Oh right, he was a blind child alone in the park.

It was a good thing Doug was a kid wearing a school uniform himself, or perhaps he would have been looked upon with more scrutiny.

Luckily, despite the suddenness of his offer, Hideo was into it. Doug grinned at the youth's exuberance, holding back from ruffling his hair once again only because he had already made a complete mess of his hairdo.

"Oh yeah, they DO give healthcare, huh?" He said, suddenly looking pensive. He hadn't thought about that particular benefit until now.

Maybe he should have signed up his life to the front lines sooner.

He shook his head at the thought, grinning at Hideo.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He said, holding back from giving the kid a thumbs up. "I'll be back with good news before you know it, Hideo."

He adjusted his hat, holding out a pokeball towards the tree tops and returning Kama to her pokeball.

"Sorry to run on ya, Hideo! But it's best to strike while the iron's hot!" He said as he began to slowly walk away, facing Hideo as he did. "Ya'll be hearing back from me soon, promise! Let's make the biggest, bestest curry for all our mon's when we do!"

---

TAG: Hideo Kino

Who knew that sitting in a park would lead to something so great?

“I’m looking forward to it!” he said, his smile unwavering. He could imagine all the partying they’d do, all the wild adventures they’d go on, all the bugs they’d encounter. It was gonna be great!

It soon came time for Doug to actually go out and sign up for it. Hideo waved to him, unsure if he had done the same. “We’ll make the best curry there ever was!” he shouted, unsure of how far Doug had gotten, “We’ll be the best chefs in all of Hoenn!”

And that seemed to be the end of their encounter. All waved out, he lowered his hands, one resting on Squeeze’s back. “This is gonna be great! Someone I’ll really want as a mentor!  I can't wait!”

He got a low chuckle from the Lycanroc still at his feet. Squeeze didn’t react to what he’d said - instead letting out a “Spiiiiiii~” at his touch.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for his sister to come back for him. He scratched his head, noticing his hair was completely messed up. Like he’d just gotten out of bed.

He could just say Pom did it. She’d done it before, and he was sure they’d believe she’d done it again. Wouldn’t want his parents’ first impression of his newest mentor to be someone who ruffled things up.

End Thread