Pokémon Prince of Po Town

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 2 Welcome to Po Town

Ian kept his eyes fixed on the horizon which had become more littered with clouds, trying to ignore the soreness in his back from balancing on the back of Tupp's bike. While riding on the back, he realized the less he thought about keeping his balance, the easier it got.

"There it is!" Tupp announced to Ian, the twenty foot walls protecting the town began growing as the group of cycling Team Skull members pedaled closer. After a few agonizingly long minutes, Tupp's bike slowed as the walls of Po Town loomed over the group. Ian stepped off the bike's back protrusions, nearly tripping as his upper body's forward momentum overtook his legs. Tupp cruised by the other Team Skull members who came to halt on their bikes, and Tupp got right up to the gate and began pounding loudly on the metal, the thuds from his hands echoing like a drum. "We here, fools!" Tupp yelled.

"Finally," Ian said under his breath, his leg and back muscles sore from the awkward position he needed to take to stand on the back of the bike.

"C'mon fuckheads, we here!" Tupp called out, giving another barrage from his fists. He stopped abruptly and shook his hand tenderly.

"Nice one, idiot," Rapp teased.

"I'm hurrying them up," Tupp fired back, holding his hurt hand. "You should be thanking me."

A metallic sound came from behind the gate, which Ian assumed to be the unlocking mechanism.

Selene went up to Tupp with an overly-sweet smile on her face. "Gee, thank you so much, you're my hero!" Selene said, voice full of sarcasm. "Idiot," she grunted as she passed him.

With a loud rumble, the gates began opening inwards slowly, revealing an asphalt road. Ian followed the rest of the squad in, seeing a couple Team Skull grunts coming out from behind the gates, bandanas and beanies covering most of their distinguishing features. Ian noted one had light brown skin and the other had skin that looked like he was East Asian. Or whatever that is in the Pokemon world. As Ian took his first step into Po Town, the sun fittingly dimmed slightly as a cloud blocked it.

"Managed to keep this Faller from getting fried by another Vikavolt, Plumeria?" A high-pitched male voice teased. Ian turned to the source of the voice: a man a few years older than Ian but no beanie covered his curly brown hair, and no bandana covered his goatee-sporting face.

"This one's not a complete idiot, Rook," Plumeria said. "But only so much. We picked him up at the end of that Ultra Storm that started a couple hours back. He's got his memory and knows what Pokemon are."

"Lucky for him," Rook grunted dryly.

The sense of dread made his now hungry stomach nauseous, so he shifted his attention to the rest of the town while the rest of the group put their bikes against the wall. In the games, Po Town was just a couple columns of houses. But here it was an actual town. Over the fences separating each mostly dilapidated house, he caught a glimpse of the perimeter wall surrounding the town. The cloud blockage gave the run down houses an even more dingy feel.

"How big is this place?" Ian asked curiously to his new companions.

"Why you gotta know?" Hyde fired back, eyes glaring at Ian.

"Just curious man," Ian replied simply.

Tupp cleared his throat, getting Ian's attention, mouthing "say 'fuck you.'"

Ian chuckled lowly, but declined.

"Something funny, kid?" Hyde questioned.

Ian stopped, his amused smile flipping into a scowl. "Kid? You look younger than me."

Hyde scoffed. "You're a few months older than me, but you fuck around like a kid, so Imma call you kid."

He's questioning my manhood here. Might be part of the test. "What's your deal, Hyde? You trying to fight me or something?"

Hyde smirked. "I'd be down, but you got no Pokemon on you."

"Got fists right here," Ian said, squaring up. It had been a while since karate classes when he was eight. He now found himself wishing he'd stayed longer than a couple months.

"You think Imma get in a scrap with an obvious plant from the Unova Marines?" Hyde sneered.

Ian heard multiple gasps from the members around him, and he noticed even Plumeria seemed alarmed. "What?"

"The ASF's been more active on the island recently, and capturing Po Town would give them a major base to counter Breon and Haina Town, plus keep an eye on Surge," Hyde explained.

Ian's eyebrows rose in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about, dude?"

"What an easy fucking plant, says he doesn't even know what the Unova Marines are and he's clearly from Unova. Your story smells, 'Faller,' if you even really are one."

"Marines?" Ian asked. Oh he means like the armed forces, like the military branch called "marines" back home. "Why would Unovan Marines be out here?"

