My Little Pokémon: Grander World

17 Years Ago. Another Universe. The Unova Region.

The day Hilbert and Hilda first met. Hilbert, age 12, is playing with his friends in the woods. He is the leader of a group of young explorers who like to pretend they're on an adventure in the local forest, discovering new creatures, fighting pretend villains, and rescuing each other from pretend dangers.

Hilbert led his friends, holding a stick as a sword and acting like a warrior, slashing away at imaginary Pokemon. His best friend Cheren played a wizard, casting spells with his wand and providing clever solutions to problems. Their friend Bianca played a brave adventurer who was always eager to explore and discover new things. Hilbert loved spending time with them, as they always brought him joy and laughter. Together, they pretended to be heroes of their own stories in the forest.

This was all their own preparations for their future Pokemon journeys.

"Follow the leader! Which is me, obviously!" Hilbert, even at this age, felt high and mighty being a few feet taller than his friends and older, using a stick as a play-sword to act like a real fighter. He'd swing and clash his weapon with his friends, making noise as the group played together.

Cheren followed, being just as tall and mature, acting much older than he looked and was, going on about how this game was illogical and stuff, using a bigger branch as his staff. The blonde girl following them was Bianca. At ten years old, she was the shortest of the three, always giggling at her friends antics and pretending to be a Heroine on her journey in the big leagues, her blue skirt matching with her white blouse.

The four kids had been friends ever since childhood, even if they did argue a lot. Now, twelve-year-old Hilbert took on the role of their leader as they adventured through the forest outside of Nuvema Town. Hilbert had made his own map of the forest, though it wasn't entirely accurate, as he sometimes forgot to draw certain paths. Nevertheless, he proudly carried the map in one hand while leading his friends through the forest with the other.

"I just don't think pretending to be Pokemon trainers is going to help us actually become Pokemon trainers," Cheren commented as he adjusted his glasses, pointing at Hilbert. "Shouldn't we focus on studying type matchups, or something more productive?"

Hilbert scoffed at Cheren's suggestion. "Come on, man. What's the point of doing all the studying stuff when we can just explore this place and catch some wild Pokemon? Isn't that why we're all out here?"

Bianca interrupted their banter by raising her hand. "Yeah, yeah! I found this great spot with lots of rustling leaves and everything. There's got to be some Pokémon hiding there, waiting for us to catch them!"

"Yeah! Let's go grab 'em!" Hilbert exclaimed.

"You guys aren't listening to me, are you?" Cheren shook his head and sighed, following his excited friends to the bushes. Suddenly, the group froze in their tracks as the bush began to rustle loudly and furiously.

Hilbert held out his arms, spreading them out as far as possible as he shielded his friends. The bush parted, and a small girl emerged, looking bewildered and frightened. Her clothes were tattered, her hair disheveled, and she had scratches all over her skin. Behind her, a tiny black figure with bright yellow eyes glowed menacingly—a Zorua. The girl tripped and stumbled forward, falling on top of Hilbert and sending them tumbling to the ground.

"Oh, shoot! Are you okay?" Hilbert exclaimed, rolling on top of the girl in an awkward position.

She nodded quickly before frantically grabbing him by the shoulders, shouting, "Watch out!" She shoved him down hard, covering his body with hers just as a fireball whizzed overhead. Hilbert winced in pain and closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for impact. He opened his eyes moments later when nothing happened. He looked around wildly until he saw Cheren standing nearby with an extinguished ball of fire dissipating around him like smoke.

"That thing's using fireballs to attack us?!" Cheren gasped breathlessly. "Can Zorua even do that!"

"What?! Sweet!" Hilbert shot back. He was impressed, but also reasonably terrified.

Bianca shrieked fearfully, huddling behind her friends protectively while shaking uncontrollably. Hilbert turned his attention back to the Zorua slowly advancing toward them. He stared at the creature intently, searching for weaknesses as it crept closer to the fallen girl still lying on the ground next to him.

