Chapter 1
"Hilda, calm down! We are going to make it to the Pokemon Lab, I promise, sweetie! Just let me call the neighbors, and let them know that we are going. Maybe they would want to come with us," Mrs. White, Hilda's mother said, as she reached for the phone attached to a wall in the kitchen.
"Oh, come on, mom!" Ten-year-old Hilda complained. "We can't let Hilbert come with us! That will ruin everything!"
"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean that we can't let the Black family join us," Mrs. White rolled her eyes. "Besides, Mrs. Black was kind enough to make sure Hilbert didn't get his first Pokemon until you were old enough, so the two of you could begin your adventure together."
"Well that was the wrong decision." Hilda pouted, crossing her arms.
"Would you rather have spent the previous three months whining about how Hilbert is out there on his journey, while you have to wait because you aren't old enough yet?" Mrs. White asked.
"No." Hilda confessed.
"That's what I thought," Mrs. White said as she grabbed the phone off it's shelf on the wall, and brushed the dust off of the old device. It was one of the old-fashioned chord phones that wouldn't give you much room to walk while using them, other than to walk across the small kitchen in their home. Mrs. White dialed the familiar, seven-digit number into the phone, held it up to her ear, and waited for the other side to pick up and answer. As she waited, Hilda stood across the room, tapping her foot impatiently. Hilda stood right in front of the doorway exit to the house; she was pretty eager to head over to Professor Juniper's lab to obtain her starter Pokemon.
Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig... Hilda was thinking to herself. Water, grass, and fire types. Which one will I choose? It's not like it will matter when I head onto the first gym, because they will just hook you up with a gym leader that trains a type superior to yours. The second gym is the normal type gym, but the third is the bug type... Tepig would be most useful there, while Snivy the least useful. Oshawott would just be neutral there, still...
Eventually, Mrs. Black had picked up the phone and was now in conversation with Mrs. White, forcing Hilda to stop her daydreaming and listen in on the conversation, although she could only hear what her mother had to say. "Hi, Sally! It's Wanda speaking. Is your son up yet? Hilda and I were just about to head over to Professor Juniper's, and we were wondering if you two would like to join us," Hilda's mother was saying. Hilda narrowed her eyes, bitterly, at the mention of her neighbor. She wanted nothing to do with Hilbert. Every day was just like the day at the beach two years ago: it concluded with Hilbert walking away after his bragging on how he would become a champion and Hilda would forever be a failure.
Mrs. White had paused, listening to Mrs. Black's reply, before she spoke up again. "Oh, that's just wonderful! We'll be outside on the front porch waiting for you two." With the conclusion of the telephone call, Mrs. White pressed the "end call" button and hung the phone back up on the wall. She turned to face the door, only to see an angry Hilda standing in the way.
"What's the matter with you today?" Mrs. White asked. "You should be happy that we are going to get you your first starter Pokemon!"
"You don't know the things Hilbert says to me," Hilda muttered, but not loud enough for her mother to understand her.
"Well, let's go wait outside," Mrs. White walked over to the door, pushing Hilda forward with her. "I promised Mrs. Black that we would be waiting on the porch for her when she came. She said that she and Hilbert should be here in about five or so minutes."
"It's so great to finally be getting some time outside!" Mrs. Black explained, stretching her arms out into the air. Both the Black and the White family were now walking down the Nuvema Town streets, on their way to the Pokemon Lab. As the two mothers chatted, Hilda and Hilbert were racing each other to the doors of Professor Juniper's Pokemon Lab, which was only a few more blocks away.
"I'm going to beat you, like I always do!" Hilbert boasted, although he was only a few feet ahead of Hilda at this point. Hilda, behind him, was gradually boosting her speed, determined to beat her bratty neighbor to the lab.
"Shut up!" Hilda hissed through her gritted teeth, silently panting for air as she was losing her breath. She wasn't as great of a runner as Hilbert, but why would that matter when becoming a Pokemon trainer? It's not like she's going to have to run across all the cities in the Unova region in some giant race to compete for the champion's throne, right? There would always be time for relaxing.
"No way!" Hilbert refused, grinning with pride. He was going faster and faster as the seconds passed, until he finally made it to the steps of the lab. He turned around to see Hilda still about thirty feet away, finishing her way over. "Ha." Hilbert snorted. "I beat you, just as usual. Now that I made it first, I get to choose my Pokemon first!"
"That's not fair," Hilda was bent over on her side, now that she had made it over, catching her breath. "It's my flipping birthday, Hilbert. You should let me choose first."
