Episode 10: Aloha! Make Way for Team Skull!
After resolving the evil team fiasco, the S.S. Volcanion was finally able to make it to Hawaii, a tropical paradise in the Pacific Ocean. Kris was excited to see the homeland of the Z-Move in-person, while Dylan was more content to just relax and train with his newly caught shiny Pidove.
"Did you decide on a name for that thing yet?" Ashton asked as they strolled down the street.
Dylan looked up at the Pidove resting on his head. "His name is Joker, because his Hidden Power was a wild card move that helped us win."
"You can tell that it's a male Pidove?" Kris said in amazement.
"Aurora told me he was, actually," Dylan explained. "And a good thing to, 'cause honestly female Unfezants are pretty unappealing to say the least."
"Either way, I can't wait to find a Gym in this place," Ashton said with a grin. "I'm itching for an official battle."
"You might have to wait for that," Kris said. "Hawaii doesn't have any official gyms that give out badges. Instead they have the Island Trials, a rite of passage for the trainers of the state."
"Aw man, seriously?" Ashton wined. She huffed and crossed her arms.
Aurora giggled a bit but stopped as her ears perked up. Do any of you hear that sound? she asked.
The humans listened closely. "Yeah, I hear something," Dylan said. "It sounds like… rap music?"
Going further down the road, the trio found themselves seeing an unusual sight. In front of a building stood a group of what looked to be street thugs breakdancing and rapping, led by a young man with white hair and girl with long pigtails. Standing in front of the group was an older man in a black police uniform with a Hawaiian Persian at his side, clearly unamused at the situation.
"Yo, yo, Team Skull is back!" one of the tugs rapped.
"And if you don't like it, prepare to be attacked!" another added.
"I thought we were done with this nonsense," the old man sighed.
Assessing the situation, our heroes moved in to see what was going down. "Excuse me sir, but what's happening here?" Dylan asked.
The old man turned to the newcomers. "What's happening is the local hoodlums have come here to disturb a national landmark."
"We ain't disturbing no one, grandpa," their leader shouted. "We're just setting up shop for our new Gym."
"Did you even file the paperwork to do so?" the old man replied.
Ashton stepped forward. "Gym? Did you say Gym? I'm interested."
"Of course you would," Dylan and Kris sweated.
"For your information, Nanu, Guzma did get the paperwork done to qualify as an official Gym Leader in the Pokémon World Challenge," the girl with pigtails said. "More like I did the paperwork for him, but the point still stands."
The man with white hair, Guzma, smirked. "Tell 'em, Plumeria! I'm a real-deal Gym Leader now, and my grunts are gonna help me set up a Gym right here at the Puʻuhonua."
Kris pulled out her Poké gear and searched the term Guzma said. "According to my sources, this place was used as a place of refuge for people in the past to escape persecution from breaking sacred laws or falling in combat."
"The fact still stands that you have to actually talk to the local government to set up a Gym here," Nanu sighed.
"Oh yeah? Then how about we battle for it?" Guzma taunted.
"That's a bad match up waiting to happen," Nanu replied. "You expect me to use my Dark types against your Bug types?"
Ashton smirked, stepping up to Guzma. "How about I battle you instead. If you win, we'll just be on our way, but if I win, you do as Nanu says and give me a gym badge."
The Team Skull grunts all gave a gasp of surprise. "That girl just challenged you, boss!"
"You gonna let her talk to you like that?" another shouted.
Guzma closed his eyes, smirking in the same way the Ashton does when she fights. "Why not have a battle to test out my new Gym Leader status?" He opened his eyes and threw out his hands. "You wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form- It's your boy Guzma!"
The heroes and Team Skull grunts made a circle around the two combatants, with Nanu serving as a reluctant referee to the event. One of the grunts switched the track on their boombox to a more battle-appropriate song, and the match was on.
"Azrael, let's do this!" Ashton called, sending her Skarmory into battle.
"Golisopod, First Impression!" Guzma shouted, tossing his own ball out. A massive arthropod Pokémon burst from the ball, immediately rushing at Azrael and clawing at it for big damage, despite having a resistance to the move.
"Aw yeah, the boss' ace 'Mon!" one of the grunts cheered.
"So you like to fight dirty, huh?" Ashton stated. "Then let's level the playing field. Azrael, go for Spikes, followed by Pursuit!"
