Chapter 12: The Tower

Hilbert spent a few days in Icirrus City before facing the Gym, during which he made a few friends.

The first was a Palpitoad. She seemed to pay it no mind that Hilbert almost stepped on her while she was relaxing, but he still apologized profusely for it. As a way to make it up to her, Hilbert spent a few hours looking for anyone that might be Palpitoad's Trainer...only for Carmen to speak with her and confirm that she never had one in the first place.

Well, how was Hilbert supposed to know that there were wild Pokemon in the puddles here?!

Palpitoad went into a PokeBall with little to no issues, and she was named Admiral. Hilbert really didn't want to think of anything happening to his beloved starter, but he had to admit that Admiral would be good backup if the occasion ever presented itself.

In the tall grass outside Dragonspiral Tower, he was so excited to have encountered a Druddigon! He put up a fight, but eventually Hilbert managed to catch him. Given that the Druddigon's ability was Rough Skin, Hilbert decided to name him Thorn. The Dragon-type's attitude almost reminded him of his late Patrat, but there was an almost softer edge to Thorn's sass that Jay seemed to lack. Whether it was because Jay was probably younger than Thorn, Hilbert couldn't say.

Having captured a Palpitoad and a Druddigon, Hilbert practically skipped over to Route 8 to see what he could find. He really wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that he encountered a Stunfisk there. While it was notably different from the ones he had heard about (his mother had told him horror stories about a Stunfisk encounter in Galar), he found that one thing that the Unovan variant and the Galarian variant had in common was how creepy they were. Did they always smile like that? He could only hope that the name 'Toast' would alleviate the creepy level.

Hilbert didn't get a chance to properly meet Toast, though; the minute he decided on her nickname, she had been transported to the Storage System. It was as he was about to enter the Pokemon Center that he would find his biggest surprise. The door opened preemptively (long before Hilbert had reached the building), and out stepped a very familiar brunette, with a Pignite standing by her side. She seemed to notice Hilbert right away, and waved at him with both of her arms.

"Whitlea!" Hilbert shouted, rushing over to give his sister a big hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were training for Opelucid's Gym!"

"Dad texted me," Whitlea responded, as the two stepped away from their hug. "He's still in Alola on that commission, so he asked me to get to Mistralton to pick Mom up from the airport. Did you hear that she's coming back from Galar in a few days?"

The mention of their parents caused Hilbert to flinch. Whitlea noticed that and blinked.

"Uh...Hilbert? Something wrong? You're never this tense when it comes to our parents."

"I know I'm not...It's just that there's been a lot going on with my journey. So I haven't really...contacted them lately."

"I guess that's fair," Whitlea mused. "With those Team Plasma jerks running around, I imagine any trainer would be looking behind their back every once in a while. They tried coming after me once, but Solo here really lit 'em up!"

The Pignite next to her had an expression of pride, as if remembering the event. The sight caused Hilbert to smile, really...although it did concern him a lot to hear that they tried getting to her. They didn't happen to know that she was his sister, did they...? How long were those Shadow Triad guys following him and his friends, anyway?

"I encountered them too," he said, carefully. "In the Dreamyard. I actually met my Musharna partially because of them, so I guess their plan backfired there!"

Whitlea paused, as if she was slowly putting two and two together. "You know...Bianca told me about that. You punched one of those guys."

Hilbert froze, and Whitlea noticed instantly.

"And also," she said, all mirth gone from her voice. "there's a rumor that the leader's taken an interest in a certain trainer that's been going up against them. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Uh..." Not for the first time, Hilbert cursed the fact that he was so honest. He couldn't even manage a proper poker face, so he could only brace himself. "Maybe?"

"Hilbert Bailey!" she screeched, and Hilbert flinched again. Whitlea really took after their mother sometimes, and it showed in how she addressed him. As if that wasn't enough, Solo had adopted a stance similar to Whitlea's; hands on hips and a look that practically screamed how much trouble Hilbert was in. "You're that trainer?! Why am I only finding out about this now?! Do our parents know?!"

"I didn't want to worry you...or our parents."

"Yeah, because suddenly learning about you going up against a cult isn't going to worry us?!"

