Yo!

First chapter in the Bianca flashback arc. Not a ton to say, since this chapter is mostly set-up.

Chapter 11

Eight Years Ago

Bianca let out a brisk sigh as she pulled back from the microscope that she'd been using to analyze pieces of Luvdisc egg sample. It wasn't the most riveting material in the world of Pokémon to be looking at, but Bianca found that studying eggs, and thereby the commonalities shared between Pokémon of all species and types, was fascinating.

It was, to be fair, more Professor Juniper's field than her own. But then, working underneath Professor Juniper, it made sense she would inherit some of her mentors' habits. Focusing in on the origins of Pokémon, on their progenitors, had always been the woman's interest. Bianca, personally, preferred to work directly with Pokémon in their natural habitats.

So yes, admittedly, the work of that particular day wasn't the most stimulating, and Bianca was certainly having to compensate for that here and there with drinks of her coffee, which she had beside her on her desk. She took a sip and peaked at what some of her fellow researchers were doing.

None of it seemed all that much more interesting than what Bianca herself was doing, and because of that… well, Bianca figured she could take her hour-long break.

So, she stood from her desk, cracked her back – leaning into a microscope for hours had a habit of giving her back pain, which felt unfair given she was barely twenty years old – and stepped out into the crisp air of Nuvema town.

There wasn't anyone around standing about outside at noon that day, which made sense. Most people were either at work, or in their homes, given the rather chilly weather.

It was winter, on the cusp of touching spring.

And Bianca's thoughts were about something far different from her job as a researcher.

It was something that had been on the cusp of her mind for the last few months, now, but something she'd ultimately put aside, and said 'later' to, over and over again. Now, though…

Well, now it was beginning to feel like something she genuinely wanted to pursue.

Becoming a Pokémon trainer again.

She wasn't really sure what it was that started it. Maybe it was when Cheren had come back into town, taking a break from work at the Gym up in Aspertia, and her Pokémon had caught up with his own, and gotten into little tussles. Maybe it was the way that her Pokémon had seemed so excited – her Chandelure especially, dancing and prancing about with energy – as Cheren recounted tales of his exploits as a Gym Leader.

Maybe it had come about when Cheren had told Bianca that he intended to challenge Iris for the title of Unova's champion in due time, and she had been able to see the excitement roiling off of Cheren's own Pokémon, that competitive itch that they shared with their master.

Or perhaps, maybe it was the way that when Bianca took off work that night, when she slung her winter coat around her body, and her Pokéballs around her belt, she found herself gravitating towards that same spot.

It wasn't a particularly ostentatious location, to be clear. It was a simple, grassy hill, some fifteen or so meters in height. It was a steady incline, however, and it was quite the walk to actually reach the top of the hill. But the view from up there…

Bianca and her Pokémon, all of them, they'd always loved that view. She'd first gone up there the day she'd officially become a Pokémon trainer, taking her Tepig, still just a little baby, with her.

The two of them had stood at the top, and Bianca had promised him that together…

That together, the two of them would take on the world.

She'd let her Tepig down in the end. She had always felt that. Never had they taken on anyone more than Cheren and Hilda, and a few Gym leaders. Bianca herself had eventually obtained only six Gym Badges – being wrapped up in the events pertaining to Team Plasma before she could complete her collection.

And by that time… well, becoming a researcher for Professor Juniper had just seemed to make so much more sense. After all, Cheren had told her that she didn't have the talent for it. So had N. Even if neither had directly stated it…

Well, she'd been able to read between the lines with their statements. It hadn't been that difficult.

But in the last while, Bianca's thinking had changed.

Maybe she hadn't yet failed. Maybe… maybe it wasn't too late to go a different way. Maybe, just maybe, she and her Pokémon could set off once more. Maybe, just maybe…

She could keep her promise to her first and most loyal Pokémon. To her partner, with whom she'd shared this entire journey.

