Chapter 5

Afterwards, Oshawott trained some more, as to get the situation off his mind.

'Now's the time to get up,' Hilbert thought, pretending to yawn, 'that potion my father gave me should heal up that wound,'

"It's time to take a break," Hilbert said, taking the potion out of his inventory, making sure Oshawott didn't notice.

"Osha..." The water type groaned, still anxious about what happened.

Of course, Hilbert saw the scratch and knelt near the water type.

"Did a wild pokémon attack you?" Hilbert asked, 'Hold on, maybe that thing did happen, but not to me,'

Oshawott jumped back in surprise.

"Osh, Osh," He replied, shaking his head.

'That must be a no, heh,' Hilbert pointed at the water type's wound, "Then how do you explain that cut on your face?"

Then, as if he had just realised it, Oshawott felt this weird sting on the right side of his face. He touched it with his arm and trembled at the red stain created on his white limb.

"Maybe you hurt yourself by hitting the tree all day, that's fine, I have the potion here to heal you," Hilbert knew it must've been something else, but this was to make Oshawott calm down.

"Oshawott!" The water type took a step back, alarmed by the purple bottle.

But after seeing Hilbert's hospitality, Oshawott lowered his head and took a step forward.

'I won't pet him,' Hilbert thought, spraying the contents onto the water type's face, 'either way, no more naps in this forest,'

After a few sprays, he checked the wound again.

Like some magic, the bleeding stopped and the wound looked better.

However, it was hard to notice, but a small scar stood its ground.

'Not surprised by this healing, it is the pokémon world after all,' Hilbert thought, standing up, "It doesn't hurt anymore, right Oshawott?"

Oshawott, despite reeling and shutting his eyes from the spray, did in fact not feel a sting or not even blood.

He nodded in return.

"Do you want to continue?" Hilbert asked, thinking about Oshawott's mind at that point.

"Oshawott!" The water type replied, walking back to the tree.

'I will assume that as a no,' He thought, looking at the tree.

On it's surface, became quite a noticeable dent.

Through that week, the buff became a necessity.

'He still has those two moves and that ability,' Hilbert thought as Oshawott readied himself to ram the tree, 'I guess that means more training,'

By now, Oshawott let out a shout and dashed at the tree.

He closed his eyes.

BASH!

CRACK!

When Oshawott opened them again, he realised that he had broken through the wood of the tree.

The hole created had his outline, but the tree still stood.

Hilbert stood there with wide eyes.

Sure, seeing an Oshawott barrel through a thick tree was one thing, but something else caught his attention.

•••

[Oshawott has learned the move Water Gun]

•••

Hilbert had a smirk on his face.

---

"Blast her away with Gust, Pidove!"

He watched as the Pidove on the arena widened its stance, then thrust its wings forward, creating a twisting tube of wind.

This blew down the ground, kicking dust and particles in every spectator's direction.

However, none hit the Riolu on the other end.

Daniel sighed, "Roxy, Metal Claw, please?"

The Riolu rolled her eyes as the force of wind thundered towards her.

Once it landed, a blast echoed through the arena.

However, before anything else could happen, three white lines sliced at the Pidove's chest.

Thereafter, appeared Riolu, unharmed, and with a silver hue on her left arm.

"Quick Attack!"

Soon, both Pidove and its trainer noticed the fighting type's right paw flying directly at the flying type's face.

"No! Dodge!"

At the order, Pidove threw its head to the left, rather early, but it seemed effective.

However, Riolu's punch looked to be going further and further away.

If this was a good dodge, the paw would be flying to the side, and Pidove would have a nice chance.

Only one word entered the enemy trainer's head.

'Feint!?'

That's all he could think of as the fighting type brought up her leg.

The impact sent Pidove, much like the other three matches Hilbert saw, to the ground in front of Riolu.

More cheers rolled in.

"You're unstoppable, Daniel!"

"You'll be able to defeat everyone in the town!"

While they cheered, Hilbert scanned the Riolu.

•••

Name: Roxy

Species: Riolu

Gender: Female

Moves: Quick Attack; Metal Claw; Counter

Abilities: Inner Focus

Steadfast(Locked)

Prankster(Locked)

•••

'May not look good on paper, but that Riolu is strong,' Hilbert thought, 'perhaps it's time to fight him,'

It had been a few days since that incident in the forest.

Now, Hilbert, even with the cap he first forgot in the beginning, was ready to fight this enemy.

