Pokémon Radiant Sun
Woo boy, this one was a doozy. A fun one though.
Lots of cool Pokémon news happening, both in the video game realm and the anime. Not gonna spoil it, even though the news is out there, but that final battle was amazing and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Scarlet and Violet are coming out very soon. I'm going in mostly blind aside from knowing a handful of Pokémon here and there, so please no spoilers until I've given an opinion on the game in the notes of an upcoming chapter.
Unlike previous games I probably won't be able to immediately sit down and play it since I'm currently busy dealing with some exciting changes in real life at the moment.
Now, onto business. Shoutout to Ways and Oragonking for reviewing since the last update. You rock and I sincerely appreciate your feedback!
Let's get ready for a fight chapter!
Enjoy!
Chapter 146: The Big Po Town Showdown
Aether Paradise
Colress' mind was troubled as he descended down the elevator, his body faintly shimmering due to the invisibility generator he was currently using. As to why he was currently on his way to the depths of the Aether Paradise, or more specifically the labs that contained the greatest secrets of the organization, that was why he was troubled.
The scientist had worked with Aether Foundation for months unraveling the secrets of Shadow Pokémon and how to save them from Cipher's evil. And while Aether Paradise certainly allowed him to collaborate with them, Colress wasn't allowed free rein of the facility and certainly wasn't allowed in the Basement. Even when working with Shadow Celebi and other Shadow Pokémon, they would be brought up from the Basement to the upper levels where they would be studied by Colress and his team. And for good reason.
If Colress had known just what horrors the Aether Paradise had contained, he would have destroyed them all with his own two hands months ago.
As it was, Colress couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled over him. His own inability to feel certain emotions notwithstanding, he was struck by a sense of unease as he was slowly lowered into the bowels of Aether Paradise.
Because of Tapu Lele's distress call, he had pieced everything together. Who had been behind Borlath's breakout from prison. Where the former Grand Master of Cipher was currently being held. Who was behind the random Cipher attacks that had been plaguing Alola for the past few days. And likely who was behind the strange series of power and communication outages across the region. But the question that Colress wanted to know was why?
"The Aether Foundation was given access to all of Cipher's resources in the weeks after the fall of the criminal organization. Their record as an organization is spotless, so no one questions this. And their integration and association with most of Alola has given them unfettered access to the region's power grid and communication networks. Lusamine and Faba have pristine reputations that are beyond reproach, and everyone trusts the Aether Foundation. Which begs the question, why throw things into chaos now with this gambit?" Colress mused silently to himself, crossing his arms as he considered the options. One horrible realization occurred to him.
"From what I know from Lillie's story and my own experience working with Faba…Perhaps Aether Paradise is on the verge of making a move to reacquire Cosmog." Colress thought grimly as the elevator came to a stop, much to the confusion of the two APT members who were present in the central hub for the Basement Level.
"Now I understand. Lillie's fear of reprisal from Lusamine should her schemes be exposed is understandable. Even me, with all my intellect, underestimated the sheer level of control that woman has over Alola, even if most of the region doesn't realize it. However, I don't think we know the full story…But I will now." Colress thought to himself with a cold smile.
"This place is spooky dude." One of the APT members said to the other, tilting his head in confusion.
"Maybe the elevator is malfunctioning?" the other man said to his colleague, drawing his gaze away from the elevator for just long enough so that Colress could slip past them. The scientist crept through the halls of the Aether Paradise, specifically towards Hallway A, determined to get answers.
The former leader of Neo Team Plasma was as silent as the night, barely breathing as he crept through the hallways and soon found himself standing outside of a large lab that was marked with several warning signs displaying cautions about entering, how secret the area was, and how only those with access were allowed within.
Naturally Colress pulled out a device from within his coat and placed it against the keycard slot, causing the door to recognize him as a senior Aether Foundation scientist with access to this floor, and within seconds the door was open.
Colress slipped into the room invisibly…and was suddenly grateful for his lack of empathy. Because if he was a normal person with normal emotions he would have run from the room screaming in terror.
Branch Chief Faba stood at the front of an operating table alongside two aides, their hands coated in blood. Below them strapped to a table was a very much alive Ashton Aupuni, who was currently howling in agony. Off to the side of the room was another scientist garbed in a lab coat and a strange gleaming mask-like helmet that obscured their face from view. They were sitting at a table transcribing what Faba said as he spoke.
"His organs seem to have completely regenerated, even after complete removal upon the subject flat-lining. Previously the organs were maimed beyond repair, but they were able to be reconstructed after Borlath's death. It seems that the Tapu's Curse, which I've codenamed the Curse of Judgment, only activates the moment Borlath dies. Perhaps there's a way he can be exploited for an infinite amount of healthy organs that could be donated to those who need them. Or perhaps Borlath can be drained of his blood repeatedly to help others. What wonders could this man's suffering unlock?" Faba mused aloud, chuckling as he examined Borlath's freshly removed kidney.
"If we find a way to kill him forever, we will be regarded as heroes. Legends. And if we can't, then we'll find a way to turn his pain into our pleasure. This sure does beat going to therapy twice a week." Faba joked, ignoring the dying man on the table who was glaring at him with loathing.
"You're a fucking psychopath!" Ashton rasped, even as more blood dripped from his mouth. Faba chuckled as he set aside the kidney in a large basin filled with more of Ashton's organs, including several hearts.
"I'm amazed you're able to even speak, you little…huh?" Faba noticed the door to the lab closing, but didn't see the hidden form of Colress invisible within the room.
"What is it, sir?" one of the scientists asked, looking at the Branch Chief.
"Hmm…Perhaps it was a malfunction." Faba muttered under his breath before turning back to the twitching form of Ashton Aupuni, who had once again died at his hands. "As much as I despise the man, I have to admit Borlath makes a fascinating study of the powers of the Tapu."
"Isn't it kind of…wrong how we're basically torturing him, though?" one of the scientists asked Faba, who merely snorted and shook his head.
"We've been doing worse to both people and Pokémon, all a hell of a lot more innocent than this bastard. No, it's not wrong. In fact, what we're doing is noble." Faba remarked, laughing as he looked down into the lifeless eyes of Ashton Aupuni.
"After all we're avenging everyone this monster harmed. Aren't we?" Faba whispered, grinning wickedly as Ashton Aupuni was brought back to life, only to find himself looking up at Faba again. Ashton took that moment to spit in the Branch Chief's face, causing him to snarl in response as the bloody phlegm struck him in the cheek.
"I'll get free…And when I do you're going to-" Ashton began to say, only for Faba to suddenly lash out with a scalpel, letting out a scream of pure fury as the blade slashed through the man's face and mouth.
Colress frowned, profoundly disturbed at how Faba was acting. He knew that the Aether Foundation Branch Chief was a man with an ego the size of a Wailord, but Faba was still a scientist at the end of the day. A fairly cowardly, but relatively decent man who had aspirations of greater things with a hatred of Cipher for what they had done to his friends and colleagues in Orre. Faba wasn't inherently a bad person.
So how and why would Faba throw that all away simply to torture Ashton Aupuni? A man who had been punished by the Gods of Alola and who had been in prison awaiting trial? Why was Faba acting so cruelly and erratically?
Colress' gaze was then drawn to the damaged Poké Ball resting on the counter a short distance away, encased in a glass tube and faintly glowing purple. The man's eyes widened in surprise, because after a few moments he could feel something terrible brush against his very mind. Something dark.
Colress realized exactly what he was dealing with, and knew he had to act now.
He'd incapacitate the scientists and pump Faba for information. He was more than strong enough to deal with them all in a straight fight. Colress frowned at the thought of harming someone he considered an ally, but he wasn't a man of regrets. And so Colress prepared himself to attack, silently readying one of the many devices within his coat to neutralize the room and easily bring down-
"Behind you."
A gentle voice spoke within the room, causing Faba to suddenly whirl around with a snarl on his face much to Colress' surprise. The Branch Chief's Hypno lashed out with a Psychic, blasting Colress across the room and pinning him to the wall, rendering him visible again.
"Thank you for the warning, Hope." Faba remarked lightly, nodding at the Poké Ball containing the Umbral Medicham.
"My pleasure. Now, make him suffer, just like Borlath. The wicked deserve to be punished…and this man is no better than Borlath." Hope whispered to Faba, whose expression darkened as he regarded the immobilized scientist. "Think of how many people died in Opelucid City…frozen to death in the name of science? Borlath almost certainly was inspired by Colress to freeze Nimbasa City and condemn millions to an early grave."
