Gamelover41592: Thanks!
IllusionSign (Guest): Oh trust me. Both of them, especially Emma, are going to be crushed.
Time to storm Team Skull's hideout! Let's go!
"Hey, what's going on here!?" Emma snapped as she, Hau and Acerola walked over. In front of Aether House were two Team Skull grunts and Plumeria. Kitty was already confronting one.
"Back so soon, hm?" Plumeria noted. "I wasn't expecting you just yet. It takes these dumb grunts way too to deal with you kids...so I guess it's my turn now!" The grunts went after Kitty, Acerola and Hau.
"So I guess we're fighting," Emma said as she reached for one of her Pokéballs.
"What? I told you before. Next time you get in our way, I'm not holding anything back!" Plumeria reminded her as she sent out a Golbat.
"Go Fomantis!" Emma called out. She knew that Fomantis didn't stand much of a chance, but she had been neglecting him lately. So she decided to give him a chance using a Z-Move. She inserted the Grassium Z into her Z-Ring and began. "Fomantis, unleash your power with your Z-Move: BLOOM DOOM!"
"FommmmmmmmANTIS!" As Fomantis surged forward, it began to glow and when the attack was over and Golbat was knocked out, a Lurantis was standing in its place.
"Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon: It fires beams from its sickle-shaped petals. These beams are powerful enough to cleave through thick metal plates," Rotom-Dex read off. Plumeria was already sending out her next Pokémon, a Salazzle.
"Salazzle, Dragon Pulse," She ordered. The attack landed, forcing Lurantis back a little.
"Lur…"
"Hang in there, Lurantis!" Emma assured her Pokémon. "Now, Leech Life to heal!" Lurantis nodded and surged forward, biting down on Salazzle, draining some of its energy, before getting forced back. "Now, Brick Break!"
"Lurantis!" This time, the attack knocked Salazzle out.
"Hmmph. Guess you are pretty tough," Plumeria huffed. "Now I understand why my Grunts waste so much time battling kids. But if you want us to return the Pokémon, then you'll have to come with us. Only the girls. The boss is dying to meet you, hmmph!"
"Wait, what Pokémon?!" Emma exclaimed.
"See you at our base in Po Town!" Plumeria replied as she walked off.
"Ugh...battles you can't afford to lose aren't any fun…" Hau said sadly.
"You said it," Kitty agreed.
"Hey! Are you guys okay!?" Acerola called out as she rushed back inside. Emma, Kitty and Hau were hot on her tails. Inside, the girl was sobbing, with the boy and Lillie trying to console her.
"M-my Yungoos…" She sobbed.
"We can't forgive this!" Acerola exclaimed. "Darn it, those numskulls actually did something pretty clever for once!"
"The only way to get that Pokémon back…" Emma trailed off.
"Is to confront Team Skull in their home base," Kitty finished. She and Emma looked at each other. Sure, they could beat the grunts with ease, but going into Po Town would be like going into a den of wild Arbok.
"That's what they said, but...that's not fair!" Hau cried.
"Team Skull has taken over Po Town," Acerola explained. "It's basically their private playground now."
"So what can we do?" Lillie asked. She didn't want Emma and Kitty getting hurt.
"Oh! I know!" Acerola exclaimed suddenly. "If you're gonna go, though, try to find this guy on Route 15 who's wearing a kimono. He might be able to get to Po Town. He knows a whole lot about Pokémon that can travel across the water."
"H-here. Take this...just...just get my Yungoos back for me!" The little girl begged as she handed Emma and Kitty two Max Potions.
"Hang in there kiddo," Emma replied. "We'll get you your Yungoos back before you even know it."
"OMG! Emma, that's Grimsley!" Kitty cheered. Emma had a vague idea of who he was, but she knew that he was one of Unova Elite Four for a time. He wasn't anymore, but he was one of Kitty's idols anyways.
"Two trial-goers, huh?" Grimsley noted, not even turning around. "And why would you two be coming to a lonely odd place like this."
"We need to go after Team Skull and we were told you could help us," Emma answered since Kitty was still starstruck.
"Uh-huh...I see you've got your reasons," Grimsley replied. "Then...I'll take you on. Tell me. Uncle Grimsley is going to flip a coin. Will it be heads or tails?"
"Heads!" Kitty called out before Emma could get a world out. With a smirk, Grimsley flipped the coin. He caught it and covered it.
"...Astonishing. You just took a stab, like some kind of prophet," Grimsley said with a smile. "Right now, you and your Pokémon are shining brilliantly. A loss is a loss. I'll give you Sharpedo's info for your Ride Pager then. Ride it to victory."
"Thank you," Emma said for both sisters.
"Oh, and before you go, one more thing," Grimsley said as he pulled out an autographed picture of him and handed it to Kitty. "It's been a while since I have met such a fan who's going places. And here's a bit more unwanted advice. Po Town lies at the other end of Route 16 here. But it's thoroughly occupied by Team Skull. You shouldn't go there unless you want trouble."
"Unfortunately, we have to in order to save a Pokémon," Emma said as she and Kitty hoped on their Sharpedo and rode towards Po Town.
