Chapter 27 - "The Door Was Unlocked."

Po Town was an abandoned piece of land the likes of which Cyan and Kala had never seen before. The only thing that seemed to show any signs of life or activity throughout the town was the light that came from the Pokémon Center's neon sign. But even it flickered weakly, which indicated that it had been abandoned awhile ago.

"What happened here?" Cyan asked as the three walked through the main square of the town.

"Team Skull happened," Kala said.

Lilo looked around at the different houses and buildings that had been abandoned. Windows were knocked out, and graffiti had been sprayed against most of the walls.

"As terrible as it all is, Team Skull at least has a sense of style," she said. She ran her hands up against one of the spray painted walls.

"Stop, like, right here!"

"Bro."

Kala groaned and she turned around. The voices were familiar along with their choice of words. It was the Team Skull members with pink hair and the boy with slicked back green hair. Although she couldn't see their faces because of their skull bandanas, she could tell that they were smiling.

"We knew you were, like, coming," the girl said. "And we're more than ready! There's, like, ten of us, and like, three of you!"

"There's not, like, three of us! There's three of us!" Kala snapped.

"Rude, bro," the boy said quietly.

"I'm not your bro!" Kala yelled again. She drew out her Poké Ball. "I'm tired of talking! We're here to finish Team Skull and your ridiculous antics!"

"I'll handle 'em," Lilo said. She stepped forward, putting her arm in front of Kala. "You should take this intensity farther up the ladder, eh?" She looked at Kala calmly in the eyes. "Don't waste it on these two."

"Waste?"

"That hurts, bro…"

Lilo, ignoring the two, pointed out towards a broken down mansion that was at the northern side of Po Town. It sat on a hill that oversaw the entire town in a dilapidated state. "Go that way. I'm almost positive that's where you're going to find the rest of them."

Kala huffed before she tucked the Poké Ball back into her pocket. "You better knock 'em out." And then without another word, Kala started towards the hill. Cyan followed silently, cautiously watching Lilo and the two Team Skull members.

Lilo smiled and then looked back to her opponents. "Alright, let's make this quick. Feel free to use two Pokémon at once. It won't make a difference."

"Are you, like, mocking us?"

"Bro…"

"Go, Mudsdale!" Lilo called. She threw her Poké Ball into the air, and the giant stallion of a Pokémon materialized in front of her. He glared at the two Team Skull members, waiting for them to make their moves.

"Raticate, Crunch!"

"Ribombee, Struggle Bug!"

The two Pokémon emerged, and they immediately shot forward, ready to use their attacks. They were engulfed by black and dark green energy, and without much warning, they collided into Mudsdale and then backed away, observing the results. But to their surprise, Mudsdale appeared undamaged.

"Heavy Slam!"

Mudsdale neighed before crouching down low. The ground shook before he shot into the air, creating a shadow over the field. And then, he crashed down, smashing into both of the Pokémon. There was a small explosion of dust and smoke, and they were shot backwards to their trainers. They landed in a small heap, but were able to stand up through sheer force of will.

"Raticate, you, like, okay?"

"Ribombee, bro!"

Cyan and Kala were silent as they walked to the mansion. Kala's general demeanor had changed considerably, and Cyan wasn't sure how to approach her at the moment. He simply followed behind and tried to keep up with her fast pace.

"I'm going to ask that you stay right here," a voice boomed only a few yards away from the mansion. Now in between the two and their destination was Plumeria and the Team Skull grunt with lengthy blue hair. Plumeria sneered at them. "What did I say about messing with Team Skull?"

"You want me to keep them busy?" Cyan asked. He stepped forward, but then Kala stopped him.

"No. I have a score to settle. You get inside the mansion. I can take these two."

Cyan nodded and he ran forward, passing by Plumeria. She didn't seem to mind though, letting Cyan go without flinching. She then nodded at the boy with blue hair.

"If I win this match, then I'll get promoted!" the boy said while he pulled out his Poké Ball. "My little baby Pokémon has gotten big and strong now! We ain't gon' lose! Go, Bewear!"

In front of the boy appeared a massive Pokémon with smooth brown and pink fur. It had a perfectly round body and stared out at Kala with a blank expression on its face.

Kala reeled back and then threw her Poké Ball forward. Litten materialized from the light and meowed. She glanced at Bewear, not intimidated by its massive presence.

"Bewear, use Hammer Arm!"

The giant Pokémon's eyes lit up as her arm began to glow with white energy. She bounded forward and swung her body around, but Litten and Kala were more than prepared.

"Double Kick!"

Litten leapt backwards as Bewear crashed her arms into the ground. She landed on the larger Pokémon's shoulder before twisting around and kicking out. With two quick kicks, she landed direct blows to the larger Pokémon's face. She barely seemed phased though, and she glanced over at Litten in an intimidating fashion. The Fire-type then jumped forwards, getting some distance between herself and the large bear.