"Doctor Colress, I warned you not to stick your nose in places it didn't belong." Faba sneered at Colress as the scientist struggled to move. "Knock him out, Hypno. I want Colress completely incapacitated. I'll have fun with him later, after I'm done studying Borlath some more."
Hypno obliged, first ripping Colress out of his thick coat to divest him of most of his gadgets before slamming him repeatedly into the wall with increasing force. After five slams, Colress was barely able to see straight, his head and face bleeding profusely. Meanwhile Faba laughed in the background, delight in his voice as Colress finally passed out.
"Now then…where were we?" Faba said to Ashton as he turned away from the unconscious Colress and refocused his attention on the ex-Cipher Master. Ashton Aupuni shut his eyes and prayed for someone…anyone, to stop Faba before more people were hurt.
Meanwhile…
Po Town
Sun winced as he entered the infamous Po Town and the wind suddenly picked up, along with the intensity of the downpour around him. Blankets of rain whipped by as the thunder rumbled overhead, providing a grim atmosphere as the boy beheld the ruined town and what was now the heart of Team Skull's operation.
The town itself was bigger than most of the towns Sun had encountered in Alola and was more neatly organized, with houses neatly arranged on the sides of the main path and leading up to a large mansion in the distance about half a mile down the road.
However, the once-beautiful town was now a shell of its former self. Team Skull had overrun the place, and now only the thugs called it their home. As the rain continued to pour around him, Sun took in the sights of graffiti, broken windows and abandoned cars and toppled statues. The insignia of Team Skull was emblazoned everywhere, as well as various other streaks of paint and crude drawings.
"This place seems…sad." Tetra remarked as Alastor snorted beside her.
"This place is definitely the den of these fools. Look at them, watching us…it's honestly amusing." Alastor said as he pointed towards a nearby rooftop, where three Team Skull Grunts were indeed watching them. As were many others, confused as to why this outsider was here and how he had gotten past the front door.
Two nearby Grunts were likewise confused, but also horrified since the intruder was right by them. They both stared at Sun from behind a wooden barricade about two feet high, their eyes wide with fright.
"Huh? What's this numskull doing here? What, oh what, should we do?" Team Skull Grunt A asked, his tone nervous.
"Forget about it! We've got this Barbaracle…I mean, we've got this barricade! Do you really wanna bother moving it out of the way just to take one kid on?" Team Skull Grunt B pointed out.
"You mean that easily climbable wall?" Sun asked, but the boy was ignored as the two Grunts bantered back and forth.
"True, true." Grunt A responded, sounding a bit relieved as he considered the issue. "Ain't no way he's getting past this."
"Go home! Go! You're not coming in here, got it?" B called to Sun, his tone condescending. "Not unless you find some path through here…"
"Oh no, it looks like my journey has come to an end. And it's all because of this diabolical, cunning, and unrelenting…easily climbable wall." Sun said sarcastically as Rotom Dex chuckled from within his backpack.
"Damn straight, yo! Turn back now!" Grunt A demanded to Sun, who just stared at the Grunt with a disappointed expression.
"Do they not realize we could easily destroy that wall?" Tetra asked Alastor, who lowered his back and charged up a Thunder Shock that could blow apart the barricade.
"No, but they're about to!" Alastor cackled maliciously…But then he noticed that the two Grunts weren't even aware that he was about to destroy their flimsy means of defense, and the Golem slowly stood upright again.
"Actually, you know what…Find another way around, Human. These two are too stupid to handle their plot failing in a way they never considered. If we just do what makes sense, it'll break their spirits." Alastor remarked acidly while Tetra opened her mouth to drink some of the rain pouring around them.
Sun fought back a snicker as he began to walk around the town, adjusting his hood as he kept an eye out for something to get past the barricade. In his wandering, Sun found a Max Repel that he promptly pocketed, despite Rotom Dex judging him from the safety of Sun's backpack.
Eventually he found a hole in a nearby hedge and crawled through it, wincing at the muddy grass and inwardly cursing Team Skull's stupidity as he walked towards the two Grunts from earlier.
"Dude, are you hardheaded? Your skull must be rock!" Grunt A barked as Sun approached them from the side. The Grunt took a step back and pulled out a Poké Ball. "You shouldn't have come in here, yo. Now I'm gonna make you regret it! Spinarak, come on out!"
Sun raised an eyebrow while Alastor slowly walked forward, chuckling darkly as the Team Skull Grunt realized how badly mismatched this fight was. One Rock Blast later, the teen was returning his unconscious spider with a pained expression.
"I wanna go back in time and tell myself to not battle you." The Grunt A remarked, shaking his head. "That barricade made us soft…There's something to regret all right…"
"Hey, yo, barricade or no, we ain't lettin' you go!" Team Skull Grunt B shouted, calling out an Alolan Grimer. Sun grinned and pointed forward with Tetra, who moved in front of Sun with some hesitation.
"You think you're better than us! Absolutely not! We'll tear you apart!" Grunt A bellowed, causing the dragon to shrink back further at the shouting as Alastor scoffed, though he cast a glance at his partner and scowled with irritation.
"Alright, Tetra, use-" Sun began to say, only for a flicker of electricity to surge past him and cut him off.
"No! Stop that!" Alastor snarled suddenly, causing Tetra to flinch and Sun to look surprised as Alastor stomped over to where the dragon was standing.
"Alastor? What's wrong?" Sun asked the Golem, who shot the boy a furious look before turning his gaze to the terrified Gabite before him.
"I'm sick and tired of this! You're too strong and skilled to be cowering before weaklings like them!" Alastor growled with frustration, stepping in front of a startled Tetra.
"Hey, I resent that!" Team Skull Grunt A yelled out. Everyone ignored the Grunt in favor of Alastor, while Sun simply waited to see what the Pokémon would say.
"I understand that you've been through absolute misery before joining us. But what's happened in the past is just that. The past! Right here, right now, you're a Gabite! Your team is strong and your Trainer is counting on you! So fight! Fight without fear, because your team has your back!" Alastor said to Tetra, who stared at the Golem in bewilderment.
"So you finally acknowledge it, huh?" Sun thought to himself.
"Even if they're a bunch of idiots!" Alastor added after a moment, to Tetra's bemusement and Sun consternation.
"...You know what? I'll take it."
"But…b-but…" Tetra tried to respond, but her argument faltered against the cold logic of Alastor, who continued to glower at her.
"You can do anything you set your mind to. We have bested countless opponents stronger than us, even though we were scared and felt we were too weak to succeed. Under the guidance of the Human, I've become strong. You've already started down that road. Now…Fight. Fight as hard as you can! Because so long as you're part of this team, there isn't anything you can't do!" Alastor roared at the dragon, who's eyes were wide in surprise. The amount of genuine passion in the normally grouchy Golem's voice was palpable. She felt the truth in his words, and knew that both Sun and the other Pokémon had been nothing but kind to her. Understanding.
They would never treat her like her old Trainer had.
"Do they really care?" whispered the voices in her head, the ones that always preyed on her doubts. "Do you think they won't abandon you if you lose?"
"I…I don't…I can't…" Tetra whispered with tears in her eyes, feeling the despair nudge aside the brief flicker of hope that-
"No! No can'ts! No don'ts! You can do anything, Tetra! Seize it in your claws and become the Pokémon you're meant to be!" Alastor shouted, cutting off the voices in Tetra's mind as she listened to her teammate.
"Now…repeat after me. I can do anything." Alastor instructed Tetra firmly, who slowly nodded and shut her eyes, taking a shuddering breath.
"Worthless…they hate you."
"I…I c-can d-do anything." Tetra muttered, trying to ignore the feelings of dread and pain in her heart. Alastor growled, his voice becoming sharper.
"Louder." The Alolan Golem commanded the young dragon, who took a soft breath to inhale.
"You can't trust them. They'll hurt you like he did."
"I can do anything."
"Louder!"
"Can someone…so strange…become strong?"
"I can do anything!"
"LOUDER!"
"I CAN DO ANYTHING!" Tetra roared as she focused her sharp gaze on her opponent, with the Alolan Grimer now looking very, very scared from across the battlefield. And for good reason too, since Sun suddenly grinned widely with pride at his two Pokémon and pointed forward.