"Golisopod, Waterfall that bird!" Guzma ordered.
Azrael set out spikes on the ground before taking the Waterfall head on, wobbling slightly from the hit. It was clear that Guzma raised his Pokémon to be as powerful as possible. The two Pokémon clashed with Steel Wing and Brick Break, trading blows until they were both exhausted from battle.
"Golisopod, let the others take over," Guzma said, switching his Pokémon out for Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokémon.
"Crap, my spikes won't work on that," Ashton noted. She sighed. "Azrael, do whatever you can before going down!"
"Vikavolt, zap it out of the sky!" Guzma commanded.
Azrael used Fly to zoom high into the sky, while Vikavolt started powering up its own attack. Once the Skarmory came crashing down, it took a Thunderbolt point-blank, getting knocked out but doing some damage with Fly.
"You did what you had to do, Azrael," Ashton recalled her Pokémon. "Halley, time to shine!"
The Clefairy cheered as it was brought out, using Metronome to call on an Ancient Power to pummel Vikavolt. The Stag Beetle Pokémon flinched at the attack, but went on to use Flash Cannon, which managed to graze Halley as she tried to dodge out of the way.
"That's right, I'm ready to counter any cutesy Fairy types with Vikavolt," Guzma laughed. "Keep up the pressure to crush them, Vikavolt!"
"Halley, Metronome spam!" Ashton shouted in a panic.
"Spam? Like the meat?" a team Skull Grunt asked.
Plumeria smacked him on the head. "Spam as it repeatedly use a move," the Team Skull admin corrected. "If this girl is smart, she'll be praying for a good move against Vikavolt. Either that or she's desparate."
Halley danced like a ballerina around Vikavolt, dodging Flash Cannons and returning her own assortment of Flamethrowers and Rock Blasts. Nanu sighed as he saw tourist start to be attracted to the battle, sending out his Royal Persian and Krokorok to keep them back. Kris and Dylan were cheering on Ashton, getting into it as much as the Team Skull members were cheering on their boss.
Halley's metronome eventually used Lock-On, making Ashton's smirk return. "Now for our new move: Tri-Attack!" she shouted.
The Clefairy did as it was told, sending out three orbs of energy that, due to Lock-On, blasted the Vikavolt with deadly accuracy. The Stag Beetle Pokémon then was overcome by ice, frozen in place and falling to the ground. Guzma growled, switching out Vikavolt and sending in Golisopod for another First Impression. The attack blindsided Halley, knocking the Clefairy out and making Ashton grit her teeth.
"You've got spunk, kid, but I ain't going down to you," Guzma taunted. "This three-on-three match is already in my favor, so why don't you buzz of now before I crush you?"
"Not a chance!" Ashton shouted, surprising Guzma. "You think you can just talk dirt about me? Well then, how about I burn your team to the ground instead! Vulcan, full force Flame Wheel!"
The Quilava popped out of its Poké Ball and rammed into Golisopod, giving Guzma barely enough time to recall it before it was knocked out. In its place came Pinsir, whom used its large pincers to grab a hold of Vulcan for a brutal Storm Throw.
"Huh, he uses both Stag Beetle Pokémon," Kris noted. She then noticed that Dylan had gone silent. "What's up?"
"Ashton… I've never seen her this passionate about a battle before," he said. "That fire in her eyes that she usually has when she fights is controlled, but this… it's like she's going on a whole other level."
"Vulcan, recover and using a searing Smokescreen!" Ashton shouted.
The Quilava spat out smoke and jumped away, letting the Pinsir throw out Throat Chops and X-Scissors to no avail. Guzma peered into the smoke, trying to find where his opponent's Pokémon had gone before Vulcan reappeared with another Flame Wheel. The two Pokémon clashed with physical moves, but Vulcan was ready for the Storm Throw this time, casting a Leer at Pinsir before ducking down and sweeping with a Quick Attack, sending the Bug type to the floor.
"Finish it!" Ashton commanded.
Vulcan ended with a final Flame Wheel, the Volcano Pokémon panting as bit as Guzma recalled his Pokémon.
"It's down to the final attacks," Nanu noted.
"The boss knows what he's doing," a Team Skull Grunt said.
"Can Ashton win this?" Kris said. "Vulcan is going to get another First Impression."
"Guzma…" Plumeria muttered.
