"Alright, this should be working now. Third attempt at trying to record in the dex. I visited my old house back in Twinleaf Town and found a Ghost-type in one of the cupboards. Sinistea is the species name, and their corporeal form is liquid in a tea cup. They don't appear to be able to fly, but are able to levitate the tea cup they reside in. Spilling their entire body is unlikely to be fatal, but I'll avoid it. My guess is that a sympathetic connection exists between the two. They had formed in vodka leftover by some jackass trainer school students. Not that I know what vodka looks like, I'm a very responsible young man."
He paused to snicker at his own joke.
"Anyway, consuming their body will probably kill you unless the liquid is purged from your system in time. The liquid remains part of the whole even when separated, so by using portions as anchors to other spirits, they can feed back to the greater whole and increase in strength. Drinking more than half of the Sinistea is probably safer, since it will only try to kill you from the inside instead of drawing on your spirit energy to feed its greater half."
He paused again.
"I'm beginning to think I have a weird perspective about these things. Just don't drink the spiked tea, yeah?"
The Lights in the Sky Are Thunderbolts - IV - Truth of My Youth
The Professor had come to dinner as well, being a colleague of Dawn's father, and he had given some additional items to the four trainers after Hilbert returned.
With a card connected to his grant fund for researching the region's Pokémon, Hilbert could pay for the bare necessities and then some during his journey.
Hilbert set out on his own the next morning. He stocked up on water purifiers and trainer meals, which could be cooked inside the pouch with a bit of boiling water, at the Poké Mart. He was surprised to see that the building was separate from the Pokémon Center.
After that, he went to a second-hand shop for nearly everything else. He bought a few extra shirts, considering his luck, as well as an nth-hand travel bag and a rudimentary cooking set-up.
It wasn't luxurious, but it didn't need to be, he thought.
He considered sticking around to wait for the others, then thought about why he did so.
The spirit residing in Lake Verity didn't seem hostile, he had just encroached on its territory and it responded appropriately. If there were any problems nearby, it could almost certainly handle them. If Dawn, Barry, and Lucas ended up in trouble, well, it wouldn't be the apocalyptic kind he had dreamed of, right?
After thinking of it further, he recalled the vague plan that the others were going to follow. If he arrived wherever they were going first, he could make sure it was safe. And if it wasn't safe, he would have time to make it safe. They were kids. He had to look after them.
His heart pulsed. Golett couldn't help but point out the flaw in his thinking.
Hypocrisy aside, he felt that his responsibility was greater than theirs. He didn't want any of them to get caught up with something dangerous like he had, not if he could help it.
He crossed the boundary between Sandgem and the northern wilderness, feeling as if he had been filled with determination.
He passed the hill he had made the day before. A ranger had flown out at some point and put up a sign that said "Unstable, do not cross." Fair cop, Hilbert thought, it was a fairly large Stone Edge. He considered its peak from about fifteen feet below and nodded.
He still thought it was a measured response. His jacket had been a gift, after all.
After walking nearly non-stop, he arrived in the Jubilife outskirts just a couple of hours before sunset. The skyline, as large as it was, still made the city seem small compared to Mount Coronet. Even the tallest skyscraper didn't reach the lower peaks of the mountain range.
He pulled out his to-do list, which he hadn't gotten around to completing on his first day, and remembered that he had to find a computer.
His online presence was miniscule. He had three people in his friends list that he actually knew in real life, and a few more that he only knew by screen name.
The Global Trade Station was a hub for the internet of trading, browsing, shopping, and just about anything that a computer could handle. It could be accessed from everywhere, but he hadn't had the opportunity to borrow someone's computer or phone. It was only 2009, anyway, so mobile phones that could access it in full were rare.
There was an internet cafe in the bottom level of the station, the upper levels presumably dedicated to the local servers and staff. After walking past a poster for some kind of tournament with a flashy reward, he paid for two hours to make sure he didn't run out of time.
After a clerk had set his terminal to Galarian-Unovan (rather than Galarian-Proper), It took him a minute to recall his old information and password.
