Ganyu was unsure of how she had gotten herself into this situation. For one, she refused to wear Team Skull's whole outfit, only taking the necklace chain with her.

And…

"SCORE!"

Grunt A, named by the other grunts, roared as he threw a wild and defenseless Pyukumuku at Grunt C. Grunt B only chose to stay and watch, standing right besides Ganyu.

Grunt C went silent, a bit of water getting into her green hair and her Team Skull uniform. She looked at Grunt A, than back at the water to the right. "I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON IN THROWING PYUKUMUKUS AT PEOPLE!" She shouted at him, grabbing her bucket and rushing over to the water.

"STOP STOP!" Grunt A frantically yelled, his clothes all getting wet.

"Give it up for the camera, ya too!" Grunt B yelled out, leaning against Ganyu.

Ganyu looked at him, and back at the two other grunts. "Is this…what Team Skull normally does?" She asked him.

"Huh?" Grunt B looked at her. "Oh, you were asking if we do this all the time? Nah, we don't. We just do whatever we want. And we don't give a single care about what the people of Alola thinks of us." He said, giving a thumbs up.

"…You all look so carefree." She said, back at Grunt A and C. If she could recall, those two were actually named Prye and Flye. "Guzma explained to me about the Island Challenge. Is is true that all of you failed it?" She asked him.

Grunt B's smile dropped, as he stopped recording. "Look. Some of us failed the Island Challenge, but not all of us. I ran off from home due to…reasons. I ran off and found Team Skull and was welcomed there." He said, sighing. "I don't know what I'd do without Team Skull or Guzma. Skull is just one big family."

"A family…" Ganyu whispered to herself.


Ganyu never had any hobbies. Never in her life, well maybe before the war, but after the war? Definitely no. So when the grunts pulled her off to get to know her better, it was frustrating.

"Do you uh…like drawing?" A grunt by the name of Daw with lavender hair asked, as they slide an piece of paper to Ganyu.

She picked it up, looking at it. It looked like a spider, but different form. She assumed it was an Pokemon. "It looks beautiful. But, personally, I've never gotten into drawing." She said to them.

"I thought that was gonna be the one!" Another grunt, Meddo, said, sitting to the left besides Daw. "Okay what do you like doing then, Dragon Girl?" He asked her.

She never did have hobbies, did she? "I love naming all of the dogs in Liyue." She said.

"Really? You see there's a Pokemon I've been meaning to name…" Meddo said, taking out a Pokeball from his pocket. "I caught it a long time ago, but meet my friend, Buneary!" He said.

From out the Pokeball came an Buneary, stretching its arms and legs up. It looked up at Ganyu, directly staring at her horns. "Bun?" It pointed at her horns, looking back at their trainer.

Ganyu immediately shook her head, with a nervous smile on her face. "It's a old family heirloom passed down from generation to generation!" She explained frantically to the Pokemon, knowing well she lied to the poor creature.

"Yeah, it is! Look!" Meddo said, before reaching out for Ganyu's horns.

"Wait-" Ganyu tried protesting, but she felt her left horn grabbed.

Silence drew out between the group. Dew, who grabbed some potato chips, dropped the bag onto the ground. Maddo was silent, as Ganyu's face grew more and more redder.

"…see?" Maddo silently called out, realizing he was indeed touching a real dragon horn. He let go of Ganyu's horn.

"…Maddo. You're so lucky, we're in the kitchen right now." Daw chuckled a little. "Or else you'd be dead."

"You're an actual dragon?" Maddo looked at Ganyu.

"NO OF COURSE NOT!" Ganyu cried out, obviously lying. "The heirloom is just…super detailed!" She smiled nervously.

They knew she was lying. It was so obvious.

And hope seemed to shine on Ganyu, as the door to the kitchen opened up. Plumeria, with one hand on her hip, stood there. "Ganyu. Guz wants to talk to ya." She said.

"OOOOOO! Ganyu, you're in trouble!" Daw joked, smiling. He received an smack from Maddo.

Ganyu didn't say anything, taking a gulp and leaving the kitchen as Plumeria slammed the door.

"Come." Plumeria said, nudging her head.

"Right. But may I ask what Guzma wants from me?" Ganyu asks, following along side with her. The assistant saw two other grunts, and waves at them. They wave back, followed by a short 'hey Ganyu!'

"He wants to test your skills with that bow of yours." Plumeria explained.

"Test my skills?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Yea. Since you know, you're from other world." She said. "Oh and you got ice powers."

"Oh right…" She left out a sigh, eyeing down at her Vision. It would be best to hide it right? But right now, it's the only thing she has left from her world.

