Hilbert and Hilda sat on the front steps of Striaton's Gym. Hilbert bounced his leg and Hilda twirled some of her hair. Things they would do whenever they were lost in thought.

"What should we do?" asked Hilda.

"I don't know," said Hilbert. His sister looked to him, but he could only stare at the ground. "Wasn't expecting it. I had thought of it happening, but..."

"It's still weird being asked," Hilda finished for him. The two didn't say any more for a while.

Hilbert looked up to see a few pidove resting on a power line. None of them seemed to move. "What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know. What if we disagree?"

"I don't think we will," Hilbert turned back to the sidewalk. "I made a decision."

"So have I," Hilda let out a deep sigh. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah."

The two rose. Hilbert took another glance at the pidove. A few ruffled their feathers. Hilda turned around and walked up the steps, her brother right beside her. They both grabbed a door, but Hilbert hesitated. Hilda said nothing. Only looked at him. After a few leg bounces, Hilbert stiffened, then pulled open the door. He could hear the pidoves flying away.

Since the gym opened into a restaurant first, the twins immediately saw the three Leaders at a table in the middle of the room. They approached the table but didn't sit down. Plates of food had been added since they were last in.

"So, you got your answer?" said Cress. He sat between his two brothers.

"Yeah we do," said Hilda.

"And?"

"We'll join you," said Hilbert.

"Excellent," said Cress.

Cilan and Chili stood up and shook Hilbert and Hilda's hands respectively before switching. The brothers' hands were firm and tight with a little softness. They were also cold.

"Now then," Cress stood as his brothers sat back down. He reached across the table without crossing his arms. The twins had to switch which hands they used. Making them face away from each other. Cress' hands felt like his brothers, but with a little more warmth. "Welcome to Hemlock."

"Wasn't expecting that to be so...formal," said Hilbert. He sat beside Hilda on one of the long seats of the limo they've ridden in many times before. Cilan was the one on the back seat. A black and blue backpack was placed between his legs.

"If you want I can take you two outside and kick the shit out of you," said Cilan. He laughed while the twins were quiet. "Look, we aren't some street trash. We have rules to follow."

Hilbert and Hilda looked at Cilan but remained silent. The two weren't sure what to say. Not even an hour before Cilan and his brothers gave them an ultimatum. Either join their gang or to leave and never talk to them again.

"I'm sure you have questions, but I don't really care."

Cilan stopped talking and closed his eyes. The twins knew he didn't want to speak or hear them, so they stayed quiet. Cilan's eyes didn't open until the limo stopped and the chauffeur opened the door. Cilan stepped out with the backpack and waited for the twins to be out to tell the chauffeur to stay by the car. They all stood outside a shady looking apartment building. It wasn't as bad as their old home or even the motel they first ran away to, but it was a far cry from what they got used to at the hotels.

The three entered the building and made their way up to the second floor. Heading down a hallway, Cilan stopped at a door and pulled a key from his pocket. It unlocked the door and Cilan made the twins enter first. He stood in the doorway as the two looked around the room.

The living room and kitchen were the first rooms that were visible. Both were completely furnished. A hallway led from the living room to some doors. Each door was closed so it was unknown where they led.

"This is where you two will be staying from now on," said Cilan from the open doorway. The twins turned to him.

"What?" they both said.

"It's our place. We don't really come here much anymore since we have rooms at the gym. Plus giving you two a real hideout will be easier and cheaper in the long run."

Hilbert looked over the apartment again. Hilda didn't turn away from Cilan. "You're gonna let us live here?"

"That's what I said. Cress was right, you do ask a lot of questions," said Cilan. He entered the apartment and closed the door. Cilan went into the hallway and opened two doors that were opposite each other. They both opened into bedrooms and were furnished. Cilan made the twins join him in one of them.

"You two can sleep in these rooms. One of the other doors in the hallway is a bathroom and the other is a closet. Figure out which is which. Also, the door at the end is another bedroom. Don't ever, go into it."

Cilan spoke with such authority that neither Hilbert or Hilda asked why. "Now, one last thing..."

Cilan moved to the living room and sat in an armchair at the end of a coffee table. The twins sat on the couch parallel the table.

