generalflirt | ~♥FORTY-TWO♥~

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~♥FORTY-TWO♥~

[Masaomi Kida isn't quite sure what to do with himself. His schedule's been thrown off entirely because of his going to Green for help, only to have been told (again, again, again) that he's a fuck up. That he's a failure. It stings, perhaps more than any other time he's been reprimanded in this fashion, to hear that he's apparently been doing poorly with Pokemon, with Linda. It's nothing new, of course (his mother, himself, Izaya, Sokka, every time he'd come out of an AU, looks on Katara's face, Aang's entire existence, Riku, Xion...). In fact, he's long, long since used to being a loser.

But it stings. Actually, it makes his resolve to reverse that even greater.

So he's been (re-)training with the trainers, he's stopped doing personal training with Linda, and he's stopped giving lessons to Ikki (hell, he can't even do that effectively, given his pokedex has been taken from him). That cuts at least two hours he normally dedicated (plus rest periods) out of each day, leaving only his irregular checks with Chun-Li and his irregular gun lessons and ninja lessons. And, of course, personal training. Still, with the brutality involved in some of pokemon lessons (punishments, a part of him can't help but think) he's cut back on that as well. Leaving him with... what.

Too much free time.

Too much pointless free time. He can't hang out with Gold or Silver, that would hurt to have been around people he's apparently failed without even realizing it. He can't be around Katara, she's some ghost of what she normally is. He can't be around Ventus or Roxas or Riku or Xion or any of those other people, because their strength of power or character just oozes out of them, punching him in the gut. This leaves, of course, only Shikamaru and Linda of people he would consider himself at all close to, and there's only so many hours in the day you can spend with your best friend or your partner (who you're still arguing some with) before you get sick of that too.

It reminds him, in a lot of ways, of the tail end of middle school.]

[Video]
[Of course, there's really only one way to deal with frustrated misery: you plaster a broad smile on your face such that no one can see what's going on inside of you. He's long since used to doing this, and right now, he doubts anyone will call him on it anyway.

And so, with a bright grin on his face, the video begins. He's in his apartment, dressed in suit very similar to the one he got in gangland during the scavenger hunt experiment]

Hello, hello, ladies and gentlemen! Coming to you live from a studio apartment near you, this is Kida Live! The spiritual successor to the well-received Kida Radio program that some of you might have heard about! [He spreads his arms wide, laughs, and then brings his arms in closer to himself, winking at the camera of the book before crouching down and keeping up the blase smile]

Now, I'm sure many of you have wondered "okay so Luceti's unfortunate, but how can I get a date?" Or perhaps "Valentines is coming up! What if I'm forced into my first kiss?" Or even your first intimate nature moment. [And he holds up his one hand in a circle, the other with his pointer finger out, and then pushes the pointer finger into the circle.] These are all valid concerns! After all, there's a sick sense of humor at work in the "Fate" of this world, one which breaks men's spirits as if they were twigs.

[And he laughs, at his own joke. His voice might just have shifted in pitch a little, but- He twirls in place, and by the time he's done, he's back to normal. Upbeat]

So tell me, Love Hunter Masa, about these concerns! About how you want a date and your woes of love. I'll have you know I even know an excellent matchmaker called the Commodore who can help~ you~ out~!

[With a little finger wiggle at the book of each of those last three words. He ends it there. This'll be more fun than just thinking, anyway.

If you don't want to do the video, there is an action option. Despite doing this broadcast in his apartment, he'll be spending most of his days not spent doing training things in Building I (formerly Azzip, now a budding convenience store) sitting with his Pikachu and browsing his journal. See him through the door or the window or something, or when he steps out to get a meal]

["Action" on the 21st]
[The next day from the Kida Love broadcast, Masaomi is in Building I again, just sort of hanging out in the later afternoon. It's around then that the droids come- he recognizes this approach once they're in the building, and both him and Linda react quickly. The thing of it is, despite the sabotage they assisted in and (in his opinion) how well they did during that defense of Catherine boondogle, this time two things happen to make them completely overwhelmed: These aren't sabotaged droids, and Linda's electricity outright dies on her early in the fight, to both of their surprise. And, following a quick and ultimately futile scuffle, both Masaomi and his mouse are dragged off to the Rogue labs]

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[A light tut, and then... with his voice ganging a fake amused tone] Said the man who I know doesn't want to be a soldier, huh?

