[This is just a post for August dungeon threads that I planned with people!!! If you'd like me to set up a thread for you as well, hit me up at maragidyne or PM this journal!]
[Red had an absolutely horrible day thanks to the start of this heat wave and the arrival of a certain someone's twin brother, hahaha... But you know what will make it all better, at least for a little while? Tangoing with his good friend Daitengu, which has become his nighttime routine. It's so easy for him to bury all his other thoughts and emotions when he has a tough battle to focus on. Plus, it's been over a week now since they first started fighting him — he's gotta be pretty close to going down now, right?
So once midnight strikes and the Shadows start coming out, Red flies over all the way from the castle to the school on his Charizard's back, Pikachu holding onto Red's shoulder as always, the three of them wearing their Tengu masks. Red has no doubt that his face looks like shit from crying so much, so he put their masks on early to hide it from anyone they may run into along the way. He's totally just trying to be #aesthetic, okay...
Charizard is not only a big boy, but also a fast boy, so it doesn't take too long for the dungeon's entrance to come into view, along with the familiar back of Akira. It looks like he's on his way in too, and the tiny blonde girl that usually keeps guard at the entrance (Rei) isn't here yet. Akira will now hear Pikachu happily calling out to him from... the sky?]
Pikaaaaaaa!
[Red gestures for Charizard to land near Akira, so the masked trio gracefully descend until the large dragon touches down on the ground in front of the other boy. Look at these phantom thieves about to infiltrate the Daitengu's Palace. Literally. Red remains mounted on his Charizard's back as he actually looks straight at Akira without having to tilt his head up for once. God bless his Charizard's height.]
[The longer this tengu goes without dying, the more that the state of affairs worsens outside. It's becoming obvious now. Therefore, spending more and more of his nights in the dungeons is a selfless act, even if Akira is partially doing it because he just really missed being inside a dungeon. It's not a problem if he wakes up tired and sore every morning.]
[(He was secretly delighted when he learned that part of fighting the Daitengu is wearing a mask.)]
[Red's assessment is correct. Akira is on his way in, wearing loose clothing that isn't too oppressive in the burning village and won't limit his range of motion. He hears wingbeats above his head and turns around, thinking perhaps it's a Shadow — but no, it's a dragon with a glowing ember on its tail. The design is familiar enough to him that Akira can easily guess who's on top. More of the monsters that he only ever saw on commercials and his friends' few cards when they were young.]
[When they draw near, Akira grins beneath the mask at Red and his friends. They all have matching masks... it's so cute.]
Yeah. I was thinking beat him up, and then gather some materials on the way back.
[Sounds like a good plan to Red. Pikachu seems to be beaming at Akira underneath his mask as well. Charizard, however, is about as stoic as his trainer, who flashes a glance at the remaining space on the dragon's back.]
...Want a ride?
[It'll significantly cut down his overall travel time, which means more time for ass kicking. Also open air flying on a dragon is literally the coolest thing ever and everyone should experience it at least once.]
[Akira blinks beneath the tengu mask, looking at Charizard. For some reason it never occurred to him that he might get to... ride this thing, this burning lizard bigger than he is.]
You sure?
[He's playing it cool, but internally, he REALLY wants to ride the Charizard.]
[Charizard gives Akira a good once-over before slowly leaning his head forward as close as he can without poking Akira with his mask, sniffing at him. Then he draws it back and gazes directly into the boy's eyes. After a moment, he nods, apparently determining that Akira is worthy of riding him.]
Pi-ka~!
[Pikachu excitedly claps his little paws. Looks like he's received unanimous approval, so hop on, nerd.]
[Behind the glasses, Akira's eyes widen slightly. He had been maintaining eye contact with the Charizard just because he didn't like breaking it (made him look spineless), but... that was definitely confirmation.]
[He moves to the side of the beast, watching Red and waiting for someone to change their mind, but it doesn't happen. So he somewhat clumsily puts his leg over the dragon's back and tries to settle in.]
Should I hold on to you?
[Spoken to Red. He doesn't have any horseback or Zardback riding experience, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone by doing it improperly.]
[Red looks back at Akira and watches him as he climbs onto Charizard's back, nodding at his question. He then looks down at Akira's feet, reaching down to each one and adjusting them so that his heels are pointing towards the ground.]
