Nanu was not entirely certain how to broach the subject, so he decided to start somewhere simple. Anything to delay the inevitable of having to admit to agreeing to participating in something decidedly dangerous. Or to address the way he'd just called himself a wretch, which apparently Guzma didn't approve of. Being woken so abruptly meant that Nanu had little time to gather his thoughts. From the punk's expression, Nanu figured he would have to wing it and go with the flow of the conversation as it went along.
"Did you get Looker to fill in the blanks from what you overhead earlier?" Nanu questioned, acutely aware of the way that Guzma looked over him, as if he were tempted to sit himself down on the injuried cop until all his questions were answered to his satisfaction.
Which wasn't likely to happen, no matter how hard Guzma pressed for that information.
Nanu rarely let slip information he didn't want to offer. It had been useful in the past, when some fool tried to intimidate or torture it out of him. For some reason, the bigger punk's hands on his shoulders didn't bother Nanu as much as the unfriendly touches of his past tormentors had.
"Maybe he did." Guzma said evasively, but from the way his hands held firm to Nanu's shoulders, he wasn't going to be easily dissuaded. "Don't try and avoid the question, cop. You keep doin' that shit and it gets real old real fast."
Nanu didn't say anything, distracted by the way Guzma'a larger hands lightened up a fraction so as to not hold on to him as tightly. Interesting. So the punk had noticed Nanu's discomfort from the tight grip.
"Why the hell do you want to go deal with those creepy ass things any way? Sounds like it'd be a shitty thing to get involved in." Guzma reiterated the question he'd woken Nanu up with. "Why the hell bother?"
"I would rather it be me who looks into it." Nanu let out a worn out sigh. He wasn't awake enough for this, his right side ached and Guzma's hands were too warm and comforting on his shoulders. Nanu paused as that thought crossed his mind, and considered it before continuing to speak as he gave a disinterested shrug beneath those hands. "I would prefer not to drag 11-year olds into this mess."
"What the hell are you talking about? Who ever said there were kids involved in that bullshit that trench coat guy was yammering on about?" Guzma's eyes narrowed, something almost akin to concern crossing his face. "Are you actually fully awake, or not?"
"Of course I am. I was woken quite rudely from a warm nap." Nanu said dryly. "And a dreamless one, at that."
"A nap. Is that what you call recovering from being poisoned by jellyfish abominations from another world?" Guzma's hands left Nanu's shoulders as the younger man straightened up and crossed his arms.
"Did Looker not mention his terrible idea while he was 'yammering'?" Nanu asked, frowning a little. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, especially if Guzma attempted to intimidate Looker for the knowledge. After all, Looker knew when to keep his mouth shut, if the man didn't feel the other person needed to know certain information. It could have led to problems, as it had the past. Neither Looker nor Nanu were likely to make that mistake again, so they were tight-lipped and careful with important information out of habit.
"He was being all shifty and was kind of being an ass, but I got the gist of it. Of, ya know, what I missed out on when yer damn Meowth were all over me." Guzma said with a shrug, before he went straight back to staring at Nanu. "What'd he leave out? He didn't tell me everything, did he?"
It wouldn't be all that surprising to Nanu that Looker wouldn't have mentioned everything to the punk. Looker was no pushover, not one to be easily intimidated, but when faced with someone like Guzma...Nanu presumed Guzma had tried to get in Looker's face over wanting to know everything about what was going on. It was a high probability that Looker had merely given a brief summary to satisfy the punk's demands. Meaning that Nanu would have to fill in the blanks where he felt it was necessary, despite not knowing all of what a Looker had let slip. "I told Looker that there was no way that I was going to allow him to drag Sun and Moon into this, despite both of them having visited one of the Ultra Beast's homes, which makes them Fallers, despite the brief time spent in that place."
"They got that Sogeleo, don't they?" Guzma ventured, apparently not seeing the problem. "Seems like they'd have no problem dealing with more of those things, seein' as that lion dealt with Lusamine and the Nihilego pretty easy."
"I don't really care if they have some legendary Pokémon on their side. They could be hurt if they attempt to confront any of these beasts, even with their Pokémon around to protect them." Nanu stared down at his hands, noting the barely there scars that he sometimes forgot about. "Me, on the other hand? I'm the kahuna of this island, as well as a cop, so I may as well do my job once and awhile. Don't need Tapu Bulu appearing out of nowhere to kick my ass in gear." Nanu leaned back in the chair he was seated in and sighed, looking away from his hands as he absently pet a Meowth that had clambered up and placed itself on his lap. "I would rather it be me facing these beasts, and not children. I mentioned to you before that I saw someone dying before my eyes the last time I confronted one of these Ultra Beasts, because they were a Faller and it was drawn to them."
"I..." Guzma dropped his arms to his side, quiet for a moment as if trying to find some way to argue against Nanu's logic. Finding nothing, from the way he let out an aggravated sigh, Guzma looked off to the side and grumbled. "You should just tell that trench coat-wearing bastard to clear off and let him deal with it. This seems like something bigger than you should have to deal with. Kahuna or not."
"Why would you care if I went after the Ultra Beasts?" Nanu asked curiously, wondering, really, why it would be such a big deal. He would be doing his job after all, and wouldn't need to face Tapu Bulu if he decided to ignore the threat the beasts posed to Alola.
