First Punch [Video/Action]

[hige_san]

[...Crap.

That was Harima's first thought when he left the school that afternoon and found no one waiting for him. After a certain incident several weeks ago, a certain Swinub who was no longer allowed in the building had taken to waiting for him just outside of the front door, using the long afternoons to nap in the warm sun. He had to admit that he was jealous of the little Pokemon sometimes....

How he wished he could lead such a carefree life.

Snorting in irritation, he slung his bag over his shoulder and looked around the school yard for the hairy little troublemaker.]

Napoleon?

[He called-- then swore under his breath. That little shit...]

[Video]

[It was getting close to evening when the video feed clicked on, revealing a scowling young man in dark sunglasses and an elegant looking young woman next to him.]

Hey, if anyone's seen a Swinub and an Espurr wandering around the city, let us know. They go by the names Napoleon and Iori, and they're probably together.

[He looked away from the camera, briefly tipping up his shades to rub the bridge of his nose in frustration.] Let's hope they're not making any problems for us... [he grumbled. At this point the girl chimed in:]

We really are worried, so if you've seen them please tell us.

[Action--Elsewhere in Union]

[You. Yeah, you right there, the one who has that lovely plate of food sitting on the table in front of you. There is a rather stealthy Swinub spying on you....

Or, namely, your dinner.

Anyone and everyone who happens to be have some food on them will have a little Swinub shaped shadow following them, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Sometimes he will look up at you with sad eyes begging for a taste of your delicious meal; other times he will try to steal a few bites the moment you look away.

The Espurr hanging around nearby has nothing to do with any of this. Stop looking at him like that.]

((OOC: This is a joint entry with Yakumo Tsukamoto psychicsister. If you haven't yet, go reply to her Permissions Page regarding her telepathic abilities, so we can know whether you've opted-in or not.))

Comments

[psychicsister]

Are there...any tracks?

[She's not sure...do Swinubs leave tracks?]

[hige_san]

...

[They did. Swinubs had very stubby, very hairy legs and tiny feet.]

--Damn. I knew I was forgetting something!

[psychicsister]

Do...you think they could have...?

[Been kidnapped? Wandered off together? She looks worried, really, really worried.]

[hige_san]

Napoleon's tough, and I'm sure Iori's with him. They'll be fine--where ever they are.

[He was confident in his Pokemon's ability to fend for himself...but, after the last time Napoleon had free reign around the school, Harima still wanted to find him fast.

The last thing he wanted to deal with was Itoko's wrath.]

[psychicsister]

Iori is too...but that doesn't mean...we should leave them.

[Yakumo's eyes flicker towards the gate.]

We should find their tracks. They can't be far.

[hige_san]

[Harima was worried too-- he just didn't express it as eloquently as Yakumo. Normally his attempts came out awkward...or resulted in him crawling through the bushes like an idiot when the answer was in front of him the whole time.

No, they can't. They're both little, and don't they have someone watching the gate during the day?

[psychicsister]

Ah...no, not anymore. Remember, it's...sports season, so the coach is busy.

[...which means...]

[hige_san]

...Shit. They could be anywhere.

[He snorted in his displeasure. The last thing he needed was Napoleon causing a mess somewhere in town or-- even worse-- Itoko hearing word about the two pokemon being up to something.

...There wouldn't be any food for him at home for a week.]

We've gotta move, Yakumo.

[Or else he'd be sleeping in the Habitat for a while...]

[psychicsister]

Y-yeah...

[She's already looking for the tracks, peering down in the dirt like a goof.]

[hige_san]

[Harima was no better than her, although he was using his height to his advantage, peering around the area for a snatch of purple fur. Swinubs blended with the dirt too well, but an Espurr was quite a noticeable little cat. Unless...]

Iori's not that good at hiding, is he?

[psychicsister]

No...not really. He...stands out.

[Except she's found prints in the dirt. Iori shaped prints.]

...could this be it?

[hige_san]

[He frowned as he studied the little paw print.]

Dunno. Maybe. I never bothered looking at their feet before.

[Memo to self: Look at their feet.]

[psychicsister]

It...it must be.

[There's a lingering impression there...but she's not going to talk about psychic stuff with him. That's weird.

So...she just takes off, following it!]

It has to be them.

[hige_san]

You think so?

[He was nervous. The little prankster and the kitty cat were out doing something that only the Savior could ever guess at--

Harima followed. Barring setting up an elaborate trap that would involve wasting perfectly good curry, he didn't really have an option.]

[psychicsister]

[She trots along, hunched over with a worried expression. There's not really much to say, but she's leading them all over the place in wild circles.

Which...may seem odd to him...]

[hige_san]

[Very odd, but his methods weren't going to be any better than her's in the long run...]

Any idea where we're going?

[psychicsister]

No. I'm just...following the tracks.

[Yakumo, the tracks got super faint the minute you got onto concrete...]

[hige_san]

What tracks are you talking about? I don't see any.

[psychicsister]

[She points down...and realizes her mistake. And...covers it up!]

I-I can see them. They're very faint. Just follow me, Harima-san, we'll find them.

[hige_san]

[It's a reasonable enough lie that he just nods and accepts it. Maybe he shouldn't have gone for the dark sunglasses look. It was an effective disguise, but maybe...

He tipped them down briefly and stared at the sidewalk, finding only dust and tiny blades of grass poking through the cracks in the concrete. Nothing special. Uncertain, he replaced his shades and kept pace.]

I'm trusting you on this, Yakumo. We don't want Itoko getting ahold of Napoleon before we do. Savoir knows what she'd do to him!

[psychicsister]

Don't worry. I think we're getting close...

[To the gates that is. They loom out in front of them, open for anyone to come and go as they please...]

[hige_san]

Better be, [He said, pocketing his hands and following her through that gate, masking his worry with his usual air of grumpy nonchalance.]

Those two...they're little.

[psychicsister]

And...they're outside...so we really need to find them.

[She steels herself, approaching the gate...]

[hige_san]

Yeah. No kidding.

[He trailed along with her, staying close. Yakumo wasn't near as tough as he was, and he didn't think he'd be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her while she was around. She was nice, unlike far too many other people in Union.]

[psychicsister]

[Yakumo, though, is really rather confident now. She steps outside for the first time without a guide and just starts walking, following that trail. Iori had to be somewhere nearby.

She doesn't say much, focusing instead...and eventually comes to a small picnic table that'd been set up along the path.

And sitting on the table, munching on pokepuffs? Are the two miscreant Pokemon.]