Keep your feet like that. And don't squeeze him with your lower legs.
[That's about all Akira needs to know. Red will handle the rest. He'll wait patiently until the other boy is both physically and mentally prepared for take-off.]
[As Red and Pikachu fly through the dungeon on Charizard's back, Tengu masks donned and on their way over to the Daitengu as usual, they notice something very strange on the second floor. There's a whole bunch of Shadows gathered in one area, fiercely attacking something in the center of the crowd. When passerby Shadows see what's going on, they join in the party as well. Red has never seen anything like this before. What's got them all so riled up?
Charizard hovers over the crowd so they can see who the Shadows are so set on attacking. It's Hibiki. That guy Red met on the first day who was slightly annoying, but also very gentle and kind. What could he have possibly done to piss off all these Shadows so much? Well, no matter what it was, they have to save him—
And now a Chimera wants to help out too. Oh hell no. They've got to hurry! Charizard looks to Red for orders, who in two swift movements points an index finger down towards Hibiki and then at a safe house in the distance. The dragon immediately takes action, diving down into the crowd with a roar and scooping Hibiki up into a secure bridal style hold just before the Chimera can get to him. As Charizard flies at full speed towards the house, expertly dodging attacks from the pursuing Shadows along the way, Red and Pikachu look down at Hibiki to check on his condition.]
[ Everything happens so fast—the Shadows swarm him and keep attacking relentlessly and before Hibiki knows it, he doesn't have enough energy to cast any spells. His weapon of choice for today happens to be a tennis racket and needlessly to say, it's not too effective. When Charizard swoops in, he's pretty much defenseless against a group of Shadows; he doesn't even realize that Chimera has decided to join the fun until he's safe in Charizard's arms. ]
Pikachu? [ This must mean... ] Red? They're following me anywhere I go.
[ Sorry, Charizard, he just doesn't know you yet. Hibiki still isn't entirely sure what the heck here, but he knows that much. He's been avoiding battles for a while, but that only made things worse as the Shadow keep swarming him. ]
Sticking with me is dangerous, you'd better just drop me by one of the houses or something...
[ He doesn't want anybody to get hurt just because he's some Shadow magnet now. ]
[Don't worry Hibiki, that's exactly what they're doing right now, but so Red can figure out how to proceed from here. Clearly Hibiki can't be left in the dungeon by himself, especially if what he's saying is true. It doesn't take much longer for Charizard to reach the house, landing next to the door as Red jumps off of the dragon's back to go open it. He motions for Charizard to go in first, who quickly sets Hibiki down onto his feet and pushes him through the doorway before lowering his head and trying to squeeze himself in as well. He's a big boy, so it's... pretty tough, but he manages to get through with Red's help. Finally, he and Pikachu quickly follow suit, Red slamming the door shut just in the nick of time. Phew.
Now that they're safe, Red gets a closer look at Hibiki through his mask, looking him over to see if he's hurt anywhere. While he does that, he asks a question.]
[ Hibiki lets out a quiet sigh after making sure everyone's made it. It's a bit cramped, but there's no room to complain (ha) with all the shadows outside. Here's hoping that they'll get bored after some time and go away. ]
No idea.
[ He wishes he had a better answer for Red's question, but that's about it. He'll tell him about how he entered the dungeon just as always and they keep appearing from literally nowhere and chased him all the way here. ]
Thanks for saving me, guys. And sorry for the trouble. [ It's impossible not to notice Red's mask, after all. ] You were on your way to the last floor, weren't you?
[ That makes him wonder if Charizard is his Persona. ]
[How bizarre. They can't make the Shadows stop if they don't know what exactly is causing them to target Hibiki so relentlessly in the first place, though... He appears to be unharmed at least, so Red looks towards the window to check the situation outside. Yeah, it seems like they're gonna keep attempting to break in for a while. Fun.]
Mhm. It's fine.
[If the Shadows keep this up for too long, then this is going to be a wasted night on the Daitengu front, but it's worth it if he managed to keep Hibiki safe. Realizing that they're probably in this for the long haul, Pikachu and Charizard take their masks off and set them off to the side. Red's mask stays on, although he'll slip off his backpack at least. Speaking of which...]