Hyde scoffed. "What a joke! The Unovan Marines been makin' Alola their bitch for years and you don't know?"

Geopolitics of the Pokemon world? Time to shut up. "Hey man, I never got into politics or anything..."

Plumeria stepped forward. "Hyde, cool it. Unova doesn't exactly go around bragging about what they do here in Alola. He's clearly just an idiot anyways."

For once in his life, Ian was ready to embrace the "idiot" moniker if it meant getting this Hyde asshole off his back.

"Well before he sees the boss, we gotta search him," Hyde said. "Make sure he ain't hiding anything."

Ian put his hands up. "Do it. I've got nothing to hide-" Ian then suddenly remembered the Star Piece in his back pocket he'd picked up in the Ultra Storm he'd yet to reveal. Okay, maybe something. Ian then lifted up his shirt and pulled his pockets out of his jeans. "See, nothing on me."

"Might be hiding something somewhere else," Hyde observed.

A glimmer of inspiration hit him. "Hyde, you're being a real asshole, which is funny because in Unova we have a saying: 'you are what you eat.' You trying to eat my ass, Hyde? Just strip me down and go to town?"

Hyde scoffed. "Fuck you, fake-ass Faller."

This is too easy. "Okay, you want to fuck me. I'm just glad you stopped being subtle about it!" Ian announced with a shit-eating grin. He caught Plumeria stifling a laugh in his peripheral vision. "I'm not gay, but I'm very supportive of you all-"

Hyde reached for a poke ball, eyes filled with hatred.

"Stand down Hyde, he doesn't have any Pokemon," Plumeria barked, pulling one of her own Poke Balls from her belt.

"He's a spy, can't you see it?" Hyde pleaded aggressively, Ian noticing a shiny wristwatch on Hyde's hand that reflected the sun right into his eyes for a moment.

Something involving "the spy who shagged me" crossed his mind, but Ian figured they didn't have Austin Powers in the Pokemon world. "Okay Hyde, I'll let you eat my ass!" Ian announced as he turned around and stuck his behind out. "It might taste a little funny though because the last time I took a shit there wasn't a lot of toilet paper."

"Fuck you, asshat!" Hyde spat as Ian watched him turn around in a rage and stormed off. Finally.

When Hyde seemed out of earshot, Plumeria, Tupp, Selene, and Rapp began giggling like hyenas. Tupp put his arm around Ian. "Dude, you might be stupid, but you're pretty fucking funny." Ian put his fist up, which Tupp happily bumped.

"Let's keep moving," Plumeria said, an amused grin still on her face.

Ian remained silent as they rode through the center of town. There was a canal with blue-ish water running perpendicular to the main street. After crossing the small canal bridge, he eyed larger commercial buildings to his left and even a park to his right. He finally saw some non-Team Skull people in the town, and they looked quite skinny.

"You see them, Ian?" Tupp said, pointing to a group of people pushing carts full of laundry bags looking positively miserable.

"Yeah?"

"They're the 'Dirtbags.' They're always covered in dirt or lugging around bags. It's the shittiest job in Po Town," Tupp then leaned in and began to whisper. "Make sure they let you be a trainer, else you gotta be one of those."

"Thanks for the heads up," Ian whispered back, giving Tupp another fist bump.

"Oi, recon team's back!" A uniformed grunt called out in an English accent as he did hand signs. Beside him stood what Ian recognized to be a Perrserker from the Galar region. The grunt's dark skin and tall, imposing demeanor made Ian tense for a moment.

Tupp quickly fired back hand signs of his own. "Waddup Stompz?"

"Good to see you, Stompz," Plumeria said plainly, which seemed to be as tender as Plumeria's tone got.

"Finally another tall bloke!" Stompz declared, eyes on Ian as he approached. "You think Guzma'll keep him?"

"I hope!" Tupp replied. "He's lookin' like Plumeria's new punching bag already," Tupp said with a chuckle.

Stompz the grunt gave a hearty, bellowing laugh. "Faller, you know what Pokemon are?"

"Yeah," Ian said with a nod.

"But he doesn't have any on him," Plumeria said grimly.

"Shit, that's not good these days," Stompz said. "Well chap, I know Po Town don't look like much, but it's a lot better place to be than most of the island. I'm lucky Plumeria scooped me up a couple months back instead of Surge's or Breon's lads."

