Andrea truly was one with her Fuecoco. He wondered how she slept so hard with all that Infinity Energy flowing through her. Even being in his suit at all made the young man wired; it was one of the reasons he didn't pack it, leaving it under lock and key at Mauville Gym. "About ten. Just been looking around Maps and playing games on my phone after I got cleaned up. Oh, almost forgot my pair of athletic shorts," he added, getting them out of his suitcase. It seemed odd to bring them to such a cold region in the middle of winter, but with the games he was playing, he was going to get sweaty.

"I checked the Round One; it's pretty far from the hotel, and it doesn't open until noon anyway. How about we get some breakfast downstairs before they stop serving, then head out?" With municipal speed limits enforced even in the air, travel to the large arcade would take some time. While there was a lot to do in downtown Veilstone, Round One was not close.

Whether they went for a late breakfast or an early lunch, the time would work out; they wouldn't be waiting too long before the doors swung open. Josh gasped. "And I thought Slateport's Round One was big. This place is huge!" There were all kinds of games, Ticket games, classics, and the newest releases, too. There was even a large room dedicated to laser tag!

"Back in a flash. Gonna change into my shorts then hit up the rhythm game area." If Andrea knew Josh well, she would know exactly what game he would hit up first. Now the question beckoned: would Andrea join her, and would she have two left feet?

Panicking because it was ten? Andrea must have been an early riser. Before his Gym Leader schedule demanded he be up earlier, Josh was a night owl. If he was in bed before midnight, something was very wrong. If he was up at five in the morning, it was probably because he was up all night partying. If he had to fix his sleep schedule, he would worry about righting it the night or two before they had to leave.

Once Josh was in his shorts, he caught sight of Andrea easily and waved toward her. That Sygna Suit and her Fuecoco made her very easy to recognize. The place was a rhythm gamer's paradise; just about every Kantonian-made music game actively in a series was there. There was a came interfaced with seven piano keys and a turntable; another with nine large, colorful buttons in two rows; one with six white buttons and two knobs. The one that caught Josh's eyes first was a four-panel game played with one's feet. The cabinet was in use by a recreational player of middling skill, and no one was in line.

By the time Andrea could catch up to Josh if she so wanted, he would already be surrounded by arcade-goers in shock to see the Gym Leader and celebrity present.

The Fuecoco's FIRE BLAST caused a huge panic, arcade-goers fleeing the girl at top speed. This drew the attention of security almost immediately. Whoops, perhaps making a scene wasn't the best of ideas, particularly when one stood out like Andrea did...

"You know that I was a pro Pokémon racer before I became a Gym Leader, right?" Josh asked Andrea. Semi-pro, but that was a detail he was willing to omit. He had eaten plenty of humble pie; he had to give himself a pat on the back occasionally.. even if it was stretching the truth just a little bit.

By the time the Gym Leader's fans approached, he had already swiped and was on the dance game cabinet. "Come on, Andrea, are you also--"

Before he could finish his sentence, security had caught up to Andrea. "Excuse me, miss?" the young, black-and-blue-dressed lady asked. "I'll need to ask you to leave your Fuecoco in their Poké Ball and at the front desk. We have a strict policy of no Pokémon out of their Poké Balls inside the gaming space. It's a safety hazard, both to equipment and other patrons."

"I'll swipe another credit for you and stall as long as I can, Andrea! Hurry!" Josh urged, running every menu timer he could down to one second. Thankfully they were more generous than the default...

The security guard seemed unwilling to compromise. "Ma'am, I understand your Fuecoco means a lot to you, but he's a hazard to other patrons. You'll be able to pick him up when you're ready to leave for the day. Otherwise, we'll have to ask you to leave."

Josh, having overheard the entire conversion that had taken way too long, couldn't stall for time any longer. It seemed like this credit, he would be playing by himself. At least he had the entire song select timer to try to defuse the situation. "Andrea..." Josh sighed, feeling his friend and arcade enforcement were about to get into an altercation any minutes. "The rules apply to everyone. Do what you have to do, but you have to be respectful to others. If you can't keep Jalapeño under control, then do as they ask. Before you get others in trouble, too. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as... matter of fact, but it's a rule. Rules have to be obeyed."

Shaking his head, Josh entered his song selection: a popular Kantonian tune about four teenagers playing a tabletop role-playing game.

Role-playing game // SoramafuUraSaka // EXPERT Lv. 14

Had Josh come off as too harsh and too matter-of-fact? By trying to cover his own butt, he had alienated his friend. This was perhaps what Callan Young had been trying to teach him in his interview, and why he was not Champion material in the stern one's eyes. In the year since, Josh had become more conscientious of it, but he, like all humans, slipped and fell. And it had ruined Andrea's experience.

Josh played two credits' worth of songs before heading outside, both to cool off and to check on Andrea. Only twenty minutes had elapsed since she had stormed off. "I'm sorry if I made you upset, Andrea. I was just trying to look out for you," the Master of Faster apologized, still in his shorts despite the winter weather. It was great for cooling off, but he would catch a cold if he stayed outside for too long. "It's getting close to lunchtime, and I only had a snack before coming out here. Want to blow off some steam at the food court?"

The smile was such a relief for Josh to see; it seemed Andrea may not have had as strong of a grasp on her emotions as Josh did while wearing his Sygna Suit. They had their differences in thought, too; Andrea seemed more emotional, while Josh was more analytical, perhaps to the point of being a flaw. Maybe that was part of why they clashed from time to time. Even so, they worked their differences out and were fantastic friends.

"For the two sets of Step Step Revolution I got to play, it was," the Master of Faster answered, the sweat dripping down his hair evaporating into the cold, dry air. "I'm planning on going back afterward, though; it's all part of the same giant building." Josh led the way around the corner to the dining area capable of seating hundreds. There were mini-restaurants and fast food places all around its perimeter, much like the food court of a giant mall.

Josh laughed when Andrea brought up arcade policies. "I'm sure it's because of the expensive equipment. You know each of those cabinets costs thousands of PD, right? Some of them tens of thousands. And with all the sensitive circuitry in there..."