She reached down towards her belt, and, one by one, released her Pokémon to walk alongside her. Stoutland, Simisage, Musharna, Mienshao, Chandelure, and of course, Emboar, joined her on the grassy path leading towards their favorite spot.

"Hey, guys." She smiled at each of them, and they all smiled back. "I think… I think I have something I want to talk with you guys about. But first… how about a race to the top, huh?"

That always fired them up. It was something of a playful competition between the seven of them; something that was uniquely theirs. As she always did, she put her hand in the middle of the group, and waited until the others all did as she had. Paws, hands, dream-mist, and even a candle came to rest atop her own hand.

"Ready!?" She questioned, and each of them seemed like they couldn't wait. "Three… Two…"

Bianca, in a rare bid of cheating, took off before saying one.

She heard several of her Pokémon letting out annoyed grunts at her from behind her as she shot her way up the hill as best as she could.

To be fair, Bianca hadn't really had much of a chance in the long run. Her Pokémon were built for physical strain, and as much as she did her best to get out and exercise, she was not. It only took her Pokémon about fifteen or so seconds to catch and pass her, although Bianca wasn't too bothered by that. In fact, she laughed under her breath, and forced herself onwards with as much strength as she possessed.

It wasn't much of a competition, given that Emboar, of course, won.

Emboar always won.

That didn't take away from the fun of it, though. It never did. Despite the fact that her other Pokémon grumbled and poked at one another, the camaraderie that they shared was evident as Bianca, holding up the rear as she always was, finally made it to the top of the hill alongside the others.

It was a quaint spot. There was a great meadow that stretched out for perhaps a quarter of a kilometer atop the hill, bathing the grass in swaths of reds and yellows and blues of all different shades from all different types of flowers. Combee buzzed about, little Foongus tiptoed through the stalks, and rarely, there would even be Pokémon from Kalos or Alola; Ribombee or Flabebe.

It was gorgeous. Picturesque, in a word. It was a mostly empty space, just grass and flowers as far as the eye could see. But at the tippee-top of the hill stood a great oak tree, and tied to one of its branches with thick, sturdy rope was a bench swing.

Bianca hadn't ever figured out who'd installed it, but it had been there as long as she could remember.

She walked over to it, and she sat down, letting off some of the exhaustion she'd built up during the trip up. It didn't take long for one of her other Pokémon to join her, however. Emboar walked over, called out to her happily, and sat down right beside her on the bench, giving off a low bellow as it shuffled to get itself comfortable.

She giggled as her Emboar leaned against her, and gave a satisfied snort.

They sat like that a while as Bianca got her breath back. Her other Pokémon played about in the meadow, sparring or chasing one another around. Emboar had always been of the quieter sort, in truth, despite its vicious-looking appearance, and it's fiery typing. It enjoyed just… sitting there alongside her, and resting.

She enjoyed it, too.

When she had finally fully recovered from running all the way up there, she called out to her Pokémon, and summoned them to her side. Then, she pushed herself off of the bench, and Emboar followed closely behind. She looked up at each one of her Pokémon separately with a wide smile on her face.

"Well, guys…" She said with some slight nervousness hanging about her frame. "I think… I think I want to try being a Pokémon master again."

The response from her Pokémon was immediate; each and every one of them gave a cry of assent towards her idea, and Emboar and Simisage both jumped right up to her and lifted her up into the air in excitement. She cackled loudly as she tried to wriggle her way out of their embrace, even as her other Pokémon joined in on the excitement of the moment.

It was strange… she'd spent the longest time looking back on the person she'd been when she was fourteen, when she'd first gone on her Pokémon journey, and seen many of Unova's sights. She'd wandered far and wide, and witnessed some of the most important events in Unova's history. Alongside her had been two of Unova's most important figures, and she'd sporadically encountered N, another of the shapers of Unova's history.

And she'd just been… well, Bianca.

It could be somewhat difficult to rectify that fact in her head; the reason why she'd not been able to stand up to her friends, or match their contributions. But… well, just because she'd been unable to equal Hilda, who'd become one of the youngest champions in Unova's history; just because she'd been unable to equal Cheren, who'd gone on to become a Gym leader, and would likely become an eventual champion himself… that didn't mean she was worthless.

It had been hard coming to that conclusion, and it had taken her quite a while. Years, in truth. She'd spent so long in Professor Juniper's laboratory just… working, without much thought to whether or not such was what she actually wanted to be doing. And in the end, when she'd finally allowed such thoughts… she'd found that no, it wasn't.

She wanted to be out there in the wide world of Pokémon. She wanted to journey alongside her allies, her friends, her Pokémon themselves. She wanted to see all there was to see, battle everyone there was to battle.

She wanted to become… to become more than who she used to be.

And she was going to make that a reality.

She swore it.

/

She told Professor Juniper first, of course.

The two of them had grown so very close over the course of the last half decade or so that Bianca had spent as her assistant, and veritable right hand. She wasn't really sure when that had started, but one day the Professor had singled her out to help her with a big assignment out of the blue, and that hadn't really stopped since.

Bianca wasn't complaining; working alongside the Professor made her work more valuable, at least in her mind. It also just left her feeling more accomplished. Work she did herself was fine, but work she did for the Professor usually earned her more than just self-satisfaction.

It got her well wishes, and thanks, and a feeling of pride in herself that she didn't often possess.

But, well, for now, that wasn't really Bianca's focus. No. It was telling her mentor, the woman who'd stood by her for so long, through everything, really, that she was going to be leaving the laboratory.

The Professor took the news well, of course. She rarely, if ever, raised her voice, or was caught by surprise, so Bianca wasn't either to see that the woman had anticipated her departure already.

"I had a feeling." She stated as she chuckled under her breath. "You'd been paying a bit less attention to what I had to say these days, and were always off in your own little world, thinking about something. I had an inkling that it might just be about going off on your own once again. Well, that and Cheren visiting a while back seemed to be somewhat of a catalyst."

It was the truth. When Cheren had come back, and told them that he was going off to try and become the Pokémon League Champion, well… it didn't necessarily light a fire under Bianca, but it stirred about the already roiling embers.

It was, ultimately, what had her here, right now, in this moment, making her decision.

"So, you… you believe in me?"

"Of course, I do, Bianca." Professor Juniper laughed openly, as if Bianca's words were ridiculous. "How could I not?"

"Well, I… I just… I haven't always been…"

Bianca trailed off, but instead of allowing her to dodge out of saying what had been on her mind, Professor Juniper instead planted her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow towards her.

"Haven't always been what, Bianca?"

"Er…" She swallowed on some spittle at the back of her throat. "It's… I guess I haven't always been that strong, or that reliable, or that good at this whole… Pokémon training thing."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Well, I just… Hilda and Cheren were always–"

"Bianca, how many times do I…" Professor Juniper just sighed, rolling her eyes. "Though I suppose at this point I should just accept that that's who you are. Always the type to judge herself against others achievements without any of the wherewithal to consider how they came to pass."

Bianca blushed a bit shamefully.

"But still; yes, Bianca, I have faith in you. You're my pupil, after all. And it's a mentor's job to have faith in their mentee's."

Bianca giggled. "I suppose it is."

"Now, tell me about where you're going to go first, what you're going to be doing?"

It was a question she hadn't really been considering all too terribly harshly, and perhaps that was the reason that Professor Juniper sought to ask it of her. Bianca had always had a bit of a habit of dreaming big first, and having to come up with a way of actually achieving said dream later. Professor Juniper, on the other hand, was a realist, and someone who Bianca was glad to have around at a time like this.

She could bounce her ideas off of the other woman, and gather valuable insight as to whether or not the ideas were actually any good. She was, after all, only twenty years old, and while that had seemed like such an ancient age when she'd been fourteen, first going off on her Pokémon journey, now, she was able to understand that really, being an adult by technicality didn't mean one was mature.

It meant one's responsibilities; one's emotions and journey. As much as it was about the experience of time, it was about the growth one went through simply by… existing.