Surge? Like Lieutenant Surge from Kanto? Ian nodded grimly. "Well it was either her or an Alpha Nidoking," Ian said.

"Nidoking? Shit lad, I lucked out. The Alpha in my Ultra Storm was a fookin' Furret," Stompz said, waving to the group as they continued on.

More Team Skull members seemed to lurk through the neighborhood on this side of the canal, be it walking on the street or sitting on the sidewalk. Parts of the fences were ripped in half, making easy entrances into various backyards. The fences that weren't ripped up had graffiti all over them. He noticed the word "Spine" in a lot of the graffiti and got curious. "Hey Tupp, what's up with all of the 'Spine' stuff on the fences?"

"Name of the street, yo," Tupp said, pointing at the road beneath them. "Used to be Main Street, but when things went to shit and Team Skull took over, Guzma re-named it."

"Gotcha," Ian said.

The mansion at the end of the main street stood taller above all of the other buildings in its proximity. The pole at the end of the intersection with what was likely the only pristine street sign in Po Town read "Shady Way." More Team Skull grunts skulked around the front yard where a number of rusty cars were parked on the unkempt lawn. Some windows were boarded up and dozens of bits of graffiti littered the outer walls. Looks just like it did in the games. A couple bandana adorned grunts in Team Skull uniforms stood at the entrance of the house, opening the double doors.

The entrance hall looked straight out of a scary movie. The hardwood was torn up in places, rugs were disheveled, stained, and frayed. There was no graffiti inside, but the chandelier only had half of its lights working, and dimmed every few seconds from what Ian assumed was an unsteady power supply.

Plumeria led him up stairs that had a few holes in them he had to be careful to avoid. They went through a dimly lit hallway with an imposing, larger door at the end. Ian felt his body tense as he got closer. Remember, Herdier, Krokorok, and Rufflet.

Plumeria pounded on the door loudly and was abruptly met with a cranky female voice shouting back "who is it?"

"It's me. Got a Faller in tow," Plumeria yelled back.

"Another one, really?" The annoyed female voice retorted.

Ian gulped nervously as the door opened, revealing a much more well-kept room with a platform raised two feet off the ground with a yellow throne of sorts, with the figure Ian expected to see sitting atop it. Guzma lounged on his throne, his back against one of the arms and his legs dangling off the side. Guzma's hair was dyed, with most of what was shown to be white, but his roots were black. His black jacket covered most of his upper body from the angle, but Ian could see a bit of white shirt around his collar. Guzma had a pair of large sunglasses resting on his forehead, and his baggy black pants had a pair of white X's on them at the knee.

A small, fuzzy creature scuttled around the base of the throne that gave Ian jump-scare. The hell is that? Gotta be a Bug Type since it's Guzma, but a hairy bug? Five orange horns protruded from the larvae's body like a crown and the lightbulb went off in his head. Larvesta! Plumeria cleared her throat in a way Ian could tell was to get him back to what was important.

Ian redirected his gaze to Guzma. The Team Skull boss eyed Ian rather lazily with his dark pupils, but there was a certain intensity that made Ian tense up. "A pizza boy?" Guzma finally asked with disinterest. "If Plumeria gets her way we'll have a whole restaurant staff here in Po Town. Too bad we got no restaurant."

Ian wasn't sure whether to speak, so he held his tongue, Guzma eyed him even more curiously before turning his neck to Plumeria. "He remember anything?"

"He does," Plumeria said. "He's from Unova. Nimbasa City to be exact."

"What part of Nimbasa?" Guzma asked.

"Some suburb. What was it again?" Plumeria asked.

"Elk Grove," Ian croaked, wishing his mouth wasn't so dry.

"You're a long way from home, kid," Guzma stated.

Ian nodded silently, not sure if his lack of speaking had more to do with respect or straight up fear. Maybe a bit of both.

"He was a Pokemon trainer," Plumeria said.

"Not a very good one if he was working at a pizza place," Guzma pointed out, smiling wickedly at Ian.

Ian realized this was probably his time to speak up, and opened his mouth. "Sir, I-"

"Don't sir me, we're not the fucking ASF," Guzma spat before sliding his legs toward Ian and Plumeria and standing up in a fluid motion as he perched on his upper platform, causing Larvesta to yelp and scurry behind the throne in a panic. "At least you know what Pokemon are. Good chunk of the Fallers we pick up never heard of them."

