Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, it's definitely the calm before the storm. BTW, I had already planned on Guzma going to Kanto before I stumbled upon an excellent work on this site entitled "Guzma Beats Down the World", which details his exploits with Hala in Kanto. I'm just gonna pretend that happened like the author described, because it was too perfect. You should check it out!

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"Ah, Melemele Island, home sweet home. Isn't it great to be back, Guzma?"

The slouching young man standing next to Kahuna Hala grimaced. "It's not too late. We can stay on the boat and go back. Then we can hit up the Johto region next…"

"Nonsense my boy, I've got a job to do. You are young though. Once you get Po Town cleaned up, you are free to challenge all the leagues if you so desire. We all know you have the skill to do so. Now, let's disembark and be on our way."

"Fantastic." Guzma rolled his eyes and stuffed his fists in his pockets, dragging his heels as he followed his master off the boat and onto the docks of Hau'oli City. The faces that smiled when they saw their island's leader quickly turned sour when they saw the shadow behind him. He wanted to raise his middle finger and show them the jacket full of Kanto badges he'd acquired in the short, three-week trip they'd taken, but Hala'd probably notice that.

Suddenly, the large man paused, causing Guzma to run into him. "Hey old man, what gives? Throw out your knee or somethin'?"

"Walk next to me," he advised under his breath, moving beside his pupil. His face remained upbeat despite the warning. So, he had noticed. Could it be that old Hala was getting wiser in his old age? Guzma wanted to fight it just out of principal, but clearly this wasn't the time to make a point. He fell in step with the other man as they walked up from the docks and onto the streets.

Hala sighed. "I can't believe you refused to wear your new outfit. It looked quite dapper." Guzma knew what he meant to say: I can't believe you insisted on putting on that old Team Skull outfit.

He was met with a snort. "Nothing says Alola like black sweatpants and a hoodie."

"Or a Malasada. Are you hungry?"

He might have been, if it wasn't for the anxiety starting to form in the pit of his stomach. "Nah, I'm good."

"Well then, I imagine you'll run home and let your folks know you arrived safe and sound and quite successful?" It may have been phrased as a question, but the tone made it clearly a suggestion.

Guzma shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah yeah. They'll chew me out if I don't tell them I'm back. Then I head to Ula'ula tomorrow to meet with Nanu, right?"

"Right." Still, something about his attitude had Hala perplexed. Guzma seemed in no hurry to get home to his family. In fact, during the entirety of the trip, he hadn't seen the boy call home once, or even send a message. Were they on rocky terms after what he'd done?

"Actually, if you want, come by Iki Town once you're done, we can have our debriefing session."

"Joy." They arrived at the crossroads where Guzma would go straight and Hala would turn left.

"See you soon then, Guzma."

"Right old man. It won't be too long."

With that, they parted ways. As soon as Hala was out of the way, Guzma pulled out his phone. It was getting dark, and he cursed the fact that they couldn't have gotten in at an earlier time. Hala perhaps didn't consider it, but it made Guzma jumpy to be out alone at night given what people thought of him… Not that he'd admit that. Still, better to look like he was on the phone with someone while he walked the rest of the way home. There was someone he needed to speak to anyhow.

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"They're back!" Alondra announced excitedly, flinging open the curtains in the living room so light flooded the space. Plumeria just groaned and rolled over, pressing her face further into the couch. It had become apparent by the first day that Plumeria preferred sleeping in, whereas Alondra was a ball of nervous energy, anticipating the day she would be able to make this announcement. "You ready to take down Hala?"

"In a few hours…" the girl muttered into the cushion. Alondra refused to let that get her down. "Well, if you're going to be that way, I'm going to go on ahead and find out from Hala how things went. Maybe I'll see you up there this afternoon?" A grunt was all she got, so she left her new friend to sleep some more. The thing was, Plumeria was well aware. She'd gotten a call last night from Guzma.

