Ignition By Ewen Cluney Episode 6: The Shopping Trip Ended and the Game Began EXT. KENJI'S HOUSE, BALCONY - EARLY MORNING KYOSUKE stands on the balcony and takes a deep breath, grinning ear to ear. KYOSUKE Such a beautiful morning! It feels wonderful to be alive! NEIGHBOR Shut up you freak! It's 5 a.m.! KYOSUKE And a good day to you too! Kyosuke turns and ducks into the house, flops onto a bed, and closes his eyes. Cut to Kyosuke walking into the kitchen. KENJI, TOASRY, NOKIA, PINKY, and KIMIKO are all eating breakfast. KYOSUKE Greetings! PINKY Hihi! ^_^ NOKIA Good morning! KIMIKO Hey. Kyosuke looks at Kenji expectantly. KENJI What? Kyosuke tousles Kenji's hair and then sits down. Kenji glares at him. KYOSUKE I was thinking-- PINKY About erasing things? TOASTY Or toast? KIMIKO You were thinking? KENJI ... KIMIKO Erasing things...? PINKY Uh huh! That's all I think about! ^_^ KYOSUKE It occurs to me that you girls all have rather limited wardrobes; perhaps we could do something about that. PINKY Like yesterday there was this piece of paper, and-- TOASTY (to Kenji) Kenji-sama! Your toast is ready! Toasty puts a plate with two slices of toast down in front of Kenji. KENJI ...thanks... Toasty puts her hands to her cheeks and blushes and bounces up and down. TOASTY (to Pinky) He said "thanks"! Waaaai! PINKY Wai! KYOSUKE Um... TOASTY & PINKY Wai-wai-wai! ^_^ TOASTY I'm so happy! PINKY Yahou! ... What are we talking about? TOASTY (blink) Ummmm... Toast! PINKY Oh, okay. ^_^ KYOSUKE So... PINKY You wanna go shopping for clothes? Everyone stops and looks at Pinky. PINKY Huh? Did I do something bad? KIMIKO She actually used her tiny little mind for something... NOKIA Some new clothes *would* be nice. TOASTY Then it's settled! (to Kenji) Kenji-sama, could you PLEEEEAASE take us clothes shopping? KENJI ... INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - DAY Everyone walks through the department store; Nokia, Toasty, and Kimiko look around at the clothes enthusiastically, Pinky wanders along looking confused but happy, Kyosuke watches them with interest, and Kenji irately plods along. KYOSUKE (to Kenji) Why so down in the dumps little bro? You could at least enjoy the view. Close-up of Kenji. FLASH-CUT TO: INT. GARAGE Kanji is watching as the mechanic works on the Civic. MECHANIC Four days tops. Three if you quit bugging me. KENJI (sigh) What the hell is that thing you're putting in my car? MECHANIC You mean you didn't know? Kenji shakes his head. MECHANIC Turbo-charger. A real beauty too. KENJI A what? MECHANIC (blinks, turns to face Kenji) Not much for racing stuff, huh? Well, it was your brother's idea to put one in; the turbo uses the pressure from the car's exhaust to run a turbine that increases the pressure going to the pistons. KENJI And then? MECHANIC (rolls eyes) Once your RPMs are high enough you can start getting some serious speed out of the thing. KENJI Just what I need. MECHANIC In that case you don't even want to know about the other modifications Kyosuke ordered. KENJI You're trying to turn my car into a race car. MECHANIC (shrug) The EG6 has a lot of room for upgrades; if you wanted to put in a new engine you could have a serious machine on your hands. CAR KENJI I think I'll keep the engine as is. CAR KENJI And the horn. FLASH-CUT TO: INT. DEPARTMENT STORE Kenji is slouching against a wall with the girls looking at undergarments in the foreground. Kyosuke, laden with several bags, walks up to Kenji. KYOSUKE Hey little bro; mind taking some of the load? KENJI This *was* your idea. KYOSUKE Harsh! Kenji sighs and looks around. He blinks and starts walking. He picks up a leather jacket off of a store rack and looks at it. He finds the tag, looks at it, and double-takes. KENJI 75% off? He starts walking back towards Kyosuke & co. when a tug on the jacket pulls him off his feet. As he blearily tries to figure out what happened, AYAKO, a 14-year-old girl with pigtails stands over him, holding one arm of the jacket. AYAKO Let go! I saw this first! Kenji very slowly gets up, gripping the other sleeve of the jacket, regarding Ayako with a withering, irate glare. AYAKO LET GO! Most of the people around take notice. KENJI Whether or not you saw it first doesn't change the fact that I was the first one to pick it up. Let go before I do something you'll regret. AYAKO Meanie! Are you going to take advantage of a defenseless high school freshman?! Several bystanders start moving closer and making sounds of dissent. KENJI No. I'm going to buy this jacket as a present for a friend. Get over it. KYOSUKE