His heart pulsed.
Alright, so "BestPKMNTrainerBlack" and "NuvemaTown4Ever!" weren't particularly complicated, so what? It wasn't like they were super easy to guess.
He logged in.
Someone had changed his profile to read, "In a coma. BBL."
Hilda always had a pretty twisted sense of humor. She was alright when it came down to the wire, though.
The number of notifications in his inbox ended in a plus, but that was to be expected. What was odd was that he was getting incoming notifications as he looked through his profile.
His profile was set to public, and showed when he was active.
YourWorstWhitemare: Hilby
YourWorstWhitemare: Where are you
YourWorstWhitemare: Are you safe
YourWorstWhitemare: If you got kidnapped someone is going to die
YourWorstWhitemare: I can see that you're reading this
YourWorstWhitemare: Respond Hilby
YourWorstWhitemare: I'm at Professor Juniper's lab
YourWorstWhitemare: If you're in danger tell me
YourWorstWhitemare: I mean tell us
YourWorstWhitemare: Tell us the truth
BestPKMNTrainerBlack: I'm safe. Don't look for me.
Hilbert flew to his account settings and deleted it entirely, wiped it clean. All of his slightly-saucy-but-on-first-glance-appropriate bookmarks…. Gone!
No, no, he recognized, there was no time to sulk. It was the right move anyway.
All it would take is someone taking notice of him, looking for where he came from, and getting in contact with everyone back home, then he was screwed. The League could be fairly reasonable with treating trainers as independent adults, but if he said, "Yeah, I ran away from home because I had some really weird dreams and figured it was destiny," then they might try to send him back to Unova by force.
He spent a good ten minutes setting up a new account, which he registered under his given name and his mother's maiden name. He still set it up in Galarian-Unovan, hoping that an automatic translation feature had been implemented for the forums. Worldwide, most people could write in the common language, but he couldn't be sure.
The naming schema was different in different regions. Everyone had a common name, which was in the language shared by Unova and Galar, and a given name, which was more based on each region's culture and family structures. In Unova, individuality and distinction was a point of cultural pride, so the closest thing to family names that they had was a reference to one of your parents, generally the more well-known one.
His common name was Hilbert, while his given name was Touya. Because she was native to Sinnoh, his mother's last name was rendered in Sinjohan-Japanese (which was a dialect of the larger Japanese language) as Kuroiwa. It meant something or other that he knew was related to his nickname, he just couldn't quite remember why.
He channeled his inner middle schooler and cringed as he wrote out his screen name and profile.
SoulReaperBlack: You can call me Hilbert, since I was raised abroad. I can see ghosts and junk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I'm in the book.
He was not, in fact, in the book, but it would throw people far enough off that they would figure he was joking. If anyone was desperate enough to believe it, he probably needed to get involved anyway.
Feeling satisfied, he decided to take a look at the recent happenings in Sinnoh.
Topic - Sinnoh - News
BeBeBe-Be_Be-BeBe (Admin): Alright, y'all. New thread because it's a new circuit year and the last thread got clogged up with people reposting the same topics and the mods couldn't handle it all. Anything that's being covered by Jubilife TV goes in a megathread, there will be no warnings.
Topic - Sinnoh - News - Jubilife - Pokétch Company Open Tournament
MimeSenior (Original Poster): Thanks for megathread, mods. Anyway, you've all seen the posters. If you're in Jubilife, the Pokétch Company is holding a tournament with a free Pokétch giveaway every week until the end of March. Yes, yes, we're so amazingly primitive that we still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea, get over it. Any up and coming trainers should try their luck. Anyone else should keep an eye on new talent, though personally I'm not expecting much.
GrimacingSnarl: I'll wait until people start clearing the fifth gym to start cheerleading. Anyone can do the first half of the circuit, it's not difficult.
xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx: Hey, GrimacingSnarl, weren't you whining about getting wiped by Byron during your third gym battle last year? Lol.
