tapuhauko

[tapuhauko]

"..." A sigh, coming to a stop in midair. It's not an immediate stop, but more of a gradual one as to not shake them both up too much more.

"I... Sorry." Maybe Satoshi truly just did not know? Now that he thought about it some more, he realized that he also had those moments. Hau keeps them both afloat, but doesn't make an attempt to wriggle free just yet.

"I s-shouldn't have pushed it." Aaaaand he's crying. Silently, but crying. They bite down on the inside of their cheeks to attempt to stop it. He probably looked like a real fool here, huh? Was it from all the stress they'd been under lately? All the gigs, all the paparazzi, all the things that came with fame? That, along with keeping the deities pleased and discovering things about their lifespan... It was a lot of pressure.

"I guess s-sometimes you just d-don't know."

❛ i don't know what to say !! ❜ is the crack in his voice from the rapid ascension & descent or from the desperation with which he seems to push the words out ??

❛ how many times do i gotta say it ... !? ❜

his grip slacks just that little bit, some of the fight falling out of him, left behind in the sky above. he really means it. it's draining to not be taken at his word, when for once he's actually trying to be truthful.

[tapuhauko]

"That's not-- I don't mean like that--"

What were they even achieving here. What was the point. Did Satoshi not trust them enough? That hurts. He's hurt. But he shouldn't assume things like that, Satoshi is right about that.

"Please. Tell me what's on your mind. I want to help. That's-- that's what friends do, right?" Deep breaths. Don't want to stir up nature too much.

he clings even harder with the electricity coursing through him, gritting his teeth hard enough to hear it in his ear over the crackle of lightning. he butts the crown of hau's head even as they cut themself off from whatever they were going to say, but his attention is pulled before he can make something of it.

❛ i talk plenty !! ❜ there's nothing to say. satoshi has nothing to say. he doesn't even understand what's going on himself. he doesn't know. he doesn't.

stupid wind's starting to sting.

[tapuhauko]

"Lemme go--" He gasps for air, trying to pry Satoshi off of him. It doesn't work, though. It's like Satoshi suddenly got another boost of energy, but he's not sure what triggered it. With his wings flattened against his back, he can't manouver them as well as he hoped. They might actually splat on the ground at this rate.

As a last ditch effort, Hau discharges the electricity he has left in his body.

"But it's--" It's true. But he can't say it for some reason. "Just-- Why can't you TALK TO ME?!" Tears are starting to form at this point, and he detests it. The wind's picking up. The clouds are growing darker. Not this shit again-- Keep a grip on your emotions.

❛ ASSHOLE !! ❜

he doesn't care that they're flying up again. he doesn't care about that the slightest. if he flails his way out of hau's grasp he's just going to let himself fall, that's not the point — he's going for the jugular.

the flier's words seem to have given satoshi's strength a third wind, he pulls & shoves until he's got hau in an iron headlock, on their back like a nekkoara, heels dug in.

❛ don't even try to repeat that, i'm serious !! ❜

[tapuhauko]

Okay, that hurts a little more-- He spits out (or tries to, anyway) Satoshi's limb. Can't really talk like that anyway.

"Don't make me laugh!" He goes in for a headbutt. "As if I'm ever better than anyone--"

Hau grits their teeth as they notice the ground approaching. Back up they go for round two! He's not done talking, after all.

instead of pulling his hand away like any sane person, he just pushes in to grab hau's whole jaw with an almost feral growl.

❛ I DON'T KNOW !! ❜

oh !! some true honesty for a change !! he really does not know. he has inklings, maybe, but there's no such things as theories just yet.

❛ maybe you're just annoyingly good !! ❜

now he's just trying to evade.

[tapuhauko]

Hau huffs at the arm shoved in his face, and does the first thing that comes to mind-- he bites down. With a muffled voice, arm still in mouth, he replies. "Them why are ya soww bahh righ' now?!"

The knee to the guts stings a little, but it doesn't hurt as much as he expected it to.

entirely unperturbed by the climb in the sky, satoshi keeps kicking & grunting & pulling, even as they accelerate toward the ground.

❛ OF COURSE WE ARE, you idiot, but there isn't !! ❜

a loosened arm shoving at hau's face.

❛ anything !! ❜

satoshi tries to knee him in the guts.

❛ to TELL !! & i'm getting tired of havin' to repeat myself !! ❜

[tapuhauko]

@allthingsglittergold // Closed starter;

It had been ages since he'd been in Johto, and since he had seen Gold. So then, why not combine this work trip with a visit?

