Hilda's POV

"Come on, Hilda!" Jojo said, tugging on her arm. "We don't want to be late!"

Hilda yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Jojo, it's only 6:00, and the Battle Club sign-up starts at 10:45! We don't need to be up so early!" She stretched her back and tried to pull her arm away from Jojo's grasp, but she didn't budge.

She turned her head and grinned at Hilda, revealing all of her teeth. "You never know what will happen. We've always got to be ready! Besides," she continued, "Demon and I have been up for hours! How are you so tired?"

"How are you NOT tired is the real question." Hilda muttered.

Following the girls was Tepig, Minccino, and Petilil. All of their eyes were half closed, if not completely. Minccino collapsed suddenly, her eyes squeezed shut as if opening them was a challenge. Tepig turned around and nudged the Chinchilla Pokemon onto his back. He took a step, but slightly staggered under her weight. Minccino started falling off his back, but Petilil darted forward and pushed the young Pokemon onto Tepig's back once more. She rested her head on Tepig's and fell alseep again. The two other Pokemon, who were still half asleep, quickened their pace to catch up with their trainer.

They continued walking through the Pokemon Center, Jojo chirping happily with Demon walking beside her, all of her tails swaying joyfully.

Hilda watched, slightly jealous. "This is going to be a long day..."

…

"Hilda! Wake up!"

Hilda groaned. "Ungh... What?" She forced one eye open and saw Jojo standing over her, her eyes worried.

"You fell asleep again!" She sounded rushed. "We need to go!"

Hilda lifted her head off of the table. They were still outside of a shop, the place Hilda had fallen asleep for the third time. She yawned. "What time is it?"

"10:40! We only have 5 minutes to get there!"

Hilda's head snapped up, causing it to spin. "Wait- WHAT?! You woke me up super early, and we are still going to be late?!"

Jojo shrugged. "Er... y-yes! Now come on!" She grabbed Hilda's arm and pulled her out of her seat.

Tepig, Petilil, and Minccino quickly woke up and rushed to their feet, only barely stumbling. They ran down the street, pass houses and shops.

"For such a small town... it sure is easy to get... lost!" Hilda gasped in between breaths.

Jojo nodded. "We'll be there soon. It should be around this corner!"

They turned the corner and ran down the street, the building was only a few yards away. A small crowd had gathered by the door, probably waiting for the rules.

Jojo and Hilda slowed as the got closer, making it just in time. A man was standing at the door, looking at the people gathered below.

He cleared his throat and spoke loudly and said, "May I have your attention, please?" The crowd stopped talking, until only a breeze was heard. "Today is the day where most of you will find out about the Battle Club, and what it is! I understand your excitement, but bear with me as I explain everything. First of all, each trainer who joins will get a credit card. Stores have been set up in every town, put there to help you trainers get things you might need on your Pokemon Journey. The only requirement is you must have at least two Pokemon to join. You will get a limited amount of points each month, and if you overspend, you won't get as much points next month."

He paused. "The main purpose of the Battle Club is to measure how much you grow during your journey. Whenever you stop at a club, you will face an opponent with a level close to yours. The higher your level, the more difficult trainers you fight. For example, a beginner will fight a beginner, not an expert. There are three sections in all, and they are beginner, moderate, and expert. Inside of these sections are levels one through ten. Once you reach level ten, you will move on to the next section. When you reach level ten, section 'expert,' you will get a chance to fight the club leader, Chance." There was a quiet giggle in the crowd, and the person speaking laughed a little. "Er... I'm not kidding. A-anyway, once you fight Chance, you will be remembered in the Battle Club Hall of Fame. Understood?

"Your section and level will be assigned depending on the number of wins you have. Each battle will be recorded with your Pokedex, for those you who have them. If you don't have them, you will get a recorder that is used only for recording wins versus losses. When you reach a Battle Club building, your full tally will be looked at and you will get a new rank after you fight someone who is also near your rank. Your rank can lower if you lose to someone who is at a lower rank than you, but if you beat someone with a higher rank, your rank will go up significantly. Understand?"

