Hideo had expected Doug to be unhappy with his question, to tell him to back off or just steer the conversation elsewhere. Instead, he received another headpat and some comforting words. And his phone back, deposited right on his lap instead of the spot he pointed out.  His cheeks reddened ever so slightly; Doug had more willpower than he did, it seemed.

He also mentally noted that Doug seemed to like giving him headpats. Not that he minded, but he’d probably have to be careful if he needed to keep his hair tidy. Or he caught a tiny Pokemon that decided his hair was a good resting spot.

A chuckle escaped as Doug described his homeless life. “Kinda sounds like what I expect a trainer’s life to be, just with more camping outside instead of in giant camps. Hoping I get to do that kind of stuff soon.”

Family was something Hideo didn’t mind talking about. “My family’s been doing pretty alright. Nobody’s gotten hurt and we still got our house, and Mom and Dad still got jobs. They’ve been pretty antsy about letting me actually go out and be a trainer though, even when they let me get my license. I can’t even go a few blocks away from home without someone with me, and they say my Pokemon don’t count. Even though they’re so good at keeping me safe and helping me.”

One hand on Squeeze’s head (one part petting her, another feeling out for her horn - just so he’d know where it was when he’d need to tickle it), his other hand brushing against Rocky’s. Both smiled.

As he moved on to talking about the rest of his family, he raised finger when he mentioned a new sibling. “My biggest brother’s definitely been getting the worst of it though; he’s a Ranger, so he’s been really busy with everything going on. I don’t hear a lot from him that often now, but he tries to check in on us when he can. My biggest sister...I haven’t seen her in a while. She doesn’t really talk to us that much anymore, but she still calls me to see how I’m doing.”

“I got another brother and sister too. They live at home with me and Mom and Dad. My sister’s mostly just staying at home on her computer or playing games. I don’t think she goes to school anymore. My brother’s still going to school like me, and he’s trying to become a trainer, but he’s been having trouble getting his license. I think he’s kinda jealous his little brother got it before he did.” A smug grin on his face with that one - he had some pride in that achievement.

His family detailed out, Hideo lowered his fingers. “How about you? How’s your family doing? You got any siblings, Doug?”

A completely innocuous question.

John Sullivan

"Only because I haven't found a group yet. I'll have a caravan running before you know it." He said with a chuckle, only somewhat kidding. He certainly wouldn't have minded taking a spin through Hoenn's countryside with a large group of friends.

It was good to hear some people were doing well, despite the circumstances that often seemed to surround Slateport. Specially considering Hideo had a surprisingly large family. The legendaries must have been looking out for him, for none of them to so much as scraped their knees throughout the many ordeals that had assaulted the city.

At the kid's boast, he couldn't help but smirk, leaning back against the bench as he readjusted his hat.

"Atta boy." He hadn't even realized the kid had his own licensed; one really couldn't judge a book by its cover.

Specially him, given he rarely read anything.

What he failed to realize by asking Hideo about his family, was that naturally, once he was finished speaking about them, he would ask Doug about his.

It went about as well as a car crash. In that it crashed the conversation on the spot.

A silence settled between them following Hideo's words. It then stretched over several seconds, Doug so silent he may well not have been breathing- or even there.

"My grandpa's fine. He lives in the shelter with me." He said, suddenly. "How long have you had Rocky, by the way? He seems like your strongest pokemon."

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

Hideo’s growing grin couldn’t drop faster, the topic changing hitting him like a rock. Seemed like he just stepped on a landmine with that one. Fortunately, Doug didn’t explode, but he could tell it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. The lack of mention of his mother or father wasn’t unnoticed, but he knew better than to probe any further; at best, they parted on less-than-amicable terms.

So instead, he’d go in on Doug’s question, forcing his grin back up. “You hear that, Rocky? He says you’re my strongest!”

A smug smile from the Lycanroc’s maw. He knew that was already the case, but he didn’t mind being told such.

“Mom and Dad got Rocky for my sixth birthday, so I’ve had him for five years. Got him when he was just a little Rockruff. They said it’d be good for me to have one, ‘cause they’re really loyal and make for a great support Pokemon. Didn’t take long until we were best friends.”

“He turned into a Lycanroc a couple years ago. Everyone says I got really lucky he’s a Dusk, ‘cause they need to be just right and evolve at just the right time. He’s a great guide Pokemon; he could even find my house from here! And when he gets into a battle? He does not hold back!”

