It was pouring rain. Of course it was raining. What could possibly make this venture any worse than it already was? Soaked clothes, that's what. Kona was surprised that it wasn't also freezing cold, but this was Alola, where the rain was warm and uncomfortably sticky. Without an umbrella, Kona dragged on, her feet trudging through sludgy mud. She didn't mind when her awkward marching caused the muck to splash up her legs, dousing her shorts in gloppy dirt. The girl's clothing was already tattered, torn, and stained from years of employment.
Ewa City was mostly a beggar's boondocks, located on the tiny island of Ula'ula, and Kona and her 'family' had lived there their entire lives. There was just not enough money to move. The residents were mostly shady thugs, black market dealers, and scarcely innocent citizens who couldn't find a way to leave. Ewa city was a black hole of old city dumps and rental houses too small to be homes, but it was Kona's only home. Despite her lack of family, Kona found comfort in her and her brother's house that was more of shack than anything else. It was a livable space, but making a living in Ewa was a whole other story. You had to be sly, tricky, and ready to throw away any morals you had left to scrape up enough money to get by, and Kona had experienced a fair share of it all. This was no different.
Malai, her younger brother, had fallen ill. Kona suspected that he'd been poisoned out in the unkempt wilds surrounding the town. A young Nidorino perhaps, scared of the young boy stomping around his territory. Either way, Malai didn't have long. For now, the neighbors were keeping watch over her little brother, waiting impatiently for Kona to return.
The steaming rain hardly fazed the girl as she neared her destination, feeling uneasy to the core, but despite the gnawing butterflies in her stomach, her pace was oddly determined. Ready to discard all morality for the sake of family, Kona followed a winding path to a towering superstructure. Ten yards from the building, she halted, standing under the downpour to examine what lay ahead. Bracing herself, Kona tried not to gawk at the iron walls, but instead stared at the much less intimidating doors that would slide open to reveal what extents she was willing to go to for money. Behind the castle-like walls was a group of people that most would do anything to eradicate, and she was about to beg them for help. If it weren't for her brother, Kona would've felt weak in the knees. Unfortunately, if it weren't for her brother, Kona would never have to be here.
With a firm sigh, the jittery teen made her way down the rest of the muddy road, refusing to let herself stop anymore. Before she reached them, the metal doors glided open to unfold a rather unwelcoming scene. Two pairs of gleaming eyes were peering back at her with a malicious glint, causing her to freeze in place. The pair slinked forward, not averting their low-lidded glares that sent cold shivers down Kona's spine. Rain water rolled off the tanned shoulders of two discouraging thugs who stepped towards her in rhythm, splashing soggy dirt as they stomped nearer. Kona gulped, trying to push down the lump in her throat.
Both of the thuggy boys were dressed in black wife-beaters, sporting badly-dyed blue hair, and silver skull chains that danced around their necks when they moved. Their expressions were unreadable behind the black bandannas wrapped around their mouths, but Kona had a feeling they were a little too eager to meet her.
One of the boys spoke up, raising his eyebrows as he approached, "Yo yo yo, what we got 'ere?"
The other chimed in, snickering "Looks like a lost mousy, yo!"
Kona could tell these were the people she had come for. She hadn't prepared anything in her head, however, and stood in silence, a little taken aback by the reality sinking in.
"She must be mute or something, bro," the significantly taller one stated.
"Huh, sure looks like she ain't def though!" his friend replied.
Feeling obligated to speak up, Kona squeaked out a few words, "I'm not mute." Her voice cracked, worn out by the long journey. The thugs both raised their brows.
"Hah, the little mousy's just scared!"
"Yeah, bro look at 'er, she's shaking like a leaf!"
"What'chu doin' in Po Town, lil' mousy?" one of the thugs stepped closer, invading her personal space entirely.
Kona turned and looked away, uncomfortable with the rough man boring into her with beady eyes. "Y-you have a boss right? I need to talk to him." Rain pattered down her cold skin numbly.
Both goon's eyes were wide now as they glanced at each other with their arms raised in a shrug. "Aight, the lil' mousy wants to talk to our big bad boss-,"
"-Guess we gotta let her, yo."
They motioned for her to follow them. She noted how terrible their posture was as she followed, her feet almost moving without the rest of her body reacting. Kona's heart was beating out of her chest and her mind was a whirlwind of anxiety, but the flashing image of her baby brother in a tight embrace pulled her along.
What little light that remained was gone when they entered through the doors into Po Town. Flashes of lightning lit the way.
"Welcome to Team Skull, yo."