Chapter 7 - BOLD WORDS

Maybe Guzma really did expect you both to die in that cavern, because as soon as he realized Moon and Lillie appeared to save you both and Lusamine, he quickly let go of you. Even after the girls beat Lusamine and got you all out of the Ultra Space, Guzma became very silent and kept his distance from you at all times.

It was like whatever bounding you did back in the cave was just some weird dream you had.

It was only when you all parted ways that you decided to make a move.

"Don't disappear on me."

He stopped in his tracks, his back turned to you.

"Right back at you." He muttered, without looking at you.

He resumed his way, taking the Charizard-Calling device he used back in that day you both met by accident at Melemele out of his pocket. You wondered if this was some sort of standard way of navigating through the four islands, but you didn't give it much thought.

Soon, his Charizard arrived. You watched as he hopped on the Pokémon and flew off into the clouds above. There was this tiny part of you that wondered if you should really have let him go like that, and not followed him right away, but you shrug it off – Things were fine. You talked it out. He wouldn't pretend you both were strangers to each other again, would he?

You took Stonehead out and were soon into the air, straight to Kukui's Lab. You figured he must be worried about you and the kids, you had to fill him up on what happened.

As Stonhead landed, you saw him sitting on his doorstep, the same way he was when you came back from Po Town. This time though, he looked relieved.

You told him everything that happened since you met the kids and Nanu at Ula'Ula. Of course, he wasn't super keen on knowing you jumped right after Guzma into the Ultra Space.

"Why do you have to be such an impetuous idiot…" He said with a sigh.

You told him in detail about the Ultra Beasts. About the way they acted and how they attacked both you and Guzma, but seemed to keep their distance from Lusamine. You decided to leave out the whole bounding moment you had with the Team Skull Boss, it felt awfully personal, and you were sure you wouldn't hear the end of it if Kukui knew about it.

As you described them, Kukui got his tablet out and began taking some notes – he seemed incredibly interested by the unknown creatures. When he was satisfied with all the information, he shut his tablet off and looked at you.

"So, are you ready to move out again?"

"Huh?" You managed to reply.

"Elite Four Quarters are done!" He said. "The rest of the team should be moving up there tomorrow. And we'll start receiving challengers on the following day, most probably."

That's right, the Elite Four shenanigans! You were so absorbed in the Guzma problems that you completely forgot why you came to Alola in the first place. Suddenly, you didn't feel super ready to be part of the Elite Four and being challenged by a whole lot of aspiring Champions. Everything that happened shook you off so badly, you didn't feel like you had the guts to play the part you were supposed to.

But you had to and you know you had to. You just had to make mental preparations that night in order to be ready – you knew you could do it. You just needed to cast Guzma aside for a while, and concentrated on being who you became – The Johto Champion who transformed into Alola's Elite Four.

You smiled at Kukui.

"I was born ready." You replied. Kukui beamed at you.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up tomorrow morning and help you move." He said. "Get some rest today, will ya? The day's been one heck of a ride."


Of course, as soon as you laid your head on the pillow it was very clear 'getting some rest' was going to be impossible.

You sighed, getting up. There was no point trying to sleep, you knew yourself well enough to know that you'd spend at least a couple hours rolling around in bed, wondering about the whole Elite Four stuff. It didn't make any sense for you to be that much concerned about it – you knew it didn't. You were a Champion, and had been defending your title for quite some time. So why becoming Elite Four – less of what a Champion was -, was bugging you so much?

Maybe it was precisely because you were about to perform a role less important than a Champion – if you screw that up, what a laughing stock you'd become. You had to at least be the best of the Elite Four, becoming the ultimate wall between the challengers and the podium.

Or maybe it was because you'd be taking part in your birthplace's League. Maybe you wanted to make the Alola's Elite Four the best E4 in the whole world. Maybe you needed to prove that, despite leaving for so long, you were still on Alola's level.

Deep inside you knew it was all of it. And there was no pointing in dwelling in worry and self-doubt when somewhere inside of you, you knew you couldn't possibly fuck this up.

You changed into regular clothing, took your backpack and left your room. The fresh ocean breeze seemed to blow all your concerns away. Going for a midnight walk seemed to be the best option in the moment.

