Castelia City. The City of Grandeur. A city Hilda and Hilbert had only seen on TV. A city they never imagined themselves in. Now, coming off of Skyarrow Bridge, they were in Castelia. The penurious teens from Striaton craned their necks looking at the skyscrapers. It wasn't until they rolled the windows down they were able to even see the tops. The farther into the city they went, the taller the buildings got. On the sidewalks, people constantly bumped into each other, most not giving so much as a glance to the person they jolted.
The streets themselves weren't much better, with every car driving bumper to bumper. Each time traffic moved forward only to stop a few inches in made Cress grow more and more angrier.
"For fuck's sake, I hate this city," muttered Cress as he smacked his steering wheel. "All these idiots can't fucking drive."
Hilbert and Hilda momentarily stopped their skyscraper gazing to look at Cress, surprised at his anger. While they had seen him get just as angry before, it was never over something so trivial. Cress noticed the twins staring at him in the rear view mirror.
"What!"
"Nothing," said Hilbert as he went back to gazing at buildings and people.
It was another ten minutes of mumbling and irate driving before Cress pulled off from the main road and turned down a one way. Hilbert and Hilda weren't sure what kind of street they were on. Most of the buildings looked alike. The large groups of people on the sidewalks didn't seem defined by one thing. Some looked like businessmen and women, others looked homeless. And many in between. While this street wasn't nearly as packed as the main road going through Castelia, it was still slow moving. Mainly due to the constant parking of cars. Cress drove for another minute, before sharply pulling into a freshly opened space. The driver of the car that pulled out honked.
"Finally," said Cress after turning off the car. He stepped out and slammed the door shut. Hilda was quick to follow him out. She then closed the door, not realizing Hilbert was climbing out of her side. Her confusion to why the car door didn't shut was met with Hilbert angrily staring at her through the shaded window. His arm being the only part of him out of the car.
"Sorry," said Hilda as she let her brother out.
"No you're not," said Hilbert as he got out.
"Yeah."
"Alright, you two follow me," said Cress putting his sunglasses on and flipping his hood. He began to walk up the sidewalk, Hilda and Hilbert following close behind him. "I got a lot to do today and you two are going to help me. So, you two will split up."
"Really?" asked Hilbert. "I mean, you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yeah, what if we get lost?" added Hilda. "We've never been here before."
"Relax, I got that covered," said Cress. He stepped into a thin alleyway, stopping when it was difficult to see him from outside. When Hilbert and Hilda came to him, he reached into both his pockets and pulled small boxes out. He held out his hands and waited for the teens to take the boxes.
"What's this?" Hilbert asked as he opened the box.
"It's a Xtransceiver," said Hilda. She put hers on before talking again. "Don't you remember Cress telling us about it before?"
"Not really."
"Well pay more attention," said Cress. "I put the contact information for those two into each other and put mine in. If you run into slight trouble, you can contact each other."
"Couldn't we contact you as well?"
"No. Only contact me if it's serious."
'He just doesn't want to be bothered,' thought Hilbert.
He fiddled with the strap of the Xtransceiver, having slight trouble doing it with one hand. Once he finished, he checked it over. The one he got was mostly black. The parts bordering the screen were blue, along with the buttons. He looked to Hilda's, whose was the same but a dark pink instead of blue. Hilbert turned it on, and after a couple logos flashed, was in the home menu. There weren't many options, he could check his contacts, he could open a keypad, and he could open settings for the device. That was it.
"Not a lot to do with these," said Hilda. Her voice heavy with disappointment.
"Well, with a newer one you can also message people as well as calling. But buy it with your own money. Now, you two are splitting up. You," Cress pointed to Hilbert. "You're going on your own. And you're coming with me."
"Why do I have to go with you?" asked Hilda.
"If I'm gonna be honest, it's because I don't think you have what it takes to do what I need done."
"And I do?" asked Hilbert.
"No, but you happen to have the right pokemon."
Hilbert didn't say anything. He only stared at Cress. Wondering what he meant.
"I'll take your silence as you patiently waiting to hear my instructions. Just head South of here to get onto the main road. Then go West until you find a really narrow street. That sounds vague but there's only one real street down the main road that fits that description. Then look for Café Sonata."