Although this was the case, his stomach gargled.

'Damn it, why am I so nervous?' He looked down at the pokéball in his hand, seeing the chibi form of Oshawott inside the ball, 'This is my first battle, that's right! Whether I like it or not, that's the truth,'

He breathed in.

'It's also because other people are watching, even if they are kids,' Hilbert looked around, 'I'm a kid too at this stage!'

While he sweated like an iced-up water bottle exposed to heat, Daniel was telling this kid off.

"Not bad to use a flying type," He pointed to himself, "but you fought me,"

Next, picking the Pidove up, Roxy the Riolu swung the flying type back to the trainer's feet, dusting her hands off.

"Grrr!" The kid gritted his teeth, picking up his pokémon in his arms, "I'll beat you! I promise!"

"Sure, keep dreaming!" Daniel called back, fixing his cap, "But that's the difference,"

He turned to the crowd.

"Your dreams of power are my reality," He spoke, presenting Riolu, "Anyone else want their dreams crushed?"

Hilbert lifted his head.

'No, this is not my past life,' He breathed out, walking onto the arena, 'I've cried over it long enough, and I've been a loser long enough,'

'It's time to take action,'

After that, Hilbert cringed a bit.

'The hell is with those cheesy lines I'm thinking?' He sighed, standing at the opposite end.

He stared back at the kid before him.

"Ah, my next number to add to my win statistic," He said, grinning, "nice cap, you think you're cool with that?"

Hilbert kept quiet, keeping his eyes under the white hat.

"Just because you're quiet, doesn't make you a good pokémon trainer," Daniel continued, placing a hand in his shorts pocket, "but tell me, what is your dream?"

'That's, right. He always starts like this,'

In the two previous battles Hilbert saw from start to finish, Daniel always began with this question.

Most answered, and some didn't.

'Know what, I have been dreaming about that goal of mine,'

Hilbert would've answered, but Daniel interrupted.

"Whatever it is, it must've been destroyed by me," He laughed, "my dream..."

This was well known.

"Is to get to sixty-nine wins as the champion!"

'Nice,' Hilbert couldn't help but think that, 'but damn it, this anxiety is killing me!'

This was true. With so many eyes on him, even at this stage, Hilbert still sweated and almost froze whenever he was the centre of attention.

Even in his past life, this became a problem.

"Just kidding!" Daniel said right after his hands behind his head, "That's only part of it,"

"My dream is to crush other people's dreams..."

"...and to let them know I'm here and that they won't be able to beat me!"

'Frick, this guy,' Hilbert began to think, 'I want to beat him. I want to be the winner. I don't want to be a loser anymore,'

'I must stay calm,'

What he had remembered was that this speech was meant to frustrate and agitate Daniel's foe.

That won't work on Hilbert.

"Now you know that," Daniel narrowed his eyes, his face morphing into one of anger, "face me!"

As Hilbert threw out his pokéball, the ones gathered cheered mostly for Daniel.

Some cheered for Hilbert, though they were just there to see him lose, as Daniel had gained a streak in this town.

With a crack of the pokéball, a white fuzz appeared, revealing the challenger.

"Osha-waaa!?" After he saw the crowd, the water type was terrified, shivering on the spot as if he were in an earthquake.

'It's his first trainer battle,' Hilbert thought, adjusting his cap, 'and maybe his second actual fight,'

"Take down that quivering Oshawott!"

"Another easy win for Daniel!"

A few kids in the crowd were celebrating already. Daniel himself looked amused.

"What he needs is a good lesson," He looked at Riolu, "Roxy, Quick Attack, please..."

'Must...order,' Hilbert mustered up the strength to say something, "Oshawott, remember the training! Use Water Gun!"

"Osha?" He looked back at Hilbert, then grew confident, "Wott!"

When Oshawott laid his eyes on Roxy, he instantly went back to his trembling self.

Roxy, on the other hand, began to hop on the spot, her left arm close to her face and her right a bit far out ahead of her.

Her eyes focused on Oshawott.

However, a small seed of doubt entered her mind.

She could sense something.

'This...this feeling emanating from this frightened one,' Her mind began to focus, 'No matter if I win or lose...'

In that moment, Roxy became an afterimage.

Appearing at the blind spot of her opponent, she readied her paw for a punch.

She was slightly caught off guard when staring back at her, were the eyes of a terrified Oshawott.

'...I'm awakening a monster of some kind. I just know it!'