Once again, Hau'Oli night proved to be silent. The sound of the rustling of leaves and the cry of distant Pokemon was everything you could hear. Although being a big city, Hau'Oli was far from being a chaotic metropolis that never slept much like Goldenrod City was.

You walked over the Beachfront, taking slow steps into the sand. It was a night like that, all those years ago, that you had to tell Guzma you were moving away. You were worried sick about all the possible outcomes of what this new path in your life was going to bring you that you couldn't sleep. And you did the same thing you were doing today – decided to take a stroll into the city to calm your raging thoughts.

On that night, you met Guzma on the Beachfront by surprise. He'd be sitting on the sand looking out into the horizon. You approached him.

"Hey." You said, snapping him out of his thoughts. He seemed startled, but upon realizing who it was, turned back to the ocean without a word.

You approached him, sitting by his side on the sand. He was stroking Wimpod's back on his lap – the Pokemon seemed to be asleep.

"I have to tell you something." You said. He scoffed.

"I've already heard from Hala." He said, not looking at you. "Took you long enough to come say it in my face."

The aggression in his tone took you by surprise. You looked down at your fidgeting hands. It had been a week since your parent's decision, but you didn't want to tell any of your friends about it. Somehow, it felt like if you didn't put it into words, it wouldn't come true. But as the date of departure drew nearer, you knew there was no point in trying to hide it anymore.

You just didn't expect Guzma to know before you had the guts to tell him.

"I'm sorry…" You muttered still looking at your hands. "I don't want to go… It's my parents. Dad got a promotion and we're all moving to Johto. I tried everything, I asked them if they couldn't let me stay with Hala but they didn't want to burden him since Hau was just born and all…"

Guzma didn't answer. Instead, you both stood side by side in complete silence. You held your knees tightly against your chest. Guzma was the last person you wanted to get mad at you in such a crucial time in your life.

Suddenly, he spoke up.

"Let's run away." He said, finally looking at you. "You and me. Let's build a raft and sail off away from here. We can manage to live if we stick together."

You looked at him in disbelief. He always was a pro at bad ideas, but this one was surely taking the prize.

"Are you out of your mind?" You retorted. "This is crazy. We won't make it. We can't escape that easily!"

He frowned at you.

"Of course we can!" He barked back at you. "We're the strongest trainers in this pile of rocks that we call an island. If there's someone who could make this work, it's fucking us!"

"No, Guz." You cut him off, looking away. "I'm not gonna do it. I don't want to go to Johto, I really don't. But I'm not gonna go into this suicidal trip with you just because of it."

He snorted. You know he knew deep down that this was a desperate act. But even though you were desperate – very desperate -, you still knew you had to be the lucid one. Because Guzma definitely wasn't going to be.

You sighed. Wimpod was readjusting himself on Guzma's lap – the conversation must have woken him up.

You looked at Guzma again, his face contorted into a scowl. He was clearly mad. You sighed.

"Look, Guz. I'll go. I don't want to, but I'll go. But we will meet again." You said. "You hear me? I'll make sure we'll meet again someday."

He didn't answer. Instead, he withdrew Wimpod back into his Ball and got up.

"Whatever." He said and, without looking back, he stormed away from you. Clearly shaken that his last resort didn't come to fruition. That was the last time you ever saw him – the next day you departed from Alola.

You snapped back into reality as you heard something moving on the sand. You looked at the far end of the beach and there he was, sitting on the sand with Golisopod by his side. Once again, he was only wearing his white tank top and baggy pants. Even his golden chain and sunglasses were gone.

You approached him.

"Hey."

Your voice took him by surprise. But this time, upon seeing you, he didn't act defensively.

"Hey." He answered.

You sat by his side. Golisopod was happily munching PokeBeans directly from Guzma's hand.

"What would an Elite Four member such as yourself be doing wandering around this late?" He asked you mockingly. You snorted.

"What would a gang leader be doing by himself alone in plain sight?" You retorted right back at him. "Y'know… From the way you walked off back then, I was wondering if I had to go to Po Town to drag you out of your lair."

This time, he snorted.

"You wouldn't find me there." He said. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why not?"

"It's over." He answered. "I disbanded Team Skull, sent all Grunts home. I'm just a regular dude, now."

You looked at him surprised.

"That's actually so cool." You answered. "What are you planning on doing from now on?"

"I have no fucking idea." He answered looking away into the ocean. Golisopod finished his beans and curled into a ball in the sand, ready to take a nap.

