*tap tap tap*

Hideo steadily made his way towards the meeting point, his cane tapping against the ground.

The change in temperature was slight, but for someone who lived their whole life in Hoenn, he noticed it pretty clearly; instead of his usual shorts and jumper combination, he wore jeans and a couple layers of shirts: a white collared shirt underneath a striped sweater. Both weather-appropriate and semi-formal; perfect for the occasion!

By his side was his Elgyem, his hand raised high enough so the boy could hold it. The only change to his appearance was a black bowtie wrapped around his neck. Someone had to guide him to the meeting point - it was a fairly specific spot.

Hideo was giddy; even if this wasn’t going to be a romantic date, it was still going to be his first date. He had no idea who it was going to be with either, and the anticipation was hard for him to contain.

As they got close, he could tell one thing that Elga was telling him: familiarity. There was someone here, and they were someone he’d met before, and made enough of an impression that Elga would remember. But who was it?

Well, wouldn’t hurt to introduce himself anyways. He’d probably find out soon enough..

“Hello there!” he said, slowly approaching, a wide grin on his face as he waved with the hand holding Elga’s a moment ago, “If you’re waiting here...I take it you’re the one I’m meeting?”

Andy Blackadder

…

Hideo awkwardly stood there, waiting for a response, doing his best to keep his smile up. He trusted that Elga wasn’t deceiving him - he’d never done so before - so was he supposed to be meeting with someone else?

But just before he’d ask Elga if this was the right person, said person spoke. That voice was familiar, and it took a little longer of hearing him speak (and hearing his rough vocabulary) to remember who it was.

“Andy!?” This, he did not expect; how could he anticipate meeting Andy like this? It was already sheer chance that they met the first time around, but this time? Had to be one in a million!

…

Hideo’s smile didn’t falter. If this was gonna be his first date, then so be it! He was gonna do his darndest to make this a good one! Didn’t matter who it was with!

Though it wouldn’t hurt to be honest; Andy sounded (and acted) older than him, so he might have some more experience with dating (other than the woman 3x his age). “Nope! My first one! I was a little busy, so I got in late for this speed dating stuff.”

There was a good chance that Andy wasn’t sure where to take him; he had enough mentors struggle with what to do with a blind kid. Maybe he could use a suggestion. “Know any karaoke places around here we can go to? I’m not that familiar with Fortree. Only ever been in Slateport, so I dunno where things are around here.”

Andy Blackadder

“Don’t matter if you can sing or not! Just matters if you give it your all and have fun doing it!” Because that’s what a date was about, right? Having fun? He wasn’t too sure; what he was taught about dates (from his NEET sister) was they were basically fun hangouts with people you like, where you got to know them better.

Fortunately, Andy sounded like he was all for it. Even found a place for them to go to. “Sounds like a plan to me! We can get a meal and music!” The two vital components to a date - so he was told. “You can lead the way. Elga and I can follow you there...unless you want to guide me there yourself?”

Hideo outstretched his hand towards Andy, trying his darndest not to snicker - and failed pretty badly. Andy wouldn’t have to lead him by the hand if he didn’t want to - Hideo could just hold on to Elga’s hand on the way there.

The karaoke venue itself was a modest setup; a bar area where people could order sushi (or drinks), a few tables for people to sit at, and a large area for the karaoke setup. The entire place would be fairly dim, save for the neon light bathing the area. There was a gaggle of people already there, but there was plenty of space for the pair (and Pokemon) to take; Hideo would follow his lead for where they’d sit.

And no sooner would they sit down, would one of the employees announce that they were open for singing.

“I can sing first, if you want. Not to brag, but I can sing some stuff preeeeeetty well!”

He was totally bragging.

Andy Blackadder

“Anything magikarp’s good with me!” He was down for just about any type of sushi - it was a rare occasion for him to have any. His parents weren’t too keen on him eating uncooked food of any kind, so he was ready to indulge.

“Just make sure there’s some left for me when I’m done~” he added, standing up from his seat. It would take him a little while to reach the karaoke stand; he had to be more careful indoors, tapping around with his cane to make sure he didn’t trip over anything. And Elga still followed him over, doing his best to guide Hideo along as well as move things out of the way for him.

He’d eventually find the stage - and with some help from Elga, the karaoke stand. The little psychic-type levitated himself on top of the boy’s shoulder, helping him search for a good song.

After a moment, they found it. With the confirmation made, Elga descended off the boy, taking a seat at a nearby empty table.

The lyrics would start almost immediately, paired with jazzy instrumentation. “♪Open the curtains, lights on, don’t miss a moment of this experiment. Oh the book is strange, like Clockwork Orange. Keep your eyes buttered ‘till the eeeeeend~♫”

The song kept to a quick pace, with few breaks to breathe. The singing was near-constant, yet Hideo was able to nail every word, keeping to every note. There was a screen for people to read to help with the singing, but for obvious reasons, Hideo couldn’t use it - and he didn’t need to; he knew this song very well; the pitch of his voice matched it almost perfectly, though several of the lyrics made it clear it was supposed to be a girl singing.

The song went on for nearly three minutes, ending on a soft note. “♫What’s the colour of the electric sheep you see? And if you love me, can you love your everything too for meeeee?♪”

It earned a round of applause from the other restaurant goers. Hideo put the mike back on its stand, a large smile on his face as he giggled; a flawless execution. Elga re-approached him, guiding him back to his chair with Andy. “You don’t gotta go immediately, but I do wanna hear you try it. As long as you give it your all, people’ll love it!”

Andy Blackadder

Hideo smiled at what he believed was a compliment muffled by sushi. “Glad you liked it!” he said, searching around for some of the sushi - and needing to be psychically-guided by Elga to find the plate.

Hideo took one piece and shoved it in his mouth, without dipping in sauce first, just in time for Andy to ask him where the song was from. He’d long-since mastered the art of eating and talking at the same time, so speaking wasn’t an issue for him.

“I don’t really know where it’s from, to be honest. I hear it sometimes when my sister’s playing some games, or just when she listens to it for fun. She thought it’d be a good idea to teach me how to sing it, and well, I liked the song too.”

Another piece of sushi lifted off the plate, this one enveloped by psychic energy. It floated down to Elga, who eagerly placed it where his mouth should be. The piece disappeared almost instantly as it was just pushed into his face, without a single stray piece of rice remaining.

“It’s got some funny words and phrases to it, but it’s really catchy. I’m pretty surprised that it was on the list here; no karaoke places I’ve been to in Slateport had it. Or maybe it’s just something they added recently.” He shrugged, taking another piece of sushi and jamming it in his mouth.

He grinned when Andy tried to downplay his own ability. “Well, the only way to know is to find out. Give it a try, Andy~. I’m sure you’ll like it, and so will everyone else! Just give it your best shot!”

Andy Blackadder