Hilbert continued to be silent, but this time he had his hands up. His fingers moving in random directions. Cress became confused, while Hilda knew her brother was trying to figure out his way.
"Okay, then what?" said Hilbert.
"Uh...then look for a guy in there. Should be wearing a dark suit, tall, slicked hair, and probably sitting in a corner near the front. I was supposed to meet him but I'll let him know you're coming instead," Cress tapped away at his Xtransceiver. "Alright, when you meet him, just say your name. And make sure to call me Bless."
"That's it?"
"Yeah. Oh, wait, hold on," Cress reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of bills. He shoved them into Hilbert's hands. Cress said nothing more. He just stepped to the side, giving Hilbert room to walk out of the alley. Sliding his new money into his pocket, Hilbert left. Cress turned his back to the alley entrance. Looking past Cress, Hilda saw Hilbert pass by the entrance, no doubt going the wrong way at first. Hilda rolled her eyes before looking back at Cress, waiting for his instruction.
"Now you just follow me and do what I say."
"Well what are we gonna do?"
"Just pick something up from a shop and find a hotel, then you and your brother can do whatever."
Hilda wanted more details, but with Cress turning his back to her she kept quiet. Almost. The two left the alley and went the direction Hilbert first went. Hilda couldn't help but be bothered at a question she's had for the last few days. She ran up next to Cress.
"Hey, Cress, how come Cilan or Chili couldn't come?"
Seeing Cress' face go from passive to one of gloom made Hilda's stomach tighten.
"Cilan couldn't come because he's watching the restaurant. But Chili..." Cress slowed his pace and turned his eyes to the ground. "He's in the hospital."
"What?" Hilda stopped in her tracks. She took a second before walking after Cress again. "What happened?"
"He was out training in the Dreamyard, when he got jumped. He got beat up pretty bad, but should be out in a few days."
Cress spoke in a somber tone. One Hilda never heard him speak in before. Feeling that Cress didn't want to talk about his brother, Hilda's mind went to Chili. Imagining him in a hospital bed gave Hilda a weird feeling. Of the three brothers, he was the one Hilda spoke to the least. But even so, she still felt worried.
The two walked in silence, until they came into a large park. Cress explained the park was near the center of the city and was what divided it. The side they were on was more so for businesses and entertainment with the opposite being much more residential and less busy. Though much smaller.
It took a bit more walking for Cress to find the right street, leading Hilda into a small alley. Despite the park being sunny and populate, the alley Hilda looked down seemed to be the only one people were avoiding. It was narrow, dim, and out of sight of many. If she was alone, or even with her brother, she would known better than to walk down it. Despite that, she followed Cress. Though she stuck much closer behind him than before.
To her surprise, the alley opened up significantly. At first it was too narrow for any cars to come through, but when inside, Hilda saw some cars were actually parked. With enough space for another car or two next to them.
While it was a lot more open, Hilda's eyes still glanced around wildly. She didn't try to focus on one thing for too long. At first she looked to the people. Most were on their own and staying close to the walls. Only a couple of them were a group. Though those few weren't paying much attention around them, so Hilda ignored them. After the people, Hilda's eyes went to the buildings. The mix of flaking and new graffiti gave her an idea of how well the area was taken care of. She also noticed varius symbols she knew belonged to gangs. Not being from Castelia, what symbol represented who.
Most of the tags either seemed years or months old. But a good number of them looked only a couple weeks at the latest. A symbol of gears touching as if turning, in a silver paint. Taking a second look at the people, Hilda realized they all wore similar colors. A mix of mostly light and dark greys, some black and white, and hints of teal throughout.
Hilda was about to ask a question when Cress put his arm in front of her.
"We're here," he said. Hilda looked past him at the door to his side. It was just a solid wooden door painted white. The building's number was on it and a small peephole. A couple feet to the side was a large garage door. On the metal door, were the words 'Steven's Mechanic's Shop'.
Cress went and banged on the door, causing Hilda to shudder. It took a little while, and a few more bangs, for someone to answer. A man not much older than Cress opened the door and looked the duo over.
