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Pokemon Heroes: The Black & White Chapter - A Nuvema Beginning

Chapter 1: The Start of Something Big

Despite his best efforts, Oshawott felt pins and needles all over when he stepped forward from Professor Aurea Juniper and onto the battlefield.

It was the end of a busy Saturday afternoon for the Juniper Research Laboratory when time was found for a last minute match to go over a few basics. Ever since the Sea Otter Pokemon learned a rookie Trainer had selected him as their starter Pokemon, anxious didn't begin to describe his state of mind. Oshawott's body trembled in a deadly emotional cocktail of anticipation and fear. The sight of Snivy didn't help.

On the other side, a sharp-eyed Snivy stepped up on the other side of the indoor battlefield while taking in the sunlight through the clear roof above. She folded her eyes and shot a haughty look of disapproval towards Oshawott.

She scoffed when she saw the cringe-worthy stern expression he was putting on. [Who do you believe your trying to con, Water Boy?] the Grass Snake Pokemon asked rhetorically, loathing such a display of posturing. She felt it her duty to remind him of his place.

[Slice her to ribbon, buddy!] Tepig oinked for his best friend from the sidelines, hopping about with energy to spare. His snout exhales steam like a engine bursting a safety value or two.

He put on a determined expression like Oshawott's but could see that his friend's confident front was wavering and felt guilty for it. Even if he kept Snivy from hurting physically, her sharp tongue dealt enough damage with her insults alone.

"Try to take it easy, Oshawott," Professor Aurea promised the Water-type starter, bending down to the little guy. "This is just to gauge your response time and overall stamina against a wild encounter with a potential type advantage."

She took out an old fashion notepad and pen from her coat pocket, preparing to jot down note. "That be said, Snivy, I would appreciate it if you held back just a tad."

Snivy sniffed with a stone cold expression while two vines protruded from the left and right petals on her collar. [A bit stifling but it would be only fair,] she conceded before cracking a sharp whip with her right vine. Oshawott flinched right on cue or rather right on her command. [All I need to know... is how to make this last...]

[Don't give into her,] Tepig anxiously oinked at Oshawott. However, he couldn't help but feared the worst.

"Let's start with something... pedestrian and light," Professor Aurea decided while writing on her notepad. "Oshawott, rush Snivy with your best Tackle."

Oshawott regained his facade of composure and nodded yes in whatever determination he could muster. He burst into a straight sprint straight for Snivy and made a perfect beeline on the smooth marble surface of the laboratory's many testing battlefields.

The Sea Otter Pokemon drew upon power within him to enhance his body's ramming strength via energy researchers classified as Normal-type. His eyes were trained on Snivy's vines and was ready for them.

At least, Oshawott thought he was. Instead of lashing him at lightening speed, Snivy let her opponent come her way and get within inches of her before pushing her vines against the floor. The Grass Snake Pokemon elevated her light body off the floor and let Oshawott barrel through where she once stood.

[What the-?] was all the Sea Otter Pokemon could utter in his confusion before stumbling in his attempt to slow down suddenly. He yelped helplessly while he fell onto his front before rolling onto his back. Tepig could only wince at the impact and recognize that Snivy was really cutting out the middleman.

Oshawott slowly got up while he heard Snivy's trademarked sigh of condescension behind him. [Must we repeat this formula every time, Water Boy?] she sniped at him, her sharp tongue brandished to pierce perfectly.

[We've all memorized this tragedy's end by heart so why bother turning another page.] Oshawott felt her hisses make his body feel heavy with too many layers of anxiety weighing him down. What could he do to rewrite such a predictable ending?

"Order-to-attack response time is quite adequate as starters go," Aurea spoke aloud while jotting down notes. "Paw borderline on the pulse even." She wasn't too quick on the uptake with Oshawott's anxiety.

"However, sudden stops need to be improved upon." The Professor put the pad down before making her next call. "Let's try out ranged attacks with Water Gun, Oshawott!"

Oshawott swallowed hard before changing Water-type energy into his throat and turning around to face Snivy. He spews out a concentrated column of pressurized water from his mouth up at his opponent.

