Chapter 6 - Arc 1 (Melemele Island) Beyond Them Walls

Far away from the quiet of Melemele's southeastern shores, someone else had started a challenge of their own, though it was no Island Challenge. Rain drilled into his black hood, but he marched on through the mud as if it didn't bother him at all. His hands were stuffed into deep pockets on the sides of the hoodie, one rolling a gray and yellow Poké Ball between his fingers methodically, the other clutching a bag against the palm. For a few days, he'd been traveling with just one thought on his mind: get away from them. So much so that he had only rested fitfully since escaping and, as such, he looked a mess. A mop of blond hair clung to his wet forehead and dangled annoyingly in front of his piercing, green eyes.

Gladion thought he might collapse with relief when he saw the motel overlooking a cliff to the sea. Shady people in dark hoodies much like his darted around the complex and gave it a sense of distinct unease. He gave them a wide berth and headed for the office of the building. As soon as he opened the glass door, water was whipped inside by the furious wind behind him, and he staggered in his attempt to close it behind himself. Panting, Gladion's shoulders sagged and he regretfully lowered the hood obscuring his face. His uneven hair stuck out in every possible direction. Some hung down over his face, some patches were so short they were barely above his scalp, and it made him feel oddly exposed. He wished he'd have remembered to shave it off before he left home…

"Ah… You alright there?" a greasy, older man with black hair ringing a bald spot on his head asked as he wiped his hands with a handkerchief. He sidestepped to expectantly stand behind a cash register. Gladion supposed it only made sense the man assumed he was a foreigner and was speaking to him in Galarish. He seemed to know it well from running the motel. "You lost or somethin'? Don't look like you belong around here to me."

Gladion silently looked him up and down and then ambled to the gray countertop separating himself and the attendant. As gruff as the comment had been, Gladion knew it wasn't rudeness on the attendant's behalf. Not even most Alolans would have looked as if they were from 'around' these parts. Once close enough, Gladion wrenched the small, brown bag from his left pocket and dropped it on the counter. "I want a room. However long that much will cover."

"I'm sorry?" the man dubiously pressed as he uncertainly shuffled closer to Gladion. He raised his chin to peer at the bag curiously, seemingly unsure if he should approach further or not.

Irritated with the man's caution, Gladion shoved the bag closer for him to see into. "It's cash. Do you want it or not?"

He jumped and then peered inside, gaping at the amount. "S-sir… Where did… why… you could stay somewhere really nice with this for a while, why here? You do know Po Town's just up the way, yeah? Skull activity everywhere."

Gladion closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you want it or not?" he repeated coldly.

"Well, yes… Let me count and see…"

After five minutes or so, the attendant determined that the amount of cash in that bag would net Gladion two years' worth of rent in one of the motel's rooms. Gladion, tapping his foot impatiently, cut his glittering, green eyes back at the man. "Good. I want one for that long, then."

The attendant just shook his head and snatched the bag up. "Sure thing, kid."

Kid. Gladion clenched his jaw. He was nineteen. Still, he held his tongue, uninterested in a debate right then.

"You're all set. Here's your room key." The attendant handed a rusted couple of keys to him, a far cry from the keycards Aether Paradise had used. Gladion gingerly accepted them and gave a stiff nod.

"Thank you."

After a night's rest—the mattress was flimsy and uncomfortable and the room had an awful draft, but after so little sleep in the past week, Gladion hadn't minded at all—Gladion suited himself up to travel again. He would return to the motel, but only later in the evening, he was sure. He slipped into a stained, white shirt, covered it up with his tattered hoodie, then adorned a similarly ripped pair of black pants that, at one point, would have reached his ankles but now only touched his lower calves. He ended by wrapping a crimson bag around his waist (it was designed to hold a cell phone, but seeing as he had been forced to abandon his back at Aether, it now only held pocket cash and a few spare Super Potions).

Back out into the muggy terrain he went. It wasn't raining there anymore, but he knew where he was going, it soon would be again. A few Alolans eyed him curiously as he exited the room and locked it behind him, dispatching the keys to the red case at his hip. One brave soul even ventured to follow Gladion briefly before returning to his friends and chattering away. Gladion just ignored them. He was used to the occasional odd stares from Alolans at this point. Even before he had been reduced to such ragged, dark clothes, Alolans had always seemed so intrigued by him and his sister.