"You don't already know, old man?" Guzma had suddenly leaned in close again, resting his hands on the arms of the chair so that he could look Nanu dead in the eyes. "I don't want some weird jellyfish or some other beast to beat you down before I get the chance to beat you myself."
"Are you going to finally give me that beat down you keep alluding to? The best down you've been threatening for at least two years?" Nanu asked in a deadpan tone, already knowing the answer. He felt it was some reflex of Guzma's to hide what he was actually feeling toward him by saying such things. Because the younger punk apparently didn't know what to do about how he was feeling. So it appeared to be easier for Guzma to continue to threaten to beat down Nanu in order to avoid dealing with an unfamiliar emotion. Nanu continued to calmly meet Guzma's angry stare. "Well? What's it going to be, boy? You gonna beat me down right this instant or not?"
"Nah, it wouldn't be satisfying to knock you around with you already injured and still recovering." Guzma offered a faint, mocking grin. "You should do something about that. Can't be letting yer ass get handed to you like this. People might start to think yer a pushover. First a wild Persian biting you back then, and now a jellyfish monster poisoning ya." Guzma's hands gripped the chair arms as he averted his gaze, voice quiet. "And speaking of those damn jellies...um...thanks, for before."
"What was that?" Nanu had heard the punk's words, but he couldn't quite believe it. Just like Nanu didn't believe Guzma's promise of a beat-down any longer.
"Do you need to get your hearing checked, old man?" Guzma growled, shoving away from the chair as he hunched his shoulders and slouched in front of the chair. "I said thanks, for shoving my sorry ass out of the way of those Nihilego." Guzma reached a hand up to ruffle his hair in an agitated way as he continued to avoid eye contact. "Can't believe I froze up like that. I couldn't think straight with all of those things grabbin' at me with their tentacles and-"
"You should thank your Golisopod for coming to get me." Nanu interjected quietly. "I wouldn't have known that anything was wrong if it hadn't shown up. It was hurt but it was clear that it wanted me to know that you were in danger." Nanu studied Guzma's profile and could tell, from the way the punk absently touched a finger to a Pokéball in a pocket, that he was thinking about the bug Pokémon.
"And you're welcome, for not letting you be completely swarmed by floating jellyfish." Nanu tagged on, knowing he would hear the grumble rise out of the younger man. Nanu's lips twitched the faintest amount when he heard the expected grumble emit from the punk seconds later. Guzma was too easy to tease, even if the subject matter wasn't exactly a joking matter. Any one of those Nihilego could have poisoned Guzma had they felt threatened. Several of them could have poisoned him all at once, and despite Guzma likely having been poisoned by his own Pokémon at some point...Nanu doubted he would have been resistant the the poison slowly being expelled from the cop's system at present. Nanu presumed that his sudden move to shove Guzma out of the way, along with one of his Pokémon attacking the beasts, was the reason why the nearest Nihilego had lashed out.
But it had been a disturbing sight, to see one of those creatures trying to perch on Guzma's head. From the reports that Nanu had read after receiving Looker's letter, it wasn't pleasant for the person involved. Nihilego was parasitic and could manipulate its host should the host be unable to fight back against the sensation, and if one of those creatures had done that to Guzma...
"I apologize." Nanu said suddenly, as he reconsidered what he had said and what it could have meant to Guzma. "I shouldn't have brought up the Nihilego. I can see that it makes you uncomfortable to hear about them. It's the same for me, with another beast. One that I had tracked down years ago."
"Tch." Guzma seemed surprised over the apology, but tried to cover up his obvious discomfort with indifference. "Doesn't matter. That ain't around so it's fine."
It was a hard sight to see, and one that made some guilt settle into the pit of Nanu's stomach. Guzma wasn't fine, despite what he said. Nanu He was really fucking this up, interacting with other human beings. Nanu was so used to only being around his Pokémon most of the time that it was hard to remember how to be social. To an extent. And Nanu should have damn well known how Guzma would have reacted to bringing up the Nihilego, as Nanu himself didn't react well to being reminded of the beast from a decade ago. Nanu saw Guzma shake his head when the punk caught sight of the other man's expression.
"I said it's fine. Might as well joke about it than let the thought of that thing scare me or somethin'." Guzma seemed to hesitate a moment before he spoke again, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically nervous tone. "So...you said that those brats only spent a short time in Ultra Space with the Nihilego, and that they're Fallers. So does that...does that mean that I would be a Faller too, since I spent more time there than them?"
"From the way those Nihilego converged on you, I would say that confirms that you are a Faller. Those beasts will continue to be drawn to you because of it." Nanu studied the younger man before he sighed. "So you were the one who went with Lusamine to the beast's world after all."
"Shit." Guzma sat down hard on the couch across from Nanu, as one of his feet began to tap on the floor. As proof to how uncomfortable over the revelation he was, Guzma didn't protest over the way a few Meowth curled up next to and around him, including MaryAnn the shiny Meowth settling on his lap. So lost in whatever thought he was in, the punk even began to pet the Meowth as they began to demand attention from him. "I don't know what the hell I was thinking. Goin' into ultra space like that. I didn't think Lusamine would have lost her mind like that. To be stuck in that place with all those Nihilego floatin' around. To be trapped there, with Lusamine not having any use for me once we got there and she caught one of those things."