What's up little bro? KENJI Nothing. I can handle this. AYAKO LET GOOOOO!!! I WANT THIS! KYOSUKE Excuse me. AYAKO What do *you* want?! KYOSUKE My name is Kyosuke. Asakawa Kyosuke. AYAKO AND?! KYOSUKE May I ask your name? AYAKO Ayako. KYOSUKE So, Ayako-chan, what's the problem? AYAKO He won't let me have the coat I want! KYOSUKE Well, he *did* pick it up first. By the Shopper's Code of Honor that means it's his unless he decides to give it up voluntarily. (to the people around) Isn't that right? There are nods of assent. AYAKO B-but... sempai... Kyosuke takes one of Ayako's hands and smiles at her with gleaming teeth. KYOSUKE Listen, Ayako-chan; we live in a vast world, and in it there are many stores with many, many different things. If you are persistent and of pure heart you will find something ideal! Ayako looks at him for a long, tense moment, then looks at his hands as they hold her hand. EXT. OUTSIDE DEPARTMENT STORE AYAKO (heard from inside, screaming at the top of her lungs) LET GO OF ME YOU PERVERT! INT. DEPARTMENT STORE Kenji irately looks back at where Kyosuke is hiding behind a store display, trying to blend in with a couple of manikins. Kenji looks down at Ayako. KENJI (sigh) You're reminding me of high school. I really hate it when people do that. AYAKO And what're you gonna do about it? Kenji takes hold of the jacket's collar and lifts it up as high as he can; Ayako finds herself dangling by her death grip on the leather jacket. She looks at Kenji and frowns. AYAKO ... I hate you. Cut to Kimiko, Toasty, Nokia, and Pinky peeking out from behind a shoe display to watch the scene. MIMI walks up behind them. MIMI What the...? Kenji? KIMIKO Y-you know Kenji? MIMI (blink) Yeah; name's Mimi. He's gonna be in my class in college. You? KIMIKO He's my brother. I'm Kimiko. TOASTY I'm Toasty. ^_^ PINKY It doesn't seem hot in here... NOKIA I'm Nokia and this is Pinky. MIMI I... see... Mimi strides over to Kenji and Ayako. MIMI Yo. KENJI What do you want? MIMI (rolls eyes) I happened to be in the area. KENJI Well, as you can see I have enough people trying to annoy me; I don't need another one. AYAKO Don't talk about me like I'm not here 'cuz I *AM* here!!! Just give me the jacket and I'll leave you alone! MIMI ...? KENJI I'm getting it as a gift for a friend and that's apparently more than she can handle. AYAKO That's 'cuz I wanna give it to my sempai! She's smart and pretty and wonderful and always helps me out and I wanna do something nice for her but he won't let me!!! (she starts crying fountain-tears) KENJI I'm not changing my mind. I'm tired of going through crap because of being indecisive. I don't know about you but I'm going to keep this up as long as it takes. Ayako frowns/whimpers for a long moment, then kicks Kenji in the crotch. He doubles over and slumps to the ground. Ayako tries to make a run for it with the jacket only to find that Kenji still has his death-grip on the jacket. AYAKO LET GO ALREADY! KENJI ... no... way... Kenji slowly picks himself up. AYAKO KYAAAA! KENJI Now you've made me mad. MIMI (to Ayako) Come on, can't you just find something else? I know of a store near here that has much better leather jackets and such. AYAKO NO! TOASTY (holding up two slices of toast) Are you sure you wouldn't like some delicious freshly made toast instead? EVERYONE looks at Toasty, unsure of what to say. There is a long uncomfortable pause. AYAKO What kind of idiot are you? PINKY Hey! You can't say that to my friend! AYAKO And why not? PINKY 'Cuz *I'm* the idiot around here! AYAKO Will someone do something about her? She's making my head hurt. KENJI You don't know the half of it. AYAKO I still hate you. KENJI (shrug) The feeling's becoming more and more mutual. AYAKO And what're you gonna do? Kenji thinks for a long moment and then starts walking with the coat (and Ayako) in tow. AYAKO Hey! Where do you think you're taking me?! Cut to Kenji presenting the jacket to a clerk at a cash register with Ayako still clinging to one sleeve; they're followed by Mimi. Kenji hands over some cash, and gets his change and the receipt. AYAKO Hey! No fair! KENJI (shrug) It's mine now -- I paid for it. AYAKO B-but--! MIMI Oh, by the way Kenji, I wanted to ask something... Ayako glares at Mimi. KENJI Hm? Ayako glares at Kenji. MIMI This... might not be the best time to ask, but me and some friends are planning to take a trip to the beach this Sunday, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along? Ayako glares at Mimi. KENJI ... Ayako glares at Kenji. MIMI Oh come on! Don't look at me like