My biggest regret?
That is a bold question to ask somebody. Especially me. Because I have plenty of them.
Still, if there is one thing that I wish I could redo then it would be that one moment. A memory that I replay in my head countless times. Something that would haunt me.
Life hasn't always been easy for me growing up. Things were decent but could always be better. Growing up with one nice dress or another. My parents were able to get me fancy dresses and all the toys I could want. The problem is that nobody from school would want to play with me. Either my nice clothes or scold kept them away. I never had the chance to ask.
What made life worth living was Guzma. At first he was some weird kid who just loved bugs a bit too much. Still, he reached out to me and asked if we could be friends.
That was the first time anybody has ever asked me that. Like I said before, the fancy clothes or something kept the other kids away. But Guzma didn't care about that. Guess when you hang out with bugs then you just learn to love them all no matter how they look. Then again, it explains the weird bunch of cute numbskulls we have today in Team Skull. Guzma accepts them all.
"Hurry up Plumeria! I think there is a swarm of Caterpie in Melemele Meadow! If we are lucky then we can see a Butterfree!" said Guzma. Back then he was a short kid with black hair. Wearing his stupid Weedle shirt. Still, it was his favorite possession and I wasn't going to make any comment about what he was wearing.
"I am coming! Slow down Guzma!" This was something I would say pretty often back then. When Guzma get excited then there was no stopping him. Much less slowing him down. Though, I would chase after him in my pretty black and white dresses. Pink and yellow locks of hair flowing after him.
"Look at these Caterpie Plums!"
"Calm down Guz. I see them."
"Did you know that one day these Caterpie will evolve into Metapod! And then they will evolve into Butterfree and…And leave this island forever."
"Wow. That is pretty neat."
Yeah. That was what we wanted to do back then. Just fly away from it all. Especially Guzma. I don't blame him.
Guzma may have been innocent and nice but he had a darker side. Guess you can blame his dad for that.
"You think you will win the next tournament like that! Those kinds of moves will get you nowhere!"
"What kind of Pokemon is that! You will never win with those Pokemon! Get that bug out of this house!"
Guzma's dad would say mean things like that all the time to him. Maybe he meant well but Guzma didn't take it like that.
I would watch Guzma train every so often with his dad. Guzma would use Pokemon such as Wimpod and Surskit against his dad. Meanwhile, Guzma's dad would use Toucannon and Arcanine to wipe the floor with Guzma. He would always push Guzma around. Especially after losing in the finals of the tournaments at school.
Guzma was good. Maybe one of the best. Still, he would always come second and third place.
That wasn't enough for his dad.
So Guzma would take the abuse and the verbal barbs from his dad.
Meanwhile, I would watch this all from the sidelines.
"Why he gotta be so mean…," cried young Guzma.
"I am sure he means well. He just wants you to get stronger." I would always find him in the caves hidden in the Melemele Meadows when he got like this. Every time I would do my best to try to comfort him. Though, my kid mind had no real idea about what to do.
And then Guzma would come to school wearing black jackets. Always zip up to cover up his favorite shirt. That should have been the first real sign. He would never cover up his Weedle shirt.
"What is going on Guz?" I would ask him that question countless times.
"It is nothing Plums. Nothing…" Each time Guzma would brush it off.
Eventually I would find out what was hidden under that jacket.
Huge purple bruises that would cover his arms. Guzma would wince when I touch them. I would ask him how this happen.
"Training. My dad is trying to tough me up. Make my Pokemon strong."
I would believe him but didn't know what that meant.
But soon enough I would.
One afternoon I went out to look for Guzma. I don't remember why but I just wanted to hang out after school with him. So I headed to his place. I figure that I would find him there. His mom greeted me with her pleasant smile but told me Guzma was out training with his dad again.
Maybe I should have just waited until later but I decided to just keep looking. There was some berry fields close by. Maybe they were training in the woods by those.
So I walked through the dark trees. I heard tears from my dress as it got caught in the twigs and small trees. In the distance I heard something that sounded like yells. At once I ran towards the source of those yells. All in hopes to find Guzma and his father.
