“Yeah, yeah.” He knew he couldn’t afford any half-steps with this plan. He had to make sure he had a place to stay that nobody else knew about, make sure he had the proper supplies, make sure he had the ability to adapt to any sudden needs. And that would include a way to disguise himself if he could do something that drew attention.

Maybe a few disguises. Something simple if he just wanted to stay low-profile, something more intricate if he was gonna do something higher profile.

But that was something he could work on after the tournament. He had to keep his head on his battles, lest he get distracted and make a mistake. “Thanks, Andy,” Hideo said, “For the good luck and the advice.” Even if their talk didn’t 100% instill confidence in Hideo, he was grateful for the advice. Better to get it in his head now before he had to learn it on the run.

He chuckled at the mention of him being less than a golden child. Honestly, Andy was one of the only people that he didn’t feel like he had to be perfect around. Though he could say that about most of the other kids in their little group. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, carefully carrying the tray-stacked-tray over to a trash can and promptly dumping its contents. “And good luck getting matches! We’re gonna have our match one day or another!”

And with that, he was off to retrieve his Pokemon. And go out and battle until he had to return here again.

Andy Blackadder