He's in Ecruteak right now, at a café, waiting for Gold. He had sent him a message earlier, and he was on the way, so all Hau had to do was wait.

It wasn't as easy as one would expect, though, as he could feel stares boring into him from every angle. He was practically a walking billboard with these wings of his, but they were too big to hide, so... a designer outfit designed by none other than Sirio, his manager, it was!

Hau sips from his drink, when he finally sees Gold walk in through the doorway. His hands automatically form an Alolan wave once he sets the glass down, and a smile appears on their features.

"Alola~! Long time no see!"

They gesture for him to sit down opposite of them. "How have you been?"

[tapuhauko]

"No, screw you!!" What a great comeback, Hau. He yelps in frustration as Satoshi kicks at anything he can reach, before he decides that, hey. Let's take this to the air.

Hau grips onto Satoshi tighter, launching the two of them up. Once there, amongst the clouds, he simply stops. Yeah he's letting them both drop to the floor. "Why are you hiding things from me?! Aren't we friends?!" At one point, he had even felt like more than friends. Perhaps he still felt that way. Is that why he was so angry? Why it stung so much?

the accusation knocks the air out of satoshi's chest, indignation flaring like a wildfire. ❛ the fact you'd even THINK i would — !! ❜

he tenses in hau's grasp as they try to maneuver him, kicks at their legs, tries to get a shin or ankle, tries to knock them down, anything. throws his weight with as much heft as his shorter body can muster.

❛ screw you !! ❜ because how dare he ?? how dare he.

[tapuhauko]

Hau grapples the other, pushing back against the trainer as they wrestle. The rain's still pouring down, turning the ground into a muddy wasteland. They simply dig their feet into the mud for stability as they continue to hold off the other.

"Then what's gotten into you??" A grunt as he tries to get Satoshi into the right position in his arms to supplex him.

"You just mocking me, then?" It wouldn't be the first time someone made fun of them, or underestimated them. It was frustrating each and every time, no matter how much he tried to hide it with a smile.

❛ i said i'm good, hau !! ❜

the statement's a tad undermined by the fact of him practically growling it out while trying a bit too hard at catching hau for someone that has a history of keeping up rather easily. & ain't that an extra kick in the pants.

❛ i keep !! telling !! ❜

everyone's so darn concerned these days. he swears he can feel the pity in people's looks even when they're not asking, for one reason or another, either because he's no longer champion or because his elite debut wasn't as bombastic as it could have been even in satoshi's own judgement —

pikachu's concerned coo is drowned in its trainer's mind as another of hau's punches strikes where one of satoshi's fails, & he simply launches into a frustrated tackle. ❛ there's nothin' to tell !! ❜

[tapuhauko]

"Yeah? Well, now I want to talk while we fight--" He zips away before Satoshi can hit them every single time. He's not smirking about it or anything, nor is he boasting about it like he might have done usually. He's simply dodging, while throwing the occasional punch himself.

Hibi catches on to the scene, and pauses his spar with Pikachu briefly to watch the trainers.

"So-- tell me."

very plainly, in the privacy of his mind, satoshi thinks : oh, you asshole. the way his brow drops upon his eyes probably conveys it for him.

a step, another.

❛ you wanted to fight. ❜ he swings for a left hook. ❛ i'm fighting. ❜

trying to, anyhow, but hau's not where satoshi's fists reach their peak momentum, & it's frustrating, & he can't do anything right at the moment, & that's even more frustrating, & now he can't tell what or who he's annoyed at the most.

[tapuhauko]

Hau looks back at him, and to the raised hands. Really now? He wants to fight and ignore it? They purse their lips, squinting at Satoshi as they ponder what to do. He knew Satoshi wasn't a talker most of the time, and that was valid, in a way. Still, it didn't make it any less frustrating.

"Can you?" Arms uncrossed, Hau instead rests a hand on his hip. He doesn't seem particularly worried right now. "You know you can talk to me, right? But if you'd rather punch about it..."

If they couldn't talk it out normally, Hau would simply merge this conversation with the fight. He specifically waits for Satoshi to make the first move; to come to him. He'd counter it by dodging for a bit.

"You sure nothing happened?"

ugh, do they have to say it like that ?? he's kind of super aware of how the fight's going, thanks. that just irks satoshi even more, finally looking hau in the eye with a trying - too - hard - to - be - neutral stink - eye ...

