The Golden Throne

Chapter 22: Hilbert VS the living legend

....

Relax. Take it easy. C'mon Hilbert, deep breaths.

Hilbert gasped heavily as he was being led by two guards through a long narrow corridor to the palace arena. His heart seemed to beat a little louder with every step, and the sounds of thousands of people cheering from the arena did little to calm his nerves. Only the wealthiest and most important Odarans had the privilege to watch this battle up-close, while the rest of the world will have to make do with watching it on television.

The bright light at the end of the corridor drew nearer, the sounds of applause got louder. The pressure was too great- he stopped walking abruptly and leaned onto the wall. His breathing got a lot heavier.

"Are you alright, sir?" his escorts asked attentively.

"I-I'm alright. Just give me, just give me a minute. I.. I need some air," Hilbert said. He closed his eyes before letting his head roll back as he took in a deep breath.

Hilbert hardly had any sleep last night. He was too excited for the battle that would come the next morning. He spent his night planning strategies, back-up plans, trump cards, and the like, instead of acknowledging that his body needed rest. It would be good if all his efforts last night actually had fruitful results because every time he came up with a strategy to beat Red, he would over-think it until an imaginary flaw showed up, and throw it in the garbage bin.

You know that feeling when you're so passionate about something until you over-think it and stress yourself out? Now he was facing probably the biggest battle of his life, and he neither had a plan, nor enough rest.

"Okay, let's go," Hilbert told the guards as he got back onto his two feet. He was about to turn around when he heard someone call out to him from behind.

"Hilbert! Wait up!" Hilda yelled as she ran after them.

"Hilda? Shouldn't you be up with the spectators?" Hilbert asked in confusion.

"I came here to wish you luck, dummy." Hilda made an amused smile. She spread out her arms for a big hug, "Good luck!" she grinned and hugged Hilbert tightly.

"I'm surprised you still care. I thought you would be off wishing Red luck instead," Hilbert mumbled under his breath.

"What? How could you say that? We've been through so much more together," Hilda said, feeling a little startled at Hilbert's response. Hilda took a closer look at Hilbert's face. "Have you been up all night?" Hilda asked worriedly, noticing that Hilbert's eyes were red from exhaustion. She let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I'll be fine," Hilbert said in an attempt to reassure her as well as himself.

"HERE HE IS! FROM THE WEST CORNER: YOU'VE HEARD THE STORIES OF HOW HE DEFEATED TEAM ROCKET AS A BOY, YOU'VE HEARD OF HIS CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT OF BECOMING CHAMPION OF THE INDIGO LEAGUE! NOW, HE APPEARS BEFORE YOU! TO FIGHT FOR YOU! DUKES AND DUCHESSES, MARQUIS AND MARQUISE, BEHOLD: RED OF KANTO!"

The emcee could be heard announcing from the end of the corridor. A booming chorus of applause followed suit.

"It's almost my cue," Hilbert said as he looked expectantly at the bright light filtering in from the end of the corridor.

"Just do you best and trust in your team. C'mon, you know the drill," Hilda playfully nudged him.

"Thanks, Hilda. I appreciate it," Hilbert smiled. He nodded at the two guards and they proceeded to walk to the entrance that led to the arena ground.

"I'm rooting for you!" Hilda could be heard calling just as he stepped out into the light. He was standing at the edge of a large open space.

A deafening roar of applause filled his ears. His eyes slowly, but surely adjusted to the sudden surge of light. He was standing at the edge of a large circular arena. It looked more like a stadium actually, but not as big as the usual ones. Surrounding the arena on all sides were the invited spectators. At one area among the spectators, a large elevated platform was reserved for the Emperor and his family. At various points of the sitting area, TV cameras were pointed directly at him and Red to broadcast their battle to Odara and the rest of the world. Two huge screens were raised on either side of the arena, with the live broadcast of Hilbert's and Red's zoomed-in faces. Hilbert looked edgy and nervous, while Red on the other hand, was as calm as he could be.