Work Text:
*Beep Beep*
Kyoko sat next to Makoto on his bed in his dorm room, playing her copy of Pokémon Y as he played his copy of Pokémon X. The two of them wanted a date night, but with Winter Festival meetings and casework taking up their time, they couldn’t spend the time to go out on a date. Instead, Makoto suggested they play through their Pokémon games together for an hour before bed. Kyoko accepted, partially because she liked spending time with her boyfriend, and partially because the game was starting to grow on her.
I’d better not let that slip to Grandfather…he’d have a cow if he found out I was sinking so much time into a kid’s video game… “Hm?”
Makoto noticed Kyoko’s brow furrowed in confusion and asked with a frown “Something wrong, Kyoko?”
Smiling, she shook her head and denied “Nothing like that, Makoto. It’s just…” Kyoko sighed and explained “It’s probably silly, but I think there might be a glitch in my game.”
“A glitch? What do you mean?”
“Well…I just encountered this wild Bunnelby, and I already have one in one of the PC Boxes…but this one seems strange. The tips of its ears are usually brown, but this one has white ear tips.”
Makoto’s brow furrowed in contemplation as he asked “White ear tips…Kyoko, you mind if I see your 3DS for a moment?”
Nodding in acceptance, Kyoko handed him her game system as she told him “Of course I don’t mind. I trust you, Makoto…besides, this is your element, not mine.”
Makoto smiled bashfully, Kyoko smirking at his blush before he examined the screen, his eyes now focused as they analyzed every pixel. Eventually, his eyes widened in shock before lighting up in excitement, his lips stretching from ear to ear in an ecstatic grin.
Kyoko stared at her boyfriend worriedly as she asked “…Makoto…what are you…”
“IT’S NOT A GLITCH, KYOKO!” Kyoko yelped as Makoto tugged her to sit next to him, shoving the 3DS in her face as he exclaimed “You just encountered a SHINY BUNNELBY!”
“Shiny?” Kyoko asked, furrowing her brow as she scrutinized the 3D model on her 3DS, failing to find anything sparkly or shiny about it. She deduced “I take it that’s some video game term I’m unfamiliar with? Because I don’t see anything shiny about this Bunnelby.”
“Right…” Makoto chuckled in embarrassment, scratching his cheek nervously as he explained “Well, most Pokémon have two main forms. One of them is the default model that most people see. But they also have a second model, which has a roughly one in four thousand chance of appearing. People call them Shiny Pokémon because when they first appeared in Pokémon Gold and Silver, the sprites would play a sparkling animation to signify their status.”
Kyoko nodded and replied “I see…and are there any advantages that Shiny Pokemon have over their normal counterparts that make them more valuable? Do they have superior stats or alternate movesets?”
“…Ano…no…they’re basically a palette swap…”
“…” Kyoko sighed as she concluded “In other words, just a worthless collectible the developers put in so that kids would sink more hours into this game trying to find them…no thanks, I already have a Bunnelby.”
Makoto gaped, shocked that Kyoko would throw away such a rare find as he objected “Y…you can’t do that! It’s such a rare find! You’ve gotta catch it, Kyoko!”
Kyoko sweatdropped before reminding him “…Even if I do catch it, it’s just going to sit in my PC forever. I have no interest in training a second Bunnelby when I already have a perfectly reliable one.”
“Awww…” Makoto moaned dejectedly, hanging his head as he muttered “…I was really looking forward to telling my cousins about my awesome girlfriend who scored a Shiny…”
Kyoko’s eyes softened as she took pity on Makoto, realizing …It’s not that he cares about me having a Shiny…it’s that it would have given him another way to talk proudly about me to his extended family…family… After pressing a few buttons, she moved the 3DS in front of his face and told him “There, I caught it…better?”
Gasping in surprise, Makoto turned to face Makoto with an appreciative smile as he nodded happily, making Kyoko smile now that he was cheered up.
“…I meant it though when I said that I likely wouldn’t use it…so why don’t you trade me something for it later?”
Makoto gaped, stammering while blushing “Y…you’d trade me…for your Shiny Bunnelby…?!”
Kyoko nodded, smiling lovingly at her boyfriend as she answered “Of course; I’m sure you must have some Pokémon that I need for my Pokédex. And besides…having my Bunnelby would allow you to prove your claims should your cousins express skepticism.”
“Ky…Kyoko…” A touched Makoto teared up as he launched himself into a hug, embracing a shocked Kyoko as they dropped their 3DS systems on the floor. “Thank you…you’re the best! I promise I’ll treasure your kindness, Kyoko…”
“Makoto…” Kyoko smiled lovingly, returning his embrace and rubbing his back.
Kyoko still didn’t really get the big deal behind Shiny Pokémon. To her the concept was just an easter egg that was more trouble than it was worth. But seeing Makoto so happy when she found and caught one and promised to trade it to him, suddenly gave the imaginary monster in her video game a lot more worth in her eyes.
…I wonder if there are any other Shiny Pokémon Makoto would like…maybe for his birthday… Kyoko mused as the two closed their eyes, enjoying the intimate hug they were currently sharing.