"And don't feel bad. Everyone battles Guz in a friendly battle before they're accepted into Team Skull." Plumeria shrugged her shoulders.

"Really?" Ganyu immediately cheers up, having a small smile on her face while keeping up the pace.

"…Yea. But you're gonna get accepted either way. Team Skull is where the nobodies go to, we're all an family here, even if we're not related." She said.

"Wow…" She was astounded.

"Ayo Guz. I brought Ganyu." Plumeria opened the door, it was raining outside. Guzma was taking cover, using his jacket as a shield from the rain. He looked over to Plumeria, waving over to her as he stood up and ran over to her.

"Wassup Plums and Ganys!" He greeted them both.

"Ganys?" Ganyu whispered under her breath, a bit confused.

"That's my familiar way of nicknames, you'll get used to it!" Guzma laughed. "You're not used to nicknames?"

Ganyu shook her head.

"Sheesh, you've been missing out on life then kiddo." Guzma teased at her, shrugging his shoulders.

Ganyu refused to counter that 'kiddo' statement. Maybe it would be better to leave it be for now.

"Anyways, you ready?" He asks her.

She nods her head, not once showing her nervousness. She hasn't even faced an Pokemon once, but maybe it'll be like fighting back at Teyvat.

"Great! Come over here, I got a perfect spot!" He said, taking her arm. Ganyu turns to Plumeria one more time, the woman whispering out an 'good luck' to her.


Ganyu looked at the Malasada, she was holding. She took a gulp, a bit nervous she had to admit. The rest of the grunts has chosen to take a break and eat some Malasadas at a nearby place.

All of them stuck out in the colorful and bright Royal Avenue, but they didn't seem to mind one bit. They were used to this, but not Ganyu.

"Hey." Grunt A pointed at her Malasada. "You gonna eat that or can I have it?"

Before Ganyu could speak….

"Asshole, don't fucking peer pressuring her!" Grunt C slapped them by the back of their head. "Let her take her time!"

"It's not my fault, jeez!" They said, hitting her back with an empty shopping bag. Before Grunt C could hit him back, Ganyu stopped the two frantically.

"Stop, stop! Calm down, both of you! I know you were…'assigned' to watch over me but I'm doing fine! Really…Here, I'll take a bite!" Ganyu explained to both of them, before looking down at her Malasada. She took a nervous gulp, before taking a bite of it.

And it wasn't as bad as she thought. It wasn't like her food back home, but it was good quality at least. In just a few seconds, she devoured it, wiping off any crumbs that were left behind.

"That was delicious!" She smiled. "How much do they cost again?"

"Um about 1000 Pokedollars, but thankfully, money's easy to get!" Grunt A said.

"If you're an Pokemon trainer." Grunt C mumbled underneath her breathe.

"Uh Pyre, did you say anything?" Ganyu raised her eyebrows at her.

"Oh no, I didn't say anything!" She nervously smiled, quickly changing her attitude.

"Hey guys I'm back!" An certain familiar voice yelled out. The trio turned, before smiling and waving.

"Welcome back B!" Ganyu said, as Grunt B places down a bag of items from the Thirty Megamart onto the ground.

They sit down, and start taking stuff out. "I got everything for everyone around here, so don't worry you guys." He said. "First off…" He gave Flye a Alolan Raichu doll.

"Thanks bro!" He thanked the older grunt. "It'll go with my collection well!"

Next, he gave Prye an Azurill doll. "I know that's your favorite Water Pokemon, even if you don't like any Water types." He said.

"Thanks. Wait a second, are you just giving us dolls because you couldn't bring us anything better? Or am I just being a bit paranoid?" She asked herself.

"…I just think you're being a bit paranoid." Ganyu said, putting her hand on her shoulder as comfort.

"I need to fix my sleep schedule…" She whispered out, rubbing her eyes.

"And last for Ganyu…" Grunt B said, before giving Ganyu her present.

She grabbed hold of it, it was an Dragonite. "It's adorable. Thank you." She said to him, hugging it.

"Oooo! A Dragonite for Ganyu! What a brilliant choice! Maybe we should fix it up a bit and add on Ganyu's horn heirlooms to it! We just need some needles, cloth, cotton, and possibly more-" Grunt A rambled on.

An loud sound played out in the distance, an horn.

"What the heck is that?" Grunt B pointed ahead, looking over to the side. Ganyu just simply turned, already noticing what was ahead of the distance.

"Ships?" She said.

They all stood up, the three grunts trying to get a close up. It was at the hotel, they could see a brief of white and gold.

"Aether Foundation ships?" Grunt A looked at the others.

"Let's break in." Grunt C already decided.


Ganyu has survived an literal war. Lived for thousands of years, and worked on so much paperwork. So then why is she having trouble battling an Pokemon?