"We can't let that shrimp beat us!" the boy yelled. "Bewear, use Brutal Swing, and make it brutal!"

Bewear roared, and dark energy started to take over her arms. She then leaned forward and started to run while she reached out.

"Scary Face!"

Litten ducked her head and then roared. Ghostly energy exploded off of her face, and there was a loud roar that filled the area. Usually, this would put any other Pokémon's attack to a stop, but Bewear was unwavered. She crashed through the ghostly energy and then grabbed Litten by her scruff. She started to spin around, swinging Litten through the air. Then, she tossed Litten, making the Fire-type collide with the ground.

"Litten!" Kala yelled as her Pokémon was covered with smoke. "Litten, are you okay?"

There was no response, and everyone went silent. Kala's shoulders slumped, and she looked out at Bewear. If she couldn't even beat the grunt, then what made her believe that she could beat Plumeria?

Then, a stream of fire exploded from the dust.

"Flamethrower?" Kala wondered.

The stream engulfed Bewear completely, and the larger Pokémon let out a shriek while she stumbled backwards. Litten emerged while she continued her blast. The fountain of flames continued to burn the larger Pokémon, and soon, she had enough.

"Flail!"

Bewear started to do just that. As the flames continued to burn the entirety of her body, she ran forwards, waving her arms around wildly. She slowed as she rammed through the flames, but eventually, she did reach Litten. With one more lift of her arms, she froze. Both Pokémon looked at one another, waiting for one to make their next move. But Bewear had taken too much damage, and Litten's energy was depleted. Both of the Pokémon collapsed, ending their fight.

"I'm sorry," the boy with blue hair said quietly. He lifted his Poké Ball and let the red light absorb his Pokémon. "I couldn't get the job done."

Plumeria cocked her head and she observed the knocked out Litten. "It's fine."

Kala returned Litten and then drew out her next Poké Ball. "I'm not done yet!"

Plumeria stepped forward. "Neither am I."

It didn't take Cyan long, but he had eventually reached the broken down mansion. He pushed open the door, which was rather heavy, and upon entering the mansion, he was surprised to find it in even worse condition than he originally thought. The large staircase that lead to the rooms upstairs had a giant hole on one side of it. There were papers scattered around everywhere alongside broken glass. And the house reeked of spray paint that had been plastered all over the walls.

Cyan took a step forward, and the wooden floorboards creaked, which was enough to draw attention.

"Stop right there, man!" a familiar voice called.

Cyan looked to his left. The Team Skull member with the slicked back blue hair stood next to the female with braided orange hair. They waved their arms around wildly as they glared at the intruder.

"Ya know, it's not cool to just break into someone's home," the girl said.

"The door was unlocked," Cyan answered.

"It's two against one, man," the boy said. "We've got you beaten before we've even began."

Cyan drew out two Poké Balls. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Stop trying to act so cool!" the girl yelled. "Go, Dugtrio!"

"Hypno!"

The yellow Pokémon with the white mane materialized from the light. Cyan waited for the other Pokémon to appear, and the ground started to shake. The floorboards exploded and three heads peaked themselves out from the ground. This Pokémon had three heads, all with long flowing locks of blonde hair.

"This will be nothing new for us," Cyan muttered. "Go, Oranguru and Brionne!"

Both of Cyan's Pokémon emerged from their Poké Balls, and they took their battle positions. Oranguru, familiar with Hypno, glared. He was more than ready for his rematch.

"We need, like, a new strategy! Raticate, use Ice Beam!"

"What?" Lilo yelled.

The chubby Raticate rolled forward before unleashing a wicked beam from his mouth. The beam connected with Mudsdale, freezing his legs. He let out a cry from the pain as he tried to move, but it was no use.

"Follow with Pollen Puff, bro!"

Ribombee flew through the air, and she put her hands together. A ball of light pink energy formed in between her hands, and then she tossed it downwards. The ball exploded upon contact with Mudsdale, which sent the Ground-type backwards. He landed hard on the ground in front of Lilo, blowing her hair back. She took a step forward to check on her Pokémon, and then a grin came over her face as Mudsdale forced himself back up. He huffed and ran his hoof against the ground.

"You've only made him angry," Lilo said.

"Whatever, bro!"

"We're, like, not intimidated by you!"

Lilo laughed. "You should be. Mudsdale, use High Horsepower!"

Mudsdale roared, and his body became engulfed in a red energy. The ground shook below his feet, and then he started a forward run.

"Dazzling Gleam!" the boy with slicked back green hair desperately yelled.