"Cress said he's made you do some deliveries before you went to Castelia. So, here," Cilan dropped the backpack onto the table. "That's what you're doing today. Some more Dream Dust."

Hilbert took the backpack and looked inside to confirm if Cilan was speaking the truth. Sure enough, he saw many small bags of pink powder.

"We're charging this time. There's another five hundred grams in that bag and it's thirty dollars per gram. We expect you two to collect for that much."

"What if someone doesn't want to pay?" asked Hilbert. He remembered the few times someone gave him and Hilda trouble when they were still delivering illegally obtained Pokedexes.

"Do whatever you can to get the money out of them. The gym is closed for the rest of the day, so when you're done, go back there. And don't bring any of the drugs back."

Hilbert and Hilda turned down a street and could see the gym just a few buildings down. They were done with their deliveries and didn't run into any problems. The only thing bothering them was the fresh memory of some of the people they had to sell to.

Most of the people who answered them were normal and took the drugs without issue. At most they just grumbled at having to now pay, but they still paid in full. A few, however, answered the door with large smiles on their faces. They would talk fast and would mention they had ran out of their previous supply. When they were handed their bags, they quickly snatched them away and shut the door. The twins were glad they always had the person pay before they got anything.

Now in the gym, the two placed the backpack onto a table. Cilan emerged from the kitchen and sat at the table.

"All the money's in the backpack," said Hilbert.

Cilan opened the bag and pulled out all the cash he saw. He organized them by bill before he started counting.

"Fifteen grand. Good job," Cilan stacked all the money together and started counting again. This time he stopped at only fifteen hundred and then split the stack, putting the fifteen hundred on the table and the rest in his pocket. He slid the money on the table to the twins. "There's your cut."

Hilda took the cash and quickly counted it out to split it in half. She gave Hilbert his split and pocketed hers. The two had small grins on their faces. Chili came out from the kitchen with a tray of food.

"Oh, you two are back," he said. His face had some bruising and healed cuts. "Feel free to sit down. We were about to have lunch."

Hilda sat down as Chili placed the tray on the table. Hilbert stayed standing.

"Is Cress around?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen," said Cilan. "Why?"

"Wanted to ask him something," Hilbert said. Hilda watched her brother go towards the kitchen. She would've followed him, but her stomach growled.

Hilbert entered the kitchen and immediately spotted Cress putting some dishes into a dishwasher. Not wanting to get too close, Hilbert stood beside a counter that was in the middle of the room.

"Hey, Cress? Can I ask you something?"

Cress took a small glance over his shoulder before going back to the dishes. "What is it?"

"Well, ever since Castelia, when you had me go to the sewers, I've been wondering. Is there anything like that in Striaton?" Hilbert asked. Cress was done with the dishwasher and started washing his hands. He turned to Hilbert when he started drying them with a rag.

"Like what? That fighting ring?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Hilbert. Cress looked the boy in the face. After a few moments, he let out a sigh.

"There is."

"Where?"

"It changes. I'll try and find out when and where the next meeting is. Until then, just do what we say."

The two left the kitchen and joined the others. Hilbert sat beside Hilda but didn't say anything to her. They both sat in silence as they ate.

Hilda sat on the bed and looked around the room. She wondered which brother it belonged to. There were no photos of anyone or posters portraying personality. Aside from basic furniture, there was nothing to distinguished who stayed in the room before.

Lying under the covers felt weird to her. Even if it hadn't been used in days, or weeks, or even months, it was still someone else's bed. She did her best to sleep, but her mind kept wondering whose bed it was.

Hilbert opened his eyes and scanned the room. For a few seconds, he didn't know where he was. The memories of the previous day came back to him all at once. He was at an apartment owned by the Striaton Gym Brothers. Sleeping in one of their beds. He sat up and stretched. To his surprise he was well rested. Ever since he and his sister ran away from home he would struggle to get the right kind of sleep. Either he'll wake up sporadically in the night or spend hours trying to sleep.

But for once, he woke feeling refreshed. His body wasn't sluggish as he stepped out of bed nor did he have any desire to get back into it. After putting his pants on he left the room and sat on the couch.