A few shouts rose from somewhere in the audience, and the man nodded. "Today you will find out your rank by battling me. It will be decided depending on your performance. Each person will be given a time. That is when you will battle me." He nodded to a girl with dark blue hair. "Laura, if you don't mind?" She nodded and started passing out slips of paper to people in the crowd. Instantly, people started whispering in excitement to the person next to them.

Jojo turned to Demon and petted her head. "Are you excited, Demon? I know I am!" Demon happily barked and wagged her tails. Hilda looked over at her Pokemon. They were all sitting at her feet, their eyes sparkling.

"Here is your time, miss." Hilda looked up. The blue haired woman was holding out a slip of paper. Hilda took it and looked at the time it said. Jojo leaned over her shoulder and looked at it.

"1:05. That's in about two hours." She remarked. She looked at her own paper again. "I'm going at 11:15."

"That's in twenty minutes." Hilda said. "Are you ready?"

Jojo nodded, her eyes flowing with determination. "I'll be fine, I'm sure."

"HILDA!" Hilda jumped when she heard her name. She turned and saw Bianca running towards her, waving her slip of paper in the air. "I thought I saw you over here!" She stopped in front of Hilda and smiled at Jojo. "Hi, there! I'm Bianca! Who are you?"

"I'm Jojo." She responded. "This is my Ninetales, Demon."

As they were talking, Hilda looked up at the man who had explained the rules. What she saw almost made her cringe. He was glaring directly at Jojo, his eyes narrowed in what appeared to be hatred. When he noticed Hilda looking at him, he turned away on his heals and walked inside. Hilda starred at the spot where he had disappeared. After a moment, she shook her head. "I was probably imagining it." She thought.

"Earth to Hilda! Is anyone home?"

Hilda blinked. "Wha-?"

Bianca grinned at her. "Like I was asking, are these your Pokemon?" She beckoned towards Tepig, Petilil, and Minccino.

"Oh, yeah." She replied.

"Awwww! They are SO cute!" She bent over and picked up Minccino. Minccino looked over at Hilda, her eyes wide. When she saw that Hilda didn't seemed threatened by the eccentric girl, she squeaked happily and cuddled in her arms, giving Bianca a look that would melt the hardest of hearts. "Eeeeek! She is just a darling! How old is she? When did you catch her? Where did you catch her? Do you think I could catch one?"

Hilda smiled. "Minccino is only a baby, I caught her last night on Route One, and if you find one in the wild, I would assume you would be allowed to catch it."

Bianca nodded and continued gushing over Minccino. "I have to admit, Hilda," Jojo said, "I'm quite impressed you were able to remember all of that. My memory is not the best."

"Well, when you've been around Bianca for a long time, you find out many things about her. One of those things is when she asks one question, it is best to expect another one coming."

Jojo laughed and Hilda smiled, almost forgetting the dirty look the announcer gave her. She shrugged it off. "Who could possibly hate Jojo? She's super funny and nice!" Just thinking about her made it hard for Hilda to believe Jojo even HAD any enemies! "The man probably mistook her for someone else, that's all."

…

Hilda and Bianca stood next Jojo as they waited for her turn to battle the announcer. The door to the battle room was shut, but the three could hear trainers and Pokemon's voices from inside. A question had been bothering Hilda for a while and she knew she had to ask it before the battle.

"Hey, Jojo?"

"Yeah?"

Hilda hesitated. "Do... do you know the guy? The one who explained the rules this morning?"

Jojo laughed. "Oh, you mean Carson! Yeah, I know him." She turned back to the door. "It's been a while since I've battled him."

Hilda nodded slowly. "Are you two... rivals?" She asked.

Jojo shrugged. "Kind of. It's a long story, but what happened was-"

The blue haired woman opened the door and poked her head out suddenly. "It's your turn." She said to Jojo. "Good luck!"

Jojo thanked the woman and walked in through the door. Hilda and Bianca followed her, eager to watch the battle that was quickly approaching the young trainer.

Finally, the Battle Club has started! Many new adventures are sure to come and many new opportunities await Hilda, Jojo, and Bianca. But who exactly is Carson, and why does he seem to hold a grudge against Jojo? What's going on with Hilbert and his Timbur? Did Hilbert find his Timbur and apologize? Find out next chapter!

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