"He said there was an Alpha Nidoking in the Ultra Storm," Plumeria said.

"Alpha?" Guzma asked, his tone changing from disinterest, if only slightly. "You're lucky to be alive, pizza boy."

Ian nodded. "Yeah…"

Guzma gave him a perplexed look, and turned to Plumeria, who shrugged. "Pizza boy from some place called 'Elk Grove,' that's what you are." Guzma stepped down from his throne's platform and got close to Ian. "We're running low on food, and if Breon's not blocking the overland food aid shipments from Malie City, Sinclair's raiding the ones at sea," Guzma explained. "I don't need useless fucks in Po Town. Pretty soon we're not gonna have enough to go around with or without you anyways."

"I won't be useless," Ian promised.

"Were you really a trainer? I don't see any Poke Balls slots on your belt there, pizza boy."

"They have to be put away while I'm working," Ian explained nervously, trying not to blink too much. "When I went to bed, I put them on my bedside table, and when I woke up in the Ultra Storm, the table didn't come with me."

"Said he had three Pokemon," Plumeria chimed in.

"Three? What were they?" Guzma asked in a chilling whisper that wreaked suspicion and sent a shiver down Ian's spine.

"A Krokorok, a Herdier, and a Rufflet," Ian croaked.

Guzma scoffed. "Another grunt. I don't need that. Got too many of 'em around here anyways."

Ian's eyes lowered dejectedly, but he noticed next to the throne's platform was another raised platform, this one with a wooden treasure chest holding an assortment of gold and silver coins, along with jewels and a big red-

Star Piece!

"Mister Guzma-"

"You hear this, Plumeria? I'm mister Guzma now," Guzma said with a cackle. "We keep this up and little Prince Street Pizza boy here's gonna call me his fucking king."

"You got him scared shitless, boss, cut him a little slack," Plumeria said with a hint of disinterest.

Guzma rolled his eyes. "A little slack... Everyone asks me for that, but what happens when I ask for some?"

"People get hurt?" Ian asked.

"People die pizza boy," Guzma said hauntingly.

"Okay, boss," Ian said, hoping he could show respect without making him sound like a dumbass. "You got a nice treasure chest over there."

"I hope you're not getting any bad ideas, pizza boy," Guzma said with a horrifying smile on his face as his voice dropped to an intense whisper. "Or maybe I'm hoping you are."

"Not at all," Ian said, his voice cracking. "I want to add to that for you."

"Buying your way in?" Guzma asked. "You don't have your Pokemon, but you went to sleep with treasure?"

"No, but I did find something in the Ultra Storm…" Ian said, reaching for his back pocket and pulling out the dense, red, Star Piece.

Plumeria gasped. "You got that in the Ultra Storm?"

Guzma gave a sinister chuckle as a wicked smile crossed his face. "Well, well, pizza boy's got some tricks up his sleeve. Or in his pocket more like."

Ian bowed his head and held the Star Piece out. "This is yours now, boss," Ian said solemnly. "Can I be in Team Skull?"

Guzma cackled his sinister cackle and swiped the Star Piece from Ian's hand. "I'll take you in Po Town thanks to this Star Piece you're giving me, but no way you're in Team Skull."

What? Why?

"I need people with no fear. To survive in what this island's turned into, you gotta have balls. Not act like the little bitch you're being right now."

Ian remembered what Tupp had been trying to teach him before getting in here. Ian took a quiet breath and made direct eye contact with Guzma. "I'm not that guy, it's just been a really weird day-"

"Weird day my ASS!" Guzma fired back. "Every day on this fucking island is weird now. If you're not getting attacked by wild Pokemon, you're getting ambushed by the other fuckheads here. Oh, and your only escape route? Blocked by a damn Ultra Storm!" Guzma fearsomely ranted. "And if you train Pokemon like you're acting, I bet your Pokemon were bigger bitches than you're being right now," Guzma concluded.

Ian tensed, wracking his brain to find a way out of this without pissing Guzma off the wrong way. "Call me a bitch all you want, don't call my Pokemon bitches."

"And why's that, bitch?" Guzma spat.

Ian tried to remember what Pokemon were around Nimbasa, and he was having doubts whether the city he was thinking of was even the one. Too bad, gotta say it now. "Krokorok and I fought an Alpha Cofagrigus. I was a chaperone on a school trip to the ruins outside of town…" Ian explained.