"Well… I'll see how things work in the Elite Four tomorrow." You said. "Depending on the schedule, we can use the spare time to try and complete our old Poke Déxes! Or maybe, we could start a training routine? Getting stronger together like old times! Or maybe…"

"How about no?" He cut you right off. You looked at him puzzled.

"What?"

"Are you braindead, Mags?" He barked at you. "Do you know who I am?"

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're my friend Guzma."

He rolled his eyes.

"No. I'm the fucking ex-boss of Team Skull." He answered. "I'm the number one public enemy in all of Alola. There isn't a single soul around here who doesn't hate my goddamn guts. Do ya really think I could just get away with trying to be a goodie-two-shoes now?"

"I don't think I follow…"

"It doesn't matter what I do, I will always be the hated boss." He answered. "And following an Elite Four around would only cause me to be a laughing stock, a fucking lapdog. I don't want to be fucking pitied on… Again."

You frowned at him.

"That's why you started treating me like a nobody back in that cave when people showed up?" You inquired him. He didn't respond, which only added to your suspicion. This was definitely the case, he was embarrassed of being seen with you. "Guzma, that's fucking stupid. You can't let other's views on you dictate who you are and…"

"Don't act like you fucking understand." He cut you off again. "You're a Champion. An Elite Four. You can't understand how this fucking feels."

"Well, and why don't you explain it to me, you dipshit." You barked right back at him. "I'm a Champion. An Elite Four. I should have enough brainpower to understand what a peasant such as yourself if going through."

"Oh, shut the fuck up…"

"No, you shut the fuck up!" You said, elevating the tone of your voice. "Do you even listen to yourself when you speak? That's not you. That's only the self-pitting version of you taking control over you and blabbering bullshit. You never gave a damn about what others thought of you! Heck… WE never gave a damn about what other thought of us! We made a fucking mess out of Alola when we were young and couldn't give two shits about what other people said. We owned this place!"

He didn't answer. You sighed again, trying to calm yourself down.

"Guz, I think it's worth it to give it a shot, y'know." You said in a calmer tone. "You deserve at least that. We are not Elite Four and ex-Team Skull Boss. We are Guz and Mags, the wretched duo that goes about on our own rules. This is not about me and you anymore, it's about us. We are a team, aren't we?"

Silence again. Despite all the noise, Golisopod was fast asleep.

"What are you doing here anyway." You asked.

He sighed.

"I thought about paying you a visit." He answered looking away. "Couldn't bring myself to knock on your door though."

You chuckled.

"You know, I may be fearsome, but I don't bite." You said.

"You do. You bit me once." He answered.

"No I didn't." You retorted back at him.

"Yeah, you did." He said. "That one time we went to Lush Jungle, remember? I had your teeth imprinted in my forearm for three days!"

"Oh! But you fucking threw a Spinarak at me!" You said. "You knew I didn't like Bug Pokemon, but you went ahead and threw it at me anyways, I was only trying to defend myself!"

"Are you sure you're not a Sharpedo in disguise?" He said mockingly. "Boy, that hurt so much!"

You threw sand at him. He chuckled, defending himself with his arms. You kept throwing sand at him laughing until he lunged himself at you, pinning both of your arms into the sand.

"C'mon now, stop it!" He said in a playful tone. You laughed.

"I'm not a Sharpedo, I'm a Gibble!" You said, imitating a roar in between words. "Raaaaaawr."

He laughed. And for a moment, you stared into each other eyes. He was so close, you could feel his breath on your face. His smell was also penetrating every inch of your soul. Boy, he was handsome… His jawline so perfectly draw and those hazel eyes, now so calm…

You felt blood rushing straight into your cheeks. You were definitely too big for these play-fights. He was definitely too big for these play-fights as well.

"I don't know what you do, but just like that you made me so fucking calm." He whispered. "You make me feel good…"

You smiled at him.

"You make me feel good too…" You answered.

"Hey…" He said. "You mind if I…?"

"Kiss me? Of course not… But you know what would be even better?"

"What would?" He asked.

"Sex." You replied with a big grim. "Right here on the sand, what do you say?"

He looked at you, taken aback for a moment. His cheeks obviously acquiring a reddish tone. But he soon smirked.

"That's the Mags I know…" He answered, closing the gap between you and him.