Chapter 11: Slow Down, You Crazy Child

Meeting Cedric Juniper was a little underwhelming, if Hilbert could be honest. Maybe that was because he didn't have much interest in being a researcher himself.

Bianca, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic to meet him. Her eyes were practically sparkling, and she was eager to hand over her PokeDex when he offered an upgrade.

It was at that moment that Hilbert realized; filling out pages on the PokeDex had been put in the back burner this entire time. In his defense, there isn't much one can do with a PokeDex when they only catch one Pokemon per area.

He didn't think he could avoid the conversation when Cedric had offered, but then Bianca had to ask, "That reminds me! Hilbert, how's your progress on the PokeDex? We could compare and contrast!"

Hilbert knew it was an inevitable question, especially since Professor Juniper was the one who gave him and his friends a PokeDex to fill out in the first place. That didn't make him dread it any less. Maybe it was the fact that the Professor herself wasn't in earshot, but Hilbert had an easier time answering the question than he thought.

"W-Well...funny thing about that-"

That was when Bianca noticed something yellow and fuzzy on Hilbert's shoulder. "Hilbert...you know you have a Joltik on you, right?"

SAVED BY THE BUG!

"Yeah, I know," he responded, trying his hardest (and failing) to play it cool. "This is Dodger. She helped me out in Chargestone Cave; I'm not sure I could've gone through that cave as fast as I did without her help. I'm gonna be facing the Flying-type Gym soon, I can't go in with just Matt. I taught Jude Rock Tomb too, but you know. Better safe than sorry!"

"I guess you're right, but that doesn't make it any less surprising! I thought you ha-" Bianca cut herself off, coughing into her hand to try to look convincing. "I mean, you don't have the best history with bug-types."

Hilbert knew when Bianca was trying to cover a slip-up, and he appreciated it. While it was true that Hilbert didn't like bug-types, maybe he could make an exception or two. He was already working on that with Charlotte. While he didn't put her in his party often, her bashful nature did help make things easier for him. Dodger was the same way, especially given her nature.

"Well...I think it helps that Dodger is modest natured," he mused, reaching a finger over to gently scritch the top of Dodger's head. She made this purring-like noise as she enjoyed the attention. "She gets along really well with my Munna. Besides, it's not like I can be picky about what Pokemon I catch."

"Wait...what?" Bianca seemed genuinely confused by Hilbert's statement. "Why can't you?"

Hilbert mirrored Bianca's expression. "You don't know? Cheren didn't tell you?"

Bianca shook her head, and Cedric seemed equally invested in what Hilbert had to say. How did Hilbert forget that he was still there?

Back to square one. Guess there's no avoiding it. Shite.

"Bianca, you remember how I left my starter decision to a roll of the dice?" he started. "Yeah, Cheren got mad at me for that, so we ended up making a bet while we were waiting for you to meet us. We can only catch the first new Pokemon we run into for every area we reach until we reach the League. Which is why I don't have much of my PokeDex filled out. Cheren probably doesn't either."

Bianca huffed. "You guys! I thought it was strange that I never see you catch anything! So are you just catching multiples of the same Pokemon?"

"No, we have a duplicate clause. If our first encounter is a Pokemon we already got in the PokeDex, we can skip it and go to the next one!"

"Still! Does the Professor know about this? What would she say?!"

Cedric laughed when he heard that. "Oh, I'm sure she won't mind too much! My daughter always says that the PokeDex is only one way a Trainer can interact with Pokemon. While it's true that Hilbert's approach is unique, it's not hurting anyone!"

"And besides," Hilbert supplied, "this is only going on until we reach the League. Once we reach that point, we could start working on the PokeDex for real."

He wasn't sure what made him say that (although it wasn't like it was a lie - could is different than would), but at least it seemed to satisfy Bianca. It crossed his mind that she might have been hoping to have a PokeDex-filling rival in either him or Cheren, and that did make him feel a little guilty.

N's words echoed in his mind: "Bianca has accepted the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger."

"Well, how about I upgrade your PokeDex anyway, Hilbert?" Cedric offered. "Even if you're not gonna meet a whole lot of Pokemon, it's still good to have more information on the ones you have met! I'll talk to my daughter and see if she has any upgrades that'll help you and Cheren, too."

