Chapter Text
It was a bright morning in Nuvema town, a tiny settlement nestled amongst the dense woods. Summer was just around the corner, and most everyone looked forward to the warmer, longer days it would bring. This particular morning, the newest residents of Nuvema town were outside in their new backyard. Mrs. White had just moved into a small house near the edge of town, along with her young daughter. She was planting some flowers along the side of her house, utterly absorbed in her work. Her daughter, meanwhile, played in the grass nearby— bored out of her mind. None of her belongings had been unpacked yet; all she had set up in her room was her bed. Until the moving pokémon came by later, there was nothing she could play with inside.
At least there were things to explore outside, but even then there wasn't much to this small town, which was immensely disappointing. At least in the city, there were always new people and pokémon to see everyday. She wasn't sure there were even any pokémon here, other than the pidove that occasionally flew by overhead. Her mother insisted this move would’ve been good for the two of them, that she deserved to grow up in a house with a backyard and fresh air and kind neighbors. Hilda didn’t really care, as long as she wasn’t bored. And this was boring.
She stood up in a huff, looking over at her mother. She was still gardening, and being six, there wasn't much she could do to help her mother. She wandered over to the fence and peered over it at the houses nearby. She gasped softly at what she saw.
On the porch of the house next door was a child. A possible friend! He was sitting on the steps of the house, hunched over a large book. His jet-black hair shone in the sunlight, and he looked like he was concentrating heavily on what he was reading. She was still too far away for him to notice her, but she was determined to go over and get to know him.
She turned to her mother.
"Mom! I'm going next door, okay?"
Her mother mumbled a “Yes, dear” and nodded absentmindedly, still planting her flowers. The child took this as permission and dashed out of her new backyard, over to the boy.
She stood in front of him, waiting for him to notice her there. Now she could really get a good look at him. He had the darkest eyes she'd ever seen, framed by thick red glasses. They were focused intently on his book— it looked like it had diagrams of pokémon, some of which she recognized from her time in Castelia city. He looked like he was wearing school clothes— a fancy-looking long sleeved shirt and long pants. She wondered how he wasn't hot in it.
He finally looked up when he realized her shadow was obstructing his view of the pages. He blinked— this wasn't his friend he was waiting for to finish breakfast. No, this was someone entirely new. Her hair was short, brown and extremely unkempt. Her bright blue eyes sparkled like the sea. She had on a red tank top and denim shorts— and it looked like her arms and legs were covered in bandages. She was clearly a girl who loved to play. While he was a bit annoyed she interrupted his book, he was far more intrigued by this new face.
She cocked her head to the side when he acknowledged her, and broke the silence.
"Whatcha readin'?"
Oh, he was always happy to talk about his book. "This is about Pokémon that live in Unova. See, it has pictures of them too," he said, turning his book around so she could see. His words were soft and proper.
"That's cool! That's a Lillipup, right?" She asked, pointing to a diagram.
He nodded, and began to tell her all he knew about Lillipup and its habitat and habits. She listened intently, eventually moving to sit down next to him and look at more pictures on the pages as he continued to read.
They sat together in silence, when suddenly she remembered why she was there.
"I'm Hilda! What's your name?"
He shut his book and adjusted his glasses.
"I'm Cheren." He eyed her. "Are you new here?"
She grinned. "Yep! I just moved here. How old are you?"
"Six."
"Me too!" They were sure to be friends now, she thought.
She looked around the porch for a bit. This house was a nice brown with blue shutters and a blue roof, not unlike her own new house. It did look neater, but they did just move in yesterday. Small yellow and white flowers lined the outside.
"I like your house," she told him.
"Oh, actually," he stated matter-of-factly, "this isn't my house. It's Bianca's house. I'm waiting for her."
Her eyes widened. Another friend? She was the luckiest girl in the world today.
"Who's Bianca?"
Just as she asked, the door swung open, and a little girl in an orange-and-white dress stepped out. "I'm ready to play, Cher- eek!"
She ran back and hid behind the door, peering out at Hilda.
"W-who are you?" She squeaked. She was much more timid than her friend, she seemed to be shaking as she gripped her door. Her bright green eyes were wide with fear. Her blond hair was neatly combed, much unlike her own messy hair.
Hilda seemed unfazed by her shyness though, and smiled again. "My name's Hilda! I just moved here. Wanna be friends?"
There was a long pause as Bianca just looked at her. Finally, she glanced at Cheren, as if looking for his opinion. Cheren nodded.
"She's nice," was all he said. Bianca seemed to take that as a good sign and stepped outside, closer to her new neighbor. She smiled.
"Do you guys wanna play in my backyard?"
They both said yes, and with that the three of them ran off. They spent the entire day together, talking and laughing and playing with each other. Hilda was disappointed when the sun went down and her mother called her home for dinner. She really wanted to spend more time with the two of them. She asked her mother over dinner if she could play with Cheren and Bianca again tomorrow. Mrs. White smiled and told her she absolutely could, much to her excitement.
They hung out again the next day, and the day after that. And so it went for years and years.
*****
Cheren decided to go back to his school after spending his day doing research deep in Pinwheel forest. He figured he might as well finish up some grading there before he went back home. At eighteen, he’d been running his gym and trainer's school for over two years now, and it didn’t take long for him to fall into a familiar, comfortable routine. He knew to expect more or less the same things everyday, teaching his students and battling gym challengers, especially now that it seemed threats of team Plasma had been eliminated for good.
The last thing he expected was to see her on the steps.
It had been four years since she left Unova, without much of a warning. He could not get a hold of her for such a long time. And yet, here she was again, back in front of him just as suddenly as she left.
More importantly, her being back meant that every feeling he'd repressed for years bubbled back up to the surface. Her being gone allowed him to pretend his worry for her safety and fondness of her growth as a person was purely platonic. That he just admired her as an equal and a rival in their pokémon journeys. That it was silly of him to ever have thought of her like that. But deep in his heart, he knew. He knew it was all a bunch of bullshit.
His grip on his briefcase loosened as he felt his body grow light and his face grow hot. It fell near his feet, hitting the sidewalk with a loud thud. He could only stare at the woman in front of him, his mouth slightly agape.
"Hilda?”