Is it because of Guzma's strategy? Or because of the Pokemon's ability to adapt? But neither way, she needs to figure something out.

It's raining out here, with some occasional thunderstrikes. She doesn't know every single Pokemon, but Golisopod is faster. Maybe it's an Water type?

"Golisopod!" Guzma calls out. "Night Slash!"

She prepares herself for an attack, her bow in hand. The Pokemon rushes, and disappears. It's going too fast for her to see where it is.

But she catches something. A small streak of blue, white, and purple out of the corner of her eye. She immediately ducks down, avoiding Golisopod's Night Slash.

She slams down her hand, forming an icicle onto her hand. "AH!" She cries out, getting tossed away and getting wet mud all around her and her clothes. She still has her icicle, but her weapon is just a few runs away.

"Hey, Ganyu, you wanna give up? You seem tired." Guzma calls, his hands on his hips.

She grips her Vision and the icicle on hand, more tightly. "No. I'm not going to give up. I…can do this. I can be accepted into an family." She explained, slightly turning over to Guzma. "I can be accepted."


"You know I expected more from the Aether Foundation."

Ganyu slightly turned her head over to Grunt C, as she placed the tape back into place. "Why do you say that?" She asked her.

"The Aether Foundation has got a bunch of stuff, cause you know Pokemon safety and all that! But it seems they're not getting much. Wonder why…" She explained to the hybrid. She held up an microwave-ready soup box and some stale bread wrapped up. "The heck are they even needing these for?" She said, holding up the items for Ganyu to see.

"Maybe because it's food?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "For the Pokemon…?"

"Nah. If I had to eat this, I'd rather starve to death or rip my arms and legs off." She mumbled, placing it back down.

"That's…quite an description." Ganyu looked at her with a bit of worry.

"You think the guys found anything?" Grunt C stood up.

"Maybe." She said.

"Then let's go! Come on Gans!"

"It's Ganyu."

Shortly after that, the two left the boat and immediately rushed over to the back, trying to avoid anyone from spotting them. They weren't technically allowed to be there in the first place, Ganyu was the one who sneak them in.

"Okay, I think we're in the clear…" Grunt C said, taking a peek to see if anyone was there.

"I hope so. This was such a bad decision…" Ganyu mumbled to herself.

"Hey." An voice spoke from behind her.

"AH!" She jumped, sending out her Vulpix and grabbing onto Prye. It was actually Grunt A and B, with nothing valuable on hand.

"Vul?" Vulpix looked back at her trainer. Ganyu immediately stopped holding onto Prye, and patting her Pokemon's head.

"Sorry, I was startled is all." She quickly apologized to the Pokemon, before pulling out her Pokeball. She returned Vulpix back, and stood up. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for everything, Gan Gan. You just got scared is all!" Grunt C spoke up.

"I would say the same thing, but we literally snuck in here. Anyways, you two didn't find anything?" Grunt B asked the two.

"No, I'm afraid not." Ganyu said, shaking her head.

"We found some bread, but it was stale." Grunt C shrugged her shoulders.

"Stale? Bread?" Grunt A raised his eyebrows at that. "Why would the Aether Foundation need that?"

"Yeah! That's exactly what I said to Ganyu!" She yelled out.

"Hey guys! Don't shout, you may alert someone!" Grunt B interrupted, letting out a sigh. "But, I did find something…"

"YOU DID?!" The two other grunts yelled out.

"Hey, we can't shout." Ganyu said, reminding the two. "What did you find?"

"A basement. It didn't have much, but I did find something. However…I need someone else to help me carry it back." He said.

Everyone looked at each other.

"I'll do i-"

"I'll go."

Ganyu's voice interrupted through, making her the strongest.


"VULPIX! COME ON OUT!"

An burst of light enveloped and vanished, taking shape into an Alolan Vulpix.

"Vul!" It shouted out, ready for battle.

"Huh? You're sending out your Pokemon? Heh, you planning something?" Guzma chuckled a little, with his Scizor out.

His main ace was now out of the way, but that left Ganyu exhausted. As long as she'll beat Scizor, then she'll be accepted into the 'family'.

"You'd be right, Mister Guzma." She smiled.

"Then let's get started! Scizor!"

Scizor's wings started to flatter, Ganyu kept an close eye on it for possible attacks, and what to command Vulpix for.

"Double Team, and then X-Scissor!"

That move summons up copies of Pokemon, and X-Scissor was an Bug type move, as shown with Golisopod before.

"Vulpix, aim for the ground and use Ice Beam!" Ganyu commanded her Pokemon, charging up her bow.

