At this point, authority figures telling Hideo to stay away because of a dangerous situation was an open invitation for him to do the exact opposite. Even if he was a member of the League now, they didn't send him the invitation to go help, and he didn't want to stand by while Hoenn was at risk.

Or maybe they did and it just didn't get to him.

Either way, he was here now, the sounds of dog-on-feline violence hard to miss. His Beheeyem informed him the shield-dog was a familiar Pokemon, the boy's memories drifting back to the time they'd gone underwater…that Cyberchase incident, as he recalled. Where both the sword and the shield dogs attacked him and others, alongside Darkrai and Cresselia.

…

Well, those weren't the real dogs. This one was real, and he wasn't going to let that feline monster attack it any longer.

But first, he had to avoid getting caught in an Avalanche.

Hideo recalled his Beheeyem, having a decent-enough grasp on the situation. He let out his Magearna, the mechanical Pokemon eager to work. "Gearny, blast a hole straight through that attack! Aim straight for that icy cat!"

The Magearna nodded, a bright pink ball of energy appearing in front of it, the Fleur Cannon flying forth, aiming to blast a hole large enough to keep them out of the Avalanche - and to hit the Chien-Pao.

Hideo arrives (as he does) on his own (as he also does)

Informed of what's happening by his Beheeyem

Switches to Magearna

Magearna uses Fleur Cannon to blow a hole through the Avalanche and strike the Chien-Pao

Salac x4

UsseilwN

A light tap on the head by Uxie's hand ensured Hideo knew where it was as it floated around him.

Freed from the Zoroark's affections, Hideo took a second to brush himself off of any stray hairs/slobber. "My little friend here is Uxie. It's one of Mesprit's siblings. Been with me as long as Mesprit's been with Eris; they joined us at the same time."

He already knew Chu-E was aware of Mesprit being with Eris. He had no idea how much Eris had let her Pa know, so that was as much as he'd give for the moment.

The two followed Chu-E into the living room, Hideo taking a seat in a nearby lounge chair. Uxie landed on his lap, eagerly watching as Chu-E prepared some drinks for them. The apple juice found Uxie's mouth before it reached Hideo's hands, the pixie levitating its cup psychically.

"Well, Uxie was gonna be one of the things, but there's a few other things I wanted to talk about. First thing was something I wanted to tell Eris first, but there's no problem in you hearing it first."

He took in a deep breath. Best to start with good news first, even if thinking about how he got it still left him uneasy.

"I'm gonna be a Gym Leader, over in Littleroot! I gave them the paperwork a few days ago, and I already know I got the support of a lot of people in the League, so I'm sure I'll get it."

He'd spoken with confidence and joy - though it did waver slightly.

Chu-e Choi

The door opened in front of him - and he recognized that voice quickly.

"Hi, Mr.Choi!" he answered, waving. The "Ralts" on top of his head waved as well. "Yeah, I can join for dinner. Your cooking's way better than the stuff I can make!"

He could smell it from outside - and after walking forward, inside. "It's alright if she isn't here. Got plenty to talk about anyways." Plenty he wanted to share - and ask.

But first, a wild Zoroark appeared! Hideo recognized the yip, though he realized what was coming a moment too late - not that he knew the hall enough to know where to move to avoid it.

"Nice to meet you again too!" Hideo exclaimed, brushing Beepin's mane. It was only once he heard a *thmp* behind him that he realized the "Ralts" was knocked off him. "Oh, uh, sorry, didn't mean to drop you."

The pout on the "Ralts"'s face gradually turned into Uxie's pout, the Illusion dissipating from that drop, though there was little reason to maintain it behind closed doors. The Skill Swap wore off, Uxie Levitating up in the air near Hideo. It watched the affection display behind closed eyes.

Chu-e Choi

Hideo's conversation-shifter was about as subtle as a raging Donphan.

And nobody said anything about the Donphan in the room.

There was an awkward silence - not even the big Jigglypuff was making any chewing noises, having finished with its meat chunk. "...guess I could ask you for one too, Doug." Even if he wasn't a Gym Leader anymore, Doug's word had to carry some weight.

Once more into the silence.

Fortunately, the silence didn't last long. "Yeah, ice cream sounds good right about now. How about-"

Hideo got the mental confirmation before he could even finish speaking. "-Uxie wants in too. What about you, Biggly?"

The large Jigglypuff just stared at him, a small "Puriiiii?" sounding out. He didn't know if that was a yes or a no - and honestly, he was a bit with Eris on this one being on the dangerous side. It'd need a bit more training before he used it publicly.

"...maybe later for you."

John Sullivan , Eris Halla

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Hideo knocked at the door of Eris Halla and Chu-e Choi 's house. Though Eris had effectively offered to let him come in at any time, he had the decency to knock first and wait for one of them to let him in.

He'd made sure to do it in a specific rhythm, so they'd know it was him. So they wouldn't think he was just some random League member coming in to check up on them, or some Rocket coming in to do…whatever they'd do if they found Chu-E here.

On his shoulders was his increasingly-present "Ralts" - Uxie in an Illusion. It was only meant to fool anyone that might see him on the way over here; he knew it wouldn't fool Eris, and he wouldn't be shocked if Chu-E caught on by now.

The only question now was who would answer the door.

Chu-e Choi

Hideo shrugged at Shinobu's pity. "Eh, it's just how things are for me," he said, "I'd honestly feel worse about having sight and then losing it. I hear when that happens, you can still dream with sight." A cruel reminder of what was lost was worse than never having it in the first place.

He nodded along as Shinobu talked about his Pokemon. "Yeah, I could see that being a problem. I guess if you want some advice from a fellow blind-y: Psychic Pokemon are great for support. Elga here's a Beheeyem, and he's got Telepathy, so he can kinda communicate with me. It's not always clear, but he gets the point across most of the time."

Another pat on the head for his Beheeyem. "Gardevoir-line's also pretty good too. A Ralts fits on your shoulder nicely, but a Gardevoir can do a lot for you."

Advice aside, he couldn't forget his whole reason for being here. "Right. I guess we could get some sugar too. And salt. Any other ideas what ingredients would be nice to have if I want to make something on a whim?"

shinobu fujimori

The "Ralts" nodded, accepting Eva's gesture.

Hideo noticed the rustling bag in Eva's arms - seems she had the same plans as he did. "True enough!" Hideo exclaimed. "Better to have and not need, than need and not have! 'Least that's how I learned it."

With the initial pleasantries out of the way, it was time to focus on the main reason for his approach.

"By the way…there's something I want to talk to you about." He tried to maintain the jovial tone he'd walked in with, though a bit of low seriousness still got through. "If you got a minute, I wanna talk in private, something you might want to hear about."

He couldn't resist giving her at least some hint; he'd feel a bit awkward if he were on the other end of this. "It's about the Lake Trio."

Eva Morales

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

Littleroot Gym Leader for bluestar

Psychic-theme.

ICly assumes this halfway between Postdormitum and Goodbye Galar.