Which wasn’t much of an exaggeration - sometimes, the only way he could stop him from going too far was drawing him back into his ball.

“He’s come a long way from that little Rockruff, but he’s still got the same habits; he still loves sleeping on top of my covers in bed. Makes some summer nights hard to get through.”

Rocky’s smile went upside down, glaring at his trainer. Though Hideo couldn’t sense it, he was very aware Rocky didn’t like him talking about that. Which did nothing to damper his wide, toothy smile.

So rather than embarrass his Pokemon further, he’d shoot the question back. “I know you probably got a lot of bugs, but what would you say is your strongest one? Is it also your biggest one?”

Hopefully that question was less touchy than the last.

John Sullivan

He took the bait. Whether he had realized he had stepped on a mine before or not didn't matter. The bugcatcher grinned and moved along, happy to speak about anything else.

"Five whole years... That's almost as much as I've known Kama." He said, impressed. "They start y'all early in Hoenn, huh? Back in Kanto, we were only allowed to catch our first pokemon once we were 10."

"That's why us bugcatcher got nets; and why I ain't got a Butterfree or Beedrill anymore." He said, snorting as he propped his chin atop the back of his hand. "Never really 'caught'em; had to let'em go. The authorities did not much care for the Unofficial Kantonian Bugcatchers Association's clever ways. "

That aside- cute dog.

"Better get an AC, kiddo. Doesn't look like he's stoppin' anytime soon." He said with a chuckle.

He pursed his lips at Hideo's next question, humming in thought. No real reason to- his strongest (or at least, most experienced) pokemon was not really a matter for debate.

"That... would be Kama." He said after a short, dramatic pause."'member her? I mentioned her a bit ago."

He reached behind his jacket, pulling a single Safari-themed pokeball out, rolling it atop the tip of his finger with a hum.

"Bit of a grump, but she's nice, I like to think." He said, before flicking the pokeball off. It bounced across the ground before opening wide, releasing a large, green Mantis near the bench and then flying back to Doug's hand.

"Kama, Hideo and Rocky. Hideo and Rocky, Kama." He said, before gesturing to her with his hand. "Come'ere, girl. Let's see if you can figure out this one, Hideo."

Kama snorted at him, looking at the child, then at Rocky for a bit longer, before beginning to approach them, moving close enough for Doug to reach out and pet her head.

"She was the first 'official' pokemon I ever caught." He said, smiling at the memory. "My 10th birthday's present was a trip to the Kantonian Safari... It went much better than I thought it would- and my expectations were already pretty up there!"

---

TAG: @

Hideo raised an eyebrow. “You think that’s too young?” he asked, “I know some kids that got Pokemon when they were still in preschool. You can’t be a trainer ‘til you’re at least ten, but a lot of kids have Pokemon before then. Some even use them for battling.” Maybe there were stricter rules in Kanto.

“Besides, Squeeze is the only one I’ve caught, and that was a couple weeks ago, after I got my license. All the others were given to me as support Pokemon. Pom is one - helps me get stuff, and I got an Elgyem that can kinda read stuff to me, or give me a good idea of the area around me.”

A decent number of bases covered. There were some other things he could get help with, but 3 Pokemon was already 3 times more than each of his siblings got.

Hideo perked up at Doug’s next challenge, the anticipation building as he heard the Pokeball release. “Alright, I’ll take a shot!” he replied, before it even approached him.

But as his hands approached the mantis, Rocky acted up, barking out a “Roc!” It was enough to make the boy pause, and make Squeeze stand up from her spot.

The two chatted among themselves, before nodding to each other. Two strings spewed from Squeeze’s mouth, each wrapping around one of Hideo’s wrists. He could feel her step onto his lap, and Doug would be able to see she’d wrapped the ends of the string onto each of her forelegs.

“What...did you just do?” Hideo asked. He could still feel the string wrapped around his wrists, and it didn’t feel like he’d lost any mobility in them. But as Squeeze tugged on them, he could feel them pull back, enough for him to guess why they’d done that. “Can I still touch Kama?”

“Ly.” Yes. Seemed the two were coordinating for some reason, and they were watching him very closely.

Hideo shrugged. “Alright.”

His hands reached out once more, this time uninterrupted. They met with Kama’s body, one part of it feeling smooth as marble, while the deeper parts felt more skin-like. It had to have been a bug-type, so that was likely her carapace.

