The Legendary Rainbow Pokémon..." added a male voice wisely.

Hilda glanced at her right and saw that three of the tourists still remained at the base of the statue. One had light-green hair and eyes and wore a formal, white long-sleeved shirt with a dark-gray vest, dark-gray jeans, and a formal green bow. Another had long and bushy violet hair that was tied into a comically large ponytail, and brown eyes; she wore a pale-yellow shirt with long and somewhat overlarge sleeves, a pink skirt, and white leggings; secure in her arms was an Axew. The third had messy, spiky jet-black hair and brown eyes, who wore a white-and-blue jacket, dark-gray cargo jeans, dark-gray gloves without any fingers, and, most notably, a red-and-white cap with a Poké Ball symbol, which reminded Hilda of her own; on his shoulder was a strange, yellow mouse-like Pokémon that she never saw before.

Intrigued, Hilda approached the trio of Trainers and asked, "Hey, excuse me?"

"Yeah?" asked the Trainer with the unknown Pokémon on his shoulder. For a moment, it seemed as if Hilda broke him from some sort of trance that was focused on the statue of Ho-Oh, but she didn't bother to take further notice of it. The unknown Pokémon smiled happily and waved a paw.

"Pika!" it greeted.

"Aw, that Pokémon's so CUTE!" exclaimed Hilda. "I've never seen it before. What is it?"

"Oh, his name's Pikachu," the Trainer replied.

"Pika-pika!" the Pikachu said.

"Pikachu, huh?" Hilda procured her Pokédex and activated it, aiming the device at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu," explained the Pokédex. "It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks. Pikachu can help other Pikachu who are feeling weak by sharing its electric current."

"So, Pikachu, huh?" Hilda looked up at the Pikachu's Trainer. "You're obviously not from around here."

"I'm from the Kanto region," the Trainer replied. "The name's Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I'm aiming to be a Pokémon Master."

"Hey, I'm Iris, from the Village of Dragons," the girl with the large purple hair and the Axew said. "I hope to become a Dragon Master someday. And this is Axew."

"Axew!" greeted Axew.

"The name's Cilan, of Striaton City," said the green-haired boy. "I'm an A-Class Pokémon Connoisseur."

"Nice to meet you all!" Hilda said, smiling. "I'm Hilda White, from Nuvema Town."

"Nice to meet you, Hilda," replied Ash. "So, you here to participate in the Broawin Battle Competition? We are."

The Broawin Battle Competition was an annual Pokémon battle tournament that gave further fame to Broawin City. It involved a number of rather complex, constantly-changing stages that imposed further challenges to the battling experience. It was something that did not escape Hilda's knowledge.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm just stopping by to call it a day. Me and my brother Hilbert have been traveling around the Decolore Islands for the past couple of days as tourists. We've already participated in the Unova League, and we decided to do some exploring in the outside world."

"Wait, you participated in the Unova League already?" Ash asked.

"Yep, a couple of years back." Hilda shrugged. "I lost to Alder, though. But I honestly don't mind. It was a great battle, and that's what counted."

"That's an attitude desirable to hear!" exclaimed Cilan, crossing his arms.

"Hey, Hilda!" a familiar voice called. Hilda turned around to see Hilbert running towards her, panting with exhaustion. "Alright, I am all rested up and ready to go. Let's get to the hotel and-" He then spotted Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew, and Cilan. "Wait, who are you guys?"

"Hilbert, this is Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew, and Cilan," said Hilda. "They're here in Broawin to participate in that battle competition. Everyone, this is my little bro, Hilbert."

"Nice to meet you, Hilbert," Ash said.

"Pika!" added Pikachu.

Hilbert smiled and nodded at the group. "Hey. It's nice to meet you too, guys. Glad to see that you've kept my sister occupied." Then, his eyes widened as he realized something. "HILDA, I'M NOT YOUR LITTLE BROTHER, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that that's the truth?" replied Hilda teasingly. "I was born five minutes before you."

"WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUB IT IN MY FACE ALL THE TIME!"

Everyone except Hilbert laughed, while Hilbert slowly sunk to the ground anime-style in embarrassment.

