Author's Note: Okay, the one shot is now a two shot. Wonder if I can keep it up? I just like delving deeper into character's feelings and reactions during the game, besides obviously wanting a more satisfying ending for my boy.
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"Where are we going?" Alondra wondered as they passed the Pokémon Center, now lit up in the dark and ready to service the incoming trainers. As they'd been putting the town back together, the remaining grunts under Guzma and Alondra's leadership were forced to lay their heads in various spots depending on what was being worked on. However, the mansion was by far the biggest project to restore, and so they had never settled back into the normal Team Skull bunks inside at any point. The Pokémon Center had been the first building restored, and so they spent the most time sleeping there.
He snorted. "Ya really think we're spending the night in the Pokémon Center right before our first day of challengers? We can do better." Guzma gestured grandly to the building before them.
"You mean the inside of the mansion was finished in time?" she asked curiously, squinting in the dark at the impressive building. It had looked fine on the outside when she'd gotten a good look this morning, though she assumed that was because it was what most trainers would be seeing.
"Of course. And I got somethin' I want ya to see. Remember how I said I was gonna make ya the happiest girl in Alola?"
"Y-yeah…" she stuttered, blushing. Thank goodness for the dark…
Seeing her reaction, his face split into a wide grin. "Geez Alondra, it ain't anything like that! Did I corrupt ya that much?"
"Hmph." She pouted now, letting go of his hand and crossing her arms. His arm snaked its way around her waist and pulled her close.
"Not that I object, but that's not what I had in mind. You'll see." And there they were, standing before the doors to the mansion. He released his hold on her and moved to open the door. "After you."
"Tough, cool, AND a gentleman. I've really scored big," she gave a wry smile. Then, she stepped inside. Of course, it was pitch black. "Very nice…"
"I…oh shit, yeah, I forgot about lights. Hang on." He brushed past her and fumbled around for a few seconds before her eyes were assailed by the light of a grand bronze chandelier hanging above the main staircase, the very one that used to be fallen on the staircase. The carpet was brand new, and all traces of graffiti had disappeared from the walls, a fresh coat of paint covering everything and leaving an obvious smell. No more stacks of boxes littering the halls. Pictures were hung neatly on the walls, and tables were standing upright with vases and flowers. It was also noted that the place fairly sparkled it was so clean.
She couldn't help but gasp. "So THIS is what the place used to look like! I never would have recognized it!" It couldn't be any more different than the first time she passed through the mansion's doors two years ago…
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She'd come too far to stop now. Alondra had defeated the gate guards keeping vigil over the only entrance to the walled city, then battled her way across the town, crawling through holes under fences to get past the barricades. Only a decaying Pokémon center whose workers charged a fee for service kept her Pokémon healthy through it all. Once at the mansion, the clear headquarters for the gang, a continuous stream of battles everywhere she turned as she searched the dilapidated building for passwords. Even then, it wasn't as simple as climbing the stairs to the boss's room; the place was such a disaster that a large brass chandelier was obstructing the entire right staircase. Instead, she had gotten to take a perilous walk along a wooden plank walkway outside, slippery and soaked with rain. Now, after all that, she was finally standing outside his room, her heart racing in nervous anticipation. Hearing how some of the grunts talked about him, about not wanting to risk inciting his anger, she had to wonder if he wasn't always as controlled as he had been back in Malie. But, for the sake of that poor kidnapped Pokémon, she had to confront him, all fears aside. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to where the big bad boss was waiting.
She hadn't been sure what to expect, but the state of the room surprised her. No, seriously, after seeing the state of the mansion, why did this surprise her? Shelves of empty bottles, graffiti sprayed over a formerly expensive painting on the wall (and also inadvertently applied to the carpeting as well)… And then there was the plush purple…throne? That was where Guzma was standing, hands on his hips, smirk on his face, and apparently fully aware she was coming. As if he wasn't tall enough, the chair he used as his throne was elevated on a riser of some kind with two end tables flanking either side. One held his laptop, making it really feel like the heart of the mansion.
