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Hideo Kino & Eris Halla

He doesn't realize where he is until he is banging face first onto the bark, stumbling about in a languid stupor as the entrance to the secret base opens before him.

He reeks of alcohol and blood, like a sweaty surgery room. His clothes are in tatters and showing all the signs of a man who's been murdered several times over, but his skin is so spotless as to cause offense to all who tried their hardest to bring about an end to his life.

His face, however, looks like it couldn't give any less of a fuck about anything, much less himself.

"Hi."

As luck would have it, someone did appear, the sounds of a portal opening. Though Hideo hadn't quite nailed down how to differentiate between human footsteps, he could recognize the sound of a Luxray and a Gardevoir.

That first Pokemon made it easy for Hideo to guess who'd just arrived. "Hey Eris," he said, raising a hand up to wave at her.

"Nope. 'least I don't think so. Uxie's got it eating something, so it hasn't tried anything yet." Uxie looked over towards Eris, ready to inform her of what would've happened if it hadn't intervened - and was interrupted by a certain Mesprit flying right into it.

Uxie held on to its sibling, a slightly-annoyed frown on its face undercut by the hug it gave its sibling, trying to keeps its eyes on the big Jigglypuff.

"By the way: what'd you think would be a good nickname for the big puff? You think Biggly sounds good, or does Bigglypuff sound-"

The boy stopped the moment a powerful scent reached his nostrils, his face contorting into a cringe. The alcohol was easy to pick from the smell, but there was also something else in there - something disgusting, yet familiar.

He knew who the source was once he heard it speak. "Doug?" he asked, just to confirm it. He couldn't quite see the sorry state Doug was in, but he could smell it. "You, uh, doing alright there?"

John Sullivan , Eris Halla

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Hideo Kino & Eris Halla

Doug just hung by the entrance silently, moodily, his eyes slowly dragging over both kids for a moment before he finally answered Hideo's question.

"No." He said. He made no note of Bigglybuff or the lake guardians or even Reiner, simply beginning to stalk away and deeper into the base.

"I'm taking a bath." He said, disappearing into the base with fading steps, before the loud, ringing a slam of a door came.

"Don't be mean to'em." So what if they came out of the Dream Mist? He had plenty of Pokemon from distortions, and they turned out to be nice (after exiting the distortion). "People thought the same about Distortion Pokemon, and now they're just as normal as any other."

Biggly(puff) didn't acknowledge the squabble, only acknowledging the meat it was chewing through. It didn't even care about the two pixies hugging it out above it.

It did acknowledge Doug's smell, its face cringing just as Hideo's had as it waddled slightly away from him.

"Oh." When was the last time he'd heard Doug so downtrodden? He was legitimately concerned, sitting up in his seat. He was halfway to offering to help Doug with that bath before realizing how awkward that would be, his mouth shutting in silence.

That door slam was deafening.

"...shit," Hideo muttered, "Must've been really bad."

He looked over towards Eris. "Should we, uh, go talk to him?" He did want to, but he felt it'd be awkward going there by himself.

John Sullivan , Eris Halla

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Hideo Kino & Eris Halla

He finds himself staring at his reflection at the end of his bath, rubbing the water out of his hair while staring at himself blankly. He had thought he would begin crying at any moment, but he realized after a while that he didn't have the emotional energy to wallow in his self-pity. For once.

The shower had been cold and quick, the sponge scrapping the smell of war and death off his skin. His tattered uniform had been discarded into the corner of the restroom, to be disposed at a later date. Probably through fire.

His replacement clothes had been chosen quickly; it wasn't much of a choice, what with how little he had left behind, but it was enough.

"... You look stupid." He said blandly at himself, unsure if he was joking at himself as he stepped away from the sink and exited the bathroom.

Slap slap!

Smacking himself in the face with both hands, twice, the youth worked on his lips and jaw as he traveled back to the bases' living room, appearing out of the hall while visibly rolling his jaw, mouth wide open.

"Auuugwuuagh." He uttered while rolling his jaw, smacking his lips a couple of time after before finally turning his gaze back to everyone. "'Sup."

Hideo couched his chin on his hands. "I'm sure we'll get used to big Jigglypuffs," he said, "just like we did with black Arcanines. And metal Goodras, and tall Lilligants." All Pokemon he had from those distortions that turned out fine. In his mind, more Pokemon diversity was great - so long as those new Pokemon weren't actually trying to bite his limbs off.

He was sure he'd get Biggly to cooperate in time.

It was hard to miss that Eris's mood wasn't much better than Doug's - and Hideo was told why. "I don't even know what a Sealing Stone is," he said, laying back in his seat, "but it can't be anything good. Not in Rocket's hands."

That they killed people and Pokemon for it only intensified his disgust with Rocket. "Think I can take a guess why Doug's like that then…"

And just like that, he heard Doug's voice again. "Hey Doug. You, uh, wanna talk?"

Part of him dreaded what Doug might tell him, but he'd hope Doug would feel better after talking it out.

John Sullivan , Eris Halla

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Hideo Kino & Eris Halla

"Naw." Was Doug's succinct reply as he marched up to an empty bean bag and dropped atop it like a sack of potatoes, splaying out lazily over it with his head craned all the way back, Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he continued to speak.

"Not a lot to say. People died, pokemon died and we lost." Basically, it was all a waste of life and time, and little to nothing was achieved.

Some Leaguers had apparently made a worthwhile discovery in the depths of the Ultra Deep Sea, but Doug didn't count that even remotely.

"I just want today to be over already."

Arceus.

Of course.

The one thing Rocket needed.

Arceus.

Hideo placed a palm over his face, sighing deeply. "Of course they'd kill people over getting a chance at Arceus," he groaned. "Really hope those sayings aren't true and it's just a fancy rock." It wouldn't make the killings any better, but at least they wouldn't be one step closer to Rocket using Arceus to make Hoenn an even-worse Kanto.

Or killing Arceus. He wouldn't consider that outside of their plans now.

Uxie nodded at Mesprit's questions. Hideo's thoughts weren't hard to look through, and his growing disgust for Rocket couldn't be missed.

Seemed Doug wasn't going to lead them to any better of a subject - Hideo would have to change the subject himself.

Not much use in keeping it subtle. "Well…uh…I guess if there's anything good today? Melody said she'd help me if I try to become a Gym Leader. Even gonna write me a recommendation." He'd actually gotten to talk a lot with Melody Miro , regarding both their aspirations - and Melody's past.

Including her kidnapping. That Eris might have had a hand in.

Hideo's mouth shut the moment that thought crossed his mind.

John Sullivan , Eris Halla