Present day

Hilda sighed sadly as she walked away from Hilbert and the healing room. She should have known that that normal day would be the day that started everything. All of the madness, all of the evil, all of the death... But she was fourteen years old at the time, she couldn't blame herself... And yet, since that day, she saw things no other fourteen-year-old could ever imagine... An image of a young man with long light-green hair dissolving into dust flashed across her mind...

"Hey, Hilda. That was a really great battle."

Hilda was pulled back into reality and found Nate standing in front of her. He was smiling at her proudly, and his hand was stretched out towards hers. She looked at it as if it was thriving with some sort of disease, but the expression disappeared almost instantly as she smiled with some difficulty. She shook Nate's hand.

"Yeah, great battle," she replied. "Those were some battling strategies you've got there, Nate. Where'd you learn them?"

"Huh? Oh, those aren't my usual strategies," Nate said. "You got me all tied up, so I went all-out. But I guess I learned a little something from watching Cheren during one of those little demonstrations he did when I was in his Trainers' School..." He shrugged.

Hilda nodded. "You learned a lot from Cheren, huh?"

"Oh, yeah." Nate smiled fondly as he and Hilda walked over to the sofas and sat down on them. "He's been a great teacher to me. He taught me everything there was in the sport of Pokémon battling." He chuckled briefly. "I can't say that I'd know what to do if I didn't learn from him."

"If I can recall from what he's told me," said Hilda, "you knew Cheren long before you even went to his school."

"Oh, yeah." Nate's smile widened. "Ever since I ran into him when I was five, he's been, like, checking up on me daily. Like he saw something special in me."

"You saw him everyday, you say?"

"Yeah." Nate shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you can say I look up to Cheren as a father figure, of sorts. I mean, I never had a father for most of my childhood, and he sorta filled that role of a paternal figure for me, with all of the advice, the confidence, and the encouragement he gave me. My mom didn't mind at all about that; she was proud that I had someone to look up to. And when I started going to his class, I was pretty excited, I gotta tell you."

Hilda tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "What about your real father?" she asked.

Nate's face suddenly turned tight. "He died."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She glanced at the floor pitifully. "I never really had a dad for most of my childhood either."

Nate smiled, all of the sadness having disappeared just as suddenly. "Well, let's not dwell in the past. Let's just look forward to tomorrow."

Just then, Hilda started laughing softly. Nate glanced at her curiously, surprised by her change of mood.

"Why? What's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that someone I knew very well said the exact same words as you did..."

The Broawin City Hotel
Eleven years ago

"So, are you and Hilbert settled in good at Broawin City?" the brown-haired woman with the blue eyes and the blue headband asked.

"Yes, we're both good, Mom," Hilda replied, slight distress present in her voice. "You don't have to keep asking me that."

"I'm sorry, honey." The mother smiled. "You know how concerned I am for you and your brother."

"Mom, it's not like we're on our first day as Pokémon Trainers. Besides, we've got Ash, Iris, and Cilan to accompany us during our stay in Broawin."

"Ash, Iris, and Cilan?" The mother raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Who are they?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention 'em? They're these Trainers I met a couple of hours ago. They're really swell people! Especially Ash, he's got this compassionate thing going..."

Hilda's mother smirked playfully. "Does my little Hilda have a crush?..."

Hilda's eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically in dismissal, blushing bright-red with pure embarrassment. "No, no, Mom! I do not have a crush on Ash! Let's get on with something else, shall we? How's it going for you back home? How's Ruffy doing? You're feeding him correctly, right?"

"Hilda!" The fourteen-year-old turned around and saw Ash and Hilbert approaching, Pikachu on the former's shoulder as usual.

"Hilda, you should see the parade that's going on outside, it's awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika-chu!" added Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Hilbert spotted the woman on the telephone screen Hilda was using. "Oh, hey Mom!" he greeted.

"What? Your mom?!" cried Ash, surprised.

"Oh, is this the famous Ash I've heard about?" the mother asked, smiling coyly at Hilda.

"Yeah." Ash stepped beside Hilda, causing her to blush with embarrassment. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. White. Hilda and Hilbert are just plain awesome!"