His hands moved outward, onto her ball-like shoulders. He quickly found her thinner arms, and he moved further down them. But before his hands would touch her blades, Squeeze pulled his wrists back. It was enough to tell him whatever the rest of her arms were, weren’t safe for him to touch. “Ok, ok, I won’t touch there.”

Her head was next. Just as with the Joltik, he was careful not to move towards the center of her face, feeling out the edges instead. He had to stand on the bench to reach it (forcing Squeeze to hold onto his chest), and at the top he could feel several pointed ends.

And as he reached back, he felt some protruding out from her. His touch was light, so it likely wouldn’t be too rough on her when he touched her wings.

Hideo took a seat again, finished with his investigation, not needing to feel out any more of her. A tall bug-type that was mostly carapace, with arms that weren’t safe to touch. Her head was tough as well, with pointy ends at the top. And it felt like she had wings.  Feeling out her legs wouldn't tell him any more than he already knew.

Hideo reached his answer pretty quickly, one that he was quite confident about, punctuated by a sly grin on his face.

“I have no idea what Kama is. What is she?”

John Sullivan

"The heck is that smug smirk for then, ya brat?" He said, laughing as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Think yer funny? Cause ya are, I was just wondering if ya knew."

He was already forgetting about Hideo's faux pas earlier, getting into his usual conversational rhythm. Kid was pretty easy to talk to; the words were just flowing right out of Doug's maw.

"I would say this one's my win, but Rocky and Squeeze made it harder for ya, so let's call it a draw." He said, still chuckling a little as he leaned back against the bench, sighing in delight.

"Anyway... the parts Hideo's little helpers didn't want'cha to touch are scythes. My dearest Kama-" He said, reaching out to pet her head gently, causing her to snort. "Is a Scyther. The bestest out there, too."

Anyone who disagreed could talk to the net- Shin to steel tube.

"I met her a long while ago- back during my 10th birthday." He said, repeating himself from earlier, though the nostalgic tone to his words was much stronger now. "The Kantonian Safari is a treasure trove- and Kama is definitely its crowning jewel."

Hideo couldn't see it, but the Scyther was extremely embarrassed, her face a much darker shade from earlier.

He could probably hear Doug's laughing grunts, though.

"Ow, ow, ow! Don't be so shy- OW!" Even while grunting in pain, he didn't stop laughing, and before long the grunts stopped, replaced instead by long suffering groans from the Scyther.

"Ah, she's pretty shy despite her temper. Ow, jeez. That's gonna bruise." He said, groaning a bit.

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

Hideo snorted - he got the reaction he wanted. “Just bein’ confident!” he said, his hair ruffled yet again (it was probably looking like a flock of Murkrows passed through it by now - that’s how it felt to him).

He eagerly awaited Kama’s reveal...and pulled his hands to his body when it was unveiled. “Yeesh. Don’t blame'em for stopping me then.” Every finger on both of his hands touched his palms, just to make sure they were still there. All good. “My brother said he’d seen a Scyther cut a Kadabra’s head off with one swing. If I touched those blades even a little...”

Maybe he’d be lucky and Squeeze would know how to stitch fingers back on.

Hideo realized what he said could’ve been misconstrued as an insult. “B-but I’m not saying that makes her bad! I’m sure she’s a really beautiful Scyther! Just, my parents would never let me get a Pokemon with blades like that.” Rocky was the closest he got, and he was very well-trained not to use his claws unless necessary.

He felt Squeeze pull his wrists down again, close to her. He didn’t resist, noticing that once they were all the way down, he felt her maw brushing against him; she was nibbling off the strings that were restricting him, gobbling them up when they came off. He’d have pet her for that, had he not risked her biting into his arm, so he just kept still.

Not that he was going to do something; couldn’t really do much when it sounded like Kama was beating her trainer up, other than grin at what he perceived as their closeness. At least it only sounded she was only bruising him.

“Sounds like she’s a lot like my sister!” he said, “My older sister, I mean. Back when she was around, she’d always help me when I needed it, but she’d play it off like she didn’t care all that much. And if I pushed a little too hard, she wouldn’t hesitate to pop me in the arm!” It wouldn’t bruise, but dang would he feel it!

“She could be really nice, but she wanted to look tough, so she wouldn’t show it. Even when she calls me, she pretends it’s just an accident. Still goes on to ask how I’m doing and everything.”

“My other sister taught me a name for people like that; a ‘tsundere’.  Dunno where she got that word from.”

