Chapter Text
Clusters of soft, pink clouds floated lazily across the orange skyline. Shadows grew and danced across the sidewalks as streetlamps began to glow. People filed out of businesses and into restaurants, friends laughed and chattered as the night grew closer.
Hilda and Bianca walked side-by-side, their Pokémon trailing after them. Hilda had since forgiven Bianca for interrupting her “super-heated and totally cool battle,” as she had called it. Bianca had apologized profusely and had offered to give her friend her extra Pokétheater ticket, of which Hilda gladly accepted.
Hilda whistled a tune and swung her arms as she walked, in contrast to Bianca’s downward glare and slouched posture.
“Hey, Bee, you know I’m not mad about that whole episode, right? I mean, there’s no reason to act so down.” She stopped walking and pulled Bianca out of the way of the other pedestrians. “Are you all right?”
“Huh? Oh, me? Yeah,” she chirped before brightening up and clapping her hands. “I’m as good as ever! Good old Bianca is doing just great!”
Hilda cocked her head and stared as good old Bianca frantically wrung her hands. “I have a feeling not all is good in the neighborhood.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we're in the city!” She turned and began walking, though Hilda swore she was sprinting.
When she caught up to Bianca, Hilda said nothing and took back up on whistling, until the two girls and their Pokémon reached the bus stop. The ride was excruciatingly uncomfortable and silent, until about a block away from the theater. Bianca let out a loud sigh before she spoke.
“Hilda, it’s not all good in the neighborhood.” Hilda nodded. Just as she had suspected. “And before you think that it’s about me calling you earlier, it’s not. This morning, when I was at the Pokécenter, I thought I saw my dad wandering around outside. I don’t think he saw me, but…I’m afraid. I’m afraid about what he’ll say if he finds me. I’m afraid, because he’s right about me not being fit for my Pokémon journey.”
Hilda opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the bus’s squealing brakes. A voice boomed over the speaker and ordered everyone out. Bianca jumped up and ran, dragging Hilda behind her.
The line for the Pokétheater was out the door and around the corner, and people stood chatting in the grassy area in front. The show was starting in less than an hour, and the theater was nearing capacity. Rumor had it that the Nimbasa gym leader was going to be a special guest during tonight’s show, and people had flocked and flooded the theater and surrounding streets.
Bianca squeezed through the crowd and attempted to rush through the doors, but Hilda grabbed her wrist just as she entered the threshold. She looked the blonde in the eye and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Bee, you can tell me anything, you know,” she said. The two continued into the theater, and Hilda led them to a plush couch near the gift shop. “I know we haven’t exactly talked these past six months or so, because distance and journey and all, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk. You’re still my best friend.”
Bianca returned Hilda’s grip on her hand. Her refusal to make eye contact and incessant tapping of her foot threw Hilda off – this was completely out-of-character. Hilda knew what was happening, but just as it had always been, it was better to let Bianca come around on her own. She would completely shut down if too much of a fuss was made.
Minutes passed, and Bianca remained silent. Steadily, she sat up and cocked her head toward Hilda. With a deep sigh, she rested her chin on her fist. Her eyes flicked from the floor to the poster behind Hilda.
“You know how I said that I thought I saw my dad earlier?” Bianca was speaking just barely over a whisper, and the gathering crowd was drowning her already sinking voice. Hilda leaned in closer and nodded. “Well, I’m not prepared to face him. I’m not ready, but I’m not ready to be on this journey either. I’m not ready for anything.”
“Bianca, how many times have you proven yourself so far? Plenty of times. Seriously, think about how big of a help you were in Castelia. And then when I got lost in the desert. And when we found that injured Cottonee!”
“But you were there every time. I didn’t do a single thing on my own, Hilda. I couldn’t even save my own Pokémon from those Plasma lackeys! Munna depended on me to keep her safe, but I couldn’t even be trusted to do that! I couldn’t save her. There’s no way I could save myself, either, if it came down to that. I’m pathetic, Hilda.” She stood up and turned away. With each succeeding word, her voice grew louder and louder, and more people began to stare. “I’m pathetic!”