But what I saw left me in shock.
On the ground was a huddle up Guzma. The boy who I thought was the bravest person around with his father high above him. A cricked golf club could be seen high in the air gripped in the hand of Guzma's dad.
Both of my hands covered my mouth in shock. Guzma slowly looked up at me. His eyes looked at me as if they were pleading for help. Still, I couldn't do anything about it. After all. We were only around eight. What was I supposed to do against a grown adult?
I wanted to run. Say something. Tell somebody. My legs were frozen in place. My voice escaped me.
After that, Guzma's dad just stopped and told Guzma to get up. He looked at me and motion me to follow after him.
Things were quiet the whole time back to Guzma's house. I tried to look at Guzma but couldn't see him in the face. I just saw one arm holding the other. Maybe he was trying to feel his arm which had countless bruises. Then it dawn on me. What other bruises was Guzma's long sleeve black hoodie hiding?
There was only a few things I remember that night. It wasn't what Guzma's dad told me. If you asked me for what he said then I would have said something along the lines that it was all to make Guzma better. I dunno.
Instead I just remember Guzma's shivering arm and fearful look. A scared little boy who just wanted it all to stop. My best friend who wanted somebody. And a single tear running down my face.
That night I learn that it wasn't me who needed help but it was Guzma.
Still, I didn't tell anybody about that. Like I said. Stupid kids. We didn't know better. I should have said something. I should have told somebody. My parents. The teachers. Anybody. But I was scared. What if Guzma's dad tried to do the same to me? What if none of the adults would believed me? What if they did nothing.
Just like I did in that one moment.
From that moment on. I told myself that I would always stand by Guzma's side. That no matter what. Even if that means giving it all up. If Guzma needed me then I was going to do what I can to support him.
Yeah. It was a stupid thing decided by a stupid little girl at the time.
And that continued on as we grew up. Nothing changed.
Guzma would keep competing in tournaments and getting second place. He would go into those deep woods to train with his dad to 'toughen up'.
Maybe the only thing that would change was that after all of that, I would be there to stand by his side. Give him some words of encouragement. Raise his ego a bit. Maybe be there after his training with a towel or something. Eventually I would get my own Pokemon and help him train. Battling was never my thing but I was pretty good at it. Good enough to give Guzma a challenge.
"Plums! Let's do the Island Challenge together!"
Guzma told me that one day. His stupid face looked so excited about it. It was pretty cute in his dumb stupid way.
I had no real interest in the Island Challenge. I was going to do it but on my own time. I wanted to finish up the Trainer School.
But Guzma was gung ho about it. He really wanted to do it. I was going to say something but then I spotted his arms. Once again being covered by that hoodie. I blinked a few times trying to hold back what I was going to say. It took me a minute but I could see why Guzma wanted to do this.
"Yeah. Let's do it," was all I said. After all, I did promise to support him and it would mean that Guzma would get away from his home.
"If I really do overcome the Island Challenge then maybe I could become a Trial Captain! That will show my pop's how strong I am!"
Guzma would keep saying that as we went from one island to another. Taking on the Trial Captains and Kahuna's. Every so often we met another kid from the Trainer's School, Kukui. One of Guzma's rivals from all the tournaments that the Trainer School held. They would battle all the time. I thought it was stupid but whatever. Still, it was fights like these where Guzma would lose his cool. He lost these battles most of the time and I would have to calm him down.
But eventually all Island Challenges came to an end. Guzma couldn't make it all the way to the top and eventually just gave up. He didn't certainly try but one too many setbacks got the better of him. He tried to train under Hala, the Kahuna of MeleMele Island, alongside with Kukui. Both of them in hopes to be Captains but that didn't work out.
Then it all just happen. I was back home with my folks. Studying up on how to make some perfumes and stuff. Apparently you can use the poison from Salazzle to make some pretty awesome things with it. But that all ended with a loud knock on my door on a rainy night.
