This is a draft chapter in progress. It is subject to change as it is edited.
Warning for Pokémon being hurt/maimed in this chapter, and some injuries to humans.
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Guzma makes it to Po Town and has an actual conversation with some of the grunts and then meets up with Plumeria to talk with her. Their conversation is interrupted by former grunts bursting to room, frantic, and tell them that Sun and Moon and their Solgaleo just landed outside the Guzma and Plumeria follow the grunts outside the mansion and see that the younger trainers were there, and Solgaleo was bristling and growling about something, watching the rainy skies.
*Sun and Moon are both upset, and Plumeria took over, wondering what's happened to them, as both eleven year olds were rather ragged and covered in scratches.
*Sun says that they were picking berries and were attacked by an origami-looking Pokémon on route 17, right outside Po Town. Sun shows his arms that were cut up, looking nasty but mostly superficial but bleeding. Moon had similar cuts on her legs.
Golisopod came out of its Pokéball, letting out a hiss as something suddenly careened by, slashing up the wet ground and leaving deep gouges behind.
Solgaleo let out a roar at the tiny figure as it spun back around and came back down, further cutting up the ground.
"Get back inside." Guzma grit put, shoving another punk between the shoulder blades and ushering them inside. "You too, brats."
*Plumeria prevents Sun from getting into an argument and tugs both him and Moon through the mansion doors, the rest of the grunts following. Plumeria tells Guzma to be careful.
Golisopod is struggling to block the swift attacks as they came.
"Go." Guzma urged, turning his attention to his Pokémon when the mansion doors closed. "Liquidation! Let's knock this little shit outta the sky!"
Golisopod let out an agreeing click and braced itself, forming its attack into a blade of water, readying itself for the other creature's next attack. With a lunge, the large bug-type Pokémon swung at the swift being, but barely missed it.
The attack did, however, make the tiny creature back away from the mansion.
"After it!" Guzma called to Golisopod, following after his Pokémon in a jog. "Use Liquidation again!"
Solgaleo stood firm in front of the mansion, roaring and pawing at the ground as it tracked the being in the air.
Guzma figured it was better for it to be there, just in case Golisopod couldn't defeat this Ultra Beast.
The tiny being in the air had to be a UB. This thing had gone after Sun and Moon, and now Guzma himself, along with his Golisopod, who was in a way blocking its path. It wasn't looking so good for his Pokémon.
Where the fuck was Nanu?
Wouldn't he have heard about this thing from that Ultra Recon Squad guy, or Looker?
Were they still at the station?
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Nanu and Dulse scoured Mawlie Garden, and were luckily able to catch the UB Kartana, codename 04 Blade, unaware. It was captured in the Beast Ball without a struggle.
Nanu supposed they should head back to the station, when Professor Kukui jogs up to then, his usual good humor gone and replaced with a serious expression. Nanu felt a sense of unease.
"Sun called me. He said he, Moon, and the former members of Team Skull are hunkering down in the mansion in Po Town. An Ultra Beast is attacking them. Sun said that Guzma is having one of his Pokémon battle it..."
Kukui and Dulse watch as Nanu flies off without a word with his Honchkrow, looking grim.
"It seems the Kahuna is concerned for the well-being of the one known as Guzma." Dulse commented. "Is it common for Alolan people to share a bed?" Dulse didn't wait for an answer as he climbed into Lunala and went off in the direction Nanu had gone.
Kukui hid his surprise well, though he guessed this meant that his wife hadn't been joking when she said that Nanu had taken a liking to Guzma. Kukui follows after both men with his Braviary.
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Golisopod didn't last very long against the Ultra Beast, but Guzma didn't blame his Pokémon in the least bit.
Small fucker was hard to pin down. But that wasn't what mattered right now.
What did matter was the horrific sound of Golisopod letting out a hissing shriek of pain as the UB severed its smaller limbs, the bug Pokemon bleeding from the stumps that remained behind. Golisopod already had numerous gouges on its armored back plates.
