codeforhope | Voicemail

Hm, the weather is still kinda cold, zura...

[Komasan stood outside the inn they're currently staying at, waiting for Chihiro to join him for...something he's honestly trying to not think too much about. The only Pokemon joining him for this outing is Noko as per usual, and that's only because she's claimed Komasan's bag as her own and so help anyone who wants to remove her. Although he does consider letting Shiro out, the weather not being snow-meltingly terrible enough where the ice Pokemon would be comfortable, he'd rather not overwhelm Chihiro with his need to be surrounded by his monsters. If he let Shiro out, then he'd have to go grab Komajiro. And then if he grabbed Komajiro, that isn't fair to anyone else, and so on and so forth. Everyone understood Noko had special privileges.]

It doesn't feel like it's changed much either, zura...

[Making comments to himself about the weather might be strange, but it helped Komasan distract himself. He knew what a swimsuit was, and he'd wear one as a dog even if it wasn't necessary, this wasn't a new idea or anything. But as a human...well that's a whole different ballgame. He couldn't explain it, he doesn't even want to understand it, but it felt different somehow. More exposed? Fur did have a certain feel to it, like you were always covered.

And now he has to deal with this awkwardness with Chihiro. Good. Great.]

[For Chihiro, shopping is something he's gotten used to doing frequently on his own. Clothes shopping, though...he's had to slowly gain more confidence about over time. It's gotten a lot better, and nowadays he chooses things that he likes, as opposed to things he "should" wear. Today's even easier, because he's not shopping for himself, but Komasan.

Chihiro has Shiruku with him today, his Leavanny who adores fashion and all things related to clothes. She comes bouncing out the door ahead of him, flashing Komasan and Noko a cheerful smile as she waves with a hand that isn't holding a cloth shopping bag as Chihiro appears behind her.]

Are we ready to go?

[A Leavanny who adores fashion is probably the greatest thing to both Komasan and Noko. Noko's eyes practically shimmer when she sees who's joining them, is she even worthy? Her trainer's awe doesn't last as long however, Shiruku being the big reminder of why they're out today. Good, she can see what a big weenie he is too, great.]

L-Let's do this, zura!!

[You're going clothes shopping, not running into a battle, Komasan.]

...You look great today, zura!

[Well, I mean, gotta go for ultimate weenie points, why not?]

O-oh, do I?

[Chihiro smiles, blushing a little as he pushes a lock of hair behind one ear before Shiruku starts to lead the way down the street.]

Thank you. I would have worn something less thick, but it's still very cold today for some reason...

...

[Oh come on, that isn't fair. Komasan tries his best not to make a scene over something as simple as pushing away hair, and is relieved when Chihiro mentions the weather. YES! THE WEATHER! WHAT AN AMAZING TOPIC!]

You've noticed that too, zura?! It's weird, right? I haven't seen a single cloud, a-and it hasn't been raining at all, zura. I'm getting kinda worried, I know everyone said it'd be too cold to go to the beach, but I was hoping it'd be warmer at least once, zura...

[Noko watches as Shiruku heads in front of them and ignores her trainer's need to weenie, surprised that it would appear she already knows what she's doing. Teach her, fashion sensei.]

The weather hasn't been this unpredictable in a while, but...I'm sure it will soon. It's about time for it to start really getting warm again, anyway.

[And while Chihiro handles warm better than he does cold, he isn't looking forward to it being over 90 degrees every day.

As for Shiruku, she is a Leavanny on a mission. She needs more yarn for one thing, but she's also wildly curious as to what sorts of clothing this town sells in comparison to what Goldenrod has.]

If anything, it's more predictable now, zura.

[That was a bad joke.]

...Thanks for helping me with this, Chihiro. ...Even if it ends up being too cold, zura. Shiruku at least looks like she's having a good time, zura. Who knows? Maybe it'll get even colder and she can make scarves early, zura.

Oh, I don't mind at all. I like going shopping, and so does Shiruku. It will be fun anyway, and you'll be needing a swimsuit for the summer even if you end up not being able to use it now.

[He hopes that isn't the case, though. They came to the beach for a reason, after all.]

["You'll be needing a swimsuit for the summer even if you end up not being able to use it now." Komasan nearly chokes, Chihiro makes it sound like this is mandatory.]

A-Ah, yeah, I guess you're right, z-zura! If I can win that badge, I'll be able to fly back here for the summer, it'll be...fun, zura.

[It's totally mandatory Komasan, didn't you get the memo? Also try to keep up, because Shiruku is on a mission up there and Chihiro's almost having to powerwalk to keep up with her.]

That's right! I think you'll be able to get the badge without much trouble. You've been training a lot, right?

[Komasan notices about last second, where he tries to catch up as majestically as possible. Which is to say, he flails about as he tries to close the distance between himself and his pals.]

You really think so-- I-I mean, yeah! I've been training really hard, z-zura! Ah... It's been difficult switching between all my Pokemon, but I think it'll be worth it in the end, zura!

[Now that they're in a city, Komasan has been taking advantage of cycling through his Pokemon to make sure everyone's getting at least some training in. It's not fair to the others if he just focuses on the babies, right?]