"Can I help you?" asked the man. Cress said nothing, only removed his glasses and lifted his hood. He didn't fully take it off. Only enough to show the front half and reveal his identity. "Oh, shit, Cress!"
The man stepped outside and grabbed Cress' hand. The two gave each other a side hug and patted themselves on the back.
"It's been a while, man! What brings you here?"
"I'm here to see Kla. He here?"
"Ah shit, you just missed him. I can pass on a message though."
"It's fine, I'll come back later."
"Alright. It was good seeing you, man. As long as you're in Castelia feel free to stop by anytime, alright?"
"Yeah, okay. Good seeing you too, Klin" said Cress. The two young men gave each other quick hugs before turning away from each other. For a second, Hilda and the other man, Klin, locked eyes. Even though he had an upbeat attitude with Cress, Hilda immediately became terrified of him. He looked down on her with a leery, menacing gaze. When he went inside the shop and slammed the door, Hilda was glad he was gone.
"Hurry up," Cress said as he was already a couple yards from Hilda.
"Who was that guy?" asked Hilda once she caught up.
"Just someone my brothers n' I used to be cool with back in the day. He had moved out of Striaton so we fell out of touch, but eventually met again. Now he's one of the heads of a local gang. I'm sure you've noticed the fact they've bombed here?"
"Yeah, I noticed some tags looked pretty recent," said Hilda. Cress gave a light chuckle.
"Yeah, a lot of gangs used to chill around here. It was kind of like a neutral area, with only occasional fighting. But then Klink decided to cap everyone else. The CPD is pretty strict when it comes to gangs and whatnot. So other gangs are slow tryna take it back. There's been a few fights though."
Hilda looked down and thought about what Cress said. It was pretty brazen for them to just mark everything for their own. Though smart with the aspect that it was hard to fight for the spot back. Being so close to a public park and two busy streets on either side of it, any gang fights would be quickly swooped in on by police. Hilda got lost in her thoughts. So lost, that when Cress suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her, she almost screamed. Hilda looked up at Cress. But he didn't look back at her. He stared straight ahead at two guys who just entered the street. The two stared back at Cress.
"What do you want?" said one of the guys. The two wore blue jackets and blue hats. Hilda knew they were affiliated.
"This ain't your turf," said Cress. The two guys both put a hand into their jacket pockets. Cress put his hand into his as well. Hilda did the same, knowing what was to come.
"Don't," said Cress. Looking up to him, Hilda saw he still wasn't looking at her. "I can take these guys out easily."
The two men in front of them pulled out pokeballs and threw them to the ground. Two pokemon now stood between the men and Cress. Hilda recognized one of the pokemon, a trubbish. The other she didn't. A pokemon that was grey all over, with black spots and horizontal lines going around it. Green spikes also covered it.
Before either of the men could call out a move, Cress had sent out one of his own pokemon. Hilda was surprised to see a stoutland. She had only ever known Cress for having a panpour and a lillipup. Just a moment after Cress brought out Stoutland, he issued the first command of the battle.
"Stouland, Hyper Beam on the trubbish!"
"Trubbish, use Take Down!"
The two pokemon prepared their attacks. Stoutland began emitting a small ball of orange light from its mouth. The light started at about the size of a marble but quickly grew to the size of a baseball. The opposing trubbish, however, began scuttling towards Stoutland. A white aura surrounded itself. As Stoutland charged its attack, the trubbish got closer and closer. Until it was a few feet away and lunged at Stoutland. Without a moment to spare, Stoutland turned the ball of orange light into a beam, hitting Trubbish before it could land its attack.
The trubbish was sent flying past its trainer and into a wall. Its failure to move after falling to the floor made it clear it could no longer battle.
"Ferroseed, Pin Missile!" ordered the other trainer. His pokemon began shooting some of its spikes. Each one growing back immediately. Ferroseed shot about two dozen spikes, all of them flying into the air before diving towards Stoutland.