"Guzma..." Nanu straightened up as best he could, making the Meowth near him vacate. The red eyed cop didn't like the way this was going. How Guzma seemed to be getting more lost in the memory of something that had happened, his body shaking the faintest bit.
"I didn't think those Nihilego were anything but weird Pokémon at the time." Guzma leaned over and grasped his hair, hands digging in and knocking the new sunglasses off his head. They clattered to the ground, but Guzma didn't seem to notice. The punk's voice began to waver, his breath hitching now and again. "I tried to catch one of them with my bare hands because they seemed so frail." Guzma laughed, but it sounded wrong. "But it vanished right in front of me. And then..." The punk let out another shaky laugh. "I didn't see it come at me until it was too late."
Nanu didn't like the sound of those laughs. They sounded self-deprecating. What was also concerning to Nanu was the way Guzma's head hung down as the younger man carded his fingers through his hair in an increasingly aggravated way, pulling hard at the hair. But the shaking of Guzma's larger frame was the most worrying sight of all, as, coupled with the erratic breathing, it confirmed Nanu's suspicions that Guzma was losing himself to the memory after all.
Nanu rose from the chair, grimacing over the way his joints cracked, protesting the way he moved too quickly. But Nanu ignored the discomfort, and the dull throb that spiraled out from his bandaged right side. Nanu focused on Guzma instead, and took the few steps forward to bring him close to the punk. With a sigh at his body's aches, Nanu lowered himself onto the couch next to Guzma, after shooing away some of the Meowth. Nanu carefully reached up and gently pried the punk's large hands out of white hair.
"Guzma." Nanu held on to the punk's hands, feeling the way the shaking of Guzma's body extended to them. Nanu kept hold of the punk's hands, as he had some inkling as to what was going through Guzma's mind. Nanu saw and heard the way the younger man's breath quickened, short and uneven. Nanu didn't dare try and do anything other than hold onto Guzma's hands, but loosened his grip, in case he needed to pull away. "Breathe."
"C...can't...I can't..." Guzma let out a shuddering breath, before sucking in a sharp intake of air as his body continued to quake. "Can't breathe...it won't let me...won't let me move...my body."
"Guzma, I need you to try and breathe." Nanu wasn't entirely certain just how far lost Guzma was in his memory but Nanu had no doubt that what was going on was Guzma reliving the memory of the Nihilego in ultra space and what had happened while there. Nanu resumes speaking, his voice quiet in an attempt to be reassuring. "You're safe. They're not attacking you. Those Nihilego aren't here. You're in the station outside Po Town."
"L...let..." Guzma mumbled something inaudible before his body went rigid, sucking in another sharp breath, and holding it for a very long time before it came out in a rush. "Let go of me."
Nanu wasn't entirely sure whether the younger man was addressing him specifically or not, but let his hands release Guzma's own. The red eyed cop was in no mood to be upended on the floor if Guzma accidentally lashed out in panic. Nanu was understandably taken aback when Guzma suddenly closed the distance between them on the couch and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his face into the older man's shoulder. Nanu grimaced over the way he was pressed backward into the couch, and was grateful the punk refrained from climbing onto his lap. Especially since it seemed that Guzma was intent to be close to him. But the closeness wasn't doing Nanu's aching body any favors.
"It won't let go of me...won't let go." Guzma muttered against Nanu's neck, as he tightened his arms around the older man's back. "Made me move...couldn't stop it...couldn't."
"Guzma." Nanu managed to move his arm beneath the punk's own, and brought his hand to rest on the small of Guzma's back. "Come back. You're all right now. It's in the past."
"...dammit." Guzma let out a harsh exhalation before his breathing began to slowly even out. Moments later, Guzma's body went from taut to relaxed, before he sagged against Nanu in a way that indicated relief. "Dammit." Guzma repeated, sounding upset with himself.
"You back?" Nanu held still as he waited for Guzma to make some disparaging comment about how Nanu still had his hand resting against the punk's lower back. When no words were forthcoming, Nanu freed his arms from beneath Guzma's, not missing the fact that the younger man kept his arms around him, as if still not completely grounded from his memory of something unpleasant. Nanu reached up with his left hand, and ruffled the punk's hair. "You should stop tugging at your hair like that or you'll rip it out and eventually go bald." Nanu took the half hearted laugh that tumbled out of Guzma as a good sign. It meant that the punk's mind was turning away from the memory that had panicked him.
"If you're all right now, could you stop holding me so tightly? My side is very tender right now, and I'd rather the stitches not get pulled out, after what happened to my arm." Nanu winced as Guzma abruptly let go of him, as the sudden motion jostled his entire body. Nanu's left hand went to his bandaged side with an outward grimace, and while doing so, heard a quiet 'shit' from the younger man. Nanu felt one of Guzma's hands land on his left shoulder, and the reason was immediate as the touch steadied him. Nanu hadn't realized that he had been swaying from the low burning agony.
Persian approached the couch and let out a concerned meow, its round head tilting to one side.
