Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The matchups for the first round had been decided. When the screen flashed and showed the bracket, the audience erupted into a sea of cheers.

As a special tournament, Clay made sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seats by picking which battles they'd love to see. Of course, the second and final rounds would depend on the first round winners, so he instructed them to give it their all at the very start; it wouldn’t do good if they half assed it and the finalists wouldn’t be able to keep the excitement ongoing.

Hilbert and Cheren's first opponents were the pair of Nate and Hugh, Cheren's first two challengers and, admittedly, his favorite students.

The two kids had been ecstatic at the thought of battling against their mentor and the Hero of Truth, but Nate eventually started teasing Hilbert's choice in Pokemon. They had the same starter, and Nate mentioned how his Emboar would definitely overpower Hilbert's. Hugh just rolled his eyes at his friend's cockiness, while Hilbert laughed it off.

The other matchups were just as interesting.

Barry and Lucas, the two challengers from Sinnoh, were up against May and Brendan, a peculiar pair from Hoenn. May was the daughter of the regional professor, while Brendan was the son of the Petalburg Gym Leader, also a normal type specialist.

May was also what they called a Coordinator, a title definitely unfamiliar to Cheren. They seemed to be around the same age, and all of them were eager to show off the Pokemon from their regions to the people of Unova.

Bianca and Hilda, who arrived literally at the last minute (and registered in a rush), were pitted against Ethan and Silver, a pair from Johto.

Silver and Hilda clashed immediately, with Silver calling Hilda a hag whose age was catching up to her, and Hilda deciding she would give it her all and drag "this edgy brat" through the mud. Bianca tried to mediate the situation, while Ethan, curiously enough, supported Hilda and encouraged her to beat Silver, all with a mischievous smile on his face.

Bianca had also given him a big hug as soon as she saw him, and did the same with Hilbert. However, she made a face when she found out they were paired.

When Hilbert sheepishly explained that Clay forced them to pair up for reasons he refused to disclose, she understood perfectly and wished them luck.

Finally, Red and Blue's pair were matched against the Subway Bosses, Ingo and Emmet.

Blue had nothing but praise for the two of them, and acknowledged that the twins were Champion-level trainers; just a perfect match for him and Red, he said with a laugh. The only reason they weren't formally referred to as such was because they refused to be registered in the Hall of Fame as anything but a pair, and their decision to do so cemented them in Unova’s history as a pair of inseparable brothers, beloved by all, especially in Nimbasa City.

In return, Ingo, in all his glory, shouted the loudest "Bravo!" Cheren has ever heard him do, shaking Blue's hands as thanks for watching him and Emmet's endeavors, as well as congratulating the younger duo for their amazing feats at such young ages.

Emmet and Red, the younger, quieter ones in their respective pairs, had an intense staring contest that lasted for over five minutes, until Red admitted defeat by rubbing his own eyes. Emmet laughed, claiming he loved winning more than anything else, but mentioned his excitement about facing Red and Blue in battle.

How odd.

Blue seemed to be getting along with everyone else.

He had given Hilda and Barry eager high fives, and firm handshakes to Hugh and Silver, the latter who he already knew beforehand due to Ethan.

And when Blue saw Cheren again, he grinned, approached him and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. Cheren didn’t so much as flinch at the contact, because Blue had this warm, inviting energy about him that made him feel at ease. He just smiled back at him awkwardly, still holding onto Cinccino, and wished him the best.

He personally never frequented the Battle Subway as much as Bianca and Hilda did, but he knew from their stories that the twins were tough to beat.

Blue didn't acknowledge Hilbert at all, even though he sat on the same bench as Cheren. Hilbert didn't acknowledge him either. He just sat there polishing Emboar's Pokeball.

Very uncharacteristic of him.

The rest of them stay in the waiting area in anticipation, as Hilda and Bianca are called to battle with Ethan and Silver. After this would be his and Hilbert's battle against his students, then the Sinnoh trainers versus the Hoenn trainers, then finally, the Subway Bosses against Blue and Red.

From the TV, he sees Hilda wave to the audience excitedly, one hand holding Bianca's, and Ethan does the same. Silver doesn't turn to face the audience, only readying a Great Ball on his palm.

"From the left corner, we have the famed charismatic duo of the Battle Subway's Multi Train! Pokemon Trainer Hilda of Nimbasa City, and Pokemon Trainer Bianca of Nuvema Town, assistant of Unova’s very own Professor Juniper!"

"Ready, Bianca? Just like what we learned in the Battle Subway! Let’s show these Johto guys what Unova’s all about!"

"Heehee! I can't wait to show you all I've got with Hilda! Heyyy, Hilbert, Cheren! You're watching, right? Wish us luck!"

He smiles at the sight of Bianca waving to the cameras, and he hears Hilbert laugh. Bianca has gotten more confident ever since Hilda decided to help her train. And she's even happier as Professor Juniper's assistant.

He's proud of her growth, he really is. He’s glad she met Hilda on that fateful day at Nimbasa. He’s glad that Hilda was there to comfort her over Hilbert’s disappearance when he wasn’t.. emotionally available.

Hilda leads with Simisear, and Bianca leads with Mienshao.

"And from the right corner, we have two powerful trainers from Johto! Champion Ethan of New Bark Town, and Pokemon Trainer Silver of Kanto's Viridian City!"

Viridian? That's where Blue's gym is..

“Hmph! You better make it a worthwhile battle, hag! I’ll show you what happens if you make me wait!”

“Silver, buddy, my love and whatever.. please, back up your threats, or it’ll be incredibly embarrassing for the two of us if this doesn’t go our way. Right, anyway! Let’s get this show on the road!”

Ethan leads with an Ampharos, while Silver leads with a Crobat. Not necessarily native to Unova, but Cheren saw them make an appearance in the region in the last two years.

"Ready? Begin!"

Nate runs up to Blue and Red after Hugh had gotten his handshake, vibrating on the spot with excitement.

"You're champions Red and Blue! Can I get an autograph?"

Blue impressively whipped out a marker from Arceus knows where, and Red gave Nate a small smile. "Hero of Ideals, right? At a young age too! I heard Zekrom's quite a powerful guy. How'd you train with such a legendary dragon? It's a crying shame he's not allowed in the tournament, right? You'd drive the audience crazy!"

Hm?

He takes Nate's adventure journal, impressively skimming through the pages and quickly writing his own name down before handing it to Red. "Giving him lotsa TLC? Even legends get cuddly, I bet!"

