It was only a flash, for just a second, but when Aaron Toral mentioned that he didn't have to win, Hideo grit his teeth. But he caught himself, simply exhaling through his nose as he relaxed.

"Well I can't just stop at getting badges," he insisted with a smile, "I told Andy this already, but I do want to become Champion, so if I wanna reach that, I gotta win."

At the mention of Aaron's brother - and Aaron's request - Hideo let out a small laugh. "Well, I wouldn't really want to crush someone. But I wouldn't just let him win either." If they were both doing the circuit, it was likely they were going to meet one way or another. "I'll keep an ear out for any other Torals."

That mention of his brother being weak did bother Hideo a bit, but he only showed it with his smile shrinking a little.

A smile that raised back up at the mention of food. "I guess I could go for a bite!" he exclaimed, trying to push away his bad mood. "I don't have any preferences. Pretty much anything sounds good to me!"  His camp Pokemon were more than capable of eating for themselves.

His mouth opened a little when he heard just how developed Andy's camp was. "Well dang, I didn't know you knew how to make a cabin and a kitchen! All I got is a tent and a campfire." He was honestly a bit envious of how Andy's setup sounded.

Hideo felt a large hand under his, only just then realizing he was gripping the seed bag. "Oh, right, sorry," he said, tearing the bag open and depositing them in his Zarude's hand. The Zarude grinned, his tail brushing against Hideo's face as it turned back towards the hole it made, carefully laying the seeds.

Hideo could hear the sound of the Rotomdex scanning. It was a subtle noise, probably imperceptible to Andy and Aaron, but Hideo could recognize it from hearing his own so many times. "Careful..." Hideo muttered, hoping Vines wouldn't notice

Vines noticed.

Its movement was quick, even as it was covering the seeds with soil. It glanced back for just a moment, catching sight of the Rotomdex with a momentary glare. Its tail moved even faster, going right for the Rotomdex. It wouldn't be a damaging strike - more of a shove, to push the Rotomdex back through the air a dozen meters or so.

Andy Blackadder , Aaron Toral

“Well, I can’t let a cheerleader down~” Hideo joked. Not that a cheerleader’s outfit would get his attention, but it still got a snort out of him. He nodded along as Aaron Toral detailed his brother’s main Pokemon - and how it would lose despite a type advantage. “Maybe that’s something he could work on. I could give him some pointers if I ever meet him.”

Hideo didn’t need to be told what happened when he heard the Rotomdex scream, flying away and upwards. He could at least be thankful that Vines only pushed it in the air this time; it took some time to clean up his own Rotomdex after its shovening. Unfortunately, he could also hear the Shadow Claws gather around his Zarude; guess Andy’s Pokemon didn’t take kindly to that.

The Zarude certainly took notice to the Shadow Claws, and...was focused more on returning to setting the dirt over the seeds. It did give Andy Blackadder a look as the boy talked, but once he was done, it was back to botany - moreso once it was free again.

“Sorry about that,” Hideo half-muttered, his cheeks reddening. He did warn them, but it was still embarrassing witnessing his Zarude do that. “I’ll try to get them under control sooner rather than later.” How he’d do that, was a question he didn't have the answer to.  Yet.

Maybe he could think it over some food. “Yeah, let’s go in. As long as no Rotomdexes get near Vines, he shouldn’t have an outburst like that again.” He’d just have to remember where he heard Aaron go and-

He felt his Zarude’s hand on his, gently guiding him towards somewhere - the cabin. “O-oh, you’re done?” Hideo asked, receiving a grunt that he assumed was confirmation. He was tense, afraid his Zarude was going to haul him under-arm again, but this time was much more gentle. Its hand didn’t even feel dirty.

Hideo realized where it led him when he felt the cabin itself. “Thanks for that, Vines,” he said. Hideo entered the cabin, but his Zarude remained outside.

Wouldn’t be long until the food was ready - something Hideo could smell before Aaron announced it. He could pick apart some ingredients just by scent; meat, rice, starch (noodles?), and some kind of sauce. “I’m gonna guess...stir-fry? With rice?”

Once he got his plate (hopefully served to him), it wouldn't take long for him to poke and prod at the dish to find out he was right, a grin on his face. “I can eat it here, but either of you mind putting a plate out for Vines?” he asked. “They prefer doing stuff outside.”