However, Snivy manages to dodge by having her vines spring her out of the way just in time and gain some distance once she landed on the floor. Oshawott gave chase while he still had plenty of pressure to let off but the Grass Snake Pokemon was too swift in zig-zagging away from his aim. The sunlight had given her the leg-up she didn't feel she needed but appreciated anyways.

Oshawott had neglected the run off from his Water Gun creating puddles in his pursuit of Snivy. He was reminded of them when he stepped on one and slipped onto his back.

Oshawott yelped helplessly when falling and landing painfully enough to interrupt his blast. He didn't know what hurt more: the fall or the embarrassment.

"Ranged attacks are looking decent," Aurea muttered while writing down her data. "However, Water-type starter tends to be less aware of their surroundings in their haste." She didn't notice Snivy taking matters into her own hands just yet. "Trainer may need to compensate."

[Still can't comprehend your inferiority, can you?] Snivy scoffed with pitying frown toward Oshawott, producing a vine from her left shoulder. [You never were quick on the uptake.] She wrapped her vine around the Sea Otter Pokemon's right flipper and sharply hoisted him up. He cried like a newly-hatched with his stubby, little fore-arms flailing about.

Aurea looked back up just in time and mentally kicked herself for head not being in the game. "Oshawott, counter with another Water Gun!" she hastily shouted. The Professor was glad her father wasn't here to see this. Heck, Hilda would've never let her live it down.

Oshawott spewed out whatever pressurized water he could make at a moment's notice and aimed for Snivy the best he could upside down. However, the Grass Snake Pokemon spun around on her stubby feet gracefully and took her prey for a literal swing. Oshawott's water sprayed all around the battlefield while he hung from the vine.

Neither Aurea nor Tepig could keep from flinching when the water hit them. "I just got this dry-cleaned!" the Professor griped when her lab coat was soaked. The Fire Pig Pokemon especially winced when his warm body was hit by cold liquid but was more concerned for his friend.

All the while, Oshawott was on the verge of spewing far worse than water before Snivy mercifully let him go. He found hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes didn't hurt quite as much when he already felt awful to begin with. [Owwwwww...] It still stunk though.

[Last but not least, the coup de grace,] Snivy proclaimed while channeling her Grass-type Energy throughout her entire body. She makes a giant leap and makes a swift spin when she's just above Oshawott. The air around her swirls into a green-tinted vortex thanks to the energy she expells and keeps her in the eye of the storm.

Oshawott was just getting up when the Leaf Tornado engulfed him and spun him around while leaf-like projectiles batter him like its a real storm. He cries from the sudden suction and soon feels dizzy all over again from feeling his body being hurtled around at what seemed like a million miles per hour.

His stomach cut off his shouting with a gurgle and made him feel green himself once more. Amazingly enough, it was only second to the small projectiles sharply striking him all over.

Both Aurea and Tepig brace themselves against the gust from Snivy's Leaf Tornado due to the closed off quarters of the battlefield. "Guess I can skip laundry today," the Professor quipped while gritting her teeth. She soon spots Oshawott being flung out from the top of the Leaf Tornado once it soon died down and heading for her much to her horror.

Oshawott wailed helplessly before Aurea caught him like a Linebacker for the Gurdurr 11 and stumbled back from the force alone. Her notepad fell to the floor while the Professor managed to keep from falling herself but she was more concerned with her starters.

"Well... that was... illuminating..." Aurea panted out while cradling Oshawott with her left arm. "Are you decent, Oshawott?" The Sea Otter Pokemon gave his answer in the form of a whimpering moan and a hue of green all over his white face.

"Ask a stupid question..." Aurea berated herself before hastily taking out a Fresh Water out of her lab coat and giving it to Oshawott. "Better hurry before you redecorate my favorite coat."

Oshawott grabbed the bottle and tore off the cap before chugging down the revitalizing liquids like it was a stag party. He could feel his battered body and churned stomach becoming relived of their pain before finishing the bottle with his deepest sigh of relief. The battle was barely five minutes but to Oshawott, it might as well have been five years.

"I'm sorry if Snivy may've gotten out of hand," Aurea apologized to Oshawott while setting him back down onto the floor. "It's just important to remember that Pokemon outside this lab won't be very considerate in battle if at all." She picked up her notepad if only to jot down a few more final observations.

