Chapter 3: Rollin' Place to Place

Cheren had kicked himself for making that bet with Hilbert, but it was never properly established why these rules would add more of a challenge to their journey.

Catching only the first Pokemon you see in a new area was almost unheard of for a trainer, and it wouldn't help at all when it comes to filling up the PokeDex (not that Cheren was much interested in filling it up anyway). It was common knowledge that catching as many Pokemon as you can would be beneficial when you have a PokeDex. The more Pokemon you catch, the more you learn about them. Catching only one per area would limit that knowledge, and you'd be going in blind for most of (if not all) of the journey.

But then...Hilbert probably liked it like that. They had known each other for years now, and Hilbert almost always left things to luck or chance. He was a risk-taker to the very end, to the point where anyone would be concerned about how he would fare as a trainer. Sure, Hilbert's mother was renowned for being a Champion, but that didn't necessarily mean that he would be as skilled. Even if he was, would that be enough to carry him through should his luck run out?

Perhaps that's why he made the bet with Hilbert. By limiting his choice of what Pokemon he could catch, hopefully Hilbert would be able to really think about his choices and actually make decisions from there.

Cheren had to admit, though...as idiotic as making the bet was, it was actually kind of fun. It kept him on his toes, and he found himself looking forward to seeing that kind of Pokemon he would end up meeting. Besides, having a rival like Hilbert was exactly what he needed to keep aiming higher. Even if all they could do was compare notes about who caught what in which area, it was one more thing for them to compete over (so to speak).

Until they confronted Team Plasma in Wellspring Cave, Cheren didn't really think about who would win the bet. Since it was all luck, it could be anyone's game.

Even with the limited range of Pokemon that they could have caught at this point (elemental monkeys aside), the last thing Cheren expected Hilbert to switch into after his Patrat had been hit was a Munna. Weren't those rarer than most Pokemon in the Dreamyard?

Actually, maybe luck had nothing to do with this catch. Bianca had told him about what had happened in the Dreamyard, and while he didn't have a reason to think that she would be lying...he was there for Team Plasma's speech in Accumula Town too. Nobody would blame him if he was a little skeptical, right?

The skepticism was dashed when he saw that the story held up, especially since some of the Grunts they encountered in Wellspring Cave recognized Hilbert right away. One seemed to cover his face, which Cheren thought was strange until he noted Hilbert making a show of cracking his knuckles.

In any other situation, Cheren would have given Hilbert a good talking-to for resorting to violence (again). But according to Bianca, he had done it as a response to seeing that Grunt kick the Munna. So, he supposed he could let it slide this time.

Besides, they had to work together now. They had to be in sync if they wanted to take these Grunts down, and nitpicking about Hilbert's actions this time wouldn't do any good.

Hilbert thought it would be an easy catch. After the Team Plasma battle, he told Cheren to go on ahead while he made his catch here.

It turned out to be a rather tough Woobat. It broke out of the PokeBall and then attacked Jay with a Confusion. Dammit - and he didn't get a chance to heal her before the Woobat attacked! He tossed a Great Ball the Woobat's way as he made his way over to his battered Patrat.

Hibert barely heard the soft click in the background as he tried to heal Jay, but to no avail. She wasn't even moving.

Maybe it was a good thing Cheren or Bianca weren't here. What would they have to say about this?

It was only after they gave Jay a proper burial that Hilbert realized that he managed to catch the Woobat.

And really...he didn't know how to feel about it. Sure, he killed Jay...that would probably always hurt. Even if he didn't know Jay for that long, watching her die would always stick with him. But wild Pokemon were like that - they always struck to kill. Casualties were part of being a trainer, but nothing could have prepared him for it. Could anyone really be prepared for that?

While he may have caught Woobat, it wouldn't do anything to replace Jay.

To Woobat's credit, he did seem a bit remorseful about Jay's death. At least, he did a good job of hiding it; apparently he just wanted some peace and quiet. He seemed to have that in common with Roger.

After what happened to Jay, Hilbert didn't want to risk any more deaths due to wild Pokemon. Casualties were part of being a trainer, and nobody is ever really prepared for the first time it happened. Really, Hilbert's decision to try to involve his Pokemon in wild captures as little as possible was understandable.

His decision to just toss PokeBalls at the Blitzle he saw, though? Not so much.