Cheren stepped forward bravely, blocking Zorua's path. "We've gotta stop this thing before someone gets seriously hurt!"

Bianca squeaked again in terror, cowering beside Hilbert and clutching his sleeve tightly as the little black fox approached them. "H-how do we do that?!" She whimpered.

"Simple," Cheren stated confidently, "We have to trap it somehow." He cast a glance at Bianca and nudged her shoulder lightly, smiling encouragingly. "Can you build a cage out of sticks?"

She looked uncertainly between him and the Zorua. "Um... maybe?"

"Just try!" He urged, offering another small smile before turning his attention back to the creature. "I'll keep its attention so you can work. Hey!" Hilbert shouted at the Zorua as it advanced. "Over here!" He waved his arms wildly to distract it while Bianca quietly scrambled around gathering sticks.

Zorua hissed angrily at Hilbert before spitting another fireball directly towards him. Hilbert cried out in panic as flames roared toward him and he dove to the side at the last second, barely avoiding being scorched. The girl clung desperately to him as he leaped aside, shielding himself and her with a log.

Meanwhile, Bianca finished constructing her makeshift cage and snatched the fallen Zorua off the ground with surprising agility. With one swift motion, she thrust the cage onto its tail, trapping it inside. She then proceeded to drag the struggling captive over to the others as swiftly as she could manage without breaking stride. Once there, she unceremoniously dropped the cage on the floor in front of Cheren, who knelt down beside it carefully.

"Now what?" Bianca asked nervously, fidgeting restlessly. "Are we gonna leave it here?"

"Are you okay?" Hilbert turned his attention to Hilda, reaching out tentatively towards her with one hand as he tried to help her up off of him.

She shook her head no, trembling slightly, her breath coming in quick, short gasps, unable to form coherent sentences, just babbling. Hilbert quickly realized something was very wrong as he helped her sit upright.

"Hey, hey! Stay calm! Everything's alright now! Just breathe, okay? Deep breaths..." Hilbert spoke soothingly to the panicked young girl. Her face was pale and her hands shook uncontrollably. He gently pried his sleeve from her grip, holding it firmly but not painfully tight. "Everything is gonna be fine."

The girl, Hilda, slowly began to relax. She closed her eyes tightly and took slow, deep breaths as instructed. When she finally opened her eyes again, tears rolled down her cheeks. "Th-thanks..." she stammered weakly.

"What's going on? What happened?" Hilbert questioned urgently, brushing her tears away. "Are you lost or something? Do you need help?"

Cheren looked up from the caged Zorua and noticed the girl for the first time. He immediately recognized the signs of distress written all over her face and hurried to their side.

"Is she okay?" he inquired worriedly. "She looks pretty badly hurt. What did she do? Where'd that Zorua even come from?"

"I don't know," Hilbert replied softly. "But we need to figure it out soon. That thing almost killed us all!"

Bianca cautiously approached Hilda and Hilbert, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Who is she? And how did she get stuck in this forest?"

"I just moved into town recently with my family... and... umm..." Hilda mumbled hesitantly before stopping mid-sentence as though she'd forgotten what she was saying. Her voice quivered noticeably. She glanced nervously back towards the cage containing Zorua before continuing in a meek tone. "...A few weeks ago... this Zorua started showing up everywhere... It chased me here and then... well... you guys showed up..."

"Hah! Don't worry anymore! You're 100% safe while I'm here!" Hilbert boasted, pointing at himself. " I mean, the moment you ran into me, you were bound to be a-okay!" As usual, Hilbert was his proud self, still seeing himself as Number One despite not being a proper trainer yet.

"Hilda... Can you tell us more about what's been going on? Why has that Zorua been after you?" Bianca pressed, concern lacing her soft words. She sat cross-legged beside Hilbert on the grass, leaning in close. "What happened between you and that thing?"

