“Hello everyone! This is the first episode of Hideo’s House Podcast! Starring me, Hideo, and all the Pokemon I’ve caught! I’m trying this out to see if I like podcasting. I’m a big fan of Zac Ramsay ‘s podcasts, and I wish I could go to the same places he does, but I’m not really allowed to go out and do that kind of stuff. So I gotta do it here.”

“I guess I’ll start with the first Pokemon I ever got. Rocky here’s a Lycanroc Dusk - the rarest kind. I got him as a Rockruff five years ago. Say hello, Rocky!”

“Lycanroc!”

“He’s my favorite Pokemon! He’s always ready to help me and he’s always keeping an eye out for me! And it’s crazy how good he is at finding stuff; he could find me miles away, or even lead me home if I’m out of town. And he’s a really strong Pokemon! He’s smaller than me, but I can ride on top of him, and when he gets into a fight? He hasn’t lost a single one yet!”

“But, uh...he can get a bit angry sometimes. Especially when something tries to hurt me. Like one time, when I nearly got crushed by a Bronzong. I got saved by another trainer I was with, but Rocky was mad. He went for a Diglett and just started shaking it like a chew toy. I had to put it in a Pokeball to save it, then-”

It’s clear he wants to continue the story, but Rocky plants his head directly in the boy’s chest - not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him pause.

“Hm. Guess he wants to get some scratchies. Always liked that since he was a Rockruff, but no surprise with all that fur! I can bury my hand in it!”

He proves his theory by digging his hand into the Pokemon’s mane - and sure enough, his hand is completely engulfed by white fur.

“That’s not the only habit he’s gotten from since then! He still likes to sleep on my bed with me! It gets a little warm on there...especially now that he’s competing with some other Pokemon I got.”

Rocky glares at him. Hideo doesn’t even look towards him, but he does grin.

“Mom and Dad say if I want an air conditioner ‘cause of that, I gotta buy it myself.”

“Hello everyone! This is episode two of Hideo’s House Podcast! I’m still Hideo, and I’m still gonna show off the Pokemon I caught! Or got. Rocky was a gift for my sixth birthday.”

“Up next is Pom! She’s an Ambipom, though I got her when she was still an Aipom. She was also a gift; my oldest brother got her for me on my eight birthday. Which was kinda funny ‘cause I got another Pokemon from my oldest sister, and neither knew the other got me one, so-”

The Ambipom emerges from behind a chair, quietly sneaking up on the boy.

“-that was a pretty fun birthday! But I won’t get sidetracked anymore. Say hello, P-”

Having snuck up on him successfully, Pom pushes one of her tail-hands against his cheek, interrupting him. There’s enough force that it pushes his head, but lightly enough that it doesn’t hurt him.

“...yup, there she is.”

The Ambipom is snickering, retracting her tail. She says, “Ambipom!” as she walks in front of Hideo, sitting on his lap.

“Oof, she’s gotten heavy! She used to sit on my shoulders all the time when she was smaller, but now she just walks next to me. She’s really handy!”

He grins, trying not to crack up at his own joke. Pom doesn’t show the same restraint, snickering.

“She’s great for grabbing stuff I need. I just ask her for something, and she gets it for me. She can tell a lot of stuff apart too...though she’s got a habit of grabbing stuff she shouldn’t. Like this one time I was chilling at the park, and I thought she was with me, but she went off and grabbed some guy’s hat. Then he followed her and found me, and-”

As he recounts his first meeting with John Sullivan , Pom grabs the camera with one of her tail-hands, lifting it up above her. Hideo is completely unaware, still facing and talking towards where the camera had been.

“Now we go out and do stuff. He’s been one of the best mentors I’ve had, so I guess it worked out. Even after I nearly paralyzed him.”

Pom moves the camera right up to his nose, careful not to touch him.

“I gotta be more careful when petting Joltiks. I don’t wanna shock someone like that again.”

"Hey everyone! It's Hideo again, back with Hideo's House Podcast! I'm gonna be doing a lot of these real soon 'cause Rocket's causing trouble again and my parents don't like me being out much right now, so I got a lot of time to show off my Pokemon."