"Bianca told you about the Dreamyard, right? Did she mention the fact that those Grunts were kicking the Munna?"

Whitlea nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, she mentioned that. You just can't sit still when you see people pick on those that can't fight back, can you?"

"Well...yeah. If I see someone getting hurt, of course I'm gonna try to help them out. Even if I have to give someone a black eye," Hilbert responded. "Remember that one time we were kids? And there was this bigger kid that made fun of our names?"

"I remember," Whitlea said with a soft snort. "I cried my eyes out, but you launched yourself at that kid with your fists swinging. Mum managed to peel you off him, but not before you broke your thumb and gave the bully a bloody nose. We both got signed up for dance and kickboxing lessons after that."

"I still say breaking my thumb was worth it. I'm not sure what Mum and Dad were thinking, giving me kickboxing lessons after that stunt."

"I'm not certain about Dad's logic, but knowing Mum? She probably wanted to be sure you could at least throw a punch without breaking your thumb. I think she was more mad about that than you beating up that bully."

A moment of silence passed before Whitlea let out a frustrated sigh and started digging into her bag. Eventually she pulled out what looked like it could be a blue shell. A Fossil?

"Here," she said, handing the Fossil over to him. "I went to Relic Castle the other day, and this guy gave me two Fossils. I was originally going to offer you a choice between them, but now I'm gonna have to insist that you take this one. There are people working in Nacrene City that can revive Fossils, and I'd feel a lot more at ease if you had one more defensive Pokemon. Not necessarily in your party, but at least keep them in your roster?"

Hilbert accepted the fossil, looking it over. Nacrene City? That was a long way from here, but he'd definitely remember to revive it the next time he was in the area.

"Alright. Thanks, sis," he said, carefully putting the Fossil in his bag. Once he made sure it was secure, he held out his arms. "Awkward sibling hug?"

Whitlea snorted, before mirroring the gesture. "Awkward sibling hug."

A moment into this hug, the simultaneously gave two pats on the other's back; "Pat, pat."

Another moment passed before the hug broke. Whitlea asked, "So, wanna show me your party now? You started with Oshawott, didn't you?"

Hilbert grinned as he took his PokeBalls out of his jacket pocket. Trust Whitlea to want to move on to a happier topic right away, which Hilbert was all too happy to oblige. "Alright!"

Between Belle's firepower and Michelle knowing Revenge, Hilbert's battle against the Icirrus Gym resulted in a flawless victory.

Hilbert heard their voices before he went out the door, and his smile would have gotten even wider if it were possible. How long had it been since he was able to talk with Cheren and Bianca? And he could hear Whitlea's voice too, it would be all four of them again!

Sure enough, there they were. Bianca and Whitlea were chatting away like they always used to, and Cheren was oddly quiet. All three of them noticed when Hilbert walked out with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, Hil! We were waiting for you!" Whitlea greeted. "How'd you fare against the Gym?"

Hilbert took out his Badge Case and showed off his seven badges. "It was easy! My Lampent really helped out in there."

"Congratulations, Hilbert. I'll be challenging Brycen next," Cheren said with a nod. Despite his words, he seemed a little uncertain of himself. That was cause for concern.

"You doing okay, Cherry?" Hilbert questioned. He hadn't called Cheren that in a while, but it never failed to get some kind of response out of him. Cheren didn't hit his arm, or even flinch at the nickname. "I'm…guessing not."

"Well...I don't know. I thought about what you and Alder said in Twist Mountain, Hilbert," Cheren admitted. It was a rare moment of vulnerability. "I talked with Bianca and Whitlea too, and now I'm wondering. Has anything about me...changed...since we left Nuvema Town together?"

"Changed?" Hilbert repeated. "Uh...now that you mention it? A little bit, yeah. I'll admit that I've been focused on a lot of things, so..."

"That's fair. Bianca told me what happened in Chargestone Cave. I'm glad Carmen's safe." Cheren paused, as if trying to figure out the best way to word his predicament. "I've just...been thinking about what I want to do, and what I should do. So far, I've come up with no straight answer. Am I really getting stronger, or is it just my Pokemon? I don't know!"