GrimacingSnarl: There should be some sort of disclaimer for him that "holding back" doesn't actually mean anything.
xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx: Lolololololololol
Hilbert was interested, though it was clear that there wasn't much substance beneath the discussion. He would think about signing up later.
Topic - Sinnoh - News - Jubilife - Mecha Tyranitar Filming on 5th Avenue
BlueRoselia (Original Poster): I'm pissed as hell about the movie being shot right outside my condominium. They only ever try to film when I'm leaving for or getting home from work. I get it, there's like one alleyway in Jubilife City, but can't they be a little more considerate? Ugh. Does anyone know some legal thing I can tell them so they can't block me from "ruining their shot?" I'm having to put in overtime because I'm late every day.
xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx: Skill issue. Lololol.
BlueRoselia (Original Poster): post deleted
TeamHenson4Ever (Mod): Alright, language, but xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx, stop trying to make trouble.
xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx: Yeah, yeah, whatevs. I actually heard that the production company that's making the movie had it outsourced, and that's why they're filming it here. There's some rumors about the special effects being dangerous, though I haven't heard much about why.
GurrenYamask: Bro, where do you get your info from? You're always spouting some bullcrap. There's no way they could screw up Mecha Tyranitar. Listen up!
GurrenYamask: The reputation of Team Gurren echoes far and wide!
SnorlacAndCheese: Here he goes again…
Everything after that post was the same user being overly dramatic while the others tried to get them to shut up.
Hilbert filed that last bit away for later, thinking he should at least check it out. He had watched the original movies when he was younger, so it would be a novelty at the very least. After a good while of scrolling around, nothing else stuck out to him as odd, so he typed something out before his time was up.
Topic - Sinnoh - News - Jubilife - Any Hauntings?
SoulReaperBlack (Original Poster): Haven't used the forums for a while, and I don't have access to a computer very often. My bad if I do something wrong, I'm rusty. Anyway, I can see ghosts and junk, talk to spirits, all that stuff. If you have a problem with the paranormal, hit me up and I'll try to help as soon as I can. More info is on my profile.
After hitting send, Hilbert began looking up data on Sinistea. He knew Golett's abilities like the back of his hand, but using the same process to learn about Sinistea would literally take years.
Physical attacks were pretty much out of the question, though he would have to double check later.
Mega Drain made a lot of sense considering their signature life-draining abilities, and it seemed they knew Astonish and Withdraw from birth. Aromatic Mist would be handy in longer and larger battles, though he hoped he wouldn't get into too many. Protect was a no-brainer, since it didn't look like they could take too many hits. Sucker Punch, he would definitely try to teach them as soon as possible. A burst of speed like that could be the deciding factor in a battle.
The learnable TMs list wasn't particularly expansive, but Will-O-Wisp, Hex, and Phantom Force would be great additions to their movepool, especially since he and Golett couldn't do anything like that with their spirit energy. Poltergeist looked promising, though it seemed that the patent owner didn't make TMs of the move or want them made.
He would have to see about getting an international Pokédex in the future, as much of a pipedream as it was, if only so he could use it to scan his Sinistea more thoroughly. Maybe he could send them off to Professor Rowan when things slowed down?
About that time was when he got a notification from his earlier post. He quickly clicked back over to the tab.
xXx_DragonSlayer_xXx: Lol. Log off and go do your homework. Stop chasing ghosts and start chasing the bag.
Hilbert pressed his fingers to his temples and sighed in frustration, but resolved to check back later anyway. Something might pop up, and that was the whole point.
The Pokétch Company tournament wasn't until for a few days, so Hilbert went to find a cheap motel at the edge of town. Two stories tall, it had washed out ridged roofs and advertisements lining cheap popcorn walls. "Cash 4 Pokémon," was one that stuck out to him, if only because of how new it seemed, as well as the large "G" emblazoned in the corner.
His room had two beds, but still seemed cramped. Both felt like cardboard on his back, but that worked for him. He would have offered the spare to one of the guys if they were around, if only to save money.
