Chapter 19: What Lies at the End
Hilbert decided to go clockwise when it came to challenging the Elite Four, which meant he would be facing Shauntal first.
When he approached the Ghost-specialist, however...she seemed to be off in her own little world sitting by her desk. A Cofagrigus floated by her side, watching her trainer intently as she scribbled and erased things in her notebook.
Through the silence in the room, it was easy for Hilbert to hear her murmurs.
"Hmmm...eyes brimming with dark flame...he rejected everything but himself in order to bring about one singular justice..." Shauntal hummed before glancing up at her Cofagrigus. "What do you think? Should I refer to him as 'The Hero' or 'The King?'"
The Cofagrigus murmured, and apparently Shauntal could understand what she said; she grinned and responded, "You're right. Hero does sound better."
Hearing all that, Hilbert felt his heart plummet to his stomach. Could she be describing N? Or was she just inspired by recent events? Either was possible, right?
Hilbert cleared his throat, which caught the Cofagrigus' attention. The Ghost-type reached one of its arms to gently get Shauntal's attention, and that's when she finally noticed the Trainer's presence.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shauntal exclaimed, hastily standing up and rushed over to meet him. "I'm writing a novel about the story of the Twin Kings. I was inspired by our most recent challenger, and I guess I got carried away."
"Right..." Hilbert couldn't help groaning. So he hadn't beaten N to the League after all. He and his team really needed to work fast to reach him - who knows where N was right now?!
"That said, I wasn't expecting another challenger so soon...but I suppose with recent events, I really shouldn't be surprised," Shauntal continued. She glanced over at Gladys, who floated into a battle-ready position in front of her trainer. "I'll not be going easy on you."
"That's fine, I don't expect you to," Hilbert responded, summoning Garfield from his PokeBall. The Excadrill stood at the ready, poised to make a move.
"An Excadrill," Shauntal observed, taking out another notebook from her pocket and scribbling into it. "A solid start for the vanguard. Gladys, start with Will-O-Wisp!"
"Son of a-!" Will-O-Wisp?! He hadn't expected that one! The reason he started with Garfield in the first place was because his Steel-typing made a good counter for anyone who likes starting off with Toxic. "Garfield, Sandstorm!"
With Garfield's ability being Sand Force, Hilbert could only hope that the boost from his ability would lessen (or cancel out) the attack drop that came with getting burned. It worked, too; the first Earthquake didn't bring Gladys down, but it came close.
"Impressive," Shauntal said, taking out a Full Restore to heal her Cofagrigus' wounds. Hilbert took the time to use a Full Heal on Garfield.
Shauntal scribbled something in her notebook before issuing another command: "Okay. Shadow Ball."
Hilbert blinked. She wasn't going to use Will-O-Wisp again? He'd be lying if he said he saw that coming, but he wasn't about to complain. "Alright. Earthquake, Garfield!"
Without the burn, Garfield's Earthquake was able to knock Gladys out with one hit. After Shauntal returned the Cofagrigus to her PokeBall, she took a moment to write something in her notebook again. Hilbert found that he couldn't not say something about that.
"Uh...are you taking notes on our battle?" he questioned. Shauntal jolted, clearly not expecting to be called out like that.
"I am," she admitted. "You never know when you can find inspiration as a writer, and I get my best inspiration from Pokemon battles. I can stop if that bothers you."
For a moment, Hilbert was not sure what to say. Whitlea loved the books that Shauntal wrote, so he knew that she was an accomplished novelist as well as an Elite Four member. He guessed that novelists have to be able to write everything down in order to get their ideas down, but taking notes in the middle of a battle?
Well...Shauntal didn't seem too distracted by that. He wouldn't want to win a battle because she was too distracted by her writing, so...
"No, it's fine," he responded. Shauntal seemed relieved to hear that.
"Thank you," she said, taking another PokeBall into her hand. "Now, for the next round. Bubbles, take the stage!"