How strange.

Red doesn't say anything, but he takes his time writing a message in the journal. When he hands it back to Nate, his lips mouthing a "Thanks", both Nate and Hugh are giddy. "You mean Zeks? He's just a guy, honestly! Legendary dragons are just bigger pals to be petted! We're not allowed to register them into any battle facility, though. Too strong!"

"Oh, I'll bet. You must be some trainer! Good on you!"

He's not antagonizing Nate like he did with Hilbert.

How odd.

A part of Cheren thought that Blue was perhaps a little hostile towards Hilbert because he didn't trust him with Reshiram's power. That, or he didn't trust Reshiram at all.

But he's clearly genuine when he talks with Nate and Hugh, laughing along at their pure unbridled joy.

Perhaps it was because they were just kids? Cheren hopes so. He knows that his students were very capable of defending themselves if they felt attacked in any way, shape or form. But they were still kids, and Cheren felt a sense of responsibility over them.

"You're matched against the Hero of Truth and that Aspertia Gym Leader, I see!"

Hugh nods. "Cheren is our teacher at the trainer's school. We get special exceptions though, since.. well, we've dealt with Team Plasma's second attack by his side. And Nate's reigning champion and all, but he and Iris are basically passing around the title."

"Can't help it! We're just that good! We owe a lot to big bro Cheren though, both Hugh and I! We fought by his side, sure, but he protected and supported us all the way too! We’re his first challengers, and he’s the first gym leader we fought! We’re really proud that it was big bro Cheren who saw our potential and pushed us to be the best!"

Ah..

That makes him feel warm.

Hearing his students talk about him with pride makes him flustered.

He hopes no one notices the way he buries his face behind Cinccino's head. Cinccino chirps happily at the gesture and nuzzles back, realizing Cheren was in a better mood than earlier. She was always perceptive to his changes in moods.

"That Cheren guy's a real good guy, huh? Looking out for you kids and all, taking the role of being a mentor. Having a guy look out for us like that back then may have spared us the teenage angst all those years back, eh Red?" Red jabs his side with his elbow, huffing. "Hah! You know I'm right! Took us a long time before we went back from bitter rivals to good ol’ buddies! I'm assuming you two are each other's rivals, then? Most of us in this tournament are rivals turned partners, right?"

"Not exactly!" They're interrupted by Ingo, with Emmet following after him, his Archeops perched on his shoulder. "Emmet and I are each other's best rivals, yes, but we are first and foremost twin brothers! Challenger Hilda and Challenger Bianca are partners in the Battle Subway, and their friendship blossomed in the middle of battle! They have been inseparable since! Young trainers Nate and Hugh here are best friends, no?"

Nate grins, arms behind the back of his head. "Yup! Best friends first, rivals second! I think that’s the case for a lot of guys here! We need someone to help us be the best version of ourselves, right?"

Hugh rolls his eyes. “Even if that guy is someone that drags you across the region at five in the morning because of a sudden invitation for a battle.”

“Hey! You dragged me across the region too!”

“Don’t act like you didn’t look forward to making Team Plasma cry!”

Red does a hum and Emmet laughs a little, amused. Blue's expression softens and turns into something akin to fondness. "Best friends, huh? Then you two take care of each other, yeah? Don't wander off without each other."

From beside him, Hilbert clicks his tongue.

But Cheren finds himself silently agreeing with what Blue said. Nate and Hugh agree wholeheartedly too, oblivious of the implications.

Take care of each other.

Don't wander off without one another.

Isn't that what good friends do? He had told them the same back then.

When I saw them together at Aspertia, Pokedexes in hand, I was reminded of..

He swallows.

He’s overthinking again.

They hear the sound of cheering from the TV. When Cheren turns around, Hilda's Serperior is wrapped around a blue water-type- Feraligatr, the announcer calls it, while Bianca's Musharna hovers above a fainted Pokemon. A fire type that the announcer calls a Typhlosion. Both were unfamiliar to Cheren, but perhaps they were Johto’s regional starters.

Serperior lets go of the Feraligatr, and though it tries to keep fighting, it taps out, fatigued from the sheer strength of Wrap. Silver grits his teeth while Ethan makes an impressed face.

"What a show of strength and support! Challengers Hilda and Bianca are the winners!"

He sees Hilda scream in joy, hugging Bianca and giving her a big kiss on the cheek, while Silver makes a defeated gesture. Ethan smiles despite the loss, and approaches the girls for a handshake, a show of good sportsmanship. Silver hesitantly follows and shakes Hilda’s hand, and the latter sticks her tongue out playfully at him.

He smiles at their victory, and sees Nate and Hugh cheer as well. Ingo in particular does another loud “Bravo!”, with Emmet clapping, joyful that their Battle Subway regulars secured a win. And against strong trainers from another region too.

He hears Hilbert talk in a very fond voice. “Bianca’s gotten really good. And Hilda’s shining brighter than ever. I shouldn’t lag behind.” He glances at the Pokeball in his hand. “Alright? We’re going all out too!”

Hm. His spirits are high now.

It’s nice to see. Hilbert had been so melancholic ever since he came back.

It was partially Cheren’s fault, he was sure.

"Gym Leader Cheren, you guys are up!" One of the staff calls.

Cheren nods. Cinccino climbs up his shoulder, and Hilbert offers him a hand as he stands from the bench. He doesn't take it, but he acknowledges his partner with a hum. Cinccino doesn’t react as much, but he hears Hilbert sigh.

As they leave the room with the eager Nate and Hugh in tow, he hears Blue calling out to him. "Hey, break a leg, Cheri Berry! Show me what you got, hotshot!"

Calling him out with such a nickname.. Cheren feels a bit red. He hopes it doesn’t show on his face.

He does not miss the way Hilbert holds onto his Pokeball with such force. He also doesn’t miss the way Hilbert forces out a laugh when Hugh points it out.

He's been in the spotlight many times before. It comes with being a challenger of the Pokemon League.

And when Clay established the Pokemon World Tournament, he was required to appear at least twice every season for the Unova Leaders Tournament. He often clears his schedule on the days leading up to his appearances, just so he doesn’t have to rush himself in preparation, unlike today. His partners deserved to show their strength at full force, and he would have no one to blame but himself if their performance today was sloppy.