"So the next Pokemon I'm gonna show is Elga. He's my Beheeyem, though if you can't already tell from his name, I got him as an Elgyem when I was eight. Say hello, Elga!"

The Beheyeem stares straight into the camera, his expression indiscernible. It takes him a second before he raises an arm, waving it from side to side in an uncomfortable manner, like someone turning the arm of an action figure.

"I got him the same time as I got Pom. My biggest sister got him for me. She thought a psychic-type would be really helpful for me, and she's right! He's able to read stuff for me, and he's got something called...uh...telephony? Testimony?"

Two of the buttons on the Beheeyem's left hand light up, one after the other.

"Telepathy! Thanks for that, Elga!" Hideo reaches his hand out towards Elga, and his hand would have touched air had the Pokemon not moved his head in its path. "He's Telepathic, so he's able to talk to me…though it's kinda not like talking to me?"

Hideo rubs the Beheeyem's oddly-shaped head. The Pokemon’s expression does not change, but he doesn't pull his head away.

"For me, it's like the things he tells me are just ideas that pop up in my head, or things tempting me to do something, or sudden feelings. Like with that, it wasn't him suddenly telling me the word; it's like I just remembered the right word. Or if it's something like I enter a room I've never been in before, suddenly I know where everything is relative to me. It's kinda like that sense that tells you where your body is relative to itself. What's that term, Elga?"

A few more hand-buttons light up on the Beheeyem's hand.

"Right, kinesthesia. It was really disorienting and confusing at first, but now it's something that’s second-nature to me. If it's something that's real sudden, I can tell it's from him. But sometimes, it can get a little tricky telling if it's something I realized on my own or something he told me, so I just thank him if I can't immediately tell."

"I dunno why he does it like that. I hear other telepathic Pokemon can do that stuff more clearly, with words. Whenever Elga does Telepathy with other people, they say it works the same way it does for me. So maybe Elgyems and Beheeyems do it in a more personal way, like they're sharing their feelings and perceptions instead of just telling us and letting us make mistakes filtering it through our own perception of things?"

There's a brief pause as Hideo seems confused by his own speech - and attentive viewers might have noticed Elga's hand lights blinking during that little revelation.

"...I dunno. Maybe Elga just likes to do things differently."

"Hey guys, Hideo back with Hideo's House Podcast! Gonna start this one with a question someone asked about my last episode. They wanted to know why I need Elga to read for me - and that's because I'm totally blind! I haven't been able to see anything since I was born, so all the Pokemon I got as gifts were meant to be like support Pokemon. Rocky guides me around places and protects me, Pom is great at grabbing stuff for me, and Elga helps me read and can kinda tell me where stuff is as if I already knew where they were."

The thin, long legs of an Ariados can be seen poking Hideo's arm, the distinct "Riiiiii!" cry easy to hear.

"All right, enough talking about that. The Pokemon I'm gonna show off today is Squeeze. While all the other Pokemon I showed were gifts, Squeeze here's the first one I ever caught on my own! Come on up, Squeeze."

The large spider eagerly climbs onto his chair, planting her body right on his lap. While she positions her legs so the chair is supporting most of her weight, Hideo winces in discomfort.

"Oof! It was a lot easier to hold her when she was a Spinarak! Gave her the name Squeeze 'cause she'd literally hold onto me the moment I'd let her out of her ball. She still kinda wants to, so we compromised now that she weighs more than me; she only totally clings to me if I'm lying down."

Squeeze wraps a couple or her legs around the boy's neck, pressing her head against his chest.

"Catching her was a little funny. I went to the forest to catch a Pokemon - like a lot of kids do for their first catch. She just ran up to me, and I thought she wanted to fight, so I got Rocky ready. But she just...clung to me. I was kinda freaked out 'cause you don't want wild Pokemon coming out of nowhere and grabbing you, but I had my sister with me at the time and she said Squeeze looked terrified."

Squeeze looks up at the boy's face, slightly teary-eyed.

