Electrifying

he lets hau take his time waking up, a smile suppressing the urge to laugh, up until he gets pulled down, a giggle trailing his path onto the couch. pikachu chirps a " careful !! " in reprimanding reminder of the goodie - bag, & satoshi retrieves it before hau traps him in place with their head.

he doesn't quite get to answering the first question, busy digging into the bag to pull out a smaller bag of malasadas, so his answer to the latter is absentminded ( much like the decision to climb itself ) . ❛ aā. didn't wanna shout. ❜ spoils in hand, the malasada bag is given to hau, a pair of sandwiches pulled out for himself & pikachu.

❛ battles went great !! almost had a clean sweep in the last one, but sorley's been upping his game lately — that carracosta is touuugh ... !! ❜ a pensive bite into his sandwich punctuates the complaint, but thinking about the experience gained has him brightening again quick enough.

A smile forms on their features as they listen to Satoshi talk with a fiery passion about his battles. It always gives him a happy feeling when people are so passionate about things.

"Sounds like you had a good day, heh. You better bring me along next time, even if it's just to spectate. Have I met Dracovish yet?" Another bite of the pastry, simply enjoying the flavours for a bit. "...Wonder if I'm faster still." A mumble, thinking to himself out loud.

They go silent after that, at least for a little bit, lost deep in thought.

" bring snacks " they say like satoshi hadn't already tacked a detour onto his post - battle plans, to make up for having to split up if nothing else.

his battles go great, indeed a pep in his step stepping foot into the trainer's box. it should figure that a good mood is productive for any match, he supposes ; the trainers he goes up against seem a bit less than thrilled, what with the kantonian not budging in persistence a single inch no matter what they throw, but they do congratulate him on the wins, resigned as the words are.

personal quota met, satoshi rolls his shoulders in a satisfied stretch & sets his sights on the pokémon center. he'll leave his balled roster to rest up there & bring some heals with him for pikachu — the mouse didn't take as much relative damage as the others, & satoshi couldn't leave it so far from him anyway. a stop by a pastry shop, a bit of everything nabbed, & soon satoshi walks the path he remembers to the hidden meadow.

he spares greetings to some of the abuly fluttering around, before realizing he's ... not sure how to get up to the tree house, kind of reliant on hau's flying, there. he doesn't want to yell ; if hau's napping, it will wake him, if he's not napping, it won't help his headache ... well, that's what arms & legs are for.

he simply climbs up. pikachu makes sure to hook its tail through the highly valuable cargo's straps so it doesn't fall away.

"...Am now."

The Alolan takes a moment to sit up, before a hand snatches the hand that poked him, pulling the other onto the seat next to him. Hibi's lack of playing alarm clock is easily forgiven, seeing the doodles in the little sketchbook he carried and the crayon in his paw.

he can't help the chuckle at hau's restlessness, well aware he would be no different in his position, hasn't been any different, certainly. & the pouting is cute. ❛ i'll tell you how it went when i come over, promise ; every detail. ❜

hands held, satoshi's fingers instinctively give hau's a squeeze, the static at his cheek no doubt enough to put pep in his battle - step for the rest of the day. the still - tingly kiss might do for the whole week.

satoshi brings up their joint hands to give another squeeze, a small promise. ❛ i'll try to wrap it up fast. ❜

& before he's fully let go, he's already shouting over his shoulder to a yellow fuzzball curled in nearby shade.

They glance around for unwanted guests just in case (mostly reporters that could have followed him), before they fly up and pass the illusion. The treehouse greets them, and they waste no time moving inside and pulling down blinds. A shelter from the brightness of Alola... Didn't think they'd ever need that. They do click on the desk lamp, just so they wouldn't be fully in the dark.

With a toss, they let out Hibi, who immediately floats over to hug him. It brings another smile to his face (never fails to, honestly), and they gently wrap their arms around the Alolan Raichu, before sitting down on the couch.

a sidelong look, a bit torn. ❛ mmmh, i did mean to get another round in at the battle tree ... ❜

it wouldn't do to break routine when he's been gradually rebuilding his battling skillset from the ground up, but it is hau. & he'd hate to leave them hanging. guy's been cooped up ; company is the least satoshi can offer. but the battle - addict part of him still nags. & in the end, it wins out, as it usually does.