He hasn't been in other formats before, much less a special one that Clay put together in a rush. Not because he didn’t want to, but he was simply too busy as a teacher and as a gym leader to even have the luxury of wandering around the region as he used to. A part of him claims that Clay only called him over because he was in dire need of trainers, and perhaps the others weren't available.

But as he stands before his two students, he thinks to himself that he deserves to be here. That he was summoned here not out of convenience, but because Clay knew that he had what it takes to stand alongside the Hero of Truth, just as Hugh was standing alongside the Hero of Ideals.

"From the left corner, we have a pair of PWT veterans from Aspertia City! Give it up for Pokemon Trainer Hugh and Champion Nate, the Hero of Ideals!"

The audience goes wild at the sight of Unova's rising stars.

Nate has a cheeky grin on his face, playfully tossing the Pokeball on his palm. "Man, this is just so cool! I looked up to big bro Hilbert ever since he dealt with Team Plasma, and I look up to big bro Cheren as a mentor! Taking you both on is a real treat! Let's see which reigns on the battlefield; truths or ideals!"

Hugh smiles at Nate’s words, fiddling with his own Pokeball. "We're not gonna hold back, and neither should you two. Cheren, we'll show you how strong we've gotten since our first meeting!"

Nate leads with Emboar, as expected, and Hugh leads with Flygon.

That was a surprise.

Not Samurott?

"And from the right corner, we have another pair of legendary trainers, this time from Nuvema Town! The righteous leader, Gym Leader Cheren of Aspertia City, and the Hero of Truth, Hilbert!"

The audience roars just as loud, if not louder, for the two of them. He hears a few of them cheer for Hilbert, and a few familiar voices (which he's confident belong to a few gym challengers) call out to him, specifically referring to him as their teacher.

Hilbert talks first. "This place is still so new to me. Still, I'm honored that Clay thinks I'm good enough to partake in this special tournament, and I'm especially honored I get to battle against a fellow hero! But," He takes out a Pokeball from his belt. "You better show me why Zekrom thinks you're more worthy than N!"

Pre-battle banter is to be expected. He doesn't reuse what he usually says, and instead, improvises. He’s not normally good at such things, but when his opponents are Nate and Hugh?

He feels more like himself.

"Again with Clay, putting me up against the two of you. Not that I'm complaining. As your teacher, it's my job to make sure the two of you have improved since day one. You being here now is proof that you’ve gotten stronger." He outstretches his arm, and Cinccino prepares to jump, tail swishing in anticipation. "However. If you think I'm going easy on the two of you just because you're my students, you're sorely mistaken!"

Cinccino runs off his arm and makes an elegant entrance in the field, as Hilbert tosses a Pokeball. Braviary emerges, fiercely flapping his wings. Cinccino coos at the sight of a familiar ally.

...right. If Hilbert and I can't be in sync, I might as well trust Cinccino to work better with her former partymates.

It’s just a battle in the PWT, he thinks. This doesn’t impact who he is as a gym leader or as a teacher.

However..

He did promise Blue Oak for a battle. And he wasn’t one to break promises, especially to trainers who actively seeked him out to see his strength. He wouldn’t accept anything except a complete victory.

He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Not the people who he’d be challenging, not his current opponents..

And certainly not his partner, regardless of his own feelings towards him.

"Ready? Begin!"

Embarrassingly, it takes a few turns before both Hilbert and Cheren notice there was something peculiar about Nate's Emboar, Hero.

Cheren was the first to notice.

When he battled Hero as a wee Tepig, the little fire type had a habit of stomping its right leg twice before charging for a physical attack. When it does a special move, it lets out steam from its nose before it does the stomping motion. He thought it was a cute quirk back then, and he noticed it carried out into its final evolution as an Emboar, when they faced one another at the PWT before they infiltrated Team Plasma's ship.

Hero wasn't doing such quirks. Rather, Hero was doing odd gestures with his fists, as if he was trying to sharpen the claws he didn’t have. Hero didn’t charge with all his might. He calculated each of his moves.

His suspicions were confirmed when Nate accidentally orders Hero to use Foul Play against Cinccino, in an attempt to turn her own physical strength against her. It misses, and Cheren immediately decides on his next move.

An Emboar does not learn Foul Play.

But something else does.

“Cincci,” She readied herself when she heard his voice. Not for a Tail Slap, no, because even she’s figured it out. Nate was a good trainer, no doubt, but he still made slips every now and then. “U-Turn, full force!”

Usually, he uses U-Turn to deal a little bit of damage and get her out of harm’s way. He was just lucky that her opponent for today happened to be weak to bug type moves.

“Pave the way for Cincci, Brav!” Hilbert’s Braviary opens a path for her, getting Hugh’s Flygon out of the way with a Whirlwind, forcing Hugh to recall Flygon in exchange for his Samurott.

Cinccino lunges at Hero, landing a super effective hit as she too was forced to be recalled into her ball in exchange for Cheren’s Stoutland.

In a puff of smoke, the image of Emboar disappears, and the audience gasps and cheers at the sight of Nate’s Zoroark, stumbling a few steps back and collapsing.

“Crap!” Nate curses, and Cheren laughs at the sound of Ingo’s yelling, all the way from the waiting room, chiding him for his language. “Sorry ‘bout that, Rogue! Right, here’s the real deal! Hero, come on out!”

His Emboar emerges from the ball, a lot more boisterous than Rogue’s standoffish demeanor. When it sees Cheren, it jumps on the stage in excitement.

“Nice to see you too, Hero,” Cheren smiles softly at the Pokemon. He does a gesture for Hilbert to see. “But we can catch up later. Now, Stoutland!”

Hilbert notices the gesture and acts accordingly, commanding Braviary to fly out of range for now.

Even though they haven’t battled side by side in two years, Hilbert thankfully never forgot the gestures they both used to signal their next moves.

“Surf!”

”What a combination! The winners are Gym Leader Cheren and Challenger Hilbert!”

He expects a handshake, and is quite flustered when both Nate and Hugh run up to him with a hug instead. Both boys are still shaking from the excitement, clearly happy despite having lost to their mentor.

No matter how many Plasma grunts these two kids beat up during their journey, no matter how many legendaries they had in their pockets..

They’re still kids.

And they looked up to Cheren. Cheren didn’t find shame in admitting that he’d grown fond of them as well.

He’s not disappointed in them at all.

Sure, the boys were unable to knock out any of their Pokemon, but he saw their cooperation with both each other and their Pokemon that he couldn’t help but smile and hug back, despite how strange it feels to publicly show his affection for these two boys.

