Hideo knew it was Eris - that voice, the way she spoke, the way she acted was all definitely her. But his Beheeyem was still telling him she looked a lot different. Why she was, he didn’t know, but he followed along anyways, careful in his steps.

“Sounds like you’ve put a lot of work into this place,” he commented, “Guess we’re all making our own little places hidden away~” Even he’d been working on his own little place, in a completely different forest, beyond the camp he already had.

“But I gotta ask: what’re heading there for?” He’d accepted the invitation without question, but he did have to wonder what she wanted to talk about. Or do. “And what’d you get all dressed up for? Elga can barely recognize you.”

Eris Halla

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Hideo’s mouth opened in awe. “You’re a gym leader?! Since when?!” He didn’t even know someone could be a gym leader this young (not that he thought that neither of them could handle it). “Sounds like you got a pretty neat challenge set up! I’d probably be hopeless at it, even with Elga’s help.” Walking through a forest was easy when he knew where he was going or had a guide - he’d be out of luck if his guide was just as lost as he was.

As for the flowers, Hideo nodded. “Yeah, those flowers with crystals in them? I got some Pokemon that can make them appear, though they’ve been having trouble doing it lately. They also glow when they use certain moves?” That one wasn’t very easy to confirm. “I hear they’re really pretty. Cool that you got a whole garden of them!”

Or had one, if so few still remained.

“Oh, gotcha.” He could take a guess at why she’d want a backup identity, if she ever needed to distance herself from Rocket. Or just to hide from the more hawkish League members. “Just gotta hope someone tells me who you are first. I don’t wanna use the wrong name.”

He’d hate to out her by accident.

Hideo faced towards a Pokemon’s cry - one that he recognized quickly. “Was that a Shaymin?” he asked. He was quick to put together that it might belong to Eris - his own loved Gracideas too, and she was growing plenty in her garden. “I got one too! Come on out, Shen!”

He retrieved the Pokeball from his pocket, his Shaymin popping out. Almost immediately, the Shaymin covered itself in Psychic energy, floating up into the air - and right on top of Hideo’s head, making itself very comfortable. “Thought I was the only person with one. They’re not a common Pokemon.”

Eris Halla

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“Oh, minor league! I hear their badges count like regular gym badges now too. Though it’d still be rough for me, even with one of your Pokemon’s help.” His own knew to keep an eye out not only for the right path, but also for anything that could get in the way - stray roots, fallen branches, wild Pokemon. Anything that could trip him up, literally or metaphorically.

Something his Beheeyem was great at doing for him, even as Eris (or rather, Rose) guided him by hand.

Though to be honest, minor league was something he was gaining interest in.

Hideo nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I heard them called. ‘Illumina’ Pokemon. I got a few of them from that breeding center that was around for a bit. Even got a good number with Pokerus too.” A pretty good deal overall - none of them were shadow Pokemon either.

Before he could act in awe at how his once-thought-exclusive Shaymin had a lot more family than he’d thought, they ran into an issue: garden invaders. “Ugh, I hate those,” Hideo muttered, “Half of why I keep my Appletun in mine is to keep them out.”

With a shrug, Hideo pointed a thumb towards himself. “If they’re still around, we gotta get rid of them. ‘Specially if they can give a Shaymin a lot of trouble.” They’d have to work together on this one. “I’m pretty good at catching Pokemon, even if they’re sneaky! Let’s go see if the trail is still fresh.”

Eris Halla

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“True! We could get a rematch! I don’t think we’ve battled since the Hoenn Star Tournament.” A battle he’d won - albeit narrowly; his Beheeyem fainted from poison shortly after that battle, and if he hadn’t had that Z-move on hand, her Salazzle probably would’ve won.

But going over that kind of hypothetical wouldn’t help them with their current predicament. His Beheeyem filled him in on some evidence lying around: plenty of mostly-eaten vegetables lying around. “Hungry wild Pokemon can be a hassle,” Hideo sighed, “but at least we know what they were here for.”

If they were here for territory, that’d be a much bigger problem.

Hideo perked up at the mention of an impromptu gym challenge - but couldn’t maintain his excitement at the mention of what it was. “A race? But I didn’t-”

But before he could finish, she was off. “-bring any fast Pokemon.” He’d come here planning to follow Eris to wherever she was bringing him, so he didn’t bring any fast Pokemon that he could mount. He was gonna have to hoof it, but he would have to be careful.

Moreso when he had a small passenger on his head; he didn’t want his Shaymin falling off on his run.

“Alright, Elga, let’s try to catch up.” He took hold of his Beheeyem’s hand, the psychic-type lifting himself Psychically. Hideo ran in the direction of the scraps, guided around by his Beheeyem, who floated in his hand like a balloon. It’d be enough to at least make sure he didn’t run into a tree or trip over any roots.