"Geez, this place is creepy," Kitty said once the girls arrived at Ula'ula Meadow. It was foggy, making things hard to see.
"Oh my. If it isn't my Emma and Kitty!" Faba exclaimed as he walked towards the girls. "Where might you too be off to?"
"We're going to Po Town to get a Pokémon back from Team Skull," Emma answered.
"To Po Town?!" Faba cried. "Such awful thugs they, Team Skull, tormenting poor Pokémon for no good reason...I swear I just don't know what to do with them! And just look at me, would you? Here I am, taking the initiative to travel Alola on my own to check on how Pokémon are doing."
"How noble," Emma replied. "Try hard."
"Thank you. Now, I've been trying to think through this Necrozma issue on my own," Faba revealed. "That sort of noble dedication is what you would expect of a president, even...don't you agree?"
"I guess," Kitty said as she and Emma shared a look.
Faba shook his head. "Not that two foolish children could…"
"HEY!"
"Ahem," Faba hastily began to correct himself. "I mean, not that I would expect you to know. Anyhow. Do try to stay safe. Don't say I didn't warn you about Team Skull." He then walked off, while Kitty and Emma headed the other direction.
"What a try hard, am I right?" Emma joked, causing Kitty to burst into laughter. "Lusamine's probably super busy. Not like she could just freely wander around Alola!"
"What projects do you think she works on?" Kitty asked.
"I don't know...but I wonder if I'll ever get to work on projects like that," Emma said as she began to daydream.
"We must be getting close," Emma noted as she and Kitty finished a battle with another Team Skull grunt. The grunts had become more numerous.
"This place is giving me the creeps," Kitty admitted.
"I'll protect you!" Emma promised her. Kitty smiled, then looked towards the large walls in front of them.
"Whoa…" She trailed off. "I don't think this wall has been here before."
"Then I bet this is the place," Emma declared. Sure enough, two Team Skull grunts were standing guard in front of the door.
"Yo, what's up?" The boy greeted the girls. "You wanna join Team Skull?"
"Hold up...is that a Z-Power Ring!?" The girl snapped at them.
"Uh...no," Kitty badly lied. Emma facepalmed.
"For real?! You two are actually on the Island Challenge!?" The boy snapped at them.
"Alright then, I get it," The girl began. "Came to laugh at us losers who gave up on the Island Challenge, huh?"
"WHAT!?" Emma and Kitty exclaimed. Since when did the members of Team Skull have anything in common other than being troublemakers!? Emma was the first to recover.
"No, we're here for a stolen Pokémon," She declared.
"Ha! Nice try!" The boy mocked. "You think you can laugh at us! No! Now, we're gonna battle!"
Emma just sighed. "Fine,"
Literally five minutes later
"No fair! I hate strong kids like you! I'm not letting you in!" The girl whined before she and the boy ran inside.
"You think we could climb the wall?" Kitty asked.
"No, but maybe the Ride Charizard could work?" Emma offered.
"You there, girls," The girls turned around to see a tired looking older cop. He then walked towards the door. "Seems like you're trying to get into Po Town. You sure you've thought this through? You'd better be ready if you're thinking of coming here. Ready to live as Team Skull...or ready to take on Team Skull."
"We're trying to save a stolen Pokémon," Emma replied simply.
"You really think you can do this?" The cop asked them.
"I'm...we're not sure," Emma admitted. "But it's the right thing to do."
"I guess everyone has their own reason," The cop replied. "I've got my reasons too, for doing what I do. I'll have them let you in. If you don't make it, I'll be sure your remains at least get back home. With that, he opened the door. With a nod, Kitty and Emma both walked inside. The town was a mess. There was graffiti everywhere. There were makeshift barriers blocking most of the road. And needless to say, there was garbage everywhere.
Emma sighed. "Looks like we are fighting our way through the town, huh?"
"I bet we could handle it," Kitty assured her sister. "But...where do you think Guzma is?"
"I'm gonna guess that mansion over there," Emma replied as she pointed towards the end of the town, where a large mansion stood.
"Hey, what are you two numbskulls doin' here!?" One of the grunts standing behind the barrier demanded.
"Let's get this over with," Emma smirked.
"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up...Yeah! Big Boy Guzma was here!" Guzma boasted as Emma and Kitty walked in. The bedroom looked more like a throne room, complete with a large chest of something shiny that neither girl could make out.
"Nice throne room," Emma mocked.
"I don't get you two, but at least this is a change of pace. It's not everyday someone comes straight to me for a beating!" Guzma said smugly.
"We're not here for you," Kitty declared. "We're here for the Pokémon your goons stole!"
"Oh, Yungoos? How sweet of you to help out a sad little girl," Guzma mocked. "Tch!"
"Kew…" Emma and Kitty turned to see the Yungoos standing behind the grunt in the room.
"And you came all this way just for that, huh?" Guzma asked, his voice still having a mocking tone to it. "Can't you just watch out for your own Pokémon and stay out of other people's business!?" He then broke down laughing. "You two are some messed up kids! You wanna know what I do when some machine messes up? The first thing I do is give it a nice hard smack! I mean, most of the time, I smash it to pieces, but hey, what can you do? Now let's see if I can't fix you two. Let's fight big sis first!"