From behind him, he feels Hilbert watch them. With awkwardness or pride, he didn’t know or care at this moment. All he knew was that he felt proud of his students. He can’t wait to see how stronger they would get.

“We’re gonna train so hard, big bro Cheren,” Nate’s voice is muffled against his dress shirt. “And I’m gonna trick you with Rogue much better than today!”

“We’ll definitely take you and Hilbert down,” Hugh adds. “That’s a promise.”

Cheren places his hands on their heads, ruffling them and causing both boys to playfully whine and try to slap them away. Cinccino’s tail swishes excitedly as she takes her place back atop Cheren’s head. “I’ll hold you two onto that promise. Thanks for battling with me today. I’m proud of you both.”

“Of course! And, uh,” Nate pulls out of the hug, standing on his tiptoes to whisper something. “Glad to see your combo with big bro Hilbert is just as iconic as big sis Bianca told us, because, uh-”

“Nate!” Hugh hisses out, hitting him with his elbow. “Don’t bring that up now!”

Cheren blinks. But he pushes away all his growing worries for now. He leans close to whisper to them, just enough that Hilbert won’t be able to hear. “Thank you. In a battle, it’s very important that you rely on your partners, even if there are..”

He thinks of the proper word to say.

“..circumstances that affect your rapport. Always put trust in yourself, your Pokemon, and your partner. Do you two understand?”

They nod, and with a mischievous smile, they put on their loudest “good students” voices. “Understood, Mr. Cheren!”

He frowns, and he hears both Cinccino and Hilbert laugh at the title. Those in the audience that heard started to coo as well, finding their admiration towards him adorable. “Dragons, don’t call me that. ‘Big bro’ or just by name is good enough.”

He was just sixteen. Being called “mister” would never sound right.

They don’t get to pass by the next pair of challengers, the Hoenn trainers and Sinnoh trainers, but when they head back to the waiting room, Hilda was busy having a somewhat playful physical fight with Silver, all while Bianca was watching helplessly. Ethan had an arm slung around Red, hollering at the display, while Ingo and Emmet kept to themselves in the corner of the room, discussing their strategies for their upcoming battle.

“That’s what you get for being cocky, brat!” Hilda laughs loudly. “You owe your elders an apology! Lemme see that Feraligatr of yours real close!”

“As if! Ethan! Do something about this hag!”

Ethan turns away, and so does Red. “Hm. Can’t hear nothing. My ears must be ringing from all the cheers earlier, don’t you think so, Red?” Red nods, somewhat impressed by Hilda’s display of strength. “Right, right! Must be the wind. Gosh, I miss Silver. I wonder when he’s coming back.”

“Ethan, you piece of-!”

“Language!” Ingo interrupts. Emmet giggles at the sight of his brother about to pop a vein. “There are children here, young man!”

Their squabbling is interrupted by the start of the next round.

"From the left corner, we have a pair of trainers all the way from the stormy seas of the Hoenn region! Give it up for Pokemon Coordinator May Birch and Champion Brendan, stars of Littleroot Town!"

“Sinnoh has contests too, right? Then I’m sure you know us coordinators don’t just doll up our Pokemon for the stage! I’ll show you what I can do as a trainer and researcher-in-training! Get ready for a beating!”

“Contests don’t mean that a Pokemon’s appearance decides everything in how a show will go. Battling doesn’t mean we have to be such brutes either, friends! Make sure to show off Sinnoh’s natural beauty as we will with Hoenn’s!”

May leads with a familiar Pokemon- a Delcatty, while Brendan leads with something unfamiliar. He hears Hugh call it a Mightyena in awe, saying that it's a cool-looking dark type that’s fairly common in Hoenn.

Perhaps I should get Nate and Hugh some Hoenn Pokemon sometime.. that Delcatty looks very cute too.

"And from the right corner, we have two powerful trainers from Sinnoh’s Twinleaf Town, protectors of the region’s legendary lakes! The Determiner, Pokemon Trainer Barry, and The Empathizer, Champion Lucas!"

“Alright! So pumped! Better give it your all, or I’m fining you five million Pokedollars each! The blood of a tower tycoon runs deep in my veins!”

“Oh, um, we have to say something, huh? Hm. Well.. let’s have a good time and eat together afterwards. Is that alright?”

Barry leads with a Luxray- Shinx are not native to the Unova region at all, but Cheren has had the pleasant experience of raising one in Aspertia’s school, though he hasn’t trained it enough to have it evolve to its final evolution. Meanwhile, Lucas leads with a Lopunny, a cute Pokemon in the same typing and level of popularity as Delcatty and Cinccino.

"Ready? Begin!"

As soon as they step in, Blue notices, and he turns away from the TV, even as Hilda and Silver resume their little fight. He gives Cheren a wink.

What is up with this guy..?

“Hey, you guys!” Bianca waves to them, clumsily making her way while holding onto her bag. When Nate hugs her side, she laughs and gives him one back. Hugh is a bit shy about it though, so she settles for patting his hair. “All of you were awesome! I didn’t expect Nate to have a Zoroark on hand, much less use one in the PWT! And Hugh, your Flygon is from the route near Lentimas Town, right? You raised him well! You guys really had us at the edge of our seats!”

Cheren tiredly smiles at her, the excitement wearing off. He still had another battle later, and even though Clay specifically instructed them to go all out from the beginning, he was beginning to feel worn out already. He hasn’t had that intense of a battle in a while.

Hilbert replies for both of them. “Thanks, Bianca. You were awesome too! You and Hilda! Your combination is just as good as I remember it, if not even better! You’re working hard at the Battle Subway, huh?”

“Well, I try to make time!” She giggles. “Truthfully told, I thought we’d, well, fall in the first round.. not because I don’t think Hilda and I can do it! I just haven’t battled as much lately! Especially in a tournament like this..”

“Life’s full of surprises then, Miss Bianca! You and Miss Hilda really humbled Silver to the ground. Greatly appreciated, truly. If he had won, I fear I won’t be able to get my beauty sleep on the flight back to Kanto.” Blue approaches the group of Unova trainers, smirking. His Eevee trots daintily after him, once again mimicking his expressions. “Hey, Cheri! Glad to see I was right on the money! An awesome battle you showed there, and your kids didn’t hold back either!”

My kids-?

“You mean,” He finally finds his voice again. “My students?”

“Your students, your kids. Same thing!”

N-No-?