"She didn't try to hurt me or anything, so I just tried talking to her. Of course, I don't understand Pokespeak, but when I asked if she wanted to come with me, she just clung harder. It didn't sound like she struggled at all when I tapped her with the Pokeball. A little anticlimactic, but I was super happy about my first catch."

Squeeze smiles (as best she can), pushing her face against his chest once more.

"She earned her name pretty quick. She knows when she shouldn't be holding me, like when we gotta battle, but she does like to hold on a little too long...she almost suffocated me in my sleep the night after she evolved. Really had to set the ground rules after that."

"Welcome back to Hideo's House Podcast!"

It's immediately apparent what Pokemon he's going to show off this time; a small, pink Ribombee is sitting on Hideo's head, the boy's hair wrapped around the Ribombee's body like a blanket.

"No special story to start this off today, so I got a new Pokemon to show you all: say hello to everyone, Pinky!"

The Ribombee waves to the camera, letting out his signature "Ribombee!" cry.

"I call this little guy Pinky...which isn't as obvious as it sounds. I gave him that name when he was still a Cutiefly. But he wasn't pink back then - at least, that's what everyone told me. I called him that because he could fit on my pinky finger."

Hideo raises his pinky finger to emphasize this. Pinky lacks fingers, but raises a hand to imitate him.

"But then, how come he went from normal to shiny? I think it's 'cause I had him taking care of a berry garden I have for a while. He can gather honey and stuff, so he was able to help them grow. But I think he may have eaten some of them. And you aren't supposed to eat a bunch of berries that aren't fully grown or they do funky stuff to you."

Pinky just shrugs, a relaxed smile on his face. He clearly doesn't care what his eating habits did to him.

"So his nickname ended up being right. And he's still pretty small; most Ribombees are supposed to be 20 centimeters tall, but he's only 10. Too big to fit on any of my fingers, but can still fit on my head. As you can all probably see."

Before Hideo can continue, there's a knock on his door. He pauses, moving off his chair and off camera, though viewers can still hear him talking to someone - a teen girl teasing about his podcast before offering him a drink. He accepts, before heading back on camera, a glass of orange juice in hand.

"Sorry about that." He takes a sip before placing the drink on his desk. "My sister wanted to know if I wanted a drink. Anyways, I should talk about how I found him."

Pinky looks down at the drink, his wings buzzing quickly as he floats off his trainer's head - and towards the orange juice.

"The weird thing is I don't really remember how I got him. I think I found him in some kind of field with a bunch of other bug Pokemon, but my memory's really hazy. Don't know how I would've even gotten there; I've never been in a field like that by myself. And then I remember being in the woods? Then the city? Might have been a weird dream, but I definitely had a Pokeball with Pinky in it by the end of it all."

Throughout Hideo's little speech, Pinky reached his drink. Using his hands to stabilize himself, Pinky starts drinking it, going at it the entire time Hideo is speaking. Only once Hideo finishes does Pinky stop, floating away with content expression on his face.

Hideo goes to take a sip - initially not tipping the glass far enough to get any. "I thought there was more in this," he muses, completely unaware of what Pinky just did.

The engorged Ribombee returns to his trainer's head, once again wrapping the boy's hair around his body - but this time, he lies on his side, closing his eyes as he smiles.

For a change, this episode takes place outside rather than indoors. From the fencing, it can be easy to deduce this is taking place in a backyard. The viewpoint is at an awkward angle - he had trouble finding a good spot to record from.

“Hey everyone! Hideo here again!” The audio quality isn’t as good, though he still possesses the same enthusiasm as the other episodes. “You’re all probably wondering why I’m outside this time. Well, the Pokemon I got this time is a big one, and my parents don’t like him walking inside the house. And to be fair, he doesn’t fit too well, but there’s more than enough space out here! So come on over here, Aaron!”

From out of shot comes a shiny Aggron, which easily towers over the boy. Its steps are audible even on dirt. It stops right behind Hideo, placing a palm on Hideo’s head - harmlessly, of course. The angle of the camera makes it difficult to see the Aggronite on its neck.

