route_1065 | Boom Boom Boom Boomba

Entry tags:

Boom Boom Boom Boomba

Who: Kyouko Kirigiri (

freshprints) and Kiyotaka Ishimaru (

ardent)
Where: The Violet City Pokemon Center!
When: August 29
Summary: In which two super solvin' teenage crimebusters attempt to figure out what a Moomba is. Now contains SPOILERS for Dangan Ronpa.
Rating: G
Log:

[There is a Moomba in her PC.

That's the gist of the situation that Kirigiri's in right now, but while it's certainly the most significant detail of her current circumstances, it's also of course far from the only one. Some of those others include things like the fact that she's standing in the Violet City Pokemon Center at the moment — having finally made it to the city where her ~~friends~~ ~~classmates~~ friends have been waiting for her — or the fact that it's a rather nice day outside (albeit hot), or the fact that the tied-off end of her braid is brushing lightly against her leg as she unconsciously leans forward to examine this strange phenomenon she's been presented with. There's the chatter of the surrounding NPCs and other trainers filling the air, and the white noise of it all is doing its part to drown out the exhausting repetitiveness of the background music, which is assuredly appreciated by now. There's the faint beeping of machines, the clicking and clattering of shoes on flooring, and she is aware of all these things but it's not stopping her from fixating on the enigma that is the PC screen in front of her.

Or rather, the contents of her box that the PC screen is so helpfully indicating.

You see, it seems there is a Moomba in her PC. She is reasonably certain she did not put it there. She is likewise reasonably certain she has no idea what a Moomba is. Her PokeDex has been surprisingly unhelpful; presumably a Moomba would fall neatly between Monferno and Mothim, alphabetically speaking, and yet there is no sign of such a creature in the Dex at all.

Yet here in front of her, the PC is indicating that there is a Moomba inside.

She does not know what a Moomba is.

She does not know how it got there.

And therefore, this assuredly is a mystery, all right.

(Realistically speaking, it's one she might well stand there contemplating all day, should a timely intervention not arrive.) ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh bullshit, you didn't miss. If you didn't miss, we wouldn't still be chasing your Moomba.]

You have to lead the target, Kirigiri-kun - don't focus on where it is, focus on where it's going!

[Her next shot takes Ishimaru dead-center in the forehead, thank you (which comes with really unfortunate third-party implications when you consider the allusion to laser sights and unused murderschool executions, but fortunately even with all of Kirigiri's hax, she couldn't possibly be aware of that), but she doesn't bother to spare him an accompanying glance because there are things that are obviously more important than acknowledging Ishimaru's stupid face right now.]

The ball has a finite range. It's not a question of aim, it's a question of distance.

[Obviously.]

[Did you just - ]

And that would be why people actually throw the ball, they don't just remain in one spot and let the beam do all the work!!

I'm not Kuwata-kun.

[Don't even start, Ishimaru, what happens if she throws the ball and it ricochets off or something, then she has to waste time going to get it and that's just stupid.]

Neither is anyone else here!

[...]

Well, outside of - you know what I meant, the point is that if other people can work it out, then I don't see why you can't!

[Oh no you did not.]

Don't suggest that I'm incompetent just because I have no intention of being careless.

[Oh yes, he did.]

It isn't careless if you can do it competently in the first place!!

[This gently caressin' guy.]

How certain are you that it's a method that will work? If it fails we'll be even worse off than we were.

I've been here for over four months - if it didn't work, I wouldn't be suggesting it!!

[Well, now she's not going to throw the ball just for the sake of being passive-aggressive about it, thank you. Because that's truly a rational response to not being right all the time, isn't it.

Not that it really matters, because by now Moomba has apparently exhausted his available list of places to look for his trainer, and has instead opted to come trotting back to investigate the people who evidently let him out of the box. Perhaps they know where his trainer is? Or possibly they will play with him. Either one would be excellent, really. c: ]

[...huh. Well, that works, doesn't it. :|a Hopefully the Moomba won't mind Ishimaru just kind of awkwarding at it before approaching, holding one of his hands out to let it...kind of get his scent or something. He has no idea, it's just something Mondo tends to tell him to do, so hopefully this thing isn't interested in maiming him because he really likes having his right arm attached to his body.]

I think my brother might have one of these - or, well, the first form of it, anyway; I'm fairly sure they breathe fire. I don't know much about the species otherwise, outside of what we've just seen.

[Namely, that it's ridiculously fast and a royal pain in the neck.]

[Well, if Ishimaru's going to take it upon himself to distract the Moomba, then Kirigiri is just going to hold very still and bide her time while it gets nice and close and in range so she can very carefully take aim and—]

Laguuuuuuuuuuna!

[— COMPLETELY MISS THE SHOT BECAUSE THE DOG JUST DROPPED ITS ENTIRE FRONT HALF DOWN INTO A TRADITIONAL CANINE TAIL-WAGGING "LET'S PLAY" POSITION FOR FUCK'S SAKE.]

[...okay, that's almost endearing now that this thing isn't insisting on making them run all over hell's creation while it does these things; Ishimaru just kind of laughs, clapping his hands together once before looking back at Kirigiri.]

That's a good sign, Kirigiri-kun - don't trouble yourself with the ball for now and come over here!

[Well.

Honestly, she's tempted to just shoot the thing one more time and put it away, just for the sake of being done with it and heading off this whole ridiculous production before it has the chance to get any worse.