But Nate and Hugh just laugh it off. “You’re up against the Subway Bosses later, big bro Blue! Good luck! Two pairs of champions is gonna be a real showdown!”

“Tell me about it. Red and that Emmet guy are already communicating to each other via eye contact. See?”

He gestures at Red occasionally glancing between watching Silver and having another impromptu staring contest with Emmet across the room. Ingo doesn’t notice, as he continues talking about his and Emmet’s strategies for later.

“They’re rivals now too. Yeesh! That’d be a real scare later. Work with me here, kiddos. You too, Miss Bianca. You’re a Battle Subway regular along with Miss Hilda. What kinda Pokemon do those Subway Bosses use? Beside that Emmet guy’s weird bird thing?”

“I’m not telling. Sorry, Blue!” Bianca laughs. “If you really want to know, you should come with Hilda and I to the Battle Subway sometime! I guarantee you the pairs they’ll be using will be a teeny bit different from the ones they’ll use on their respective trains! Right, Nate, Hugh?”

Hugh shudders, thinking of the time he and Nate wandered into Gear Station unprepared. “I’m still trying to get over our loss. Mr. Emmet’s Pokemon are..”

He thinks of how Emmet’s speedy Galvantula took down his Samurott as soon as it hit the field, and how it easily dealt with Nate’s Zoroark even when it had its illusion up.

“Fast.”

The other trainer thinks of Emmet’s Eelektross, and how it had to use Gastro Acid to suppress Haxorus’ Mold Breaker so his brother wouldn’t deal a super effective hit to it via Earthquake.

“And Mr. Ingo’s Pokemon hit hard. That’s all we can say!” Nate grins. “Whatever happens in Nimbasa stays in Nimbasa!”

Blue feigns being offended, placing a hand on his chest. The other three laugh at his dramatics. “Oh, the tragedy. Well, I’ll only have the three of you to blame if Red and I fall on our knees in our battle later. Ah,” He sighs, placing his hand on his forehead, before smirking at Cheren’s direction. “And I was looking forward to my battle with Cheri Berry here later.”

And that nickname again..

“Cheri Berry, I’ll make sure fate doesn’t separate us, and all that sappy stuff. Whatever, we’re totally gonna win, even if we don’t know what our opponents are thinking! That’s the secret strength of us gym leaders, right Cheri?”

If the others didn’t acknowledge it earlier, they certainly did now. Bianca giggles at how cute the nickname sounds, while Nate and Hugh raise their eyebrows at Blue’s very friendly behavior towards their teacher. Hilbert’s fiddling with Emboar’s Pokeball is loud, his nails clicking against the surface. He hears him exhale from his nose.

In Cheren’s arms, Cinccino suddenly lets out a noise akin to a growl.

Understandably, everyone is surprised. Cheren looks down at her, adjusting his hold. “Cincci, what’s wrong?”

“Could she be overwhelmed?” Hugh asks.

He shakes his head. Cinccino had constantly been by his side ever since she was left at his doorstep, and not once did she show any sign of distress when surrounded by lots of people. Those who visited the school loved her for her friendliness, and Cheren even let some of his fans from the PWT audience give her and Stoutland pats.

“No, Cinccino never acted like this before..”

Hilbert finally steps away from the door, standing just beside Cheren as he puts Emboar’s Pokeball back into his belt for the time being. His earlier annoyance at Blue was replaced with concern for the little Pokemon.

“Cincci’s not feeling good? Ah, may I hold her?”

Cheren glances at him.

He hesitates for a moment.

Cinccino’s growling doesn’t cease in his hold, so he swallows, and nods. Cinccino was originally Hilbert’s after all. Perhaps he knew something about her that he didn’t yet.

When Hilbert takes her and holds her, she stops growling, but she settles herself protectively in his arms, glaring at Blue and the Eevee that accompanied him. Her tail swishes and pats against Hilbert’s chest aggressively. Not enough to hurt, but enough to show that she was agitated.

“Hey, little lady,” Blue tries to approach her. Hilbert doesn’t move, but his gaze towards the other trainer is steely, even if it's slightly obscured by his cap. “What’s wrong? Feeling under the weather from all that scuffle earlier? I heard your kind doesn’t like getting dirty..”

When he tries to reach out to pat her, she cries out in a way that is reminiscent of Stoutland’s bark.

It’s not intimidating as her growling, but it's loud enough to make Blue think twice about touching her. His little Eevee hopped at the noise, and even his friends looked surprised at the sudden crankiness. Hilbert doesn’t react much outside of adjusting his hold on her, to make sure she isn’t uncomfortable.

It clicks.

Cinccino senses Hilbert’s distress towards Blue.

Even though she’s under Cheren’s care now, that didn’t mean she didn’t care for her original trainer’s wellbeing.

She definitely noticed the way Hilbert reacts around the gym leader.

Hell, she was there earlier. She was simply too busy looking out for Cheren. That, or she was assessing the situation.

Blue seems to have noticed too.

Not wanting to make things awkward between him and his new acquaintance, Cheren makes up an excuse. “Well, perhaps this is a new development. She’s not used to seeing trainers from other regions. Eevee only started popping up in Unova recently too, so she must be incredibly unfamiliar with yours.”

The lie convinces Bianca, Nate, and Hugh so easily, and they all go “ohhhh” at his explanation, relieved that Cheren’s Cinccino wasn’t sick.

Blue and Hilbert both don’t buy it, but they play along anyway.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Hilbert forces a laugh, rocking Cinccino in his arms. “It’s alright, Cincci. I’m sure this nice guy has an equally nice Pokemon. You can play together if you want?” She does a growl in response, and he makes a fake chuckle. “Alright, alright. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But be nice, okay? After all,” He looks up at Blue.

Cheren has never seen Hilbert look at someone this way before. He’s never seen him struggle to feign politeness either. Not even towards N and Ghetsis from two years ago, when they were active threats to the region.

This isn’t establishing a rivalry.. or is it?

“Blue here says he wants to battle Cheren, right? I trust you can give it your all later. We’ll definitely be battling them later. That is,” His smile looks strained. “If they even get through the Subway Bosses.”

Oh dear.

He gives Bianca a look, and it seems she caught up to how awkward the situation has become. She makes an excuse, grabbing Nate and Hugh’s wrists and telling them she’ll buy them a drink for a job well done. Nate tries to argue, but Hugh shushes him. The older of the two probably also just realized how tense the air became.