❛ well, right now — ❜ a brief look nowhere particular, rising rising annoyance causing him to hem a bit, trying to not default to action, ❛ — wanting to punch you in the face. ❜ hey, it's honest.

a big huff, another futile action of dusting his palms with a clap, two, & raised hands motioning for hau to come at him once more. ❛ i can shake this — c'mon. ❜

[tapuhauko]

The words cause him to frown more, head tilted slightly as he watches Satoshi brush off the mud and dirt clinging to him. Was he avoiding their gaze on purpose? He knows that trick. He also does that.

"You don't look like you're good." Honesty might not be the right call here, and yet, Hau can't stop himself. Something's welling up inside of him. Was it irritation? Worry? He wasn't sure which one was more present.

"Let's be real here. You'd have kicked my ass a little harder if you were feeling good."

There's something frustrating about it all. It's not as fun when Satoshi wasn't giving it his all. Part of him wanted to make sure he was alright too, of course. "So tell me. What's on your mind?"

the final burst of charge is enough to send the wrong electrical signal down a supporting leg & buckle the knee, & both the overloaded staff & unsteady footing finally knock him on his ass, though he's quick to brace on palm & elbow, ready to scramble back up.

except, he barely gets a knee up before he sees his opponent ... crossing his arms. the question catches satoshi off guard, & he can only stare blankly for a second before turning his head, downturned in a way that has his fringe shading him a moment.

❛ yeah, i'm good. ❜ he makes a valiant effort for plausible deniability for his rising irritation in grunting his reply as he's standing up. he takes a second to pointlessly brush off the mud & dirt clinging to him, to avoid the look he's sure hau's giving him.

[tapuhauko]

When Hau glances over his shoulder, he is met with a glare. Geez, Satoshi, who rained on your parade today? Figuratively, not literally, because he was doing that right now, but you get the point.

They raise a brow, before clutching onto the staff with a hand to attempt and electrocute the other through the item. It's a good thing his ability is Mold Breaker, otherwise the ground-typing would definitely stop him. But it doesn't, and he loads as much energy into the staff as he can muster.

Attack done, they leap backwards a bit. Giving a little huff, they cross their arms over their chest. Might as well see what's up. "You like, good?"

if they're trying to be annoying, they're succeeding splendidly at that ; a frustrated huff is all he can aim at hau, the muttered " c'mon " too low for anyone but himself. a forceful twirl of the bone rush in hand, trying to reset himself, & when he knows he's too slow to move out the way of the wild charge, satoshi simply swings into the momentum of them bowling into him.

it works about as well as anyone looking in may have expected, & satoshi ends up straining his legs against the ground beneath him, the back - end of his staff braced against hau like a last defense.

the look satoshi gives over his raised arm is perhaps meaner than he would like it to be, but, unfortunately, he doesn't have much control over that right now.

[tapuhauko]

Leaving the two Pika's to duke it out for a bit, Hau decides to throw Satoshi a bone. He zips forward, crackling audible in the air as he rushes in-- but he's not gonna hand it to him on a silver platter. As if using Double Team, he annoyingly zips around the other, like a mosquito one could hear but not quite squash. He's only in one place for a fraction of a split second, using the extra electricity he absorbed earlier to speed himself up just that tad more.

"Sa-tooo-shiii~!"

What was the goal of this, exactly? Was there even a plan behind this besides being annoying? Suddenly, Hau leaps forward, shoulder first, as if to ram Satoshi with a Wild Charge.

satoshi almost wants to laugh at the pitch — really, he wants to want to laugh — but he's a little hung up on trying to not get his ass handed to him without having put up an adequate fight.

pikachu's having a great time, personally.

but the trainer puts up his bone rush, fingers tingling even as the ground - typing of the construct spares the absolute worst of the strike, & he spins out with the momentum of the electricity reaching one end over the other. leans into it, pushing the bolt to deflect away.

figures screw this & dashes in approach.

ranged has never quite been his style, & he's not going to let himself get boxed out into it.

[tapuhauko]

They were playing baseball now, huh? Well, two could play that game. Hau twirls around, builds up speed-- And sends Hibi flying towards Pikachu by letting go of his tail mid rotation. The Alolan Raichu prepares a Wild Charge in turn, electricity enveloping the mouse. The two were bound to clash, but that seems to be what they were going for here.

