angry_friendship_wolf | [tri OOM] Barry, Cisco, and File Island

[tri OOM] Barry, Cisco, and File Island

Yamato brings Barry and Cisco out through the same hilltop telephone booth he used to bring Autor through a few weeks back, out onto a cliff with a pretty good view of the island.

The island's central point is a mountain that looks more like a sheer spike of rock, and radiating outwards from it are a lot of very different places: Closest to the mountain, there's a pastel-coloured village of some kind that looks like it might be made of cushions; a tropical jungle with a ruined temple of black and brown stone jutting out of it; and a desert with gear markings carved into the ground and a single, leafy mountain in the centre.

Spreading out further than that, there are forests; some kind of icy tundra; a large town with a glittering white castle; a small village covered by a dark cloud; some kind of factory belching smoke into the air; and a plain covered in railroad tracks and ruined trains. Just down from the cliff, there's a lake with a camp set up next to it.

"All right, File Island," Yamato says, shutting the door. "Oldest part of the Digital World."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yeah, he had us do some egg rubbing and bottle feeding," Barry says with a chuckle about Elecmon, watching the Pyokomon go about their business.

"They seem pretty at ease," he notes. "How many people come here?"

He figures it must be either enough for them to be used to it, or few enough for them not to be afraid.

"Man-Man and Boxbot are great names, I will fight you on this," Yamato grumbles. "They are straightforward and demonstrative and practical."

Jyou hums a little, glancing around. "This is the best source of clean water on the island, so trade around here is always booming. They must get visitors every day, more or less."

"Come at me bro," Cisco challenges. "I'll have Barry supersonic punch you in the face."

Barry nods to Jyou's assessment, it makes sense. Before he can comment, though, his attention is drawn back to Yamato and Cisco.

"I will totally separate you two." And by separate he means depositing each one on opposite ends of the island.

"I'll take on Barry any time you like! Just so long as you're prepared to introduce yourself as 'Cisco Man-Man Jerkman Ramon, the Uncoolest Guy Alive' for the next month when he loses."

Although he'd rather not take on Barry with superspeed involved unless he absolutely has to. But he doesn't say that.

"Okay, let's not go issuing challenges just yet," Jyou says, taking Yamato by the shoulders and steering him away from Cisco.

"HEY," Barry says, wounded.

"I'm not you're muscle, Cisco. And I'm not-- his muscle, Yamato," he says to Cisco, then repeats to Yamato. "Plus, like, c'mon." Barry has superpowers."

Obviously he would win. Or end the fight really quickly in a way that didn't involve punching Yamato in the face at Mach 1.

"You're so lucky he won't fight you without you going evil," Cisco informs Yamato, shaking his head and still making a show of standing up even as he's glad to have Yamato steered away and takes the opportunity to plant himself on the other side of the group.

Yamato pauses for a moment, then meanders over to Barry and swings an arm around his shoulders.

"I know, I know. Sorry, Barry, didn't mean to drag you into this. Or, well, I did, but I shouldn't have." he says, gently.

A moment later he reaches up to nudge his knuckles against the side of Barry's head lightly, flashing a grin that is very genuine and, as a result, kind of awful and wolfish. "But -- I am putting out an open challenge for a fight sometime. Without superpowers. I kinda want to see what you've learned since you've started superheroing. Take it or leave it, up to you."

Barry absolutely does not flinch when Yamato swings his arm up.

Okay, maybe a little bit.

But he's smiling when the arm goes around his shoulders, and accepts the apology and the nudge to the temple.

"I'll think about it," he says with a smile in a way that says he's amused, but there's almost no chance.

"It's a trap!" Cisco announces, more for the sake of dropping that line than believing anything diabolical is being set up.

Of course, should it turn into a trap later Cisco has totally laid the ground work for 'I told you so's' later on.

"That seems unlikely," Yamato says, but he doesn't sound like he really minds at all, and the grin doesn't fade at all. "But, it's not like your general snuggliness was an unknown quantity here, I expected that. And, y'know -- I might not be the nicest guy, but unless I turn evil, there's no way I'd ever want to hurt either of you guys."

Well. Outside of mutually agreed upon friendly competition, but that's an exception to every rule, surely.

He gives Barry another nudge, then pads over to Cisco to knock a shoulder against his. "And you're too snuggly for your own good too, Man-Man. You okay?"