"You fought an Alpha Cofagrigus with a Krokorok?" Guzma said skeptically.

"It knocked out the other chaperones' Pokemon," Ian said, trying to manifest memories of the completely fabricated experience in his mind. "Krokorok got a beating for the trouble, but we were able to bide time for everyone to escape."

"Real heroic, getting your ass kicked," Guzma said. "And you have a smooth enough brain to brag about it!"

"If Krokorok and I hadn't been there, a couple dozen kids would be dead," Ian said. Ian noticed in his peripheral vision that Plumeria put a hand under chin, looking slightly intrigued. "If I didn't have to work to support myself and my Pokemon, I would've been able to train way more and have way stronger Pokemon."

"Really, is that so?" Guzma asked with a voice more mocking than curious. "I'm gonna level with you, pizza boy. I don't believe that story for a fucking second..." Guzma paused, looking to Plumeria. He rolled his eyes with disdain but gave her a head nod. "...but I'll humor you. I'll give you three Poke Balls, and in two days you gotta catch three Pokemon or I'm sending your ass to Haina Town."

"Haina Town?" Ian asked, vaguely remembering the desert on Ula'Ula was called the same thing.

"If that bastard Breon's feeling merciful he'll only use you as a human shield for his next convoy raid," Guzma said.

I am so confused about this Breon guy… "Uh… okay. Three Pokemon." Shouldn't be too hard right? Throw a Poke Ball at a Pikipek-

"And no little bitch Pokemon like Yungoos or Pikipek," Guzma said. "Real shit, if you're a real trainer."

"Okay…" Ian said. "Do I get help or anything?"

"What? I thought you were a real trainer, you shouldn't need help!" Guzma spat.

Plumeria gave a momentary giggle and Ian turned to her. "We'll escort you, but we're not battling anything for you. If we step in, you lose."

Guzma scoffed. "There you go again with that bleeding heart of yours, Plumeria," Guzma taunted. "It'll get you fucked one day."

Plumeria folded her arms defiantly. "I just figured the recon team could use someone to be bait the next time we run into a pissed off Vikavolt."

Guzma laughed a sinister, villainous laugh and stared into Ian's eyes, mere inches away. "Well, I hope you don't regret this, pizza boy. Timer starts bright and early tomorrow morning," Guzma said, a sadistic glee in his voice.

"Let's go Ian," Plumeria said with a grimace, leading Ian out. He turned back for a moment and saw Larvesta crawling to Guzma's leg and Ian covered a yawn as he turned back around.

"Still sleepy?" Plumeria asked as she made her way down one of the manor's hallways.

"Yeah," Ian said.

"Happens with a lot of Fallers," Plumeria explained. "I'll have you room with Tupp and the boys in the bunkhouse tonight. Not sure how much sleep you'll be able to get with those knuckle heads. They're pretty loud."

"I doubt that'll be a problem," Ian said with a yawn, his eyes getting heavier after his adrenaline had stopped pumping. "I might fall asleep standing up."

"Bet."

Five minutes later as Tupp showed him his bunks, Ian gave Tupp a fist bump. "Bottom bunk's yours. Gotta earn a top bunk in here, yo."

Ian nodded. "Fine by me." Ian rolled into the bottom bunk, not caring for the blankets as he rested his head on the one uncomfortably firm pillow.

"You really trying to sleep now bro?" Tupp asked.

"Dude I am so fucking tired," Ian said. He heard the mattress springs squeak as he got settled, and even with his sweaty, dirty, work clothes still on, he heaved another sigh of relief. At least I have a chance here. Get some Pokemon, get out of this town when I can, and then who knows what after that. His eyelids seemed to glue shut as he drifted off to sleep. I'm really in the Pokemon world...

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 3 Partner

Ian's eyes remained shut as the sound of the bunkhouse's ambience danced around his mind. A grunt from the set of bunks next to him snored softly while drops of water hit the hard floor from what Ian assumed was a hole in the ceiling. The light sound of rain drops hitting the creaking roof gave an ominous mood to it all. He'd gone to sleep when the sun was still out, so it was likely very early in the morning, earlier than anyone else would be waking up. Holy shit, I'm still in the Pokemon world. Probably one of the worst places I could be in, but I'm still in IT.