"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up. Yeah, big bad Guzma is here!" At those words, he rose to his full height for the first time that she'd ever seen, completely radiating that air of dominance she'd recognized previously. She hoped she wasn't unconsciously shrinking… "I don't really get you, kid, but at least this is a change of pace. It's not every day someone comes straight to me for a beating!"
Her nerves may have been faltering, but she remembered why she was here. It wasn't about confronting him. "I'm here for the Pokémon your guys stole!" she declared with as much confidence as she could, clenching her hands into fists. "Taking it from a kid, how could you?"
"Ah, the Yungoos. How sweet of you to help out a sad little girl. And you came all the way here just for that?" His speech was interrupted by a shrill barking sound. Her eyes darted to the right, where a frightened Yungoos was being guarded by one of the countless grunts. It appeared unharmed. Strange, why was it just hanging out here in Guzma's room? Shouldn't it be caged up somewhere rather than be displayed when they knew she was coming? Something about it seemed fishy.
"Can't you just watch out for your own Pokémon and stay out of other people's business?"
She swallowed and shook her head. "No, I'm not much good at that."
He chuckled darkly. "You are one messed up kid. You wanna know what I do when some machine messes up? The first thing I do is give it a nice hard smack. I mean, most of the time I smash it to pieces, but hey, what can you do?" At that admission, her eyes widened. Did he actually break things in his anger? Scanning the room frantically, she noticed for the first time the way the arms of the throne were scratched and dented, as if someone had gripped them too tightly and dug their nails in. Beyond the grunt, an unusual flicker of light was, upon further inspection, shards of glass. He'd thrown a bottle against the wall? His aggressive voice brought her back. "Now, let's see if I can't fix you!" His hand found his Pokeball, and she quickly stepped back as he summoned Golisopod.
Having a Pokémon battle indoors was even harder when your opponent was a huge, towering insect, but this time Alondra had a strategy in place, knowing at least two of the Pokémon he would have. And all the battling to get to him had actually honed her Pokémon's' skills. Losing was not an option here, not like before. Though hard fought, the battle was not nearly as close as the previous one, and soon she had him beat, shocked that yet again, he only fought with two Pokémon.
"Yeah yeah, I gotta admit that was great…" he muttered darkly, reaching for his wallet. But unlike before, his anger seemed to bubble under the surface despite the compliment that she couldn't help but feel was sincere (no one was watching, EXPECTING him to be polite in the middle of Po Town). This time though, he flung the money down instead of handing it to her. And then it happened. "Guzma, what is wrong with you?!" he shouted, with no need to worry about a crowd judging him. Just like in Malie Garden, he suddenly grabbed at his hair and tugged in agitation, eyes wild. It had to hurt; was he trying to punish himself for his failure? Was this normal for him every time he lost? Did he do this after other unpleasant experiences? So many questions! It made her feel inexplicably sad for him, despite the parallel feeling of fear that came from his unpredictable outbursts.
He turned to the grunt, a dangerous look on his face. "Yo! Give the Pokémon back to the kid. NOW!" The grunt jumped and quickly obeyed without a sound, stepping aside and allowing Yungoos to run over to Alondra's side. Guzma watched it scamper off with a snarl. The grunt, having let it go, was quick to observe his boss's ire and scurried out of the room as if expecting an explosion. That left just him and her, alone in the middle of Team Skull territory in a dilapidated second-story bedroom, and he was looking at her with considerable malice. She was not so naïve that she couldn't imagine the countless horrible ways this could end. It took all she had not to let her knees shake under his glare.
"I'm gonna beat you down one of these days, no matter whose help I need to do it!" He took a menacing step forward, and Alondra was certain he was going to raise a hand to her personally. Without Pokémon, she'd be no match for him if he chose to get violent. Her face blanched and her eyes widened as he approached, limbs frozen in fear. But he didn't so much as give her a second glance as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard enough that the glass bottles rattled on the shelves. It took a moment to register, Alondra simply staring at the empty throne before her with watering eyes. Then, she sank to her knees and began to sob. She was scared, confused, angry, and so many other things she couldn't label, and that man was the cause of everything. She'd wanted to know the REAL him, but after everything she'd gone through that afternoon, she was reconsidering.