"Yeah... Why is it chasing you?" Hilbert echoed. He crouched low next to Bianca and studied the girl intently. Something about this seemed odd; there had to be more to the story than just a random encounter. His gaze flicked from the girl to the caged Zorua and then back again.

"Wait... I think I remember seeing something like this before..." Cheren chimed in thoughtfully as he scratched his chin, trying hard to recall some old memory that seemed to elude him. "Ah!" His expression brightened as he snapped his fingers triumphantly. "I remember now!"

Bianca perked up at once and gave Cheren an eager smile. "Really? Tell us!"

Hilbert rolled his eyes. "Come on, man... Don't leave us hanging. Spit it out already," he urged impatiently. "This is important!"

"Okay, okay," Cheren chuckled dryly before launching into his tale. "Back when I was still a child, there used to be stories going around town. They weren't anything special or interesting... mostly just silly little fairytales that parents told their kids at night to scare them into behaving themselves. You know the type; stuff about evil spirits, ghosts haunting old buildings... things like that."

"Yeah... I remember those stories," Hilbert replied with a grimace as memories flooded back of staying up late into the evening, huddled beneath blankets, listening to those creepy bedtime tales.

"One particular story always stuck with me because of how bizarre and strange it seemed compared to the others," Cheren went on. "In that story, there was this little Pokemon called a Zorua that would wander through town every now and then looking for children to trick and play pranks on."

"A Zorua?" Hilda murmured quietly.

Cheren nodded solemnly. "Yeah... In the tale, whenever someone spotted the Zorua, they were supposed to pretend that they hadn't seen anything at all, otherwise it might follow them home and bring bad luck upon their family. And then-"

"In any case, you're safe now. I bet you wanna get back to your parents right now, huh?" Hilbert cut him off, causing Cheren to frown at the interruption.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure... Thanks again for saving me," the girl answered quietly.

"Don't mention it! But if that thing comes near you again, let me know and I'll take care of it pronto! I promise!" Hilbert replied cheerfully.

"You will?"

"Count on it. You said you just moved to this neighbourhood, right? Well, from now on,you'll be under full protection of Hilbert Blair; no rogue Zorua or anything else will mess with you, ever again!" Hilbert proudly declared, grinning broadly and thumping his chest twice to emphasize the point. He turned his attention to Cheren and Bianca, jerking his thumb towards the direction from where Hilda had come running moments ago.

"We better go look for Hilda's parents before nightfall," he stated matter-of-factly. "No telling how long they've already been out here searching for her in the woods."

"Wait, hold on...! Aren't we forgetting something important? Something kind of big, maybe...?" Cheren asked sarcastically, gesturing at the still-caged Zorua.

"Oh... yeah... right... that," Hilbert mumbled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

The Zorua snarled at them angrily, gnashing its fangs. Hilbert cautiously stepped closer and knelt down to inspect it, carefully studying the creature without touching or opening the cage.

"What are you going to do with it? You can't just let it loose after it attacked us!" Bianca protested.

"Of course not," Hilbert reassured her, standing back up and dusting off his pants. "But I'm sure this thing must belong to someone, so I guess it wouldn't be fair to keep it cooped up in this cage indefinitely, either. Let's take it back to the neighborhood. I'll talk to some of the local Trainers and see what they can tell us about it."

"Okay, but be careful not to get too attached," Bianca cautioned.

"I won't. Don't worry, I know better than to fall for the old 'cute Pokemon trap' again."

As the four of them started making their way towards the neighbourhood with Hilda safely among their ranks and Zorua safely confined to its portable prison, Hilbert couldn't help glancing back occasionally to observe how his friends interacted with each other. It was nice to see that Cheren seemed willing enough to lend a hand to others, despite being a self-professed 'loner' by nature.

Meanwhile, Bianca chattered animatedly about whatever popped into her head as she skipped merrily ahead of them, apparently oblivious to the danger that lurked mere steps behind her in that cage. Hilda remained mostly quiet throughout the trip, lost deep in thought as if trying very hard not to think about something unpleasant. She didn't speak unless spoken to directly and even then, her answers were short, clipped, and unemotional.