In the meantime, Hau still had his eyes trained on Satoshi. He seems irritated... What's up with you today? With a snap of his fingers, a Thunderbolt strikes down, aimed for the other trainer.

something about that tilt irritates satoshi, an irked twitch in his already furrowed brow, & he shapes the remnants of his shield into a new staff. right. let's just try something.

❛ pikachu. ❜

« gotcha. »

the mouse leaps atop its trainer's shoulder, hops a step onto the end of the tilted staff before jumping vertically with the slight aid of satoshi's push.

once it's airborne, satoshi readjusts his grip in a familiar way & SWINGS, catching pikachu on the downward motion, supporting its feet to launch the crackling ball of energy at hau, iron tail already glowing. if it ain't broke ...

[tapuhauko]

A cackle escapes him as they rush towards the other two, not seeming to mind the thunderbolt too much. Sure, it stung a little, but Hau had gotten particularly good at absorbing electrical energy. He'd simply store it for later.

It's a bit of a bummer the surf didn't do more damage, but he's sure his teacher would be proud nonetheless. Hau lets the wave crash out against the nearby rocks, staying afloat in the air with Hibi in his arms. His eyes fall on Satoshi and Pikachu below.

Was there... something different about them today? He hadn't seen Satoshi miss so many actions in a row before, but then again, he might have just grown stronger? Hau tilts his head ever so slightly, allowing Satoshi to make the next move first. It's probably just his imagination, anyway.

the second satoshi lands on the ground, he sends the bone rush still in hand hurtling toward hau in a bonemerang, trying to intercept the attempt to grab the raichu.

he clicks his tongue in annoyance when the waves rush upward that bit more than anticipated & entirely undermine the attempt. the staff disperses with a useless splash as it meets nothing but surf.

pikachu shares a glance with satoshi, & they both decide to brave it, skidding into each other's space as satoshi takes a deep breath before shaping his aura into a shield, pikachu striking the ground at his feet to crystalize his footing into something more solid than a muddy slip - n - slide.

they hold, but satoshi isn't quite stable in it, which is why his partner sends a thunderbolt up the descending wave as it passes, to cover.

[tapuhauko]

"Your big sister's sanctuary?" Hau replies, eyes going over the Braviary carefully. He's examining the bird Pokémon, though there's no judgement in his gaze.

"Abandoned him, huh... Well, I'm glad he found you." There's a special place in hell for people doing this to Pokémon, at least he hoped there was.

"I'm glad all of them found you, actually." A nod. "You're amazing." They allow the words to sit in the air for a bit as he examines Renard's feathers a bit more. Compared to his own wings, they looked a little worse for wear. Not in a bad way, necessarily. It's just something he noticed. Hau folds a wing forwards, curling around them just a tad, and starts smoothening out some of their feathers. "So that's what you've been up to?" A tilt of the head. He's unsure if the other had seen the news, or any gossip magazines lately. Hau's been all over after they'd fessed up about the blessing on live TV. He's become a bit of a celebrity, actually, with a manager and all.

@tapuhauko - Starter

"I met him at my big sister's sanctuary." He held a berry out to the old Braviary. It's feathers were frayed at the edges, bits of greying here or there. It's body.. covered in old battle scars from the last trainer it had. World weary, but there was still a flickering candle light in the old birds eyes.

He figured he'd show Renard to Hau as he explained where he'd been the past few months. Spending time with his 'big sister' at her Pokémon Sanctuary. Helping taking care of many of the Pokémon there by acting as a translator.

"His old trainer just.. abandoned him in the wild. I didn't expect him to come with me, to be honest.." He smiled as the old bird took the berry with his beak to eat. Altra was very gentle with him.. he knew he had to be.

"A lot of Pokémon were like him there.. Left in the wilds, used, sometimes even abused. It's sad to see." He sighed.

"Kinda like how Luna and Desmond were abandoned and I found them." He then offered a small smile.

"Guess I just draw Pokémon like that to me.. huh?"

[tapuhauko]

@diabotsis asked: "Hau, why, it's good to see you. How have you been faring after that little show?"

Ah. How had he found them? They're only back in Alola for a little bit. This must be a crazy coincidence... right?

"I've been alright." A tiny shrug accompanies the words, and he glances away, not sure what to make of it all. There's no cameras this time... so what does he want from them?

"Is there anything I can help you with?" A hand is clutching onto a reusable grocery bag. Seems like he had just run some errands, no doubt for his mom or grandfather.