[I get it...] Oshawott sighed with resignation, making a raspy noise while hanging his head. He knew full well that Snivy considered this more than just a simulation.

However, the Sea Otter Pokemon felt too ashamed to address the torment she put him through to Aurea. The language barrier didn't help matters either.

"Well, worst comes to worst, Hilda will keep you in check," Aurea promised Oshawott before the X-Transceiver on her wrist rang all of a sudden.

"Oh boy..." she sighed wearily upon reading "Cedric" on the caller ID. "No way the meeting ended that quickly." She pat Oshawott on the head affectionately before standing up. "I have to take this so you just hang tight here." She walked towards the benches on the side for better reception and picked up the call.

Oshawott sighed in relief once Aurea was a distance away and let himself believe it was over. [I truly pity whoever selected you,] Snivy's snooty voice chimed in, proving him wrong. Oshawott jumped and turned around to find her snout only a smidge away from his noise. [

Any attempt to elicit anything short of dismal from you is comparable to squeezing blood from the proverbial stone.] He shirked back with a whimper over Snivy's little diatribe combined with her piercing gaze.

[I... I... I gonna do my best...] Oshawott managed to squeak out in the face of Snivy. She never failed to make him feel small. Right now, he felt borderline microscopic.

[As our scuffle recently indicates, your "best" won't suffice,] Snivy sharply retorted, stepping closer to make sure Oshawott got the point. [With any shred of fortune, your Trainer will come to this revealation sooner rather than later... I pray.]

She took no pleasure in his visible anxieties and dower expressions but rather saw it as a favor she was doing for him. [Best case scenario: you will return here and receive the opportunity to improve however marginally.] The Grass Snake Pokemon saw it best to tear down his hopes and prepare him for disappointment.

[And... the worst...] Oshawott dared to ask with a gulp, unable to keep away from Snivy's remarks.

[You will be sold for cash,] Snivy put forth, shrugging nonchalantly. [Perhaps then your Trainer will put you to decent enough use at-.]

She didn't get to finish her cutting remark when she felt a surge of heat rushing her way and leaped backwards. Snivy had only narrowly avoided being struck by a blast of scorching Embers that burnt the floor she had stood on.

Oshawott had jumped in surprise from being inches away from the Fire-type attack. He soon felt less on edge when he looked to his left and smile earnestly for the first time all day. There was Tepig with a look of righteous indignation in his eyes aimed right for Snivy while he scurried up and stood in front of Oshawott.

[Sorry I let her push you around,] Tepig apologized to his buddy. [I was hoping to get a perfect shot in.] He looked back to see Oshawott give a nervous but humble bow of appreciation. [It's... the thought that counts.]

Snivy regained their attention with a clearing of her throat. [I appreciate the challenge, Tepig,] she spoke with a more cordial demeanor. [A good palette cleanser after a terrible lacking snack will do me well.]

[You talk too much,] Tepig snorted angrily, literally blowing off steam from his nose.

"Tepig and Snivy, return!" Aurea's voice rang out, slicing the tense atmosphere like butter.

Both the Fire Pig and Grass Snake Pokemon look up in time to see the Professor holding up two Poke Balls that each shot a red beams at one of them. They made contact with Tepig and Snivy respectively before changing their bodies into that very red plasmic energy.

Oshawott spotted the Grass-type starter shooting him a look of disdain before the red and white sphere pulled her into it. Tepig was also returned to his own Poke Ball, leaving the Sea Otter Pokemon to feel Snivy's words sink in and to hang his head somberly. He didn't want to believe in any of her remarks but it was like he didn't have a choice.

"Turn your back for one second, I swear..." Aurea muttered irritably while pocketing Snivy and Tepig's Poke Balls. "Not that I haven't faced worst at home..."

She saw Oshawott looking downcast and interpreted his emotion as mere pre-show jitters. The Professor put on a smile in relating to what she assumed.

"I know this is a big moment of uncertainty for you," Aurea promised while kneeling down to Oshawott's level, getting him to look up at him. "Trust me, I had the same feeling when I joined my dad as a Pokemon Researcher."

She gave a loving pat on the Sea Otter Pokemon's head to help improve his mood. "Though trust me when I say that you've won the lottery in landing a Pokemon Trainer."

Oshawott didn't know what a "lottery" was but knew Aurea meant it as a good thing. "She's always sticking her neck out for others," the Professor went on, cultivating the Water-type Starter's hopes.

"She's great with Pokemon and even able to understand how they're truly feeling." Oshawott's tail would've wagged happily if he was Lillipup. "No matter what, she'll stick by your side and give you the best kind of training you can hope for."

Oshawott smiled more and more as Professor Juniper went on. He couldn't help imagining the image of a literal angel all dressed in white and sporting flowing blonde hair while descending from up above.

Or at least based on what little he knew of the idea. Nonetheless, he trusted Aurea enough to expect only the best from his very first Trainer.

Aurea gasped in realization before standing back up quickly. "She's also suppose to be gathering ingredients for tonight's special dinner," she exclaimed while turning her X-Transceiver again.

"Dad and I promised one hell of a banquet when she passed her application." Aurea tapped "Hilda" on her contact list and waited for her goddaughter to pick up via the Live Caster video feed.

Oshawott eagerly listened to the X-Transceiver ringing and waited for a chance to hear the voice of who will become his Trainer.

His smile of anticipation grew until loud crashing noises erupted from the device and made him yelp in fright before jumping nearly a foot into the air. The Sea Otter Pokemon felt his heart racing after his battle instincts had been triggered by such sudden sounds.

Even Aurea had been taken aback by this and felt her eardrums get the brunt of it. "Little busy at the moment, Auntie," she heard Hilda speak through crackling reception and what the Professor soon recognized audibly as Pokemon attacks.

"And yes, I got the pasta you asked for- Minnie, incoming!" Whatever video feed the Professor could make out was wildly moving around like a poorly shot superhero movie. It almost hurt her to look at just the same.

"...eat that rodent alive!" a more volatile voice cut in to Oshawott's dread. He had been listening to what sounded like a warzone and could only imagine it as just that. "Rule #151 of battling," Hilda's voice spoke to the Professor. "No distractions in ongoing combat, much less personal calls."

Oshawott found her voice to be a lot more tough and commanding than what he'd been lead to believe. "You taught me that personally." A dead dial tone soon beeped after.

Oshawott looked up to find Professor Aurea Juniper turning off her X-Transceiver and letting out a huge sigh of weariness. "A real chip off the old block... tragically," she muttered while pinching the bridge of her nose.

Oshawott found the image of his angel morph into something more devilish and shrouded in dark shadows. He gulped in fearing what he might've gotten himself into.

------

Downtown Nuvema wasn't exactly bustling like Castelia or even Striaton, being in a quietest corner of South-Eastern Unova. However, plenty of locals were frequenting their local shops and eateries before the sun could even start to set. The street was mostly barren aside from the occasional steady-going cars every few minutes, letting jaywalkers get off scot-free.

On the sidewalks, one young man in glasses was rambling about the power of science and technology to their blonde girlfriend down Main Street. A little girl was begging their father to get them a Pokemon for the umpteenth time, hanging off the man's right arm out of protest.

An elderly husband and wife passed them on their way to Schemmel and Sabat's, their local general store just across the street. They were just a few feet from the front door when...

SMASH!

A bulky Throh had crashed through the General Store's door clean off its hinges and flew back-first before hitting the ground. The red-faced Judo Pokemon slid across the concrete before hitting his head on the fire hydrant and knocking himself out cold. Nearly everybody in the area turned their heads towards the action.

The elderly couple glanced at each other with concerned looks and bluntly shared the same sentiments. "Hilda."

A bald young man with a leather jacket bolted out of the shop and right for his Throh. "Get up, you numbskull," Vic demanded while pulling up the Judo Pokemon by the Gi. "How do you just have a type advantage and lose to that dirty rat?" He shook Throh repeatedly but found his Pokemon was so out cold, his consciousness was borderline frozen. The Fighting-types mouth hung open while his eyes rolled back into his head.

"What were you expecting with that sorry excuse for tactics?" an indignant female voice chimed in with a rather annoyed tone of voice. "You just blindly barked at him to punch there and kick here." Vic scowled when he heard her sassing him while stepping out from the busted doorway, crunching the debris under her black shoes. "Type advantages mean squat if you can't strategize to save your life." That was the last straw for the Roughneck.