He activated Sinistea's Pokéball as he sat down at the desk. The tea cup and the possessed alcohol inside appeared in a muted blast of light. It floated around him for a moment, curious and looking more than a little woozy, as if it had its own tempo for things.
Unfortunately, while there was internet in the motel and a television, it wasn't ritzy enough for a guest-use desktop, so he couldn't get much information on the species besides what they could tell him personally.
"Sinistea, can you grab a wire hanger from the closet?"
While he could have gotten it himself, he also wanted to gauge the Ghost-types telekinetic ability.
It warbled and the door slowly slid open. There was a slight clunk before the metal frame floated towards him.
Not too strong, he thought, but workable. He considered the coat hanger for a moment. Iron and a little bit of copper. It melted in his hands, forming a ball he could easily hold a dozen of in his hand.
Golett molded the ball further, and was able to take full control of the metal as HIlbert placed it on the table. A glow began emanating from within the metal as it turned into a bite-sized, steel version of Golett. They could use Sinistea as a jacuzzi at that size.
Golett looked up at him, partially annoyed at the availability of materials.
Hilbert shrugged. "I thought you'd want to stretch a little. I have to remake the hanger before we leave, I couldn't use all of them."
Sinistea floated down and poked Golett with a liquid arm.
Hilbert listened to the Ghost-types' spirits as he recorded the Pokédex entry for them. His mind was distracted as he tried to think of moves that they could use.
If life drain was an effect of contact with their liquid, could Sinistea learn to use Water Gun to make a Water-type version of Mega Drain? The exact composition of the liquid didn't seem to matter, given what had been in the cup. Was it the cup that was important to the spirit, not the tea? Had anyone tried to attract a spirit with anything other than tea before?
Golett tried to punch Sinistea, but it kept floating back just out of reach. The Ghost and Steel-type stamped its feet and tried harder.
He made a note to see if their spirit was attuned for channeling Grass or Water TE. Unlike those of humans, Pokémon spirits weren't so easy to decipher. He would have to look deeper while they trained over the next few days.
Thirty-two trainers had been selected to participate in the Pokétch Company tournament, and Hilbert considered himself lucky to have signed up in time.
The battle arena was in the courtyard of the building, though the sun was coming in from the east and remained blindingly bright. Those that weren't battling waited in bleachers that had been set up on either side. Hundreds of tiny flags hung from strings strewn about, almost making it look like the medieval Kalosian tourneys with knights and jousting. He almost expected the organizers to start putting up parapets.
He hadn't been required to register his Pokéballs, so he figured that as long as he didn't have Sinistea and Golett on the field at the same time, he'd be fine. The tourney was structured as a series of one-on-one battles, and it seemed that the idea was to attract beginner trainers to compete.
Did the term really apply to Hilbert? He wasn't quite sure.
His first opponent seemed normal, just a picnicker with a Zubat.
Sinistea appeared on the field, wobbling in the air as if they had already been confused. Their ability was supposed to be either Weak Armor or Cursed Body, but Hilbert thought that Own Tempo was a pretty good guess. Something to do with the possession of alcohol, he figured.
"Zubat, use Supersonic!"
The bat Pokémon sharply inhaled before spitting out waves of sound, rings upon rings that shot towards Sinistea.
The teacup weaved to the side, though it had only been one part of their natural movement.
"Withdraw!" Hilbert called. While they'd practiced Mega Drain, it wouldn't be very effective on the Poison and Flying-type, and Zubat definitely had greater speed. Keeping them at a distance would be the most effective move.
Sinistea burbled over the side, generated liquid from their spirit. Hilbert watched the dull hazy cloud around them shrink as water began swirling around them, creating a shield as firm as ice made of solid water.
"That didn't work?" Hilbert certainly hoped that the boy's only strategy wasn't cheesing with confusion. Seriously, what kind of successful trainer does that? Lee Henson? Who? Anyway, the picnicker followed up by calling, "Uh, Poison Sting!"
Zubat puffed up again, though they spit out an orb that glowed with Poison TE that quickly sharpened into a single point, almost like a drill.
Hilbert cuffed himself to keep his mind from going off-track. "Just keep it up, like we practiced!"