Hilda expected Cress to order Stoutland to move. To use an attack to counter. Anything. But Cress stayed silent as the spikes flew. Silent as Stoutland was pelted by them. Silent during Stoutland's yelps. Each spike landed in Stoutland's fur, sticking for a few seconds before disintegrating. All that was left of the spikes was a moss colored powder on the ground.
"Ferroseed, use Mirror Shot!"
A blue aura started to cover the ferroseed. Growing stronger and more visible in only a second. The aura then traveled from around Ferroseed to appearing in front of it as an energy orb. Ferroseed then jumped and the orb shot at Stoutland. Cress said nothing, until the orb was just a yard away.
"Stoutland, dodge it, then use Rock Smash!"
Jumping to the side at the last second, Stoutland narrowly evaded the orb. After the orb fell to the ground, sending pieces of asphalt and dust into the air, Stoutland began running. As it ran, one of its front paws began glowing white. Ferroseed's trainer tried to issue a command, but wasn't fast enough. Stoutland made it to Ferroseed and slammed its paw into its opponents front side. The strike sent Ferroseed rolling. It landed next to Trubbish, hitting a wall before fully stopping. Neither pokemon moved.
The two men in blue withdrew their pokemon. Before they could put their pokeballs back, Cress shouted at them.
"Don't move! And put your hands up," he said. The men did as he said, hoisting their arms into the air. "Now, take your jackets off and throw em behind you."
"What?" said one of the guys. He turned his head and saw Cress' stoutland preparing a Hyper Beam. He could see the ball was twice as big as the one that took out his partner's trubbish.
"Do it."
"Man..." said the guy. He turned his head back and began unzipping his jacket. His friend doing the same. They both tossed their jackets towards Cress.
"Get it," Cress said to Hilda. Hilda rushed forward, grabbing the jackets and quickly getting out of Stoutland's way. She didn't want to risk getting caught in the crossfire. She then handed one jacket to Cress and watched what he did. Going through the two outside pockets, and two inside pockets, Cress pulled out the contents. A few pokeballs and some cash. Cress put the pokeballs back and pocketed the cash. He then looked to Hilda, who began doing just what he did. She found the same as he did and copied him. Putting the pokeballs back and keeping the cash for herself.
Cress and Hilda then threw the men their jackets back and Cress told them to stand up.
"Get the fuck out of here," said Cress. "I better not catch you guys around here again."
The two men said nothing, only grabbed their jackets and quickly went back to where they came from. Cress withdrew Stoutland.
Hilda thought over Cress' battle. The way he told her she didn't have to battle. The way he single-handedly took out two trainers with one pokemon. And his actions after the battle.
'He's so strong,' thought Hilda. 'And cool.'
"Let's hurry up and get out of here, before the police come," said Cress. "We'll get a hotel and you can do whatever for the rest of the day."
"Okay," replied Hilda. 'I wonder what Hilbert had to do.'
Hilbert was nearing the end of the street. As he walked, his chin was raised to allow him to see the sky. He was still mesmerized by just how tall the buildings were. If his neck didn't start to hurt, he would've walked onto the street. Catching himself before he walked into oncoming traffic, Hilbert looked to his hands. After pointing his index finger around, he went right.
After every street Hilbert passed he became more and more tired of walking. Having to wait at a crosswalk just to have to speed up before the lights changed was aggravating. Coupled with the large amount of people constantly surrounding Hilbert, and the boy was ready go back to Striaton. Mentally, Hilbert cursed out every person who bumped into him, no matter how minor.
'I think I'm starting to understand why everyone in this city looks so pissed,' he thought.
Coming up on his ninth street he had to cross, Hilbert was about to call Cress, to get directions. He stopped himself when he witnessed something weird. About half a block up, he saw a young man loitering next to an opening in the buildings. Hilbert didn't have to be from Castelia to know that was an unpopular action. On top of the inconveniencing of others, his outfit made him stand out. A large, but thin, unzipped grey jacket, a pair of loose, baggy dark colored pants, basketball shoes, and a backwards hat. All of which looked brand new. Hilbert could tell the man was sketchy.