[ Running around did tire him out a bit, but Hibiki still has plenty of energy left. He can't help staring at Red's backpack, though. It seems that the other boy came in prepared—well it's a no brainer what his plan was before stumbling upon Hibiki and the masks are the best proof of that. ]
A midnight snack? Nice. [ A pause. ] Were you going in to fight alone?
[ Well, not entirely alone since Pikachu and Charizard are here with him, but... ]
[Red's glorious midnight snack is... a granola bar. He pulls out bars for Pikachu and Charizard too, opening the wrappers for them before handing them over. Hibiki is welcome to grab one for himself if he changes his mind.]
Mhm.
[He answers as he munches on his granola bar. Look, even if his Pokémon's attacks do next to no damage to these Shadows and the Daitengu, they still count as party members...]
[ This is such a sad midnight snack. Hibiki leans his back against a wall and lets out a sigh. It would be nice to relax, but it's a bit difficult when he knows that there is a horde of Shadows waiting outside. If he's lucky, they might have walked away, but they might start chasing him again as soon as he steps outside. ]
That's reckless, you know.
[ Pot calling the kettle black. ]
I don't think I can accompany you tonight, though. You shouldn't stay here for too long either.
[Granola bars are a great snack, don't judge him... The hypocrisy isn't lost on Red, either, but like with Hibiki's bad jokes he doesn't bother commenting on it. He looks out the window again for a moment, then back at Hibiki. Sure, if they leave him behind, they probably could break through the Shadows and keep going, but...]
[ Hibiki's not entirely sure why did he say that—one of his friends back home would be proud how efficient he's trying to be—but he does feel bad about dragging Red down, even if going alone against that creature on the last floor is dangerous. ]
I've never spent more than a few hours here at a time...but I guess we're stuck for a bit longer than that. [ He shakes his head. ] No, it's more like...I'm stuck.
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maragidyne or PM this journal!]
akira (8/2)
So once midnight strikes and the Shadows start coming out, Red flies over all the way from the castle to the school on his Charizard's back, Pikachu holding onto Red's shoulder as always, the three of them wearing their Tengu masks. Red has no doubt that his face looks like shit from crying so much, so he put their masks on early to hide it from anyone they may run into along the way. He's totally just trying to be #aesthetic, okay...
Charizard is not only a big boy, but also a fast boy, so it doesn't take too long for the dungeon's entrance to come into view, along with the familiar back of Akira. It looks like he's on his way in too, and the tiny blonde girl that usually keeps guard at the entrance (Rei) isn't here yet. Akira will now hear Pikachu happily calling out to him from... the sky?]
Pikaaaaaaa!
[Red gestures for Charizard to land near Akira, so the masked trio gracefully descend until the large dragon touches down on the ground in front of the other boy. Look at these phantom thieves about to infiltrate the Daitengu's Palace. Literally. Red remains mounted on his Charizard's back as he actually looks straight at Akira without having to tilt his head up for once. God bless his Charizard's height.]
Are you going to fight the boss?
no subject
[(He was secretly delighted when he learned that part of fighting the Daitengu is wearing a mask.)]
[Red's assessment is correct. Akira is on his way in, wearing loose clothing that isn't too oppressive in the burning village and won't limit his range of motion. He hears wingbeats above his head and turns around, thinking perhaps it's a Shadow — but no, it's a dragon with a glowing ember on its tail. The design is familiar enough to him that Akira can easily guess who's on top. More of the monsters that he only ever saw on commercials and his friends' few cards when they were young.]
[When they draw near, Akira grins beneath the mask at Red and his friends. They all have matching masks... it's so cute.]
Yeah. I was thinking beat him up, and then gather some materials on the way back.
no subject
...Want a ride?
[It'll significantly cut down his overall travel time, which means more time for ass kicking. Also open air flying on a dragon is literally the coolest thing ever and everyone should experience it at least once.]
no subject
[Akira blinks beneath the tengu mask, looking at Charizard. For some reason it never occurred to him that he might get to... ride this thing, this burning lizard bigger than he is.]
You sure?
[He's playing it cool, but internally, he REALLY wants to ride the Charizard.]
no subject
Pi-ka~!