“I’ve had Aaron here since he was an Aron. Even back then, he was heavier than I was! He couldn’t sit on my shoulder like a lot of my small Pokemon could, but he still likes playing with my hair! ‘Course, he does it a lot more now that he can reach it!”

The Aggron ruffles his hair.

“Kinda like that. He can be pretty gentle for a big guy. Of course, he’s also really tough! I’ve been told he looks like he’s made of steel, and he’s as tough as steel! This guy’s taken attacks from super-strong Pokemon without complaining.”

The Aggron ruffles his hair once more, though it averts its gaze from the camera.

“And just when he needs to get tougher, he can Mega Evolve! That stone around his neck is Aggronite! It’s the first Mega Stone that I got, and it’s perfect for him! He can tank a lot of hurt, and he can do a lot in turn! In fact, why don’t I show it to you all?”

Hideo procures a Mega Bracelet out of his pocket, placing it on his left wrist. He presses it against his chest, the stone in his bracelet glowing - and a light emerges from the somewhat-concealed Aggronite. The latter envelops the Aggron, the Pokemon’s body morphing: much of his metal-like carapace grows longer and pointier, even his claws growing slightly.

The light disappeared, with the Mega Evolved Aggron there for all to see.

“He’s even bigger when he’s like this! And tougher too! He doesn’t get any new moves, but he doesn’t need any! He’s probably the toughest Pokemon I got, and he’s never lost-”

The sound of a door opening interrupts him. A voice yells at him, telling him he’s not allowed to Mega Evolve at him - an adult’s voice. Hideo’s stunned for a moment, before trying to protest that he’s doing it for a podcast. The voice doesn’t accept it, telling him to end it right now or he’ll be grounded.

A defeated-looking Hideo sighs, the Aggron awkwardly watching before a light envelops it, its form returning to what it was before. Hideo walks over to the camera, the podcast ending as he reaches to the camera, visibly frustrated.

This episode once again takes place indoors. Hideo's finishing up cleaning his room, a blue Gardevoir adjusting his camera so it's placed just right. When the boy finishes he walks over to his chair, taking a seat as he reaches for the camera - until he suddenly stops.

"Oh, she already started it- Hello everyone! Hideo here again with another episode of Hideo's House Podcast! Doing this one inside since this Pokemon is person-sized. Say hello to Dancer, everyone!"

The Gardevoir waves to the camera. Though Hideo's sitting down, the Gardevoir is clearly taller than he is - and is spending more time keeping an eye on him than the camera.

"I got Dancer when she was a Kirlia, which is how she got the name! She was dancing to a song I was singing, and she wanted to stick around, so I kept her! And now she's a Gardevoir, but she kept the nickname, 'cause who'd change a nickname just because they evolve? And she can still dance so there's that."

The Gardevoir pats him on the head, earning a small blush from the boy.

"She's really good at helping me do stuff. Almost as good as Elga! She's got Telepathy just like him, though I hear Gardevoirs are really helpful in general; a lot of people got them as support Pokemon, and I can tell why!"

The Gardevoir nods, offering a thumbs-up - or at least attempting to with her small digits.

"I almost never have nightmares when she's around! She's got Dream Eater, so she just eats any bad dreams I have. I feel a little tired afterwards, but it's better than having bad sleep. Oh, and she can Mega Evolve too, though I can't show you guys that here."

A voice can be heard, though it's indistinct. It's clear that Hideo heard it, as he shouts back towards it, before turning back to his Gardevoir.

"Mind getting some for us, Dancer?"

The Gardevoir nods, exiting the room. There's a slight pause form Hideo before he faces the camera once more.

"She's really great. She's almost as good as Elga, and she hasn't been with me for nearly as long as he has. She does a lot without me telling her to, like using attacks or getting me things she thinks I need, or telling me where stuff is when I already know where they are…and she doesn't always tell me what she's doing, so it can get hard to tell what's going on."

His expression mellows out, and he's looking slightly away from the camera.

"She's…gotten into arguments with some of my other Pokemon. At least, I think they're arguing; I can't really understand what they say. I get that she's just trying to help, but sometimes it can feel almost…overbearing."