"I'm fine." Nanu told his Pokémon, even as he continued to be very aware of the way Guzma's large hand rested and held onto his shoulder. Nanu briefly wore a crooked half smile over the way Guzma let out a huff of disbelief over his words, and the red eyed man turned his attention to Guzma and amended his statement. "I will be fine." Nanu studied Guzma silently for a moment before speaking. "Next time you feel that coming on, keep on breathing as best you can and find something to distract yourself with. Pet your Pokémon. Focus on them or speak to someone. Just do something so you aren't focusing on those memories. Don't let it get to the point that it overwhelms you."
"I..." Guzma moved his hand away from Nanu and stepped back. "It won't happen again."
"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, you're looking at another person who's run into an Ultra Beast before." Nanu tossed out, red eyes still assessing the punk.
"I'm fine." Guzma snapped, bristling defensively before staring down at his hands. Some of the tension and aggression vanished, leaving the younger man looking worn out. "Do...do the nightmares ever go away?" Guzma asked quietly, hesitating, as if wondering if he'd already asked something similar, before adding, in a rough tone, "Will they always be so...vivid?"
"Sometimes the details remain vivid." Nanu replied, thinking on the rain and the painfully detailed scene that replayed itself in his own nightmares. Why he chose to live in a place that had constant rain...Nanu didn't like to dwell on it. It was like he were punishing himself in some way or another, so he didn't make the same mistake twice. Nanu ran a hand over his face and sighed. "The thoughts...the memories...they don't always fade completely. Sometimes the memory can be triggered when you least expect it."
Guzma's expression shuttered into something blank, like he was thinking about what had been said. The taller man leaned back in the couch, staring straight ahead in an eerie silence. Even the Meowth and MaryAnn seemed to be reluctant to get near Guzma, as if they felt they would be intruding on something.
Nanu was almost relieved when Looker rushed into the police station with a slam of the front door, speaking rapidly in an unfamiliar language.
The Meowth near the door hissed and arched their backs over the suddenness of the man's entrance.
"Speak in your usual language, Looker, I don't speak that one very well." Nanu raised his voice to say, before he glanced over to Guzma. And smirked faintly over the way punk's gaze had zeroed in on Looker, a scowl on his face.
"Ah, my apologies." Looker let out a breath, as if calming himself, before he continued to speak. "I wanted to let you know that I got into contact with the people we spoke of before. The Ultra Recon Squad, they are called. They are wary to extend their help or speak to a lot of people, but they have agreed to meeting us. With myself, Anabel and you." Looker dug our his notebook and flipped it open. "Anabel is speaking with them right now. They will be expecting us soon. That is, if you are feeling up to a meeting today." Looker's voice reflected concern over Nanu's wellbeing, considering the bandages with worried gray eyes. It was only when Looker glanced at Guzma that he seemed to realize just how much the punk was glowering at him.
"If they're willing to talk, may as well get it over with." Nanu rose from the couch with a low groan as his joints protested the movement. It really sucked being wounded because his body was even worse shape than usual. Nanu paused alongside Looker, his voice dropping into a whisper. "I need a word with Guzma before joining you."
"I'll wait for you outside." Looker said, glancing over Nanu's shoulder before beating a hasty retreat to the door.
Nanu felt a puff of air against the back of his neck, clueing Nanu into the fact that Looker had retreated because Guzma had gotten up. Nanu half turned and found the younger man standing close to his back, narrowed eyes glaring at the door that Looker had left through.
"Are you actually gonna go?"
"If I'm going to be getting involved, more information would be best." Nanu offered a half-hearted shrug, quiet as he watched Guzma make his way toward the door. Nanu wondered what the younger punk was up to but figured it out quick enough, and managed to get to the door first in order to block it. The gesture was pretty damn useless, because Nanu and Guzma both knew that the cop couldn't stop Guzma from leaving if he really wanted to. "You are not going with me. You're not involved in this."
"Like hell I'm not involved. Those damn Nihilego attacked me." Guzma snapped, crossing his arms and glaring at Nanu.
"That's why I don't want you to be involved in this. There would be a high chance that you to would be attacked again." Nanu may have pressed his back against the door over the way the punk's fists clenched at his sides. "I haven't told Looker that you are a Faller, because I know he wouldn't hesitate to ask for your assistance, provided you show that you can handle yourself in a Pokémon battle." Nanu held up a hand to stop Guzma's retort as he fixed him with a hard stare. "With the way you froze up around those Nihilego...and the way you reacted not a few minutes ago..." Nanu gave his head a shake. "You can't afford to freeze up or lose yourself like that around there creatures. Hesitation can mean you leave yourself open to an attack that your Pokémon may not be able to protect you from. You don't have to be involved in this and no one would look down on you if you stay away from those Ultra Beasts."
"Don't fucking tell me what I can and can't do, old man, I-"
"You have three options while I go with Looker to meet with these people." Nanu spoke over Guzma, getting a nasty look for it. "You can go home, go to Po Town and stay with your former teammates or you can stay here at the station with your Pokémon, the Meowth and the cover the rain provides."
"All of those options suck. In each one, I ain't doin' a damn thing but sitting around." Guzma took a step toward Nanu, bringing him close so that he could loom in front of the cop and stare down at him. "And you should fuckin' know that I'd rather sleep in a damn ditch in the rain than ever go back home. Or didn't you catch that memo that I ran away from there?"
