(Untitled)

[usedfuryswipes]

Who: Mamoru Takatori (deadfreesia), Ken Hidaka (usedfuryswipes), and Youji Kudou (coolest_cat)
Where: Middle of Route 29
When: Just after Mamoru's arrival
Summary: Picking up a friend!
Rating: Ken has a foul mouth. :< PG.

Comments

[deadfreesia]

Mamoru was still not quite sure what to make of this hyperactive egg on feet. It never shut up. It always wanted to play. It was curious about everything. It kept trying to wander off the trail to explore, which was only causing further delays. And it really really really did not want to go into its Pokéball.

The end result was a very happy Togepi swaying its arms from side to side to the tune of its own trills while a far less happy Mamoru carried it and tried not to think about how long it was going to take Youji to stop teasing him after he bore witness to this indignity.

And speak of the devil. Mamoru could already see his two old friends in the ever-closing distance. He could already hear their bantering to each other like it had yet to stop from their conversation the day before.

And they, without his needing to utter a single word, could no doubt already hear him.

[coolest_cat]

Youji, with a newly-hatched Glameow sleeping on his shoulder, merely tipped his hat.

"And miss this thrilling scenery that I've already passed through once?" he asked innocently, the gleam in his eyes indicating that he knew damn well this was Ken's fourth time traveling between New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City--his fifth once they collected Mamoru and turned around. Which Youji was still rather reluctant to think, because Omi was Omi, and had never struck him as a Mamoru. Certainly not a Takatori, but, he supposed, six years was a long time and it was perfectly reasonable to assume that the quiet sadness he'd displayed during the initial call wasn't an indication that he was absolutely miserable from the choice

[usedfuryswipes]

Ken rolled his eyes as Ratty chirruped and clambered his way up to his favorite spot on Ken's shoulder, Omi the Sentret short behind him--thankfully the latter stayed on the ground, cautiously watching from a vantage point well behind Ken's legs. He was reconsidering the nickname already, wondering how Mamoru would react to his smallish namesake.

"It's a damn party with this guy, as always," Ken grumbled, watching Youji just as he was watching Mamoru. Ken already knew the story there, he just wanted to see how Youji reacted to it.

"Long time no see, mate. How'd the road treat you?"

[deadfreesia]

Togepi was already the king of the world riding in Mamoru's arms. He'd been sure for the entire trip that there was no way it could be more wonderful.

Togepi was wrong. Oh how he was wrong. Not one, not two, three new friends approaching from down the path. Togepi looked. He saw. The dancing and singing became cries of delight and outstretched arms flailing for him to be let down so he could meet these other Pokémon properly

[coolest_cat]

"'Worth it?' 'Nice to see us?' Is that all?" Quit talking like I'm your grandmother, for heaven's sake. "Give us a little color, a little substance. Anyone beg you to take their phone number yet? It's always interesting trying to think of new excuses to say 'no' when they're young enough to be your little sister."

The Glameow yawned at the commotion, and turned wary eyes towards the assembled party. Youji scratched behind her ear, still upbeat, but hoping Mamoru's seriousness would crack already.

[usedfuryswipes]

"Stop being an ass," Ken sniped. If Youji was Mamoru's grandmother, Ken was the irate housewife of the equation, ready and waiting to whack Youji upside the head with a convenient rolled-up newspaper. "Not everyone's interested in chasing skirt like you."

Honestly, he was too old for this shit.

But he'd had time to get used to the transition from Omi to Mamoru. Now he was used to the latter, where Youji...wasn't. It could be a difficult thing to realize, Ken supposed. But he still thought Youji was smart enough to bloody well catch on.

[deadfreesia]

Youji's rant did not outwardly faze Mamoru. There was no recoil, no blush, no confusion. No irritation, no balk. No amusement. Inwardly, the complaints left him almost feeling shamed. He could tell Youji was disappointed, and that wasn't exactly a pleasant realization. Expected, but not pleasant

[coolest_cat]

"And how many times have I told you, I'm not into high school girls? Some of them aren't even that old."