So, she allowed her ideas to bend and stretch with the weight of the Professor's reality. Her dream to visit the towns in the same order she had when she was a child changed, and she decided to perhaps explore some of the areas she'd not been too during her original journey first. It would make for a good warm-up, and wouldn't let her fall back on her previous habits, but instead force her to form new ones.

Of course, she'd have her same team alongside her, just as she had for years and years. Emboar, Simisage, Chandelure, Musharna, Mienshao, and Stoutland. They were Pokémon that she could rely on, and Pokémon that she could count on, through thick and thin.

While she was out and about, Bianca could collect Gym Badges, and perhaps even catch new Pokémon to aid her in her quest to challenge the Pokémon League herself. It was an almost laughable thing to think; that she of all people could manage something that Hilda had struggled to do, and that Cheren himself still hadn't managed. But even so…

Even so, she wanted to try.

And hell, if she was to be out and about, obeying no one's schedule but her own, perhaps she could join in on the search for Hilda, seeing as how her friend had been officially missing going on four years now. That… well, Bianca didn't like to think about that too terribly much – it was a dark topic – but even so, if she could somehow find her best friend, then–

"Bianca?"

"H-Huh?" She snapped out of her own head to see the Professor looking up at her amusedly. "I uh… I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"I asked if you approved of my general gameplan, then. Heading towards Humilau first, and then making your way through Unova via the eastern route rather than the west like you did the previous time."

"Oh, yes, I think that's a good idea."

"Are you alright, Bianca?"

"I… yes, I'm alright. I'm just thinking is all."

"About?"

Sometimes Bianca wished that Professor Juniper wouldn't push her quite as hard as she often did, but then, in the end, she found she was normally grateful for it in the end.

"About Hilda."

Professor Juniper's smile took on a melancholic quality, then, even as she reached forward and brought Bianca into a tight hug.

"I know, honey. I think about her a lot as well."

"I just… I wish I'd said… goodbye, or… or we all love you, or…" Bianca shook her head. "She was just… here one moment, and gone the next."

Professor Juniper nodded into Bianca's shoulder, and the two of them shared a few moments in silence after that. When Bianca eventually pulled away, she wiped at her eyes, before clearing her throat and saying, "Well, anyways, I figured I might be able to go looking for her if I went out on another journey. I don't… It's not as if I expect to find her, after all this time, but… maybe I could at least find out what happened to her. If she's… if…"

Professor Juniper nodded her head, understanding without words what Bianca was trying to say.

"Yeah. I think that's a good idea, Bianca."

Bianca hummed, even as she looked up at the clock and realized that her break had ended more than a few minutes ago. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk this long!"

"Bianca, sweetie, you're fine. Really. I like talking to you. And with all the work you do around here, the least I can do is let you take a little bit of a longer break."

Bianca chuckled, even as she threw her lab coat back on, and headed back into the laboratory proper alongside the other researchers.

/

She told her parents that night, and the two of them were somewhat apprehensive.

"And you've really thought this through, you're sure?" Her father asked her, despite the fact that she could tell he was excited for her sake.

"I have. Really." Bianca nodded her head. "It's… I think it's what I'm meant to be doing. Or what I was supposed to be doing. I don't know, I'm not really communicating this all that well, but–"

"No, I think we understand." Her mother smiled at her. "It's been an awfully long time since we've seen a spark like this in you. So very long. Watching you bounce around, and talk our ears off about what you plan on doing… we've missed it. So, if going on another journey with your Pokémon makes you feel such a way… then who are we to try and stop you?"

Bianca swallowed on the lump in her throat, even as she rushed forward and hugged both of her parents against her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, Bianca, honey, you're twenty years old," her father laughed, "It's not like we could've stopped you if you wanted to go, anyhow."

"I know," Bianca backed away with a chuckle, "But even so… leaving without your permission again would just feel wrong after everything."

Her father laughed. "I eh… I suppose it would."