He'd be lying if he'd said he'd never thought about getting Isekai'd into the Pokemon world. His first Pokemon game had been Platinum, and he'd played the crap out of Soul Silver. When Sword Art Online got popular, he remembered being bored in class, daydreaming of what would happen if he got 'stuck' in Sinnoh or Johto. This definitely is not what I had in mind though. The longer he stayed in bed brainstorming, the more painful his ravenous stomach got. Not even mentioning his mind raced with all sorts of possibilities. Once I get off the island, what do I do, an Island Challenge? I'll probably have to find work to support myself early on, but after a few months I think I can just go journey somewhere...

Ian sighed, rolling over and opening his eyes, seeing just the darkness of the un-lit bunk house. At least the job doesn't matter anymore. He forced a smile, trying to feel proud for standing up to Alex and Suzy, but his heart tensed uncomfortably as the events replayed in his mind. They probably think I offed myself. Fuck, everyone will think that, even mom- Ian gasped as the realization took hold of him and his eyes began to water. The butterflies in his stomach got even more nauseating as the realization hit him. "I'm never gonna see mom again..." Ian whispered, the weight of the words' meaning truly setting in.

Ian bolted upright in bed, needing to get his mind focused on something else as the pain in his chest took hold. He did his best to sneak out of the bunk house, but the dark, unfamiliar space plus the creaky floor made that impossible. Thankfully none of the guys seemed to wake up, so he opened the creaking door to a hallway dimly lit by a flickering light. The chandelier in the entrance hall was off, but thankfully a couple small night lights were on. Ian smelled his own body odor, meaning he had to smell completely awful. Maybe I can take a shower? I don't have any clothes to change into, let alone is there even enough running water for it?

Ian hesitated, not wanting to wake anyone up, but not wanting to do a faux pas. Something tells me ignorance wouldn't be an acceptable excuse. He cursed under his breath, as he thought who would still be up. Are there guards? Ian pumped his fist and made his way to what he remembered were the front doors of the Shady House. He opened them and a loud grunt came from beyond the threshold. The flickering glow of the street lamp in front of the house revealed another grunt in a Team Skull uniform. "You my relief?" He asked.

Ian shook his head. "No, Plumeria brought me into town yesterday and I wanted to take a shower..."

"Shower?" The grunt sniffed loudly and recoiled. "Yeah bro, you fucking stink."

Ian nodded. "That's why... But I don't know if that's allowed-"

"Do we all smell like shit bro?" The grunt asked.

"Wha- no..."

"We shower yo, just no longer than thirty seconds. Plus there ain't hot water," the grunt said.

"Any towel or clothes I can change into?" Ian said. "I got nothing but the clothes on my back right now."

He shrugged. "Then that's what you got, yo. Just don't wake anyone up."

Ian nodded. "Okay, thanks dude. I'm Ian, what's your name?"

"I'm Chris, but most people just call me Spitz," the grunt said, then pointed to the Team Skull emblem on his shirt. "You thinking of joining up?"

"Not many other options are there?" Ian joked.

"Damn right about that."

Ian moved to close the door then remembered one important thing. "Where's the bathroom?"

***

The bathroom he was pointed to stank and the rusty shower stall looked anything but cleanly, but Ian stripped down and got the shower on, a small stream of low pressure water falling out of the shower head. He hopped in quickly, bracing himself for no hot water and he slipped, knocking into the cracked tile wall. The cold water made him tense on contact with his skin and he began to shiver. A sliver of soap rested on a little stand at the edge, and Ian inspected closely, seeing a number of different colored hairs on it. "I sure hope these aren't pubes," he said as he started to scrub his body down as best he could, counting to thirty before turning the water off, leaving his lean body a shivering mess. There was just a worn bath towel on the floor he stood on while he got his dirty, stinky clothes on, and when he looked in the cracked mirror for the first time, he groaned as he looked at his reflection. "Welcome to Po Town."

He made it back to his bed, his sweaty clothes now damp from his lack of patience to drip-dry. His mind raced as he remembered his conversation with Guzma earlier. Three Pokemon in two days, and not just the easy stuff. His hands' muscle memory kicked in as he started playing an imaginary guitar, moving his left hand across the frets and into different cords while his right played certain strings. Music had always helped calm him, he'd even learned to sing in choir class, and memories of playing some of Suzy's favorite songs made him grimace, but it kept his mind occupied in the darkness. It took another hour or so before the rain dissipated and light came through the bunkhouse's cracked window. Half an hour after that, a loud bass note played from outside the house like a fog horn, causing a bustle of activity as the grunts suddenly awoke.