"I-I only took it easy on some kid from the boonies," Vic retorted, springing up to turn around and face his foe. "You got lucky and you know it!" Her posture only ticked him off even more with how assertive and cocksure it was.

Between the black vest over the white tank-top and the short daisy dukes, Vic was sure he had this fourteen-year-old pegged as some tomboyish poser. Now the heroic glare she was piercing him with was starting to get to him. Not that he could let it show despite his gulping.

"Oh, miss me with that "taking it easy" Boufalaunt Barf," Hilda spat back, keeping her distance despite her sharp tongue. "You ran out of luck when you tried to rob my friends and made me trash their store." She had half a mind to slug the punk but knew that it would really ruin today's special occasion. The rookie decided to settle for something lighter yet no less devastating.

"Minnie!" Hilda called out, looking behind her, "back me up, girl!" A gray-furred Minccino exited the General Store while hastily sweeping up the dust and debris with her broom-like tail much to her owner's embarrassment. "There's a time and place for everything but not now!" Hilda exclaimed in exasperation over the Chinchilla Pokemon being on neat-freak mode of all times.

[I'm terribly sorry,] Minnie squeaked with embarrassment and a rather refined dialect. [But all of this untidiness was truly puts me ill at ease.] She tried her best to sweep her tail faster while coming up along side Hilda. [Just a bit more.]

Hilda covered her mouth and nose when the dust began to rise while she groaned indignantly. "This at least better trigger his allergies or blind him."

Speaking of whom, Vic was both baffled that Hilda was bickering with her Pokemon and offended that she was ignoring him for some rat. "That does it," he declared, scowling like mad. "We do this the old fashioned way." He bolted straight for Hilda while clenching his fists and assumed that she would freeze up while he quickly closed the distance. "How's this for 'strategizing,' huh?"

Hilda and Minnie quit their bantering to look up at their incoming foe, their minds immediately focusing on the battle. "Tickle him pink!" Hilda ordered almost at once, never hesitating once.

Minnie put her need to clean aside while she raced forth and went up Vic's right pant leg before he knew it. She ducked under the baggy shirt under his leather jacket just before he looked down and stopped in his track.

"What the he-he-he-he-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Vic began to exclaimed before his rhetorical question devolved into manic laughter. Minnie's tickling caused him to spaz out his limbs all over the place like a bad dancer on an extremely waxed floor.

All who had stopped on the sidewalks to see the altercation forgot to be worried and began laughing their heads off at Vic's impromptu dancing. The old Ayres couple actually brought out their hand-held Personal Computers and started recording the Roughneck's humiliation.

"Ride 'em, cowboy," Linda jeered at Vic while her husband recorded.

"This dance is totes lit," Damian chortled, trying too hard to be hip with his "fellow kids."

Hilda could hardly keep herself from laughing if only out of some sympathy. She had be the victim of Minnie's tickling many times and knew of its power over the body. It did put a confident smile on her face if nothing else.

"How's this for a trade-off?" Hilda began, keeping control of the situation. "You saunter out of town and back to whatever hole you crawled out of after Minnie keeps from ruining your favorite slacks." She really wanted to get back home before Auntie Aurea already.

"Deal!" Vic shouted through gritted team in his attempt to stop laughing. "Just... get this... rode... I mean... sweet... little thing... off me!" He could feel his bladder control crumbling by the second.

"That'll be all Minnie," Hilda called out with a clap of her hands. Right on cue, the Minccino popped out of Vic's right sleeve and dropped down to the sidewalk.

[And not a moment too soon,] Minnie fussed while scurrying back to Hilda. [His body spray was murder on my sinuses.] An affectionate pet on the head from her owner soon soothed her feelings in due time.

Vic fell down on his butt while his chest heaved in trying to catch his breath. "Forget this dirt-hole," he spat while going down to Throh. "I just knew I should've stayed with the Black Empoleons." The Roughneck gritted his teeth while pulling the bulky Judo Pokemon by the left arm up the street.

Hilda exchanged perturbed looks with Minnie before she opened her mouth to ask the obvious. "I broke my Poke Balls, okay!?" Vic barked back as if anticipating what people were thinking.