Andy Blackadder , Aaron Toral

With the ingredients discerned, Hideo went at his dish, taking his time with his meal. It was only then that he came to realize Andy, Aaron, and himself weren’t the only ones here, although most of their fellow occupants he completely missed; he could hear what he could only assume was Andy’s Gengar inside here, and he recognized the squishy footsteps of that Banette immediately.

His hand reached out to pet the Banette on the head, his dominant hand focused on his food. He could eat one-handed easily enough; he had enough practice with his own Pokemon.

The Heatran wasn’t the only legendary peering through the window.

Not because Vines couldn’t fit; they just preferred staying outside.

“Yeah, Andy right,” Hideo added, swallowing what he had in his mouth. “I was out in Slateport looking to catch some Pokemon, and I ended up meeting Andy. We talked, caught some Pokemon, I nearly got crushed by a Bronzong.” He spoke it so casually, like it wasn’t a big deal he almost got seriously injured.

“We hung out a few times after that. Saved each other a couple times, and eventually I mentioned I wanted to dance. And Andy knew had to dance, so he started teaching me some every week.” Something regular that let him leave Slateport with his parents’ permission, and he kind of enjoyed it - even if the first time, he had an emotional outburst.

And a nice chocolate tart recipe.

“Until I left home to do gyms, that is. Pretty sure my parents would find me if I was still going there every week.”

Andy Blackadder , Aaron Toral

Hideo's utensil dropped as, once again, an argument broke out between Aaron Toral and Andy Blackadder , Hideo only getting in a sigh. These two really weren't compatible, were they? He could tell he’d have to interject to keep things from escalating.

"Guys? Do we really have to argue during dinner?" Hideo half-shouted - an attempt to get them to stop, even for a moment.

Honestly, Hideo couldn't remember what Andy said to him first either. If it had been something aggressive, he must've just let it bounce off because he definitely didn't have anything against Andy. Best he could remember was being saved. He definitely would have been less friendly if the first thing he'd heard was something either of these two were saying to each other.

But he could definitely tell the difference in their situations: Hideo and Andy worked together when they first met.  This first impression was a lot messier, the two insulting each other intentionally or not.

First, he looked towards Aaron. "Aaron, just...just say sorry, alright." He had to be careful not to insult either of them as he spoke. "Saying that stuff to him before wasn't nice, but you didn't mean to be that rude, so just say sorry. And you have to mean it."

Hideo then turned to Andy - he wasn't getting out of this either. "And you don't need to keep insulting him, Andy. That's not going to make things get any better; it's just gonna make you both pissed off even more."

He knew it wasn’t going to make the two friends, but it had to be said. He didn’t know too much about Aaron, but he knew Andy could get a bit bullheaded when he got mad.

Andy Blackadder , Aaron Toral

There were some battles that you had to hold out fighting.

There were others that you just had to fold on.

And Hideo could tell that this was looking like the latter, with neither boy willing to back down. His own efforts didn't seem to get either to budge, even if they got things to last as long as they did.

Hideo couldn't resist raising an eyebrow over Aaron's worry over him. It wasn't the first time he'd ever been to this camp. And its denizens seemed pretty comfortable with him being here, with Andy letting him plant seeds here and the Banette still underneath his hand. "I think I'll be fine here," he said, giving the Banette an affectionate head-scratch.

But for the rest of the argument between the two, Hideo chose to sit out for, continuing with his meal as the others traded insults. It reminded him of some times when was younger, hearing his oldest brother and oldest sister just go at it with each other, with Aaron still poking Andy's sore spot with Rocket while Andy continued his varied methods of calling Aaron a shithead.

He hadn't even caught on that Andy waited before eating. Then again, how could he? Though that definitely gave him a good idea of the level of distrust between these two.

Best he could do was not exacerbate the situation any further, closed eyelids concealing rolling eyes when Andy mentioned Aaron not letting shit go. He still remembered how Andy described his dislike of the Silphs.

The argument came to a halt as Aaron went to clean off the kitchenware. Hideo was still eating, albeit at a slowed pace, his own appetite slowed by the argument. "I hope you have a good night too, Aaron," Hideo said as the other boy left.

Hideo chose to stay where he was. For now, anyways. He'd remain silent until he believed Aaron was a decent distance away, going by the sound of footsteps.  His Zarude broke away from the window for a moment to watch Aaron, but was soon back to watching over Hideo.

"...well that could've gone better," Hideo said, still chewing a piece of meat. "You really think he'd try to poison us?"

Andy Blackadder , Aaron Toral