that! Ayako glares at Mimi. KENJI pft. Ayako glares at Kenji. MIMI (rolls eyes) Well, you don't have to decide now. Ayako glares at Mimi. AYAKO Nnnnnnnnn... STOP IGNORING ME!!! PINKY Why? What's going on? AYAKO You again... PINKY Yup! NOKIA Kenji-sama, is there anything else you wanted to look at? AYAKO (quietly) ... "-sama"? TOASTY I heard they have a great bakery downstairs! KENJI (to Ayako) It's gonna be a long day. I suggest you get off this ride while you can. AYAKO They're *all* with you? KENJI They're... friends. Sort of. Ayako lets go of the jacket and jumps back. AYAKO Fine, Kenji-ba~ka! We'll meet again! Kenji continues to watch Ayako as she irately strides away. KENJI ... God, I hope not. MIMI So... KENJI I'll think about it. MIMI Okay! Catch you later then! EXT. KENJI'S HOUSE, DRIVEWAY - AFTERNOON Kenji & co. step out of Kyosuke's car to find a large, well made and well-polished dresser sitting by the curb, with a sign that says "FREE - TAKE ME". KENJI (quietly) No, not suspicious at all. NOKIA It occurs to me that we need a place to put all of our new clothes. TOASTY And this would be perfect! KYOSUKE Indeed! KENJI And how exactly do you plan to get it into the house? WIPE RIGHT TO: INT. KENJI'S HOUSE, HALLWAY Kyosuke sweats as he shoves the dresser into place by himself. KYOSUKE My little bro... can be *too* cruel sometimes! TOASTY Thank you Kyosuke-san! KYOSUKE No prob! I'm always glad to help and I'll be totally... fine... Kyosuke falls over, unconscious. Toasty, Nokia, and Pinky look at him for a moment and then shrug in unison before beginning to put all of their new clothes into the various drawers of the dresser. NOKIA Today certainly was fun! TOASTY Yeah! And now it's almost dinner time! PINKY Yay! Dinner! The three of them leave the room. There is a long pause before one of the drawers left slightly open closes on its own. Then the dresser is surrounded by a red glow and transforms into Richmond. RICHMOND Perfect! They suspect noth-- Richmond suddenly has a fit of coughing, and spits out a pair of panties onto Kyosuke's unconscious form. RICHMOND I *hate* it when that happens... Now... to find the Valkyrie Stone... INT. KITCHEN - EVENING Kenji, Toasty, Nokia, Pinky, and Kimiko are sitting down to eat dinner. KIMIKO So why did you want that leather jacket so bad 'niichan? KENJI ... KIMIKO Oh come on! It's way too small for *you* to wear, so it *has* to be for a girl... KENJI ... PINKY I bet Kenji-sama likes Civiko-chan! ^_^ KENJI ...? (raises one eyebrow) PINKY (lowers her head and blushes) ...ormaybenotnevermind... KIMIKO Welll... from the way he's glaring at us even harder than usual I think you might be-- KENJI Well, if we're going to discuss everyone's love interests, why don't we talk about yours? KIMIKO Huh?! KENJI Does the name "Shun" ring a bell? KIMIKO (sweat drop) Wh-what do you mean? TOASTY Who's Shun? PINKY Do Shuns taste good? KENJI We'd probably have to ask Kimiko about that. KIMIKO (blushing furiously) N-never mind! (to Kenji) Why're you doing this to me? Pinky suddenly looks behind her. KENJI (shrugs) You tell me. KIMIKO Oniisan! Hido~i! Pinky stands up and walks over to the hallway. KENJI You could always find something else to talk about at dinner time. PINKY Hey, do dressers move on their own? TOASTY What? KIMIKO Fine! PINKY 'Cuz the dresser's stuck in the hallway now... KENJI (blink) What? NOKIA She's right... How did that happen? WIPE RIGHT TO: INT. KENJI'S HOUSE, HALLWAY Kenji & co. push the dresser back into place. Kenji pauses and looks down at the still sleeping Kyosuke. KENIJ ... Weird. WIPE LEFT TO: INT. KENJI'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM Kenji & co. are watching TV. INT. KENJI'S ROOM Richmond sneaks into Kenji's room. He starts looking through the drawers of the dresser and rummaging through the clothes inside. As he closes the last door, he starts rifling through the things on top of the dresser until he picks up the car remote. He holds it, turning it over in his hand for a moment. Suddenly the door starts to open. Cut to Kenji walking into his room to see the dresser standing there in the middle of the room. KENJI (sigh) I dunno what you think you're doing, but cut it out already. I've got more than enough inanimate objects failing to be inanimate around here without *you* starting in on me. Kenji walks over to the bed and picks up a magazine, then stops and turns towards the dresser again. KENJI If you want to put yourself where you belong then fine -- but otherwise if you move again I'm gonna give that hatchet in the garage