That leaves the three of them near the doorway. The rest of the challengers are busy talking or watching the ongoing match.

Cheren tries to diffuse the situation, but Blue talks again, laughing humorlessly. “Wow! Didn’t know you had it in you, Hero of Truth! I was told you were the kind, earnest type. Thought that I could push every single button, and you’d just laugh it off! Good to see you have a spine! It takes lots of courage to actually be honest with yourself!”

He frowns. Now he was being openly rude. “Blue-”

“I thought you’d be more direct too, Blue Oak.” Hilbert, what are you doing-?! “I heard you were quite the chatterbox back in the Kanto region when you were on your journey. Everyone there has heard of you. Surely, Professor Oak’s grandson isn’t just all bark and no bite, right? It’d be embarrassing if someone of your level immediately loses in the first round, but don’t let it get to you, alright? The Subway Bosses are a challenge for anyone.”

When did he learn to talk like that..?

This wasn’t right.

Cheren used to be a snarky kid himself, sure, but never Hilbert.

Hilbert was always the nicer, more polite one between the two of them.

Blue’s eye twitches. His Eevee is hissing at Hilbert now. “Ahaha! Is that so? Speaking from experience, then? Got your ass kicked? When did that happen? Surely, your journey to deal with Team whatchamacallit didn’t leave you time to fuck around and ride the trains.”

“Both of you-”

“Aren’t you nosy?” Cinccino’s fur puffed out. When had she learned how to do that? Could Cinccinos naturally do that in the first place? “I don’t think we’ve met before today, yet you talk as if you’ve personally lived in this region and witnessed things from the past two years firsthand. Why is that? And why do you care so much? Didn’t you just want a tournament?”

“I just wanna know when you found the time to do all that, and not tell anyone where you were going! Everyone here can’t mention your name without mentioning you disappeared, you know! It’s like seeing a ghost in the flesh!”

Dragons. Blue’s laugh sounded so terrifying right now.

“Two years isn’t a walk in the National Park, kiddo! Did Miss Bianca give you a hard time when you just decided to come back? How about Miss Hilda, did she give you an asskicking? Your mom was probably worried sick too! Not to mention,” What’s he doing, why’s he- “Cheren here probably spent many sleepless nights wondering where you are, no?”

Blue’s thumb was pointed at him. Hilbert finally stops trying to bark back. Instead, his eyes light up in worry as he turns towards Cheren.

For a moment, Hilbert looks betrayed.

W-What? I didn’t do anything?! You don’t get to look at me like that-!

He can’t find his voice again. Everything was too tense. Too cold.

“Don’t you think he deserves some explanation for that, huh? Tell me, Hero of Truth.”

Cinccino wasn’t in his arms to ground or distract him. She was agitated at Blue for being openly antagonistic towards her trainer, for reasons she couldn’t understand.

No, she wasn’t stupid. She understood perfectly.

And she hated him for it.

He hears the sound of cheering from the TV. The other challengers applaud.

The match was over.

“What a surprise! The tides have been turned effortlessly! Challengers Barry and Lucas are the winners!”

Suddenly, he can breathe again.

He hears May yell out in surprise, with Brendan shaking his head with an amused smile and crossed arms. She recalls a fainted fire type into her ball- one that the big screen onstage displays as Blaziken. “No way! That sleepy kid totally caught me off guard! Grahh, I’m so sorry, Macaron and Hotwings!”

“Well, there’s a certain beauty in keeping a cool head. I can see why he’s called The Emphatizer though.” Brendan says, adjusting a pair of glasses that he took out in the middle of the battle. Elegantly, he recalled his own Pokemon- Sceptile, into its ball. “We got what we came here for, regardless of results. Let’s show them what Wallace has taught us, okay? A graceful win and a graceful loss.”

May puffs out her cheeks, but mimics Brendan as they raise their arms and do a deep bow. The audience cheers for them, and Barry and Lucas approach the two of them for a handshake.

“Thanks for showing us a great battle! I don’t do contests, but Lucas and his mom do! You guys were spectacular! You think they’d give us a copy of our fight, Lucas? We can show it to auntie once we get back to Sinnoh! Cynthia might like it too!”

Lucas shrugs. “Either way.. thanks too, for a good battle. I could feel everyone’s Pokemon giving it their all.. this is a nice feeling. But I’m hungry now, so, uh.. yeah.”

The TV’s screen switches to the tournament bracket.

One of the staff rears their head through the door. “Subway Bosses! Kanto Champions! You’re up!”

Blue’s posture relaxes, and Red makes his way towards him, grabbing his arm without so much as glancing at Hilbert or Cheren. His Eevee huffs, putting her head up as she trots alongside them. “Well, see you on the other side, Cheri Berry! Make sure to watch my every move, ‘kay? Don’t want you gawking when we face off later! Smell ya later!” Red grips his shoulder with force, digging his nails into his arm. “Ow, ow, ow! Hey! Quit it!”

Red glares at Blue.

He doesn’t say anything, but somehow, Cheren could understand what message he was saying.

”Too far. Stop that.”

Cinccino doesn’t react, but she bumps her head against Hilbert’s chin. Cheren just awkwardly waves back.

He hears Hilda call out to the twins as they follow suit. “Go go, Subway Bosses! We dealt with the Johto kids! Show those Kanto guys that the Battle Subway is better than whatever the hell a Magnet Train is! Doesn’t even let battles happen indoors!”

“It’s a safety hazard for crying out loud, you damn hag-!”

Ingo interrupts Silver with his loud voice, clearly not standing for such accusations towards his and his twin’s beloved Battle Subway. “All trains are equally beautiful! Rest assured that our Battle Subway is not a health hazard, and all cars are built to withstand the heat of a battle! We will keep your concerns in mind, however! Thank you for your support! Now, Emmet?”

Emmet turns towards the rest of the challengers in the room, grinning with his arms behind his back. “Everyone. Stay in your seats. Keep your belongings close! Do not start a ruckus on the train. Wait for your destination with utmost patience! Safe travels!”

..Blue and Hilbert weren’t exactly whispering.

Dragons, did everyone in the room hear that, then? Did they just kindly decide to not stop in, to stop the situation from getting worse?

“Now then! Let’s aim for victory! All aboard!”

The battle between the Subway Bosses and the Kanto Champions was the most anticipated fight of the first round.