"Get in close with Aerial Ace, then Bulldoze him Tetra!" Sun shouted as Tetra leaned forward, her body glowing faintly white before she shot forward like a bullet. The Grimer barely had time to let out a scream of surprise before Tetra slammed into him, sending him flying into a nearby streetlight. Before the Grimer had a chance to recover, Tetra stomped down on the ground with Bulldoze, knocking both Team Skull Grunts down and knocking out the Grimer.
"Ha! That's right! That's the fighting spirit I've been waiting for!" Alastor laughed with delight while Tetra simply stared at the downed Grunts and the Grimer, amazed at what she had done.
"I'm actually strong?" Tetra asked herself quietly, smiling now. The young dragon felt the lingering doubt, the horrible sense of anxiety that filled her heart every time she was in battle… begin to fade. "I can…I can do anything. Right?"
"Of course you can, Tetra." Sun said quietly, smiling at the two Pokémon in front of him. "I never doubted you for a second. And Alastor, that was a great pep talk. Well done."
"Silence yourself, Human. I simply did what was required of me." Alastor huffed, though Sun and Tetra smiled at the Alolan Golem despite this.
"Thank you. I…don't have a lot of confidence in myself. But I'll try my hardest, Alastor. I promise!" Tetra said brightly as Alastor rolled his eyes, walking past the dragon.
"You better." was all the Golem said, focusing his attention on the two terrified Team Skull Grunts.
"I lost, I lost! I'll give you the money I have!" Team Skull Grunt B yelped, tossing Sun a wad of bills while the boy simply rolled his eyes. "We needed that barricade after all! Come on, hold back a little!"
"I got a bad feeling about thizzz place…like there's something terrible in the heart of Po Town." Rotom Dex buzzed softly from within Sun's back as he walked past the two Team Skull Grunts, who were now muttering to themselves.
"Later days, Team Skull…Farewell, my misspent youth."
"We're gonna get strong enough for anything, even if we don't have that old barricade!"
Sun spotted a rundown Pokémon Center nearby and decided that he may as well take a moment to get out of the rain. He entered the building and was surprised to see several Spinda loitering around the main lobby, but was even more surprised to see Bone Unit 71 running the counter!
"Ready for fly rhymes in your ear, yo? But, yo, what're you doing here, yo?" Axen asked Sun, who simply stared at the teen in response.
"Yo, it's darker than Darkrai up in here, yo. I'm gettin' scared like I met with a Fearow!" Kayla sang, waving her arms around. "Ain't nobody around. I'm feelin' kinda down, but I'm still holdin' it down here in Po Town!"
"Hey, yo, spin it, Spinda!" Kayla shouted, pumping her fist as the Spinda cried out and spun around a few times.
"So listen up, intruder. She wants money, but it always eludes her! Team Skull, represent! We can't pay the rent! Had a lot of fun, but our youth was misspent!" Axen said to Sun, who reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"This Pokémon Center is where we cower, but we can't pay bills, so we got no power! If you give us some cash, we will help you out, by healing your team before your next bout!" Kayla explained, finishing her rap as she posed next to Axen.
"What are they doing?" Tetra asked Alastor, who didn't respond vocally. Instead he casually reached over and tapped his Ultra Ball on Sun's belt and returned himself, much to Sun's amusement. "That didn't answer my question!"
"I'll explain later, Tetra." Sun promised the dragon, returning her before raising a hand to Bone Unit 71 in greeting. "Hey everyone. How's it going?"
"Oh shit, it's the little homie. What's shakin', yo?" Kevin asked from his position on the floor, where he was napping on the shell of his Tirtouga. Sun spotted Kayla's Fearow dozing on the Pokémon Mart counter and Axen's Hypno lurking in the corner of the room.
"You guys aren't going to try and battle me?" Sun asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why the hell would we do that? You're cool, dude." Axen asked, laughing a little at the question.
"I guess I just assumed you did whatever your boss told you to." Sun shrugged, causing the three Grunts to exchange glances.
"I mean, Team Skull does follow Guzma, but like, we're still people, yo." Kevin responded, propping his head on his hands. "If the boss gave us an order we didn't like, I mean…we don't have to do it. Hell, Demi doesn't agree with most of what Team Skull does, and the Boss gave her a warning the other day so that she'd stay safe."
"Guzma gave Demi a warning?" Sun asked, concerned for his friend.
"Something big is coming. A lot of our guys are getting moved around. Not sure what's happening, but I know we'll be leaving to join everyone tomorrow." Kayla explained, sounding troubled. "Demi is super worried. She thinks Guzma is up to something really bad, but can't explain what. And that's got me worried, too."
"Really?" Sun asked. "Why?"
"Just a bad feeling we've got. We adore the Boss. I'd take a bullet for Guzma, but he's got a lot of hurt in him. And he'd do whatever it takes to dish that hurt right back at the world. You feel me?" Axen said with a shiver, which made Sun even more worried. If even Team Skull was having bad feelings about the future…just what was Guzma planning?
"It's even more important now than ever that I knock some sense into that jerk and save Yungoos." Sun thought to himself, scowling with anger
"Them's the breaks, yo! Team Skull don't flake, yo-!" Axen began to sing, only for Sun to hold up a hand, making Axen stop speaking.
Sun lowered his hand, grimacing. "If I give you guys money, can you please not do that again?"
"How much was the rent again?" Kayla asked Axen, who looked confused. "We had a few hundred bucks. Uh…Kevin, how much more did we need?"
"I don't know, man. That's math. I don't do that." Kevin responded with a shrug, causing Sun to give him a disappointed look. Sun surprised the trio by pulling out the winnings of the past ten Team Skull Grunts he beat and slapping it on the table. The trio were stunned by the large wad of cash on the counter.
"Bzzzrrt! Kicking Team Skull's butt getzzz pretty lucrative!" Rotom Dex chimed in, causing Sun to giggle in response.
"Consider that money your Humiliation Insurance payment." Sun joked as Kevin snickered at the dumbfounded expressions of his friends. Kayla quickly snatched up the money and put it in a small box underneath the counter.
"Your donation is appreciated!" Axen said as he snapped out of his daze, though his eyes narrowed. "I'll remember that dig, though."
"Was I wrong?" Sun asked.
"No, and that's what annoys me." Axen muttered, sighing with resignation.
"Part of me feels bad taking the money off of Team Skull Grunts, since you guys are mostly fellow kids that are down on your luck." Sun admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Just take the money and consider us even, alright?"
"I'd like to offer you moral support there, but I have questionable morals." Kayla remarked, shrugging helplessly as she grabbed the money and walked over to the large shelf behind her, grabbing a few Super Potions and tossing them to Sun, who pocketed them in his backpack. However, Kayla wasn't tall enough to reach the box of Revives on the top counter.
"Hey, can you give me a hand?" Kayla asked as she stood on her tiptoes to attempt to reach the box. Axen responded by clapping enthusiastically, much to the irritation of the girl (Sun and Kevin giggled at the scenario playing out).
"...are you proud of that?" Kayla deadpanned as Axen responded with a salute. He then walked over to the shelf and helped bring the box down while Sun simply watched all of this with befuddled amusement and Kevin laughed under his breath.
"I think I should probably get back to what I was doing. I've still got to find Guzma." Sun said to the group, earning three stunned looks.
"Why the hell would you do that? The Boss would thrash you!" Kayla asked.
"Plumeria and some of the other Grunts kidnapped a little orphan girl's Pokémon. I'm going to get it back." Sun said with a determined expression, throwing up his hood. "Besides, I've beaten Guzma once already. I've only gotten better since. I'll be fine."
"If you're sure, little homie. Guzma's Golisopod has been going through rehab since you two fought in Malie Garden. It'll be a pretty damn tough opponent." Kevin remarked, sounding concerned. Sun shrugged and turned around, looking over his shoulder at Bone Unit 71 with a smile.
"If it was easy, then Guzma wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to get me here. I'll be fine." Sun said as he departed the building, with the trio of Grunts waving farewell to the boy.
"Later dude! Be safe!" Kayla called as Sun exited the Pokémon Center and entered the storm outside yet again. Sun turned his gaze towards the mansion at the back of the town looming above him and began walking towards it. Sun spotted another passage through the hedges on the right side of the barricade and crawled through it, but was surprised when two female Team Skull Grunts were standing there to greet him.
"I stack up to the woman next to me!"
"I'm just as good as the woman next to me!"
Sun barely had time to stand up again before the two young women pulled out Poké Balls.