Guzma recalled his Pokémon to its Pokéball before more damage could be done. Guzma was already sick to his stomach over the sight of his Pokémon wounded and bleeding, and the way its body had curled in on itself to protect the damaged limbs.
Scizor was still out, and attempting to catch the Ultra Beast's attention as the tiny beast flew into a rage again.
"Look out!" Guzma shouted out a warning to his Pokémon, only to watch in horror as Scizor's wings were shredded up from the UB whizzing close by.
Scizor collapsed, in both surprise and pain, its wings at an awkward angle.
"Shit." Guzma recalled his Scizor. "Shit."
Now that Golisopod and Scizor weren't battling the Ultra Beast any longer, the tiny being seemed to turn its attention to Guzma.
As confident as Guzma tried to be, against a quick UB that had so easily cut up and maimed his Pokémon made Guzma realize that he should have run for cover immediately.
"Shit." Guzma cursed as he threw himself to the rain-soaked grass as the UN whizzed by and into another old building in town. The house crumbled to pieces as the UB sliced its way out, and Guzma scrambled to get out of the way of the falling debris. While he didn't freeze up like he had around the Nihilego, Guzma found the idea of being cut into pieces very unappealing. Something struck his body, and the punk cringed, a flash of pain crossing through his body before he collapsed.
Guzma attempted to get up, his confidence shaken over handling the situation on his own with his Pokémon. The cuts that littered his body from debris and the UB were shallow, but they were bad enough that it made Guzma wondered what might have happened if the injuries had gone deeper. The former leader of Team Skull wasn't planning to stick around to find out.
The UB paused in midair, as if curious why its new opponent wasn't fighting it, before the tiny thing flew into another rage as it cut through another building.
Guzma heard the debris tumbling down in his direction but his body froze up on him in that exact moment. The punk sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, trying to protect his head.
This was going to hurt.
A deafening roar sounded.
Guzma uncurled his body the slightest bit when he wasn't hit by all of the debris. Guzma was glad of it because he didn't think his body could take more damage right now, and especially not from a building.
Maybe a punch or two from a person.
A whitish-yellow color obscured Guzma's vision, and it took the punk a moment to realize that it was Solgaleo.
Solgaleo had protected him.
Guzma wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was surprised that the legendary Pokémon had bothered to come and help him. But he was safe, for now, and it was time that he got up and got his ass into the mansion. Guzma figured that was what Solgaleo wanted from him, what with the way it nudged him with a surprisingly wet nose.
"Tryin' to get up." Guzma said, hating the shaky sound of his voice.
Solgaleo apparently didn't think he was moving fast enough, as it moved from standing over him to gripping the back of the punks jacket with its teeth and attempting to pull him to his feet as gently as possible.
Guzma had trouble keeping his feet beneath him, his legs faintly trembling. At the very least he hadn't pissed his pants and for that, he was grateful. Guzma threw an arm over Solgaleo's mane, again surprised when he felt soft fur beneath his fingers.
Solgaleo growled something, settling itself lower to the ground as if wanting the punk to get on its back.
"I know." Guzma ground out, still in a state of shock. "Tryin'."
Solgaleo's shoulder hit Guzma in the abdomen as the Pokémon got him across its back.
Guzma held on for dear life as Solgaleo leapt out of the way of the UB, the ground ripped up exactly where they had been before. Guzma paled over the sight and dug his fingers firmly into the warm mane.
Solgaleo didn't engage the Ultra Beast, instead taking Guzma over to the front doors of the mansion, where it unceremoniously dropped the punk to the top of the stairs.
Guzma had the presence of mind to roll himself away and luckily too, as he avoided a ranged attack from the UB.
Solgaleo threw itself in the Ultra Beast's direction and sent it flying a short distance away with a swipe of its paw.
The sudden arrival of several people and their Pokémon again diverted the UB's attention as it righted itself in the air.