Hideo tries to maintain his look of joy, but a hint of frustration can be seen on his face. He lets out a sigh.

"Sometimes, it feels like I'm dealing with my parents."

There's another pause, before he reaches for the camera, muttering about if he could ask his sister to edit that part out.

"Here's another episode of Hideo's House Podcast! Starring me, Hideo!"

"And me, Nosey!"

A yellow Rotomdex is floating beside Hideo, the happy expression on its screen matching Hideo's.

"If it isn't obvious already, today's episode is about Nosey! It's a Rotom, and I got a Rotomdex for it to occupy. Rotomdexes are pretty much the thing to have if you want to be a trainer!"

"Waaay cooler than a normie Pokedex~" The smug expression on the Rotomdex's screen is hard to miss. It even has one of its "hands" over its mouth.

"Yup! They can't talk on their own, but when they possess something like a Pokedex or a phone, they can talk like we can. It's kinda weird that they gotta do it that way, but I'll take what I can get."

"'cuz our bodies can't say much other than 'Rotom', but these things got the full range of sound! It's why some ghost-types possess people - so they can be understood."

"But you can't possess people, can you?" The smug expression on Hideo's face is contrasted by the Rotomdex's annoyed expression. "But yeah, it's great to actually understand a Pokemon! Even Elga's Telepathy is tricky to understand. Wish I could understand all Pokemon, but this'll work for me. Dunno why you can't translate for me though."

"That's cause Pokespeak is really nuanced, and these receivers aren't built to catch that."

"Wait, so can't you just jump in and out to translate for me?"

"Nope! That's too much work!"

It's Hideo's turn to have the annoyed expression, with the Rotomdex owning the smug one.

"Well whatever. That Rotomdex wasn't cheap, so I'm gonna get my money's worth out of it. You guys are probably wondering why I got a Rotomdex…and, well…"

There's a moment of deliberation and silence, before Hideo looks up towards the camera - at least, as close as he could guess

"Truth be told…by the time this podcast is up, I'm not gonna be home anymore. 'cause I'm gonna go on my trainer journey! Going around Hoenn, catching Pokemon, getting badges, having adventures, and all that. The stuff I've always wanted to do. The stuff I should have been doing a while ago. My parents always got some excuse for why they won't let me, but I've had enough. I already got stuff planned out for it, buuuuut that's a secret. They don't even know I got a Rotomdex."

Hideo adopts a mild expression - happy, yet a hint of sadness to it.

"I'm ready. I know it. Anything I might have trouble with, I can get my Pokemon to help with. And my friends."

"You got me to help talk you through battles~"

"Yeah, and if you get lazy about that again, John Sullivan is gonna kick your butt."

There's a brief moment before a look of terror appears on the Rotomdex's screen, Hideo once again reclaiming the smug.

The last time he'd been in Slateport, it was to leave a letter for his parents. A way to let them know he was still doing alright, if they hadn't already heard of his progress secondhand. He had no idea what their reaction was to it - were they happy to hear from him in some way? Were they upset that it was all he'd left them? Did they even read it?

Hideo was once more going to his house, once more carrying something to give to his parents. Two things, to be exact: one was a Letter of Recommendation given to him by Melody Miro . The other they were papers, ones that indicated his intent to become a Gym Leader.

One that he needed them to sign. John Sullivan had been the one to inform him they'd have to sign on account of his age a while ago, but it took until now to build up the determination to meet them face to face again.

He would've preferred not to have to do this. Talking to his parents was one of the last things he wanted to do. He would've even been willing to forge those signatures, Eris Halla having offered to help him with that front, but the moment his parents revealed that, he'd be screwed, potentially even banned from participating in any part of the Gym Circuit.

And once he was a Gym Leader, his parents would know where he was. Confrontation was inevitable, and he was better off doing it on his own terms.

He could feel each footstep as he got closer and closer to his house, the echo of each step resonating in his ears. The sound of his Beheeyem's footsteps were right behind him, but he only paid attention to his own. He didn't need Elga to guide him to his house - he knew the way there even after all these years - but it was comforting to have such a familiar Pokemon backing him up.