...

On the other hand, he explicitly said "don't trouble yourself with the ball for now" — which means that if the Moomba gets away again, it's completely and undeniably Ishimaru-kun's fault this time.

...

Okay, she's mildly appeased.

And carefully, she starts to make her way over, mildly hesitant because wow that is a really huge dog but at the same time undeniably drawn to the happy affect and the floof of its fur.]

Moomba.

[She's tentative about saying the word, but it comes out authoritative enough that the dog perks its head up, looking directly at her as she says it.]

...Your name is Moomba, is it?

[And she is rewarded with a lolling tongue and a HAPPY PUPPY SMILE.]

[...Thanks, Kirigiri-kun.

That said, however, Ishimaru is quick to take his 'Gear out and fiddle with it for a moment, once it seems Kirigiri has this under control; he doubts 'Laguna' is the species name, but as Ishimaru's witnessed these animals picking up words from time to time, it's not out of the question to think that it's the name of either the trainer or someone close to them.

And sure enough - Ishimaru hadn't spoken to the guy long enough to really remember him, but they'd had a brief conversation over an unsecured line. So it's just a matter of sending him a message and telling him that his Pokémon had somehow ended up -

...

...Oh.]

There was a trainer here, with a device registered under the name 'Laguna Loire'; we didn't speak very much, but I talked to him a couple of times. He was in the same situation we are, not anyone native to the area.

[He tilts the device to show Kirigiri the message that's being sent to him, bounced back along with the texts he just tried sending.

Laguna Loire - Gear ID Not Found.]

[She sees the name and quickly comprehends what it signifies, but as she's carefully advancing on Moomba and subjecting herself to his happy nuzzling and inadvertent facefuls of neck floof, that leaves questions open to ponder.]

I never spoke with him. Why would he leave one of his Pokemon to me?

[Hmmm.]

Isn't it possible that it wasn't intentionally left? After all, if they're all kept in the same system, perhaps it just redistributes some at random.

That would explain where Togami-kun got his horse, despite having no real connections of his own to warrant it.

[Pet pet scritch scratch she is basically drowning in fur right now, okay.]

I wonder if Fujisaki...-san would be able to determine if that's true. If so, that knowledge might prove beneficial someday.

[Well, yes, but that means that the Moomba likes you. c:]

Well, it would be worth asking even if it doesn't turn out to be useful otherwise, simply because it would cut down on potential confusion!

[He hesitates for a moment once that's out there, though.]

For future reference, though, I had a discussion with Fujisaki-kun. Regarding, ah...secrets. So I know about. That.

[...well, while he still seems to be of the thought that tact is hard and no one understands, at least he's trying, and he seems to comprehend that it's likely not something that should be shrieked about in public.]

[...Of course you know about it, you were there when she— oh, wait, timeline fuckery. Hmm. Maybe you're not there yet, after all. Okay, time to mentally regroup.]

I spoke with Asahina-san about it. I'm told there's a standing agreement with regard to Fujisaki-san — namely, that whatever Fujisaki-san feels is best is how we should...conduct ourselves. And Fujisaki-san is content with being Fujisaki-san for the moment, so that's what we're agreed upon as well.

[No, he isn't, and as such he's been kind of confused and needing to be filled in on a lot - at the same time, it's better that he's just mildly inconvenient as opposed to catatonic. Or, y'know. Ishida.]

Understood. I haven't spoken to Fujisaki-kun about it since; from what I've been told -

[...okay hang on how are we handling this, because 'he' is awkward given the conversation and 'they' isn't right either but at the same time neither is - ]

...she has spoken to my brother about it as well. For either of us to know, it was necessary for Fujisaki-kun to do that; neither of us have experienced the second trial, nor have we experienced what led to it.

I see.

[Moomba, now fairly content with the steady stream of love and attention he's receiving, is obligingly all up in her business now, which means pretty much Kirigiri's whole arms are buried in fur, and there are little flashes of her visible from behind the mounds and tufts of orange-white dog.]

It's a fairly dispersed spectrum, among us. Kuwata-kun would be the earliest, I presume, though I haven't spoken with him myself to confirm that. You and Oowada-kun are from prior to the second trial; Fujisaki-san is from after that incident, I think. Naegi-kun is from further along but not as far as Togami-kun, Hakagure-kun, Asahina-san, and I.

[A pause. She's been avoiding this one, and for good reason.]

And Celes-san doesn't remember the third class trial.

[...ah. Ishimaru twitches a bit at that, more than slightly uncomfortable with the topic change; he steps forward, reaching out to join in the Moomba-petting just to give himself something to do with his hands.]

...I know. Celes-kun is in Violet City now; my brother and I were the ones to bring her here.

Why did you do that?

[It's flat, but not...precisely accusatory. There's nothing to accuse Ishimaru of, really; he's welcome to do what he wants and to make his own choices, even with regard to topics like Celes. It's not her job to dictate what his feelings on that should be.

She just wants to know why, because it's an answer she'd have difficulty arriving at herself, and when it comes to Ishimaru's motives at times, sometimes it's better to just ask than to try to reason them out for yourself.]

It was due to the circumstances - namely, where she showed up.

[He hesitates for a moment after that, continuing to mess with Moomba's fur while he thinks.]

...I also wanted to speak to her alone, away from the others. Personal reasons, I guess.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject