Aika shot straight up and turned around, face to chest with the former boss of Team Skull. He wore a shit eating grin as he stared down at her, the two of them apart by perhaps three feet or so.

"Guzma." She said coolly, addressing the man with a frown.

"Sup' kiddo? How've ya been?"

Guzma was getting closer little by little, him noticing when Aika glanced quickly over at her bag. He wasn't getting her Pokemon! No way!

"Yer' Pokemon in there?" He asked, and Aika hissed at him.

"Yes, and keep your hands off."

Guzma gave her a smirk, holding his hands up a bit. "Chill, Bunneary- I don't want anythin' to do with them. My Pokemon go through the Tree just fine."

Aika's face fell and she looked away, Guzma cooing at her while she held her arm in comfort.

"Aw, did I touch a nerve, Bunneary? I'm sorry. "

Guzma was close enough to brush his knuckles up Aika's arm slowly, her skin bumping up as she side- stepped and backed away from him angrily.

"You aren't sorry you bull-shitter!" She hissed, making the older man laugh and hold his nose for a second.

"Nah- I guess not. Though I do know what it is yer' feelin'."

Guzma's long legs carried him towards Aika quickly, both of his arms braced on either side of her head as he cornered her against a tree.

"Leaves a real bad taste in ya mouth, doesn't it? Getting' beaten down again and again and again. Makes you feel like shit, yeah? Like you ain't good enough for anyone, especially them?" Guzma eyed her bag, Aika deducing that he was referring to her Pokemon.

Aika nodded, and refused to look his way.

"Y- Yeah…" She whispered, helpless in the moment.

Guzma was so much taller and bigger than she was... So if he was going to corner her and scream at her then she'd rather just take her whoopins and limp on home.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Guzma reached for her hair, rolling a few soft strands between his fingers curiously.

"What're you-?"

"You cut your hair. Looks nice."

Aika gave him a confused look before she placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back, uncomfortable.

"What're you even doing here, Guzma?" She barked, Guzma snickering as he readjusted his jacket.

"Well, I was here swingin' through the Tree." He made a swinging motion with his arms, looking off as if he had hit a baseball far off. "But then I heard you on the lower level, and I knew that you'd lost again."

"And?" She interrupted, Guzma stuffing his hands into his pockets as he continued to smile at her.

"I wanted to see the look on ya face- and lemme jus' say that the little tantrum you threw was not dissapointin'."

Guzma clapped for her while Aika looked away in shame, a small blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Embarrassed Bunneary? Didn't expect nobody to see you rant like that, hm? The key is to not give a shit who sees ya or not- but you'll learn that as you lose more."

Aika snapped in his direction and started stomping towards him, her finger in Guzma's face as she shrieked.

"Listen here, asshole! You've got no room to be giving me advice on anything after all the times I've whooped your ass and watched you throw a tantrum! I got you out of Ultra Space and bailed your ass out when Lusamine was gonna off us all! I beat you in the gardens, in your own house, and at Aether! So don't come swaggering towards me with that stupid grin on your face and act like you're better than I am because-"

"Because it's makin' you realize that you ain't shit? You were a flook, kid. A little white girl from Kanto with no aspirations and no daddy. You got your Pokemon and then tore through Alola tryin' to prove somethin'. You may have made it through the League that Kukui set up- but out here in the real world you ain't shit. Ain't it fun?"