The rain never seemed to cease, did it? Any other day, it wouldn't bother her—she usually welcomed the change, aside from the usually hot weather that surrounded the four islands. Aside from the cooler temperatures in the areas surrounding Mount Lanakila, it was always hot, always sunny, and always humid. That's why she moved around so frequently; she never stayed in one place for very long. But even here in Po Town, it seemed to be nothing but dread, nothing but the continuous rain, and the claps of thunder.
This place used to be a paradise.
She remembered the Po Town of days past—where Alola's most privileged and successful stayed in the large and sprawling houses. It was a perfect little community and one could see for miles. Now, there was nothing but four walls that surrounded the area. What were once pristine homes were now abandoned and crawling with Team Skull's grunts and their pokémon, the walls covered in graffiti and dirt. The sun nor the moon ever shone here...not through those thick black clouds. It was a wonder how anyone knew the time of day around these parts.
Her room was a refuge. She kept her space in the lone mansion at the end of the town clean. Her mother would have never heard of her daughter being unkempt. She could hear her mother even now; "A tidy home makes a tidy life, and a tidy life makes you a tidy wife, Plumeria. Don't ever forget that!" She wondered where her mother and father were now. Maybe somewhere in Unova, where the woman was originally born. Maybe they returned back to Black City, living a life similar to what they had here in Po Town...before the Skulls came and messed everything up.
She honestly began to forget what made her want to join this Arceus-forsaken team. They weren't shit compared to the teams Plumeria read about in the public libraries. They weren't as ruthless as the Rockets, or environmentally motivated as Team Aqua or Magma. Maybe they had a slightly more balanced leader than those who headed Galactic and Plasma...but in her eyes, they just didn't compare to any of them, not even the bumbling Flares. They were all just punks off the dirt roads of Alola...nothing but a bunch of stupid kids led by two stupid adults.
"Hey! Big sis!" She heard some knocking on her door, and her eyes slowly closed as she pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose.
She sighed slowly and looked over her shoulder. "What do you want, DJ?" The youngest and newest Skull Grunt came bursting through Plumeria's door as if a fire had been lit under him. His blue hair was disheveled and his brown eyes were widened with worry. "And where are your contacts, boy? I swear..." She stood up from her desk and strolled over towards him.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I forgot about putting them in," The young man seemed to tremble in her presence, and she shook her head quickly.
"Whatever, we're in Po so you don't need them in, I guess. But what's got you so shaken? You look like you've seen a Gengar," She subtly teased.
"It's the boss, big sis. He's...he's not getting any better. I'm scared for him," The grunt explained, and her jaw steeled as she stared down at him.
"I will come see him in a moment. Go down to the kitchen and make him some lunch," She ordered.
"We're out of food," The young grunt countered.
"Then go to Malie City and get some food. Have Asia and Marcus go with you," She said, and he nodded before he left the room in an instant.
She looked towards her window and she sighed as another flash of lighting seemed to fill her room with more light. The rumbling of thunder came soon after before she spoke softly to herself. "Damn it, Guzma..."
It had been perhaps a month since the team's boss had returned from the incident that rocked Alola to the core. The Aether Foundation was brought to its knees—several employees were summoned to the courts and were locked away. Plumeria gained immunity and a plea bargain for herself and Guzma through a powerful lawyer that doubled as an undercover Skull Admin, but President Lusamine wasn't as lucky. Once her daughter was able to bring her back to suitable health, she was summoned back to the islands from Kanto and was given a heavy sentence. That poor little Lillie...she had suffered so much to save that mother of hers, just to watch her be put in prison.
But none of that seemed to matter to Plumeria at this point, not at all. She had a somewhat civil relationship with Gladion so she felt some sympathy for he and his sister's dreadful situation. But nothing worried her more than Guzma's failing health. Both mentally and physically, the 'Big Bad Guy' had seen better days.
Plumeria could distinctly remember when Guzma was taken in by her parents—he was some kid shipped in from Johto's child protective services after his parents were murdered in a freak accident while they explored the burned tower in Ecruteak City. Seeing as Plumeria's mother had developed a condition that slimmed her chances of pregnancy down to none after having her daughter, the parents decided to take in the boy who was in Alola in an exchange program at the Pokémon School on Melemele Island.