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She flew up the path for the second time that morning, though certainly much faster than the first. It left her panting in front of Hala's giant lodge. Wasting no time, she knocked eagerly. She was disappointed when a random house worker opened instead of the man she'd hoped for. "Hi. Is Kahuna Hala busy?"

"Give me one moment and I can check for you. Please, come inside and wait," the middle-aged man replied gracefully. She took a seat on one of the wicker chairs and kicked her feet anxiously. Three weeks had never felt so long, and finally she would see what became of their expedition.

"Alondra!" Hala boomed, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Kahuna Hala, you've returned!" Alondra jumped up and approached him. "I've been waiting to hear how things went. I know it probably sounds weird that I've been so worried about it but…"

"Nonsense. Ever since I saw you battle him on the beach, I knew you cared what happened to him. Come on into the study and I'll give you a run down."

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Guzma, deep in thought, had made it as far as the corner near Alondra's house when he ran into Kukui. Rather, Kukui ran into him. The man was always zipping about with so much damn energy, while Guzma seemed to trudge from place to place. There was a look of surprise on the man's face that was somewhat gratifying at least. "Guzma? When did you get back?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you too. How'd ya know I was gone in the first place?"

Kukui was not going to admit to how Alondra had informed him. "People were wondering where Hala went off to, and I heard he went out on a trip with you." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "So, how was it?"

"Kick ass," was his simple response. Wordlessly, he opened his jacket, revealing the glittering badges along the side. "Alola needs to get with the program. Gyms are where it's at. Ya beat down the strongest trainers and get signs of your victories. I like straightforward."

"You beat all eight gyms in three weeks?" Kukui stared. It had taken him nearly a year, granted he had been much younger back then.

"Hell yeah." Then, he frowned. "I wish I'd had time to take on the Elite Four. It feels like I left it incomplete. Old man had to get back though."

"Will you go back and finish?"

"I'd like to go back and never return." Guzma turned his gaze down to the dirt.

Kukui wasn't sure what to say to that. They hadn't had a real conversation in years. The Guzma before him wasn't the Guzma he grew up alongside. "You really hate it here, huh."

"Yeah. There's only one reason I got back on the boat. In all of Alola, just one."

"Your…family?"

At that response, Guzma seemed to cringe. "Hell no, not the kind you're thinking of. I'm talkin' 'bout those louts that used to be called Team Skull. I can't run off and play the star trainer knowing I've left them behind doin' hard labor for what we all did together. Not like Kahuna Akoni."

That was a much more considerate response than Kukui could have ever anticipated. Though he'd been in Kanto when Kahuna Akoni rebelled, he knew enough from talking to people that the man had left the framework for the Team Skull of the current day when he betrayed the lowest members of his group and left them for Kalos. Guzma did not seem to hold such a man in high regard. "Strange thing to say when you filled his shoes."

"You don't know shit. I can't even get mad at ya for that remark because you are so clueless." Guzma threw his hands up in exasperation. "You weren't here when things got bad, so don't talk like ya know."

A wistful expression crossed the professor's face. He remembered what Alondra had said, accusing him of not being able to see. "You were starting to drift away after the island challenge, but after I left, I came back to find someone so different."

"Yeah. But you haven't changed a bit." Guzma turned to go.

"Wait, Guzma!"

He paused. "Whadya want now?"

"Where are you going?"

"Up to see Hala. At his request."

"Can- can I walk up there with you?"

Nothing could have prepared Guzma for those words. His jaw dropped. "You for real?"

"Yeah." Kukui sighed. "I haven't talked to you in too long. Can you tell me about your trip?"

Well, if they were going to be talking about his glorious battles, that wouldn't be so bad… "I'll bite. Come on."

Together, they walked up the path to Iki Town. "So, who was the hardest gym leader to beat?"