Merlot helped a little when the Blitzle got spooked and fought back, but in the end Hilbert caught it. Actually, Merlot helped a lot when it came to the newly-dubbed Matt. The Electric-type seemed to be so shy! It may take a while for him to warm up to Hilbert and the rest of the team. Which left Hilbert at a loss; while he couldn't profess himself to be the best there ever was, he liked making sure his Pokemon were comfortable. If he was only able to catch one per area, he may as well try to get them to trust him.

Wait...did he hear something about how walking with Pokemon helps strengthen a bond with them? Maybe he could try it for Matt.

So, he let Matt out of his PokeBall. As the Blitzle looked around with a confused expression, Hilbert gave him a small smile. He wasn't patient or gentle like Bianca was, but he was willing to give it a shot so that Matt could feel comfortable.

"Heya, Matt. Wanna go walking with me?"

Let's move away from Hilbert for a moment, and focus on the newest addition to the team.

Blitzle was more than a little perplexed at the sudden change of circumstance. One moment he was peacefully grazing on the grass, the next he had been captured! Not that he really minded - he had always sort of wanted a kind trainer - but he didn't really know what to make of Hilbert at a first glance. He was excited to have him in the team, sure...but would that be the case as time went on? Blitzle never thought of himself as being 'trainer-worthy,' so to speak. His timid nature blessed him with the speed and agility to get out of danger if he needed to, but it made approaching traveling trainers painfully hard.

Besides all that, he wasn't quite used to the name 'Matt' just yet. Blitzle wasn't too worried about that, though - perhaps he would just get used to it with enough time.

The rest of the group was an odd bunch, but Blitzle supposed he should have expected that from a trainer. A spunky Oshawott and a serious Pansear. A Lillipup and a Woobat, both of them equally carefree. And then there was the Munna. Munna seemed to adopt the name 'Merlot' like it was a part of him already. Blitzle would be lying if he said he wasn't a little jealous about that.

Good thing the Munna had agreed to walk (well, float) alongside them. It was nice of Hilbert to think of traveling like this, but Blitzle grew more curious as they walked. There were a few other wild Pokemon that they had encountered, but Hilbert always had Blitzle or another member of his party fight them. He never caught another one in the area.

Was Blitzle to be the only Pokemon Hilbert caught in the area? There were plenty of other Pokemon, most of which would be infinitely better than him as a partner. Why would anyone want a shy thing like him?

(Um...Merlot. Right?) he questioned as they walked together. When Merlot glanced over, Blitzle continued, (Hilbert seems nice, but could you tell me more about him? I thought trainers...I thought they would want to catch every Pokemon they see. Is that, um...not the case?)

(Not with Hilbert, at least,) Merlot responded. (He made a wager with a friend of his. Within the rules of that wager, Hilbert can only catch the first Pokemon he encounters in a new area. In this route, that was you.)

(Only the first?) That was interesting news. So...it was by chance that Hilbert caught Blitzle? It was a 'right place at the right time' scenario? It made Blitzle a little happy to know he was that lucky, but it also made him a little sad. Because...that meant there was a chance that Blitzle wasn't what Hilbert wanted from the area, didn't it? It was possible, right?

Merlot seemed to have read his mind, because he continued, (Don't worry, Hilbert already loves you. He's really excited to have found you; I can tell you that he was hoping to catch a Blitzle here. So when you came along, it really made his day.)

(I-It did?)

That really made Blitzle think. Oshawott (no...Michelle, right?) seemed to be hesitant to accept Matt into the team - apparently they had lost a friend just before finding him. While Blitzle was a little scared that he'd meet the same fate, he weighed his options. He had always wanted a nice trainer - someone to encourage him and help him get stronger and more confident. Blitzle's timidity did make it hard to approach trainers, but that rule Hilbert had seemed to make it easy to help accomplish that dream. And Hilbert - for all of his enthusiasm - did seem like a nice trainer. He wouldn't have offered to walk with Blitzle in the first place if he wasn't, right?

So, when the strange green-haired human challenged Hilbert to a battle, Matt did his best. He might not be the strongest addition to his team, but he wanted to try. Talking to Merlot really helped him out - at first he was so uncertain that Hilbert would really want him around, but now he was certain that he'd find a spot on the team.

Even if he didn't, just the chance to see the world and be with someone nice...that was more than enough for him.

New Additions

Kirby / Woobat / Male / Lax / Somewhat vain / Unaware / Met in Wellspring Cave

Matt / Blitzle / Male / Timid / Mischevious / Motor Drive / Met in Route 3

R.I.P

Jay the Patrat

(lvl 4 - lvl 12)