Wincing at the thought of her, Gladion failed to notice his right hand had crept back up to his scalp and started plucking hairs free once again. He only stopped when one tug was too hard, and he accidentally jerked his head to the side instead of wrenching any hair off his head. Gritting his teeth, he forced his hand back down and fought the urge. That was why his hair was always such a mess, and why he honestly would have loved to simply shave it all off—so he didn't have anymore hair to rip out when he was feeling stressed.

The closer to Po Town Gladion got, the clammier the air and the scarcer other people became. At his final approach, there was a single, lonely house to his left, shadowed by the towering, gray walls in the distance. Gusts of wind carried sheets of rain over to them, but he could tell the rain wasn't necessarily coming from above him. Dark, tumultuous storm clouds were gathered over those hulking walls.

Gladion was unintimidated by the display. He knew all about the curse of Po Town and the permanent storm. He only found himself annoyed by the humidity of it all. Thanks to Alola's heat, the rain wasn't cold. It felt like getting spritzed with hot bathwater in a sauna. His feet did hurt from marching through so much mud and water, though; some had sunk in through the fabric of his shoes, or had been sloshed in at his ankle, and he was certain he'd have blisters before long if he didn't get the chance to stop.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Gladion whirled around at the voice, the Ultra Ball from his right pocket clutched at the ready, and stared at the hunched old man there. Unbothered by the rain, he wore a short-sleeved windbreaker, a deep, almost wine-red shirt, long pants, and… sandals? Gladion blinked as he noticed that and just wondered what on earth this man was thinking. When the other grunted for his response, Gladion jolted. "Po Town. Where else would anyone be going around here?" Gladion snidely responded, stowing away whatever expression of shock he might have had upon seeing the man.

Yet, the man only smirked back at him and then rubbed a hand over his short, gray hair. "You really wanna live as Skull?" He then laughed. "…Really?"

"Yes, and what's so funny about that?" Gladion demanded sharply. He clamped his hand down tighter on that Poké Ball as he fought the urge to scratch at his scalp. "You don't know me, old man. Let me be." With that, Gladion decided their interaction was over, and went to leave.

"Name's Nanu. I know I can't stop you. But, hey… If you don't make it back out alive, I can make sure your remains get back to your family at least. What's your name?"

Gladion halted and gave the old man a look somewhere between bewildered and disgusted. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Well, yeah," Nanu said. "Skull isn't exactly scary, so me talking 'em up like they are is hilarious. But I am curious as to what a kid like you is doing way out here. You're not from Alola. What're you trynna get into Skull for? Where're your folks? You're too young to not have any."

Gladion tucked the Ultra Ball away and clamped his left hand firmly over the right, holding it in place. He supposed the clutching motion the right hand still insisted on making looked stupid, though… Gritting his teeth and glaring daggers at Nanu, Gladion stamped a foot, throwing a splash of mud up his own legs. "Listen, old man, I know myself far better than you could ever know me. I have my reasons. Go bother someone else."

Nanu shrugged and turned around. "Alright."

Gladion gaped and his arms fell slack. "A-alright? That's it?"

Nanu didn't pause and just waved a hand. "You said for me to go bother someone else. Your business is your business. See ya."

Rolling his eyes, Gladion started back for those towering walls. Dumb old man. He could see a couple of people standing just at the foot of them, in front of a white, massive door, watching him carefully as he neared. He had the impression they had likely watched his entire exchange with Nanu. Upon closer inspection, he concluded one was a teen girl, likely a few years younger than himself, and the other was a man who looked like he might have been in his early twenties. Still, he could have been wrong; their faces were obscured by black masks and white caps, making it difficult to pick out facial features.

Once Gladion was close enough, the man jerked his head, raising his chin quickly in acknowledgment. "Yo, homie, you lost?" he sneered. "We don't want no problems, now."

The girl just stared at Gladion expressionlessly.

"You won't get any from me as long as you hear me out," Gladion warned tensely. "I want to speak to your boss."

"The boss?" the man almost squeaked incredulously. He exchanged a look with the girl and they both broke into uproarious laughter. "He gon' walk up here in black clothes and think he can speak to the boss, ain't that cute, San?"

The girl raised a brow at Gladion as she fought back giggles. "Look, I dunno what posh family lost their housepet, but I'm sure they're missin' ya real nice about now, so scamper on back home, okay, numskull?"