Sinistea didn't manage to dodge, and the orb of water surrounding them only dulled the impact a little. The stinger scraped across ceramic with a harsh screech before dissipating. He saw Sinistea's spiritual energy shrink much more. Direct damage did much more to harm the spirit than exhaustion. As long as there was a little bit still anchored, though, any amount of damage could theoretically be recovered from.
The orb increased in size, though at a diminishing rate of return. They could only channel a certain amount of Water TE at a time.
"Agh, fine! Zubat, get in close with Astonish!"
Damn! Hilbert swore internally, as the picnicker's Zubat neared. "That's enough, Sinistea! Pressure Valve!"
Pressure Valve was what he called their modified Withdraw and Water Gun combo. Sinistea could create small amounts of liquid at a time, though not with the volume and torrential mass of a normal Water Gun. Their telekinesis was only a little stronger than the Earth's gravity, but applying that to the water greatly increased the pressure.
A single point was released from telekinetic control. Immediately, water exploded out of the orb around Sinistea like a razor wind. It struck Zubat in the blink of an eye, sending up a spray as they were blasted backwards and thrown into the dirt.
The Poison-type struggled for a moment, eventually getting back up, but the picnicker, looking crestfallen, shook their head.
"Zubat is unable to battle!" the emcee called, "Hilbert Kuroiwa is the winner of this round!"
It was only the first round, though, so no one seemed to care all that much.
Sixteen left.
His second opponent seemed to be some sort of youthful hiker, the kind that bragged about their worldwide travels after summer break. His partner was revealed to be an Omanyte, a resurrected fossil.
Hilbert chose Golett for that round, despite the type disadvantage. Sinistea wasn't prepared to dish out the kind of damage that most Rock-types could take.
His heart pulsed.
Golett emerged from the earth behind him, subtly drawing the top layer of dirt in from across the battlefield. They crossed the boundary into the field as Omanyte squared up.
"Begin!"
Omanyte exploded into motion, raising multiple tentacles and creating multiple orbs of water in the air. Their trainer's command became muted as they shot multiple Water Guns across the field, crossing streams and trying to drown Golett.
Concentrate sodium, Hilbert thought.
His heart pulsed.
Fine white dust glistened on Golett's surface as the first of water struck.
Sodium, when combined with dihydrogen monoxide, explodes.
Smoke combined with steam poured upwards from Golett's body as they continued walking towards Omanyte. More and more pure sodium began compounding on their surface.
His opponent didn't seem to know exactly what had happened, other than that the Ground-type had flash-boiled his previous attacks.
"Sand Attack, don't let them get close!"
Omanyte whipped its tentacles against the dirt wildly, flinging pounds upon pounds of soil at Golett.
Golett paused for a moment. It took everyone else a moment to realize that the sand had stopped dead in front of them, before dropping back to the ground.
Hilbert got an evil idea. Golett picked up on it instantly.
"Omanyte, attack! Don't just sit there!" their trainer cried.
Panicked, Omanyte began charging another Water Gun, only to stop dead.
Golett stood in front of it, holding a crystal of pure salt in their hand, and if it were possible, glared directly at the Omanyte while gesturing at their mouth.
Omanyte, being a species of snail Pokémon, wilted at the threat of dehydration, then sped away to hide behind their trainer.
"Hey, what!? Omanyte, what are you-"
"Omanyte has left the arena!" the announcer declared. "Hilbert Kuroiwa is the winner of this round!"
Hilbert went to find his opponent while the other battles proceeded.
"Sorry about that," he said after stopping by a vending machine. "You like sparkling water?"
The hiker looked up at him, confused. "Uh, yeah, actually." He took the can slowly. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess," Hilbert said, before knocking back a Kecleon Cola. "Sorry for using cheaty tactics. I'm kind of broke and need a Pokétch."
The hiker shrugged. "I'm just here because my dad said I should try battling more."
"Ah." Hilbert took another drink. "Just thought I should say something. See ya."