"Tetra, Alastor, let's go!" Sun called out the two Pokémon as the Grunts sent out an Alolan Raticate and a Golbat.
"Are you ready to fight, brat?" Alastor asked, lowering his back-cannon with a malicious grin.
Tetra beamed at the question, flashing her Trainer and Alastor a brief smile of joy as she crouched low, as if ready to spring forward. "I can do anything!"
"Golbat, use Leech Life on the Gabite!" one of the Grunts yelled out.
"Alastor, Rock Blast on the Golbat! Tetra, counter with Dragon Claw!" Sun commanded as the Golbat swooped low, biting deeply into Tetra and drawing blood as the dragon cried out in pain. To Sun's relief, the Gabite seemed to keep her wits about her this time, retaliating with a brutal double swipe of Dragon Claw that sent the Golbat flapping away with a pained hiss. Meanwhile the Alolan Raticate was biting down hard on Alastor with Crunch, which the Golem ignored with an annoyed wince as he fired off two rounds of Rock Blast, which badly injured the Golbat.
One of the Grunts ordered her Golbat to attack Alastor with Leech Life, which was about as effective as Crunch was earlier. The other Grunts had her Raticate use Crunch on Tetra, who managed to kick away the large rat with some minor trouble, though Tetra was panting in pain now since she didn't have the resistances that Alastor had with his typing.
"Tetra, finish that Golbat off with Aerial Ace! Alastor, do the same with that Raticate using Thunder Punch!" Sun called out as he punched forward. Tetra shot forward like a dart, slamming hard into the Golbat and sending it crashing through one of the nearby windows to the house behind them. Meanwhile Alastor just started punching the Alolan Raticate as it tried to bite him, resulting in an easy knockout.
"Nice work you two." Sun said warmly, patting Tetra on the head. The dragon sighed happily, beaming up at her Trainer while Alastor snorted softly.
"Bzzzt! Sun, Alastor just learned Discharge!" Rotom Dex called out, much to Sun's surprise.
"Those fools were nothing. Next time, find some real opponents for me and Tetra." Alastor growled, flexing his electrified claws. Sun could hear how pleased he was to have learned such a strong move, though.
"Y-yeah! We can do anything!" Tetra cried out, her smile somehow getting bigger. Sun couldn't help but laugh at how adorable the dragon was being, but it also made him happy that she was starting to find some confidence. Alastor coaching her through the battles and bolstering her self-esteem with his gruff support was something Sun appreciated deeply.
"He said earlier that he was the second-oldest of his siblings. He helped teach them how to be Pokémon. I guess even Alastor can't help the Big Brother Instinct with Tetra needing some guidance." Sun thought to himself, briefly wondering what it would be like for him to have an older brother. Or to be an older brother.
"Don't forget this feeling. How good it feels to fight at full strength. That's what it means to be a Pokémon." Alastor said to Tetra, who nodded in understanding. "Fighting can be terrifying sometimes. But it can also be liberating. Freeing. We find out who we really are in battle."
"I don't really know who I am." Tetra admitted sheepishly, causing Alastor to smirk despite himself.
"That's part of growing and getting experience. You'll find that out eventually, brat." Alastor remarked, glancing at Sun with some annoyance because he could feel his Trainer's gaze on him.
"I'll have to find some way to thank him. She needs something like this, I think. With more battles and more wins, she'll start to really feel more positive about herself." Sun thought as he took a moment to heal his Gabite and Golem. It was at this time that the two female Grunts seemed to have recovered from their loss and walked over to talk to Sun.
"We're twins, so we're always being compared. So I'm sure you get my wanting to be just as good as her." One of the women said to Sun, sighing with annoyance as she leaned into the window and returned her Golbat.
"And she's the big sister, so because we're twins, we're always being compared. So I'm sure you get my wanting to win." The other twin said, making Sun smile at the two young women.
"That's actually really sweet. Um, you wouldn't happen to know where Guzma is, wouldn't you?" Sun asked the two sisters.
"You think we'd just tell you such important information? Even if we lose, we don't quit!" The older twin said passionately, even as Sun raised an eyebrow. He then pointed forward, grinning as Alastor stomped forward.
"Ever been hit with a point-blank explosion?" Alastor asked, grinning monstrously as his body began to glow. Tetra slowly backed away behind Sun, though the Kanto-native quietly called out Finn just in case.
"Team Skull doesn't know the meaning of the word surrender!" the older Grunt called, even as her younger sister looked at her with alarm. She then slapped a hand over the mouth of her twin and looked towards Sun.
"But we're willing to learn!" the younger Grunt called, her voice shaking with fear.
"So, Guzma's location?" Sun asked.
"He's up there in the Shady House. Top floor, right side of the mansion. Can't miss it." The older sister remarked, sounding disappointed as her sister lowered her hand. Sun thanked the Grunts and began crawling through the hedge again.
About ten minutes later Sun had crawled through a hedge on the opposite side of the city, allowing him to progress further into the den of the thugs that had plagued Alola for years. Sun was caught off-guard when a Team Skull Grunt shouted at him from on top of a car.
"One, two, hit THREE sandbag. Four, five, we're ra-SIX-cals." The Grunt called out, sending out a Fomantis.
"Finn, use Body Slam!" Sun called, thrusting out a hand as Finn sprinted right at the Fomantis, ducking under a wave of Razor Leaf, before leaping forward and slamming into the smaller Pokémon with a white glow and knocking it out instantly.
Things didn't improve for the Grunt when he called out a Salandit, which was knocked out with a Scald within moments. The Team Skull Grunt yelped in surprise, tumbling off of the car with a pained yell.
"After 10 seconds, the bell rings, and it's a knockout, baby!" the Grunt groaned as Sun and his team walked past them. The group made their way deeper into the city, dodging a few Team Skull Grunts who were walking past on patrol. Sun would have battled every single one, but he also knew that he needed to at least try to conserve his team's strength. The real challenge was waiting for him in the Shady House.
However, stealth wasn't really Sun's strong suit. He quickly found that out when he was spotted almost immediately by a female Team Skull Grunt.
"Oh crap." Sun said as the Grunt ran over to him. She pulled out a Poké Ball, but then looked down at it thoughtfully, her aggression vanishing.
"My Wimpod…it's actually too rowdy. Think you can calm it down?" the Grunt asked politely, calling out the small bug Pokémon. Sun blinked twice at the request, with his Pokémon looking even more confused.
"I feel kind of bad fighting something so…puny." Finn said as he scratched his head, looking at Sun for guidance.
"I don't…what?" Alastor asked, completely bewildered at the softly chittering insect before them.
"Um, Tetra. Use an Aerial Ace?" Sun asked the dragon, who looked at her Trainer in surprise for a moment before looking forward. She then nodded and sprinted forward as a trail of light was left in her wake, slamming hard into the Wimpod and knocking it out instantly.
"What a super-rowdy Trainer!" the Grunt yelped, returning her Pokémon as Sun face-palmed. The Grunt then regarded her Poké Ball for a few moments.
"Wimpod…I don't get stoked unless it rages to the point of running about." The Grunt muttered to herself, ignoring Sun as he walked away from her and towards the large house. He spotted a Team Skull Grunt waving by the large hedge nearby and quietly walked over to him with a confused look. The Grunt noticed him and crossed his arms, looking annoyed. He then jerked a thumb towards the nearby pool, where another Grunt was staring at him.
"What is wrong with him?! Doesn't he get that we're gettin' invaded here?!" the Grunt asked Sun, making the boy shrug.
"Maybe try shouting for him to come to you?" Sun asked, but the Grunt shook his head.
"Nah. Don't want to annoy Plumeria, yo. She gets cross when we get rowdy and interrupt her Alone Time." The Grunt remarked, causing Sun to look at him weirdly.
"What the hell is 'Alone Time'?" Sun asked, somewhat curious. The Grunt leaned down to the boy and answered his question with a whisper into his ear, causing Sun to suddenly blush bright red and step away in surprise.
"I didn't need to know about that!" Sun yelped at the Grunt, who smirked under his bandanna.
"You asked, homie. What the hell are you doing here, anyway? We're getting invaded, ya know?" the Grunt asked, still amused at Sun's childish embarrassment.
"Me? I'm just looking for the bathroom." Sun said with a smile, causing the Grunt to blink.
"Oh, shit. Uh, inside the Shady House on the first floor, second door on the left hallway. It's got a sign of a blue skull on it."