"Let's go," Emma declared, deciding to start with Incineroar.
"Pinsir, beat this clown!" Guzma ordered as he sent out Pinsir. "Storm Throw!"
"Dodge!" Emma cried. Incineroar attempted to move, but Pinsir was far too quick, forcing Incineroar back. "Okay, Fire Fang!" Incineroar rushed forward, biting down as hard as he could. Pinsir attempted to shove him off, but Incineroar didn't let up.
"X-Scissor!" Guzma growled out. The attack forced Incineroar to let go.
"Now, finish it with Flare Blitz!" Emma proudly ordered. Incineroar enveloped itself in flame, charging forward and slamming right into Pinsir, knocking it out effortlessly.
"Masquerain, deal with this!" Guzma ordered as he sent out his next Pokémon.
"Incineroar, come back!" Emma said as she returned her starter to his Pokéball. "Alright Lurantis, let's deal with this!"
Guzma burst into laughter. "Aren't ya supposed to be the smart one?! Bug beats Grass!"
"Oh trust me, I'm smart enough to know this!" Emma said smugly. "Lurantis, Poison Jab!"
"Huh!?" Guzma watched as Lurantis surged forward as his second Pokémon was knocked out. "Grah! Golisopod! End this!"
"Vikavolt, same to you," Emma said smugly as she sent her own bug type out.
"First Impression," Guzma ordered. Vikavolt didn't dodge, but it didn't do much damage.
"Thunderbolt," Emma said with a smug grin. This did the trick, finishing off Guzma's final Pokémon.
"Yes!" Kitty cheered as she pulled her sister into a bearhug. "That was awesome!"
"Guzma! What is wrong with you!?" Guzma roared as she clutched his head, punching his arm and clutching his head. "Yo! Give the Pokémon back to the kids! NOW!" The grunt merely stepped aside. Yungoos rushed right over to the girls. Kitty merely picked him up and put him on her shoulders.
"Yeah, it's okay now," Kitty assured him.
"Kew…"
"Tch!" Guzma grunted, glaring at the grunt.
"Eek!" The grunt cried, hiding behind a globe before rushing off.
"I'm gonna beat you both down one of these days! No matter whose help I need to do it…" Guzma vowed as he stomped out of the room.
"Hey, Kitty!" Emma called her over. "Check this out!" She had opened up the chest a little more, exposing the contents. It was full of Buginium Z!
"We've gotta tell that cop about this!" Kitty exclaimed, only to see Emma grabbing one of the Crystal. "Emma!"
"Wait? We would have gotten it anyway!" Emma pointed out as she grabbed another one and handed it to Kitty. "Now, let's get out of here!"
"Have I got you two to thank for that?" The cop asked once the girls stepped outside.
"Hey, if you get the chance, Guzma stole all the Buginium Z," Kitty warned him.
"Hm. Thanks. I'll see if I can grab them," The cop said as the Yungoos jumped off Kitty's shoulder and rushed over to the cop.
"Thing must've been scared half to death if it's glad to see a wretch like me," The cop dryly noted. "What a lot of hassle...Trial-goers, huh? Figures. Look, I'm not gonna fight someone who is taking on Team Skull. I'll heal your Pokémon up, so...go. Just go."
"Uh...thanks," Kitty said.
"Though...looking around now...it seems like there's fewer Team Skull members folks around today than usual. Huh." The cop noted, almost sounding relieved. "I guess some of 'em might have run off after seeing their boss get beat."
"Uncle Nanu!" Acerola called out as she raced over.
"And here comes the noise again…" Nanu deadpanned.
"Kew!"
"Aue! I'm so sorry!" Acerola apologized. "You must've been so scared, huh? Thanks girls! Really! You're really something!" She then turned to her uncle. "Uncle, you're a great police officer, aren't you? I really hope that you're keeping a good eye on things here! What else do you stay here for, if you're not putting a stop to Team Skull's shenanigans."
Nanu gave a lazy shrug. "The rent's real cheap. No one else is crazy enough to stay this close to Team Skull, after all."
"That's what you say. But it's really all for the Pokémon, isn't it?" Acerola pointed out. "You could depend on the Aether Foundation to look after the Pokémon that Team Skull hurts, but you stay here to look out for them, huh?" Nanu didn't reply, so Acerola turned back to Yungoos. "Come on, Yungoos. Let's get you back to the Aether House!"
"Kew!" With that, they hurried out, only to turn around.
"I'll come back to see you again soon, Uncle!" Acerola called out as she waved at the group.
"No one's asking you too…" Nanu replied.
Acerola turned to leave, only to stop again. "Then come by Aether House when you're done! Alola!"
"Pokémon tucked up in their Pokéballs, Team Skull locked up in their little town...I wonder if either enjoys the experience?" Nanu wondered aloud. With that, he then walked off.
"Hey, Kitty?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, Em?" Kitty replied.
"You ever get the feeling that something is about to go really, really wrong?"
"Yeah. I have it right now."
"Good. Glad to know I'm not alone…"
Next time, crap really hits the fan. See you then.