“Bianca, you’re not,” Hilda stood up and laid a hand on the taller girl’s shoulder. She pulled back when Bianca shrugged her off.
“Shut up!” Hilda recoiled, but Bianca refused to soften her glare. Tears bubbled at the corners of her eyes, betraying her anger. “You don’t really believe that! You know as well as I do that my father was right!”
“Bianca, quiet. Stop beating yourself up, you won’t accomplish anything. Come on, we can go back to the Pokécenter or the hotel near the stadium or anywhere you want to go, and I’ll pay. We can talk more about this there, Bee. You just…”
“Oh? Am I embarrassing you now? Now you understand what it’s like to be me? Always an embarrassment! Hilda! Listen to me: I’m pathetic.”
“Bianca-“
“Bianca?” Bianca’s eye widened and glossed over, and her hands dropped to her sides. Hilda froze at her change in demeanor, but quickly turned on her heel in the direction of the voice. A concerned middle-aged man was pushing through the crowd. “Bianca, is that you?”
She didn’t reply. Hilda glanced back and forth between the two.
“Bianca, is everything all right? Are you okay? Hilda, is everything fine? I thought I heard yelling; are two okay?” He looked frantic and was wringing his hands. “Bianca?”
She glanced at her father before turning around. Hilda opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. She knew it wasn’t her time to fight: it was Bianca’s turn.
“Why are you here?” Bianca demanded.
“Your mother and I were in the next town over for the weekend, and she told me that you had called and said that you were going to be in Nimbasa for the next week or so. So I decided that we should visit our daughter. It’s been so long and…” He trailed off when Bianca clenched her fist and stomped the ground.
“Why are you really here?” She flared her nostrils. “Why are you following me? Why did Mom tell you I was here?”
He glanced around the crowded entryway. The show was starting in less than thirty minutes now, and the crowds were starting to thin. The fluorescent light bulbs that lit the building reflected in the faces of bright-eyed children and dazzled adults. He really didn’t have much of an excuse this time around.
He gazed at the wall behind his daughter.
“Well? Do you have an answer?”
Hilda kept her distance from the two, but she still tried to quieten the squabbling. More people were starting to stare, and the security guards were starting to take notice.
“Well, Dad? Do you?” Her voice cracked and the tears began streaming. She took her fist and wiped her face dry before stomping closer to her father. “You know what? Nevermind. I know exactly why you’re here. You’re here to tell me that I’m irresponsible and naïve and inept and everything else you won’t say to my face. Well guess what, Dad? I’m right here! You can say it to my face now!”
“Bianca…” he trailed off. He nervously glanced around the room before speaking. “Bianca, I don’t think any of those things. I just don’t feel comfortable allowing you to go on a journey alone.”
“Well, I’m not alone. I always have my Pokémon, and I will always have Hilda and Cheren. So stop, Dad! I’m fine. I’m fine.” She was shrieking by the end of her tirade, and the guards had finally made their move and had begun walking toward the three distressed people. “I’m fine!”
“Bianca, quieten down,” her father muttered.
“No! I’m fine! I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes. “If I say it enough, maybe you’ll start to believe me!”
She muttered ‘and I will, too’ under her breath. Hilda furrowed her eyebrows but realized that she had been holding her hands out defensively during the duration of the argument. She readjusted her backpack on her shoulder and turned just in time to be greeted by the massive chest of a security guard.
“Listen folks, if you don’t calm down we’ll be forced kick you out of the theater.” His voice was booming, and the other officer nodded her head in agreement. Hilda tried to shuffle off unnoticed, but the female guard grabbed her elbow before she made any headway.
“Tell him to leave! He’s the one making the disturbance!” Bianca pointed accusingly at her father, who could only scramble to come up with a rebuttal.
“No excuses. Besides, kid, you’re the one who’s makin’ a spectacle.”
“I…”
“Guards? What is going on here?”
