Giggling like hyenas, the two Team Skull members led Kona almost blindly through a trashed town. It was even smaller than her own hometown, Ewa, and was twice as abused, with littered bottles, wrappers, needles, and most everything in between. Though it was dark, if she squinted, Kona could catch the silhouettes of shoddy building and houses, some with broken windows, others with buckling roofs. The sodded lawn beneath her flats would suck her into its grasp, as if the rain in Po Town never ceased and the ground had become part of the soaking sky.

Flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder would occasionally interrupt the goons leading her towards a run-down two story building, but their constant, secretive chattering continued until they reached the structure. With their heels, the team skull boys kicked the door open, forcefully pushing their way through collapsing frames. Kona ducked and followed with haste before the doors shut on her face.

"A'ight mousy, the big boss is upstairs. Find ya own way up. We gots business to attend to." the thugs pushed her shoulders aside roughly before she could answer or ask questions, and headed to a door down the hallway, following a filthy maroon carpet. They swung open a bedroom door and disappeared inside, snickering. When Kona finally caught her breath, her gaze began to focus under the dim glow of candles attached to extremely colorful wallpaper. It took her a minute to realize that the wallpaper was actually rather plain, but had been covered in neon graffiti.

Almost daintily, Kona tip-toed around broken glass and crumbed interior, reaching a flight of dusty stairs that spiraled into the second floor. For a moment she wished that the thugs had stayed with her to finish guiding her to their boss, so that she didn't feel so alone in the somber, decrepit building that appeared to be an old hotel. As she ascended the staircase, she felt as if she were exploring a haunted mansion alone. The only noise was the drip, drip, drip of water falling from her drenched outfit.

The second floor was identical to the first, except with more pieces of the ceiling lying at her feet. Indistinguishable rooms with matching wooden doors lined the hallways, and Kona wondered exactly which one she was meant to find the 'boss' in.

Across from her, Kona recognized another thug as a Team Skull member pacing about the halls, but this time it was a female. The girl had a similar uniform and crappily-dyed pink hair as the last two goons, yet Kona felt more relieved to see her.

With a hand waving in the air, Kona called to the female thug, hoping to herself that she would be more welcoming. "H-Hey! Can you help me?"

The thug turned towards the voice, swollen, red eyes practically bulging from her head like an exhausted frog, her nose dry and dripping. She was most definitely high off something, but Kona couldn't tell which drug had made the girl so... well gross looking. Again, she hoped to herself that maybe the female thug was actually just sick. A grunt was the girl's reply as she stabilized herself against a wall, coughing sporadically.

"Are you alright?" Kona stepped cautiously towards the girl. No response. "I just need to speak to your boss..."

This time she acknowledged Kona, raising a shaking arm to point down the hall at a neon-splattered doorway.

"Thank you," Kona scuttled away from the thug girl who was now dry heaving, spitting up the remains of her cough onto the floor.

Nobody stood at the entrance, so Kona assumed a knock at the door would suffice. Stifling a sigh, she held up her jittery fist and thumped the wood as if she were insecure about it. It wasn't like she had confidence to begin with. Her brother was the only thing pushing her past this already unbearable comfort zone.

Kona's gentle knock reverberated throughout the building as if waking up a sleeping giant. In a heartbeat that sent Kona flying back, the doors were thrown open with force, blowing her wet-heavy hair across her cheeks. She shut her eyes from the shock and stumbled when she heard a voice that sent fear washing over her body in waves.

"Who allowed a soggy rat to waltz into our crib uninvited? Huh?! Do we just let random strangers in now?! Who the hell was supposed to be watching the gates?"

Kona's eyes snapped open, filled with a mixture of terror and agitation. Why was everyone using rodents to describe her? Did she really look that bad? The thoughts left her mind swiftly as she took in what lay ahead. A royal purple carpet doused in a rainbow array of spray paint stretched across the floor, leading directly to a wide, violet throne chair. Sitting livid in the throne, with his hands balled into fists, was who she assumed (by everything about him) to be the boss.

He didn't resemble the other goons that Kona had met so far, despite the similar thuggish styles. The boss was much taller, even hunched over, and had unkempt curly white hair that framed a long, square jawline. A gold chain was slung around his neck, glimmering under the dark light, reflecting onto his dusty tan skin. Kona had a feeling that nobody in Po Town got proper sleep because even their boss had the baggy shadows under his eyes from lack thereof.

The man pointed a faded tattooed arm in Kona's direction, eyeing her with a bewildered curiosity. "Hey! You! Got a death wish or somethin'?"

"I want to join," Kona blurted out, feeling the words tumbling out almost into a sob. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be questioned so much. She just wanted her brother to live. Anxiety boiled up in the core of her stomach, threatening to bubble over, but she was able to hold it back by gnawing on her wet lips.

The room went still, as quiet as it had been before she knocked on the door. Even though her eyes were staring into the leader's own, her vision was blurred by the pounding in her skull, but she could still make out his faint expression: bafflement. Again, the only noise was the drip, drip, drip falling sadly from her t-shirt. One question clouded her mind, why am I here?

"I'd ask what makes you think you're worthy of joinin' but I'd say you've proved yourself enough. It takes guts to march all the way to the big bad bosses room." A wicked grin stretched across his face before he continued, introducing himself with vigor, "Name's Guzma, newbie. What brings ya here?"

This time it was Kona's turn to be taken aback. She cleared her throat, stepping into Guzma's room with shaky steps, "Thank you... I don't have a reason."

Looking at her with a skeptical twitch of his brows, he grunted, "A'ight. Guess that doesn't matter anyhow. What's your name, kid?"

Kona hesitated before blurting out anything about herself. She didn't want anyone to know... Well, anything. It would keep her safe and give her something of her own to cling onto, so she lied as confidently as possible, "Keaka."

"Keaka...," the fake name rolled off of Guzma's tongue with ease, " Welcome to ya new home!"