[He smiles. That's where you'd be right and you'd be wrong.]

I use it to get closer to the man I want to be. It's one of those things you have to make work for you, instead of the other way around.

Well yeah, but if we're talking ideal worlds, even though the 'buro's dangerous as hell, I think I'd still take peaceful Japan over anywhere where people our age are conscripted any day.

[He gives Masaomi an odd look over his shoulder, but then shakes his head and looks away.

A world where even civilian kids aren't taught for that possibility? It's still a strange thought for him even after hearing everyone's stories. It'd be way too easy to get sidetracked into that. Which is what Masaomi wants.]

And what about here?

[He considers for a moment... and then he clicks his tongue] You hear all the time about the "illusion of choice," but for a while, I'd felt like this place had the "illusion of a lack of choice."

[Mm. He folds his hands behind his neck. Go on.]

I mean, plenty of people make choices here. You and I sure have. So I got to thinking... what with all the heroes of justice here, why is it that only we and some other people seem to go on those missions, or why did that bearded asshole shoot out Korras Blake-san. [He sighs. He can't even bring himself to feel angry about that, leaned up against Shikamaru's back] Or why that saved us, I guess.

That might be too harsh though.

I tend to think that some of them might be doing their own thing. It's not as if we tell a lot of people everything we're up to...

Yeah. [And he leans forward now, his teeth gritting]

It just gets really easy to think you're the only one doing it right.

[...]

Can I smoke?

No. [And he leans back again, snorting at that as he goes against Shikamaru's back, folding his wings against his own]

[He snorts. Jerk. But fine. He settles for taking the lighter out of his pocket instead and tries to think of what Asuma would say.

Probably something like he should handle this conversation himself, since Asuma isn't the one who ever knew someone like Masaomi. Bigger jerk.]

The thing about wake-up calls is they're not pleasant. But the point isn't to dwell on them, it's to continue on with your life.

What life?

[Seriously, he lives in a bubble, failing at everything, weaker than everyone, not capable of accomplishing much of anything...]

Oi. [He continues to let Masaomi lean on him, but his spine becomes a fraction more rigid.] A man who talks like he has nothing in life risks losing all the good he took for granted.

The boy who's talking like that probably lost a few things already, huh? Or maybe, it all got screwed up already.

[...]

If that were so, would I be bothering with you now?

How should I know?

I am, so it isn't. [Said with finality.]

And you know, it was only when I was telling you those lies that I could see Linda trying to get out of her ball. She probably agrees.

[And yet he hasn't felt much of a zap. If she really wanted on, she could have used her tremendous electrical power, couldn't she? Unless...

No, no.] "Linda," huh... You know, I really picked a pretty dumb name for her, didn't I?

Are you that bad that you're going to sulk about that too.

It's just something to trace from the beginning you know? "Linda," "Linda..." [He snorts, leaning back. He can feel the ball twitching again]

[Let her out, instead of making her angry.]

I didn't know there was that much to it.

Hey, I didn't either! Like when I got that egg, or when she hatched. It all barely felt real. It didn't really feel real until Silver told me I was doing it wrong and I followed his lead. And it didn't really feel like I was getting anywhere until that big birthday party.

[He got his pokedex, she evolved... if you ignore that Mikado wasn't there (Still he thinks this) and maybe Anri or Saki... and you ignore that argument with Katara... it really was one of the happiest days of his life]

Haaa... What was that little conversation about? Right before she evolved like that.

[~~wow I suck Mikado was there DISREGARD THAT~~ But no, he remembers it. He wonders if Shikamaru is bluffing, because now Masaomi frowns up at the sky.

"I love you more more than anyone else in here"

He'd understood those words clearly. And really, he thought he really understood it all, with that moment. It seemed like they'd only gotten strong and stronger since then, after all...

"You will have to. Giving and receiving orders is a part of the relationship between trainers, and between them and their Pokémon. Linda may not like it, but she has no choice. She must obey your orders and you must learn to understand how to guide her every move."

Isn't that just breaking her spirit, though... He doesn't get it, he doesn't get it at all]

She was being silly.

[But as he says this, he reaches into his pocket to take out her ball. With it in hand, he can see her glaring at him inside of it]

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