"No way." Hilbert crossed his arms. "You're just trying to make me feel bad because you always suck at everything." He spat the words at Hilda, and each one of his painful syllables slammed into her heart like daggers. Hilda had enough with Hilbert always being so arrogant. She'd show him.
Hilda sat down on the steps that lead up to the lab, and sighed.
"What's your deal?" Hilbert demanded, sitting down next to her.
"You know very well, you butt." Hilda scoffed, fixing her vision on the flowery lawn in front of her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Watch your language!" Hilbert said back. "I did nothing to you!" He glared at Hilda for a moment, but eventually, a smirk crept up his face. "Ah, I get it. You're a sore loser, aren't you? I wish I could say that I totally understand, but honestly, I can't- because I always win! Ha!"
"Hilbert, settle down," Mrs. Black had heard the last few sentences that her child had spoken to Hilda. She and Mrs. White had finally made their way over, and now Hilda and Hilbert were standing up, preparing to enter the lab.
"Mom, guess what? I get to choose my Pokemon first, because I won the race against Hilda!" Hilbert bragged, pushing open the heavy wooden doors to enter the Pokemon Lab.
Mrs. Black just shook her head. "Come on, Hilbykins. It's Hilda's birthday today, so we are going to let her go first. I know that you are a nice, kind boy that wouldn't mind that," she emphasized all the complimenting words to add in extra reminding for Hilbert to behave his best.
Hilbert rolled his eyes, hating to be called the nickname of "Hilbykins". He hideously despised the nickname so much, but chose to say nothing back to his mother. Hilda stuck his tongue out at Hilbert, finally feeling victorious of being able to choose her Pokemon first, and the fact that her neighbor got into somewhat trouble with his mother.
As the four entered the building, they were immediately greeted by Professor Juniper, as if she had been waiting behind the entrance to her lab this whole time. "Good morning, fellow citizens!" She greeted in a voice louder than necessary, stepping to the side to let the Black and the White family members enter the building. She shut the door behind them, and her eyes almost instantly fell upon Hilbert and Hilda. "Ah! I see we have two kids here with us today. I assume they came to get their very first Pokemon today?" She asked, directing the question at the two parents.
Both moms nodded. "Yes, they are," Mrs. White answered with a smile.
"Well," Professor Juniper said, "I happen to have three Pokemon that these two can choose from." She walked across the one-room building and went to consult a shelf of Pokeballs, and she picked out three particular Pokeballs and came back to stand in front of Hilbert and Hilda. She called out the Pokemon that were sleeping within them. The first one out was none other than Tepig, a small, friendly, fiery pig Pokemon. The second was an Oshawott, a slightly larger, overly-emotional water-otter Pokemon. The final one was a Snivy, a snobby, grass snake Pokemon. "You each get to choose one to be your partners for the rest of your Pokemon journey!"
Hilda exchanged looks with Hilbert before she stepped forward, surveying the three starter Pokemon. She was already learning towards choosing the Tepig for both its advantages in the third Pokemon gym and the fact it was absolutely adorable, but she decided to take a look at all three before deciding.
First, she looked over the Oshawott. As soon as the small critter caught on that he was being watched, he began to dance around in circles while sheepishly chanting syllables of his name, "Osha, osha, osha, osha! Oshawott!"
Hilda shook her head to herself, turning to the Tepig next. She started calling the name of the Pokemon, hoping that it would react and come over to her. "Tepig! Tepig! Come here, boy!" She called to him, but the Pokemon seemed completely deaf to her calls and ignored her to instead itch the back of his ears with his left hind leg. Hilda let out a sigh before feeling something rub up against her leg. She looked down to see the Snivy cuddling her leg. She looked up to see Hilda looking down at her.
"Snive." Snivy said proudly. How could a snobby-natured Pokemon take interest in someone like Hilda? She picked up the Pokemon, surveying it a tad more. The Pokemon began to happily cuddle in her arms, and it looked like Hilda's mind was finally set.
"I'll choose Snivy." She said.
"Great choice!" Professor Juniper clapped her hands together before turning to face Hilbert. "Which Pokemon will you take with you, sweetie?" She asked him.
"Tepig." Hilbert immediately decided, picking up the pig-like Pokemon. "Only so I can beat Hilda all the time with him," he added under his breath, expecting no one to be able to hear him. Little did he know, Hilda had ears much larger than they seemed, and she picked up on every word.
Hilda narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. "Oh, really?" She said to herself. "We'll see about that."