*tap tap tap*

*tap tap ---*

Hideo stopped walking, an eyebrow raised. “Huh. Weird.” He tapped the space in front of him again, receiving the same silent response. He certainly felt like his cane was tapping something, but it sounded like nothing. “Rocky? Am I hit-”

He felt Rocky’s brush against his legs as he moved in front of him, the wolf pushing the boy back with his body. Hideo lost his balance, falling on his rear and dropping his cane. “What was that for?!” he asked, unaware Rocky was staring down the Gengar that just (failed) to spook him moments ago.

The only response he got was growling.

“Must really got your attention,” he muttered, his hands patting around the ground. He half-thought to take out one of his other Pokemon and have them find his cane for him, but he reasoned it couldn’t have gone far. He had to be able to do at least that much for himself.

But that was easier thought than done. He began to crawl along the ground looking for it, until-

*tap tap tap* That was definitely his cane. But it wasn’t in his hand. *tap tap tap*

Someone, or something, had it. “Hello? Excuse me? That’s my cane. Can I have it back?”

A brief pause in the tapping noise. “Exca!” he heard something shout, the tapping resuming once more. Sounded like a wild Pokemon had found it first, and anyone that could see could tell it was an Excadrill who’d grabbed his cane in its metal claws, and was joyfully tapping every unliving surface. Hideo rose to his feet, facing where he heard it talk. “Can I have that back please? I need it to tell where I’m going.”

The tapping paused once more. “Dril?” it asked. Perhaps it would need more of an explanation - some Pokemon were smart enough to understand, so it was worth a shot. “I can’t see anything, so I use that to feel for stuff so I know where I’m walking. I really need it, so please give it back.”

“Drillllll...” That time sounded more like a whimper, but Hideo felt the familiar metal touch his hand. He took it back gently, noticing that it felt like it had scraped against something metallic as he pulled it. Was this Pokemon a steel-type?

But as he thought about it, he heard a new noise. *tink tink tink, tink tink tink*. Followed by more whimpering; though he couldn’t see it, the Pokemon had sat on the ground, tapping away at ground with its claw. It was easy for him to guess the wild Pokemon was making that noise, but was it really that sad about not keeping his cane?

“Do...you want to play with it some more?” Answered by an exuberant “Dril!” Seemed like he’d found what it wanted. “I can’t just give it to you...but if you want, you can come with me! I use it all the time, so you’ll get to hear me use it a lot.  And you can play with it when I don't need it.” He retrieved a Pokeball from his pocket, expanding it to its full size - but holding it in place.

He grinned when he heard another excited “Dril! Dril!” He would then go to press it against the Excadrill, intended to draw it in and capture it.

Only upon hearing the Pokeball noise would Rocky finally turn around to face his trainer, having been distracted watching out for the Gengar the entire time (whether or not it was still there).

Andy Blackadder

Pokeballs remaining: 10

Hideo is attempting to capture the Excadrill

The Excadrill was pulled into his Pokeball, staying in without a fight. Hideo couldn’t resist some delightful giggling; it was the second Pokemon he’d ever caught, and it was the first Pokemon he’d ever caught on his own!

He’d just have to find out what he caught when he got back home.

The brush of his Lycanroc’s tail brought back his focus, reminding him he’d been pushed away from something moments. That thing being a Gengar, as evidenced by the ghost saying its name aloud. “Gengar are pretty rare to find this time of day,” he muttered, pocketing his newest capture and preparing another empty Pokeball.

Only to be interrupted by the sound of another Pokemon knocking down a trash can behind them. The new Pokemon announced its presence as well, a Tynamo. But before Hideo or Rocky could react, he heard someone shout an order - the Gengar responding. Something whizzed by him, followed by the flopping noise of something dropping to the ground.

The sound of someone’s shoes against the sidewalk was hard to miss, as was the distinctive noise of a Pokeball catching its target. Most likely the same person who shouted that order - and the Gengar’s trainer.

“Thanks for that!” Hideo said, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Crazy how wild Pokemon still pop up in the middle of Slateport, right?”

As if on cue, he heard the cries of another Pokemon nearby - actual crying. “Minuuuuununun!” it sobbed, steadily approaching him. It sounded like it was pretty close to the ground - probably a short pokemon - so he knelt down, offering the probably-terrified Minun a comforting smile.

Unaware that these tears were fake, that it was all just a ruse to keep him off guard.

Once he got close, the Minun peeked through its fingers, flashing a devious grin. Had Hideo understood Pokemon, he would’ve known that the proceeding “Minuuuuuuun!” was him being mocked for being so gullible. Its cheeks crackled with electricity, and it jumped at the boy, ready to shock him-

And was promptly charged by Rocky, his body glowing white. The sudden attack sent the small shocked mouse flying into a nearby wall, smashing into it with a dull *thud*. It hit the ground face-first, and didn’t move much after that.

Hideo had heard the crackling electricity as the Minun jumped at him, telling him that his Pokemon’s sudden attack wasn’t unwarranted. “Thanks for the save, Rocky! Guess some of them can be craftier than others. Bring it here, would you?”

His Pokemon did just that, carrying the Minun over in his mouth, quite literally dropping it at the boy’s feet. He tapped it with the empty Pokeball he still had in hand, intending to take this crafty Minun with him.

“My name’s Hideo, by the way. You?” Meant for the other trainer that he was sure was still there.