"Numskull. Creative." Gladion issued a slight, almost pleasant smile. He took a couple of paces backward and raised his hands in surrender. "I can see I have not made myself clear enough." Gladion suddenly pitched the Ultra Ball and the slight smile turned to a full-on grin as Type: Null was revealed. Null bellowed a resonating, clanking sound, as if someone were banging a gong repeatedly, and scuffed sharp, metallic claws against the ground furiously. Narrowing shadowy eyes at the grunts, Null lowered himself to an attack stance, showing off every threatening feature across his form from the glistening, sharp blade on his head to the expertly crafted aquatic tail on his rear.

The grunts scrambled away, putting at least ten feet between them and Null. They left the white door completely exposed. They seemed to be torn between that fact, and their fear of the downright chimerical pokémon in front of them. "What the fuck is that?" the man finally exclaimed through shivering breaths.

"This is Null," Gladion said, as if it would explain anything. Not that he had any interest in explaining to these two goons. At their blank faces, he just sighed. "He's unimportant to you two. But I need to talk to your boss."

Null abruptly lowered his head and began to use his steely front claws to lash at his bronze mask. He clawed and clawed and even slammed his cheeks against the ground, digging the sharp, angular projections from the base of the mask into the muddy soil. Gladion frowned and stepped forward, cautiously lowered a hand to Null's upper back. He knew now not too get too close to the head when Null did this, but he couldn't help wanting to comfort the pokémon… Yet, as soon as his palm reached Null's shoulder, he whipped around and brought one of those bronze projections across Gladion's shin. Gladion gasped as he collapsed and felt the dull sting of a new flesh wound.

Null realized what he had done and apologetically crept forward, nudging Gladion's head with his own. "It's alright," Gladion told him right away, staggering back to his feet. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean it… I need you to go back in the Poké Ball for now, though, alright?"

Almost knowingly, Null looked Gladion in the eyes and stood, relaxed, in front of him as he touched the button on the center of the Poké Ball to his muzzle. Disappearing in a flash of red, Gladion tucked the ball back into his pocket and gave the two Skull members a harsh glare. "Well? Still not seeing your boss!"

"Shit, I'm callin' the big sis now, just keep that damn thing in the ball!" the man yelped as he hunched forward and pulled a flip phone from his pocket. Shakily dialing a number, he brought the device up to his ear and covered his other with a hand to blot out the distant roar of the rain within the walls just next to them. He rambled away to the person on the other end in Alolan and Gladion listened keenly. Part of him sadistically hoped the man might assume Gladion didn't know the language and he'd say something he'd soon regret. "Ay, sis? You got a minute? We got trouble at the gate. Yeah, I know we're supposed to deal with it, but this guy's got a monster! …No, I'm not talkin' about another foreign pokémon, I mean a real monster! You gotta come look at it!" There was a long pause. "He says he wants to talk to Big G. I don't think he's gonna leave 'til he gets what he wants, either…" Another pause. "Thanks, big sis…"

"Monster." Gladion loudly remarked and put his hands on his hips. If looks could have killed, Gladion might have smote this man on the spot. Fiercely, he pulled his lips back into something of a snarl, and shouted, "Null is not a monster! He is suffering, and I saved him from the people who did that to him! Is that what Skull does? Call living creatures that are in pain monsters?"

Oh, he knew he was being unfair. It wasn't like these two could have known anything about Null. But Gladion was lost on another plane of reality as he went off on them. To him, they were not Skull, but the heartless scientists under Dr. Faba's lead performing heinous 'upgrades' to better Null's arsenal of weapons, jeering to one another throughout their work about how monstrous and devastating Null would be once finished. As if unaware they were talking about a living being, they joked about Null's ability as a killer, comparing him to weaponry. Because to them, Null was nothing more than just that: a weapon. Gladion remembered it all too well, hunched underneath a desk, hidden by filing cabinets and his dark hoodie, listening to Null whimper and howl in pain as they operated and adjusted the mechanical parts of his body while he was awake…

"Okay, okay! Don't have a heart attack," the girl snapped, bringing Gladion back to reality. She clung to the Skull man's arm and glowered at Gladion like she had already decided she hated him. Unsurprised, Gladion just pursed his lips and stared back at her, doing his best to keep quiet. He couldn't have outbursts like that… even if the people deserved them. Huffing to himself as he crossed his arms, he thought, and this is why I have no friends nor do I want any. None other than pokémon.