Rolled off the tongue nicely, so he liked it.

John Sullivan

A long moment of silence settled, following Hideo's use of the dreaded word.

And then Doug began laughing, and laughing, and laughing, so hard. The sound of his body hitting the ground (again) was heard, but he continued laughing all the same, one foot still atop the bench.

"H- holy sh- Holy crap! How did I not come up with that myself?" He said, barely capable of stringing a sentence together between the giggling fits.

The entire time the sound of grinding teeth and low growls had been coming from the Scyther, but it had been drowned out under Doug's uproarious laughter.

"Don't be like that, gorgeous! It fits so well, you beautiful Scyther you!" He said, chucking rocks at the beehive with no regard for personal health.

It bit him in the ass, of course.

He was shouting soon. "Ah- wait, d- don't- Ouch, OUCH, YWOUCH!! Not in the gut, dagnabbit!"

Kama couldn't really do much usually, what with her arms being what they were- but he was on the floor.

So she was stomping on him.

"Uncle, uncle!" He said, curling up into a ball.

It wasn't anywhere near enough, but being the mature adult pokemon that she was, Kama let it go with grace, harrumphing at the bugcatcher as she stepped away.

He sighed in relief... and chuckled. He immediately silence as she glared at him...

Then chuckled again when she looked away.

She grumbled under her breath, eye twitching.

Rolling onto his back once more, Doug kept chuckling while staring at the sky, before laughing softly.

"Your sister's a gift, Hideo." He said between giggles, throwing an arm over his eyes. "God, it fits so damn well."

Grumble.

"It does tho!"

He managed to calm down moments later, though did not bother to stand up or get back onto the bench.

"By the way, don't worry bout touching her in the future. Ya can't really cut yourself by just touching something. Ya need friction for that. Long as yer careful, ya should be fine." He said.

"Specially Kama. She's a harmless sweetheart." He said, stomach probably bruising.

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

Another stark silence. Hideo quietly sat there, his cheeks reddening, trying not to fidget as Squeeze was freeing his other wrist, afraid that calling Kama beautiful was something really bad. Or that “tsundere” was actually another insult he’d been tricked into calling someone.

And then the laughter started. Honest, hearty laughter that sounded like it sent Doug to the floor. Kama sounded like she was doing the opposite of laughing, but Doug was at it like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Even when Kama started hitting him again. Hideo could hear her stomping. For someone that lacked health insurance, Doug really didn’t seem to mind getting hurt all that much.

Hideo waited until his wrists were completely free and Doug was done cracking up on the ground. All the while, his cheeks retained the reddened hue of embarrassment. At least this faux pas was taken in good humor.

“I know you say that, Doug,” he said, lifting up his now-free hands, “But I gotta be extra careful with sharp stuff. It’s really important that I don’t cut my fingers, ‘cause they’re even more important for me. They’re how I know where most stuff is.”

“And they’re also extra-sensitive, so something that doesn’t feel that sharp to you might be really sharp for me. And it’s really hard to tell how much force is too much force.” Maybe an example would help. “Like, I once ran my finger against a kitchen knife my big sister left out by accident. It hurt like crazy and I was bawling my eyes out.”

He raised his right hand, his thumb feeling over the tip of his index finger. He still remembered that feeling.

“I could feel my blood dripping out of my finger, and I got it all over my clothes. Mom said I was lucky that I was gonna have to get it amputated ‘cause I cut it so bad, and I was so terrified. She said it was a miracle that my older brother knew enough first aid to let me keep it - didn’t even have to go to the hospital to get stitches.”

Because why would you need to go to the hospital for a small cut? But for him, it felt so much worse.

“Took a while to heal too, so I had to keep it wrapped up for a while.” With a bandaid. “Couldn’t feel anything with it on. Mom said I was lucky it healed without a scar, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t lose any feeling in it...”

“But I don’t want to risk it. Touching sharp stuff reminds me of that day.” Hopefully, Doug would understand. He seemed like a reasonable guy.

John Sullivan

"Ah. Heavy. Made an ass outta myself, huh?" Said Doug from the floor, brows furrowing slightly. He rubbed the tips of his fingers together, trying to muster up every memory of injury he could remember- but he couldn't even imagine what it was like for the kid. "Guess I ain't bringing that up again. Sorry love, put ya on the spot today."

Kama huffed, spreading her wings wide before taking off into one of the nearby trees, disappearing into the foliage.