Cilan never said anything about the kitchen. Whether they were allowed to eat any of it or even if there was any food to begin with. It felt odd to Hilbert to go look for himself, so instead he stayed in the living room.

A little while later, Hilda emerged from her room and joined him. Unlike him, she seemed just as tired as when she went to bed. She even yawned as she sat in the same chair Cilan sat in the day before.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Hilbert.

"Fine, I guess," replied Hilda. It was obvious she wanted to sleep more. "You?"

"Slept alright."

Neither said anymore. Hilbert had found the remote and turned on the TV. For a couple hours, they just watched whatever was on. When the front door of the apartment opened, they both jumped and faced the door. They let out a breath when they saw Cress with his hands in front of his chest.

"Calm down. It's just me," he said. He dropped his hands and made his way to the kitchen. Hilbert sat back on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. He had forgotten that the apartment was owned by Cress and his brothers.

"What are you doing here?" Hilda asked Cress.

"Besides the fact that it's my place, I came to talk to him," Cress walked back from the kitchen with a glass of water. He sat on the opposite side of the couch and placed the glass on the table.

"About what?" asked Hilbert.

"Remember that thing you asked me about? Turns out there's gonna be some fights going down in two days. Over at the park on Seventh street. You know it?"

"Yeah, we've been there before," Hilbert turned his head to Hilda before looking back at Cress.

"Alright. It'll go down at night. Around eleven or so. There's a buy-in, twenty bucks, to fight. But the fights aren't for money so don't expect to get any of it back. When you get there look for a guy with blue, almost purple, hair wearing a purple trench coat. His name's Pierce and he's the one running it. Pay him to fight. If he gives you any trouble, tell him Billy sent you. Got it?"

Hilbert nodded. Cress took a sip of water.

"Good," Cress said as he sat back and turned to the TV. "The hell are you two watching?"

"Man, haven't been here since we were kids," said Hilbert. He and his sister walked off the sidewalk into a small parking lot of the were a handful of cars there and they could hear some faint noise deeper in the park.

"I know. Used to be so fun coming here after school with everyone."

"Yeah..." Hilbert and Hilda smiled as they remembered their school days and hanging out with friends they hadn't seen since then. Almost as quickly as they began to remember, their faces straightened as they realized what they were doing. They quickly found themselves near the center of the park in a crowd.

"You see the guy anywhere?" asked Hilbert.

"No, I don't...Oh, wait. I think I do," Hilda stopped in place and peered into the crowd. Luckily there was a light. Standing beside a wall where some bathrooms were, was a man who fit the description that Cress gave them. As the two approached, someone else started talking to the man. They didn't hear what they said, but they saw money exchange their hands. The man pulled his hand out of his pocket as Hilbert and Hilda approached.

"You Pierce?" asked Hilbert.

"Yeah. You are?" he asked. He was as tall, if not taller, than Cress or his brothers.

"Hilbert. I wanna fight."

The man was silent for a moment. Hilbert saw his eyes go down and back up.

"Twenty bucks to fight."

Hilbert pulled a bundle of cash from his pocket and handed it to Pierce who counted it before pocketing it.

"The fights will be soon," the man didn't move so the twins walked away.

They waited amongst the crowd making small talk with each other. Eventually Hilda decided to ask a question she's been holding on to.

"So, what made you want to fight again like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know," Hilda looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "Illegal for one. Not to mention you even said how brutal and disturbing the Castelia fights were."

"Well, this is different. Cress said only actual trainers fight in these. Besides, this is just like your battle with Iris," the two had been walking but Hilbert decided to lean against a tree. Hilda stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

"And how exactly is this the same?"

"Because it's just because I want to. Just for fun," Hilbert closed his eyes. Hilda scoffed at him before walking away.

'She's fine,' Hilbert thought to himself as he opened his eyes to see her go.

'He's so annoying,' thought Hilda. Part of her wanted to just go home alone. Hilbert had his xTransceiver, she could call him to say where she went. But she didn't leave. She checked the time to see it was almost eleven. Sighing, she walked over to the chain-link fence that enclosed the park and began leaning on it.