When he was only a few yards from the man, a second person came out from the opening. This man wore a very similar outfit, though missing a hat. He then passed something to the first man, who quickly stuffed whatever it was into one of his pockets. The two guys then turned away from the opening and began walking in Hilbert's direction. Hilbert quickly shielded his eyes with his hat and watched the men. He saw they both donned chains, each in the shape of two gears.
After the men passed him, Hilbert looked into the opening. He instantly knew it was the street he was looking for. Evident by just how narrow both the opening and actual street itself were. While every other street Hilbert passed had at least four lanes, sometimes more, this one was barely wide enough for one car. Regardless of its use as a street, Hilbert entered. Right away he noticed the air change. It felt just a bit warmer and a little more stuffy. Chalking it up to the lack of a sea breeze, he also noticed there was a considerate lighting change. Looking up, Hilbert was unsurprised to see the street was completely surrounded by tall buildings. Looking back to street level, he saw a few people hanging around.
Each person giving off a similar vibe to the first two guys. Out of place for the normal streets, with outfits that gave the impression they had money, but that they also didn't work normal jobs for it. Most of the people on the street were standing alone, their eyes constantly scanning the street up and down. Others were in small groups doing various things. Some were playing dice, some were just talking, and one group was arguing amongst themselves. As Hilbert walked past the bickering group, he put a hand in his pocket and grabbed Houndour's ball. He doubted the people would do anything to him, but he still felt uneasy.
Aside from all the people, the street had very little to offer. Most of the buildings were just their backsides or were some shoddy apartments. There was only one real business on this street. Hilbert could see the name on a sign protruding from the wall.
Café Sonata
Quickly running up to the entrance, he walked inside. While the exterior of the café was nothing special, with only a red awning, a small metal sign, and very tinted windows, the interior felt almost magical. The only light in the room came from a few dim lights on the bar in the back. The light just barely being able to provide enough light. Hilbert also felt warm, much warmer than when he first came on the street. It was almost too much so with his jacket on. The café also was also fairly small. There were no more than half a dozen tables and even fewer seats at the bar. Though with only three people inside other than himself, Hilbert reckoned it wasn't much of an issue for the place.
Looking for the man he came here for, he looked over the patrons. He quickly ruled out the passed out drunk and a man tuning a guitar. The only other man was sitting at the bar, wearing a suit. Making his way to the bar, Hilbert sat with one seat between him and the man. Turning to him, Hilbert spoke.
"Are you the one Cress sent me to talk to?" he said. Despite trying to lower his voice, Hilbert felt he spoke too loud. He heard the bartender momentarily stop cleaning a glass before starting again. The man turned an eye to look down on Hilbert. Hilbert saw that he wore a face mask, hiding the lower part of his face.
"This place is really small, even whispered conversations can be heard," said the man. He turned away from Hilbert and partially took his mask off. He took a sip of his drink before putting the mask back and turning back. "Also, I don't know anyone named Cress."
Hilbert blinked a couple times. Then, he realized his mistake.
"I mean...Bless, sent me."
"And you are?" the man said. He turned his eye to stare down Hilbert once more.
"Hilbert."
The man stared at Hilbert's eyes for a few more seconds, before turning his eye down towards his pockets.
"I take it that Dark type you have was your first?"
"Huh? How'd you know I have a Dark type?"
"I guess you can say I have a sort of connection with Dark types," the man said as he stood up. Sitting, the man looked quite a bit taller than Hilbert. Standing, he towered over the boy. "Thomas, I'm going to the basement."
"Got it," said the bartender.
"Follow me," the man said to Hilbert. He walked to the opposite end of the room and opened the small lift gate on the bar. After going behind the counter himself, Hilbert saw there was a rug where the bartender stood. The bartender then grabbed the edge closest to Hilbert and pulled it back. Beneath the rug was a trap door, and when opened, it revealed a ladder.
The man in the suit approached it first, climbing down it without a second thought. Hilbert knew he had to follow, but couldn't. He didn't like the idea of climbing into a hole with a stranger and having another person close the only known entrance up.
"Hurry up," said the bartender. Not wanting to piss anyone off, Hilbert quickly began climbing down the ladder. Due to a mix of both his nervousness and the fact he's only climbed a ladder once, he almost slipped and fell. Luckily, he didn't.