As he grew closer and closer to his house, his senses felt more acute: his footsteps grew louder, and he could gradually feel his heart beat harder and harder. His breathing grew more rapid, sweat beginning to grow on his brow. Doubt entered his mind, and he began to wonder if he should even do this - if he really wanted to be a Gym Leader that badly.

He pushed forward; it was too late for this kind of doubt.

His steps only stopped once he'd reached his house. He reached into his pocket, taking out his house key. It was the first time he'd use his key since he left home, and this was the heaviest it had ever been. His hand trembled as he tried bringing it up to the lock, and for a moment, he had trouble finding it.

But a gentle force surrounding his hand helped guide him along, that anxiety running through him gradually washing away. He didn't have to speak his appreciation, merely nodding as he felt the key enter the lock. Slowly, he turned it, feeling the door open.

Gently, he pushed the door, walking inside his house for the first time in almost two years. He slowly walked in, his Beheeyem following behind. Once he knew his partner was in, he closed the door, already hearing footsteps approaching from inside the house.

Shakily, he spoke.

"Mom? Dad? It's me."

Hideo walked out the door, his shoes once again touching pavement. He sobbed, his face red as he wiped away his tears once more with his free hand.

That couldn't have gone any worse. He knew it was going to be a difficult talk, but he hadn't expected it to bomb so badly. Of course they wouldn't want him to be a Gym Leader - they didn't even want him leaving the house after how long he'd been gone for, and with how many disasters had been hitting Hoenn. They just didn't care what he'd achieved, only telling him how worried sick they were since he'd left.

With his other hand, he held the paperwork he brought with him. Fully intact, the only crumpling from how tightly he was holding it to his body.

His Mother's and Father's signatures, right where they needed to be.

He could hear a set of footsteps approaching from the door, recognizing them quickly. He stood there, quietly sobbing as he felt a hand on his shoulder, fingers grasping him.

"Are…they're gonna be ok?" Hideo asked between choked sobs. "Th-they aren't being hurt by it?"

The hand grasping his shoulder moved to his head, ruffling his hair. It did little to comfort him from what he just let happen - what he did to get those signatures. What he did to make sure his parents wouldn't force him to stay home, so they wouldn't follow him to where he planned to set up his Gym.

He didn't even plan to do it. He really did want to convince them with just his words, futile as it may be. What he did left him nauseous - it made him feel worse than Rocket. He would've cursed anyone else out for making their Pokemon force someone to do something - morseso using them to alter someone's mind.

Yet his Shadow Alakazam did just that for him. He didn't even order it; the thought had passed his mind, and he'd been tempted - and that's all it took. And once it was done, there was no going back.

He heard another set of footsteps exiting the house, this one closing the door on the way out. "They're gonna be ok, right?" Hideo asked once more, "It-it didn't hurt their minds or anything?"

There was a brief delay before he got an answer, the Beheeyem looking at the door, then the Alakazam, then to Hideo.

The confirmation didn't make Hideo feel any better - but it didn't make him feel any worse. "Good…"

Hideo stood there for a good bit of time, holding the papers close to him. It was only once his Beheeyem patted him on the back that he broke from his self-loathing. "I…I guess I got it now," he said, trying to muster some amount of satisfaction.

But nothing came.

His Beheeyem passed a thought into his mind - he had what he wanted, so he could hand in the paperwork. "I…I don't feel too good," Hideo muttered. "I just wanna get out of here."

Both his Beheeyem and Alakazam nodded. Hideo just wanted to get away here as soon as he could. Maybe some time away would give him time to settle down a bit. It'd be an easy departure, his Alakazam more than capable of Teleporting them away.

He took out his phone, typing out a message for Melody Miro and sending it to her.

Staying with friend tonight. Will pop in tomorrow.

He decided it'd be best to stay at his camp for now; he didn't want to be around anyone at the moment.

He didn't have to hand in the paperwork immediately. He had what he needed.

It hurt today.

Tomorrow, he'd be going his way.