From day one, Guzma was a problem—always thinking he was the toughest in the entire region, he picked fights with every kid he could, wanting to show his strength. He barely made it through the school's curriculum, and once it came time to pick a new generation of Alolan Captains, Guzma was swiftly rejected. The Kahuna at the time felt that he was too out of control. Not too long after that, Guzma became a more dangerous person that not even Plumeria's parents could tolerate. Once he was old enough, he was kicked out of the home.
When Guzma and Plumeria saw one another again, it was years later. Guzma was at that point a 19-year-old delinquent that caused trouble all around Alola. Meanwhile, Plumeria was going to the local Pokémon University with plans to intern for the Aether Foundation. Plumeria always had a soft spot for Guzma however, and the two stuck together like peas in a pod, just like when they were children. She remembered the day he told her about forming Team Skull:
"Aren't you tired of all these adults tellin' us what to do, Plu'? Ain't it time we take our destiny for ourselves? I mean, I think even the Guardians would agree! It's time we shake some shit up!"
Plumeria believed in Guzma. She didn't know why she believed him, and she didn't know how he convinced her—but she believed in him. She'd follow him to the end of the earth. So she dropped everything she knew and loved to start the team with him. Now here they were years later...with nothing to show for it. Only Arceus knew what exactly the future could have held for Plumeria and maybe even Guzma himself if they had never started Team Skull. So much regret...so much resentment...
Most of Plumeria's problems with Guzma these days wasn't because of him, but because of Lusamine. That little bitch—she was nothing but a user, and no matter what anyone said, Plumeria only wished the worst for that woman. She wasn't even sure how the former President even knew of Guzma's existence, but she remembered the Aether employees coming to Po Town to ask for his presence at the Paradise.
She remembered walking through those sterilized, perfect corridors with Guzma as Lusamine gushed about how she heard that Plumeria's boss was the best bug user in Alola, and how his strength was needed to protect Alola's Pokémon from the evil clutches of humans. Guzma didn't care that he was being used as a rouse, and that the team he so proudly mantled was going to be the scapegoat for the woman's plans—he was happy that someone thought of him to be strong.
Then he just had to fall in love with the miserable old wench. She was technically a widow, sure, but any day her husband would likely return. She couldn't bear to think of the many nights the mansion was void of Guzma's boisterous laughter as he watched his games on PSPN...knowing that he was at the Paradise, in Lusamine's bed, doing things that not even the walls would want to repeat if they could speak...
And now, he was sick. Mentally, emotionally, physically...he wasn't the man that Plumeria grew up with, the man she stood by in this rainy, dreary town. She was pissed about it. But she knew no one else was here to take care of him. No one else would, even if they were.
She finally walked out of her room and walked down the hallway towards the balcony, carefully scaling the roof to get towards Guzma's bedroom. Once she turned the knob, she opened the door to see the man lying where she had last left him.
The man laid idly in the brass bed, his t-shirt and grey sweats being the only thing he donned, a far cry from his decked out Skull uniform. His usually wild white locks were pulled into a ponytail, a few tufts of hair framing his face, now gaunter than usual. His eyes were barely opened as he watched an episode about the life of Bewear's on the National Pokégraphic.
"Have you eaten today?" Plumeria grabbed a towel from his dresser and huffed as she managed to dry herself off. "Goodness, why hasn't Michael and Seth moved those damn boxes," She mumbled to herself.
"...I had a beery shake this morning. That DJ made me drink it," Guzma mumbled before he ran a hand over his face.
"Get up," Plumeria walked over to the bed, sucking her teeth as she swatted at his chest. "Get the fuck out of bed, Guzma. Now!"
"What is your problem now? You've been buggin' me all this time!" Guzma groaned as he sat up in bed and eventually got to his feet. She took a survey of his frame and she sighed heavily. "What?! I'd wish you'd just say somethin' instead of huffin' and puffin' like you are," He fussed.
"You're way skinnier than before, G. You're not eating like you're supposed to. I don't ask for much—I ask for you to eat and you won't do that," Plumeria turned around and three her hands up. "But I guess nothing gets done around here unless Lusamine asks you t—..."
Plumeria barely expected Guzma's next move, and was surprised he even had the strength to turn her around and slam her against the wall. His hands tightly gripped her arms as his grey eyes stared deeply into her golden ones. "Don't you ever," He growled as he squeezed her arms even tighter than before. "Bring her up in my presence, yo. You're skating on thin ice, Plu'," He let her loose, backing up once she shoved him away from her. "That bitch is dead to me. Don't speak on her."