Ribombee twirled her body around before unleashing the pink light forward. It didn't work though, and Mudsdale simply crashed into her. His path of destruction wasn't over though, as he continued towards Raticate.

"Sucker Punch!" the pink haired member screamed.

Raticate lunged forward with his tiny hand covered in a dark energy. He swung his fist, but then Mudsdale lowered his head. The two connected, and both Raticate and Ribombee were flung backwards. They crashed in front of their trainers' feet, unconscious. The two Team Skull members looked at one another before they locked eyes with Mudsdale, who had murderous intent in his stare.

Lilo slowly approached her Pokémon, and calmly put her hand on his side. The look of anger faded away, and he seemingly calmed down before Lilo let the red light of her Poké Ball return him.

"Looks like I win."

"Golbat, go!" Plumeria yelled. Her Pokémon, bloodthirsty as ever, emerged. She fluttered in the air as she let her tongue hang out, covered in drool.

"Dartrix, it's on you!" Kala called while she threw her Poké Ball forward. Dartrix emerged, checked the feathers on his head to make sure that they were clean, and then locked eyes with his opponent. He kept a cool stare, not wanting to let Golbat get the best of him.

"Wing Attack!" Plumeria commanded.

"Ominous Wind!" Kala answered.

Golbat's wings became engulfed in a white energy, and he flew forward, ready to clothesline the Grass-type. But then Dartrix jumped up. He fluttered his wings, sending a strong gust of wind from his body. The wind collided with Golbat, but she was not phased. She continued forward and swiped, knocking Dartrix back towards the ground.

"Razor Leaf!"

Before Dartrix could hit the ground, he twisted his body, forming green energy that took the shape of leaves. He swooped upwards and waved around his wings, sending the energy outwards. The leaves sliced into Golbat, making her retreat slightly, but the damage wasn't heavy.

"Poison Fang!"

"One more Ominous Wind!" Kala ordered.

Golbat unhinged her maw, and her teeth seemingly extended with the help of some poisonous energy. She ducked and then dove forward as she howled with bloodthirst. But this time, Dartrix put everything that he had into his attack. He unleashed the ghostly wind from his body, and Golbat looked slightly affected. She was pushed backwards, but with one more howl, she dove through, breaking through the wind. She then clamped her large jaws onto Dartix's body, and the Grass-type shrieked. He flapped his wings and then retreated, escaping before too much of the poison could set in. Golbat cackled as she watched Dartrix run away, and Plumeria followed with a cocky smile.

"We've got you beaten," Plumeria said.

Kala shook her head. "Not yet!" She lifted her arm to show off her Z-Ring. In the middle was a small purple crystal. It shone with energy as Kala prepared to strike her poses.

"Wait, you can use a Z-Move?" Plumeria asked, her eyes widening.

Kala smiled. She had received the Ghostium Z from Cyan only a couple of days ago. He felt that he had no use for it, so he handed it over. She quickly struck her four poses, and Dartrix's body began to flow with dark energy. His eyes turned black, and he started to laugh.

"Never-Ending Nightmare!" Kala yelled.

Dartrix landed on the ground, and shadows started to circle around him. The shadows shot forward, and hands made of darkness emerged from the ground. They surrounded Golbat as she attempted an escape, but all it took was one getting ahold of her foot. It dragged her to the ground, and the other arms grabbed ahold. They all started to constrict the Flying-type, and then with one last surge of energy, they imploded. Golbat let out one last screech before her body went limp and she fell to the ground.

Plumeria simply glared at her fallen Pokémon. "Well then."

Kala smiled as Dartrix hopped back to her. He had taken a fair amount of damage from the battle, making him unable to fly.

Plumeria silently lifted her Poké Ball and returned Golbat. She then smiled. "So, I'm guessing you've used up all of your Pokémon?"

Kala didn't respond. She still had Jangmo-o, but he was still so young, so sending him into fight wasn't really an option.

Plumeria drew out another Poké Ball. "Golbat ain't a bad Pokémon, but she ain't nothin' compared to my main partner."

Kala took a step back. She wasn't prepared for Plumeria to have a second Pokémon, and if what she was saying was true, then Dartrix was going to be put in a bad position.

"Go, Salazzle!"

A large Pokémon emerged from the ball. Kala had seen a Salazzle before when she went to Wela Volcano with Cyan, but this Salazzle looked much more ready to fight. She had a serious expression on her face, and she looked at Dartrix with disgust.

"We're in a bad position," Kala said. "But we still have to fight."

"Dar-trix," her Pokémon respond. He lowered his head.

"Peck!"

Energy exploded off of Dartrix's face, and he jumped. Using what energy he had left, he flew forward, letting the energy from his attack carry him through the air.

But Plumeria was not going to give Kala any leeway.