Eventually, Hilbert managed to bring her back to her parents, just by simply finding a moving van that had been parked nearby their new house, with two people, a mother and a father, pacing around in front of it. When they caught sight of Hilda, they ran forward, relief flooding their expressions as they pulled their daughter into an embrace. They immediately began thanking the trio profusely for finding their child.

"It was nothing," Hilbert responded modestly.

"Thank goodness you found our little girl before those horrible wild Pokemon could get their claws into her," Hilda's Mother sighed thankfully, hugging her daughter close.

"Horrible wild Pokemon?" Hilbert asked quizzically, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh yes," Hilda's Mother explained hastily, still clinging tightly onto her daughter's arm. "We've heard so many stories since we moved here about terrible incidents involving dangerous creatures lurking deep within these woods... I'm just glad my Hilda was spared such horrors!"

"Hmph! Well, with me there, obviously she wasn't gonna be in any danger." Hilbert confidently crossed his arms, his teeth glistening in the moonlight.

Hilder'sMother gave Hilbert a curious glance before chuckling good-naturedly, "I'm sorry young man, but did I overhear you say that YOU were the one who saved my daughter? You look so...unkept though."

"I' don't know what that means but it sounds cool. And yeah. Just know that you're looking at the future Number One Trainer in the world!" Hilbert proclaimed proudly.

"Hmph...I don't think I've ever seen such a confident child." She turned her gaze away from Hilbert, as though dismissing him. She looked at her daughter and gave her a wide grin. "But it seems that you'll have some interesting neighbours, Hilda. It might be worth moving here after all."

"Oh, yeah. Plus, if you need tips on stuff, you can count on yours truly to-" Before Hilbert could continue boasting he was cut off by the sound of his own mother nearby.

"HILBERT! IT'S LATE! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT WANDERING OFF FOR TOO LONG!" His Mother's voice rang out, clear and stern. Hilbert's grin turned sheepish and his eyes widened slightly in alarm.

"S-Sorry, Mom!" His entire demeanour shifted in an instant as he ran over to his mother, not wishing to incur her wrath. He'd heard from his friends' tales about their parents, who were usually strict but reasonable in terms of punishment. However, he knew firsthand from experience that he would be grounded if he angered her again. Not that it would stop him from doing as he pleased anyway, but it was still better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He turned to the family, and gave them one last look before leaving. He saw Hilda staring back at him, but her gaze was unreadable, and she said nothing as she continued being hugged and embraced by her family.

But it was on that day that Hilda would see Hilbert much more. And more than that, Hilda would gain confidence due to spending time around him. The way she was now was all doe to being influenced by him.

Present Day. Universe 50. Mirados.

And now, in the current day in another universe, Hilbert was witnessing his childhood friend, down on the ground, eyes closed, unresponsive and motionless. All that magic took her out as she was completely downed. Seeing this made Hilbert's pupils shrink and dilate in an instant, his jaw dropped and hung there, and he began sweating as his body started to shake in response.

And because of this, Prisma was starting to awaken his soul yet again, this time within Hilbert.

The power flowing through his veins and blood, the feeling of pure strength and adrenaline. Hilbert could not believe he was capable of feeling such energy. He felt the urge to get up and do something with all this newfound vigor, to run, to jump and to shout in sheer joy at what had just happened. It felt as though everything was suddenly possible, like nothing mattered anymore besides him and his newfound power. As if all other things had ceased existing except himself. He felt as though nothing else mattered anymore except getting revenge for Hilda.

And this feeling was shared with Ash, and all the others who contained Prisma's soul within them.

"Gh! Gaaah!" Ash fell to his knees, the soul within him suddenly reaction to such an action. The same could be said with Nate, who was the closest to Hilbert at the moment. He could not comprehend this power that surged through him. But at the same time, he felt like he was losing his mind. It was too much, the sudden surge of power. It was almost like he had forgotten how to control it and now it threatened to overwhelm his mind.