"Plumeria. I am done with it all. The Island Challenge! Captains! The Tapus! Kahunas! My dad! All of it! I am done!" yelled a dripping wet Guzma. Thunder could be heard in the background as I let him into the house. Luckily my parents were out because they would have thrown a fit. I was half a mind to do the same but it was Guzma. I couldn't.
"What happen?"
From there Guzma told me about the last few hours. The argument with Hala and then with his own dad. From what Guzma told me, what happen between him, Hala and Kukui was nothing compare to what happen between Guzma and his dad. Apparently that interaction got physical as Guzma finally fought back.
And then I looked at Guzma's arms.
The sleeves of his hoodie were ripped off. All of the cuts and bruises on his arm were on full display. Water from the rain made his arms shimmer as the blood mixed with the water.
"I am not going to cower anymore," said Guzma as he sat across from me in the kitchen. "I am going to become the embodiment of destruction. The dealer of dread. This whole system. I am going to tear it apart with my own two bare hands."
"Guzma…," It was all I could say as I looked into his eyes. Gray bags were under them from years of trying so hard. They were not always there but since that day. That day I found Guzma with his father, I refuse to say anything, they were growing and now visible just like the bruises on his arms.
"I am going to gather everybody who the Island Challenge chew up and spit out. Everybody that was done dirty and was told that they couldn't amount to anything. Those who didn't fit into the mold of Alola. All of them. I am going to make all of them join me. Give them a place to be. Then together we will destroy it all."
Guzma said this with a seriousness that I haven't seen before. Though, it was all mixed with that rage I have seen build up within in him for the last six years. He was going to do it. I can tell.
"I want you to come with me. Plumeria. With your help. I know you can do it. These guys are going to need a big sis and you are that person. Come with me."
Big sis. Yeah. That is what they called me. I spent all this time taking care of Guzma and then ended up taking care of these dumb numbskulls. These dumb cute numbskulls.
And from there. The rest is history. We spent years gather people under the Team Skull banner. Guzma getting them to do this and that. Causing trouble for the Island Challenge and the kids who did it. Guzma struck a deal with that crazy Lusamine person. Then there was that stuff from the Ultra Wormholes and Lunala.
But do I regret all of that? Not all of it. Now those dumb numbskulls and I are doing some real good. Guzma says he doesn't want them around but he still keeps them close. Saying he is protecting them so that they can finally do their own thing. So no. I don't regret that.
But I do regret one thing and that is never saying anything. Guess I am paying for that but it is fine. At least I am making sure nobody else suffers like Guzma did all those years ago.
And staring back at me is you. The one who saved Guzma.
"You know what, kid," said Plumeria from her seat on top of a stump. "You are not bad listener."
"Thanks…," was all that was said from the girl with short black hair wearing a red beanie on her head. She sat on the stump across from Plumeria.
How did this girl beat Guzma thought Plumeria was beyond her. Though, those strong silent types really do know how to get to a person.
Plumeria and the red beanie girl sat quietly in front of a house behind a large tree. It wasn't long until the silence was broken.
"Hey! Plumeria!" yelled out a man with spikey brown hair. He was walking over carrying a bag of groceries with an Alakazam floating besides him. Several bags of groceries was floating behind him. "Thanks for watching the kid while Red and I was busy. Selene didn't cause any trouble for you?"
"Nah. No more then what she has done already," smirked Plumeria as she got off the stump she was sitting on. Selene simply stared at Plumeria with a long dead silence.
"Yeah. Alright. Kind of understand. Red does the same. The guy really doesn't know how to stay out of trouble," said Blue as he let out a long sigh.
"Nobody was talking about Red here," said Plumeria with a shake of her head.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, you can go now," said Blue with a slightly blush on his face. He then looked at Selene, "Hey. Help Alakazam with the bags."
Selene turned her head to stare at Blue. The man just raised an eyebrow and Selene kept staring back with her gray dull eyes. She finally nodded.
Plumeria let out another sigh and was going to walk away but something stopped her. A voice.
"What are you going to do now?"
Plumeria looked back at Selene. The second big question that the girl asked her. A smile began to form on Plumeria's lips.
"Live with no regrets. First by taking you down for your title."