The hiker drank quietly for a few minutes. Hilbert hadn't noticed the blue mass hiding beneath his seat.
"Omanyte, he's gone now, could you quit shivering?"
Hilbert wasn't first to battle in the top eight, so he got to notice something interesting.
The boy currently battling seemed to have a little too much spirit energy. He had about as much as two different beings, in fact, and one of them looked very much like a Pokémon. That wouldn't have been a problem at all, if his partnered Growlithe, which seemed to be partially Rock-type, wasn't still running down his opponent across the field.
Hilbert looked closer. The spirits of Pokémon were fairly hit or miss when he tried to look at them. Sometimes, they had been spiritually trained in some way that hid their abilities or potential, and other times they were wellsprings of power. Not at all consistent, and he had only recently begun picking up on the more subtle signs.
In the corner of his eye, he saw the briefest, smallest flash of pink around the Growlithe's paws. It was Psychic TE that would have been otherwise disguised by the dust, being applied only when in contact with the ground. Clever.
"I think that guy's got a Psychic-type backing him up," Hilbert said aloud, attracting some attention from the remaining trainers and a few that had stuck around.
"Really? How can you tell?" one athletic-looking girl asked. He recalled that she had been knocked out by the Growlithe's trainer in the previous rounds, despite the advantage her Machop should have had.
Hilbert shrugged. "Too much energy for too little size, getting too much traction, I dunno. Something is off, though.
"Do something about it, then," said someone behind him.
Hilbert looked over his shoulder. The boy sitting behind him had dark, purplish hair and had the facial features of a stone wall.
"Well, yeah, that's the idea, maybe the organizers will step in."
The boy scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Look at the guy. He's wearing a suit to battle. He's either rich or impaired. Do you think the organizers want to get sued?"
Hilbert stared back, irritated. "Listen, I'm just pointing it out."
"Strength is the only thing that matters," the other boy said flatly, "If you think he's cheating, go do something about it instead of waiting for someone else to do it."
Hilbert turned back to watch the match, holding his chin in his palm.
Asshole.
Only eight left, though.
Eventually, Hilbert's turn came up, but his opponent wasn't the cheater. Instead, it was a flowery looking girl and her Turtwig. He was surprised for a moment, but perhaps the starter Pokémon weren't as rare as he thought.
Sinistea took the field once again. The Grass-type had a tough shell, but they wouldn't be too hard to hit. Golett would be at a technical disadvantage, and explaining why they never seemed to get tired could cause problems.
Also, Sinistea's body was made of alcohol. A little innovation never hurts.
"Fling!" Hilbert called.
As the opposing Turtwig opened with Withdraw, Sinistea flung themselves around in the cup, splashing a portion of themselves on the opposing side of the field. Some splashed on the opposing Turtwig, who shuddered, but had an expression of confusion on their face.
"Don't get distracted by that tea cup! Now, use Razor Leaf!"
Green bolts of energy appeared in the air, taking on the form of leaves before shooting towards Sinistea.
"Get low!" he called.
The Ghost-type dropped and levitated closer to Turtwig, dodging beneath the cloud of leaf blades. Hilbert watched their energy dip as they fueled it into regenerating their body. There was still a trace of their spirit energy on Turtwig, drawing power away from the Grass-type even if they weren't precisely aware how.
As soon as the Razor Leaf let up, Sinistea used Fling again, dousing Turtwig further and practically dancing across their shell.
"Turtwig, turn around!" the aroma lady called.
"Mega Drain, and keep it up!" Hilbert shouted.
Quickly becoming disoriented, Turtwig was unable to strike back against Sinistea before they collapsed from the compounding energy drain.
"Turtwig is unable to battle!" the announcer called. "Hilbert Kuroiwa is the winner of this round!"
Raised to be a gentleman as well as an alright person, he went to apologize after that round as well. He didn't feel as bad about it as he did about his previous battle, and also couldn't think of a drink that would fit her archetype.
Was it not possible for specialists to try and vary their motifs? It was odd. Hilbert made a note to look into it further.