"Then go to Po Town or stay here. There isn't much known about these beasts, or how many of them are here." Nanu told Guzma calmly, still pressed against the door but not believing for a second that Guzma was going to use his fists. It was more likely that he was thinking about unpleasant memories Nanu had stupidly brought on through tossing out the idea of the punk hunkering down at his parent's home. "I would rather learn more information before you wander off on your own on routes between towns." Nanu closed his eyes. "I don't want to come across what I've seen in the past." Bodies from where he'd been in his first few years with Interpol. The body of a person screaming and dying, bleeding as they were dragged off on his last mission. All the missions that could have gone wrong, and the ones that had. The dark times that had followed...
"Old man?"
Nanu reluctantly opened his eyes and lifted his head to meet Guzma's gaze, and was a little confused to see the serious expression on the younger man, his hands unclenched and hanging by his side.
"I'll stay here, so long as you tell me what you tell me what's goin' on when you come back."
Nanu studied the still serious expression on Guzma's face before he inclined his head in a faint nod. What he chose to tell Guzma would depend on the information he learned from the meeting. Nanu watched Guzma step back and head toward the kitchen. Ignoring the way Guzma made noise, perhaps making a mess over having to stay behind, Nanu called out for Persian. As soon as his Pokémon joined him, Nanu made as if to leave.
"Oy, you forgot something." Guzma was suddenly back by the door and holding out a small bag. Guzma avoided eye contact as he held it out and grumbled aloud. "Take some damn antidotes with you. In case you're gone longer than you think. Don't wanna be done in by Nihilego's poison, so you?"
Nanu blinked. It hadn't even occurred to him to take any antidotes, having just assumed that Looker or Anabel would have more if he needed it.
"You gonna go out like that?" Guzma asked, holding up one of Nanu's jackets in his other hand and shaking it with a faint grin.
Nanu glanced down at his exposed, bandaged torso and sighed. He wasn't exactly put together after the rude awakening he'd received but he couldn't exactly fault Guzma. No doubt he still had some fear of the Nihilego, so it stood to reason that he would react badly over the idea of someone going after more of them. Nanu took the offered jacket and carefully put it on. The clothing brushed over his bandages and right then and there Nanu decided to not bother closing the jacket, as he didn't want to put pressure on his wounded right side more than was necessary. Nanu took the bag Guzma dangled within reach and left the station with Persian by his side, before Guzma could remark on the injury bothering him.
"Let's go get this over with." Nanu said as he joined Looker in the rain.
-x-x-x-
Nanu was displeased over just how winded he was by the time he and Looker reached their destination. The trailer on route 16 near the Pokémon Center. The owner had offered it so that the Ultra Recon Squad could have some privacy from the prying eyes of curious trainers from the center nearby. Just outside the trailer, Nanu let out a low groan, arm going to wrap around his torso, his balance unsteady. And he was sweating, which meant he was likely due for another antidote. Which he immediately drank once he stopped feeling like he might fall over.
"000?" Looker had just reached out for the door but stopped and looked back, concern lacing his words. He focused on the empty antidote bottle, and his concern appeared to grow. "Nanu? Are you sure that you're going to be well enough for this?"
"I am. I just...need to sit down. It seems...I'm not entirely well enough for traveling even short distances." Nanu watched Looker open the door, say something to someone inside, before walking back over to him. The two shared an exchanged look. Nothing was said but it was clear that Looker didn't like what he was seeing. Meaning that the red eyed cop looked worse than usual. Not just tired and apathetic but actually hurt and quietly in pain. Nanu let out a heavy sigh and gave a jerk of his head in acknowledgement of the unspoken words. Nanu allowed Looker to help him into the trailer and over to a chair, that Nanu was grateful to sit down on. He was left alone as Looker walked off to presumably locate Anabel. Nanu closed his eyes wearily but tensed up when a young female voice spoke close to him.
"Look, Dulse! He wasn't lying about the Nihilego."
Nanu opened his eyes and found himself looking into wide, white-colored eyes of an orange haired girl wearing an odd-looking suit. Nanu glanced to the girl's right and found a man wearing a similar suit, with lighter colored eyes as well, his red hair poking out from beneath a helmet. The two made a strange, boxed shape motion with their hands. It took Nanu a moment to recognize they were greeting him the way a native Alolan would.
"Is Zossie correct?" The man, Dulse, asked in a calm, even cadence as he inspected Nanu's bandaged torso.
"Most Pokémon poison isn't so potent." Nanu rested his hand lightly over the bandages beneath his jacket as he offered a wry smile. "Pokémon aren't as likely to inject as much as the Nihilego did. I think I may have spooked it, and caused the beast to lash out defensively. Otherwise, they seemed fairly harmless, floating around. Until it gets too close and attempts to get onto your head." Nanu inwardly believed that this was what had happened to Guzma and was honestly surprised that more damage hadn't been done, apart from the nightmares and freezing up when faced with the beasts again. Nanu had seen and heard about Lusamine and what happened when there was too much neurotoxin in a human body. When a person was possessed, for lack of a better term. What was in Nanu was the poisonous variety, and it wouldn't be affecting him once he got it out of his system, unlike the neurotoxin Lusamine would be fighting off for some time.
"Attacking defensively is something that has been documented in the Ultra Beasts." Dulse mused aloud. "And Nihilego are otherwise harmless, as you said, until it finds a host."