"Alright," Hilbert conceded, handing over his PokeDex. "Thanks a ton!"

As Cedric worked, Bianca asked, "Hey, Hilbert? About your Munna. You said that Dodger gets along well with him, right? What's his Ability?"

"Uh..." Hilbert needed a moment to think about it. Not because he didn't know; he just couldn't think of the name. He knew what it did, though. "The name escapes me. But, uh...if he gets a status condition, he'll pass it to his opponent."

"Synchronize!" Bianca exclaimed. "I thought that might be it! See, Professor Fennel told me something really cool about Pokemon with the ability Synchronize! If a Pokemon with that Ability walks with their trainer, the wild Pokemon they run into are more likely to have a similar nature!"

That was definitely news to Hilbert. Merlot had been with him when he met Dodger. It was curious that she just approached him the way she did, too...it seemed like she came out of nowhere. Did she approach them that way because Merlot had been there?

"Oh, wow," he said. "I may need to keep that in mind. Thanks for letting me know."

After his PokeDex got upgraded, Hilbert caught two Pokemon within an hour of each other as he made his way to the top of Celestial Tower.

Hilbert didn't expect to have a crisis when he entered the tall grass in Route 7, but he also didn't expect to come face to face with a Watchog. By that point, Hilbert had learned to dread the Normal-type; between the fact that Lenora's Watchog came so close to killing Michelle and the fact that Team Plasma had so many of them. Seriously, why did these bloody things have Hypnosis and a move like Super Fang?!

Besides that... this didn't count as a duplicate, did it? After all, Jay never got the chance to evolve before she died. That meant he didn't have Watchog's PokeDex entry filled, so it was with a bit of reluctance that he caught the Watchog. He eventually decided to name him 'Timon.'

Celestial Tower, on the other hand...that required a bit of preparation. Since hearing about Merlot's ability, Hilbert was tempted to see what would happen if he let him tag along with him. If what Bianca said was true about there being a chance that he'll encounter Pokemon of the same nature, it might be worth trying. After all, Modest was a nature that he could definitely work with. The more Pokemon he had with that nature, the better. Right?

Then he figured, no...it might not be fair to Cheren if he pulled something like that. To Hilbert's knowledge, he didn't have anything like that.

After training Merlot until he finally learned Psychic, Hilbert decided to have him lead. But only for Celestial Tower; whether the Pokemon he caught there ended up being modest or not, he would try it for just that one place. Because, really...there wasn't a rule saying that he couldn't.

To be on the safe side, Merlot insisted that Hilbert let him evolve before stepping into the Tower.

The Litwick that he encountered turned out to have a modest nature, but Hilbert wouldn't have guessed that from how she acted compared to Merlot and Dodger. The (now) Musharna was notorious for being picky, and Dodger seemed very easy-going...but the newly dubbed Belle had an almost otherworldly air to her. Hilbert first attributed that to her being a ghost, but she had a toughness to her that the other two seemed to lack.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to think about it too much. After all, Belle was a ghost. He had heard rumors about how some ghosts are formed upon the death of their human self. While there was no way to find out if Belle was one of those ghosts, Hilbert wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Dodger really wasn't sure what to make of the events following Hilbert's victory over the Mistralton Gym.

Hilbert walked out of the Gym with the now-Galvantula crawling alongside him. He seemed to have gotten used to her presence over time (apparently he didn't like Bug-types?), but there was still some tension on his shoulders. She couldn't tell if it was because of her or because of all the cannons he had to launch himself out of. Were those things really necessary?

They had just beaten those trainers with the Flying type Pokemon. She got plenty of time to prove her strength, and so did Matt and Jude. The final girl (a leader of some kind) gave Hilbert some kind of trinket to prove his victory and then they left the building...only to be confronted by that green-haired human.

It took her a few moments to recognize the newcomer; he was there in Chargestone Cave too, just before she officially met Hilbert. Dodger remembered thinking it was odd that a human could have that color hair, but she was more focused on finding a good place to take a small nap to really pay attention to their conversation.

