Hideo was possibly one of the worst people on Hoenn to ask for directions. More so in a place he had no familiarity with - and he was certainly no good at reading a map.

"You can just call me Hideo," he said, "and…yeah, I think you're right." He hadn't paid attention to his steps, or his turns or how many stairs he'd gone up, more preoccupied with trying to listen for any ghost Pokemon that may be lurking about. The Oranguru trailing behind him could handle any ghosts that were more aggressive, but they were trying to evacuate the Pokemon here, not hurt them.

Which they'd struggle to do if they couldn't find their own way out.

"I could try radioing in for some help," he said. "Maybe see if they can find us, but I dunno if they'd send someone that'd play gently with the Pokemon here. Your guess is as good as mine for how we get outta this place."

Roze Falkner

Hideo nodded. "Right…don't wanna get other people lost in here with us." It'd be embarrassing if they just ended up causing more problems than they solved.

His Oranguru kept watch of the area around them - not just to keep Hideo oriented via her Telepathy, but also to watch out for any threats around them. Someone had to watch their backs as Roze's Clefairy searched ahead, after all.

"Yeah, didn't plan on splitting apart." He'd stay close, as instructed. "You ever spend time here, in Sea Mauville? I never did…not really a good idea for me to be around so much water when I can't swim too well."

14. Ensure the area is safe from remaining threats.

Roze Falkner

Hideo nodded along. "Yeah, I could tread water, even in a sweater. But if I got dunked in, I wouldn't know which way was up. Doesn't matter how long I could hold my breath if I just swam deeper."

But he shook his head at her offer. "Thanks, but I usually keep a Pokemon around that can swim if I'm gonna be near water. Got one on my if I need it right now, though it's not the best with a cramped building…"

He, too, wondered where the Clefairy ran off to, trying to listen out for its squeaky steps - and what he heard was something hitting metal. "Think that was your Clefairy?" he asked.

It'd be hard to spot in the darkness, but a shadow was one of the many things that emerged from the door the Clefairy punched in. Its small size would only make it harder to spot, soon settling by Hideo.

Its source quickly began to emerge, the Shuppet aiming to feed on his emotions - and was immediately grabbed by his Oranguru, hoisted up fully out of its shadow.

The Shuppet's cry let Hideo know it was there, his Oranguru Telepathically notifying him that it was being aggressive. "Maybe it was just scared?" he wondered aloud. "Think it knows the way out?"

The Shuppet tried to struggle out of the Oranguru's grasp, but to no avail. The Oranguru merely faced it towards her face, staring right in the eyes. The Shuppet's resistance gradually diminished, until it was simply quivering in fear.

It gave a small nod to the boy, the Oranguru releasing it. It floated ahead, keeping an eye on the group.

The Oranguru gently pushed Hideo in its direction. "Guess we got a guide now."

06. Use non-lethal methods to calm or capture rogue pokemon.

Roze Falkner

"Maybe."

Whether or not it approached them in fear, it was certainly afraid of them now - or at least of the Oranguru, frequently peeking back to see if she was still watching - which she was.

"I still don't swim all that much. Not without a Pokemon or two with me. Pretty sure they wouldn't let me swim on my own even if I tried."

He couldn't resist a chuckle after that one. His Pokemon doted on him a lot - perhaps too much. But that overprotectiveness admittedly saved his life more than once.

The path the Shuppet led them along was a safe one; there wasn't much debris in the way. The only complication that arose was the sudden horde of Pokemon the Clefairy led; while Hideo couldn't quite count the horde by footsteps and babbling alone, he could still tell it was a lot.

And sure enough, up ahead was a light - the way they'd come from, though it was hard to tell with how long they'd been wandering in there for.

Hideo's Oranguru was quick to inform him of such. "Guess we finally found the light at the end of the tunnel~"

Roze Falkner

"Yeah, they're all kinda like that." With a few exceptions, they all doted on him - even when he didn't need it. It could get overbearing. "Guess that's just what happens when I treat them well and train them to be more independent."

They could gauge a situation better than he could, and he couldn't risk something going wrong because they were waiting for his instructions.

Once the group entered the light, they found themselves outside of the ruins, on solid dirt. The Shuppet looked towards the Oranguru, who offered a small nod, prompting the Shuppet to float away as fast as it could, a small bead of sweat dripping from its body.

And waiting for them was a rescue team - a mix of people and Pokemon - who were pleasantly surprised to see the pair emerge.

"Think we can let these guys handle that part," Hideo said, several of the waiting Pokemon rushing him, hugging him closely.

His Pokemon, if it weren't already obvious.

They really did dote on him too much.

Roze Falkner