a good trial run. Got it? ... Good. Once Kenji's left the room, the dresser transforms back into Richmond. He scowls as he looks around, and then holds up the remote and presses the button. To his surprise the video game console in the corner of the room starts blazing with reddish light. Richmond blinks and looks at the remote. RICHMOND Th-this is a Valkyrie Stone?! Richmond drops the remote and makes a run for it. INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Kenji sits down on the couch in the living room where everyone else is watching TV. Suddenly a DREAMY walks into the room. Her hair is blue with a ring of spikes in the back, and she wears a white plastic jumpsuit with blue accents and more importantly she has an open CD tray in her forehead. She has a glazes expression and her eyes point in different directions. DREAMY please insert a DreamStation X (tm) game disc KENJI Damnit. Not another one. KIMIKO What the...? TOASTY Oh my! KENJI ...and now my game system... DREAMY please insert a DreamStation X (tm) game disc PINKY (to Dreamy) Hihi! ^_^ What's your name? DREAMY please insert a DreamStation X (tm) game disc PINKY That's a funny name... DREAMY please insert a DreamStation X (tm) game disc PINKY Is that all you can say? DREAMY please insert a DreamStation X (tm) game disc PINKY Hahaha! That's all you can sa-ay! That's all you can sa-ay! That's all you can sa-ay! That's all you can sa-ay! That's all you can sa ay! Kenji scowls, stands up, and pushes the CD tray (which contains a disc already) in Dreamy's forehead in. She blinks for a moment. DREAMY Thank you. Now loading... KIMIKO That was weird... Dreamy blinks for a moment, then suddenly grins. She takes up a stance with her legs spread wide, grabs Kenji around the waist, and flips him backwards. TOASTY Hey! DREAMY Ora-ora-ora! I'm DREAMY! (pointing skyward) Japan's NUMBER ONE! AHAHAHAHAHA! NOKIA Please stop! Dreamy picks up a folding chair from somewhere and is about to use it to slam Kenji when Pinky throws herself against the opposite wall and rebound right into Dreamy; both of them are knocked down. Dreamy slowly recovers, blinks, and looks around. KIMIKO What the hell just happened? DREAMY Um... Sorry... KENJI S-sorry? DREAMY It was because that wrestling game was loaded... KIMIKO (to Kenji) Heh. I told you you shouldn't watch that mindless drivel -- now see what it got you? DREAMY A belly-to-belly suplex? KIMIKO Er... yeah... Kenji slowly picks himself up, glaring at all of them. KENJI Fine! I'm going to go to sleep, and NONE of you are going to join me, make ANY noise, or otherwise disturb me. IS THAT CLEAR? Everyone nods in assent. KENJI Good. WIPE RIGHT TO: INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY Kenji walks into his room and locking the door behind him. INT. KENJI'S ROOM He looks and notices the absence of the dresser, but the presence of Richmond, about to climb out the window. Kenji scowls and dashes across the room; he catches Richmond by one wrist and yanks him inside the room. When he realizes that Richmond is holding the remote, he pries it out of Richmond's hand. KENJI Who the HELL are you?! RICHMOND My name is a secret! I'll never tell you! Kenji twists Richmond around and steps on his spine. RICHMOND Aaagh! My name is Richmond! RICHMOND! KENJI And why are you here? RICHMOND I'll never sa--AAAARGH! Your Valkyrie Stone! That's ALL! Kenji looks at the remote for a moment, pockets it, then picks Richmond up and tosses him out the window. There is a muted crashing sound. Kenji sighs and flops onto the bed. KENJI Now maybe I can get some peace and qui-- RICHMOND (heard from outside) I'm in quite a lot of pain right now! KENJI RICHMOND I think I might've broken something on account of being thrown out of a second story window! If someone could possibly spare a band-aid it would be most appreciated! A moment later there is the sound of a window opening. TOASTY (heard from below) I don't have any band-aids, but maybe some toasted bagels would help? RICHMOND That is most absurd! NOKIA Shall I call for emergency services then? RICHMOND N-no! I'll be fine actually! I must be going! Just let me stand up now and--AAAARGH! TOASTY That sounded pretty bad... RICHMOND No, no! I'll be f--AAAAAARGH! Fine! I just need to walk it off! ... KENJI ... RICHMOND AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH! Okay! So maybe that wasn't such a good idea! NOKIA Hello? There's a man here who seems to have fallen out of a window and broken his leg... Kenji shakes his head while looking at the remote. FADE TO BLACK.