[Pikachu excitedly claps his little paws. Looks like he's received unanimous approval, so hop on, nerd.]
no subject
[He moves to the side of the beast, watching Red and waiting for someone to change their mind, but it doesn't happen. So he somewhat clumsily puts his leg over the dragon's back and tries to settle in.]
Should I hold on to you?
[Spoken to Red. He doesn't have any horseback or Zardback riding experience, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone by doing it improperly.]
no subject
Keep your feet like that. And don't squeeze him with your lower legs.
[That's about all Akira needs to know. Red will handle the rest. He'll wait patiently until the other boy is both physically and mentally prepared for take-off.]
no subject
[Akira follows the instructions to the best of his ability, and finishes settling in.]
I'm ready.
[He thinks.]+
hibiki (8/3 [the lockdown period before the school festival])
Charizard hovers over the crowd so they can see who the Shadows are so set on attacking. It's Hibiki. That guy Red met on the first day who was slightly annoying, but also very gentle and kind. What could he have possibly done to piss off all these Shadows so much? Well, no matter what it was, they have to save him—
And now a Chimera wants to help out too. Oh hell no. They've got to hurry! Charizard looks to Red for orders, who in two swift movements points an index finger down towards Hibiki and then at a safe house in the distance. The dragon immediately takes action, diving down into the crowd with a roar and scooping Hibiki up into a secure bridal style hold just before the Chimera can get to him. As Charizard flies at full speed towards the house, expertly dodging attacks from the pursuing Shadows along the way, Red and Pikachu look down at Hibiki to check on his condition.]
Pika pi?!
[You okay down there, buddy?]
no subject
Pikachu? [ This must mean... ] Red? They're following me anywhere I go.
[ Sorry, Charizard, he just doesn't know you yet. Hibiki still isn't entirely sure what the heck here, but he knows that much. He's been avoiding battles for a while, but that only made things worse as the Shadow keep swarming him. ]
Sticking with me is dangerous, you'd better just drop me by one of the houses or something...
[ He doesn't want anybody to get hurt just because he's some Shadow magnet now. ]
no subject
Now that they're safe, Red gets a closer look at Hibiki through his mask, looking him over to see if he's hurt anywhere. While he does that, he asks a question.]
...Why are they following you?
no subject
No idea.
[ He wishes he had a better answer for Red's question, but that's about it. He'll tell him about how he entered the dungeon just as always and they keep appearing from literally nowhere and chased him all the way here. ]
Thanks for saving me, guys. And sorry for the trouble. [ It's impossible not to notice Red's mask, after all. ] You were on your way to the last floor, weren't you?
[ That makes him wonder if Charizard is his Persona. ]
no subject
Mhm. It's fine.
[If the Shadows keep this up for too long, then this is going to be a wasted night on the Daitengu front, but it's worth it if he managed to keep Hibiki safe. Realizing that they're probably in this for the long haul, Pikachu and Charizard take their masks off and set them off to the side. Red's mask stays on, although he'll slip off his backpack at least. Speaking of which...]
Are you... hungry? Or thirsty?
no subject
[ Running around did tire him out a bit, but Hibiki still has plenty of energy left. He can't help staring at Red's backpack, though. It seems that the other boy came in prepared—well it's a no brainer what his plan was before stumbling upon Hibiki and the masks are the best proof of that. ]
A midnight snack? Nice. [ A pause. ] Were you going in to fight alone?
[ Well, not entirely alone since Pikachu and Charizard are here with him, but... ]
no subject
Mhm.
[He answers as he munches on his granola bar. Look, even if his Pokémon's attacks do next to no damage to these Shadows and the Daitengu, they still count as party members...]
no subject
That's reckless, you know.
[ Pot calling the kettle black. ]
I don't think I can accompany you tonight, though. You shouldn't stay here for too long either.
[ Maybe if he was a tank...alas. ]
no subject
...I'll... stay with you.
no subject
[ Hibiki's not entirely sure why did he say that—one of his friends back home would be proud how efficient he's trying to be—but he does feel bad about dragging Red down, even if going alone against that creature on the last floor is dangerous. ]
I've never spent more than a few hours here at a time...but I guess we're stuck for a bit longer than that. [ He shakes his head. ] No, it's more like...I'm stuck.