Bianca gave Hilbert a sympathetic look, giving him a pat on the back. "Cheer up, Cheren...isn't it nice to see everyone? After all, the last time we were all together was before Whitlea took off. Maybe we should go to the Pokemon Fan Club to take your mind off things before you challenge the Gym?"

That caused Hilbert to smile. Bianca was always the one who tried to lift people's spirits, even if it seemed pointless. "Always looking out for us, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah," Bianca responded with a sheepish chuckle. "I'm really searching for what I want to do. And what I can do, too!"

Brycen stepped out of the Gym, and he seemed like he wanted to say something...but he paused. "Who are you?"

Bianca nodded. "Oh, um...Whitlea challenged you already, so I'm assuming you remember her? I'm Bianca, and this is Cheren. We're-"

"I know you're there!" Brycen called, cutting Bianca off and throwing everyone for a loop. "Show yourselves now!"

A moment passed before the Shadow Triad appeared, one on each side of the group. Brycen was the only one that didn't jump at their appearance.

"Impressive, Gym Leader of Icirrus City," one of the Triad said. From their tone, they did seem to be genuinely impressed. "We are beings of shadow, and not easily noticed."

"Our mission was to speak with Hilbert alone," another of the Triad spoke up. "But so be it."

"What do you want?" Hilbert demanded. If they only wanted to talk with him, he may as well get to the point. The sooner they leave, the better.

"We simply mean to pass along a message from Ghetsis: come to Dragonspiral Tower," the third member stated. "Our lord N awaits you there. With that, our mission is complete."

"Dragonspiral Tower?! What's going on?" Brycen demanded. The Triad didn't answer, instead vanishing into thin air. Brycen took a moment to think things through before acknowledging the three in front of him.

"If any of you are here for the Gym Challenge, I'm afraid it'll have to wait," Brycen told them. "I need to see what's going on in Dragonspiral Tower!"

"I'll go too," Cheren volunteered. "The Tower is north of here, isn't it?"

With that, Brycen and Cheren walked off in that direction. Hilbert took off too, only stopping when he saw Cedric standing close to where the entrance leading to the Tower was.

"Hilbert, wait up!" Bianca called as she and Whitlea ran after him. Cedric greeted them with a nod.

"Hilbert, Bianca, we meet again!" he greeted. Then he glanced over at Whitlea, saying, "And you must be Whitlea. I'm the other Professor Juniper; the Professor Juniper who gave you your PokeDex is my daughter."

Whitlea reached over to shake Cedric's hand. "Nice to meet you...although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Right. I'm afraid we don't have much time to chat," Cedric said, a serious tone in his voice. "Here's the situation: a large group of Team Plasma members broke through the Tower's wall and went inside. Brycen and that young man - I believe his name's Cheren - went in after them, but..."

Cedric looked back at the Tower, and Bianca spoke up: "Um, Professor? What is the Dragonspiral Tower?"

"It's considered a holy place," Whitlea responded. "It's been around for centuries. A lot of people say it's been around since the era of the Twin Kings, but some sources say that it's been around since long before Unova was even founded."

"Good on you for knowing that, Whitlea," Cedric confirmed with a nod. "On the top floor, it's said that there's a legendary dragon-type Pokemon that waits for a person pursuing ideals to appear."

Zekrom. At Cedric's words, Hilbert's heart felt like it plummeted to his stomach. N had talked about Zekrom several times over their encounters, but he never thought he was actually serious about seeking them out. Is this really where-?!

Cedric nodded. "Hilbert, are you going to go after them? It's admirable that you're joining the fight, but it's very risky too. According to Brycen, Team Plasma seems to want you there."

"Not sure I have much of a choice there," Hilbert admitted. Whitlea placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not going to go at it alone," she said. "I'm coming along this time too. I know you two have beaten Team Plasma before, but someone's gotta keep you and Cheren from doing anything reckless."

"Wow...you three have gotten really strong, haven't you?" Bianca mused. She then seemed to deflate as she said, "And, um...I'm not as strong as you guys, I'll admit that. Maybe...would it be okay if I stayed here and acted as Professor Juniper's bodyguard?"