They'd talked that conflict over so many times at that point that even bringing it up as Bianca had felt unnecessary. She knew the truth, anyhow. Her father had simply been worried for her, and in the end, it had manifested itself as an overprotectiveness. In the end, it had been Elesa's words to convince her father. She'd barely had anything to do with it at all.

But that was practically ancient history. Five and a half years ago, now.

"Then uhm… I suppose I ought to start packing for my trip?" Bianca asked, and her parents both nodded their heads.

"When do you plan on leaving?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I think I want to keep working for the Professor for a month or two longer, that way I can build up a pretty sizable wallet."

"Sensible." Her father nodded.

"And after that… well… I think I'm just going to go." Bianca stated, and it felt good to say it.

"I'm going to go out… and I'm not going to let anything stop me!"

/

Time advanced slowly in those days, as it always seemed to when one had something to look forward to. Bianca's day to day life was no less interesting, but her head, and her heart, were elsewhere. That was clear to each and every one of the researchers that Bianca worked alongside within Professor Juniper's laboratory.

It felt like every hour or so Bianca would be snapped out of another daydream about her journey to find that someone had been trying to talk to her. Her coworkers always laughed it off, but Bianca was beginning to feel a bit bad.

It didn't change what was set to happen, however. Soon… Soon, she'd be going on a Pokémon journey yet again. Soon, she'd be off, scaling mountains, crossing seas, hiking through dense forests and leaping across deep chasms, just as she had half a decade ago.

The thought had her giddy. Perhaps more than she'd ever been.

She'd begun to pack a bag during her evenings, one which began to grow and swell as she thought of more and more things she should be bringing. Then, one night, when she arrived home, she did so to find that her bag – the same one she'd used on her Pokémon journey when she'd been fourteen – had been replaced by a brand-new model.

She turned around to see her parents standing in the doorway, smiling over at her.

"We figured it was the least we could do to encourage your dream, Bianca." Her mother said with a wide smile on her face. "Well… do you like it?"

Bianca couldn't speak through the welling tears in her eyes, so she tried to convey her emotions through a crushing hug.

She felt it did the job for her.

That cycle continued onwards for a while after that. She'd go into work, dream about going off on her adventure, return home, and pack more and more things. The bag swelled. The pockets filled. Her wallet grew fatter and fatter.

Bianca and her Pokémon would run up to their favorite spot once every few days. She'd come in last – because she always did – but even so, she'd celebrate alongside her other Pokémon, and train atop the hill they all loved.

And hell, Chandelure even managed to take a victory over Emboar, which was almost unheard of. In all honesty, Emboar had probably let the Pokémon win, given that Chandelure had always looked up to Emboar as a bit of an older sibling, and the two had always been so close.

But then, judging by the look on consternation on Emboar's face as they made it to the top of the hill, perhaps her Pokémon had simply lost.

She laughed as she patted him on the back consolingly, before taking her spot on the swing.

Emboar joined her, panting just a bit more than he usually would.

She thought nothing of it.

She was happy. Perhaps the happiest she'd been in all her days.

And eventually, the time had come. Bianca's wallet was as full as she felt it needed to be. Her Pokémon were getting antsy, clearly seeking that journey just as much as Bianca herself had been. And her coworkers were giving her well-wishes, including Professor Juniper, who'd gotten her a thoughtful gift of a thick winter jacket, which would cover her once the season came around again.

It was a thoughtful gift, even though it wasn't the most useful thing in the world at that time, given that the winter had ended, and given way to Spring.

"I bought it a while back when I thought you were going to be leaving sooner rather than later." The Professor laughed. "Lo and behold, you ended up delaying for two months, and now I look like a dummy."

Bianca laughed, even as she brought her mentor into a hug. "Thank you, Professor. It's wonderful, really. And I'll likely get more usage out of it than I will anyone else's going-away gifts."