"You're so lucky that none of the people who'd mock you for saying all that are here," Jyou says. "Takeru would have material for weeks."

"Snuggly? I'm not snuggly I'm... nice," he says after casting about for a better word and basically coming up empty.

He is not snuggly, though.

"I know you wouldn't, though." Which is not a snuggly thing to say at all, it's merely statement of fact!

"Snuggly?" Cisco says, just as offended as Barry. "I will accept kindly. And even lovable. But snuggly? What am I, a bear?"

He scoffs, but there's a smile in it and a nod.

Yeah, he's fine.

"Not a bear. Maybe just a pair of adorably precocious Shiba Inus," Yamato says, wryly.

He pauses, then nods towards the mountain. "C'mon, Mount Panorama has a great view, and I'm pretty sure there's a door up there too."

"Because 'Doge' is much better than a bear?" Cisco returns, shaking his head and laughing.

Moving to follow, he adds, "Let's go. Much excite. Wow."

"You guys are ridiculous," Barry says with a laugh.

Bidding goodbye to the Pyokomon, Barry walks with the group towards Mount Panorama.

As they walk, Sora wanders back into the group, now with several less cans of delicious mango? drink.

Once they reach the foot of the mountain -- which up close looks even smaller than it did when they were approaching through the desert -- Sora and Jyou stop.

"We should finish off trading here," Sora says. "And then get the supplies back to camp."

"Right," Yamato says, giving a quick nod. "I'll leave getting water to you, Sora. Jyou, I want those medical supplies separated out, stored in waterproofed containers, and packed up to be moved to the new camp by the time I get back. Make sure Koushiro logs it all, too."

Jyou stands a little stiffer and straighter, adjusting his glasses. "Right, will do," he says, and gives Barry and Cisco a nod. "It was nice meeting you both, Barry, Cisco!"

"You're welcome any time," Sora adds.

Small mountains are totally fine with Cisco. The pack on his back hasn't gotten any lighter and he wouldn't want to lug it up Everest.

"See ya!" Cisco calls, giving them each a fingergun shot.

"It was nice meeting you, too," Barry returns.

After the pair are gone Barry throws Yamato a smile.

"You're pretty good at that."

"At what?" Yamato asks absently, starting up the mountain path.

He may be keeping a weather eye on Cisco, just in case he collapses under that backpack and gets crushed by it.

"Taking charge, knowing what needs to get done," he replies. "They really listen to you."

Cisco is starting to flag and lags behind a bit.

He uses the opportunity to dig out a couple of sample jars from the side pouches on his bag, looking to pick up things on the trail to stick in them.

"Dang, I should've kept some of that Grape?, would've been interesting to experiment with it."

Yamato turns a little pink, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "-- I guess so. T-thanks," he says, ducking his head and looking at the ground as he walks. "I just kind of fell into it. Taichi's great at figuring out the big picture, and he kind of inspires everyone and drags them along by sheer charisma, but having a second-in-command who can handle the details and the little, day-to-day tasks was, er ... necessary for him."

Beat.

"And it helps that the others are all good at their stuff too. Sora handles reconnaissance, morale, and trade a whole lot better than I ever could, and Jyou's the best medic we could ask for. So there's that."

As he walks, he turns to peer at Cisco, squinting. "Tell you what, I'll grab you a can of somethin' sometime and leave it at the Bar for you. Can't promise it'll be Grape?, though."

As it is, the trail they're walking up is surrounded on all side by grass, leaves, and flowers.

"Sometimes that's how it happens," he replies with a shrug that turns into a bump against Yamato's shoulder.

Whether by prophecies or lightning strikes.

"Having done the 'thrust into forming a team overnight' thing, too, I know it's not easy." And truth told Team Flash is still kind of finding their stride.

"You've got it down, though. I wish I had more of that sometimes," he admits, concentrating on the ground now, too. "I mean, I'm working on it, and learning, but they definitely follow me more because I'm the guy with the superpowers than because I know what I'm doing."

Cisco stops along the trail to pick leaves and flowers, leaving Barry and Yamato to talk until Yamato turns to make his offer of Grape?.

"Sweet," Cisco says, throwing a thumbs up. "Would it be wrong to also ask for a Penmon for testing?"

HE KIDS!

Probably.

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