Cedric nodded, a large smile on his face. "Thank you, Bianca! I already feel much safer. As for you two, be very careful. I can't give you much, but hopefully these Old Gateaus I got here will help you out."

Jude had knocked out the Golett that they encountered within the Tower, but that quickly became the least of Hilbert's concerns.

Cheren, Whitlea and Brycen were intercepted by a group of Team Plasma Grunts on one of the lower floors. Hilbert managed to slip past the chaos (at Cheren's insistence) and made it further up, only stopped when he reached the sixth floor.

It would only be in hindsight that Hilbert realized he should have expected getting ambushed as he went up Dragonspiral Tower. He was the one that had been interfering with their shenanigans, which would naturally put a target on his back.

So, the best way to describe what happened when Hilbert reached the sixth floor was a battle royale - Hilbert and his six Pokemon, going up against several Grunts and their Pokemon at the same time.

While his Pokemon had been fighting, Hilbert was in a fight of his own - some Grunts had ganged up on him while their Pokemon fought. None of them seemed to anticipate Hilbert being able to properly fight back, because he was able to take them with few issues. He had taken a few blows (including one to the stomach that was just uncalled for), but nothing he couldn't handle. Those years of kickboxing lessons were really starting to pay off.

Hilbert saw an opening, and sucker-punched the remaining Grunt in front of him to get up the stairs. He returned each of his Pokemon as he did - Michelle, Roger, Belle and Captain went into their PokeBalls with no issue. They had finished their battles. Merlot was still fighting, so he supposed Jude would have to be returned next.

When he grabbed Jude's PokeBall and turned around, everything seemed to freeze.

Because there was Jude, lying in a puddle of blood. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened - as if the Watchog standing over his body (with blood on its fangs) wasn't evidence enough, there was an injury on Jude's neck that absolutely hadn't been there before. There was no way the puddle of blood could have come from the Watchog.

"Jude...?" Jude didn't respond (not even a twitch), so Hilbert knew he was already gone. While he had lose Pokemon in a battle before…this time was different. Hilbert's head spun, and he felt short of breath. It felt like his mind shut down, only focusing on how this time it was Jude.

Jude, who Hilbert had on his team and had gotten to know over time. He was chill unless he needed to fight, and was so excited to become a Krookodile in a few levels.

Jude, who got along well with the rest of his Pokemon. Michelle aspired to have the kind of strength he had, and he often joked around with Roger and Matt when he wasn't hanging out with Carmen.

Jude, who got caught up in this whole adventure after Carmen had asked Hilbert to bring him along.

Oh gods…what was he going to tell Carmen?!

"JUDE!" Without thinking, Hilbert took a few steps towards the body - but froze. Not of his own accord - it was more accurate to say that he couldn't move anymore. He tried, but something seemed to keep him from moving as it carried him up the stairs.

Then it hit him; he hadn't returned Merlot to his PokeBall yet. He must have finished his battle and saw what happened. Was he using Psychic to-?!

"Merlot! What are you doing?!" Hilbert demanded as he struggled against the psychic force pulling him away. It was odd how he couldn't seem to recognize his own voice; it felt sounded more like a desperate scream than anything else. "Let me go!"

"I can't do that, Hilbert!" Merlot responded. The way he carried Hilbert was near effortless. Had he been practicing this? "Jude's already gone, we have to keep going!"

"So you want me to just leave him there?! You can't expect me to do that, I have to-!"

"I don't like the idea any more than you do, but what's going to happen to the rest of us if you get killed?! We can come back later, when Team Plasma isn't trying to kill us!"

Hilbert couldn't find it in himself to argue as Merlot carried him to the top of the tower. He could barely even process it; Team Plasma really was trying to kill them back there, weren't they?

And in one case, they succeeded.

It was only when Hilbert stopped struggling against Merlot's Psychic that he was let go. That was just before the staircase that would take him to the top of the tower, but Merlot chose to linger alongside Hilbert anyway. Probably making sure he wouldn't try to go back again for Jude.

Hilbert couldn't place a name to what he was feeling. This wasn't the first time he lost a Pokemon, but not even Derek's death led to this wave of nausea and pure denial. Jude had been a staple in the team for so long, he didn't want to think about how he was now...how he was...

