[ The versatility is certainly his strength, but there are flaws. He always tries to take a form that counters his opponent, and if it doesn't work, he moves on to another. When it comes to multiple opponents, he ends up wearing himself down. And since he's always trying new shapes, he's really a master of none. Someone who knows themselves and their powers, with refined moves, are a problem too. Like a master craftsman with a handful of tools vs a guy with a big, fancy toolbox packed with toys. Weaknesses he hasn't fully comprehended himself.
Yamada, on the other hand, is fascinated by Yusuke to learn from, not as a potential opponent. That trick with the blast was fascinating. ]
You'd have felt bad if you didn't. What's a night's pay for peace of mind? [ Yamada's elastic ooze body only seems to make his weird, swirling energy flows more erratically. Especially as he slimily slurps through the pile of riders. Perhaps that'll distract Yusuke's senses as Yamada talks. From what? The last paragraph! ] Those wheels of theirs are for sucking up loose spirit power. But they're supposed to dump it out. These guys modified them to hold onto it for their rides- so I got a mission to teach them a thing or too. My cunning strategy of getting reinforcements was a key lesson.
[ He wobbles about, still slime, talking with his hands just to make him jiggle like jello. His phrasing is deliberately as annoying as usual- he figures Yusuke would lose interest if he didn't have something to get mad at.
The thing that Yusuke may or may not notice is that the wheels have left the bikes. And are rolling over to a train, shrinking to proper size to attach there. ]
[It's an off-kilter feeling; Yamada is older than him, but Yusuke has been in the paranormal investigation game for longer. He's been freelance ever since the underworld dumped him, but all this stuff about missions and supposed tos and key lessons... He remembers what it was like to be the new guy.
sardonic:]
Glad one of us got something out of it. Next time you need reinforcements, lose my number unless you're ready to pay my rate.
[The implication being that this one truly was pro-bono. Because Yamada is right, of course; he would have felt bad.
On the downside: the slime bit is sufficiently annoying, the bends and twists of Yamada's energy are sufficiently interesting, and Yusuke himself is being sufficiently lazy, keeping tabs only on new yōki instead of watching out for existing ones, that he does in fact overlook the wanyudo rolling their way to an upgrade.]
[ Yamada wobbles with his hands up, bouncing on a single squishy tail that serves as a foot. ]
Aww, don't be that way- no one does this sort of thing for the money, right?
[ He plans to squish closer to be shoulder to... whatever slimes have that you can call a shoulder. To poke affectionately and irritatingly. Yamada's own spirtual senses are unrefined, unless he grows himself a pair of antennae for the purpose. Even his eyesight isn't so good as a blob of rubber. So it's not surprise he misses the Wanyudo too.
Until the whole area lights up with immense flickering orange light when the flames of the wheels flare up. And the yōki that comes with it is enough that even Yamada picks it up. He swirls about to look, a pair of eyes growing on his slime form just to pop out comically at the sight. The flames swirl around the train, reforging it in a single moment. The power of the wheels has merged into one, giant ferocious face on the front and flame decals. ]
...Aww beans.
[ Blazing flames shoot fron its nostrils, and it starts to move- away from the pair. It's out to collect spirits- and it wants quantity, not quality. Thinking quick, Yamada shoots out a rubber arm to snag the train and the other to grab Yusuke. He doesn't believe that 'no help without pay' thing for a second, so of course he's gonna drag him along. ]
[He opens his mouth to retort— he absolutely wants to be in it for the money, thank you very much, the ramen thing was supposed to be the side hustle and not the other way around, except that everybody keeps either running up a tab or stiffing him and he can't just be constantly doing the nice thing all the damn time— but thank god for everyone, because the situation changes before he even has a chance to get going.
He's still in the process of registering what's happened when there's a sudden yank around his waist, and he's abruptly taken off his feet.]
Wh— Hey! [Shouted, over the noise of the train and the rush of air as they're dragged after it. For a kid his age, he's sure got some lungs on him.] You didn't say anything about them being able to pull shit like this!
[He's at least not going to quibble about his reinforcement status now, apparently. Which is maybe why so many people are able to successfully stiff him, but that's neither here nor there.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Thanks!
Yamada, on the other hand, is fascinated by Yusuke to learn from, not as a potential opponent. That trick with the blast was fascinating. ]
You'd have felt bad if you didn't. What's a night's pay for peace of mind? [ Yamada's elastic ooze body only seems to make his weird, swirling energy flows more erratically. Especially as he slimily slurps through the pile of riders. Perhaps that'll distract Yusuke's senses as Yamada talks. From what? The last paragraph! ] Those wheels of theirs are for sucking up loose spirit power. But they're supposed to dump it out. These guys modified them to hold onto it for their rides- so I got a mission to teach them a thing or too. My cunning strategy of getting reinforcements was a key lesson.
[ He wobbles about, still slime, talking with his hands just to make him jiggle like jello. His phrasing is deliberately as annoying as usual- he figures Yusuke would lose interest if he didn't have something to get mad at.
The thing that Yusuke may or may not notice is that the wheels have left the bikes. And are rolling over to a train, shrinking to proper size to attach there. ]
🫡
sardonic:]
Glad one of us got something out of it. Next time you need reinforcements, lose my number unless you're ready to pay my rate.
[The implication being that this one truly was pro-bono. Because Yamada is right, of course; he would have felt bad.
On the downside: the slime bit is sufficiently annoying, the bends and twists of Yamada's energy are sufficiently interesting, and Yusuke himself is being sufficiently lazy, keeping tabs only on new yōki instead of watching out for existing ones, that he does in fact overlook the wanyudo rolling their way to an upgrade.]
no subject
Aww, don't be that way- no one does this sort of thing for the money, right?
[ He plans to squish closer to be shoulder to... whatever slimes have that you can call a shoulder. To poke affectionately and irritatingly. Yamada's own spirtual senses are unrefined, unless he grows himself a pair of antennae for the purpose. Even his eyesight isn't so good as a blob of rubber. So it's not surprise he misses the Wanyudo too.
Until the whole area lights up with immense flickering orange light when the flames of the wheels flare up. And the yōki that comes with it is enough that even Yamada picks it up. He swirls about to look, a pair of eyes growing on his slime form just to pop out comically at the sight. The flames swirl around the train, reforging it in a single moment. The power of the wheels has merged into one, giant ferocious face on the front and flame decals. ]
...Aww beans.
[ Blazing flames shoot fron its nostrils, and it starts to move- away from the pair. It's out to collect spirits- and it wants quantity, not quality. Thinking quick, Yamada shoots out a rubber arm to snag the train and the other to grab Yusuke. He doesn't believe that 'no help without pay' thing for a second, so of course he's gonna drag him along. ]
no subject
He's still in the process of registering what's happened when there's a sudden yank around his waist, and he's abruptly taken off his feet.]
Wh— Hey! [Shouted, over the noise of the train and the rush of air as they're dragged after it. For a kid his age, he's sure got some lungs on him.] You didn't say anything about them being able to pull shit like this!
[He's at least not going to quibble about his reinforcement status now, apparently. Which is maybe why so many people are able to successfully stiff him, but that's neither here nor there.]