Scizor 'multiplied' into copies, and it wasn't long before Ganyu lost the original Pokemon. She stayed close to her Pokemon, as it let out an Ice Beam, freezing up the ground.

Then the Scizor attacked, all by one. Ganyu let go of her arrow, it scattered into icicle arrows and hit some of the Scizors. She couldn't keep up however, when one of them was behind her, ready to attack.

Vulpix let out a growl. "Pix!" It let out, jumping up and letting out an Ice Beam that nearly scratched Ganyu herself. But the Scizor copy vanished after that one.

"Good job." She complimented it, hitting another copy of Scizor.

"Scizor, return."

Ganyu frowns, upon the copies vanishing to thin air and Scizor being returned back. She and her Pokemon are confused, as she looks over to Guzma.

She runs up to him. "Guzma, why did you return it?" She asks him.

"Cause, you already got accepted to Team Skull!" He said, shrugging his shoulders and turning around and beginning to walk away. "Battle's over, enjoy the rest of you day!"

"Wait, but why? I thought no one could get into Team Skull unless they battled and defeated you?"

Guzma stops in his tracks, dropping his hands to his side. He slightly turns to her. "No. That was just an excuse to battle you…" He said.

Ganyu raised an eyebrow, her Vulpix mimicking her. "What? But why?"

"Because you don't get to see some person with Ice powers who got dropped by an wormhole every so often here in Alola." He said, shrugging his shoulders once more. "And you think any of the numskulls defeated me? Nah, they haven't yet, but they're getting there!

Ganyu is still confused though. "So…Am I accepted?"

"Huh? Of course you are! You always were accepted to the family!"

She's…baffled, shocked to words. She didn't really expect this.

Guzma looks at her, looking a bit worried now. "Hey uh Gans…Are you crying? Do you want me to go inside and get you some napkins?"


"Huh."

Ganyu opened the door fully, flipping the lightswitch next to it. It didn't provide much but there was an large coffin inside. It seemed so out of place too.

What would the Aether Paradise need with this, exactly?

"It's like you told me…I didn't believe it but it was real." She said.

"Of course it was, I never lie you know!" Grunt B mumbled out. "I tried opening it, but it's stuck."

The two walked over to the coffin, with Grunt B circling the opening. He and Ganyu kneeled down and began to try and peer it open together. It snapped open, with a small pop, making the two fall down to the ground.

"…Let's hope no one heard that." Ganyu whispered to him.

He just nodded, and slowly turned back to the coffin.

There was nothing but clothes. The two wasted their time on a bunch of clothes. Ganyu held one of them up, designed with an 'R' in the middle with rainbow colors.

"So now the Aether Foundation is making merch based on Team Rocket? That's a low blow." Grunt B scoffed, tossing an grey hat to the ground.

"Team Rocket? I've never heard of that, but I'm guessing they weren't good?" Ganyu asked him, looking at the skirts and pants provided there.

"Yup basically. They were a terrible organization that wanted money or something like that. I actually knew someone who was in Team Rocket." He said.

"Really? That's interesting." She said, before looking down at the ground.

Something felt wrong.

"Hey…Do you heard that noise?" She asked Grunt B.

"What noise-"

An loud horn played out, as the ship rumbled. Ganyu lost complete control of her body, accidentally falling straight into the coffin and the case closing down.

"GANYU!"

She heard Grunt B's voice. She searched frantically for an way out, she had her Vulpix and Vision on her.

"B! YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE COFFIN! YOU HAVE TO DO IT!" She yelled throughout the coffin, slamming her fists against it.

There was no response from Grunt B, before she heard footsteps running off in the distance.

"…Grunt B? CADA? CADA?! COME BACK!" She slammed her fists against the coffin. "COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

Ganyu's screams went unheard.


"Where's Ganyu?!"

Grunt B looked like he had seen a ghost. His mouth trembled, not being able to say a single word to A or B.

It didn't help the two were surrounding him, the only one who came back.

"The boat…It started to move…Ganyu got trapped…" He was able to say.

"…fuckfuckfuckFUCK!" Grunt C cursed herself.

"We need to get her." Grunt A immediately said. "We need to get to Aether Paradise and find her."

"We can't, WE CAN'T! AETHER FOUNDATION HATES US, THERE'S NO DOUBT THEY WON'T LET US IN!" Grunt C snapped at him.

"Then we'll tell Guzma o…or Plumeria! They'll know what to do!" He said to her.


Ganyu curled herself into an ball, hands on her knees and shutting her eyes close. It was all an dream, and she was going to wake up from it.

At least this place was safe, like Liyue was. It's too bad her Dragonite plushie fell to the ground when she got trapped.

She'd really love it right now.

She tucked herself closer in, and eventually, she started to sleep away the day.