Hideo nodded as Alexei's trainers dispersed. He remained silent until it was just the two of them in the area; they had to stay hush-hush after all.

And he didn't want them to potentially embarrass themselves in front of their trainers.

And Hideo knew exactly what Alexei was talking about.

"Yeah, same here." He knew he'd have a lot to answer for after his reveal. "League's fine with me holding on to my friend, but they had a lotta questions for me. Had to be honest with what I knew, after how well that Gym Leader meeting went."

Trust was something he needed to build after that meeting. He wouldn't give everything he knew, but he couldn't hold back as much as he used to.

"You got any meetings lined up regarding your friend?"

v2o6xe2x

Roll total: 175

Alexei Ivanov

"Yeesh. Didn't know you got it that bad. They just gave me some talking-to's and questioned what I knew about the Lake Trio. And just made me promise to be more honest from now on." Sounded like he really did get off easy there.

"Dunno if they could take them away from you, though. Must've been hard enough to get them to like you enough to stick around in the first place." As much as Uxie liked to wander around, it always came back to him - and it chose him. He couldn't imagine Tornadus take being separated well. "It'd probably give them more trouble than they could handle."

He sure knew Uxie could cause havoc if it went all-out.

"So, uh, they probably already asked you this a thousand times, but why did you keep them under wraps for so long? I stayed quiet 'cause for a while, I wasn't in a great spot to draw attention to myself."

e1b_YNPe

Roll total: 280

Alexei Ivanov

Hideo trusted Uxie's vigil enough that he didn't have to ensure that there weren't any wandering ears near them. He still wanted to be careful - and it was clear both knew what the other was talking about, despite the vague language.

"Doesn't shock me," Hideo calmly said. "They asked me everything I knew about mine as well. And I do know a decent amount…but not nearly as much as I wish I knew. Honestly feels like I've been walking around like a headless Combusken most of the time."

Didn't help that the most knowledgeable Pokemon in the area remained tight-lipped about a lot. "And, well, I can understand they wanna keep a close eye on'em. I think it'd be more of a problem if they tried to take'em away, but it doesn't seem like they're gonna do that."

He could understand the scrutiny, especially when they were in a war.

"I was quiet about mine 'cause for a while, I didn't really have much support if too much attention got drawn to me. I was just on the road on my own, so if a group like Rocket caught wind that I had it…well, Rocket's captured people tougher than me. Avatars had been caught before."

And with all the precautions he had set up - he was still just a single kid.

"And, uh…I did talk to some other people in League about it before. And most told me to be quiet, 'cause it was when League was having issues with Rocket infiltration…"

What Alexei said during Gym Jam wasn't wrong - even if the timing might not have been the best.

K6Ysjuyu

Roll total: 380

Alexei Ivanov

Hideo quietly nodded. He did remember Alexei mentioning Tempest Quinn during the meeting - an answer that did not get much goodwill from freya morningstar . "Yeah. It might be better now as far as we know, but knowing that there used to be Rockets as Gym Leaders back then wasn't very encouraging."

Didn't help that Tempest's reveal was just around the time he got Uxie; if he'd revealed his mark to the League as a whole back then, Rocket would know too.

John Sullivan 's warnings saved is butt.

Hideo heard the warning shouted from Alexei's earpiece, and braced himself, though there was little need to: a Mystical Power enveloped him, almost like a Psychic, that kept him in place. He got through the earthquake with ease, without needing Alexei's assistance.

"I'm alright," Hideo reassured, "Not the first quake I went through down here. My Pokemon're usually on top of that." The "Ralts" on his shoulder nodded along, a smile on its (illusory) face.

Though the revelation after that carried on an awkward silence, Hideo looking towards Alexei with a perplexed look to his face.

A silence that was broken by a strange roar off in the distance.

[player]https://file.garden/ZXZrnWMYuz15frfJ/HOENN%20MUSIC/MYSTERIOUSCRY1.mp3[/player]

Hideo recoiled at the noise, before shaking his head. "That's…wow. Does anyone else in the League know that?"

AK3fwpdU

Roll total: 520

Alexei Ivanov

Hideo uneasily nodded. He'd managed to get in in part due to his achievements, but the main part he needed was getting his parents' signatures on some paperwork. And that process hadn't gone nearly as well as he'd hoped.

If the League investigated him hard enough to find that out, he could land in some deep shit.

The less attention he drew to that, the better. "Guess they, uh, do gotta be careful. But I don't think there're any Rockets in the Gym Circuit right now. Wouldn'ta shown what I had if I didn't think so."

That much was true. Also helped that he had more support systems now if Rocket caught on to Uxie.

"All I've been told down here is that there's Paradox Pokemon that resemble the Legendary Beasts…think Josh Devlin 's gonna grab the Raikou one as soon as he can?" A small joke, to help calm himself, even if it only barely worked. "I'm starting to wonder what other Legendaries are gonna show up as Paradoxes. I already got one that's like Cobalion."

It was gonna get real awkward if he got a Paradox Uxie.

Would it be fleshy, or robotic?

He could feel his "Ralts" tap him on the side of the head, telling him to not think about that kind of stuff.

"And your secret's safe with me. I'm guessing you moved on, if you already got a new guy you're with."

Hideo paused for a moment.

"...Tempest Quinn hasn't tried to sway you to Rocket at all, has he? I mean it's kinda obvious you aren't with Rocket, but...has he tried to blackmail you over it?"

RYFFukEF

Roll total: 693

Alexei Ivanov

Hideo nodded along, grinning at the mutual ribbing of their fellow Gym Leader. "Lotta these Paradox Pokemon seem to resemble Pokemon that're already around…but they're definitely a lot different."

His Scream Tail was a lot more feral than a regular Jigglypuff, and his Iron Valiant was a lot more violent (and compliant) than his Gallade.

And his Iron Crown was nowhere near as friendly as Cobalion.

"Well, good to know they can't pull that on you. And glad to hear things are working out with your new BF~" There was already enough drama going on now with the League, and he knew Alexei was already under enough scrutiny. Last thing he'd need is scrutiny from his own lover.

But the sound of an earset sounding off distracted him - and his "Ralts" told him what was going on right above them.

"Yeah, I've been around a lotta distortions. Some even popped up right where I was standing."

So he recognized the crackling noises that preceded them, the boy stopping in place as he waited for it to turn into a full-on distortion. "Been a while since a proper one came down," he said, ready for a fight.

But the "Ralts" on his shoulder casually stayed on its spot, its legs playfully dangling as it peered at the rift. Even if it looked ready to open up, the rift never fully opened - and a moment later, it would disappear, leaving no trace of its presence.

"...dunno if I feel better it just disappearing like that or not." There was a weird sense of dread running through him - they were safe now, but if it wasn't touching down, then why did that rift show up? "Those kinds of things don't happen for no reason."

mC_Nd3GY

Roll total: 820

Alexei Ivanov