After climbing down the maybe fifteen foot ladder, Hilbert looked at his surroundings. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made from concrete, and, aside from himself, the man, the ladder, and four ceiling lights, the room was empty.
"Why are we down here?" Hilbert asked the man. The man walked towards the middle of the room.
"Just want to check something," he said. "But first, do you know who I am?"
"No. Cre- I mean-Bless, didn't say who you were."
"I suppose that makes sense, in case someone was eavesdropping on him," the man spoke a bit of a sigh. "But anyway, I suppose I should just tell you."
The man brought a hand to his mask and pulled it off. Hilbert widened his eyes and sucked in his breath.
"You're..."
"Master of the Dark type, professional gambler, and amateur sharpedo rider, Grimsley of the Unova Elite Four. Is that where you were going?"
Hilbert could say nothing as he stared down one of the most powerful and famous people of Unova.
"I guess I should've expected you to react this way," said Grimsley with his signature grin. "There's a reason I go to such a hole in the wall for a bar. While being an Elite Four member has many pros, its biggest con is being recognized by seemingly everyone in this region. This bar did feel like my only place of solitude outside the League."
Looking at Grimsley, Hilbert didn't know what to say. He didn't even remember why he was there.
"You know, eventually you'll have to speak up."
"Sorry, I-uh..."
"Enough," said Grimsley. "Let's just get to business. Pull the Dark type you have out."
Still silent, Hilbert pulled Houndour's ball out. Upon release, Houndour looked around him and sniffed the floor. Upon spotting Grimsley, he turned his head in curiosity.
"A houndour?" said Grimsley, surprised. "Never seen a trainer from Unova start off with one. Where did you get it?"
"Uh," Hilbert thought back to the day he met Houndour. When he stole him from someone. Someone who was later found murdered. "He was a gift, from a family friend. He was from a different region."
Grimsley said nothing. He only studied Houndour with his eyes. After a few minutes, Grimsley broke the awkward silence with a small chuckle.
"Alright, I'm ready to see what you're made of," he said. Grimsley reached into his pocket, pulling a pokeball out. He pressed the button on the front and the red light shot out and to the ground, taking shape in only a second. When the light faded, his signature pokemon stood in front of him.
"Bi-SHARP!"
Houndour immediately jumped back to Hilbert. Hilbert stared at Grimsley's pokemon in awe. He had seen it countless times on TV, but seeing it in person was world shattering.
'But why is he bringing out his bisharp?'
"I see your houndour is rather protective of you. They are said to be some of the most loyal pokemon," said Grimsley. "He also seems to be trained well, being able to tell that he was in a battle so soon."
'Battle?' thought Hilbert. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean battle?"
"I know you're not that dumb," said Grimsley, smiling. "You should know that if an Elite Four member asks to see your pokemon, it means they want to battle. Now I'll give you the first move."
Grimsley's stance and demeanor didn't change. He was tall but stood with a bit of a slouch, leaning on one leg, and grinning. As opposed to Hilbert's wide and tense stance. Grimsley didn't look like he was in a battle at all. Hilbert swallowed the spit pooling in his mouth, trying to think of a move.
"Hound-"
"Bisharp, Metal Claw," said Grimsley. Bisharp moved faster than Hilbert could react to, using its shining metal arm to slash at Houndour. Bisharp slammed his opponent into the ground.
"Houndour!" cried Hilbert. Ignoring Bisharp who was standing just a foot away from Houndour, Hilbert rushed to his pokemon's side. Getting onto his knees, Hilbert could clearly see Houndour was out.
Grimsley began to walk over, his expensive dress shoes making loud taps as he walked. Without looking up, Hilbert heard him sigh.
"Even with Bisharp holding back and using an ineffective move it was still too much."
'That was holding back?'
"I would've liked to see what you can do, but I guess you're not ready for that kind of test yet," Grimsley rummaged through a pocket inside his coat. "Here."
Grimsley handed something small and yellow to Hilbert. Hilbert rolled the item around in his hand.
"What is this?"