"Sorry about that. I need a Pokétch kinda badly," he said.
"Oh, it's alright," the aroma lady said, deflated and petting her exhausted Turtwig. "I've just been training so hard with them…"
Hilbert suddenly felt really, really bad, but he wasn't quite sure why, and panicked internally.
"Well, uh, I'm actually more of a Ground-type specialist that happens to work well with Ghost-types, so, uh, and I hear that Torterra are really strong Pokémon, even for Ground-types?"
"Oh, but they're not very cute, are they?" she said distantly.
"Well, no, but that's not the only thing people look for, you know, someone they can talk to, have a conversation with, build something greater with-"
Hilbert realized that his rambling had made the aroma lady laugh, and so he felt slightly less bad about himself.
"Ha! You talk funny."
"I'm a funny guy!" he said, pulling together as much bravado as he could. "You know, if I didn't already have Golett, Turtwig would have been my first pick."
"Really?" she asked.
"Oh, well, uh… yeah."
There was a bit of awkward silence. Hilbert, out of more than a few years of experience, tried to fill it the best he could.
"In fact, there's this girl I know, she's… something, but she's raising a Turtwig now, so if you want some advice, I can try to get you in contact with her!"
The aroma lady had a sort of glazed look in her eyes as she looked up at Hilbert. "Oh, she's something?"
Hilbert realized he had made some kind of misstep, and lacking for other options, shrugged.
Things got a little more awkward.
"A-Anyway, just wanted to apologize." He tried his best to look as nonchalant as possible and turned away. "Later."
The aroma lady just shook her head and went back to nursing her Turtwig.
Golett, he thought, this is somehow your fault.
His heart pulsed.
He got the distinct feeling that Golett was trying to show him his own reflection by molding his spirit energy, but he couldn't be sure.
At the same time, Golett formed out of the ground once again.
His opponent was the boy from earlier with the Growlithe that he was pretty sure had been cheating. Even discounting the asshole from earlier, he had a point to make. If you were going to cheat, damn, at least cheat consistently. Trying to pull that trick during a larger battle would end with the proctor's shield generator, whatever Psychic-type it was, noticing something was up and kicking them out. Even doping was harder to catch, and the League usually screened for that kind of thing.
All in all, he had to teach the guy a lesson for his own good.
And also he wanted to metaphorically flip off the purple-haired guy from earlier, but that was besides the point.
"Begin!"
"Growlithe, Howl!"
Like an explosion to the ears, the Fire-type roared. Their spirit energy began coursing around them, becoming spikier and more aggressive.
Hilbert crossed his arms and began focusing on the connection between him and Golett.
"Curse."
Reluctantly, Golett formed a spike of the earth in front of them and drove it in their stomach. Their spirit began bleeding outwards in bright bursts like solar flares, and the pale light inside their body accompanied it.
"Get up to speed, use Rollout!"
As the Fire-type approached and began picking up speed, Hilbert began calculating the trajectory between them and the opponent. They'd practiced the move before, but with a specific target in mind, he had to be precise. He reached out to Golett, connecting their spirits further.
Growlithe slammed into Golett, slowing the Fire-type. In mid-air, they kept pushing against Golett, though the pink glow of Psychic telekinesis was still hidden.
Golett took hold of Growlithe, awaiting Hilbert's declaration.
"Growlithe, what are you waiting for? Use Crunch-"
"Focus Blast!" Hilbert shouted.
The look on the opposing trainer's face was almost comical.
Spirit energy swirled together in front of Golett, even as Growlithe gathered malice between their jaws, the distinct signature of Dark TE. A single point lit up before Growlithe made contact.
The space between Golett and Growlithe exploded, creating a shockwave that washed over the arena and into the bleachers.
Growlithe flew through the air, the helmet-like rocks around their forehead covered in a spiderweb of cracks. They flew over their trainer, who ducked at the last moment, and would have slammed into the far wall of the courtyard if not for some invisible force being sandwiched between them.
No one seemed to notice, but Hilbert watched their spirit suddenly disappear from next to their trainer and in front of their trainer.