"Thanks, yo. Um, keep it real, dawg?" Sun said, unsure if he was doing it right. The Grunt nodded and returned to trying to wave to his fellow Grunt, so Sun shrugged his shoulders and continued his recon. He explored a side path where he found a Smoke Ball, but not much else. Sun also had trouble finding an alternate pathway into the building, so he eventually settled on walking right up to the front door. The Kanto-native returned his team, except for Tetra.
"Just me?" Tetra asked, sounding surprised.
"You're more than enough to deal with these dorks. Are you ready?" Sun asked his dragon, who slowly nodded.
"Together, we can do anything!" Tetra replied, holding out a claw to her Trainer. Sun grinned at the Gabite and grabbed her claw, causing her to return his smile.
Sun entered the Shady House alongside Tetra, delving into the heart of Team Skull's headquarters.
Meanwhile
Aether House
The building was quiet, and Acerola and Lillie were sitting at the kitchen table with matching frowns.
Thanks to Hau, who had taken up the big brother role in the Aether House, the children were taking a nap in their rooms while cuddled up against Cassy and Duke, Hau's Primarina and Raichu. The remainder of Hau's team was resting in the main room.
But despite the children being placated, the Ghost Trial Captain was concerned. Acerola hadn't heard anything from her friends or Uncle Nanu all day, which was very odd indeed. Mallow at the very least texted the group chat once a day in the morning.
Sophocles had sent a message via Festival Plaza, which ran on its own network that somehow didn't have the issues most other devices were having at the moment, saying that comms were down across Alola and many services and businesses were dealing with strange outages.
Only serving to make Lillie and Acerola more worried about Sun, who was now deep within enemy territory with no backup.
"Something about all of this doesn't seem right. I can't put my finger on it though." Lillie muttered softly, gently hugging Nebby to her chest.
"Oh yeah, it's definitely weird as heck. Borlath breaking out of jail? Random Cipher attacks? Rolling blackouts and outages that no one can explain? Team Skull being way more active and then Sun specifically getting called out to challenge them? It's super weird and I hate it." Acerola then sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I'm just worried. He's all on his own, and Team Skull doesn't play fair." Lillie mumbled, unable to quell the concern she had for her closest friend and crush.
"I just wish I could do something to help. I'm a Trial Captain for crying out loud! One of the strongest ones to boot!" Acerola grumbled, crossing her arms. "I should be the one dealing with those dorks. Not a Trial-goer who's done enough heroic stuff to last a lifetime."
"That's just who Sun is. He's a hero." Lillie replied, unable to stop the smile on her face. Acerola weakly smiled back, but it didn't last long. Silence enveloped the two teenagers as they considered what exactly they could do in this situation. The Aether House had to be protected, and it was a target for Team Skull for one reason or another. But on the other hand, Sun was in serious danger going up against Team Skull on his own.
"Acerola, you should go back Sun up." Lillie finally said, surprising the Captain. "Hau and I can handle this. We don't know what exactly Team Skull is up to, and with everything going on lately, I feel better about my friend not going up against those jerks alone."
"Lillie, if I'm not here, who'll protect the kids in case something happens? Hau's a good Trainer, but I don't want to put all of this on him. He's done so much for those kids already by keeping their spirits up." Acerola trailed off, biting her lip with concern. Lillie smiled at her friend, taking her hands in her own.
"Go help Sun. I'll protect the kids with Hau. I promise you, they'll be fine." Lillie said to Acerola, who was almost stunned by the normally timid girl's resolute expression. The Captain couldn't help a giggle as she hopped out of her chair and right to her feet.
"You know, Sun's a lucky guy, having someone like you in his corner." Acerola said as she pulled Lillie in for a hug, which the blonde returned with a small laugh.
"I think I'm the lucky one." Lillie admitted as she separated from Acerola. "I've met so many wonderful people in my short time away from home. Learned so much, experienced so many things…My friends have helped me grow so much, and I can't thank you all enough."
Acerola grinned at that. "After we're done kicking Team Skull's butt, we're all going out for a night on the town. And you're going to wear that cute outfit we got you in Malie. That way you can show off for Sun a little."
Lillie's face blushed in embarrassment, but after a few moments she nodded much to Acerola's shock. "I'll…I'll do it. I'm tired of not being honest with myself. I want to try new things, do all of the stuff I couldn't while trapped at home. I want to be Lillie…whoever she is. You know?"
"I think being just Lillie is a pretty great place to start." Acerola said with a fist-pump. "Now, let's give Hau an update so I can get going. I'll leave some of my Pokémon around here to keep an eye on things too, so don't you worry."
Acerola talked with Hau and told him of her decision to go back Sun up. She ended up leaving behind her Dhelmise and Sableye to help guard the Aether House. After hugging her two friends, the Ghost Captain hurried out of the building to go help her friend and recover the stolen Yungoos.
However, as Acerola called out her Drifblim, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease she felt. It was as if she was being watched…
Unfortunately for Acerola, she was being watched.
Plumeria simply waited and observed the Aether House from the shadows of a nearby tree, sighing softly as Acerola grabbed onto her Drifblim and allowed it to carry her towards Po Town, a trek that would take several hours at their current rate if she had to guess. The Team Skull Admin spat out her gum and glanced back at the Bone Brothers, who were patiently waiting within the shadows.
"Alright boys…Showtime." Plumeria said archly, stepping forward with some reluctance. She wasn't a fan of this part of the job, but for the sake of Team Skull and Guzma's ambitions, she'd do whatever she had to do.
Meanwhile…
Po Town, The Shady House
Sun wasn't shocked to see that the inside of the Shady House wasn't in much better shape than the rest of Po Town. Random splashes of graffiti defaced much of the walls inside, with broken statues and ruined furniture laying scattered around the main foyer. Sun spotted several Team Skull Grunts slumped over chairs or in the stairway, but not a single one rose to confront him.
The boy quickly moved to the left side of the room with Tetra, his mind racing. He decided to slip out of the side door and try to think of a plan that wasn't just total chaos. Sun entered a pool deck that looked like it would've been really fun to swim at if Team Skull's neglect hadn't ruined it.
Sun spotted the Team Skull Grunt waving at the front of the building to his fellow Grunt by the pool, and with his curiosity piqued, walked over to the Grunt who was muttering to himself with annoyance.
"What is wrong with him!? Why does he keep staring at me? Does he see how hot I am or something!?" the Grunt asked, waving back and forth at the other Team Skull Grunt Sun had talked to earlier.
Sun decided not to comment.
Instead, he walked around the empty pool and picked up an Ice Stone, which he was fascinated by since according to Rotom Dex, it could be used on certain Pokémon in the Alola Region. He then walked back into the house and decided to explore a little, since he knew Guzma was on the top floor of the building.
"I'll stop you so Guzma will stay chill!" the female Grunt yelled out as Sun walked out into the hallway, with the teen calling out a Mareanie. Sun pointed forward as Tetra charged at the other Pokémon.
"Bulldoze!" Sun shouted, with Tetra leaping forward and landing hard on the ground, sending a minor tremor through the Shady House and a shockwave of force that knocked the Mareanie into a nearby wall. Sun was surprised when the Pokémon got back up, looking dazed.
"Ha! We're not done yet! Toxic!" the female Grunt shouted as her Mareanie opened her mouth and shot out a stream of purple liquid that struck Tetra directly. The Gabite snarled in pain, wincing as her health began to get sapped away by the dangerous toxins in her body.
"Aerial Ace! Finish it off!" Sun called to Tetra, who pushed through the poison and lunged forward, knocking out the Mareanie.
"This is terrible, yo…The mansion is gonna get wrecked again!" the female Grunt lamented, causing Sun to glance around in confusion.
"You mean this place isn't wrecked already? Big Bad Guzma can't afford some sponges and brooms to clean this place a little?" Sun asked the female Grunt, who shuddered. "What, are you scared of your Boss or something?
"Guzma…Even though he's so strong, he wasn't able to become a Captain!" the Grunt remarked, shuddering again. "And yet you beat him."
"Yep. Don't forget it either." Sun said as he fed Tetra a Pecha Berry from his backpack, curing her poison and continuing his trek through the mansion by walking down the hallway.
Sun slipped into the nearby bedroom and to saw several beds inside, with one Team Skull Grunt snoring loudly as he slept horizontally across two of the beds. Sun spotted a Max Revive lying on the ground and slowly crept forward, snatching up the rare medicine before slipping out of the room.