"But did I lie? You haven't even left this room unless it's to shower or shit," Plumeria wasn't one to appear ruffled or angry. Annoyed or irritated was as far as she'd let her emotions go in public and with the rest of the team but with Guzma, he always knew how to bring her to the highest level of anger. "You don't do anything anymore. You're not the Guzma I know!"
"Until you been through what I been through, you don't get to tell me what you know 'bout me!" Guzma's voice was naturally loud, but it seemed to threaten to shake the walls when angered. "You don't know what it's been like—I can't fuckin' sleep without seeing that Ultra Beast in my dreams. I have headaches all the time, and I can barely eat without wanting to vomit. So excuse me for not being a ray of sunshine," He sat back down on the bed.
"Look...I'm sorry, okay? I know it's been hard, but the team needs you," Plumeria tried to reason with the man, but he seemed to not want to hear it.
"What team, Plumeria? Huh? We're nothing now. We weren't ever worth a damn and you know it," The two grew silent shortly after, another crack of thunder resounding through the decrepit home. "The only thing keeping us together is the fact that I didn't desert you guys...but there is nothing left. Our power was backed by Aether...and they're done now that Gladion took over," He explained. "He'll never give us the time of day. Alola knows we're a joke now...we have nothing left. I have nothing left," Guzma's voice seemed to grow quieter as he began to settle within the reality that Team Skull's lifespan was coming to a close.
"Don't...say that," Plumeria slowly walked over to the man before getting down on her knees, sitting between the man's legs. "Remember what you told me when this started? We never say never, unless we're breakin' the rules...that's what you said," She gripped his chin before lifting his head, forcing him to look her in the eye. "We're not over until you say. But I'm telling you to keep trying...if you want, we'll move. I can get us enough money to ship the team over to Kanto, or even Kalos...I know you like the weather there," She chuckled.
"...Why?" Guzma asked.
"Why what?"
"Why are you still here...?" She hadn't seen his expression soften in such a long time. For a moment, he looked like a young boy again. The boy she cherished her time with...the boy she cherished, period. "Anyone else would have left. Hell, some did leave the team after everything. So why you..."
Plumeria felt an intense sense of Déjà vu. She remembered when They first reunited after years of not seeing each other. Guzma found a way to visit her dorm room every night and they talked about the future of Team Skull, and how they'd become the most respected in the region, then the world. "We'll give Team Rocket a run for their money!" He'd say, then laugh that laugh of his. And there was this feeling...a swelling of pride that she felt within the deepest reaches of her soul. She felt it now, even as she sat before a broken man.
"Because it's always been you," She answered simply. Guzma's brow furrowed slowly as he looked down at the woman, and his face softened again before a small smirk crossed his face.
"And I guess...it should have been you from the start," He mumbled.
The knock on the door brought them both out of each other's sole attention, and as Plumeria stood to her feet, Guzma let out an annoyed grunt. "What?" He snapped.
The door opened to reveal DJ, drenched in water as he held out a large paper bag and a large cup with a straw poked within it. "I...I, uh, brought you some food, boss!" He announced. "It's your favorite—Tomato Berry Malasada, and a large Tapu Cocoa. They also had a sale on Castelia-Style Cheesecake," He grinned.
Guzma grunted in amusement and nodded. "Bring it here," He ordered, and the grunt sat it on the bedside table before leaving the room. "I guess that new kid's good for somethin'. He even got me my cocoa," He mused.
"Yeah. I'll leave you to eat," Plumeria dusted off her clothes before she made her way towards the door to leave Guzma in peace.
"Hey, Plu'?" Guzma's voice stopped the woman in her tracks, and she looked back over her shoulder. "I love you...you know that right?" He asked.
She never answered back. She simply left the room and closed the door.
After making her way back to her room, she placed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her door before locking it, stripping out of her wet clothes before she dried off her body, sliding on a fresh pair of underwear before sliding on a large t-shirt. She turned off her lamp and was suddenly surrounded by darkness. She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked over to her mattress, sitting down at the end of it before she bit at her bottom lip, sighing before she finally maneuvered herself into bed, Turning towards the wall, she sniffed softly as tears began to well in her eyes.
The shadows from the dim lighting of the window seemed to shed some light upon the desk in her room—sitting on the desk's surface was a photo of Plumeria and Guzma as children. The young bug user held the girl in his arms securely, as if he was protecting her.
"Damn it, Guzma..." A quivered whisper could be heard in the quiet room.