❛ you go on ahead, i'll catch up in a while & meet you there. you can set it up how you need without me gettin' in the way 'till then, yeah ?? rest up & stuff. ❜ he feels a little bad, but he's already committed himself to a minimum amount of battles today. the trainers at the tree itself wouldn't mind him skipping out ( in fact, they'd likely appreciate the break from him, ) but satoshi wouldn't be entirely satisfied with himself, & it would show.

"Maybe a battle is exactly what I need. Clearly I need to punch myself better--"

A ball of electricity is conjured up in their palm, before they allow it to fizzle out. Yeah, they're pouting up a storm right now. Even they can see it would probably not work out though. They inhale deep, before groaning.

"...Fiiiine. I'll rest up. You come by after your battles." Hau reaches for Satoshi's hands, holding them in his. A nuzzle is given to the other's cheek, slight static no doubt prickling skin, before he pulls him into a kiss.

" it's a nice feeling to see progress, right ?? " he says ... satoshi's progress has always been most visible in the way he's been able to affect what's around him, in how he's felt today compared to yesterday. his pokémon have evolved in apparent & literal ways, & it's always been nice to see the growth, but bar an outfit change for the next leg of his journey courtesy of his mama, something done different with his hair for the sake of change, a new pair of sneakers after walking the soles off the previous pair ... satoshi's never really changed.

except, he has changed in the past few years, a fair bit, actually, going through a kind of evolution of his own, growing comfortable in his bones in a way he's always been too focused on battling to really feel how badly he'd needed. now, his face is less soft, his barely - stubble itches now & then in reminder of itself, his still - scarred chest feels light, his body feels more solid ...

a thoughtful glance to one of his arms, & he shrugs, a small smile. ❛ yeah, i guess it is. ❜

the topic of hau's internal struggle in the face of another headache brings satoshi to serious contemplation, crossing his arms.

"...Maybe we can go to the treehouse for a bit? I can make it somewhat dark in there at least." Yeahhh he'd been avoiding Bulu's turf for now. Both because he couldn't travel much, only between headaches, and if one arose he'd be stuck on another island, and because, well... he wasn't quite sure what he'd do when he saw Bulu now. Might want to give it a little more time, or else he'd fistfight another deity (and probably lose).

satoshi couldn't hide the pleased smile at hau's approval if he tried, though he can't help looking down to where his fingers fidget. attention being drawn to his arms has him looking up again just to let out a rather embarrassed chuckle, scratching at his cheek, other hand now on his hip.

❛ aā, i didn't realize how many of the shirts i keep here wouldn't fit me like they used to, so i've kinda had to take the sleeves off a bunch. i've never really had that problem before, haha ; guess 'cause i've changed up how i train — doin' more fightin' & all that. ❜ his body literally distributing muscle mass differently these days may also factor into that, but don't count on satoshi to consider two simultaneous but unrelated changes contributing in tandem.

"And you've been training and it shows! It's a nice feeling to see progress, right?" The Alolan finally frowns, glancing away guiltily. "...Admittedly, the pain's like a seven out of ten right now." A frustrated sigh. "Just didn't want to be cooped up inside yet another day, yanno?" Stubborn as a Tauros, it seems.

❛ yeah, figured i should dress for the environment if i know i'm stayin' for a while. easier to shake sand outta this, at least. ❜ he means to give the hem of his shirt a shake as mere punctuation, but a pinch of trapped sand does spill out, proving his point immediately. it's certainly more practical to wear a simple & already worn cotton shirt than to hold on to the jacket with the persistent duo of local sun & sand ( even having lived over a consecutive year in alola once, living in a beach house, sand's ability to sneak up on one never stops surprising satoshi ) .

practical. that's always been satoshi's main thing, so long as something is practical & comfortable in travel & battle, it's good enough for him. but ... maybe it's that hau so often looks as nice as comfortable, maybe it's as simple as valuing his imput ...

a pointless readjustment of the clasps of his brace, a shy fidget. ❛ ... what do you think ?? ❜ if he's honest with himself, he'd like if hau thought he looked as nice as comfortable, too.

A shake of his wings, some sand spilling out as well. He can't help but chuckle at the demonstrations proving their point immediately.

Hau's main thing had always been comfort and practicality, too. That was, at least, until a certain manager designed an outfit for them that was both those things and looked nice to boot.