"Are there other Ultra Beasts that have appeared?" Nanu questioned. "Looker made it sound as if that was the case."
"Lusamine opened many portal around Alola, allowing the beasts to appear." Dulse said with a frown. "We've gotten many reports already."
"So they've been here for a few weeks, if not longer." Nanu felt cold wash over him. The strange dragon-like creature he had driven off from the ruins Tapu Bulu lived in...had that...had that been an Ultra Beast? It had appeared out of nowhere. "I drove an odd creature away from Tapu Bulu's ruins. I thought it was an isolated incident and that it had been some unknown dragon-type Pokémon."
"What did it look like?" Zossie asked, legs swinging back and forth from where she had gone to perch on a counter. She listened to Nanu's description and perked up after a moment of careful consideration. "That sounds like it might have been a Guzzlord. Real tall, larger than a lot of the biggest Pokémon in Alola? Looks like it could eat a lot with all those teeth in its big mouth?"
"Looks like it...teeth..." Flashes of the past hit Nanu hard and he was grateful in that moment to be sitting. The sheets of rain and the dark all but obscuring the creature they had been tracking down all those years ago. The flashes of lightning revealing the teeth. All of those teeth and the claws. The glowing of what appeared to be eyes. Blood. So much blood. The gigantic maw snapping closed...the screams...
"N...Nanu, do you think that that's what..." Looker couldn't even finish his question and instead spoke to Nanu's other statement, as if not wanting to dwell on the past right now. "It wasn't an isolated incident. There were similar reposts of unfamiliar creatures appearing before other ruins, from the kahunas of other islands. It's uncertain how many of these creatures were able to return home or if they are still trapped here."
"What's been reported?" Nanu tried to focus on that. He didn't want to think about the possible of coming across the same creature that had taken MaryAnn away from Looker and himself.
"This is what we have so far, based on our information gathering with our comrades and some Alolans." Dulse handed Nanu a piece of paper, which the red-eyed cop looked over:
Nihilego. UB 01. Symbiont. Multiple sightings across Alola, most recent sightings on Ula'Ula Island.
Buzzwole. UB 02. Absorption. 2 sighted on Ula'Ula Island.
Xurkitree. UB 03. Lighting. 3 reports. Waiting in details as of this report.
Kartana. UB 04. Blade. 4 of the UBs spotted. As of this report, 2 have been successfully captured.
Guzzlord. UB 05. Glutton. Only 1 sighting thus far. No specific details as of yet.
Blacephalon. UB Burst. Only 1 of these beasts. Nothing else known at present. Only a single sighting. More information needed.
There was complete silence in the room as Nanu read. He didn't like the sound of this at all. It was far worse than he previously thought it was going to be. And the kicker that shit was about to hit the fan was at the very bottom of the page:
Multiple reports of a creature believed to be Necrozma from all islands of Alola.
This could be dangerous, as, according to the remaining lines on the page, if Necrozma absorbed too much light, it could go badly for all of Alola. This new piece of information meant that Nanu would have to find a way to warn Sun and Moon after all. To make sure they kept their Sogeleo from engaging with Necrozma. In the notes, Nanu read that Necrozma could go berserk from too much light absorption, after being deprived of it for so long.
"Reading about Necrozma?" Zossie piped up. When Nanu looked up, the girl continued to speak. "It seems to be in hiding right now but we're still going to be careful. We're making certain that our Lunala stays away from the places Necrozma's been spotted."
"Then Sun and Moon will have to be warned to do the same with their Sogeleo." Nanu said. "I'm sure Lillie would appreciate that, since it had travelled with her for so long before going with Sun and Moon."
"Already done, 000. I made sure to send a message with Croagunk." Looker said from where he was leaned up against a wall.
"And that's all you said to them?" Nanu asked, the paper crumpling a little as he clenched his hand.
"With what your reaction would be otherwise...of course that was all." Looker said with a sigh. "Though they really could help us out..." Looker raised his hands in a placating gesture when Nanu's red eyes fixed on him in an unfriendly way. "Anyway...one problem at a time, yes?"
"Looker's right. We need to focus on what we know right now." Anabel said from a chair she was seated on. "Sightings of these UBs has been most reported in residential areas around Alola. I find that very concerning for the safety of the people and Pokémon that live in those places. These cases should take precedence."
"Agreed. We must make certain that humans and Pokémon in high population areas are searched first." Dulse intoned. "We have discussed possibilities of how to handle these beasts and have come to the decision to capture them in beast balls, similar to the poké balls you use here. The less aggressive of the UBs would be taken to the Aether Foundation."
"And the others would be released back into their home worlds, right?" Zossie questioned.
Dulse gave a nod of agreement.
"With this plan, however, we need a way to draw the beasts out into the open. We can't wait for them to attack someone." Looker pointed out. "And that means that we have to take all possibilities into account."
Nanu wordlessly nodded his head in agreement to this, despite knowing that Looker may press the Faller option. Nanu couldn't help but relive how he had come across Guzma and the Nihilego. As the discussion began in earnest, all Nanu could think about throughout it all was keeping Guzma out of this mess. There was most certainly no way everyone involved was going to come out unscathed. And the Fallers were the ones in the most danger from the Ultra Beasts.