Hilda sat at the very front of the TV, Nate and Hugh beside her, with the two Johto trainers behind her, all excited to catch a glimpse of a battle that could be written down in legends years from now. May and Barry watched from the sides, while Brendan sat down for a chat with Lucas, who had already taken to having his fourth lunch of the day.

Bianca had left the room to answer a call from Professor Juniper, so that left HIlbert and Cheren alone again once more.

Hilbert hadn’t said a word to him since earlier. Cinccino had left his arms, though, and went back to Cheren, chittering sadly.

It feels awful. Cheren didn’t know why, but he felt awful.

He doesn’t know why Blue would accuse Hilbert of such things. True, his sudden disappearance certainly hurt a lot of people, but he didn’t need to bring that up once more. He knew Hilbert had gotten the same talks from everyone else when he came back. He didn’t need to be reminded even further that he hurt his mom, he hurt Bianca..

That he hurt me.

The way Cheren behaved towards him was more than enough. He didn’t need some other guy from Kanto to rip the bandaid off so harshly and spit at him.

Should he apologize for the behavior of some guy he just met? Blue was friendly with him, sure, but he didn’t understand why Blue felt the need to defend him over things Cheren never told him about. All Blue knew of his and Hilbert’s story were anecdotes from those in the region that couldn’t get enough of their drama.

..unless Clay got involved.

He would have some words if the ground type gym leader had something to do with this.

Dragons. He appreciated the grown ups in his life for pushing him towards a better path, one where he wouldn’t be aimlessly reaching for the title of being a champion, but he’s had enough of their involvement for now.

They didn’t need to get themselves involved with whatever he and Hilbert were going through.

“It’s starting, it’s starting!” Hilda says in anticipation.

"From the left corner, we have the famed twins of Unova, descendants of the heroes of truth and ideals themselves, Nimbasa City’s beloved Subway Bosses; Subway Boss Ingo and Subway Boss Emmet!"

“Greetings, visitors from the Kanto region. Let me introduce myself once more. My name is Ingo. I am a Subway Boss. This fellow over to the side is also a Subway Boss, my little brother Emmet. Being invited here is an honor, especially if it is to share our joy of Multi Battling with the rest of the world! Emmet, if you have anything to add?”

“What I do. What I say. Always the same. Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedules. Everybody smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!"

As expected, he never strays from his script when he’s with Ingo.

Ingo leads with Excadrill, while Emmet moves his arm to let Archeops fly off his shoulder and take Excadrill’s side. He hoped that Excadrill didn’t also have Mold Breaker like Ingo’s infamous Haxorus, otherwise, he’d be subjecting the eventual Eelektross to an awful bout of Earthquake.

"And from the right corner, we have two very special guests from Kanto, ones who made the special request to gather all of us here today in the PWT’s very first Multi Battle tournament! Give it up for Pallet Town’s living legends themselves, Gym Leader Blue Oak of Viridian City, and Champion Red!"

“Red and I are real pumped, just so you know! Descendants of the legendary heroes, huh? Real interesting you guys didn’t choose to up and take those dragons’ powers for yourselves! But you must be some real bigshots then, if you don’t need the stuff of legends to get yourselves where you are now! Can’t say I don’t admire hard work when I see it! Now, show me what you got, Subway Bosses!”

In a pose similar to the twins’ own, Red and Blue press their backs against each other, stretching their arms to let both Pikachu and Eevee slide into the battlefield. A peculiar pair to use, both unevolved Pokemon, but they must have been chosen for a reason.

They were champions for a reason.

”Ready? Begin!”

“Cheren?”

He looks away from the TV, turning to face Hilbert.

His expression has softened again. Earnest. Understanding. Just as it had always been.

He always looks at Cheren with this kind of expression, with a certain something in his eyes that Cheren just couldn’t comprehend.

Cheren doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or angry.

But Hilbert looks happy just to make eye contact with him.

Now Cheren feels guilty for not even sparing him that much.

“Hey, um, sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. I mean, even if it wasn’t at you, it was probably really uncomfortable to watch, huh?” He nods stiffly. Hilbert sighs and continues. “I’m really sorry, Cheren. I don’t know what came over me, but that’s not an excuse-”

“Not your fault.” He finds himself interrupting.

He doesn’t know what came over him either.

Hilbert looks surprised, and even Cinccino chirps. He can’t stand the way Hilbert looks at him, so he immediately turns away.

“I.. it’s not your fault entirely. I don’t know. He was.. purposely riling you up. Testing you or whatever. You shouldn’t apologize for fighting for yourself. It’s better than letting him walk all over you.” He bites his lip. “...I’m sorry too. I should have stepped in. He was going too far.”

“W-What? No, we’re not your responsibility,” Cheren looks up at him, almost hurt, and Hilbert immediately backtracks. “Oh no, Cheren! I don’t mean it that way! I mean, of course you wanna look out for us, especially him, he’s a guest and all but.. gah, I dunno..”

...words are hard.

It wasn’t always like this.

Once upon a time, he and Hilbert would never keep secrets to one another, and would always know what the other was thinking through a quick glance. Now?

Things were beyond awkward.

Hilbert would fake a laugh while Cheren stared off into the distance.

Hilbert would ask if he could do this and that, while Cheren would nod absentmindedly or let him do whatever.

Hilbert would look at him with longing and yearning, while Cheren wanted nothing more than to just be rid of the ice that encased his heart.

He didn’t want to hate Hilbert. He really didn’t.

He wanted to solely hate what he did, but when Hilbert himself acknowledged that he did it out of his own volition..

It always came back to his disappearance, Cheren knew.

The awkward air, the refusal to make eye contact, the disdain of being in close proximity, in fear that allowing Hilbert into his life once more would only make him leaving beyond painful-

(But he wouldn’t leave again. That’s what he told him. That’s what he promised when they reunited at the Giant Chasm.)

His therapist had mentioned it, how things would never be the same once Hilbert did come back. If he did come back.

The hole he left behind would never be filled, regardless of how much Cheren hurt or healed. Cheren didn’t know if he preferred that gaping emptiness that left him wailing on the floors of the Pokemon League, or that icy cage that acted as a gate that stood between him and Hilbert.

It’s easy to think that he doesn’t hate him.

But when he looks at his face, one that hasn’t changed for two years for some reason, he wants to scream.

That was a whole other can of Wurmples that he wasn’t willing to touch yet. The last time he did, he didn’t even remember what happened. All he knew was Clyde told him that he completely refused to talk for almost a whole day.