Guzma didn't notice, as Solgaleo had landed nearby and blocked his view of the sky. He was understandably spooked when Honchkrow abruptly landed next to him, Nanu suddenly there.
"M'fine." Guzma insisted as he allowed the older man to help him upright. The punk couldn't stop trembling, however, over how many times he'd been so close to getting ripped to pieces. Guzma was rather grateful for Nanu's presence, even if the other man was torn between relief and anger.
Nanu ran his hands over Guzma lightly, as if cataloging every nick and cut, seemingly unable to find his words.
Guzma wasn't the only one shaking.
"You did tell me to go talk to Plumes and the others, ya know." Guzma reminded the older man. "I woulda hung out at the station otherwise." His words didn't seem to help, as it made a Nanu look distraught instead of angry.
Oops.
Did...did Nanu blame himself for encouraging him to go talk to his former teammates?
"You didn't know one of those things was lurkin' around." Guzma said, reaching out of catch one of Nanu's hands. "Ya can scold me for stayin' out to fight it instead of gettin' my ass out of harm's way, yeah?"
Nanu didn't look any happier, not that he ever did, but the guilt seemed to fade away as he gripped Guzma's hand in return.
"Cat got yer tongue, old man?" Guzma teased.
"Get inside." Nanu said with a shake of his head. "If they aren't there already, get anyone else that's inside to one of the back rooms, away from the front of them mansion."
"I..." Guzma bristled over the way Nanu was trying to get him out of the way, but felt his Golisopod's Pokéball, as well as Scizor's, shake. "Shit. I should check on Golisopod. And Scizor. Damn fucker up there in the sky severed the small limbs, and fucked Scizor's wings up." Guzma peered beneath his jacket at both Pokéballs, as if expecting to see blood to seeping out of them.
"You need to have those seen to as well." Nanu pointed out some of the deeper gouges on Guzma's forearms. "Go. Help your Pokémon and yourself."
"Where are Sun and Moon? They are inside, aren't they?" Kukui asked as he walked over, his Pokémon close behind.
"Yeah, they're inside." Guzma grunted, hand tightening around Nanu's.
"If you'd make sure that he goes inside and stays inside, it's be useful." Nanu said to Kukui, indicating Guzma.
"Damn cop." The punk used the hand around Nanu's own to tug the older man closer. "I don't need a damn babysitter." Guzma cussed as Nanu jabbed his leg with a foot, causing him to let go. Guzma cussed as Kukui wrangled him around the neck with an arm and steered him toward the mansion, just in time for Plumeria to open the door. "Don't say a thing." Guzma griped to the former Team Skull admin, as he struggled to get out of the hold Kukui held him in as the professor led him toward the storage room.
Guzma more or less gave up on escape even as he cast a glance back at the now closed doors of the mansion.
"Nanu is the kahuna of this island. He'll be fine." Kukui said as he released Guzma from his grasp. "The other man that was with him seemed familiar with that creature outside, with that Lunala of his. Never thought I'd see two legendary Pokémon in one place!"
"You use your damn Masked Royale moves too much outside of the ring." Guzma said as he rubbed the back of his neck with a scowl.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Kukui said, feigning ignorance over Guzma's words as he and the punk followed Plumeria first through one room, and than another, to get to the storage room. Once the door was closed, Kukui turned to face the Guzma. "Now, what did you say happened to your Pokémon?"
"It...that Ultra Beast out there..." Guzma retrieved the Pokéballs, a little reluctant to let his wounded Pokémon out. "It severed Golisopod's smaller limbs and slashed up Scizor's wings."
Professor Kukui as well as several of the grunts looked horrified over the thought.
"Moon said there were some medical supplies on a shelf." Sun said from where he was seated on the floor. He looked a little pale over the thought of a Pokemon being so badly hurt. "I just got my arms taken care of. There were more bandages and stuff still there."
"If we're going to help them, you need to let your Pokémon out." Kukui said, hesitating before resting a hand on Guzma's shoulder. "The sooner we treat them, the less pain they will be in. It sounded like your Golisopod might even still be losing blood, based off its injuries."