But keeping Guzma away from this was likely easier said than done, as the punk wouldn't like the idea of having to stay out of the possible danger.
-x-x-x-
Guzma was bored.
He was also completely covered in purring Meowth, which had led to said boredom because he was unable to get up to do anything. Guzma had attempted to leave the station but Golisopod and the Meowth had made that impossible.
So there he was, big bad Guzma, laid out on the floor covered in purring felines that he easily could have avoided away. Guzma could have sworn he had heard Golisopod let out a whirling sort of laugh at his predicament.
The punk thought about the turn his life had taken. One moment, he was a kid struggling with the island challenge because he refused to use any other type of Pokémon apart from bugs. The next moment, he was running away from home, determined to not go back ever again, despite the fact he'd failed the island challenge. Then came the low point in his life, when he'd made horrible decisions and nearly made a fatal one before Golisopod saved him.
"Mrow?" MaryAnn mewed as it used its paws to kneed Guzma's shoulder. It squeezed its eyes shut happily over the way Guzma gave it a gentle pat on the head before a few Meowth grabbed back onto his arm, insisting on his attention.
Guzma sighed over the neediness of the felines, mind still mulling things over. He had gotten himself back together after that terrible time, and had thrown himself into training with his Pokémon with renewed determination. Becoming the leader of Team Skull had given him a boost of confidence that he had needed. Guzma managed to put his past more or less behind him, and focused on making Team Skull better than before.
Now, they were disbanded, and Guzma was without a purpose apart from training his Pokémon. And apparently hanging around Nanu once again, for some reason or another.
Golisopod was stretched out on the floor alongside Guzma and whirled in concern as it pressed its face close to Guzma to bite his hair in an affectionate way.
"I'm just thinkin', bud." Guzma said as he freed his arm from the Meowth again so he could pat the armored shoulder of his Pokémon. His mouth set in a grim line at the sight of the broken and torn into plates in his Pokémon's body. The attacks it had sustained from the Nihilego had healed for the most part, but it had left behind visible scars. "You're a tough guy, huh? Not gonna let creepy ass jellyfish take you down, yeah?" Guzma pat Golisopod's head when the bug Pokémon chittered and clicked as it carefully rested its head on Guzma's chest. A few Meowth clambered onto Golispod's back, all looking very pleased with themselves.
While Guzma was a little annoyed about being kept from leaving the station, he was grateful for the distraction his Pokémon and the Meowth provided. He didn't want to dwell in his own head for very long. Not when he thought about the past, and of Lusamine, of all the times he'd met with her. The lies she had given him, despite the fact that it had made Guzma feel pleased that someone admired his strength as a trainer. As a person. But to be abandoned after all he had done for Lusamine...it was...
Golisopod nudged Guzma gently with a short click, again breaking into the punk's unpleasant thoughts. The Meowth decided to join in. Soon, Guzma was getting so much attention from the Pokémon around him that he couldn't help but laugh and try to fend off all of the purring felines pawing at him. Guzma eventually gave it up as a lost cause because the Meowth were so insistent on remaining on Guzma and Golisopod.
Guzma let out a yawn and closed his eyes as he began to doze off alongside Golisopod. As sleep threatened to take over, Guzma vaguely found his mind drifting to Nanu. About whether or not he should keep pressing the other man. Guzma decided that he would, because Nanu didn't actually seem to mind the attention. Maybe he would try and bring the topic up, if he could work up the nerve to do so.
Nanu's bitter sarcastic ass was a bit hard to deal with, but beneath all that apathy and disinterest, Guzma knew that there was something there. He just had to figure out what it was and what exactly how Nanu felt about him suddenly hanging around again.
-x-x-x-
Nanu was exhausted by the time he returned to the police station on route 17 later in the evening. He was far more worn out than he expected that he would have been, after the meeting he had had with Interpol and the Ultra Recon Squad.
Excited meows greeted Nanu when he entered the station, a few Meowth running forward to grab his legs.
"Yeah, I'm back. Did he not feed you lot, or are you trying to get extra helpings?" Innocent eyes met Nanu's question, some Meowth wearing rather sad faces. A crooked smile surfaced. "That's what I thought. Come on, I'm sure there are some treats in here somewhere."
The Meowth nearest him raced to the kitchen and leapt onto the counter, whiskers twitching as they fixed expectant eyes on Nanu.
Nanu shook his head and carefully made his way over to the counter, though he paused on his way over the sight he saw on the floor. Nanu wore a small, genuine smile at the way Guzma sprawled on his back, covered in Meowth, with Golisopod lying alongside him. At least Guzma could get some rest, despite having been confronted by several Ultra Beasts that had hurt him before, which could have caused some unpleasant nightmares.
Nanu fed treats to the excited Meowth on the counter, before he went over and pulled the bed down from where it was hidden in the wall. Nanu carefully lie down on the bed, fully dressed, his body aching and fighting off the poison with the antidotes he continued to take. Nanu rested an arm over his eyes and sighed. He didn't think he could be as optimistic as the others had been. There was no way everyone would come out of this situation unscathed, as he had thought before. There were far too many things that could do wrong, even if they took precautions. The Ultra Beasts were unpredictable and that translated to dangerous situations that they may or may not be fully prepared to face.