The boy then went further down the hall and entered another room, which was slightly less interesting at first. Several empty shelves were braced against the walls, with several boxes scattered around the room containing paint tubes and spray cans, most of which were empty. Sun walked a few feet into the room and hummed before turning around and deciding the room was a lost cause.
"What's this, Sunny?" Tetra asked from behind Sun. The boy turned around and saw his Gabite holding up a sheet of paper that had been lying on the ground. Sun walked over to his Gabite and looked down at the paper.
"This month's secret Team Skull password is: Beat Up….huh." Sun read aloud, smirking to himself before folding the paper up and stuffing it into his pocket. "Good work, Tetra. Let's keep exploring to see if there's anything else we can find. There may even be more passwords or something, knowing how ridiculous Team Skull is."
The next room Sun went into had several awake Team Skull Grunts, who all stared at Sun as he walked into the room, noticing that this room was just as wrecked as the rest of the mansion.
"We gonna have a problem? I just want to talk to your Boss." Sun said to the Grunts, who exchanged a brief glance and shrugged.
"I hear that Mr. Guzma never got a Z-Ring as a sort of handicap, 'cause he's too strong already." The female Team Skull Grunt responded, laughing softly at Sun before glancing at the other female Team Skull Grunt in the room. "You deal with him."
"So sorry! As a stranger, you get a full course of my Pokémon's moves!" the Team Skull Grunt called out, sending out a Haunter that let out a gleeful laugh.
"Tetra, let's go!" Sun called out as the Gabite got into a fighting stance, staring down the menacing specter with determination in her eyes. "Shadow Claw!"
"Shadow Ball!" the Grunt shouted as the Haunter charged up a sphere of darkness within its hands, sending it flying towards Tetra as she ran forward with claws surging with ghostly energy. The Gabite faltered when the attack struck her hard, nearly sending her toppling to the ground, but she regained her balance and charged at the surprised Haunter, slashing it viciously with Shadow Claw and knocking it out in a single hit.
"Your full course…it's got way too much seasoning!" the female Grunt yelped, throwing down a wad of money to the ground. Sun took that moment to heal Tetra, who was barely standing after taking such a powerful attack, but within a minute she was back to fighting fit shape again. The Gabite and her Trainer made their way into the kitchen, where Sun found a bottle of what Rotom Dex confirmed was Healing Powder and not cinnamon.
Sun also found another note, much like the one that Tetra had found before. He read it aloud to Tetra, who was currently rummaging through the cabinets to see if there was anything else of note.
"This month's secret Team Skull password is: Tapu Cocoa. Remember: a true Team Skull member always butts heads and answers with a hearty 'No'...wow. I don't know what to make of that." Sun remarked after reading the note aloud, with Rotom Dex popping out of his backpack and hovering over his shoulder.
Sun backtracked to the main foyer again, but as he approached the stairs another Team Skull Grunt challenged him.
"I'm an incomplete Grunt. This is the only place for me in the whole world!" the Grunt shouted, sending out a Zubat. "Mean Look!"
"Aerial Ace!" Sun shouted, with Tetra enduring the horrible glare from the bat to slam hard into it with a wicked burst of speed.
"Leech Life!"
"Tetra, use Dragon Claw!" The Gabite snarled as the Zubat bit down on her neck, draining her health. Despite this, the Zubat was unable to withstand the Dragon Claw that Tetra retaliated with, knocking out the bat with relative ease. Tetra managed to take down the Grunt's Gastly and Salandit with a single move each, much to his shock.
"This is a fitting outcome for me, incomplete as I am - the end!"
"You're not incomplete. You're just a guy who's down on his luck. Most of Team Skull is…Not sure about Guzma though. I should probably look into what the heck his deal is." Sun remarked, crossing his arms.
"Bzzt. Professor Kukui was once childhood best friendzzzz with Guzma. They had a really bad falling out though. I don't know the detailzzz, but I know the Professor and Kahuna Hala don't like to talk about it." Rotom Dex supplied, which made Sun think.
"Maybe Hau knows something. I'll ask later." Sun responded, looking back at the Grunt, who seemed thoughtful.
"The boss is a complete bully, but I'm an incomplete Grunt. Sometimes I want to smash the world, but I'm always afraid of it." The Grunt responded as he walked off before Sun could say anything further.
Sun looked down at the floor for a few moments before Tetra nudged him, giving him a concerned look. Sun patted the young dragon on the head and began to walk up the stairs, intent on finishing his mission.
As he ascended, he noticed a broken chandelier blocking the right path up, so Sun just went to the left and spotted a few more doors. Sun glanced down the hallway and crept over to the door, slipping into the room as quietly as possible.
He was shocked to find the first room in the entirety of Po Town that looked…taken care of. The room was clean and neatly organized, illuminated by the warm glow of a lamp on the nightstand. The bed beside it was covered with a thick red comforter, with an adorable plush of a Lapras and a Skitty sitting near the pillow. A small vial of air freshener was plugged into an electrical outlet, giving off a faint scent of fresh peaches. A battered-looking laptop was sitting on a nearby desk, with a textbook beside it open to a page about what Sun saw was college-level mathematics that looked like gibberish to him. A nearby shelf was almost filled to the brim with makeup items, such as mascara and eyeliner.
What really caught Sun's eye on the shelf was a small photo in a frame showing two figures standing out on a beach. One of the people in the photo looked like Guzma, except he was a few years younger and wore a lopsided smirk. The other figure was a small girl not much older than Sun with bright pink hair, smiling brightly at the camera as she held a small Salandit in her arms.
They looked happy.
"I bet that's Plumeria…" Sun muttered quietly, looking at the photo intently. He wondered how someone like her ended up in Team Skull, considering how much of a jerk Guzma was. Then he considered the fact that Team Skull was full of outcasts and those who were left behind by their parents and peers, and Sun felt a small pang of sympathy for the woman as he saw how happy she looked in this photo with the Boss of Team Skull.
"She must care about him a lot…This photo is years old, and the only one she's got." Sun remarked, crossing his arms as he walked away from the photo. The boy then noticed a shining disc on the ground and crouched down to look at it. It was TM36 Sludge Bomb.
"Whoa, Sludge Bomb. That's a really solid move. I actually feel really bad about this…but on the other hand…yoink." Sun said as he put away the TM in his TM Case. He turned around and saw Tetra eyeing the plushies with narrowed eyes, as if not sure what to make of them. Sun fought back a snicker and led the dragon out of the room, feeling somewhat bad for snooping and technically stealing from Plumeria.
Sun would later learn to not regret that decision in the slightest.
As he entered the next room down the hallway, he emerged in a room filled with several beds and two young women arguing with raised voices. Tetra winced at the yelling and Sun stepped in front of the young dragon, raising an eyebrow in surprise at what exactly the two women were shouting about.
"OH EM GEE! Please don't tell me that's my Skull Tank you're wearing?" Grunt A yelled out, clearly upset.
Grunt B looked confused, pulling at the tank top for a moment. "Ohhh, no wonder it stinks! It is the same design, though."
Grunt A shrugged, though she did look annoyed at the insult. "It does not stink! That's a lovely aroma! Anyway, we should write our names on them so we don't mix them up."
"Uhmm, hello! Our names are all Grunt! What's the point?" Grunt B asked, causing Sun to fail to hold back a giggle at the discussion. Both Grunts turned to look at him, scandalized that they were being listened to.
"Ooh, a boy! I can't believe he was eavesdropping on us! I guess we'll have to teach him a lesson!" Grunt A said with a dark laugh, sending out an Alolan Rattata. The Rat Pokémon lunged at Sun, though Tetra leapt in front of her Trainer and lashed out with a Dragon Claw that knocked the Rattata clear across the room and into the far wall, completely unconscious.
"Nice work, Tetra. You're really getting the hang of this." Sun praised the dragon as she smiled at the praise.
"Let's see, how do I undo this development?" Grunt A asked awkwardly, stepping away from Sun. "How embarrassing…I guess I really am just a Grunt."
"Whoa, that was, like, so uncool! I'll get revenge for you…while still wearing your Skull Tank!" Grunt B yelled out, sending out an Alolan Raticate.
"Tetra, use Aerial Ace!" Sun called to the dragon, who kicked off of the ground and sped towards the large rat, slamming hard into it.
"Crunch, yo!"
