smash_logs | Chit-chat and calories

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Chit-chat and calories - Bonding!

Who: Sonny and Kiyotaka
What: Conversations and ice cream
Where: School, then a venue switch to Sprinkletown.
When: Some time after Halloween!
Warnings: Sonny eating entirely too many banana splits...?

Sonny was in love with Fall. The colors, the seasonal foods, pumpkin everything, the chill in the wind and the gentle warmth of Autumn sunshine. He used to think Spring was his favorite season, but he was not an immovable creature unless you happen to be a ten year old without a Pokéflute. Autumn was steadily gaining in his estimation.

It was a little after classes and he was crossing school grounds with a book and his Ukulele. Originally, he was headed towards the lake to do a little reading for class, get a little music practice in and enjoy the sunset filtering through the orange and auburn tree line. Then he was going to go to the cafeteria and wreck a huge tray of food.

As he walked, though, he spotted a familiar figure approaching. He was already smiling, but his face split into a grin and he waved at his friend, changing direction to meet him.

"Hey! Kiyotaka! Good afternoon! ...huh? Is that a sword?"

DEFINITELY a new accessory for this version of his friend. Though, future Kiyotaka had been handy with one.

"Cool!"

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It sure was a sword. A beam sword from the stadium, but one nonetheless. Even if there wasn't any rule against borrowing, the fact that Zero had already called him out for bringing it to the Halloween dance (for good reason, mind!) already made Kiyotaka a little self conscious about bringing it out at all... But apparently not enough to stop him.

The stadium was great for practicing, safety settings and all, but it felt really cool to pose with it by the lake when the sun was angled just right and he knew it was childish but... Okay, there was no justifying it at all. Which was why his face flushed with shame when Sonny caught him on his way.

"I--! I'm returning it to the stadium right now!" At least, that was the new plan.

"Oh, really? Alright. I'll walk with you, if you like?"

Whether Kiyotaka liked or not, Sonny fell in beside him and started walking over towards the stadium.

"Were you borrowing it for something?"

Even if Kiyotaka hadn't been planning on company, of all the people who could have invited themselves to go along with him, Sonny was definitely one of the more preferable ones. His heart was about as enormous as his stomach, and there wasn't a single part of him that was shady or interested in causing misery like so many other people in this school. So he accepted his companionship without protest.

If only he hadn't asked that particular question, though.

"Er... I was..." Being a man who believed in pure, upfront honesty sure did make things difficult when he didn't want to answer with the truth. So he'd focus on another part of the truth instead. ~~A TRUE POLITICIAN'S GRANDSON AFTER ALL~~ "W-well, lately I've been practicing with it!! This is a fighting school, after all, so in my final year I should learn at least that much!"

"That's so cool!" Sonny said, looking down at the sword again. "I still haven't really practiced much with weapons. Or at all really. Except for the bats and stuff in Max's Smash Fundamentals class? I'm not sure if that counts."

Bats were really for playing baseball, after all. The fact that they could also clonk a dude on the head or be used to send a punching bag flying was kind of incidental.

"Would you show me what you've learned so far? I'd really like to see!"

"That's a class, so of course it counts!"

Maybe it would be a good idea to sign up for that class, too. Although he wasn't keen on being told he needed to gain more biceps or anything like that. He was still a little sore about his encounter with Max in the bathhouse that one time and his muscles were just fine, thank you very much. But for now, Zero's training was a good place to start.

"I haven't been doing this very long, but... if you want to see it, I'll definitely show you! It's just... right now, I'm not very good at the attacking part." Defense was pretty okay, thankfully. That was the more important thing in his eyes. "But if you attack me with something, I can show you a good block, too!"

~~Just don't use the super hammer...~~

"OK! Alright! I'll use a bat, because that's what I know how to use best, and you can show me how good you can block!"

Sonny hadn't seen the small but well defined mass of ripples and valleys that was Kiyotaka's surprisingly buff body. All their meetings thus far had been entirely appropriate, clothed encounters.

"I don't think I've seen you in any of my combat classes, Kiyotaka? I never would of guessed that you would be interested in swords." he said, opening the door to the stadium. "It's kind of a surprise!"

Enjoy that clothed comfort, Sonny. It was only a matter of time before Kiyotaka insisted that he join him in the baths...

"Swords are really cool, aren't they?" Well, at least he was honest about that much. They were traditional and beautiful and effective when used right. What wasn't to like about them? Honestly, he missed the feeling of holding one, even if the beam sword was nothing at all like the bamboo one Jock once destroyed. "But you're right! I've been focusing on academics for the most part... A little too much. Don't get me wrong! Studying from textbooks is definitely useful!"

You know. Something like advanced calculus was definitely a valid life skill that would be used in day-to-day adult life.

