"Yeah, I'm better off with something flexible than specialty stuff." His Beheeyem looked over the flour bags, floating around to find the all-purpose bags. Once it found one - and deemed it too high for Hideo to reach on his own - it Psychically carried it down to the boy, depositing it in his arms.

Hideo's head tilted slightly at the man's question. "Yup," was his immediate answer. He didn't try to hide it, but there wasn't much reason for him to bring it up, though it was quickly apparent why Shinobu brought it up.

"Oh, you lost yours? That sucks." There was genuine pity in his voice. "I could never see in the first place. Born this way 'cause an optic nerve malformation." He pointed in the vague direction of where he thought his optic nerve was supposed to be, despite the futility of the gesture. "Neat to meet another blind person, though. Not like we have an easy time finding each other, right?"

He grinned, exhaling a bit out of his nose from that little joke. At least he'd find it funny. "Had a hunch you were blind when I heard you tapping your cane like that. I use mine when I don't got a Pokemon like Elga here around to guide me."

His hand reached over to pat his Beheeyem on the head, the Pokemon guiding his hand so he'd find the right spot to pat.

"Used to have him on my shoulders like you got your Vulpix, back when he was an Elgyem. He's too big for that now."

shinobu fujimori

The group's combined efforts were enough to delay the Meloetta and the Pokemon it controlled, Melody Miro 's song rebuilding the Kingdom around them.

Good news, that seemed to repel the Meloetta, the Pokemon escaping from the group. Bad news, there was an earthquake running through the Kingdom.

Uh oh, sisters.

Among the rumbling, Hideo could hear heavy footsteps approaching shakily. It took a moment for him to recognize it among the noise, but that voice was hard to mistake for anything other than Volcanion.

"YOU WERE MAKING SUCH A RACKET THAT YOU WERE DISTRACTING ME, AND NOW EVERYTHING IS RUMBLING. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HUMANS MESS WITH POWERS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND."

"So how do we stop it?!" Hideo shouted back, trying to keep his balance.

"I NEED WATER. THIS IS THE ONLY CHANCE I'VE HAD TO GET ANY WITHOUT BEING ASSAULTED BY THOSE CONSTRUCTS." It was only that moment that Hideo realized the Magearna and Klinks that were swarming in from before hadn't been doing anything, or were floating off in various directions. "YOU WILL RETRIEVE WATER FOR ME, UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CRUSHED BY THE KINGDOM ITSELF."

With a sigh, Hideo beckoned over his Starmie. "Give grumpybot here some water, Singer. That'll give'em enough to get over there, right?"

"UGH." Volcanion was less than pleased, but the Hydro Pump fired its way was easily absorbed, giving it enough energy to get over to the waterfall. It took a moment to absorb the water, power building within it.

That energy exploded into the Clock Tower as steam, filling the tower up. The rumbling gradually slowed down to a stop.

44 assist the weak volcanion that can speak by refilling its water supply/healing it. with its help and the help of other restored volcanion, help rebuild the kingdom.

Eva Morales CIAN MAHER Melody Miro

"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

Hideo walked out the door, his shoes once again touching pavement. He sobbed, his face red as he wiped away his tears once more with his free hand.

That couldn't have gone any worse. He knew it was going to be a difficult talk, but he hadn't expected it to bomb so badly. Of course they wouldn't want him to be a Gym Leader - they didn't even want him leaving the house after how long he'd been gone for, and with how many disasters had been hitting Hoenn. They just didn't care what he'd achieved, only telling him how worried sick they were since he'd left.

With his other hand, he held the paperwork he brought with him. Fully intact, the only crumpling from how tightly he was holding it to his body.

His Mother's and Father's signatures, right where they needed to be.

He could hear a set of footsteps approaching from the door, recognizing them quickly. He stood there, quietly sobbing as he felt a hand on his shoulder, fingers grasping him.

"Are…they're gonna be ok?" Hideo asked between choked sobs. "Th-they aren't being hurt by it?"

The hand grasping his shoulder moved to his head, ruffling his hair. It did little to comfort him from what he just let happen - what he did to get those signatures. What he did to make sure his parents wouldn't force him to stay home, so they wouldn't follow him to where he planned to set up his Gym.

He didn't even plan to do it. He really did want to convince them with just his words, futile as it may be. What he did left him nauseous - it made him feel worse than Rocket. He would've cursed anyone else out for making their Pokemon force someone to do something - morseso using them to alter someone's mind.

Yet his Shadow Alakazam did just that for him. He didn't even order it; the thought had passed his mind, and he'd been tempted - and that's all it took. And once it was done, there was no going back.

He heard another set of footsteps exiting the house, this one closing the door on the way out. "They're gonna be ok, right?" Hideo asked once more, "It-it didn't hurt their minds or anything?"

There was a brief delay before he got an answer, the Beheeyem looking at the door, then the Alakazam, then to Hideo.

The confirmation didn't make Hideo feel any better - but it didn't make him feel any worse. "Good…"

Hideo stood there for a good bit of time, holding the papers close to him. It was only once his Beheeyem patted him on the back that he broke from his self-loathing. "I…I guess I got it now," he said, trying to muster some amount of satisfaction.

But nothing came.

His Beheeyem passed a thought into his mind - he had what he wanted, so he could hand in the paperwork. "I…I don't feel too good," Hideo muttered. "I just wanna get out of here."