"Flamethrower!"

Without a hint of hesitation, Salazzle unleashed fire onto the battlefield. It instantly engulfed Dartrix, and the Grass-type instantly fell to the ground. He collided with the hard concrete, and his body slumped. The battle, within seconds, was over.

Kala stood in silence as she stared out at her Pokémon. What now? she thought.

"Hypno, Psychic, man!"

"Dugtrio, Iron Head and make it cool!"

Cyan laughed. "Alright. Oranguru, use Confusion! And Brionne, Bubble Beam!"

Hypno and Oranguru stood still as they used their attacks. They pointed at one another and started to focus, sending out psychic waves from their bodies. There was no clear visible effect of the attacks, but the mansion did lightly shake.

Meanwhile, Dugtrio disappeared into their hole. They were quick though, and the ground shook as they moved. They exploded from under the floorboards that Brionne stood up, sending the Water-type into the air. Dugtrio barely missed, and Brionne took his chance. He unleashed a flurry of bubbles from his mouth, pelting the trio of Pokémon. They then retreated back into their hole.

Cyan focused back on Oranguru for a moment. "Zen Headbutt!"

Oranguru nodded, and he stopped his long-range psychic assault. He then began to focus energy into his head, and he slowly started a forward charge.

"If that's how you want to play, man, we'll best you at your own game! Hypno, use Headbutt!"

The two Psychic Pokémon then found themselves bounding towards one another. They violently rammed their heads together, and they paused as they pushed. Back and forth they went, testing the literal strength of their heads.

"Metal Claw!" the girl with orange braids commanded.

As Brionne landed back on the ground, the floorboards exploded once more. With a quick swipe, Dugtrio emerged and slashed. Brionne was knocked backwards, rolling against the ground, but he was quick to recover.

"Aqua Jet!"

"Brrri!" the Pokémon called as his body was engulfed in aquatic energy. He shot forward, and crashed into the trio of Pokémon. For a moment, it seemed as though he had knocked them out of their hole, but they were quick to dive back in. Brionne then stopped moving and placed his hands against the floor, attempting to feel their movements.

"Brick Break, man!"

"What?"

Hypno broke from the test of strength and lifted his arm. It started to glow with energy, and he prepared to strike, but Oranguru took the rest into his own hands. He let out a shriek of wild pain before Hypno could make contact, which surprised the pure Psychic-type. And then, Oranguru smirked.

"Feint Atttack!" Cyan yelled.

Oranguru span his body around, and his arms became engulfed with dark energy. He swung wide, crashing them into Hypno's ribs. The Psychic-type keeled over and fell onto his back. He winced before the pain took over and he fainted, leaving his trainer in a stunned silence.

"Not cool!" the orange haired girl yelled. "Use another Iron Head!"

"Then respond with Bubble Beam!"

Brionne had done the proper preparation, and he knew where Dugtrio were coming from. As soon as the floorboards exploded, he turned around and unleashed his attack. The trio of Pokémon were blasted with the wild bubbles, and before they could start their move, they were forced back into the hole. Everything went silent, indicating that they were finished.

"We got 'em!" Cyan said happily. He clicked his fingers, and his Pokémon relaxed momentarily. They had escaped from the battles with only minor injuries.

The two Team Skull members looked at one another with sad looks.

"Guzma's gonna be upset, man."

"He's gonna think we're totally uncool."

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Gonna divide this into two parts, because Cyan's next battle is a bit lengthy. Any early predictions for how Cyan vs. Guzma Part II will go? Also, I'm going to start posting up AA three times a week until it finishes.

REVIEWS:

pokemonking0924 - "Kala is fired up to beat Team Skull once and for all, but I wonder what she will think of a certain foundation once it's true colors are revealed. Lilo just keeps one getting stronger, can't wait to see her full team" - So, I won't actually be using the Aether Foundation in this story as antagonists. They made one appearance (Chapter 13 I think) and that'll be all for them. I like to think that they're more of the villains in Logan's Alola adventure.

CrescentApple - "well damn. That was a fun battle. How strong is Lilo? There are so few people in this region completed to Logan's stories, I cant get a good gauge on her. I mean to say she's strong in Alola, but does that strength carry outside this region? Huh, Cyan has a thing for Kala. Nice lol" - I think, as of this chapter, she's about the same level as Logan's team when he takes on Fu and Lan (Tate and Liza).

wisdom-jewel - "Well, Cyan can't always win them all. But it will help him by showing him were his at and how much he needs to improve. It would be fun to see them fight against Team Skull. Cyan might get some ideas on how to improve but that means Lilo would get some ideas as well." - I've mentioned this before, but Cyan is very driven by his losses. With every loss, he finds himself really needing to improve.