#that silly bird barged in and stole the narrative from me for a bit

[deepseacolors]

Spring of Ingo, March, Day 1: RXR

Ingo and video games!

Unexpectedly, I actually have something. Mostly complete! And on time, even!

This is actually something I wrote last May that I touched up for the event. It was the first thing I'd written in... gosh, at least ten years? And I wasn't a super active writer even back then. So it's pretty rough, even by my standards.

It was more an experiment with the twins' voices than anything else. I doubt that it'd come out the same if I wrote it today, but I remember having oodles of fun with it at the time. (Pokemonifying a Katamari level was unexpectedly interesting!)

So even if it's a little rough, a lot silly, and not exactly aligned with even my own headcanons, I'm still pretty fond of it.

Anyways! Onwards!

--

Emmet glanced up from his Xtrans once the tune for the new level began.

“What is the goal?” he asked.

“For this stage, I am tasked with creating an ‘elegant’ constellation,” Ingo informed him. “It seems that I am searching for Swanna and various other Flying-types, due to the natural grace and beauty that bird Pokemon posses.”

Emmet glanced over at Archeops, who was, at present, pouring all of her dexterity into jamming her head into an empty paper towel roll that she had dug out of the garbage. Then he turned to Ingo with a bland smile that said volumes.

Ingo returned the look with one of his own before turning back to the television to begin his mission in earnest. “Grace is in the eye of the beholder,” he said, beginning the stage by carefully maneuvering his Katamari to aim for the small eggs scattered throughout the level. “As such, it can take many forms.”

Emmet kept his gaze pointedly on Ingo as the sound of a beak tearing through cardboard, followed by a despairing squawk, echoed through their living room.

Ingo did not respond. He was doing important work, here.

And he most certainly did not smirk when Archeops dropped a soggy chunk of cardboard directly onto Emmet’s lap, causing him to jerk in mixed surprise and disgust.

She was looking at up him with wide, pleading eyes as she rested her chin on the couch. Clearly, Archeops had the utmost faith that Emmet would be able to fix her new toy.

Making a noise somewhere between a choke and a hiss, Emmet delicately plucked the mangled corpse of what was once a perfectly serviceable cardboard tube off his leg and brought it towards the kitchen—speeding up and holding his other hand under the trash to catch the droplets once he realized how thoroughly sopping the mess was.

Archeops cheerfully followed him, circling his legs and remaining wholly unaware of what a darling menace she was.

The Katamari on the screen brushed just a little too close to one of the Rattata too large for it to absorb, and several of his gathered items were knocked loose. Drat. Now he had to scramble to re-gather the eggs before they disappeared.

(Hah. Scrambled eggs.)

Ingo could hear Emmet lightly scolding Archeops in the next room as he disposed of the tube, likely making sure to secure the lid of the trash can to prevent future break-ins, before moving on to wash his hands and then heading down the hall towards his room.

After a few minutes, Emmet returned to the couch. Out of the corner of his eye, Ingo saw that his twin was now sporting a clean pair of sweatpants— which were quickly covered up by Archeops as she clambered up on to the couch and made herself at home on Emmet’s lap.

Emmet heaved a beleaguered sigh that was belied by way his expression softened and the gentle hands that began scratching at the spot along her side that she liked. Archeops chirped in pleasure as she rolled to lean into his hand, her eyes drifting shut.

“She still believes herself to be the size of an Archen,” Ingo observed fondly. His attention returned to the game just in time for him to avoid an obstacle in his intended path.

Huffing a laugh, Emmet brought his other hand up to lightly rub his fingers along Archeops’ head. She leaned into that attention too. “She is a big baby,” he agreed affectionately.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, Emmet asked, “...Why did a Swanna just hatch from that Chansey egg?”

“I believe it is a misdirection tactic,” Ingo says. “Swanna are the most important Pokemon to gather, but they are all hidden in Chansey eggs; there are also Pidgey among the lot, and quite a few soft-boiled eggs as well.”

Ingo misjudged the angle of descent and sent his Katamari tumbling off the roof of the building. No matter; there were plenty of items to gather in the yard section.

After watching for a few more moments, Emmet said, “You are gathering dandelions. Those are not Flying-type Pokemon.”

“I am simply gathering those to increase the size of my Katamari. The larger it is, the lower the odds that a valuable item will get knocked from it in the event of a collision. Additionally, a larger Katamari makes it easier to traverse throughout the level.”

Emmet hummed as Ingo wedged the Katamari underneath the porch. “Really.”

“...Generally, that is the case,” Ingo admitted.

“Your task is to gather Flying types. You are gathering plants. You are going to get scolded.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. We shall see what station I reach once the time limit is up.”

Emmet turned to give him a faux-serious look, the effect enhanced by the flatness of his voice when he says, “Father is going be be upset.”

Ingo choked, sputtering on laughter so loud and sudden that Archeops was startled out of her doze.