The two combatants stared each other down, both with a fire in their eyes. Ashton grunted a bit, digging her foot into the ground as she stared down Guzma. As for him, he readied Golisopod's ball, only to hesitate for a moment when he met eyes with Ashton. For a second he saw in her place a kid with white hair, standing determined in front of a Wimpod. He closed his eyes, seeing Ashton again before calling out his Pokémon.
"Crush them!"
"Blue Flare Flame Charge!"
Golisopod and Vulcan clashed, claws against body as the Quilava turned up its flames to a brilliant blue fire. It looked like Golisopod was holding a miniature star in its grip as it held back the attack, with Vulcan crying out as it tried not to be squished. With a final push of effort, Quilava burst out of Golisopod's grip, running the Hard Scale Pokémon over and falling to the ground, the sand underneath his feet turning to glass on impact.
"Holy- !" a Team Skull grunt shouted.
"T-that Quilava is insane, dawg!" another shouted.
Ashton ran over to Vulcan, holding him close as he slowly cooled down from the fight. She looked up when she heard footsteps, seeing Guzma standing over her, arms folded. He then knelt down next her here, pulling out a Potion and handing it over.
"You're a tough one, I'll give you that," the Team Skull boss said. "You remind me of myself when I was a kid. Always fired up at the world, using Pokémon to lash out. But you managed to contain that flame, while I became the leader of the islands' misfits." He smirked. "I had fun battlin' you, even if I couldn't beat you down!"
Ashton returned the look. "Same here. That was the first time I got to put some real effort into winning."
Guzma looked over to one of his Grunts. "Yo, Grunt A, toss your bandana over here!" The Grunt did as he was told, with Guzma then handing the article of clothing to Ashton. "We don't have badges to hand out yet, so take this bandana as a sign of you beating our Gym. Consider yourself an honorary Team Skull member for that destruction you pulled off."
"Team Skull!" the grunts called, going a pose while Plumeria rolled her eyes.
"Great," Nanu said. "Now that that's over with, can you please leave before I have to call this in?"
"We're leaving, gramps," Plumeria said. "Guzma, let's go find another place for our Gym."
Ashton looked at the bandana in her hands, then grinned and tied it around Vulcan's neck. "Great job out there! That's another badge down!"
You all did well, Aurora nodded. Kris and Dylan agreed.
Nanu suddenly pulled out his phone, a call ringing from it. "Hello? Yeah, this is Chief Nanu of Hawaii PD, what's going on? Uh, yeah. If I see anyone with an afro, I'll call it in."
"Afro?" Dylan asked.
The Dark type Kahuna nodded. "Just got a call that someone's been messing with the local Totem Pokémon over on Kauai. The main descriptor was that the leader had a garish-looking afro."
"You think it's that Miror. B guy?" Kris asked.
"Geez, we already dealt with him," Ashton rolled her eyes. "I hope dealing with evil teams doesn't become a thing for us."
"Evil teams?" Guzma said. "We've dealt with those types before back wheel all those Ultra Wormholes were opening up. If any of those guys are back, the I think that Team Skull will just have to send them back to where they came from, right boys!"
"You got it, boss!" the grunts called.
"We can't pay to fly all of us over to Kauai," Plumeria noted. "Grunts A and B, get in contact with C and D over in Waimea and tell 'em that the boss is coming."
"On it!" the two grunts saluted.
"Are there names seriously A and B?" Kris raised an eyebrow.
Guzma shrugged. "That's what they told us to call 'em. Apparently, them and all their cousins go by letters. I don't ask questions as long as they do their jobs."
"Don't make an incident out of this," Nanu sighed. "I already have to keep you out of trouble here, so don't go making a mess for the rest of HPD to deal with."
"We're on the case," Dylan said. "Off to save those Totem Pokémon from Miror B. and those other guys!"
Author's Note
Puʻuhonua is a real-life place in Hawaii that is what Po Town in Sun/Moon is loosely based on. Since this is a real-world story, it makes sense that Guzma would try to set up a Gym where his base is in the games. Waimea is a town close to where Poni Canyon would be in the games, hence why we're going there next time to help out some Totem Pokémon.
This fight was fun to write, as Guzma and Ashton both have passion for battles. I can see Guzma taking a shine to our hot-headed fighter. Also Quilava with a Team Skull bandana like the Mystery Dungeon games would be so cute!