"Growlithe has exited the arena! The winner is-"
"Rock Tomb!" Hilbert called, causing confusion in the stands.
Rocks poured upwards from the ground, nearly striking the invisible Psychic-type before it teleported.
"Mr. Kuroiwa, the match is over!"
Hilbert could barely hear the emcee, but he ignored it. He was starting to get pissed.
His mind cooled, and he began sectioning off the arena in his mind. The Psychic-type knew that he was gunning for it, at that point, but seemed to have entered the arena freely and was reluctant to leave. He made a distinction by redrawing the lines of the match in his mind and pushing the image to Golett.
His heart pulsed.
"Take 'em down! Stomping Tantrum into Earthquake!"
Golett leapt into the air, leaving a crater in their wake from the sheer force they had exerted. They began glowing with faint Ground TE before slamming into the ground, creating another shockwave and fracturing the arena. Shards of dirt and foundation exploded into the air, though it was contained within the boundaries of the arena.
He watched the Psychic-type teleport between each volley, though it wasn't enough when the strikes came from everywhere at once. They were struck by a chunk the size of a Stone Edge, sending them blasting into the air.
As the Psychic-type fainted, their illusion failed to hide them any longer. An Alakazam fell limply onto the shattered battlefield, dazed.
The emcee sputtered for a moment after the dust cleared, before declaring, "Interference! Total destruction of the arena and endangerment- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a double disqualification!"
Hilbert's ears buzzed, but it took him a moment to register. "Huh? The hell do you mean, I'm disqualified?"
The emcee pointed at him. "If you suspected cheating, you should have reported it first!"
"They were invisible!" Hilbert argued. "Besides, shouldn't you have a Psychic-type watching this whole thing anyway?"
"This was meant for beginning trainers, which you are very clearly not! Exit the premises at once!"
Hilbert's ideals of fairness came to the forefront of his mind, and his eyes were filled with lightning. "I just started training other Pokémon! Everyone here has probably had just as long with their partners."
The emcee covered the mic and said something to a colleague that sounded an awful lot like "Call security."
Hilbert's eyebrow twitched in disbelief. Seriously?
Golett dissolved into dirt and stone as he turned around. "Fine, fine, I'm leaving. Screw you guys, I'm going home."
Home being a relative term, he sat at a bench in the nearest Pokémon Center and sighed. He hadn't seen anything in the rules about being too strong.
Well, he hadn't read the rules, but the idea he could break them by accident was still ridiculous in his mind.
He dumped another packet of juice mix into Sinistea's cup. The Ghost-type seemed to enjoy the taste, even if they didn't need to eat. Golett had taken form in a rock the size of a paper weight, and seemed to be trying to box Hilbert's bag to work out their frustrations.
"Hey. Hilbert Kuroiwa."
He looked up. The purple-haired boy from earlier stood in front of him with his arms crossed, though the intended intimidating effect was lessened by the paper crown that had been placed on the boy's head.
"You got me disqualified," Hilbert complained, before sagging again.
He felt a box tap against his head before falling to the table. The labels gave away the contents.
"The name's Paul Ikari," he said. "I was looking forward to our battle. I don't need this, so I'll give it to you and you'll owe me that battle. Got it?"
Hilbert picked up the box containing the brand new Pokétch. "Seriously?"
"Like I said," Paul ground out, "The only thing that matters is strength. The organizers are too stupid to understand that."
Hilbert had a feeling that something was left unsaid.
"I'm still pissed about getting disqualified," Hilbert said.
"Do something about it, then," Paul said. "That's all. If you're strong enough, I'll see you in the future. Make sure the battle's worth my time."
Paul, refusing to elaborate, then walked off and disappeared into the crowd.
Hilbert slipped the Pokétch into his bag, still slightly confused. "Strength, strength, strength," he muttered, "I think that guy's compensating for something."
AN: Updated with wrong chapter, thanks 'lazy fan.' Had to reupload a few times because FFnet is finicky like that, my apologies for flooding any inboxes.