Trying to push the thought out of his head, Hilbert went up the stairs. Merlot floated alongside him, as if preparing himself for what they might find.

He should have known from the way the air seemed to be charged as they made their way up. It wasn't unlike how the air around Matt felt sometimes, when he was hit by an Electric move. Hilbert had noticed it - and now that he thought about it, didn't he hear someone shouting about how shocking it was as he made his way up? But he just figured that's just how it was up here. Whitlea had said that this place was considered holy, so it should have a 'holy' feel to it, right?

But no. No tower could replicate the large dragon Pokemon. Black as the night with shining red eyes.

The dragon loomed over everyone in the room - including N. How long had N been there?

Up until now, Hilbert could only imagine what it would be like to see a legendary Pokemon up close. To be that lucky was the stuff of dreams, he figured. There were times when he doubted that they existed at all - he and Whitlea had a more secular upbringing, after all.

But…no. Zekrom was real. That was the truth.

"Hilbert, what do you think?" N's voice snapped Hilbert out of his thoughts. "You can feel this power, can't you? The power of the legendary Pokemon that appears before the Hero that will pave the way to a new world?"

The Plasma leader held his right hand up - on the back of his hand was some kind of mark that hadn't been there before. "You see this too, don't you? This is proof that Zekrom chose me as their Hero. The first Hero of Ideals in two millennia."

Hilbert said nothing. It was clear that his mind was trying to process just what was going on. Zekrom...chose N? They couldn't stop N from reviving Zekrom, and then they-?!

"So, Zekrom and I will face the Pokemon League and defeat the Champion!" N declared. "That will be the last of the atrocious battles that hurt Pokemon. A world that's safe for Pokemon...my dream will finally be a reality."

Zekrom hovered into the air, and N locked eyes with Hilbert.

"If you want to stop me, you must become a Hero as well!"

Hilbert finally found the mental capacity to speak here; "What?"

"Reshiram," N explained. "Zekrom's counterpart. When they recognize you, we'll be even. Then you can try to stop us!"

Baffled, Hilbert blurted, "Wh-Why?! Why tell me all of this in the first place?"

"I told you, didn't I? You've been chosen," N responded. "Which is to say...if my prediction comes true, you'll be the one to meet Reshiram and become their Hero. Your Pokemon believe in you so strongly...surely you could be the one that interferes with my formula for changing the world?"

Hilbert could only stare. From how he was acting now, N seemed very much like a king...as much as he hated to admit it.

"Hilbert! If you want to protect the bonds between humans and Pokemon, you must seek out Reshiram!" N continued as he took a few steps back. "I'm sure they're waiting for you in their stone form - more commonly known as the Light Stone. I wish you the best of luck."

The mention of a stone rang a small bell in Hilbert's mind, but he ignored it. He could only watch as Zekrom flew off, with N on their back. Hilbert knew he couldn't confront them now; if he did, he would lose the rest of his team…like he lost Jude.

At the thought of Jude - how Team Plasma killed him, just a few levels shy before he could evolve like he wanted - the disbelief he felt swiftly shifted to anger. He ran towards the edge of the tower and cupped his hands over his mouth.

Up until now, Hilbert had interfered with Team Plasma's affairs out of a strong sense of justice. But now it was personal.

"N! IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, FINE!" he screamed. He barely felt the hot tears streaming down his face. "I'LL PLAY YOUR STUPID FUCKING GAME! I'LL FIND RESHIRAM AND WAKE THEM UP! I'LL BRING YOU AND TEAM PLASMA DOWN! I'LL AVENGE JUDE'S DEATH IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

Hilbert didn't think N could hear him (as far away as he probably was already), but he didn't care.

New Additions

Admiral / Palpitoad / Female / Relaxed / Loves to eat / Hydration / Met in Icirrus City

Thorn / Druddigon / Male / Sassy / Impetuous and silly / Rough Skin / Met outside Dragonspiral Tower

Toast / Stunfisk / Female / Modest / Mischievous / Limber / Met in Route 8

R.I.P

Jude the Krokorok
(lvl 21-lvl 36)