He was scared to remember what it was. So he simply doesn’t. Especially in a time like this, where he needed to focus.

Hilbert sighs after a minute. “But, yeah, um, I’m really sorry.” You don’t- “I know I said it before, but I really am. I know it doesn’t make things better. I just want you to know that-”

He cuts him off immediately.

“No. No, Hilbert, we..” Cinccino chirps, sensing his growing panic. “...we cannot talk about this now. We just can’t. I’m sorry. It’s not the right time now. I..” They were both expected to perform for an audience later. Their battle with Nate and Hugh was just the beginning. As a gym leader, he knew better than anyone else that he had to always give his fullest. And he wouldn’t be able to do even that if he and Hilbert.. “..I’m sorry. Not right now. Please.”

Please, please, please. Not now.

He sees his own hand shaking. Cinccino places her tail on his palm. He lightly squeezes it to not cause her any pain.

Hilbert looks like he wants to reach out to him again, just as he did before their match earlier.

Cheren expected him to cry at this point. This was the most time they spent together since Hilbert’s return, yet, all Cheren has done is try to push him away.

Of course, Cheren’s ideals are always outmatched by Hilbert’s truth. His friend never resorts to such things.

He sees through him and smiles.

It’s a sad one, but it’s better than what Cheren was expecting. “..no, you’re right. Now’s not the time. Sorry.” Please, stop apologizing- “We, uh, should give it our all later, right? That Blue guy,” He removes his cap a bit to run a hand over his hair. Exasperated. “He really wants to battle you, yeah? Let’s make sure you get to the finals then! Ah, but that means he has to get through the Subway Bosses first-”

”What a twist of fate! In the blink of an eye, the Kanto Champions have claimed victory over the Subway Bosses!”

“What?!” Hilda jumps from her seat.

From the TV, Ingo recalls his Chandelure while Emmet does the same with his Eelektross. They both pulled their caps down to obscure their eyes for a moment, before clapping for their challengers. Ingo was speaking too many words for Cheren to hear, while Emmet remained quiet at his side, eyes sparkling and smile growing even bigger.

They were the epitome of graceful losers. Cheren recalled that was what Bianca said. They loved a good battle, and those Kanto trainers certainly showed them a good time.

Cheren finally managed to hear what Ingo was trying to say. “Bravo, excellent! It was such an honor to fight against such talented trainers on a stage like this! Your victory will surely bring you to even greater heights! Please, do your best and reach the finals!”

“I am Emmet. I lost together with Ingo. Your combination is the best. Perfect! You guys are verrrrry strong! Please visit us at the Battle Subway sometime!”

Both twins move to the center of the stage, and the other two follow suit, giving each other handshakes. Again, Red didn’t say anything, but he and Emmet gave each other a nod of acknowledgement, cementing their status as proper rivals.

“Whew, it went by so quick, but no one here was kidding when they said you two were crazy strong! I felt like I was on a high-speed train! Is that the experience you want to give each and every one of your challengers? Red and I might board your Battle Subway one of these days if you can give us thrills like that!”

It switches once more to the bracket, displaying the four pairs that were to be matched in the second round.

Cheren feels a sense of relief when he sees he and Hilbert are pitted against the Sinnoh trainers rather than his two friends, or even those Kanto trainers. Hilda and Bianca were unpredictable, and..

Everyone was probably paying good money to see the Kanto Champions and their Hero of Truth duke it out.

It would have been disappointing if Clay matched us against Blue and Red so early. I think even he knows that would be a huge blow to the audience, regardless of who wins or loses. This kind of matchup has a better payoff if it takes place in the finals.

“No way! Those guys lost so quickly!” May cried out, stomping her feet. “I didn’t even see half the moves they were pulling! All that sand dusted up the cameras!”

“But they weren’t holding anything back. Both parties.” Brendan pointed out. “They didn’t lose because they didn’t give it their all. They most certainly did. That’s the case with our battle against Barry and Lucas earlier.”

Lucas is unfazed by the turn of events. He just continues biting into his box of Lava Cookies. “The other side just wanted it more, I think.”

Silver sighs, mumbling about how such a quick victory in front of thousands was going to cause Blue’s ego to swell even more. Ethan laughed. “Yup, that’s Red and Blue for you! Their combination is the absolute best! But hey, so are those Subway Bosses! Lucas is right, I guess! You gotta want it more in battles!”

“Mr. Emmet likes winning more than anything else though!” Nate kicked his legs, crossing his arms while Hugh laughed about winning their bet.

“Yeah, well,” Ethan smirks. “Sometimes, there’s something you gotta want more than winning, kid! Knowing that guy Blue, there’s definitely something he has his eye on!”

Ethan has a hand on his hip as he glances at Cheren from across the room, his smirk growing.

What is up with today’s visitors..?

Suddenly, Hilbert grabs Cheren’s wrist. Ethan takes notice immediately. “Oh! Sorry, are you two-?”

Hilbert smiles at him.

It’s a sweet, warm smile, one that Hilbert proudly wore on his face throughout their journey together.

But somehow, Ethan looks terrified at the sight of it, and stops his teasing, awkwardly turning back to chatter with the rest of the trainers. None of the other challengers take notice, too distracted by Hilda’s growing outburst that her “two goofy skrunkly train besties” had lost.

Hilbert lets go of Cheren’s wrist. “Sorry. I know you’re still not.. comfortable with hand holding again.”

Again.

Yes, they used to hold hands often. The two of them had always been close enough to touch one another casually.

“But, uh, dunno. Ethan seems like a good guy. But he and that Silver guy are buddies with Blue, and, well..”

By association, Hilbert felt uncomfortable with them. Cheren couldn’t blame him for that.

Though he can’t help but ask. “I assume you’re uncomfortable with me as well? Blue is more.. civil with me.” He’s too familiar with him, yes, but Cheren didn’t exactly hate it. It just served to baffle him even further when he’s so angry towards Hilbert.

His friend looks at him again with that expression. No wonder Reshiram chose him. He was too honest for his own good. “No. Never. I..” Cinccino curiously peers at Hilbert, chittering at him. He laughs awkwardly. “Don’t.. think that, okay Cheren? I’m not uncomfortable with you, I don’t think you’ll ever do anything to make me feel that way.”

That makes one of us..

But he’s no Hilbert. He’s no Hero of Truth. So he keeps it all to himself.

He will admit though that Hilbert’s words and smile were enough to make him feel slightly warmer than he had in two years.