"You already up bro?" Tupp asked, his head hanging upside down from the top bunk.

"Went to sleep early, woke up early," Ian answered, seeing a cacophony of sound and motion in the bunkhouse as a number of other figures weaved in and out of the cramped room.

"You showered yo! How long was it?" Tupp asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Thirty seconds. I talked to the guard at the front door. I think his name was Spitz?" Ian asked.

"Good shit. Guzma'd kick you out right now if he be hearing you took a long one. Town's Water Pokemon can only filter so much, ya feel?"

Ian nodded. "I get it."

"You got three Pokemon to catch today, right?" Tupp clarified.

"Over two days, but yeah," Ian said with a forced smile.

"Let's get you to Tom's then," Tupp said, climbing off the top bunk and landing on the creaky wooden floor.

"Hey before we go, when do we eat?" Ian asked.

Tupp shook his head. "At lunchtime, yo. Us in Plumeria's squad got to eat earlier yesterday before we went out for that Ultra Storm- Shit you ain't eat at all yesterday, didya?"

Ian nodded. "Correct..."

"Sorry bro, maybe we'll find some berries that are just riping up," Tupp said. "Follow me."

Ian's stomach groaned, the combination of the nausea flash and general discomfort with his dirty clothes made the miniscule walk out of the Shady House's front yard and onto main street, or The Spine as it was called a frustrating affair. More Team Skull grunts than the prior day were running about the streets that were still wet from the rain.

Tom's warehouse was more like a liquor store than anything else. Conveniently located just across the street from the Shady House, it had a short line of uniformed grunts already lined up outside the front door. "So what's this place?" Ian asked.

"Tom runs the dirtbags, bro," Tupp explained. "He has Pokemon but doesn't really battle. The dirtbags do all of our dirty laundry, clean gutters, make sure the water and power is still running."

"We prefer the term 'stewards' Tupp," an older male voice said from behind the duo.

Ian and Tupp turned around, Tupp laughing nervously as he did. "Stewards, yeah Tom," Tupp corrected himself.

Tom was a middle-aged man Latino man, wearing glasses and a straw hat which clashed against the rest of his Team Skull uniform. "Alola young man. I take it you're Plumeria's Faller from yesterday?" Tom addressed Ian.

"Yes sir," Ian said.

Tom opened his binder and glanced at something quickly. "Got the order right here. A Heal Ball and two Poke Balls," Tom read off. "Three balls on your first day? That's very rare around here. I doubt we got any Heal Balls left, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you sir," Ian replied.

"Yeah, you're definitely new around here if you're speaking to me like that," Tom said with a laugh in his tone.

At least there's someone normal in this wacky town. Tom took his keys out and opened the double doors. No Team Skull grunts followed him in. Tupp led Ian close to the service window where the other grunts waited, eyeing Ian up and down.

"What's with the new guy, Tupp?" One of them asked.

"Boss testing him, making him catch three Pokemon in two days or his ass..." Tupp did an 'eject' motion with his arm.

"There's an annoying ass Yungoos on Surfrider," one grunt chimed in, pointing behind the warehouse. "And damn Rattatas everywhere."

"Can't do anything easy," Ian added, noting how his dialect had already begun to change.

"Shit, well... nice knowing you bro," the inquiring grunt said with a laugh.

The service window opened and Tom poked his head out. "Ian and Tupp?"

Ian followed Tupp to the counter and Tom slid a tray of three balls: a bright pink one and two standard red and white Poke Balls. "Had one Heal Ball left for you," Tom added.

"Aw, newbie got a fucking pink one!" One of the grunts teased. "They already know you a pussy dude."

Tupp glared at Ian and motioned his eyebrows, signaling him to do something. Ian took a quick breath before turning around. "You better hope I get kicked out, cuz I'd hate to see you get your ass kicked by a Pokemon trainer with a pink ball," Ian fired back.

The antagonizing grunt cackled. "Talking tough before you even got a Pokemon. Grade-A pussy shit right there."

"What's your name?" Ian demanded.

"Blitz," the grunt said, stepping forward, puffing his chest out. "You better hope I'm feeling nice when you got your lame ass Pokemon," Blitz said. "If you even ever do."

Ian rolled his eyes, struggling for a comeback when Tom's voice boomed. "Blitz you out here?"