"She's fine." He said, quick to cover for her. "Lasted quite a lot, given her temperament. Usually takes her a while to get used to new people, is all."

She also didn't like being showed off, but sadly, that was a point where she and Doug would forever disagree. She was the finest treasure in Kanto and he would forever brag about her.

"Hey Hideo." He said, unwilling to let the conversation die out with his unfortunate faux pas. "Ya ever been to a homeless camp?"

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

“It’s alright! I know you were just trying to let me feel what Kama was like.” Doug was probably telling the truth, that it was safe to touch her scythes, but with his brother’s story still in his mind, he could only imagine his fingers getting lopped off for real. “I just get antsy around sharp stuff like that. I still get a little antsy around Rocky’s claws.”

The Lycanroc brushed his face against the boy’s leg, an attempt to assuage his fears. “Don’t worry, Rocky, I still love you! I just don’t want to poke your claws ever again; last time hurt!”

Hideo’s ears perked up as he heard Kama fly off. “Well, guess she hasn’t run off on you yet,” he said, “So even if she’s a little shy, I think she really likes being with you. Five years is a long time, after all~”

Almost half as long as he’d been alive. Rocky was around for that same amount, but to Hideo, it felt like he’d been around his whole life.

His attention shifted back to Doug upon his next question. “No. I’ve never been to one before. I think I’ve gotten close to a couple before, but Mom and Dad never let me actually go in them. Told me that they were scary places with dangerous people - ”

Right, probably shouldn’t list all the reasons he was told they were bad to someone who lived in one.

“Which I’m pretty sure isn’t right. But I’ve never really gone to one before. Is the one you live in big? Are there a ton of people in it? Lotta Pokemon running around?”

John Sullivan

That made sense.

"They might have a point." He said with a chuckle, gathering his hands underneath his head. "In any other case anyway. Our homeless camp is made up of families who lost'er homes. Not a lotta criminals'round."

He would describe it more like...

"It's like a big ol' caravan. Sometimes. We get together, pool up money and buy ingredients to drop on the big ol' cauldron. It's like our own Bonfire Soup Kitchen." He said with a chuckle, suddenly very aware of his hunger as his mind went back to those rare but wonderful nights.

And it was a much more idealistic image of their actual circumstances, however. But Hideo didn't need to hear about the days some families would go hungry, or the days fathers laid off from their jobs would wander about the camp bottle in hand.

"Ever been at a bonfire, Hideo?" He said, reaching up to adjust his hat atop his face, blocking out the sun. "I'll let ya know next time we are partying up down there. I make an excellent curry, if I do say so myself. Charizard tier guaranteed!"

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

“Oh.” Hideo expected more resistance from Doug there, an objection at least. But it sounded like his parents weren’t completely wrong - though he could tell Doug focused more on the positive aspects. He nodded along, trying to imagine it like a massive outdoor barbecue party, with a ton of people. And people lived in it.

It was an optimistic view. Fighting it, in the back of his mind, were the stories his brother told him, about some of the messy stuff he’d seen at some homeless camps, of people stealing and fighting and worse.

Hopefully his brother was just exaggerating.

“I’ll have to take you up on that after some time,” he said, his legs dangling playfully, “though you’ll have to try some of mine! Can’t say I’m making anything Charizard-tier yet, but everyone that’s tried my curry says it’s pretty good!” He had to wonder if Doug would be impressed that he knew how to make curry; not a lot of kids his age knew how to cook anything. “Might be a bit hard to get around my parents, though. It ain’t easy to sneak out to go to parties. Or to sneak someone in.”

He still didn’t know how he could invite a homeless person older than him to his house. Even just for dinner.

“You probably got a lot of friends at that camp, huh? With how good your cooking sounds.” An assumption, yes, but one that did spark a small amount of envy in the boy’s heart. “I don’t really get a lot of chances to make friends with people outside of school. With all that’s been happening, I don’t really get the chance to go out and do stuff, even with them. Best I got is that trainer mentorship program I’m in, but it sucks for that stuff.”

As much as he liked that it gave him the chance to leave Slateport, even for a little while, it was sorely lacking in quality control. And he’d yet to get a mentor he could really say treated him well.

“Most of the mentors just see me as some kid to take care of. I don’t meet most of them more than once, and I usually don’t get to do much other than learn how to throw a Pokeball. Over and over. Barely even let me battle with my Pokemon.”

John Sullivan