Ignoring the awkward ending to this battle, Hilda still scoops up Minnie for a victory cuddle. "Looks like you really cleaned his act up," the rookie proclaimed, trying to sound as unironic as possible with such a painful pun. Suffice to say, the girls laughed with each other over their recent ordeal.

"Hey... Hilda..." a light male voice called out behind them in an awkward tone of voice. "Totally appreciate you saving our store again and all but... well..."

Hilda and Minnie turned around to see a young soft-faced man with an expression as uneasy as his words. Next to Sean Sabat was Chris Schemmel who wore a more chiseled face and stern expression, looking older despite being a year older.

"We'd appreciate it more if you picked up after yourselves better," Chris gruffly claimed, pointing to the broken doorway behind him with his thumb.

Hilda and Minnie both winced when they looked down at the busted down door. However, the pit in the young lady's stomach grew considerably when she looked into the General Store and saw the collateral damage. The Minccino was more overwhelmed by the sight of such disorganization that she fainted and fell down into Hilda's hands.

"I'll go get the broom..." Hilda sighed deeply while hanging her head in defeat. This was not her idea of a first day suffice to say.

------

"Son of a Garbaodor!" Hilda exclaimed upon looking at her X-Transceiver. "Auntie Aurea expected us a whole hour ago!" She was currently bolting through her suburban neighborhood in downtown Nuvema while Minnie clung to her right shoulder. "If I had just snuck out the back when Chris wasn't looking..."

Hilda flew by house after house before screeching to a stop at a corner where a crossing guard held up his stop sign and blew his whistle. She was so antsy that she kept running in place, mentally urging the back up of cars to pass already.

[...you would've been insufferably guilt-ridden for the whole day,] Minnie chimed in, eyes shut with her nose up in the air. [Especially when you all but destroyed most of their wares.] She could almost see the veins on Hilda's temple popping.

"Well, excuse me for trying to compensate for type disadvantages," Hilda snapped back when the crossing guard let her run resume. "You were the one playing 'demolition derby' with Throh." She resumed her mad dash like a Purrloin on a sugar rush. Something she had little trouble imagining.

[I am painfully aware,] Minnie gulped, clenching her teeth in a fit of guilt. [That I had been the cause of such... unsightliness is far more than what I can bear.]

She took in a deep breath sharply before exhaling in an effort to repress such an image the best she can. [Ultimately, you have done the responsible thing by staying and should be proud.] The Minccino put out a genuine smile for her owner's sake.

Hilda snuck in a weary sigh among her panting. "If only my heroics came with clean-up crews," she bemoaned, remembered every nook and cranny she had to clean out. "Such a curse it is, being this virtuous..."

Hilda rounded a bend only to get a flash of light in her eyes that screeched her sprint to a halt. Minnie also suffered from this overload of brightness and shut her eyes along with her owner.

"Do you mind?" a nonchalant male voice chimed in. "You just ruined a perfectly good shot."

Hilda's vision cleared in time for her to recognize Trip Shooter, a blonde teenager with a classic camera on a tripod in his hands and a Patrat on his shoulders. "Still trying to capture the essence of Suburbia," she assumed, nearly forgetting what she was previously moaning about.

"Like my old man drilled into my skull," Trip replied while focusing more on adjusting the tripod to face the street. "You don't find the perfect shot but it will find you."

His Patrat was darting around with its eyes to seek interesting subject before chirping into Trip's ear. The young man saw his Pokemon pointing to his left and found a very battered minivan slowly coming up the road and potential picture in the makings. He focused his camera while waiting for the vehicle to pass and took the picture when it was square in the frame for but a second.

"Oh, congrats on becoming a Trainer or whatever." Trip replied like it was another day in Nuvema Town.

Hilda decided to head pass Trip while she still could while Minnie still had lights in her eyes. "Thanks for the enthusiasm," she playfully quipped, knowing that the aspiring photographer tended to get lost in his craft. At the very least, his Patrat waved the two of them off happily.

"And thanks for getting those rowdy Pokemon to pose for me," Trip responded while checking his shot's composition. "I dunno how you did it but you did it."

Hilda stuck out her tongue cheekily while running quicker than before. "It's a gift," she replied whether Trip heard or not.

Hilda and Minnie crossed the street to another block where they spot a broad young redhead dribbling his basketball with his muscular arms. He was looking for an opening to shoot and facing off with a Golett who had their arms out wide for catching.

