wormed | 2ND PRAYER - [VIDEO/ACTION FOR ANYWHERE BETWEEN AZALEA AND GOLDENROD]

[[It's somewhat of a law in his canon that being Kariya is suffering, and today is, of course, no exception in the slightest.

If you're anywhere between Azalea and Goldenrod, you're going to see a rather interesting sight; there's a herd of wild Scolipede stampeding their way along the route, making a hell of a lot of noise and fuss. The kicker, however? There appears to be a man clinging to one of the huge Bug Pokemon, holding on for dear life and wearing an incredibly pained expression.

For those who know Kariya Matou, you might not be surprised that he's gotten himself caught up in a big mess of worm-like creatures, but to his credit this was not as planned and they...may have chased him down until they caught him, which would have taken them all of five metres since running still isn't A Thing That He Does.

Ever since he arrived in Johto he's been like a magnet for all sorts of bugs, but this is the worst lot of luck he's had in a while. Behind the herd, a Beautifly, Butterfree, Scyther, Yanma and Ledyba are flying in hot pursuit, trying desperately to rescue their unfortunate trainer. The Yanma is carrying Kariya's Pokegear, which he dropped at some point during the mad rush, so anyone viewing his feed has quite the nice view of the situation. He's trying to fly in close to give the Gear back to his trainer, so he should be able to respond to anyone contacting him to find out what the hell is going on.

Clinging to his captor, Kariya continues to wince. He's had to endure a lot of things, but this is by far the most bizarre, and for anyone familiar with his past? That's saying something. It's official.

Being Kariya is suffering.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Shirou?

[[You're never going to stop calling him 'Mr Matou' are you ok not the point]]

I don't know, they took off out of the Forest away from Azalea Town...I think I can see some highrise buildings in the distance!

Wha -- geez, those things must be fast! It took me five days to get through Ilex Forest on foot. But I've got Fly now, so that's not a problem any more!

Well, if you aren't busy....

[[YOU KNOW, HE'D LOVE IT IF YOU COULD POP IN, THAT WOULD BE NICE]]

I certainly wouldn't say no...I hope whatever you're using is fast, however, I can't-

[[...whoops there goes the feed, um]]

What -- Mr. Matou? Mr. Matou! Damn!

[Without even a second's hesitation, Shirou grabs Dyrnwyn's Poké Ball off his belt and summons the Charizard within. He hops on its back.]

Let's go, Dyrnwyn! To the north end of Ilex Forest!

[With a roar, Dyrnwyn takes flight and makes a beeline straight for Ilex Forest's northern entrance. He'll begin searching for Kariya as soon as he lands.]

[[And due to Kariya's A-Rank suffering, he...actually managed to fall off the Scolipede and land in a crumpled heap while the herd moved on. Luckily, he wasn't trampled.

When you spot him, Shirou, he'll just...be lying there, his bug Pokemon anxiously fluttering around him.]]

[Yeah, Shirou's gonna just run up.]

Mr. Matou! Hey! Are you all right?!

[[With a groan, Kariya lifts himself onto his arms as he hears Shirou coming over to him.]]

Yes, I'm...I'm fine....Sakura isn't with you?

[[...nope, he can't see her. Thank goodness...]]

I wouldn't...want her to worry...

[[....yep let him just collapse back onto the ground, it's just really comfortable right now, alright.]]

Hey, come on! We've gotta get you up and to a doctor! Do you need a hand getting up?

[He's already moving to the side to drape Kariya's arm over his shoulders.]

No no, I'm fine....

[He's not fine, but he doesn't want to be a bother.]]

You kids shouldn't worry yourselves with me!

[[However, Shirou you're...kind of a hell of a lot stronger than him so he can't exactly resist you slinging his arm over your shoulders.]]

I've had worse than this.

I flew all the way out here, didn't I? What kind of person would I be if I just turned around and walked away from someone who needed help, especially after coming out here?

[And now he's gonna lift him up and drag him toward the Charizard.]

That's....very good of you.

[[orz he can't exactly fight you off, can he

.....

not that he really wants to, in all honesty]]

You seem like the sort of boy I'd want around Sakura.

[[If she has to have any boys at all :|]]

...Ah. R-right...

[Though this version of Shirou was in a relationship with the other sister. So...awkward.]

...Wait a minute. This'll be slower, but safer.

[Shirou recalls Dyrnwyn and throws another ball. A Drifblim emerges, complete with a hot air balloon basket.]

This way there's no danger of falling out.

[Into the basket!]

[[.....yeah um

don't

let Kariya or Tokiomi know about that, Shirou

THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY TEAM UP AGAINST A COMMON ENEMY...]]

This is....quite ingenious of you.

[[Into the basket indeed! And....kind of clinging hard to those ropes there, um.]]

How high does it go?

[DAMMIT, MAN. Haven't you heard of the Second Magic?]

I-it's nothing, really. I saw those for sale so I bought one.

High enough to clear even the tallest trees. Dainsleif can even fly over mountains.

[Shirou climbs in himself.]

If you're ready, I'll give him the command to take off.

[[HIS PRECIOUS DAUGHTERS :|]]

I...yes, of course. Just please don't go too high, I'm still...

[[Let him just...awkwardly indicate his general chest area. His lungs are still recovering. High altitudes wouldn't be too good for them!

Now let him cling to dat rope there.]]

Yeah. We won't need to go too high. The trees block out the sunlight down below, but they're easy to sail over.

Okay, Dainsleif, let's get going!

[On cue, the Drifblim lifts off, gaining enough altitude to clear the trees, then begins to head back in the direction of Azalea Town.]

[[Kariya's grip tightens as the Drifblim takes off, but...]]

...this is beautiful.

[[And it is! Sailing over the forest like this gives quite the lovely view of it.]]

It's nice to be able to appreciate this sort of thing again.

I do all my backtracking by flight, and I've been to every town and city in Johto except Blackthorn. You'll get to see plenty more views like this.

You're certainly well-traveled.

[[And that actually makes Kariya smile. He's a traveler himself.]]

I admire that, especially in a person your age.

I've just been here for a long time. Well...that and people from home already disappeared on me once. When that happened, I threw everything into collecting badges.

[[...distracting yourself from pain by running off to see the world; Kariya can understand that. Possibly too well.]]

It seems you and I have more in common than just mutual friends.

[[This trip is...almost relaxing, really.]]

At least you have the girls now.

I do. It's nice having Tohsaka and Sakura around again. Even if we all want to get home, it isn't bad being here, at least most of the time.

What do you mean by us having more in common, though?

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