Protectively clasping his other hand to the girl's shoulder, the Skull man eyed Gladion sourly. "Big sis is on her way. She's as much a boss as Big G is. You gotta talk to her first to get to him. She'll fix you."

Gladion snorted. "Fix me? The hell does that mean?"

"Means I'll kick your ass if you get too outta line. Start talking."

Gladion jumped as he realized the white door had been pulled open and a sleek, leanly built woman skirted out from behind it. It slammed closed behind her as if magnetized. Most of her hair was dyed a hot pink and cut short to her skull, but a couple streaks of long, yellow and pink hairs spiraled from the side of her head and hung down to her thighs. She looked less contemptuous, unlike the two grunts did now, and more critical, scanning Gladion's appearance like she was preparing for a test. "Name's Plumeria. I heard you're out here with some sort of a 'monster.' Havin' fun terrorizin' my brothers?"

Gladion's face started to redden with anger and he went to snarl back at her, but she held up a finger and barked her words over him, shocking him into silence.

"Hey! You came here. This is our town," Plumeria hissed. She circled him then like a Sharpedo, stiffening her exposed shoulders. She had dark eyeliner that brought out her piercing, yellow gaze. "So, don't fuckin' sass me, got it? 'Specially not if you want any hope of meetin' with G."

Gladion mutinously shuffled in place and nodded slowly. He hated biting his tongue and just listening to her, but he knew it was the smartest choice at that moment. "Yeah. Got it."

"So, like I said, start talkin'. Why are you here? What do you wanna talk to G about?" She stopped just in front of him and despite Gladion's height, she was still much taller, casting a shadow over him. There was something oddly intimidating about the way she was dressed in a midriff-exposing tank top and shorts despite the constant rain that had to be hammering Po Town at all times, as if she was so used to it, she didn't bother dressing for the weather anymore. "Make it quick, 'cause I got half a mind to just send out my Salazzle and tell her to poison your ass and send you packin.'"

"I have nowhere to go and no skills, but I have a strong pokémon. I think me and your boss can make a deal," Gladion proposed tersely, trying so hard to keep his voice steady and hold his right hand down, clasping his hands together to keep the right from doing that stupid gesture. "Skull gets in trouble everywhere they go across these islands and it's hard for you to get anything done, I've noticed. Null can make sure whatever you need done gets done without so much as a hitch."

"What could you have that you're so certain is better than anything we've got?" Plumeria scornfully asked. She put her hands on her hips. "And what could we even offer you?"

To the chagrin of the Skull grunts nearby, Gladion freed Null from his confines again. The pokémon confusedly looked around and then started to scratch at the mask once again. Gladion fought the urge to comfort him. He couldn't risk Null snapping and delivering another blow to him in front of Plumeria. "This is Null," Gladion said flatly. "I know he's capable of things no other pokémon is, and he's strong."

Plumeria shuffled away from Null just like the grunts before her, but unlike them, she didn't jump like a frightened Meowth. She gawked at Null and her hands clenched to fists against her sides. "Where did you get this thing? What is it?"

"Aether Foundation," Gladion replied briskly. He truly didn't think he had anything to fear from telling them about his ties to them. If Mum—no… Lusamine. If Lusamine wants Null and me back, she'd better bring a damn army and have a body bag ready, he thought bitterly. Null and I won't go down without a fight, and I won't go back there alive. "This is one of the experiments they were working on. I stole him and ran because they were hurting him…" He trailed off and gnawed his lip for a second. "…They were hurting me. I need more time to help Null, I need more time to get on my feet, and if I can help you guys get shit done, then I figured you could cut me in on the payouts. I've got a place at the motel down the way. I won't be imposing on you at all. When you don't want me around, I won't be. You can just call me when I'm needed."