Hilbert had been yelling about something at the time, so he was the only one who didn't seem to notice the Joltik who had decided to hitch a ride take a nap on his shoulder. Merlot noticing her presence wasn't much of a surprise, but the fact that N noticed just as quickly was kind of impressive.

Dodger was always larger than the other Joltiks in the cave, but that honestly wasn't much to brag about. She understood that she was still rather small by human standards. At first she thought maybe N had Compoundeyes too; either that or Hilbert has Oblivious (since he hadn't noticed her at all). That was until she learned that humans didn't have Abilities like Pokemon do. So what kind of human was N?

So, when N insisted on talking to 'another' one of Hilbert's Pokemon, Dodger volunteered. She didn't know what N was trying to accomplish, but she figured it couldn't hurt to hear him out.

After N had led Dodger to a space not very far from where Hilbert stood (not so far that he couldn't see them, but far enough so that he couldn't overhear), he crouched and gave Dodger a polite smile. "Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Galvantula."

(You're welcome...although, could you call me Dodger? All my new friends call me that, and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't extend the same courtesy to you.)

"But you're-" N started. He then paused, and from the look on his face Dodger could only assume he was trying to think something through. After a moment he finally said, "Alright...Dodger. I just wanted to learn more about Hilbert as a trainer."

(Oh, that's all?) If that was the case, maybe Michelle or Merlot would've been better to speak with than her. But Hilbert seemed nervous about having even one of his Pokemon talk with N, so Dodger would do her best to answer anyway. (Well...I actually haven't been with him for very long, but I can tell you that he's a good human. I understand that he was originally skittish around bug-types, and in hindsight it was rude of me to drop in on your conversation the way I did. I was just looking for a comfortable place to take a nap. Despite all of that, he still gave me a chance.)

"Drop in?" N questioned. He was silent for a moment. "So, he wasn't your trainer back then?"

(Oh, no. I was wild. Hilbert caught me after I woke up from my nap.)

Dodger thought she could see something like guilt come across his features, which was odd. (Are you okay?)

"I'm sorry," N responded, clearly more than a little distressed. "If I knew you were wild at that time, I never would have pointed you out to him-"

(What are you talking about? If anything, you did me a favor.)

"How? You realize you could die fighting for him, don't you?"

(I know that. I also could have died if I stayed,) Dodger responded, doing the equivalent of a shrug. (Joltik aren't exactly on the top of the food chain in Chargestone Cave. We do try to make it when we can, don't get me wrong. But the way I always saw it, having a Trainer is really the best chance for survival.)

For a moment, N was silent. Dodger took a moment to glance back at Hilbert; he hadn't moved from his spot in front of the Gym, although Merlot had come out of his PokeBall.

"Dodger." N spoke up again, getting Dodger's attention again. "Before I return you to Hilbert, there's one thing I'd like you to confirm for me. I've suspected that Hilbert only catches one Pokemon per area. Is that true?"

Now it was Dodger's turn to be confused. (I'm surprised you didn't know that for certain. Yes, it's true. I thought it was weird that he didn't catch anything else after catching me, so Merlot - he was a Munna at that time, he's evolved now - filled me in.)

"I see..." N was silent for another moment before smiling at Dodger again. "Thank you again for agreeing to speak with me. I've learned a lot."

(I'm glad I could help.)

Dodger chose not to say anything about how N's smile seemed a little more forced compared to when their conversation started.

At least Cheren was in a better frame of mind than he was the last time he faced Hilbert. He and his team put up a good fight against Hilbert's too...but in the end he still lost. Hilbert was a good trainer, so it wasn't like he should be mad at him...but he was more mad at himself. Of course he wanted to be strong; that was what every trainer vying for the League would want, right?

Hilbert's strength couldn't be doubted, and not just as a trainer; as surprised as he had been to have learned about Hilbert's Musharna, he was doubly shocked when he turned out to have a Galvantula (of all things!). Hilbert's distain for bug-types was clear from the get-go, and while it was true that their bet didn't exactly allow either of them to be picky...that still didn't stop him from being surprised.

Would he ever be able to beat him?

"That was a fine Pokemon battle! I'm glad you two are growing as Trainers!"

As Alder jumped from the cliff to where the two were, Cheren couldn't ignore the gnawing sense of dread.