"But this place is dangerous and books aren't very good as a defensive measure. Too much has happened to people both here and at my old school for me to just sit back any longer." He cast his gaze skywards with his eyes narrowed in disapproval. At least that island was good for one thing, and that thing was being a wake-up call.

Sonny understood what Kiyotaka meant. Too many things HAD happened at this school - He didn't know anything about Hope's Peak, but he'd seen enough people hurt here to know what Kiyotaka wanted to do.

"You want to help protect people."

His smile was a little softer now than it had been a moment ago. He'd always known Ishimaru was a good guy. But wanting to get stronger to help people was something Sonny could empathize with. He walked into the stadium, flicked on the lights, and started walking towards the place where the weapons were stored. He needed to find a bat.

"I think that's a really good reason to get stronger. It's why I'm as strong as I am!"

The stadium was becoming more and more of a familiar comfort these days. It wasn't just that he was seeing a whole lot of it during his training and while he kept up his personal fitness in a warm place during the colder months. Here, more than anywhere else, was a sense of safety and control. He had mastery over the stage settings, over what the fake terrain looked like and how many targets appeared, over what items spawned when, over how much damage was done...

A safety setting for life would have been nice. But that couldn't be done, and that was why he was here.

While Sonny went to grab a weapon for himself, Kiyotaka began a few easy stretches.

"Then was that your own choice, or your trainer's choice?" Could a Pokemon just go up and train on their own? Well, here, probably... He was still trying to figure out the technicalities of everything, even if he knew enough to have passed the trainer's exam. "Either way, it is definitely the most noble cause for this that there is, I think!"

"That's a good question." Sonny replied, finding a nice bat and picking it out. He held it in his big, meaty hand and looked it over.

"It started out as Red's choice, I think. When he caught me? I wasn't anything like the way I am now. I had come down from the mountains to eat Human food out of the dumpsters behind Celadon department store. I was really only interested in eating and sleeping and I was actually a pretty grumpy guy?"

Yeah. This bat would do just fine. He walked back to Kiyotaka and set it down so he could do some stretches of his own.

"But once Red showed me kindness, I learned how to be kind. And I learned how to fight for others and why it's important to fight for others all by watching him do it. Red never forced me to change my mind. He just showed me HOW to change it. If that makes sense?"

People grew and changed. That was a fact of life. But to think that Sonny of all people had been selfish and grumpy once... That was really weird to think about.

Nah. Kiyotaka just couldn't picture it.

It just went to show what a good job Red did, he supposed. And what a good job Sonny did for making that goal and sticking to it. "Ha... That's really admirable of both of you."

Arms up, bend down, touch your toes...

"I want to be the kind of person who can inspire others like that, too. I always have!" Reach back up, stretch to the siiide... "Not just as a Pokemon Trainer. As someone who can make others want to change and bring out their best! To better a school, to better society, and perhaps even spread it across the whole world!"

He stopped his stretches and put his hands on his hips, frowning. "...I always wanted that, but saying it out loud now sounds... so naive and-- and outright foolish, doesn't it?" That was embarrassing.

"Why would that be foolish?" Sonny asked, quirking a quizzical eyebrow at his friend. He stopped stretching so it was easier to talk. "You could change the world that way. I know you could. The world is just a whole lot of people, right? If you can make life better for just ONE person, or show them how to make life better for themselves? Why couldn't you do the same for more than one person? And then maybe they would do the same for others, too - kind of a domino effect. Right?"

He pointed to his Ukulele. "Remember that one day we decided to practice our musical instruments together? And we decided to have ice cream as a reward if we did well? I tried harder that day than the other times I'd practiced on my own. And then, every practice after that, I kept trying that hard because I remembered how good it felt to work hard and do better, even if it's something silly and simple like playing a song. That would kind of count, right?"

"Ha... Really?"

One more toe-touch for the road, and Kiyotaka likewise ceased his stretching so he could stare at Sonny in wonder. While he didn't consider music a passion he wanted to pursue or anything (and had all the finesse of an elementary schooler anyway), he definitely enjoyed things like playing with Sonny or singing with Vivian and wouldn't dream of half-assing a thing like that, especially since it was so important to people he considered friends. It was heartwarming to hear that Sonny felt similarly.

No, it felt better than that. He gave a wide smile, putting his hands on his hips and looking out over the stadium. "No, that definitely counts! Even if it's something small like that, every effort towards self-improvement is a valuable one! Hearing that I've inspired you inspires me, ha ha ha!"

But despite his laughter, his smile faded pretty fast to something more bittersweet, and his hands dropped. "I... I am glad to motivate even one person. I really am! But I should be doing so much more! Where I came from, I was chosen as part of a group of students who would inspire the whole country and pave the way for a brighter future, but... If I cannot do so much as encourage a small classroom to better themselves..."

The burden of expectation never got any lighter, even when nobody else was placing it on him. It was a wonder he hadn't exploded yet, really.