Andy Blackadder

Pokeballs remaining: 9

Hideo is attempting to capture the Minun

There was a sly grin on Hideo’s face. While he didn’t go out of his way to hide his blindness, he didn’t go out of his way to make it obvious either. So when people used a phrase like “have you seen”, it was fun to guess if they knew or not.

“No, can’t say I have,” he said, his newest capture in hand. “Haven’t heard a lot of people complaining about’em though. And it makes it a lot easier for me to catch some. Been pretty hard to get out on my own with everything going on, so I take the chance when I get it.” And so far, he was two-for-two, with plenty of Pokeballs to spare.

Rocky was already between his trainer and the Klang, but Andy’s Gengar beat him to the punch. Hideo kept the empty Pokeball in his hand, but let his arm down; Andy’s Pokemon got the knockout, so it was his capture - so was the rule he’d been taught by his siblings.

Plus, he’d feel like a jerk if he stole it from under him.

Shooting the question back didn’t seem like a bad choice. “So how about you? You here to catch Pokemon too?” Made sense to him, since he seemed to be catching Pokemon liberally as well.

On the topic of catching Pokemon, another one seemed to arrive: he heard the “Ferro, ferro,” cries a short distance away. A Ferroseed had wandered nearby - and upon noticing the two trainers and their Pokemon, was trying to float away. Slowly. “Dibs!” Hideo announced, patting Rocky on the back, “Rocky, bring it here!”

Rocky nodded, several bright white lights appearing around him. The lights expanded, eventually disappearing, leaving several large rocks floating above. They shot towards the Ferroseed, pinning her down and cutting off her escape.

It was easy enough for him to catch up to her, but now he had to bring her back; after pushing the rocks off her, he pushed her back with his claws, trying not to touch any of her barbs. The *tink* from each hit was the only way for Hideo to know it was getting any closer, until he could hear the iron barbs themselves rolling against the ground.

“Nice catch, Rocky!” Hideo said, pushing his Pokeball against the Ferroseed.

“Rocky here’s the first Pokemon I ever got. And lots of people say he’s my strongest. How about you, Andy? Is Epitaph there your first?”

Andy Blackadder

Pokeballs remaining: 8

Hideo is attempting to capture the Ferroseed

The first thing Hideo noticed was that Andy had quite the way of speaking. Very casual, fairly aggressive, and a bit sweary. It didn’t catch him off-guard though; if anything, it left him feeling more comfortable, his smile unwavering. It reminded him of his older sister.

“There should be a noodle place around here.” he said, listening as Rocky brought the Ferroseed closer and closer. “My brother brought me there a few times. Saltiest stuff you can find in all of Slateport! And it’s pretty cheap too.”

The Ferroseed was taken into the Pokeball. She seemed to struggle for a bit, shaking the ball, but her resistance ended.

“Eleven,” he responded, shoving the Ferroseed’s ball back in his pocket. And though Andy hadn’t asked, Hideo thought he might as well talk about his Pokemon as well. “Had Rocky here since I was six. He was a little Rockruff back then. Still acts like one too when nobody else is looking!”

Rocky brushed his head against Hideo’s leg - or that’s how it would look. That brush had a bit of force to it - his way of telling Hideo to not keep telling that to strangers. But it only made the boy giggle, brushing his hand on the Lycanroc’s head. “No need to be rough, Rocky! Just making-”

Had Rocky not been distracted by embarrassment, he would have noticed the incoming Bronzong sooner. He would have tackled Hideo out of the way, but to his fortune, Andy took the initiative, tackling his trainer down mid-sentence.

Hideo made sure to keep a grip on his cane this time, but still hit the ground hard. His sweater took the brunt of it, but he was gonna feel that for a while. He only realized what danger he’d been in when his attacker hit the street, its clanging body echoing loudly. “Thanks again,” he said, standing back up once Andy was off of him, his cheeks slightly reddened. “Guess that’s twice you’ve covered me.”

But before he could wallow in his own embarrassment, he was distracted by the sound of rocks hitting something nearby him. Rocky, enraged by his trainer’s near-smashing, had been denied his revenge when Andy captured the attacker, and was lashing out against the nearest not-Gengar Pokemon he found, the rocks he’d prepared tossed at his new target. And was now going at it with his teeth.

Hideo couldn’t see it, but he knew his Pokemon was going out of control. “Rocky! Rocky, calm down! I’m alright! See?” He was a little sore, but the worst was his sweater was dirtied. Carefully, he approached Rocky, his free hand forward, guided by the sound of whatever Pokemon he’d found crying for help.

Warm fur was the indication that he’d found his Pokemon, who he could hear growling. “Rocky, give it here,” he ordered, his hand open. The wolf turned to look at him, the Pokemon he’d caught still in his mouth (and crying), but refused to put it down. “Come on boy, give it here.” He reached forward, finding Rocky’s mouth quickly and feeling what he’d caught; it was small and soft. And definitely alive. But Rocky just wouldn’t give it up.

He’d have to save it before Rocky did some permanent damage. Hideo took a spare Pokeball out of his pocket, pressing it against whatever it was (it felt like a Diglett, but had a weird thing on top of where its head should be, so he was clueless) in hopes that he could save it from being crushed.

Andy Blackadder

Pokeballs remaining: 9

Hideo is attempting to capture the Alolan Diglett