Null then abruptly slammed his head to the ground, splattering Gladion and himself with mud. Tiredly, Null fell still after that, still half-slumped against the mud and idly scratching at the mask. Null then laid down completely, letting the mud rise over his feet and paint his belly. Gladion trembled just slightly… He wanted to put Null back in the ball or comfort him so badly…

Plumeria glanced between Gladion, Null, and back again. Groaning, she ran a hand over her hair once more, adjusting one of the skull-shaped pins. "Fine. I'll talk to G. But I'll tell ya now, he's not an easy person to get along with and he'll pro'ly still wanna kick your ass even if he believes this. I wanna say I can't believe ya, even, but I'm lookin' at this thing here, now… and you look like you'd be from Aether." Plumeria stared at Null and just shook her head. "I knew Aether sounded too squeaky clean, but this is some next level shit here, kid." Her expression abruptly changed to one full of concern. Softly, she pressed, "You ain't had it easy, have ya?"

Gladion squared his shoulders. "Look. You don't want to know me, and I don't want to know you. Let's keep it that way," he cagily muttered.

Plumeria huffed and turned away. Pointing at the two grunts, she snapped, "I'mma call G over. You two numskulls follow me. Don't trust ya out here with this one by yourselves." She didn't have to tell them twice, for they hurried after her as she entered Po Town's walls.

Gladion took the time to comfort Null, running his hands soothingly up and down the pokémon's back. He was too tired to lash claws back at Gladion this time and even seemed to shift so Gladion could pet him better. "I'm gonna have to recall you again in a second," Gladion softly informed him, "but I promise, not long after that, it'll just be me and you for a while, Null."

Null just distractedly pawed more at the restraint on his head. Defeatedly, Gladion recalled him to the Ultra Ball and stashed it away in his pocket. Unfortunately, Gladion didn't know how to remove the mask, but he could tell the device hurt Null to keep on his head. Whenever he was free outside of his Poké Ball for more than a few minutes, he would begin to wildly attack the helmet until he exhausted himself. A short rest in the Poké Ball would restore his strength, but it was so painful for Gladion to watch Null writhe and desperately claw at that mask at every given chance…

A few minutes after that, the white door to Po Town opened again, and Gladion's back stiffened as he watched a small gang of Skull members fan out from inside. Plumeria, several grunts (different than the ones from before), as well as a new, larger man he could only assume was the boss. Gladion already knew his name; he was infamous across all of Alola.

Guzma.

"Well, well, well, lookie what we have here," Guzma theatrically called as he threw his burly arms wide. A golden chain around his neck fitted with a sculpture of the Skull emblem rattled as he moved. Each of them had something like it, Gladion had realized, but Guzma's was massive and looked as if it it should have hurt his neck… "I hear you think you can do somethin' to help us out. I thought it was a real funny joke, so I thought I'd come laugh to your face to let you know you had the pleasure of makin' big, bad Guzma laugh."

Gladion scowled at him. "I'm no joke. Would you like me to prove it?"

"Prove it?" Guzma scoffed. A pair of huge, yellow sunglasses started to slip from the top of his head and Guzma shoved them back up, over a mess of bushy, white hair. "What, you think you can battle me, numskull? Think you can take me on, punk?" Guzma shuffled forward with his chest puffed out until he was physically pushing Gladion back, as if daring him to say or do anything. Anything that might give him and his squad of Skull goons reason to hurt him. But Gladion clenched his fists and remained strong.

"I think I can," Gladion evenly replied. With a sinister smirk, he added, "Of course, we can skip that part if you're worried."

Gladion briefly caught Plumeria shoot him a warning, wide-eyed look, then noticed the grunts waving their hands after him in a desperate 'no' gesture, but it was already too late. Guzma slammed both of his hands onto Gladion's shoulders and wolfishly beamed down at him. "Worried? I ain't worried about nobody. And I ain't scared o' rich fucks like you. Send out your pokémon." With that, Guzma shoved Gladion so hard, he fell to the ground.

Guzma released his Golisopod, a pokémon Gladion had never seen before, and Gladion sent forth Null again. He hadn't expected to need to call him out to battle so soon, but… Gladion knew they had no choice. They had to impress Guzma. They simply had to. There was nowhere else for them on these islands. This was as far from Aether's reach as he could get, as distant from his mother as it got—Skull was as far from home as he could imagine. Here, even if they weren't liked by most Alolans, they could start a new life… away from all that pain and misery. Aether felt like a nasty, horrible residue they had to scrub off by any means necessary. Null cast a confused look over his shoulder back at Gladion.

We've got this Null. I believe in you. Gladion shuffled forward and pointed at Golisopod. "Crush Claw, Null!" I'll always believe in you… even when nobody else does.

Guzma licked his lips. "Golisopod… First Impression."