Tetra screamed in pain as the Raticate bit down hard into Tetra's chest, drawing blood. Sun had her use Dragon Claw in response, but after another Crunch Tetra fainted from the sheer damage the move had done on her.
Sun returned Tetra and sent out Brago, who glared down the Raticate with Intimidate lowering its attack. From there, the Arcanine was easily able to end the fight with a Flame Charge.
"Thanks Brago." Sun said to the Arcanine as he called out Tetra again, using a Revive on her and healing her injuries with a Super Potion. The dragon tried to apologize for being knocked out, but Sun gave her a hug in response, which silenced her.
"It happens to the best of us. You're doing great." Sun said to the Gabite as he moved away from her, with Brago looking down at her with a smile.
"You've grown in leaps and bounds since you joined our team, little one. Keep learning and growing." Brago advised the dragon, who nodded in response.
"What is this…Too severe!" Grunt B whined, pulling at the tank top she was wearing. "Ugh! Her Skull Tank was too tight for me! It was so distracting that I lost! It's her fault!"
"I've made up my mind! I'm gonna get rich and famous and buy as many Skull Tanks as I want!" Grunt A responded, crossing her arms and huffing. Sun chose that moment to leave, returning Brago as he rolled his eyes.
"Tetra, take a break. Penny, Oliver, come on out!" Sun said as he returned his dragon and called out his two birds, who landed on the ground beside him. Oliver promptly swept up Penny in a winged hug and nuzzled her, much to the Toucannon's embarrassment. Sun smiled at the display of affection.
"You want to join in? I'm feeling huggy today." Oliver remarked happily as Penny shut her eyes, sighing despite the fact that she was smiling and clearly enjoying the attention from her new mate.
"I'm good. Tetra's been doing a lot of battling, and I think she's earned a break. Are you two lovebirds good to help me finish fighting my way to Guzma? I want to keep Finn and Brago fresh just in case things get bad." Sun asked his two birds, causing Oliver to stand up and give Sun a winged salute. Penny nodded, her eyes narrowing with determination.
Sun crept further down the hallway, ducking past a rather large Team Skull Grunt who was patrolling the hallway. Unfortunately, Sun ended up going into a room with a Team Skull Grunt who looked rather annoyed at Sun's intrusion.
"Hey! So you think peeking in people's rooms is in good taste?!" the Grunt barked, sending out a Fomantis. Penny flew forward at Sun's command and knocked it out with a single Drill Peck, much to the Grunt's shock.
"At least your Pokémon have good taste…" the Grunt muttered, though he then put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "What does it mean to say 'in good taste'? Is it like saying it's cosmopolitan? Is there such a thing as a cosmopolitan Pokémon?"
"I…actually have no idea. Maybe ask Plumeria? She seems pretty smart." Sun suggested, earning a nod from the Grunt.
"Yeah, she's always helping us out with our homework and stuff. I'll ask her later." The Grunt responded, though that just made Sun more confused.
"Homework? You're Team Skull." Sun asked, making the Grunt shrug.
"And some of us are still working on our education and shit. I do online classes three times a week since I'm studying to become a meteorologist. Just because we're a bunch of boneheads doesn't mean we gotta stay that way. Some of us still have dreams!" The Grunt responded as Sun slowly nodded in agreement.
"I respect that a lot, actually. Hope that works out for you, uh, yo." Sun said to the Grunt as he looked around the room, seeing that there were several WiiU's set up and that two large TV's were inside the room. "Oh cool, this is a gaming room. You guys play Smash?"
"Hell yeah, we do! You play too?" the Grunt asked excitedly.
Much to his surprise, Sun got into a ten minute discussion about playing Smash Bros. with the Grunt, who wasn't even annoyed with Sun picking up the bottle of Iron on the ground amongst the mess on the floor. By the time Sun left, he had asked the Grunt if he could come back sometime and play a few rounds with him and some of the other Grunts.
While Sun was chatting, Oliver spotted a paper on the ground that looked strange and picked it up. He showed it to Sun, who read it aloud.
"This month's secret Team Skull Password is: Golisopod. Nice work, Oliver." Sun said as he tucked the paper into his pocket. "That's three passwords so far, and some weird advice."
"It's so odd…We're entering their hideout and humiliating them by defeating them in battle, but they have no issues playing games with you." Penny remarked, confused by the discussion Sun had just had.
"They're still kids like me at the end of the day. Which is why I need to try and set things right." Sun said to his bird as he walked down the hallway, only for the patrolling Grun from earlier to run up to him.
"An uninvited guest…Do you have an invitation?" the Team Skull Grunt asked as he sent out a Wimpod, which Penny knocked out with a Drill Peck, though not before getting hit with a Struggle Bug that barely did anything to the Toucannon. The Grunt then sent out a Drowzee, who promptly used Meditate.
Sun had Penny use Drill Peck again, but to the boy's surprise the Drowzee sidestepped the move and used Meditate again.
"Penny, use Fly!" Sun called to the Toucannon, who flapped her wings hard and soared as high as she could in the building.
"Psybeam, yo!" the Grunt barked at his Drowzee, who took aim and fired at the Toucannon. Penny did a barrel-roll in midair, dodging the attack before dive-bombing the Drowzee and slamming hard enough into it to knock the Hypnosis Pokémon out in a single hit.
"I guess that attack was your alternative to an invitation!" the Grunt yelped as he returned his Drowzee, though Sun noticed the teen was more flustered than he probably should have been.
"To be fair, you attacked me first." Sun pointed out, which made the Grunt even more frustrated.
"No! I wish I had never come here! Probably because three passwords are needed instead of an invitation. And I lost the memos with the passwords somewhere in the mansion!" the Grunt whined as he crossed his arms. Sun blinked twice at that and calmly reached into his pocket, pulling out the three pieces of paper that had the aforementioned passwords on them and handed them out for the Grunt to take. To say that the teen was surprised would have been an understatement.
"Holy hell, those are the memos! Thanks yo! You're a life-saver!" the Grunt said gratefully to Sun, who smirked and nodded at the Grunt as he ran off with a laugh.
"Somehow, I feel dumber being in this place." Oliver remarked, causing Penny to nod in agreement beside him. Meanwhile, Sun walked up to the nearby Team Skull Grunt who happened to be leaning against the exit to a nearby balcony that led outside.
"Greetings, visitor." The Grunt said to Sun, his tone surprisingly polite. "If you wish to meet with Master Guzma, then give me the three secret passwords."
"Sure thing."
The Grunt laughed at Sun's response. "Then tell me this month's first password! Which move does Master Guzma like best?"
"Beat up."
"Then tell me this month's second password! Which Pokémon does Master Guzma like best?"
"Uh, probably his ace, Golisopod."
"Then tell me this month's third password! Which drink does Master Guzma like best?"
"Tapu Cocoa…which I can respect. It's really good."
"Amen to that. So you think the passwords are…Beat Up! Golisopod! And Tapu Cocoa!...Are you sure about that?" the Grunt asked Sun, who narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to respond. However, he also remembered what the second memo had said and grinned at the Grunt.
"No!" Sun said emphatically, causing the Grunt to burst out into laughter.
"You know all Master Guzma's favorite things, and you even knew to say 'No!' at the end! Yeah, you're one of us, bonehead!" the Grunt cheerfully said to Sun, clapping the boy on the shoulder before moving aside. "If you wanna have an audience with Master Guzma, then follow the path out on the roof.
"You got that crazy quizzzz right! What a clever kid!" Rotom Dex praised Sun, buzzing happily. "Now onto the boss' room! I'm right behind you buddy!"
Rotom Dex ducked back into Sun's backpack as he walked onto the balcony, with the boy wincing as the curtains of rain buffeted him and sent shivers down his spine. Penny and Oliver didn't seem phased, though both birds were more than happy to help Sun as he slowly navigated his way onto the rickety wooden path that led to another open window.
However, much to Sun's annoyance, a female Team Skull Grunt spotted him and snickered at the boy's attempts to remain upright on the wet roof. "Ooh, looking for a battle in a romantic spot, hmm?"
"Sorry, but I'm planning on asking out someone once I'm done dealing with your Boss." Sun responded as the Grunt sent out a Golbat. "Penny, use Beak Blast!"
Penny charged up her beak as the Golbat used Mean Look on her, which did nothing to stop the explosion of heat that erupted from the Toucannon's beak that knocked out the Golbat in a single hit. Oliver watched on proudly as Sun grinned at the shocked Grunt's stunned look.