"Oh? Interesting to see you here," she heard someone say. Hilda looked up to see a hooded figure in front of her. He wore a large hoodie which hid his hair and face. When he turned, Hilda's eyes went wide.

Hilbert stood on the edge of the park's sole basketball court. When the time came for the fights to start, that's where Pierce told everyone to move to. On either end of the court was a trainer. They stared each other down aggressively. As soon as Pierce gave the signal, they had to send out a pokemon. Pierce whistled, then the two trainers released their pokemon.

The battle lasted longer than Hilbert was expecting. Though it was mainly due to the trainers and their pokemon being inexperienced. They took too long to give commands and their pokemon were too slow. It was a boring watch, but the crowd still somehow enjoyed it. When one of the pokemon fell unconscious, Pierce stepped up and announced the winner. After the two trainers left, Pierce looked over the crowd then chose another fighter. He looked back for another, his eyes falling on Hilbert.

"You," Pierce said while pointing at him. "You're up."

Hilbert was surprised to get called so quick, but he went forward onto the court. He stared down at his opponent. A young man who must've been just barely old enough to drink, if that. He appeared confident, but Hilbert didn't think he seemed that strong.

'I hope this isn't gonna be as boring as that first fight,' he thought. Pierce gave the word and Hilbert released his pokemon along with his opponent. The man released a small brown pokemon with cream colored cotton-like fur which doubled its size. While it seemed familiar, Hilbert couldn't remember where he knows it from. He ordered Houndour to attack with Ember.

"Whimsicott, use Light Screen!"

The pokemon held its little hands up and summoned a transparent magenta colored slab in front of it. Houndour's fire type attack hit it before dissipating.

'Light Screen, huh? It'll block any use of Ember until it runs out,' thought Hilbert. "Houndour, Bite!"

"Cotton Guard!"

As Houndour ran to the whimsicott its fur began to grow at an incredible speed and completely cover the pokemon. Houndour's fangs couldn't even penetrate it. He hopped back and the fur receded. Hilbert noticed it was a bit thicker now.

"Houndour, use Ember repeatedly!" Hilbert ordered. Houndour unleashed a barrage of fire, each getting blocked by the screen. However, after every couple hits, the screen became more and more transparent and thin. Eventually, it shattered completely. However, Houndour had to take a moment to get his breath. The man across the court laughed.

"It's no use. I can just make another one. Light Screen!" the pokemon did as its owner said and produced another magenta slab.

"Use Leer!" Hilbert yelled. Houndour began to snarl and glared at the whimsicott, causing it to shudder. "Now bite!"

Charging, Houndour's fangs glowed white and before the man could give another order, sunk them into Whimsicott's little body. Houndour turned with it in his mouth and tossed it to the center of the court. Hilbert ordered him to use Ember again, but his opponent also gave an order. This time, Whimsicott was able to summon another screen. The Ember halted before evaporating.

"Whimsicott, use Giga Drain!"

'Damn it,' thought Hilbert. Houndour needed to rest for a moment. Hilbert knew it so he couldn't do much outside of watch as a green light surrounded his pokemon. Smaller lights came off him and traveled through the air to the whimsicott. After a few seconds it seemed to have regained a bit of strength. 'What the hell kind of move set is that?'

Even if it was a weak type against him, Houndour still had some of his health and strength drained. Both he and Hilbert knew the fight couldn't last much longer.

"Now, Toxic!"

"What?" exclaimed Hilbert. Whimsicott waved its little hands and summoned a small ball of purple sludge in the air which was launched at Houndour. Hilbert tried to tell him to move, but Houndour was too damaged to move fast enough. The sludge hit him and quickly coated his entire body, sinking into his fur and out of sight. After a second his body was again covered in purple and he cried out. Once again, Hilbert's opponent laughed.

"Toxic is a move that badly poisons whatever it lands on. Every time your pokemon takes damage from it, it gets worse and worse. There's not a single pokemon that can out heal it," he said cockily.

'Then I guess this is our last stand,' thought Hilbert. "Houndour, use Ember and don't stop!"

With his draining strength, Houndour began spewing little fire balls at whimsicott. It put up yet another light screen just as the previous one was breaking. Hilbert repeated to not stop, so Houndour didn't. Even as he felt his body becoming too heavy to hold and as a wave of poison damaged him. He heard his master give another order. "Use everything you got!"