"Hah, I suppose that's true, even if that usage is going to take a while." The woman chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, Bianca. Well, of course, you'll always have a place here to come back to. No matter what happens, hell or highwater, rain or shine."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Of course, Bianca." Professor Juniper spoke, before her smile took on a teasing edge. "Now get going! You've delayed long enough, haven't you?"

"I know, I know!" Bianca chuckled. "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning, seriously."

"Oh, great, another way you can delay this." The Professor rolled her eyes fondly as Bianca made her way out of the laboratory. "Then tomorrow you'll come back, and you'll tell me, "I just needed to use the coffee maker, you see,""

Bianca laughed, even as she pushed open the door, but Professor Juniper's voice followed her out.

"And then you'll say that you missed the feeling of your old lab coat, and then you'll be at the microscope again researching egg shells, and suddenly we'll have all forgotten you were ever leaving at all!"

"Leave me alone!" Bianca called back, trying to avoid breaking out into a fit of laughter. "I'm doing my best!"

Professor Juniper called out goodbye to her, and Bianca just rolled her eyes as she waved goodbye herself, and headed back home.

Perhaps that was why the Professor had joked around like that. To spare Bianca a more emotional goodbye. To prevent her from changing her mind, or giving her an out, or a reason to stay.

It was smart, and it was thoughtful. Just like the Professor had always been.

Bianca pressed a hand to her heart, and smiled as she stepped into the center of Nuvema.

Well… there was one more place she wanted to visit before she left the following morning.

She threw her Pokémon out of their Pokéball's in the normal spot, smiling at each of them as she looked at their faces.

They were ready. Willing. More than that, they were excited, thrilled to be a part of this.

The only one who seemed somewhat apprehensive was Emboar. He wasn't looking up at her, but was instead seemingly distracted by something or another.

Honestly, Bianca chocked that up to nerves more than anything. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd gotten nervous. Emboar had been her first Pokémon, and was, at this point, inarguably the Pokémon she was the closest with. She had a way of reading him, and he had a way of reading her.

They were two of a kind in a lot of ways.

Perhaps, even in that moment, there was some small part of Bianca that recognized that this was bigger than nerves. That this was something she should have been paying attention to. But she was excited. She was going to be going on a journey with her Pokémon, with her team. With the same Pokémon she felt she'd failed six years prior.

Now… now she could make it up to them.

So, she didn't say anything. She didn't pay attention to Emboar's pained expression as she passed by, and didn't pay much attention to the way its legs were wobbling slightly, and the way it glanced down at that, as if it, too, was surprised by such a thing.

Instead, she looked forward, and she ran.

Her Pokémon followed, as they always did. It was a fun little event they partook of, to race one another up that hill. Chandelure passed her by first, and then Mienshao. Simisage came next, and then along went Stoutland. Musharna lazed past her eventually – the benefits of being able to float wherever it went – and Bianca eventually came to the conclusion that surely, she must've simply missed when Emboar had passed her.

So, when she reached the top of the hill, there was nothing but a smile on her face, and peace in her mind. She looked out at each of her Pokémon; at Chandelure, and Stoutland, and Simisage, and Musharna, and Mienshao, and most of all at–

She didn't see him. She didn't see Emboar.

It was odd. More than odd, it was a first. Perhaps, Bianca thought then, in that moment, that Emboar had simply been distracted by something on the path. Perhaps there had been a human cooking food out in the woods, or some other such event?

Yet… despite what her mind tried to tell her, there was a wriggling doubt already forming within her breast. A tiny kernel of darkness.

It went, in that moment, ignored, despite its presence.

"Emboar?" She called out, and turned around towards the path they'd taken up the hill.

And her eyes widened.

Because there, on the path, was Emboar.

He was facedown in the dirt.

And he wasn't getting up.

End Chapter 11

Not a ton to say after this one. Next chapter will be in two weeks again, given that school is forcing me to spend less time writing (and in all honesty, I haven't wanted to use the time I do have to write). So, for now, biweekly schedule is staying. Once Cinderella is finished, we'll see how I'm feeling.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/review if you enjoyed!