Hideo nodded. "Yup! I got a lot of practice back when I was home." As sour as it felt to think it, he did get a lot of practice with different things back at home - singing being one of them. None had been what he'd wanted (training Pokemon), but he still enjoyed some of them. "Not to toot my own horn too much, but I've been told I'm pretty good at it~"

"Been to this one a few times, yeah. Got a lot of different songs we could choose from, so I'm sure you'll find something to sing to too." Was Eris a good singer? He'd find out - not that one needed to be a good singer to enjoy karaoke.

They'd soon reach the building, unassuming from the outside by much glitzier indoors. The receptionist recognized Hideo immediately, greeting the boy and offering up the usual - with more than enough space for his friend and her Pokemon.

The room itself was large enough, as promised. Dim, colored lighting illuminated the area, and there was more than enough seating for the kids and their Pokemon (his Ambipom already planting her butt on the nearest sofa seat).

Though Hideo already had his hands on the song selection tablet, hitting a few buttons - the tablet now reading out everything for him. He was going to sing first, in case Eris was a bit shy about singing.

"Any requests?" Hideo asked. "I know a lot more than you'd think."

Eris Halla

Hideo simply nodded. He had no idea how familiar Eris was with music, or what her tastes were. She could've acquiesced because she didn't have anything in mind for him to sing, or she was just shy about what she liked.

"Fine by me~" Hideo said whimsically, his hand scrolling along until he found a song. "Then lemme start off with something I know pretty well."

With another tap, he laid the tablet down. He extended his hand out, his Ambipom helpfully occupying it with a microphone.

Hideo started singing before the instrumentation came it - perfectly time for the song.

"♪Open the curtains, lights on, don’t miss a moment of this experiment. Oh the book is strange, like Clockwork Orange. Keep your eyes buttered ‘till the eeeeeend~♫"

The last time he'd sung this one was on his blind date with Andy Blackadder. He'd sung it well before, and he sang it well again, keeping up with the song's quick pace. The words did show on the screen, but he couldn't use it - and he didn't need to use it for a song he knew so well. The lyrics were constant, but he kept up perfectly, even getting the right pitch.

The song went on for a whole three minutes, ending on a soft note. “♫What’s the color of the electric sheep you see? And if you love me, can you love your everything too for meeeee?♪”

It earned an applause from his Ambipom, a smile on the boy's face. He turned over towards Eris. "Not the first time I've sung that for other people, and probably not gonna be the last!"

He took a moment to catch his breath, before extending the mic out towards her. "You wanna take a shot at it, Eris? You could even try the same song if you really want~"

Eris Halla

Hideo was glad to give the mic to Eris. Whether or not she was a good singer, what was important was that she tried. And it didn't take as much effort as he needed to get Andy Blackadder to sing.

He sat there, waiting for Eris to make her choice - and would soon be bobbing his head to the rhythm of the song. His Ambipom followed suit, rocking her tail-hands to the rhythm as well. He stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt her, just listening to her sing.

And she seemed pretty good at it, too!

Once the song hit its end, both Hideo and his Ambipom clapped, cheering as well. "That was great, Eris!" Hideo praised. "Pretty catchy song, too! The instrumentation seemed pretty familiar; think I heard some of their stuff before."

Though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Wanna take another crack at singing? Or you want me to do a song?" He wouldn't mind hearing her sing again if she wanted to.

Eris Halla

"Nah," Hideo answered, gently taking the microphone. "League's kinda cracked down on silly non-traditionals like that. Gotta do stuff that tests the trainer side of things, and I dunno if singing really fits the 'Ordeal' theme I got going."

Perhaps it could end up being a challenge someone would face in his stories, but his deal with teaching people how to manage through unconventional situations and ordeals; singing could have its uses, but it was far too niche to be a challenge all its own.

Besides: music was Melody Miro 's thing. Even if she wasn't a Gym Leader anymore.

Hideo's hand scrolled along the screen, the songs read out as he passed by each one. It wouldn't take long until he settled on one. "Time for a bit more intense of a song," Hideo said, tapping his selection. There was a brief countdown before the song began.

The instrumentals would start first, but not even a second later, the lyrics would start - and Hideo was on top of that immediately. "♪Don't you break it, don't you fake it, don't you mock it! There's a treasured thing for everyone, and they ain't letting it go!♫"

Just as before, Hideo sang this one well - even if the singing was more intense than his last song. He didn't need any help with the lyrics, keeping up just fine. It was a song of determination, to not give up on your dreams and to be willing to fight for them. It was a notably shorter song than the last, not even a minute and a half long.

"♫What you want to do and, where you wanna go and, what it is that makes you fight! Cut through the dark, move supersonic, make it happen now all through the niiiiight!♪"

Eris Halla

Hideo smiled, the song complete - and the applause from Eris (and his Ambipom) further emboldened him. "Thanks! Felt like doing something a little peppier that time. Gotta have a good variety, you know?"

From music to Pokemon to life experiences, it'd be boring if he didn't experience new things every so often. It was how he'd learned so many different songs from different genres, and how he'd managed to get this far in life.

And it seemed Eris wanted him to show off again. "Well, if my adoring audience insists~" A quick scroll on the tablet, and Hideo found his next song of choice. There'd be a familiar countdown before the music started.

There was more of a lead-up before the lyrics began - it'd take a full 15 seconds before Hideo would start singing, though his head was already bobbing to the rhythm. "♪There's no time for what was left behind. It's a maiden voyage after all!♫"

It was a slower song than the others, and less intense, though that didn't mean Hideo was any less into it. He kept up the pace perfectly as he sang the lyrics about someone trying to reunite and reconcile with someone they'd been away from for so long. It was a bit gloomier than the other songs, but he still put his all into it.

"♫I could be dreaming but I feel so wide awake, a secret yearning that is deep inside of me. I can feel you but I cannot see you, I'm reaching out! Reaching out!♪"

Eris Halla

Moodier music was, admittedly, a risk around Eris. Hideo had a decent idea how she was emotionally, so music that could make her sad was something he'd tried to avoid.

But that was the kind of music he'd been listening to a lot lately, and had more practice singing. And other songs could be a bit more…out there. He didn't want to depress her, but he didn't want to freak her out either.

It was probably for the best that he didn't have a psychic Pokemon out, one that could tell him Eris had tears in her eyes.

"That's two songs in a row from me~" Hideo said, once more offering the microphone over to Eris. "Can't be me doing all the singing, now!...or do you wanna do something else? We don't gotta spend the whole night singing."

He probably could, but Eris? Wouldn't be a fun time for both of them if he dominated the night.

Eris Halla