"Definitely not the one in Saffron City. You ain't gonna BELIEVE who they replaced Sabrina with…"

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Alondra seemed to glow with pride. "All eight in three weeks? I bet those gym leaders didn't know what hit them!"

"Well, to be fair, they are usually challenged by children, not by grown men. But yes, still impressive. He had to definitely work on overcoming his type disadvantages in many cases." Hala seemed to recall something, and chuckled. "As well as learn how the HM system works."

The girl grinned. "Yeah, that was a big difference moving to Alola. You just get Pokémon to do that stuff to help you instead of making them learn those ridiculous moves. I bet he got super annoyed!"

"Yes, indeed. Though, I must say, after he got a bit beat around in the first gym, he learned to hold his tongue a bit better. I think he appreciated being able to battle so many serious trainers who in turn took him seriously. I thought he would thrive in an environment like that, and I was correct."

"So, Hala," she fidgeted with her hands. "Do you think this has helped him move forward?"

"I like to think so, Alondra. But only time will tell. Maybe he thrives in that environment but cannot carry it over back to Alola where he is rooted in his habits. We'll see how well he works with Nanu from here on out."

"Where is he now? In Po Town?"

"No, I made sure he went home to report to his parents."

"Oh." There was no disguising the unease that crossed her face at his answer.

Hala squinted. "Is something wrong?"

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"So yeah, I wonder how the Johto League would stack up. Have ya heard much from them?"

"Yeah. They're another region with pretty close ties to Alola. Same concept as Kanto, some unique Pokemon. I hear they've got a bug catching contest in their main park. You'd be all over that."

Guzma's eyes seemed to light up in a way Kukui hadn't seen since they were 11. "A bug catching contest? Why the hell don't we have that? Somebody needs to start one!"

"Why don't you?"

"I ain't got money to put up for prizes, genius!" Guzma retorted, climbing up the stairs to Hala's porch. He knocked on the door forcefully, the wheels still clearly turning. It was refreshing to see him like this. Kukui had honestly thought it would be impossible to regain his friendship with Guzma after all he had done and apparently all he had missed, but get him on the right train of thought and apparently some things hadn't changed. He shook his head with a grin.

"Yes? Oh, hello professor!" the housekeeper said as he opened the door. Then, he looked at Guzma and gave a nervous smile. "And Guzma. Hala is expecting you. Come inside." Guzma shook off the awkward greeting, used to it by this point. He stepped in as if he owned the place and sauntered to the back study where he knew he'd find Hala at this time of day. As children, his schedule was as predictable as clockwork, and he doubted the man had changed much since then. He was about to barge in unannounced when he heard another voice on the other side of the door. A female voice. He'd heard it before, though he suddenly found himself unable to place where. The door muffling it probably didn't help.

"He's not staying there, right? Just poking his head in to visit?"

"Correct, though I still fail to see why you seem so concerned."

"I just…worry it's not good for him to be in that environment. It sounds like he's gained so much momentum from his trip, and going back in that house would set him back. I mean, have you ever met his parents?"

"No. They never came to any of his matches at the Trainer's School. Disappointing, to be certain, but I suppose it couldn't be helped."

"Probably for the best. His dad is such a piece of work! You should hear the way he talks to him, about him. It's so hurtful! And his mom just stands there and lets him do it without saying anything. I know it's all gut feelings, but please Hala, don't let Guzma go back there on his own!"

His name. As the female voice had described the situation, he'd felt deep down it was his life being described, each detail adding to the twisting in his stomach. Matched it perfectly. And there it was. Who the hell was talking about him behind his back? The answer played at the back of his mind, a name that had come up several times in the last few days, a person he'd been trying to figure out what to do with when he'd been interrupted by Kukui earlier. Anger bubbled up inside him, anger he hadn't felt to such an extent in three weeks. Guzma flung open the door, nearly ripping it from the hinges, and came face to face with a shocked Hala and, confirming his suspicions, a horrified Alondra. Her blanching face gave away all the guilt.