Hilda shook the guard off her elbow and turned around. Her mouth hung slightly agape when she realized who was standing in front of her. A woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in an outfit that literally expelled electricity, glared at the guards and beckoned for them to move. They immediately obeyed.
“What’s the matter, love? Why the red face and tears?” She smiled before resting her hand on Bianca’s shoulder. Bianca shrank backwards and turned away as she murmured and answer.
“My dad doesn’t believe that I’m ready for a Pokémon journey, and I’m starting to think he’s right.”
“Where are you from?” The woman turned to Hilda for a reply.
“Nuvema. We’re from Nuvema.”
“Nuvema? If I’m not mistaken, that little town is a fair distance from here, no? Quite a ways away. And I’m assuming you made it all the way here in one piece, judging by the look of you. And as a judge, I must say that you are a true 10/10. No harm. So.” She looked down at Bianca’s father through half-lidded eyes. “What’s the problem, sir? Your daughter is fine, exceptional. If she can make it all the way to Nimbasa City from a town like Nuvema, she can do anything. This over-protective charade is unflattering. Get over it.”
She smiled again at Bianca and scowled at her father before twirling on her heels with a flourish. She disappeared in the crowd seconds later.
“What are you going to say now, Dad?” Bianca glared at the floor.
“I…I think I should apologize. I only want you to be happy, but sometimes I just can’t see through my own stubbornness and allow that. I’m sorry, Bianca. I’ll leave you two alone now, but if you want to talk, Bianca, just give me a call. I’ll…see you later.” With that, he waved awkwardly and rushed out of the theater, leaving the two girls in his wake.
Bianca continued to stare at the floor, while Hilda remained flabbergasted.
“Bianca, that was Elesa! You know, your idol, your hero! And she totally just told your father off!”
“Yeah. She told him off, and he actually left for her. He wouldn’t for me.” Bianca plopped down on the couch behind her. Hilda leaned on the arm and glanced around the room. The show was starting in less than five minutes. She sighed.
“Well, he’s gone now. You don’t have to call him or talk to him or see him, now. Plus, I think he’s really got something to think about now. I think you’ve proved yourself five times over; he’s got nothing to worry about. You’ve shown him that much. He’s just trying to show that he cares about you: he just sucks at doing so. Don’t let it get you so down, Bee.”
Bianca lifted her head and searched Hilda’s face for something she couldn’t quite discern. She finally smiled and stood up but retained her slouching posture.
“Thanks, Hilda. You know how you always say that every person has their own battle to fight? I think I know what my battle is, and I think I just had a victory. A small one… but at least it’s something.” She glanced at the clock. “Too bad the show’s about to start. Do you think they’ll let me exchange the tickets? I don’t think I exactly want to see a show tonight.”
Hilda nodded as Bianca giggled slightly. The two girls walked out of the theater and to the bus stop. A bus pulled up shortly after.
“I think I’m going to head for the Pokécenter. Are you going?” Bianca was clutching her snoozing Tepig, and she yawned herself.
“I have some unfinished business to tend, actually. Remember those grunts from earlier? I never got a chance to finish our battle.” She smirked and flipped her cap out of her eyes. “The night has only just begun, Bianca! It’s not even seven o’clock yet!”
Bianca laughed and waved Hilda off, and the bus drove away. Maybe she should have followed her there, to make sure that she would be all right, but Hilda knew that Bianca could take care of herself. She had proven that much.
Hilda released her Dewott from its pokéball, and the two began walking down the sidewalk, making their way to the main drag. Most of the streetlamps were starting to glow, and the sky was colored with pastel pink and orange hues. Fuchsia clouds rolled lazily through the late June sky, and various bug Pokémon were beginning to chirp. Save for Bianca’s father, it was turning out to be a lovely evening.
“Say, Cash, where do you think a couple of low-life grunts would be at this hour?”
Dewott chirped and pointed excitedly at the fluorescent sign post just ahead of them.
“The amusement park? I can’t say I blame ‘em.” She made an extravagant gesture toward the entrance. “After you, kind sir.”