"I guess nobody likes Team Skull after all…" the Grunt sighed, rubbing her forehead with annoyance. "Even this dreamy balcony is surrounded by the town, so it's boring."
"Maybe if you guys stopped harassing and stealing, people wouldn't dislike you so much? Just a thought." Sun said to the female Grunt, who completely ignored Sun because she suddenly started rapping.
"Yo, check it! Surrounded by surroundings, it's so astounding! Ick! Never mind, that was terrible!" the Grunt yelped, shaking her head as she returned her Golbat and looked away from Sun in embarrassment. Sun snickered and walked past the Grunt, grabbing the nearby Escape Rope nearby since he was already looting the place as it was.
Sun emerged back inside of the building, but on the right side of the second floor as opposed to the left side. He took a second to dry himself off with a towel, as well as his two birds who appreciated that gesture immensely. While he did this, Rotom Dex piped up.
"Bzzzt! Sun, I think I've finally figured out how to get Colress' Universal Translator App working!" Rotom Dex said to the boy, floating in front of him as two little headphones popped out of the device, floating beside it. "With this, you can understand any Pokémon so long as these are in your ear. And if I've got power, which shouldn't be an issue!"
"Oh, wow. That's awesome! Uh, yeah, let's give that a try, Rotom." Sun said to the device as he put away his towel, with the device sitting on Sun's shoulders. The boy put the headphones into his ears, feeling a little silly, but he trusted the Rotom Dex implicitly by this point in his journey. Just like Lillie and Hau, it was his companion and friend.
Sun walked towards the two Grunts standing guard at the faraway door, flanked by his two birds as they flew behind him. The boy smirked as the two Grunts exchanged a brief glance of concern.
"You think it was a good idea to come here? Or maybe it would've been better not to?" the Grunt on the left asked Sun as he approached. "I think you know the answer inside you."
"You think it's a good idea to go in there? Man, you don't know fear, do you?!" the other Grunt remarked, astonished that Sun had made it this far into Team Skull's turf. The boy brushed past them and opened the door, entering Guzma's lair.
Guzma's room wasn't quite what Sun was expecting. A large bed was pressed haphazardly against the wall right next to a large shelf full of expensive-looking bottles of what Sun realized was alcohol. A nearby Team Skull Grunt was standing guard over a treasure chest full of light green Z-Crystals, with a terrified-looking Yungoos cowering at his feet with a leash and muzzle around its face.
The Boss of Team Skull himself stood in front of a lavish throne as Sun approached with a scowl on his face. It was time to confront the villain behind all of this.
"I've been expecting you, Sun." Guzma said, still facing his chair and not even bothering to look towards the boy who had entered his lair.
"How did you do that without turning around?" Sun asked Guzma, grudgingly impressed that the man had done that without even looking at him.
"...To be perfectly honest, the first couple of people I did that to were not you." Guzma admitted as he turned around, grinning wolfishly at the boy. "The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up…Yeah. Big bad Guzma is here!"
Sun smirked at the man's boast. "You'd think after the last time I kicked your butt, you wouldn't have tried to call me out here. You and Plumeria are pretty tough, yeah, but the rest of Team Skull? Not so much."
"Please. You got lucky in our last fight. My team got crippled by that Fontaine whore and are still getting fixed up. But believe me, I can still crush you like a bug." Guzma responded, snickering at the boy.
"Speaking of, that reminds me. I owe you for trying to kill my Dad at Iki Town. What, were you too scared to fight him head-on, so you had to sneak attack him as he was surrendering?" Sun asked Guzma, who's face twisted into a scowl.
"I was doing what your chickenshit Professor was too weak to do. Killing a psychopath before he ended the damn world. After all, I can't conquer Alola if someone destroys it first." Guzma explained, crossing his arms. "I don't know how the flying fuck you stopped Borlath, but I gotta admit, that took some balls. That being said, you're welcome for softening the guy up for you."
"This is getting nowhere." Sun sighed angrily as Guzma snickered at him. Sun grit his teeth in anger and marched right up to the Boss of Team Skull.
Guzma stared Sun down, sneering at the boy who had so confidently barged into Po Town to face him. "I don't really get you, kid, but at least this is a change of pace. It's not everyday someone comes straight to me for a beating!"
"I'm not here for you." Sun shot back, only for Guzma to grin even wider at Sun.
"No bone to pick with me, huh? Even with all that I did." Guzma asked Sun, sounding somewhat annoyed at the boy for reasons he couldn't understand. Guzma spat onto the floor with irritation. "Then it's for Yungoos, I guess. How sweet of you to help out a sad little girl. Tch!"
"Save me…I'm so scared." the Yungoos chittered as Oliver and Penny tensed in response. Sun was able to understand the words of the Yungoos clearly thanks to Rotom Dex, and the boy felt his anger at Guzma spike higher.
"Free her, now." Oliver hooted at Guzma, who ignored the tranquil fury of the Decidueye and focused on Sun.
"And you came all the way here just for that, huh?" Guzma asked, his tone becoming angry. "Can't you just watch out for your own Pokémon and stay out of other people's business?!"
"I don't know. Can't Team Skull just leave people alone and not act like a bunch of jerks? Seriously, you stole a Pokémon from a little orphan girl. How pathetic can you get?" Sun asked Guzma, not even bothering to mask the disgust in his voice. Guzma burst out into laughter, cackling with delight despite how uncomfortable the Team Skull Grunt holding Yungoos in place looked now.
"You're one messed up kid!" Guzma finally said with a breathless giggle, putting his hands on his hips. "You wanna know what I do when some machine messes up? The first thing I do is give it a nice hard smack!"
"Are you threatening him?" Penny asked calmly, though the steel in her voice was unmistakable. Sun slowly blacked away from Guzma, sensing a battle coming on very soon. "I don't think that's wise."
"I mean, most of the time I mash it to pieces, but hey, what can you do?" Guzma said with a dark chuckle, not even remotely phased by Penny's implied threat. "Now let's see if I can't fix you!"
"Oliver, let's take him! Penny, be on the lookout! I don't trust this for an instant!" Sun ordered his two birds as Penny nodded and got behind Sun while Oliver braced himself for a battle.
"Goliath, let's destroy these fuckers!" Guzma bellowed, laughing maniacally as he sent out his ace, Goliath the Golisopod. The enormous hulking bug slowly stood upright with a groan, glaring down Sun as it thrust apart its arms, a menacing hiss escaping its mouth. And then Sun heard the enormous beast speak, thanks to the translator hooked up to his ears through Rotom Dex.
"Your story ends here, little one. Now die!" Goliath roared defiantly, getting into a fighting stance as Oliver did the same standing across the large room. Sun adjusted his hat, grinning fiercely at the Boss of Team Skull who grinned right back at the boy.
"First Impressions."
"Protect!"
Goliath's body flickered in and out of existence before vanishing completely, moving so fast that he was invisible to the naked eye. However Oliver held out a wing and summoned a shining blue shield around himself, Sun and Penny just before Goliath reappeared in front of them, striking the barrier as hard as he could. Guzma's eyes widened in surprise as Goliath grunted in annoyance.
"I'm not the Pokémon I once was…" Oliver hooted, matching his Trainer's grin as he stared down the shocked Golisopod that was trying to force his way past the owl's shield. "And that trick won't work on me a second time!"
Goliath leapt back, growling as he glared at the Decidueye as he swept a wing aside and dispelled his barrier, notching an arrow and aiming it calmly down at the Golisopod, the feathery arrow suddenly burning with ghostly energy. Sun and Guzma simply stared each other down, determined to put the other in their place.
For Sun it was a matter of teaching Team Skull a lesson and saving an innocent Pokémon from a group of thugs.
As for Guzma? Well…it was all part of the plan.
NEXT TIME: Sun battles Guzma in a rematch for the ages, and Lillie's past officially comes back to haunt her.
No questions this time! We're drawing ever-so-closer to the climax of the main story! I'm so pumped for this!
That being said, I am curious. For those who know about the most recent battle in the anime, what are your thoughts? What do you think is going to happen next for Ash? What were your thoughts on the battle and the tournament in general? Tell me your thoughts in the review section, because I'm genuinely wondering what you all thought of it.
That's all for now. Please Review, Favorite and/or Follow the story to show your support and stay updated with my nonsense. I also have a Discord server for the story and I answer questions in the review section below.
Take care and stay awesome.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!