Houndour understood the order. He stopped firing at the whimsicott and took deep breaths. He let out a deep snarl and began to glow all over. Hilbert watched as his pokemon began to change. His legs, body, and tail all became longer. Each toe on his paws grew a sharp claw. Where each ankle had one bone-like anklet, it now had two. Where there were two ridges on his back there was now a third. His tail became much thinner and now ended with a sharp arrow-like point. The base of his throat now bore a skull-shaped pendant and there was a white band that went around his neck. His snout lengthen and from his head he grew two large, curved horns.

When the glow faded, Houndour, now Houndoom, snarled while stomping the ground before continuing his fire barrage from before. Hilbert smiled at the sight. The balls of fire that Houndoom was now shooting were larger than before. Whimsicott's Light Screen now shattered so fast, it couldn't get a new one up in time. It was struck with several fireballs and became ablaze. With a sharp cry, it fell to the ground. It didn't get up.

"Looks like Hilbert is the winner," said Pierce dryly. "You two can get off the court now."

Hilbert returned Houndoom to his ball. He gripped it tightly and smiled at it. 'You did great, buddy.'

He headed towards the spot he was standing before and walked past the group. He was surprised to see Hilda was just behind the people. She came up to her brother with a smile. "That was awesome, Hilbert."

"You saw it?"

"Only the second half. I can't believe Houndour evolved," said Hilda in awe.

"Yeah I know," Hilbert looked back to Houndoom's ball. "I wonder what he's called now?"

"Houndoom," said the man standing next to Hilda. Hilbert was too caught up in Houndour's transformation that he didn't even notice there was a man beside Hilda.

"Who are you?" asked Hilbert. He let out a bit of aggression in his voice, mainly from being surprised.

"Oh, right. Hilbert this is N. We met him a while ago. Remember?"

"N...?" Hilbert thought back to ever meeting someone with a one letter name. Suddenly it hit him. "Oh, right. That one time Hilda and I were training and stumbled on your...meeting."

N chuckled. "Yes, I remember that day quite well. How did you enjoy your night tonight? Were the battles up to your standard?"

"I mean, I guess mine was. I only saw one battle before mine and it was boring," said Hilbert. He was uncomfortable talking with N. They way he worded things and spoke fast bothered him thought he wasn't sure why. Even Hilda made a side glance at N. While she was enjoying talking to him, it was rather odd compared to other people.

"These lower level fights were never my thing. Though I suppose they can be useful from time to time. As you found out," N said. He pointed to Houndoom's ball. Hilbert looked down at it and rubbed his thumb against it. He smiled as he pocketed it.

"You know N was actually telling me about something I thought you'd be interested in, Hilbert," said Hilda.

"Really? What's that?"

"There's going to be a tournament in a few weeks here in Striaton."

"A tournament?"

"A pokemon battle tournament," said N. "It only happens once a year and is meant for lower level trainers, such as those on their gym journey. Though non-official trainers are allowed to enter."

"Seriously?" asked Hilbert. His voice was a bit enthusiastic.

"Yes. Hilda also tells me that you two work at the Striaton Gym. You should have the Leaders tell you more about the tournament, as they'll have to host it," said N. He seemed to want to talk more, but someone caught his attention from the basketball court. He excused himself and left the twins. Once he entered the group of people watching the battles, he was out of sight.

"Are you gonna ask Cress about it?" asked Hilda. She also had some interest in the tournament.

"I don't know. Honestly I don't know if it'll be a good idea. I mean, I'll be going against people who are on a journey across the region. A lot of them will probably have badges. There's no way I can compete."

"What are you talking about? You're an amazing battler!"

"You think so?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," said Hilda. She wrapped an arm around Hilbert's neck and turned him to the crowd. "Want to watch some more?"

"Nah. I think I just want to go to bed," said Hilbert. Hilda turned him again, this time facing where they entered the park.

"Then let's go," she said.

Castelia was fun but it's nice to bring them back home. Leave a review and make sure to favorite/follow.

~~~Sikoh