It will be. Being able to fly from one place to the other is very useful, especially if you want to go somewhere you've been and would rather try and get there quickly...

[And while Pokemon can travel fast, fliers are always preferred if you want to get to a place within hours, as opposed to days or weeks.]

Who is your strongest Pokemon right now?

Strongest, zura...?

[That...is a very good question. Komasan's eyes drift up as he tries to think of an answer.]

Well, ah...Shiro has the highest level...I think, but he also doesn't want to evolve, so that makes him weaker than he can be, zura... Hm...Chairo's level isn't as high, but she has more attacks and can take a lot of hits because her skin is so tough, zura...

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to evolve. Zip never did, and he's still just as happy as any of my other Pokemon. And Shiruku, she's one of my Pokemon who reached level 100.

[She perks when she hears her name, turning back long enough to smile at the two before continuing down the sidewalk, their destination looming on the horizon.]

O-Oh, I know, I-I didn't mean it like that, zura! I don't want Shiro to evolve either, he'd have two whole heads, zura! [And that's weird, you can't just spring two heads onto someone.] I-I just know that the two-headed version is still stronger, zura. It's not really fair...I think Shiro can be monge~ strong with just one head, zura...

[Pokemon sure have a lot of strange rules when it comes to strength.]

But... [He looks over at Shiruku, studying her hard.] ...It'll feel nice to have a Pokemon at level 100, zura. Even if he isn't as fancy as the two-headed version, zura.

I think Shiro is fine just the way he is, anyway.

[He punctuates that with a smile in Komasan's direction, lifting his bag a bit higher up onto his shoulder.]

You know, I think it's even more impressive to have a Pokemon at level 100 that has never evolved. Training is harder that way, so it shows how hard both you and Shiro have worked to get that far.

[Oh shit, he never thought about it that way before.]

Monge... You almost make me sound like a good trainer, zura...

[Komasan looks at Chihiro, truly touched by what he said. Sure, they got thrown into a new world against their will and were just told to do this thing for no reason, but Komasan kinda likes the idea of being slightly good at it.

In fact, he's so awestruck by this revelation that he doesn't even notice that they've reached their destination and walks right into the building, smacking into the window.]

Eh-?!

[Chihiro jumps, stopping in the doorway when Komasan...doesn't quite make it there.]

K-komasan-chan...are you alright?

[OH GOD, everything hurts so much. It's a really good thing he wasn't looking forward, Komasan can only imagine the excruciating pain that would come out of smashing his nose against that building that totally jumped out in front of him.

Instead he'll just live with the embarrassment. And the sore jaw. ...And the sore back considering that's what he landed on.]

W-We're here, zura!

[Noko gasps for air as she tries to slither out of Komasan's bag, currently being crushed by her trainer. At least she's more durable, but this is not how she planned to spend her day, thanks.]

[KOMASAN...

Chihiro waves for Shiruku to come back (as she'd apparently gone on in without them, she's got her shopping blinders on) as he kneels down next to Komasan, carefully reaching out to try and help him sit up.

...and don't mind him just putting a hand to the side of Komasan's face, gently feeling to make sure he didn't break his jaw or a tooth or something.]

I'm sorry, I should have said we were getting close to the door...

[...Chihiro is the only person in the world who would apologize for Komasan not paying attention.

As he sits up, Komasan's inner dog kicks in as he leans into Chihiro's hand without even really thinking about it, much like any dog would when receiving pets. He's still a little dazed and it feels good, why shouldn't he?

Thankfully nothing's broken, only his pride. It doesn't even look like it's going to bruise.]

N-No no, it's fine— heh— that was all my fault, zuraa~

[Noko can only shake her head and sigh now that she's free. This guy sometimes.]

[It's a good thing Chihiro's used to this sort of thing by now, then, because all he can do is give Komasan a sympathetic smile before holding out a hand to help him up. His other hand- which he removes from Komasan's cheek- gives him a light pat on his head. You know, since he knows Komasan likes that sort of thing.]

Well...if you're sure. Come on, we have a lot of things to look at inside, so we should probably get started.

[Funny enough, the pat on the head is exactly what snaps him out of his...whatever you want to call that, and soon enough he finds himself back on his feet after taking Chihiro's hand. He'll try not to freak out about it, Komasan has thankfully been getting a lot better at that. Chihiro wouldn't do things if he didn't want to, that's the main thing to remember.]

A...a lot, zura? [SWEATS] H-How many swimsuits could one store have, zura...?

[It's not like he has to wait long for an answer, Komasan slides through the door, this time sure to avoid any and all windows. His fat snake isn't too far behind, slithering her way between Chihiro and her trainer's legs to get a good look at all those clothes!]

[Many. So many. But Chihiro won't subject you to hours and hours of looking unless you really want that, Komasan.]

There can be a lot to choose from, but that's for you to decide. And we can't forget to get some yarn for Shiruku before we leave.

[The moment they're inside, Komasan almost feels overwhelmed. There are a lot of clothes... I mean, that should probably be expected...from a clothes store...but golly.]

Monge...

Ah! W-Well, I'm not in a hurry, z-zura... We can grab the yarn first and she can take as much time as she needs picking it out, zura.

[Yeah, okay, that wasn't subtle at all.]

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