Bubbles turned out to be a Jellicent, which Hilbert naturally countered by summoning Dodger.
For Shauntal's part, she watched as Hilbert's Galvantula confronted Bubbles. As she watched the subsequent fights - Alphonse and Jean both being felled by Hilbert's Samurott - the Elite Four member felt a twinge of sadness. Perhaps it was because of how fiercely Michelle fought, or how resolutely Hilbert issued commands - it was like they both fought with the weight of their lost friends on their shoulders. It was a contrast to their previous challenger, who fought like he had something to prove.
Whichever way the story ended, Shauntal knew that it would be nothing short of extraordinary.
Grimsley was the second Elite Four member that Hilbert would face. A user of Dark-types, which meant that Hilbert had some idea as to one of his team members. Seeing that would hurt (after all, Jude had been really excited to evolve), but he figured it would get worse the more he put it off. That was part of the reason he decided to go clockwise in challenging the Elite Four.
Hilbert nearly lost his balance when the conveyer belt (conveyer carpet?) rolled him over to Grimsley's position. He took a moment to correct himself before stepping into the arena.
"Really rolling out the red carpet," Hilbert said. That caused Grimsley to chuckle and roll his eyes.
"If only I had a PokeDollar for every time I've heard that," he commented. "Challengers coming in one after the other...let's see how you fare compared to our last challenger. I'll do my duty as your opponent."
With that, Grimsley started off by summoning a Scrafty. Hilbert responded by summoning Michelle.
"An interesting start," Grimsley commented. "Dahlia, start with Sand Attack!"
The Scrafty responded, kicking dust into the air and aiming for Michelle's eyes. The attack landed, and Michelle wiped at her eyes to try getting the sand out. Despite that, neither of them seemed too bothered by Michelle's accuracy drop.
"If you thought I was gonna start with Megahorn, the joke's on you," Hilbert responded. "Michelle, Aerial Ace!"
Grimsley seemed impressed as Michelle obeyed, hitting Scrafty with a swift swipe of her seamitar.
"I didn't think you'd use that move," he admitted. "Brick Break!"
"Aerial Ace again!"
The second Aerial Ace knocked Dahlia out, and Grimley returned her to her PokeBall. He then summoned a Liepard into the battle, which Hilbert responded to by switching Michelle for Dodger. After getting flinched by Fake Out, Dodger had few issues with the Liepard; two Signal Beams were enough to take her down.
The next Pokemon Grimsley summoned was the one Hilbert had anticipated. The Krookodile intimidated Dodger, but that wasn't an issue; Hilbert was planning on switching her out anyway. At that moment, he questioned his decision to have Dodger keep Volt Switch and not ensure that she had U-Turn instead.
Regardless, Dodger was getting switched out for Michelle. The Samurott faltered at the sight of a Krookodile, but that didn't stop her from delivering a Razor Shell that took the Ground-type down in one hit. When Grimsley summoned his Bisharp, Michelle glanced over at Hilbert.
"Doing okay?" Hilbert asked. "You wanna keep fighting?"
Michelle nodded with a small smile and turned to face Bisharp again.
"Don't think we'll back down," Grimsley declared. "Hildegard, Night Slash!"
"Revenge!"
Hildegard acted first - rushing over to deliver a swift Night Slash. Michelle moved to block it with one seamitar (the force of the move pushing her back a little), and responded with a swift Revenge. The force of the move caused Bisharp to collapse to one knee, effectively knocked out.
Grimsley returned Hildegard with an almost satisfied sigh.
"A loss is a loss," he said. "Go ahead. Take that brilliant strength of yours, and use it against the rest of the League!"
Caitlin's room seemed like a dream, and not just because she was situated on what seemed to be a giant princess bed.
"So many impudent challengers today. I barely have time to sleep," she yawned as she got out of her bed to take her place on the battlefield. She observed Hilbert a moment before continuing, "With that said...you do seem to possess a combination of strength and kindness. Very well; if you are to disturb my slumber, the least you can do is to make your best effort not to bore me. Are we clear?"
With that, she summoned a Reuniclus from her PokeBall. In response, Hilbert released Belle; as a Ghost-type, she would definitely be a good start to battling a team of Psychic-types.
Hilbert was right about that; after he gave the command to use Shadow Ball, Reuniclus went down in one hit. Caitlin seemed almost expressionless as she ensured that her Pokemon was alright before returning her to her PokeBall.
"Not a bad start for you," she said, summoning a Musharna into the battlefield. "I'm aware that you have a Musharna of your own; you should know that Chimere here won't go down as easily."
Hilbert couldn't deny that. If there was anything that having Merlot in his team taught him about the line, it was that their bulk more than made up for their lack of speed. He hadn't expected Belle's Shadow Ball to take out Caitlin's Reuniclus in one hit, but he knew that it would take a miracle for it to do the same for a Musharna (even with a type advantage).
With that in mind, he didn't see any reason to not let her keep fighting. She seemed to want to, anyway.
"Okay...Belle, use Will-O-Wisp!"
"Will-O-Wisp...things are getting exciting now. Start with Shadow Ball, Chimere."
Hilbert had anticipated a Shadow Ball - he'd be an idiot not to, seeing as Merlot had that move as well - but he figured burning Chimere would be the best start. Even if Chimere had Synchronize, Belle wouldn't get burned back because she was a Fire-type. Judging from Caitlin's reaction, that had to be how it worked.
Sure enough, Belle didn't seem phased (other than being knocked back a little by Shadow Ball).
"Strike back with your own Shadow Ball, Belle!"
Belle's Shadow Ball had more punch to it, but Chimere didn't go down. After another exchange of Shadow Balls, Chimere was knocked out. When Caitlin sent in a Sigilyph, Hilbert took a moment to think. Clearly Belle took a beating from Chimere's Shadow Balls...and he didn't doubt that Sigilyph had that move too. He couldn't risk Belle going down.
"You need a break, Belle. Get back." Despite Belle's protests, Hilbert returned her to her PokeBall. In exchange, he sent out Dodger.
"Dodger, Electroweb!"
"Air Slash, Alissa."
Flying-type moves weren't super-effective on Galvantula (apparently the Electric-typing cancelled out any Flying weakness she'd have as a Bug-type, which is part of the reason Hilbert picked her), but Alissa's Air Cutter still hurt her. It was a good thing that Electroweb hit just as hard (dare he say it was a critical hit?), but it might be smart to not use that move again. Dodger was clearly faster, so maybe Electro Ball would be a better alternative. If not, there was always Volt Switch.
"Okay...follow up with Electro Ball!"
"Now use Psychic!"
Alissa didn't get a chance to follow up on Caitlin's command - Electro Ball was enough to knock her out. Caitlin had the trace of a smile as she returned her Sigilyph to her PokeBall.
"Cool and collected," she breathed. It seemed like she was reminding herself of this more than saying anything to Hilbert. "Even at a time like this, I must be cool and collected..."
With that, she sent out a Gothitelle. The Psychic-type observed Dodger for a second, before holding her hand up. In the palm of the Pokemon's hand, the image of a pair of Scope Lens materialized for a moment before fading entirely.
Hilbert took a moment to decide here. Hmmm...Dodger had Signal Beam, but there wasn't any guarantee that it would take Gothitelle down in one hit. Besides, there was still the matter of the damage she took from Alissa's Air Slash. It'd probably be best to give her a chance to rest, at the very least.
Dodger seemed to be thinking the same thing; she had no issues using Volt Switch to return to her PokeBall. As for who would be switched in...Hilbert took a moment before deciding on Garfield. He wasn't sure what Gothitelle had up her sleeve (aside from Psychic and possibly Shadow Ball), but it shouldn't be anything that Garfield couldn't take. Right?
He was proven right; Caitlin had given the command to start with Shadow Ball, which Garfield took with no issues.
"Swords Dance!" As Garfield's dance boosted his Attack strength, Caitlin and her Gothitelle seemed content to watch for an extra moment before the command to use Psychic was issued. It was hard to tell what either of them were thinking.
But Hilbert couldn't think about that right now. That would just distract him! So, he gave the command to use Earthquake, which ended the battle. After Caitlin spent a moment to ensure that her Gothitelle (which she seemed to have named Etoile), she returned the Psychic-type to her PokeBall and gave a nod of her head.
"I'm pleased to have battled you," she said. "Now, you only have one Elite Four member left to battle. Hurry along, so I can go back to sleep."
"Uh...okay," Hilbert responded, returning his Excadrill and stepping towards the exit. Caitlin moved to get back to bed...but paused.
"Actually, wait," she said. "Before I go back to sleep, I should tell you something about your Musharna's nickname."
Hilbert was confused by what she said, and was even more flummoxed when she continued, "You are aware that it should be pronounced 'Mer-low,' aren't you?"
"Wait...what?!" Hilbert responded. "I'm not gonna question how you know my Musharna's nickname, but why tell me this now?!"
Caitlin shrugged. "It just seemed like the best time. We all saw that video with your Maractus, and when she mentioned your Musharna's name...it caused an amusing stir. I wanted to ask why you named him that, given you're clearly not old enough to drink."
"Well, yeah!" Hilbert responded. "I'm gonna be sixteen next month! I wanted to come up with a way of combining 'Mer-lin' and 'Lance-lot,' which is why I've always pronounced it 'Mer-lot'!"
Caitlin took a moment to consider this. "Hm...Unexpected, but I suppose that's fair. You do see how it can be confusing for others now, yes?"
"I-" Hilbert didn't have anything to say to that, so he marched over to the portal leading him back to the lobby. "I do, but I gotta get going. I still gotta face Marshal. Bye!"
As Hilbert disappeared into the portal, Caitlin chuckled and tucked herself back into bed.
She contemplated telling him about the vision she had during the battle - a Samurott jumping in the way to protect the Excadrill from an incoming attack - but since Hilbert had rushed out in a hurry, she saw no reason to.
Marshal was the final member of the Elite Four, and he didn't hold back in his fight.
Neither did Hilbert's team; Merlot was able to take down Conkeldurr and Throh easily enough with a few well-timed Psychic attacks.
Meinshao was a whole other matter. He gave Hilbert a near heart-attack when he moved without Marshal prompting him to do anything; he lunged at Merlot before returning to his PokeBall. It turned out the move Meinshao had used was U-Turn, for in his place was Sawk.
Merlot had taken a beating from that one U-Turn, so Hilbert had no choice but to switch him out for Michelle. Aerial Ace proved to be really helpful here as she and Sawk exchanged blows. Sawk finally went down after two Aerial Aces.
When Meinshao came out again, Hilbert took an opportunity to heal Michelle up. This was nerve-wracking; it was already clear that Marshal's bond with Meinshao was strong enough that he didn't need to issue commands; Meinshao just acted on its own and fought brilliantly at that! How was Michelle supposed to know what to do if she can't anticipate what Meinshao was going to do? How would Hilbert?!
Crap crap crap, Hilbert thought. What do I do?! I don't want to risk losing anyone here. But if I bow out now, I'd have to fight everyone all over again! And N could be facing Alder right now, this may be my only shot to stop him!
So, he did the only thing he could think of at that moment; he called Michelle over to heal her and sent her back out. Hopefully she could outlast Meinshao.
"Michelle, keep fighting!"
The way Meinshao and Michelle fought each other almost seemed like a dance. For every swipe that Michelle aimed at the Fighting-type, Meinshao retaliated with a swift punch or kick right back. Hilbert could tell that Michelle was starting to get tired from the constant fighting. Meinshao was getting tired too, but it was clear that Michelle was more likely to drop first. That caused Hilbert to rethink his plan of keeping her out there - she needed to be switched out, now.