And to make sure his Shaymin didn't fall.

Eris Halla

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Try as he might, there was no way he could outpace, let alone keep up, with a Luxray, even one that was carrying someone on its back. Not when he had to balance his lazy Shaymin at the same time.

Yet somehow, his Beheeyem told him that they were catching up?

Ah, no. He could hear Eris dismount. Hideo stopped, facing towards her.

He cringed slightly at her question. “Like I was gonna die?” he parroted back quietly. His mind wandered back to their ill-fated adventure beneath the whirlpools. Where they’d learned so much about the world and many other universes around them. Where he learned how little his goal mattered in the grand scheme of things, how the meteor was coming to destroy everything and-

*blink* *blink* *blink*

“Y-yeah. Once.” His thoughts drifted back to the current situation as the lights on his Beheeyem’s hand blinked. “I don’t want to think about it that much, but I guess I could go full-steam ahead if I gotta.”

The first difficulty was Shen - it’d be grumpy if it were recalled so soon after getting to sit on his head. It opened an eye as Eris offered to hold it, and before Hideo could answer, the Shaymin was once more surrounded in Psychic energy, floating over towards Eris and neatly depositing itself on top of her head.

Shen had a preference for resting spots.

“Well, guess that works,” Hideo joked. “Now all I got to do, is GO!”

With a tight grip on his floating Beheeyem’s hand, Hideo was off. With his Beheeyem guiding him, he didn’t need to think very hard: Elga could guide him away from any obstacles if needed, even catch him if he tripped on anything. His Beheeyem knew how to guide him well, so all he had to do was run.

Eris Halla

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It wasn't often he just ran full-blast in a place riddled with tripping hazards and hostile Pokemon, but Eris insisted on it. And he did have this little system now to keep Elga close, so the risk was minimal.

Until the hostile Pokemon arrived. Yet Hideo's Beheeyem was quick to react, several lines of psychic energy trailing from the buttons on his hand, to Hideo's head, the lines disappearing as they made contact

Normally, Elga telling him where things were was just that - knowing where something was. All other information, he'd have to infer from what he already knew, or learn by feeling it out or listening to what they were doing.

But this was different: he knew exactly where these Pachirisus and Rattatas were coming from, what they were doing, how big they were, how they were shaped. All information he'd normally have to find out on his own, appearing to him as if he'd already touched them himself.

He didn't understand how he knew such things right now, but at the moment, he wasn't questioning it.

Hideo was able to avoid the incoming Pokemon, even managing to keep his footing among roots he somehow knew were there. His Beheeyem was quick to act, tossing the small ones that got close to either of them.

Hideo's Shaymin even provided some support for Hideo and Eris, firing Seed Flares at several of their attackers.

"Doing better than I would've thought!" Hideo answered. This actually was going much better than he'd expected - had his Beheeyem's Telepathy gotten that much better since it was last used?

Not really; his Beheeyem's Z-move had a lot to do with their performance, his Beheeyem's sight guiding him while his own hearing helped his Beheeyem catch attackers that couldn't be seen.

Not that Hideo knew it.

Eris Halla

PSIONIC SENSORY SHARING: beheeyem psychically links the senses of another nearby living creature, linking their consciousnesses so that they can be aware of what the other sees or hears and vice-versa. this effect lasts up to THREE POSTS.

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The chaos of the battle kept Hideo’s mind off of wondering how he was doing so well avoiding these Pokemon. Moving long distances quickly was always difficult for him without the aid of one of his Pokemon, but he was fairly good at moving in place. Even then, he truly knew where these attackers were coming from before they were leaping at him or making noise.

Also helped that he could swat a few of them away with his cane. These small Pokemon weren’t nearly as tough as that Sylveon they dealt with way back, and this cane was more durable now.

But he couldn’t keep it up forever. In his mind, because he’d get tired eventually, or slip up. The reality was this z-move wouldn’t last forever, and the moment it ended, he was in trouble.

Yet the call comes from Eris - something on his right? That’s glowy? That wasn’t a detail he could notice, but his Beheeyem merely had to catch a glimpse to notice the Pachirisu holding a Crystabloom core, standing away from the fight. “Elga, get the glowy one!” Hideo ordered, smacking away a Rattata that tried to jump his Beheeyem.

Elga was quick to launch an attack - a Rock Tomb aimed to knock out and entrap that possible leader of their attackers.

His Shaymin, meanwhile, was less than happy about the Raticate that tried to grab them, a furious expression on its tiny face as it launched another Seed Flare right at their attacker.

Eris Halla