"Oh wow - you were chosen for something like that?" Sonny replied, honestly surprised.

"I mean, not that I think you wouldn't be a good choice! But that just seems so amazing!" He reached out and grabbed Kiyotaka's shoulder, giving a little squeeze. "If you could be picked for something like that, I bet you could do just as much good here!"

Oh, poor, naive Sonny. It was good to have hope and faith in people, but sometimes there was such a thing as having too much. What did he see in this school - what did he see in Kiyotaka that he himself couldn't?

"I couldn't... do any good there. And this place feels like a lost cause sometimes. I haven't given up! I could never do that. It's just that the people here have little to no regard for their peers or their futures. The faculty, who should be role models, tend to be the worst offenders!"

"Hmmm... Really? I'm sorry to hear you had a hard time there. But I'm sure you tried your best! You always do. I can tell. If it didn't work, I know there must of been some crazy reason for it."

As for his comments about this school? Sonny thought about it for a moment. He could kind of see where Kiyotaka was coming from. Especially in regards to some of the teachers. Like Eggman! That Justin Beiver abducting jerkwad. And Dedede had been a teacher too, right? Sonny and Max had punched that guy right in the face. And wasn't the fencing teacher a murderer or something? Wasn't that a thing? Char was a teacher too, and he wasn't always the NICEST guy around, even if Sonny had a fair amount of respect and goodwill towards Green's Charizard.

"I can kind of see where you're coming from? But hey, don't forget though! There are some really wonderful teachers! Like Miss Able! She makes everyone something warm to wear every single Christmas. Imagine how much work that must be? And Max, of course. He works hard to help people reach their potential, both in class and in the weight room."

...kind of sad that Sonny could only really name TWO teachers out of the full roster that he thought were outstanding examples of devotion to the student body. But then again, he didn't take all the classes and hadn't met all the teachers. He almost counted Ziio amongst his list but he wasn't sure what Kiyotaka's take on free condoms for everyone at Prom was. He guessed that it wasn't an entirely positive take.

Kiyotaka was very much in the camp of "pretend Ziio's gifts did not happen and hope nobody found a chance to make use of them." At least if Sonny brought it up he would concede that the class was actually a useful one in the grand scheme of things, as humiliating as it was to attend.

"All right, that's two." This is the part where someone more sane might have gone hey, you're right, I'll stop focusing on the negatives and be happy for this much. But Kiyotaka believed in extremes, and he had worked too damn hard for most of his life to facilitate the ideal school environment. There wasn't any way he was going to settle for that little.

"The bad teachers far outweigh the good responsible ones! We've had teachers try to take over the school or the entire city, or even try to kill students, and they're still allowed to work here! Does that seem right to you?"

He was already plenty worked up before he said it, but now he just had to activate the beam sword and make a practice swing at thin air.

"No! Not really!"

Oh, they were practicing, now? Sonny clumsily twirled the bat in his hand and struck air, too.

"It's actually pretty dumb and sometimes I think the Headmasters don't know what they're doing?"

Because during the Shadow Bug infestation, Headmaster Hand had been about as helpful as ants at a picnic. What little he'd said and done hadn't seemed to help matters at all. Really, it had been up to the students and staff to do everything. The same thing was true of the whole drug epidemic and martial law days. Barely a word from the giant hand and violence left unchecked. He hadn't really thought much about it at the time - Snorlaxes who grew up in the mountains were hardly experts on how to run a school - but he felt he'd seen enough after school specials and young adult movies by now to know roughly how a Headmaster should act. (Dumbledore wouldn't stand for this stuff.)

"But we always make it though anyway, right? Even when things get bad, we always manage to fix it! Even if the teachers can be bad or strange, the good guys always win, still?"

"Is that true? ...It feels more like those who are truly good suffer most, while the evil do as they please with no consequence!" He swung the blade again with more resolution. "It feels like there's no justice here at all."

He grit his teeth, each swing getting more and more intense, as though there really was some kind of opponent in front of him only he could see. But instead of matching it blade for blade, he was just trying to strike it down, tear it apart, destroy it as harshly as possible.

"If we don't do something to change that, things are going to get worse! I've seen what kinds of things can happen... I don't know what can be done, but shrugging and saying that what little good there is is good enough is completely useless!"

There he was, getting way too worked up again. It didn't take much, did it.

"I disagree, a little!" Sonny said, swinging his bat way too hard at absolutely nothing. "Because it's always useful to count your blessings! Things could be better! But don't forget to be grateful for the great people you know and the happy stuff in your life!"

Lighten the fuck up Kiyotaka for serious

"But we SHOULD work harder to make things even better than they are now! I'll help you, OK? So you don't have to feel like it's just you working for a good future - that's everyone's job and I'm a part of everyone!"

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Chit-chat and calories - Bonding!

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