"With all respect, Champion Alder," he said, "I don't know how you can call it a fine battle. In fact, it kind of bothers me. I lost because I was weak, it's that simple."

Cheren regretted his words when he noticed Hilbert's expression - the 'wounded Lillipup' look that he always made whenever he felt guilt over something. Alder seemed to disapprove too.

"Honestly Cheren; just accept the compliment without a stinging remark like that," he tutted. "I've asked you this before, but what is it you plan on doing when you become strong?"

"That's simple," Cheren responded. "Being strong and becoming the Champion would be the reason for my existence. I want to make my mark on the world and prove that I'm living."

Alder nodded, as if he expected an answer like that. "Reminds me of Marshal," he said. "It is important to have a goal like that to strive for, but it's even more important to figure out what to do with your newfound strength. Don't you agree?"

Cheren was struck speechless at that. What to do with his strength? He stayed silent as Alder handed him and Hilbert the HM for Surf and walked off. For a moment, there was silence between them. Hilbert didn't immediately go into Twist Mountain, which Cheren knew meant that he most likely had something to say.

"Cheren," Hilbert started as he pocketed the HM, "For what it's worth, I don't think you're weak. I think you're plenty strong. You gave us a heck of a fight just now."

Cheren didn't know what to say to that. Hilbert was (quite frankly) the worst liar he had ever met, there was no way he was just saying that. That didn't stop the feeling of failure from nagging at him.

"Well...thanks," he finally responded. Shit. He really needed to get out of here; it would be just plain embarrassing if he got emotional now. "While I don't know what I plan on doing with my power...I guess that just means the first step is becoming a strong Trainer. That way, everyone will acknowledge my power, and I'll know what to do from there! So Hilbert, get ready. I will beat you next time!"

Cheren ran into Twist Mountain, ignoring Hilbert calling for him. If he stayed, he might say something he'll regret again. The last thing he wanted was to jeopardize his friendship with Hilbert because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Really, what does it mean to be strong?

As Hilbert stopped to take a break in his travels through Twist Mountain, N's words haunted him for the second time: "Cheren, for example, is pursuing the ideal of strength."

For all of his wit and knowledge, Cheren was surprisingly impatient. While Hilbert was also known to be impatient when he was younger, Cheren seemed to take it to an almost competitive degree. Is that why he came up with the terms of the bet in the first place?

Wait, that couldn't be it...Hilbert was the one who insisted that Cheren should keep to the rules of the bet too. He had as much say in this as Cheren did.

That didn't make him any less worried for his friend. While it wouldn't be fair to Cheren if he ever held back while they fought (in fact, Cheren would be downright pissed at him if he did that), the last thing Hilbert wanted was for him to beat himself up about it. He was already feeling guilty learning what he did about Bianca.

Hilbert was so lost in thought about the whole thing that he almost missed the Cubchoo completely. In fact, if it wasn't for Michelle's outrage upon seeing the newcomer eat up all the sweet pastries in Hilbert's bag, he would have.

Honestly, Cubchoo's appearance cheered Hilbert right up. He couldn't help it! Winter was around the corner, but it wasn't here just yet. He knew that Cubchoo was pretty rare on non-winter months, and he knew she would really help out with the next two Gyms! While it would be a pain in the ass to have to backtrack to add the newly dubbed 'Captain' to his party, he knew it'd be worth it if it meant having a Beartic by the time he reached the next Gym.

Despite Michelle's outrage upon having her favorite snacks 'stolen' from her, it took almost no time for her and Captain to get along. Maybe it was because they were both jolly natured? Regardless, the two almost acted like they were sisters.

New Additions

Timon / Watchog / Male / Rash / Often scatters things / Keen Eye / Met in Route 7

Belle / Litwick / Female / Modest / Capable of taking hits / Flash Fire / Met in Celestial Tower

Captain / Cubchoo / Female / Jolly / Strong willed / Snow Cloak / Met in Twist Mountain

Ending Note: I named the Watchog Timon because I knew I was never going to use him. I figured at least one 'gag nickname' would be good for the run.

Also: in-game, most of this journey took place in autumn! That's part of why Hilbert was so excited to meet Captain; they had a 10% chance of showing up since it wasn't winter.