1 Crushed Tomato | Video/Action

[ghostpepper]

[The video kicks on first to show a partially-rolled up and dirty white shirt. (Are those blood stains?!) The stomach below it has faint scarring in the shape of what could be a large circle, or maybe a semi-circle. At any rate, the video pans up after a few seconds over the shirt, hitting a wall of bright red hair at the shoulders. Dried blood long-since turned brown stained her chin and mouth. Then the full, filthy face of a very alive and pissed off Kushina Uzumaki.]

Is this some kind of a joke?! I woke up in a room that isn't mine with some woman claiming to be my mother who looks about my age shoving a bag of stuff in my hands. My husband is missing, my baby is missing, my chakra is missing. But that's not the best part, ya know! Some guy shoved this thing on me!

[She turns the video down toward a Vulpix that's staring up at her with innocent brown eyes. It lets out a happy cry and attempts to nuzzle up against Kushina's leg. But the video-- and Kushina-- move away from it quickly. When the video comes back up, her hair is flowing out at every angle around her quickly reddening face.]

If I ever find the guy who gave this to me again, I'm gonna kill him, y'know!! What a sick joke! So someone tell me how to get rid of this thing!

[Bonus Action Option Edit!]

[Anyone else who might have been wandering around New Bark Town probably had the honor misfortune pleasure of spotting a particular redhead fuming over her starting partner. Or perhaps browsing one of the manuals Minato had forwarded to her over the Pokegear, occasionally nudging the Vulpix away with her foot, while she waited for him to arrive. Do you dare approach?]

Comments

[ghostpepper]

[Now these two were adorable. As soon as they were in range, she leaned forward automatically and pulled them in for hugs.]

Minato, they're adorable! They look like identical twins, besides some of their markings and colors! --And what's this on you?

[She had set them down on her lap and noticed the cloak on the Plusle. Just like her husband's. She turned her around to look at the back, expecting to see something written, but instead... a giant swirl. The sight of it made her smile.]

Who made this?

[aflashoffaith]

I did. Well- with your help, of course.

[The cloak was a little too small for writing much of anything (and you know how he enjoys his long ridiculous titles), nevermind the time it would have taken to stitch out the tiny letters- it was a bit too much work for him to take on as a somewhat beginner in sewing.

It was one thing to add on the tiny sleeves and a button clasp, another entirely to not only come up with a title or nickname but to sew it down along such a tiny space.

But Hachi was family too, as much as he or Kushina and Naruto were, and he didn't really have anything of his own clan to pass down so...

It was important that none of them forgot the Uzumaki, or Uzushiogakure, the clan and the lost village meaning just as much to Minato as Konoha.]

They're electric types, and their abilities compliment and amplify each other- they're quite dangerous really, in a fight.

...We kind of blew out the electrical system in the first gym we challenged, it had to be closed for repair for a day or so.

[ghostpepper]

[She laughs at that last bit because the thought of the two little creatures on her lap blowing out the power of an entire building was hilarious.]

I'm sorry I missed it! But what d'you mean by challenging a gym... whatever that is here.

[aflashoffaith]

[He'd felt pretty bad about it at the time, embarrassed at being ushered out of the gym so they could begin repairs, but it was hard not to crack a smile at Kushina's amusement, to start laughing along with her.]

I was quite proud of them, honestly.

[Once he'd stopped trying to hide from anyone associated with the gym in Violet, anyway.]

The Gym leaders each have a team of Pokemon, usually specializing in one type, and the trainers, us, are able to challenge them to a duel with our teams. If you defeat them you earn a badge, which can allow your team to use certain abilities though I'm not really sure why that's a necessary step. It's basically the "goal" of our traveling here.

[Why the hell couldn't a bird fly without a tiny piece of medal? \o_o/]

I'm a breeder myself though, it's not necessary for me to earn the badges but I think it's important for my team to experience proper fights.

Ah- [And before she could ask:] a breeder is supposed to- well... breed their Pokemon, in hopes of producing stronger offspring. These two are already parents, actually, and Rin took in two of their eggs, but I'm waiting for my team to grow a bit more before trying again.

[ghostpepper]

[He definitely stole the question just as she opened her mouth to interject the question. So here's another one that was lined up after it.]

Breeding for stronger Pokemon sounds pretty cool and all, but these gyms and stuff sound like my kind of thing. Is there one in the city we're heading to?

[aflashoffaith]

Mmn, there are gyms in most of the major cities in both regions. Sixteen in all.

[He stood, picking up the now cooked cups of noodles before stepping back across the room and handing one to her. Hachi and Machi jumped down from Kushina's lap after a quiet shoo from him, crawling back on the bed to dig through Minato's bag for treats of their own.]

You might want to hold off on challenging the gym in Blackthorn though, Clair has a team much stronger than your current one.

[Just... finding an empty spot on the bed that's not covered in electric rat or berries to sit back down on and start stuffing his face.]

[ghostpepper]

[AW YIS RAMEN TIME. She watches amused as the little duo start digging around in his bag. But news about the gym puts a tiny damper on her mood. Welp. Nothing that can't be fixed with shoveling ramen into her mouth and talking between bites.]

Hmph... Then I'll get a stronger team. ...How strong is this Clair anyway?

[aflashoffaith]

Hmm...

[He at least finished chewing and swallowed before talking, gosh Kushina were you raised by wolves.]

She has a team of Dragon types, most of them don't really have a weakness to element or type, other than other Dragon type moves. That's not really necessary though, so long as your team aren't using moves they have a resistance to.

[And he'll mention them by name, pointing at his 'gear and explaining how to bring up the Pokedex if she wanted to check out Clair's team while eating.]

Most people would challenge the gym in Violet first, not only to be able to use Fly but Faulkner's team is better suited for a new team. ...It's also the first you'd come across if you were traveling normally through the region. We should probably head that way after our time in Blackthorn though, you'll definitely want the badge and from there we can travel to the other gyms.

[Was that an annoyed face he was making?

Fucking Violet.]