Guzma relented but did shrug Kukui's hand off his shoulder before letting Golisopod out of its Pokeball. Guzma's stomach twisted painfully over the blood that accompanied his Pokémon's appearance as Golisopod let out several pained hisses and clicks. Guzma was able to get his Pokémon to rest on its side, head resting on the punk's lap. Guzma gently pet the top of its head as Kukui and Plumeria clean the stubs that remained of the four smaller limbs. A former Team Skull grunt, Val, if Guzma recalled her name correctly, passed some paste that would numb the pain.
*Kukui directed Salazzle (?) at Plumeria's direction to seal the wounds shut, as the wounds were too jagged to properly stitch.
Golisopod shook as it pressed its head against Guzma's waist with a low whirl and a click as the work was down. It pressed closer to its trainer as some gauze was gently wrapped around the ends of the stubs.
Guzma quietly hugged Golisopod's head close, the punk relieved that the bug Pokémon seemed like it was going to be all right. Guzma sagged against his Pokémon in relief when one of the remaining larger, two claw-tipped limbs looped around Guzma's back in an approximation of a hug as it chittered at him.
"All done. You did a good job." Guzma murmured to his Pokémon. The punk got a series of pleased clicks and chitters in return. "Big lug." Guzma said affectionately. "You just want more Pokébeans after this, huh?"
Golisopod's eyes flickered in excitement.
"Now for Scizor." Plumeria cut into Guzma teasing his Pokémon. "And then you, since you look like shit right now."
"Well gee, maybe that's 'cause me, Golisopod and Scizor were tryin' to keep an Ultra Beast from cutting you lot up?" Guzma snapped back, turning to Plumeria even as he let Scizor out to be checked out.
Scizor came out and received some treatment for its torn-up wings, the Pokemon clearly upset over the fact that it wouldn't be able to move as quickly as before.
Guzma pets Golisopod's head as he held one of Scizor's pincers. Guzma noticed that the end of the pincer opening and closing a little in agitation, and held the limb a little tighter.
*Treatment on Scizor is finished and Plumeria points out it is Guzma's turn.
Golisopod slowly lifted its head off its trainers lap to sit up, gingerly poking its stubs before leaving them be with a wince.
Guzma didn't notice someone whispering something to the Pokémon but Guzma sure as hell heard the laughs.
Golisopod suddenly used its remaining limbs to haul Guzma up from beneath his armpits, and holding him as still as possible while the punk squirmed.
"Hey, no gangin' up on me!" Guzma glanced up at his Pokémon. "Is this 'cause I didn't give you a Pokébean right away?"
Golisopod chittered a little as it held its trainer firmly, Scizor doing nothing to help.
"Traitors." Guzma told his Pokémon fondly, before he swore over his numerous cuts being seen to. Guzma half-heartedly struggled before slumping in Golisopod's grasp, letting out a startled laugh when the bug Pokémon leaned over and nibbled his hair. The sting of his cuts being disinfected, however, was nothing compared to what was going on in Guzma's head. Now that he knew his Pokémon was going to be all right, the punk's thoughts turned to those still outside in the rain with that UB.
And in particular, Nanu.
Guzma wondered if the cop was going to be careful or not. Guzma really didn't care for the disparaging way Nanu spoke of himself at times. The way he'd mockingly call himself a wretch, and believe that no one would care if he happened to vanish one day. Guzma hated the attitude, because despite their interactions as of late, it was as though Nanu truly didn't care whether or not he survived this whole ordeal with the Ultra Beasts.
Did it not matter to Nanu that at least Acerola would miss him? Was the cop really so dumb that he didn't think Guzma cared enough by now that the punk would miss him? When this particular incident was resolved, Guzma was going to confront Nanu about his dour, gloom and doom ass.
Guzma wanted to make damn sure that Nanu wasn't trying to walk into a situation where he would intentionally allow himself to die for some horrid reason.