"Pika!" Pikachu added, waving.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ash. I'm glad to hear you're keeping my kids company-" Just then, a faint popping sound was heard in the background from Mrs. White's end of the line; she turned around, gasping. "Oh my goodness, that must be the popcorn I promised Professor Juniper! Hilda, Hilbert, I gotta go! Love you! Oh, and Hilda-" She winked slyly at her daughter. "-best of luck to you. You'll need it! Bye! Again, nice to meet you, Ash!"

"Bye!" Ash and Hilbert said simultaneously, but Hilda didn't answer, instead still blushing with embarrassment, incoherent as her mother hung up. She silently stood up and followed her brother and Ash towards the hotel's exit, where she heard the sounds of drums and marching going on outside.

"Your mom sounds awesome, Hilda!" said Ash. He then noticed the florid blush on Hilda's cheeks. "Hilda, what's wrong? D'you have a cold?"

"Huh? Oh, no. It was something my mom said to me." Hilda smiled innocently at her new friend.

"I bet your dad's as awesome."

Hilda blinked and looked down at the ground, while Hilbert shifted uncomfortably.

"We...never really had a father when we grew up..." said Hilda in a whisper.

Ash's eyes softened, and even Pikachu's ears drooped. Hilda noticed that and noted to herself that Ash and Pikachu must have a really strong bond.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ash replied somberly. He then placed a hand on Hilda's shoulder, causing her to blush even more. It was a slight comfort when Ash placed his other hand on Hilbert's shoulder as well. "I never really had a dad myself." He then smiled slightly. "But I don't let it worry me."

"It doesn't worry you?" asked Hilbert.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. Like my mom always said to me, let's not dwell in the past. Let's just look forward to tomorrow."

Present day

As Nate and Hilda continued to converse, Kelly watched them from a distance. She smiled slightly, glad to see that her son had made a good friend.

The Alto Mare Harbor
The next day

"We made it!" exclaimed Nate as he and his group stepped onto the harbor, which was currently crowded with numerous other tourists preparing to board the cruise ships that were docked. "And just in the nick of time! Come on, guys, we don't wanna get left behind when the ships overcrowd!"

"We left the hotel hours early, Nate," Hugh said. "There's no need to worry."

"Hey, that's my line!" a voice exclaimed. Nate, Hugh, and Rosa turned to see Dawn glaring at them, smiling jokingly.

Rosa immediately giggled girlishly as she pranced towards May and began asking her many questions. Hugh rolled his eyes at her.

"Girls," he said. "The most complex creatures in life."

Nate chuckled for a few seconds before his attention was suddenly caught by something. He didn't know why he was doing it, but he now found himself staring at two people that were around his age. One was a boy with light-green hair, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, and a green jacket. The other was a pink-haired girl wearing a simple white dress. Their eyes met his, and Nate briefly saw a strange glint of red in the boy's green eyes, and a similar glint of gold in the girl's cornflower-blue eyes.

They both looked away just as suddenly. Nate couldn't help but feel that something was strange about the duo. He hoped that no one spotted their brief but strange exchange, Hugh already noticed his friend's recent actions. He playfully nudged him in the shoulder.

"Complex, those girls, right?"

The Hall of Origin
Arceus's Dimension

"Are they in place, my Child?" asked Arceus.

"Yes, they are," Palkia replied. "They should perform better than the forsaken Genesect Army. I advised that we not trust their aggressive tendencies!"

"Do not argue with me, Palkia. What of the Soul Dew?"

"It is under safe watch."

"Good."

Palkia stared at its Creator. "May I ask, which of these humans are we exactly looking for? You haven't been so forthcoming with me on our purpose..."

"Now is not the time for such queries. I only ask of your unwavering trust, Palkia, and it only. The time will come when our questions are answered."

"Our, you say, Father?"

"Yes, my Child. Our."

A/N: So, who are these two that have caught Nate's attention? And what are Arceus's motivations? Only time will tell...

Hope you liked the flashbacks! I know they're not much, but I'm pretty sure they offer some insight...

I'd like to thank those who reviewed (can't answer reviews right now):

Alpha B. A. 7

random girlz

PsychicEevee0103

BlueLightningXD

Proxus

Galaxina-the-Seedrian

masterofthez

So, we might now have some indication of OthelloShipping (Ash/Hilda)! I assure you, things will get interesting from there!

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!