"It's a revive, you can use it to wake up a fainted pokemon. Though they'll still be a little weak."
Looking down at Houndour, Hilbert had no idea how to use the revive.
"How do I..."
"Just place in his mouth," Grimsley chuckled.
Hilbert did as he was told, placing the revive on Houndour's tongue and holding his mouth closed. After a few seconds Hilbert could feel movement in his pokemon's mouth. Eventually Houndour swallowed the revive. In only a moment, Houndour opened his eyes and began to get up. Despite making it on his feet, it was obvious he still needed much rest.
"Return," said Hilbert. Houndour let out a small bark as he was consumed by the red light.
"Well, that didn't go quite how I wanted it, but I suppose that was enough," said Grimsley. "Bisharp, return!"
"Bish..."
"I say we've been down here long enough," Grimsley began to walk towards the ladder.
"Uhm..."
"Hm?" Grimsley stopped and turned around.
"How come you brought me down here for a battle? Couldn't we have just gone out into the alley?" asked Hilbert. Grimsley smiled at him.
"Because, think about it. How many pokemon have you seen on your way over here?"
"Uh...well," Hilbert thought back to both his walk and ride in the car. "Not really. Only wild flying pokemon and people with common pokemon like purrloins."
"Exactly. Even in Striaton, which I'm assuming is where you're from, have you seen any battles in public streets or parks?"
"No, I don't think so. I think the only times I heard of that happening was on the news."
"Correct again. A few years ago, the League issued a law banning battles in cities. At least outside of gyms and designated battle areas. Too much potential damage and injuries. Well, that's the main reason anyway," Grimsley chuckled. "For the most part the law is fine, but can get annoying when you just want a quick battle with someone. Which is why I opened this cafe in the first place."
"You own this place?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I needed a place of solitude. And a place to battle away from the prying eyes of the CPD."
"Well, if you're an Elite Four member, then why did you pass the law to begin with."
"I said the injuries and damage was the main reason right? Well, on paper, that's the only reason," said Grimsley. He had dropped his smile and straightened his back. Hilbert took that as a sign to stop asking questions. "Now, before we go, I did win our battle. So pay up."
Hilbert stared at Grimsley's open palm. It took him a few seconds to remember about the money Cress had given him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the stack of bills. He handed them to Grimsley, who began counting the bills with one hand.
"A thousand is a little light for an Elite Four battle," said Grimsley. "But I'm sure Cress didn't think I was gonna make you battle. When you see him, tell him I said 'I'll do it'."
"Do what?"
"That's between me and Cress," Grimsley said as he turned around and walked towards the ladder. Hilbert quickly jogged up to him. When the two were out of the basement, Grimsley led Hilbert to the front of the bar.
"Now, you can go back to Cress," Grimsley put his mask back on. "I'll call my driver and have him pick you up on the main road. Just tell him where to take you."
Grimsley sat on one of the stools of the bar, his back to Hilbert. Figuring that was the end of things, Hilbert took his leave. After stepping outside, he brought up his Xtransceiver, ready to test out its calling function. Opening up the contacts and clicking the only name, he waited for his sister to pick up.
"Yeah?" Hilbert heard his sister say. He didn't see her face, as the camera was instead pointed at a ceiling.
"Hilda, I'm done. Where are you?"
"Oh, cool. Uh...at the Persian Hotel on Gym Street."
"Ok, I'll go there. How did things go with you and Cress?"
"Fine. I watched him battle two guys."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was cool. When you get here I'll go down and get you, then I'll tell you more about it," said Hilda as she hung up.
After making it onto the main street, Hilbert realized he had no idea what kind of car he should be looking for. Not wanting to risk missing the driver, he waited a few minutes. Lucky for him, a town car pulled up against the curb. The driver got out and called to Hilbert. After getting inside and saying where he needed to go, the two were off. Hilbert wanted nothing more than to get into a hotel room and lay down.
His first day in Castelia and he met one of the Elite Four. He hoped his next few days will be at least half as eventful as they were today.
Chapter 10 done. Well, the first part of it anyway. Of either 2 or 3, depending on how things go. Leave a review and fav.
~~~Sikoh