Both his Beheeyem and Alakazam nodded. Hideo just wanted to get away here as soon as he could. Maybe some time away would give him time to settle down a bit. It'd be an easy departure, his Alakazam more than capable of Teleporting them away.

He took out his phone, typing out a message for Melody Miro and sending it to her.

Staying with friend tonight. Will pop in tomorrow.

He decided it'd be best to stay at his camp for now; he didn't want to be around anyone at the moment.

He didn't have to hand in the paperwork immediately. He had what he needed.

It hurt today.

Tomorrow, he'd be going his way.

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

"If she'll share any of those fish she's fishing for," Hideo groaned, "then that'd make things easy for me. But Meowser here doesn't like me having an easy time, now does she?"

An innocent whistling came from the back-stroking Meowscarada, content to enjoy messing with her trainer as she saw fit. Fortunately, she wasn't rude enough to interfere with the new arrival's fishing, steering clear of his line.

Hideo nodded along as the man explained his purpose being here. "Makes sense," he added, "I make sure I got plenty prepared myself too. Only so much pre-packed food will do for you when you don't know how long you're out for, or if I don't know how long it'll be until I get back to my camp." Or if one of his Pokemon got a hankering for something that they couldn't get themselves. "Pokemon-based bait's definitely a bit out of my price range, though, so worms'll do just fine."

His Rabsca rolled to his side, still watching the man and his Pokemon - but also shooting a few glances at the water, trying to spot anything for her trainer to catch. "Though I'm not out here for archeology like you are. Just traveling the region, spot by spot. Gotta do it while I still can."

Remiel Calcifet

The last time he'd been in Slateport, it was to leave a letter for his parents. A way to let them know he was still doing alright, if they hadn't already heard of his progress secondhand. He had no idea what their reaction was to it - were they happy to hear from him in some way? Were they upset that it was all he'd left them? Did they even read it?

Hideo was once more going to his house, once more carrying something to give to his parents. Two things, to be exact: one was a Letter of Recommendation given to him by Melody Miro . The other they were papers, ones that indicated his intent to become a Gym Leader.

One that he needed them to sign. John Sullivan had been the one to inform him they'd have to sign on account of his age a while ago, but it took until now to build up the determination to meet them face to face again.

He would've preferred not to have to do this. Talking to his parents was one of the last things he wanted to do. He would've even been willing to forge those signatures, Eris Halla having offered to help him with that front, but the moment his parents revealed that, he'd be screwed, potentially even banned from participating in any part of the Gym Circuit.

And once he was a Gym Leader, his parents would know where he was. Confrontation was inevitable, and he was better off doing it on his own terms.

He could feel each footstep as he got closer and closer to his house, the echo of each step resonating in his ears. The sound of his Beheeyem's footsteps were right behind him, but he only paid attention to his own. He didn't need Elga to guide him to his house - he knew the way there even after all these years - but it was comforting to have such a familiar Pokemon backing him up.

As he grew closer and closer to his house, his senses felt more acute: his footsteps grew louder, and he could gradually feel his heart beat harder and harder. His breathing grew more rapid, sweat beginning to grow on his brow. Doubt entered his mind, and he began to wonder if he should even do this - if he really wanted to be a Gym Leader that badly.

He pushed forward; it was too late for this kind of doubt.

His steps only stopped once he'd reached his house. He reached into his pocket, taking out his house key. It was the first time he'd use his key since he left home, and this was the heaviest it had ever been. His hand trembled as he tried bringing it up to the lock, and for a moment, he had trouble finding it.

But a gentle force surrounding his hand helped guide him along, that anxiety running through him gradually washing away. He didn't have to speak his appreciation, merely nodding as he felt the key enter the lock. Slowly, he turned it, feeling the door open.

Gently, he pushed the door, walking inside his house for the first time in almost two years. He slowly walked in, his Beheeyem following behind. Once he knew his partner was in, he closed the door, already hearing footsteps approaching from inside the house.

Shakily, he spoke.

"Mom? Dad? It's me."

GOODBYE GALAR SIGN-UPS

RAID: RUSTED SHIELD

CHARACTER: Hideo Kino [break]
PKMN TEAM (6 MAX): listed below[break]
WHAT DO YOU DESPISE?: Being held back by those who don't believe in me

                    

HK10//

Yeah melody let's fkin goooooooooooooooooo!

"'Course I feel good!" Hideo answered CIAN MAHER , "we might be able to save the Kingdom here!"

The incoming Relic Song threatened that good feeling. Hideo's Starmie covered the group in a Light Screen to mitigate the harm. Hideo and his "Ralts" were able to avoid it (thanks to a timely Future Vision), but both the Starmie and Beheeyem took a hit.

Hideo only considered his odd emotions the moment Melody Miro announced their source - though there was little he could do about it now. What he could do was help cover her as she asked; if music was what took control here, he was best off listening to the music star.

The Z-ring on Hideo's wrist began to glow bright, energy flowing from the ring to his Beheeyem. "Elga, we gotta hold off that Meloetta!" Psychic energy flowed from the Beheeyem towards the Meloetta, overpowering the latter's Psychic attack with a Shattered Psyche, tossing it from side to side.

Though the Z-move wouldn't do its full damage; the Meloetta softened the impacts by using several Klinks to push against each throw. At the very least, it would buy some time - just as Melody had requested.

 utilize a z-move in an advantageous way.

Eva Morales CIAN MAHER Melody Miro