The following chain of events seemed almost celestial.
First, Hilbert returned Michelle to her PokeBall. His intent was to send Merlot out again; he even had his Musharna's PokeBall in hand when one of the other PokeBalls on his belt suddenly opened on its own.
Around that same time, Meinshao jumped into the air and was ready to deliver a powerful Jump Kick.
A Jump Kick that would ultimately fail, because Belle was the one that burst out of her PokeBall to join the battle. Meinshao went right through the Chandelure's body and crashed. When the dust settled, it was clear that Meinshao had been knocked out.
Both trainers stared at the scene; the knocked-out Meinshao and the Chandelure that clearly had no regrets for what she just did.
The first to speak was Hilbert.
"Belle, you can't just burst out of your PokeBall like that!" he scolded.
Belle seemed completely unrepentant, making a trilling noise in response. That was when Merlot burst out of his PokeBall, only to translate; "If it isn't obvious, she's not sorry. She figured that'd be the best way to give Michelle a break, and she's still annoyed that you returned her when you did while we were fighting Caitlin."
Belle's expression suddenly turned contemplative, as she glanced towards the Meinshao. She made another noise, which Merlot again translated; "That said, she wasn't expecting Meinshao to use Jump Kick."
"I mean-" Hilbert started. "Admittedly, it is hard to tell when the opponent isn't actually issuing commands. But still!"
He glanced towards Marshal. He had returned Meinshao to his PokeBall, and stood there silently with his arms crossed. Hilbert had no idea what he was thinking, so he walked over and rubbed the back of his neck. At the very least, he should probably apologize. He had to have seen Belle burst out of her PokeBall like that, right?
"Uh...sorry about what my Chandelure did. She normally doesn't do that," he said. "But that was a good match, and-"
Marshal held up a hand to stop Hilbert. "In any other situation, I would not accept that outcome...but I know you have defeated the rest of my comrades. So has N; he is probably fighting my mentor right now. I don't want to think about what would happen if he won, and I forced you to start your challenge over again. So, I'll accept this on one condition."
"And that would be...?"
"We have a rematch when all this is settled." Marshal held out a hand to Hilbert. "You are clearly a strong contender; I want to see your Pokemon's strength without tactics like what your Chandelure just pulled."
Hilbert grinned and shook Marshal's hand. "It's a deal!"
By the time Hilbert reached Alder's chamber, N was already there.
Even worse, N had just beaten Alder. That much was clear as Hilbert scrambled up the staircases to where he knew Alder would be. He could hear shouting as the elevator took him down, which only grew more discernable as he drew closer.
The sight that Hilbert came across chilled him; N thanking Zekrom for their help, and Alder returning a fainted Volcarona to its PokeBall.
"Your strength is admirable, but it's over," N declared. "I beat you, which I suppose makes me Champion. And as the new Champion, I'll issue an order across Unova; everyone, release your Pokemon!"
"You can't simply separate Pokemon from people!" Alder shouted. "Do anything but that!"
N regarded Alder's words coldly; "We both fought with all our strength to protect our beliefs, and I won. Do not say another word."
Zekrom seemed to notice Hilbert first; they made a rumbling noise and seemed almost restless. This caught N's attention right away, and Zekrom glanced over to where Hilbert was. N regarded the Trainer's presence with a small smile.
"Hilbert. I've been waiting for you," he said. "I know you've obtained the Light Stone, just as I thought you would. Zekrom is responding to its presence. The fact that you haven't awakened Reshiram yet is concerning, however."
"That doesn't matter!" Hilbert responded. "I beat the Elite Four! If beating Alder makes you the new Champion, then my next step is challenging you and taking that title from you! Just because Reshiram isn't awake yet, doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit by and watch as you force your beliefs on the rest of us! Not without a fight!"