"Heard the great news, Hild!" Stephan Kenyan congratulated when she came up on his left. "Oh, and thanks for helping me with tryouts!" He was still looking for an opening past Golett. "It's looking like I'm gonna qualify." He decided to take aim when he thought he had it.

Hilda didn't stop in her rush but did have time to hear her friend and smile at his own good news. "Congrats," she shouted back while waving. "I'll see you on the Big Stadium, Stefan."

The mispronunciation of his name threw the redhead off his game just as he took the shot. "STEPHAN!" he shouted back at Hilda irately, not noticing the basketball bouncing off the rim. "As in with a 'v' sound!"

He was oblivious to Golett rushing to catch only for the ball to bounce off his head and into the street. "I swear that's getting really old really fast." The Automaton Pokemon silently panicked while running after their only sports equipment.

Hilda rounded another bend while looking at the time on her X-Transceiver. "I suppose we'll get off with a stern talking-to," she sighed in slight resignation. "As long as there's no more..."

[Oh, look,] Minnie suddenly cut in with a tone of delight. [Isn't that your friend, Burgundy?]

Hilda felt her blood run cold on this early Summer evening and felt it freeze over upon seeing the Kalosian in question. Burgundy Cabernet was in her front yard practicing elegant poses and curtsies in her Pokemon Connoisseur suit.

Along side her was an Escavalier who was imitating her cordial mannerisms. Hilda didn't hesitate to duck behind a pair of garbage cans by the side of the driveway.

"I mean..." Hilda whispered for fear of the dreaded of violet hair, "we're on better-ish terms but that's not saying much." She saw that Burgundy had her eyes closed while practicing and gulped hard at the risk she was taking. "Here goes... something."

Hilda took long yet silent steps across every other sidewalk square as though she were a SAWSbuck evading predators. She was so sure that Burgundy would be too in her own world to notice but they were dashed just when she thought herself as in the clear.

[Miss Hilda and Madame Minnie!] Burgundy's Escavalier chimed in with the sternness of a Galarian military general. [Snooping as usual I see!] The pair froze up immediately like they were hit by an Ice Beam.

"So close..." Hilda groaned before the most obnoxious Kalosian accent invaded her eardrums.

"Vell, vell, vell," Burgundy smarmily snarked while opening her eyes and rising from a bow. "If it isn't Nuvema Town's resident wild child." She sauntered over towards Hilda and earned a very annoyed look from the brunette.

"Come to join the rest of polite society for a change." She made a most nasally laugh at her "sick burn" while covering her mouth with the back of her right hand.

[Excellent quippage, Mistress Cabernet,] Escavalier praised.

[I take it back,] Minnie remarked with a pout. [She's worse than ever.]

"At least most Pokemon are actually polite," Hilda shot back with her arms folded. "I'm sorry but is being the Mean Girl in vague anymore." She was delighted to see Burgundy's sweet-looking smugness turn sour.

"'En vogue' le Nigaud!" the young Connoisseur corrected rather verbosely with her right fist clenched. Hilda and Minnie both barely holding in a laugh was just salt on the wounds.

"How you made Trainer escapes me," Burgundy sniffed while folding her arms for composure. "You're practically a Pocket Monster yourself." She sneered in hopes of Hilda taking the bait.

[Now go 'er the ol' one-two-buckle-your-shoe, m'lady!] her Escavalier cheered.

"You're one to talk, Washout," Hilda retorted with a sneer of her own, the insult making Burgundy flinch. "You get caught in the wake of a Surf attack and the aptitude test simply can't go on with your outfit in ruins."

She took this opportunity to turn around and walk away with the last word while the purple people eater grinded her teeth rather audibly. "Speaking of, I have a Starter Pokemon with my name on it." Hilda couldn't resist one last jab. "A Water-type for clarity's sake."

Minnie indulged in the immaturity of the moment and blew a raspberry at Escavalier with a bit of spittle. The Calvary Pokemon was tempted to have the Minccino face the firing squad in the form of his spears.

Burgundy scoffed at Hilda's borderline scorching but decided to reign herself lest she break out in blemishes. "On the subject of aptitude, I... qualified for a B-Rank Connoisseur," she forced out, finding it almost physically impossible to say the words. "Your tips on a Klink's body language had helped... even if I didn't take much stock in them."