Nanu felt that he must have dozed off, because he suddenly jerked awake from some nameless dream, heart racing and breathing hard. He was still on the bed, and the only thing that had changed was that Guzma was sprawled out alongside him and it appeared as though the Meowth had all followed him.
Guzma was awake, as the younger man had sat up, looking startled and wild-eyed, as if they were being attacked.
Nanu realized he must have called out or, more worryingly, may have screamed, when he'd woken up, because Guzma was staring at him as if checking to see if he was all right. It was...an odd feeling, to have someone check him over like this.
"What the hell, old man?" Guzma griped, running a hand through his hair as he let out a long sigh. "I was havin' a real good dream about finding a new bug Pokémon. Then you go and wake up like something's attackin' you. Didn't know you could...scream like that..."
It had been some time since a dream had woken him up screaming.
"...it was just a dream. Can't remember it, but I'm sure it was an echo of the nightmare I have." He actually couldn't remember the dream and for that, he was grateful. Nanu yawned, thinking to get out of bed, but Guzma's hand lightly grasped his upper arm.
"What'd you guys talk about?" Guzma questioned, for once being tactful and not bringing up the scream again. "That trench coat asshole was here and I chased him off. Told him to stay away until you aren't gonna keel over from that injury."
"I was going to be taking it easy either way. I need to recover, and while I do, I'm supposed to wrack my brain over where those Ultra Beasts could have holed themselves up." Nanu found it amusing that Guzma could have driven Looker off so easily. Had the other man wanted to, he could have laid Guzma out on his ass and walked over him to speak with Nanu. It was likely not important, then, since Looker hadn't pressed the point. He'd likely show up later.
"How the hell are you supposed to do that?" Guzma seemed to pale over the idea of multiples of the beasts but pretended to not be as affected as he sat up straight on the bed, after letting go of Nanu's arm.
"I've been in Alola longer than Looker, so I have more contacts and a better idea of areas that these creatures might go to." Nanu yawned again as he ran a hand over his face. "And if anything goes wrong while tracking the UBs down? Well...no one would really miss someone like me." Nanu stared up at the ceiling, not noticing that Guzma had gone very still. "I suppose Acerola and the kahunas would."
"You..."
Nanu grimaced in pain when Guzma was suddenly straddling his lap, and shoved him backward against some pillows. Nanu didn't sense anything in the gesture other than to keep him from rising and getting out of bed. Nanu met Guzma's furious glare with a bored red eyed stare of his own, waiting.
"You are such a fucking dour asshole. You're worse on yourself than I am." Guzma commented, his voice tight and angry.
Nanu blinked, wondering what the younger man meant.
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talkin' about. Calling yourself a wretch. Pretending not to care. Letting things pass you by and ignoring what's going on around you until you can be bothered to do something about it."
"You should worry about yourself." Nanu held perfectly still, before his body relaxed against the bed beneath him. Any surprise that he might have shown was now gone and he felt more resigned than anything. "You shouldn't worry about someone like me. " Nanu was not at all prepared for Guzma to lean over to roughly kiss him, his hands dragging through Nanu's hair. The older man recovered from the suddenness of Guzma's actions, but tried his best not to respond. This wasn't a good idea. He couldn't encourage this.
"Don't you dare decide who would and wouldn't miss you if you were gone." Guzma snapped at Nanu irritably, after he had broken away for air.
"Why bother with me?" It was something Nanu wanted to know, as before. There wasn't one thing he could think of that would cause Guzma to be drawn to him like this.
"You're one of the few people who actually give a damn what happens to me." Guzma said in an almost-mutter. He leaned back over and kissed Nanu again, making an insistent noise against Nanu's lips. "C'mon, old man. You ain't dead, so you can kiss just fine."
Nanu sighed into the kiss, his left arm looping around Guzma's back as he hesitantly returned the kiss. He still thought he shouldn't be doing this but if Guzma wasn't yanking his chain and the interest was genuine...
"That it?" Guzma broke away from the kiss after a few moments more, before he seemed to realize that he was straddling Nanu. With some self-conscious sounding grumble, Guzma moved to one side, so that he was alongside Nanu. With a grin, Guzma made himself comfortable by half resting over Nanu's chest, though the punk was careful of the bandages. "You suck at kissing." Guzma teased, though there was no force or insult behind his words.
"It's hard to do much of anything when you're injured and recovering from poison." Nanu pointed out dryly.
"Sleep it off." Guzma muttered back.
"If only that were an option." Nanu murmured in return, eyes closing as he began to drift back off.
"Sleep, geezer, before your body breaks down some more." Guzma said crossly before his voice dropped low, almost too faint for Nanu to hear. "Bein' alone again would suck, so don't let that poison do ya in."
Nanu didn't have time to properly address those words, as it seemed to mean that Guzma didn't think that he had anyone in his life other than his Pokémon, and apparently Nanu himself.
It wasn't true.
Nanu knew with upmost certainty that the former Team Skull members and Plumeria would be there for Guzma, but the punk just didn't yet seem to realize that fact.
"Not alone." Nanu mumbled sleepily, as MaryAnn curled up by his head. Nanu was out before he could see the flicker of emotion that crossed the punk's face in response to his words. But Nanu certainly was aware of the way that Guzma was holding him snugly when he finally woke up some hours later.