◎ Bout 1: Impromptu walkabout [action]

[thunderfists]

[arrival]

[...The TV world was very strange.

Akihiko found himself waking up on the forest floor, stripped of his normal clothes and garbed in ... white pants. Fortunately, his pants, red cape, and boots were nearby, and he found himself a bush to discreetly change in -- just in case Mitsuru or Aigis showed up somewhere close. Calling out for them was out of the question; they were on a mission after all, and he didn't want to cause a ruckus if he didn't have to.

There was a book beside him when he woke up, and he blearily looked it over before snapping it shut and concentrating on the odd feeling of pain and strange sounds around him. No time to read.

The fully-functional wings were a surprise. The talking animals were even more of a surprise. But they were easy enough to dismiss as parts of the TV world, and he pushed them to the back of his mind as he started to explore. Forest, forest, forest... Were those mountains in the distance?

It was like globetrotting all over again. Before heading out, he ripped up the white pants he had woken up in, using the shredded parts to bind the book to his side; unfortunately, his pockets weren't big enough for a book. He also wrapped up his knuckles, since his gloves were missing.

And off he went in search of Mitsuru, Aigis, and Labrys. Never mind that he had no idea what the latter looked like.]

[/arrival]


[For the entire week of September 9 through 15, a young man in odd clothes can be found traveling out in the forests and as far as the foothills due east of the village. He gets his water from the rivers and carries whatever food he comes across (such as apples and mikans) in a shredded white sack that once was a pair of pants. When he's not traveling, he does some shadowboxing in the occasional clearing while it's light out.

Nothing serious, though; he wasn't getting enough protein to repair his muscles if he did any serious training.

The most rigorous of his training he'll allow of himself happens late at night in the forest behind house 21. While he tries to avoid the TV world village and its inhabitants, he can't resist the temptation of an outdoor training space complete with training dummies. He uses his Persona to charge his punches with electricity, leaving marks on the some of the dummies before he heads off again.

He may even be caught napping in a tree once in awhile. Or listening to talking bears from a distance.]

Comments

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko tilts his head as he looks over the scene, unable to make out any clear features of the sleeper in the dark. He mutters under his breath.]

Strange place to camp out.

[He frowns as he crouches down and inspects the chips and Mad Bull. Junk food and energy drinks?

...Well, what was he expecting, really? Junk food and energy drinks seemed pretty prevalent on TV, anyway.

Shaking his head, Akihiko takes one of the apples from his bag and sets it next to the junk food. He smirks to himself as he rises, proud of his good deed.]

Did you see that, Shinji?

[Probably not. Different world. Hrm. Oh well.]

[emp3thy]

[Wow, Akihiko. Really? ...Really?

But the voice so close seems to spark something in the sleeper. In his dreams, they're running through Tartarus again, his senpai saying something encouraging after defeating a Shadow. In reality, he twitches, on the verge of waking up again.]

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko bends down again after a moment, taking the flashlight and turning it off. Eating junk food, reading in the dark, and sleeping near a training area.

...And people called him strange.

Maybe he could get away with practicing on one the dummies furthest away from where the person was sleeping. He had a routine now, and he'd be quick.

A few regular jabs on the dummy's head, for starting off.]

[emp3thy]

[He's only doing this because of you.

He shifts some more, but the sound of punches isn't enough to wake him up completely...]

[thunderfists]

[After a sufficient warmup, Akihiko glances over in the direction of where he had seen the sleeper, now shrouded in the darkness with the flashlight off and several feet from where it had rolled away. Should he risk it?

It was just one person. If this caused any trouble, he'd be able to get away with Caesar's help.

Summoning Caesar in this world was somehow different from summoning in the real world; there were a few times where he could summon without his Evoker, and he had trained his best over the two years to summon without needing the tool... But it felt different here, if not easier.

Caesar's silhouette briefly appeared over him as he imbued his fists with electric energy. And the punching practice resumes.]

[emp3thy]

[Well, that flash of light was enough to awaken him finally.

Minato blinks into the darkness, at first unsure about where he is and what is happening. Flashes of electric light are shining off in the distance and there's the sound... of punching. Someone's attacking the dummies and he fell asleep for it.

He quickly sits up and fumbles around for the flashlight to shine it at the intruder. It takes a while... the flashlight doesn't seem to be where he left it.]

[thunderfists]

[He freezes when the light pierces the darkness around the clearing again, spinning in place to face the light. His cape flutters as he turns, but his hood remains safely in place for now.

It's the person who had been sleeping. Great.]

[emp3thy]

[Some kind of.... cloak? At night? What kind of person is he dealing with here?

Well either way, he'd wanted to confront the guy so it's time to do that.]

You're the one who's been burning the dummies? [He stands up, still shining the light on the stranger.

Is the voice at all familiar yet?]

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko quirks a brow at that voice. Why would someone have a familiar voice in the TV world? Did the TV world mimic announcers' voices or something?

It didn't sound like an announcer, though... He dismissed that line of thought for now.]

A man's gotta practice somehow.

[emp3thy]

[...That voice... training... flashes of lightning...

...It couldn't be, could it? Akihiko never wore capes that he remembers. Minato steps forward, trying to shine the light more on the man's face.]

At night?

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko tried not to flinch as the light comes closer to his face; his eyes still needed some time to adjust. He keeps his right hand clenched in case he needed to quickly lunge and hit the other person; at this rate, they would be face to face soon.]

I'm used to it.

[Well, practicing late at night. Fighting Shadows during the Dark Hour for years. Boxing regimens.]

[emp3thy]

[...

There's no mistake anymore. Even with the darkness, he's sure of it now. But if that's the case, convincing Akihiko in return is going to be extremely difficult. It's dark, and he hasn't even recognized his voice. There's no guarantee this is his version of Akihiko in the first place.

He angles the flashlight down again.]

Are you hungry?

[thunderfists]

[His gaze wanders over to where he had set aside his food bag. His answer is succinct, as he tended to be in tense situations.]

Not for any of your junk food.

[emp3thy]

[Oh Akihiko.... you're really not one to talk about unhealthy eating habits.]

What about a beef bowl?

[thunderfists]

[.........]

You have one of those?

[He sounds dead serious.]

[emp3thy]

I have the ingredients.

[fortunately....]

[thunderfists]

[He seriously contemplates this. He was supposed to be on a mission here. He couldn't afford to get caught up in the village for whatever reason.

But he needed protein. Badly. In the form of a beef bowl was even more enticing.]

What do you want for it?

[emp3thy]

You not destroying all the dummies.

[thunderfists]

[Play it cool, Aki.]

Sounds fair. [Decent practice or a beef bowl. Talk about tough choices.]

[emp3thy]

[He said 'all.' Just keep it to one dummy and they're cool.]

This way, then.

[He picks up the book and snacks before starting to head towards the path to the house.]

[thunderfists]

[Aki again glances at his food bag, deciding it would be safe for now, before following after the person. After a moment, he has to ask...]

Why were you sleeping out here? The dummies?

[emp3thy]

[Yep.] I knew I didn't make those marks.

[thunderfists]

Is this your place, then? [That familiar feeling is really nagging at him now.]

[emp3thy]

Yeah. For the past few years.

[There's a light on outside the house as they get closer to the back door, but Minato's back is still to Akihiko...]

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko frowns warily as they approach the village proper, keeping an eye on his guide. Shorter than him, slighter than him, dark hair...

He could take him. Definitely.

The mentioning of years reminds him of something Mitsuru said.]

Did something strange happen here last year?

[Maybe he was off base.]