If the Light Stone responded to anything Hilbert had said, he didn't pick up on it.
N was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Good. That's the kind of conviction a Hero should have. Perhaps Reshiram will awaken, after all. I don't intend on battling you here and now; it's not the right location for the legendary dragons."
With that, N took out a smartphone from his pocket and pressed a button. The only thing he said before hanging up was; "It's time. Surround the Pokemon League!"
Almost immediately, the ground started to shake. Hilbert and Alder could only watch as the ground broke apart, and what seemed like a castle emerged from the ground. The building towered over the Pokemon League, and its walls surrounded the area like it would consume the League at any moment. Several staircases extended from some of the lower windows, connecting it to the ground below. One of these staircases landed not far from where N stood.
Who could have imagined that this is what N meant when he said to 'surround the League'?!
"This is Team Plasma's castle," N explained as the process came to a complete. "From here, I will issue the command for all Trainers to release their Pokemon. Unless, that is...you manage to stop me. Obviously, your presence is required. Whether our battle leads to the liberation of Pokemon, or whether Pokemon and people will continue to live together...it is at the heart of this castle that everything will be decided. We will see which of our beliefs is stronger, and the result will change the world!"
With that, N went up the staircase leading into the castle. Hilbert started to run after him, when he heard someone shouting; "Hilbert! Mr. Alder!"
It was Cheren! He seemed a little winded as he made his way up to where Hilbert and Alder were, but Cheren made it up. "I came running as soon as I heard N was challenging the League. It wasn't easy, but-"
"...You did well to make it this far, Cheren. The both of you did," Alder responded, glancing between the two Trainers. "I'm sorry. I should have been able to demonstrate the bond between me and my Pokemon...but we ended up losing."
"Don't apologize. You and your Pokemon did your best," Cheren responded, putting a hand over his heart. "And, it wasn't just me that made it all the way here. My Pokemon are the ones that helped me get here. We've all gotten stronger, because now we know what we want to do with our strength."
Hilbert could only stare. How...How did he never think about it that way? He might be the one with the pressure of summoning Reshiram and becoming a Hero, but his Pokemon were the ones that helped him get to where he is now. Not just the ones in his party, either...the ones that he had met for just a short time, and even the ones he lost along the way. Each of them had a hand in helping Hilbert get to where he was now, if only because he knew what it felt like to be separated from a dear friend.
If he could release his party and pull them into a hug right now, he would.
"So Hilbert," Cheren continued, pulling Hilbert back into the conversation. "People and Pokemon can grow stronger together - you and I are definitely proof of that. I'm sure you can make N see it."
"Just...be careful," Alder added. "You probably saw, but N's convictions are the real deal. If he's not stopped...not even that video with your Maractus will be enough to stop him. Please make him see that nothing good will come out of us being separated from our friends!"
Hilbert nodded and rushed up the staircase.
As Hilbert ran up the staircase leading to the castle, he couldn't help thinking about how powerful N and Zekrom seemed. He would be insane to not acknowledge that this may be the most difficult opponent he had ever faced.
Even so, he'd face it head-on. If the 'ideal' that N pursued was a world where people and Pokemon were separated forever, then with how strongly Hilbert would fight to keep that bond intact...that could only be his 'truth,' right?
Hilbert couldn't be completely sure of the answer at that moment...but if he had chosen to observe the Light Stone at any point in the last fifteen minutes, he would have found it much warmer in his hand than when he had obtained it.
Author's Notes: I took very few notes on these battles, which gave me room for a lot of creative liberties. I did switch in Belle for Meinshao to heal Merlot up, I didn't think I'd switch into a Jump Kick.
As for Hilbert's comment about how he'll be sixteen: I'm pretty sure I mentioned that the in-game season for the entire run was fall. I always hc'd Hilbert as a Sagittarius, which places his birthday in early winter.