Hilda stopped when she heard Burgundy, of all people, showing her appreciation to her and smiled genuinely. "You're welcome," she replied without a hint of irony. "Maybe you could appraise my Starter Pokemon while you're at it." Hilda still enjoyed the beat red overwhelming Burgundy's frown for what it was worth.

"Mince!" the young Connoisseur retorted before storming back into her house. "When Emboars fly." Her Escavalier followed her dutifully like a loyal sentry.

[Well, she's was... entertaining for what it was worth,] Minnie remarked just as Hilda tore off in another hurry. [Pity she wasted so much of our time.]

"We're just the other block over," Hilda reassured, already panting. "This shouldn't take... too... long..."

Minnie was quick to notice a hint of red appearing on Hilda's cheeks and could tell it wasn't from running so much. She looked ahead at the block across the street and recognized a yellow cabbie hat being worn by a jogging redhead girl.

The teenager also wore green vest over a dark green mini-dress and boots. The yellow gloves were bit much for early summer but Hilda clearly agreed with the style based on her growing smile.

[Oh deary me,] Minnie sighed with a resigned smile for her owner. [Here we go...]

"Georgia!" Hilda yelled out gleefully while surging ahead across the street. "On your right." She soon drew up on her friend's right hand side and got her attention.

"Nuvema Town's blazing with the news, girl!" Georgia Langley claimed while grinning at Hilda. "How's the Trainer life treating you?" Her friend was soon keeping pace with her.

"It's exhausting," Hilda replied jokingly, drawn in by Georgia's sharp eyes and cocky smile. "I haven't gotten my Starter yet but it feels like I just took on the Elite Four." It was the sharp fang that tied it all together.

"Called it!" Georgia chortled. "That General Store hold-up had your name written all over it." Her competitive demeanor softened ever so slightly on the note of Trainers. "Man, this dead-end town's gonna be dullsville once you set out." She wiped sweat from her brow.

"You've kept things interesting too," Hilda insisted with affection in her voice. "You killed it at all the local marathon."

Minnie kept quiet and enjoyed how unsubtle her owner was being in how she was crushing on her peer.

"Only because you were the best practice partner ever," Georgia praised with another confident grin. "I never got to properly thank you for that." Her expression softened once more. "I think I'll miss you the most."

Hilda smiled back with her pearly whites on full display. "What are girlfriends for?" she rhetorically asked before her phrasing dawned on her. Her originally light blush was now beat red and all over her face much to Georgia's amusement.

"Mmmm, quite the choice of words there, girlfriend," she joked.

"That is to say, a girl who is a friend," Hilda stammered in trying to cover her tracks. "No need to say them separately when they go well together." The sound of Minnie snorting in stifling a laugh only added salt to her wounds.

"Riiiiight," Georgia smarmily replied, totally not buying it. She decided to not milk this for Hilda's sake. "By the way, what number is your home address again?"

Hilda took whatever opening she could afford and put on a less awkward expression. "Oh, it's 71...8?" she began before she noticed the house they were passing was numbered 739. "Oh." The awkwardness returned in full force when she realized that she'd passed her own house.

[Ah,] Minnie sighed wistfully over Hilda's infatuation. [To be blinded by young love.]

"SorryGeorgiaGottaGoBye!" Hilda blurted out after making a swift U-turn and borderline breaking the sound barrier when she sped back down the sidewalk. "WhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhy?" she repeated while her face when at red as a Throh's over looking like a total dork. Minnie yelped while holding on for the ride.

Georgia stopped to jog in place and saw off Hilda with a more warmer smile of her own. "Later days, girlfriend..."

Hilda sighed in relief while she slowed down and found herself unable to stay embarrassed. Just a few more houses before the moment of truth. "You know what, Minnie?" she began.

[What?] Minnie asked curiously before Hilda gave her a loving pet on the head.

"I take it back," her owner went on. "Helping others really does feel great." Hilda cast her gaze upwards to the beautiful mid-afternoon sky of sparse cloud and sunshine. "Like your always said... Mom..."

On that note, Minnie could only smile proudly of one of her best friends.

To Be Continued...