Darling was very receptive to Togepi's plight, but whether this was due to genuine compassion or her own curiosity was questionable. Having never seen one before, he was subjected to a cursory kiss on his face, with Darling careful to avoid the spikes.

She tilted her head, saw nothing strange, and beckoned to Ratty and Omi to come say hello.

Youji, meanwhile, shrugged, and his Glameow dug in her little claws as punishment. "Well, that's no great surprise... it's a burden I've long shouldered for you three, after all. Think we should see if that crazy woman will let us hang around 'til Aya shows up? Not looking forward to making this journey yet again."

[usedfuryswipes]

"Then don't," Ken said bluntly. Simple answer, really. "Plus the door's always locked and no one answered when I tried knocking, so how do you propose we'd even ask her? Or if she'd even say anything useful."

This was crazy video game world, after all. Ken knew enough about them to know that NPCs only had a few set responses to pretty much anything. If this followed the same crazy logic.

[deadfreesia]

Mamoru dropped his gaze to the Pokémon congregating between them. That Youji's wasted no time in planting a smooch on Togepi's face took him aback. Togepi didn't seem to mind it, since he chirped and waved to the others. Even so, Mamoru had to marvel at the gesture. Nice to see that at least one of them had such a personality-appropriate Pokémon.

"I have some business in Cherrygrove City this weekend. If you're traveling back to New Bark Town to wait for Aya-kun, I'm afraid I can't join you."

[coolest_cat]

"Well, there's really no point when you phrase it like that," he muttered, in response to Ken. Slid out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked thoughtfully. Wondered when things had gotten to be so serious for these two. Certainly he didn't view life as a comedy routine, but there were limits to what a man could take before he had to resort to the bottle

[usedfuryswipes]

Well, one thing still hadn't changed--Ken spared an exasperated look for the whole cigarette business. But he went no farther--for dealing with all this, he supposed he could let Youji smoke without complaining about it for once.

"Yeah, well, the bird's crazy anyway." What help would she be?

"Let's just head back, and we can take whatever else as it comes. Were you thinking you'd stay in Cherrygrove a while, or just move on?" The last question was directed at Mamoru, though he also spared a glance at Youji, wondering what he thought to do.

[deadfreesia]

Mamoru began walking again, passing the Pokémon to join Ken and Youji. "I've promised a girl lessons in creating filters for the PGC. Unless there's a major development, I should stay to finish them. I'm uncertain how many she'll need.

"I don't want to hold back you and Youji-kun. If you need to move on, I'll catch up when I can."

[coolest_cat]

"Not really much to hold back," Youji interjected. "We're really just going day by day, it seems, and while Ken's team can handle most anything thrown at them, mine is woefully inadequa--Momoe, quit that."

This time, Youji winced at the baby Glameow, who purrs innocently. Oh so innocently. Even if she did just sink her claws into his shoulder for the third time in an hour, clearly her master deserved it.

Almost nose to nose with her, Youji went on a different tack. Okay. Judging by the huffy look Darling was turning on him, his girls did not appreciate that. Dammit, this would mean work and effort, wouldn't it...

"Not wasting any time, are you," he went ahead, changing the subject and glancing at Mamoru. "There's more hope for you than for Ken, then."

Slight, if obnoxious, smile directed at Ken. "I don't have anything I want to do," he said, ignoring Darling's highly affronted look. "I'm not important enough to have a date as soon as I get here. What about you?"

[usedfuryswipes]

"Sod off, Youji," Ken snorted. "If you want to go on, be my guest. You don't have to stick around."

He really would appreciate it, though, despite his tough talk. So don't go anywhere, please.

"I've been here since December, and haven't gone any farther than Cherrygrove. I think you're probably the last person that'd be holding me back, Mamoru."

[deadfreesia]

Mamoru ignored Youji's rib. He really should have had the foresight to simply say someone rather than a girl, shouldn't he? Instead, Mamoru looked wistfully to the Glameow on Youji's shoulder.

"Momoe..."

Mamoru smiled. He liked that name choice quite a lot.

"Is that so? Then, I'd like to be able to stay in your company. Let's wait for him together, yeah? In Cherrygrove City, for Aya-kun."