All three of them had their souls react. For the first time, three Souls of Prisma were resonating, causing a painful reaction in the other Soul Trainers, making their bodies shake uncontrollably, their veins pulsing and bulging, and their muscles tense and spasming.

"Ash!" Fluttershy gasped, seeing Ash clutch his chest and get on his knees.

Even from a great distance at the opposite end of the city, Ash could feel the other two souls from afar. The three reincarnations of Prisma's Soul were reacting in a way he couldn't even describe, as if they were linked somehow and calling out to each other. The sensation of the three souls reacting in tandem caused the three Soul Trainers to become extremely tense.

Hilbert's eyes would start turning crimson red, a devious aura manifesting around him, Prisma's influence starting to take over. The aura coming off him was so great that it started shaking the dome itself, threatening to destroy it.

"H-Hilbert...!" Nate tried reaching out to him, but was unable to due to his own soul acting up. At this rate, he was sure to be influenced by Prisma as well, undergoing an awakening.

But this is exactly what Professor Grogar expected and prepared for. "Excellent. Zetas! Betas! Now!"

Before Prisma could fully take over, the many Zetas and Betas cast a spell, their voices chanting a spell. A series of golden chains appeared, glowing brightly and shooting towards the trio. These chains were designed to suppress Prisma's power and contain the power of the soul.

Hilbert tried to resist the binding but to no avail as he found himself quickly being restrained by the golden chains that materialized from nowhere. The chains coiled tightly around his arms, legs, torso, neck, and head, immobilizing him completely and rendering him unable to move or do anything. Emboar and Samurott tried doing something but they would soon be restrained by these chains.

Hilbert and Nate continued to cry out, their souls harming them. But thanks to the spell, the soul would continue harming them without having the chance to awaken, leaving them in a constant state of pain and agony.

"Yes, yes! This is brilliant!" Professor Grogar laughed. "Two Reincarnations will soon be apprehended. After this, we go for Ash Ketchum. The gateway will open in about 7 minutes. Keep the spell active until then and prepare the Soul Crystal. Right now, I have a runaway princess to deal with." He referred to Twilight Sparkle, who was still battling against Silver Swirl. The Zetas and Betas all nodded in affirmation. They would do whatever it took to ensure that the Professor would succeed.

Grogar was confident in his plans and his subordinates. He knew they would follow through on the plan without any hesitation or mistakes.

The Zetas and Betas who had their sights on the three Prisma Souls knew the stakes. The future of their Institute and the safety of their world depended on them being successful.

The Betas all kept the chains manifested and tightened, their focus on suppressing and restraining the Prisma Souls. The Zetas focused their attention on the gateway, ready to open it when given the order by Grogar. They stood ready to activate it, knowing that timing was everything and that a single mistake could mean failure.

The chains that held Hilbert, Samurott and Emboar in place were tight enough to keep them immobilized. But Hilbert, who was now in an unstable state of mind, was determined to break free from them. He strained against them, pulling with all his might. However, no matter how much force he used, he couldn't manage to loosen them.

The Betas and Zetas, however, did not seem to care. They had been given a mission and they intended to complete it. They ignored Hilbert's cries and continued to focus on the task at hand. Their minds were clear and they remained calm.

"As for Twilight Sparkle, I will deal with her." Professor Grogar said back at the Institute.

"But Professor. You still don't have a physical body. How will you even handle her" One staff member questioned. it seemed impossible for him to do anything. But he had an answer to that."

"That is where the Soul Crystal will come in. I will use its power to give me a temporary body. It will be brief, but I will use it to fight Twilight Sparkle." Professor Grogar answered.

It seemed he planned to utilize the magical item to gain a temporary body and engage Twilight Sparkle, ensuring that she does not escape. It was time for the Professor to take action.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 677 End.