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Her reflection was interrupted as he cleared his throat. "I know it's great, but that's not what I want to show ya. Follow me." He gestured her in the direction of the stairs, taking a right.
"Aww, no stroll on random plank walkways outside?" she teased, hurrying to catch up.
He rolled his eyes. "No. We're done livin' like slobs. Besides, can't have our guests getting a bad impression." At the top of the stairs, he turned left and came to a halt in front of a door. The door to his old room.
"Ah, I see, you wanted to get my opinion on a paint color for the kahuna's room? Critique the feng shui of it?" Alondra was joking, but she was actually quite confused. He'd been making a huge deal of this, and she couldn't figure out why showing her his room would be so exciting. Maybe he'd upgraded his throne?
"It ain't the kahuna's room," he said quietly, turning the doorknob. "It's yours." The door swung open, and with the flip of the light switch, the light of several lamps revealed an impeccably clean, elegant space. The bed was no longer awkwardly angled but flush with the wall, covered with a new dark purple comforter. All the bottles on the shelves had been removed, with a few books placed there instead to offer a glimpse of what it could be. The throne was gone, replaced with a comfortable-looking armchair, still flanked by the end tables. Even a dresser for clothes had been added. She gaped in surprise, trying to take it all in. "Didn't know what you'd want for decoration, so I left that up to you. If ya want something moved around, just let me know."
"Guzma…you're serious? This is…for me?" she breathed, throat starting to choke up. It wasn't having a place just for herself after all those nights sleeping in shared spaces. It wasn't seeing how he'd cleaned up the place and made it respectable. It was that he'd given her HIS room, the best room in the mansion in a totally selfless act.
He grinned at her reaction, though this time it wasn't teasing in the slightest. Guzma legitimately beamed at seeing her so emotional. "Yeah. Y-Ya like it?"
She bit her lip. "It's AMAZING! But…what about you? Where will you sleep?"
He shrugged. "There's plenty of rooms in this place. Might take Plumeria's old room in the west wing."
Alondra turned thoughtful. "I don't' want to complain, but…you're the kahuna! You should have the best, you're the one people are coming to see! You're the one Tapu Bulu chose! And this, this was your throne room! It's important to you!"
"Alondra." He grabbed her hands and spun her to face him. "I wouldn't be a kahuna without you and everything you've done for me. For that reason, you're the most important person here, not me. Besides…" he cleared his throat, averting his eyes, "…thrones are for losers who like to feel important. I've got somethin' worth way more now."
"Like…me?"
"Yeah." At that admission, his face turned red, and he quickly let go and turned, scratching his head.
She also felt the heat rush to her face, though it was in the best way possible. "Well…I guess if that's how you feel, who am I to turn you down? It's just that…"
"Don't even argue with me," he warned, raising an eyebrow.
She shot a warning look. "I was going to say, it seems to me that it is more than enough room for two people."
He could feel his heart beat a little faster. "What are ya getting at?"
"Well, I mean, i-if you want to, you and I could…you know, share the room?" She studied the carpet, holding her breath. Had that been too soon? It had just felt like the right moment to say it, with the way things had played out! She braced herself for the rejection.
"Is that what you want?" he asked instead, apparently in disbelief at her offer.
She took a deep breath. "Yeah. I mean, only if it's what you want."
Guzma stared for a few seconds, then suddenly closed the distance and delivered a deep kiss, taking her face in his hands. When they finally parted, she giggled. "I take that as a 'yes'?"
"I'm gonna go grab my things!" was his response as he bolted out the door, wings on his heels and a goofy grin covering his face. She stared, dazed, with a dumb smile plastered on her own face. Strange how much could change. This room used to be the last place she'd wanted to end up, but now it seemed they'd be making new, much more pleasant memories here.