Ian and Tupp stepped aside from the counter, Ian holding his three Poke Balls like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Here's an extra revive because Rook says your Pokemon keep getting knocked out too much," Tom added.

Tupp cackled, taking Ian away from the service window. "We gotta work on some of your banter bro."

"Yeah..." Ian said. "So where to first? Any Pokemon in that bank of trees outside of town?"

"The berry grove?" Tupp asked. "Might be your only chance of finding something to eat til' lunch. Can't stay too long though, yo."

"Why's that?" Ian asked, shrinking each ball and putting them in his jean pockets.

"Guzma's Ariados hangs out in there," Tupp explained.

"An Ariados?" Ian asked, remembering the red and black striped spider Pokemon. "Well, Ariados aren't that big, right?"

Tupp shook his head. "It's an Alpha Ariados."

"Oh..." Ian said, picturing the giant spider from the second Harry Potter movie, a shiver going down his spine, and not from his slightly damp clothes.

Plumeria had just made it out of the house and upon making eye contact with Ian, pointed at him. "You got the balls?" Plumeria asked.

"The two I had since they dropped, yeah," Ian joked, pointing at his groin.

"What? I said three-" Plumeria's resting scowl drooped into anger. "Very funny, smartass."

"What's the pussy ball for, Big Sis?" Tupp asked.

"Pussy ball?" Plumeria asked with disdain.

"The Heal Ball," Ian added.

"Well, I figured you could catch the first Pokemon with that, the Heal Ball will heal it, and you can use that first Pokemon to battle the other two," Plumeria explained.

"Oh... that's actually smart. Fuck..." Ian said.

"He wants to hit the berry grove," Tupp stated.

"Where Guzma's Ariados is?" Plumeria said skeptically. "You just got here and you're already trying to kill yourself?"

Ian smiled sheepishly. "Not necessarily..."

"It usually hangs out on one side of the creek, we can see where it is and look where it isn't" Plumeria said.

"Hey, Big Sis-" The familiar voice of Hyde called out before pausing as he made eye contact with Ian. Hyde put a middle finger up and turned back to Plumeria. "No Ultra Storms on this side of the mountains?"

"Doesn't look like it," Plumeria said. "Lines up perfectly to help out our Faller here."

"Fuck that, I'll go fishing," Hyde said, turning around and marching off in anger.

Plumeria shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy, Hyde."

***

After Selene and Rapp wished him luck at the gate, Tupp and Plumeria led Ian outside of Po Town and along the wall to the berry grove. Getting a better look at the terrain surrounding Po Town, Ian noticed a creek being fed by a small waterfall running down the cliffs leading to what he assumed were the foothills of Mount Hokulani. That had the observatories on top of it, right? The creek ran through the grove trees Plumeria and Tupp were leading him to and ended as it went under the wall of Po Town. So that's where the canal comes from.

As the trio got to the edge of the grove, Plumeria knelt down, prompting Ian and Tupp to do the same. "I'm gonna go find boss' Ariados," Plumeria said as she carefully went behind a bush in front of them.

"Being out this early should be good," Tupp explained. "Most Pokemon are just waking up and looking around for food."

"What's usually around here?" Ian asked, struggling to remember.

"Lots of shit bro," Tupp said. "Nothing easy right? That leaves..." Tupp began counting on his fingers. "You got Spinaraks, Spearows, Ledyba, Scraggies, Crabrawler, Panchams..."

"Ledyba will count?" Ian asked. I just need to catch three that qualify, I can release Ledyba later.

"Nah it shouldn't, but Guzma likes Bugs so maybe," Tupp said with a shrug. "Also we get Rockruff's from the hills down here too."

"Rockruff's nice," Ian said.

"They hella dangerous to get out here though. Always some Lycanroc nearby. Dude who used to have your bunk?" Tupp said.

"Yeah?"

"He went out foraging a while back and didn't come back to Po Town. When we went looking for him, we followed his tracks, but then a bunch of Lycanroc tracks started following, and we assumed he's..." Tupp put a finger to his neck and pantomimed cutting it.

"Oh... So no Rockruff then?"

"Only if you can fight off the pack," Tupp said.

"I see," Ian said.

"But there's hella other shit out here, yo. Pokemon not from Alola run out of the Ultra Storms and end up sticking around," Tupp explained. "Just like you."

Ian nodded.

They waited in silence for a few minutes, keeping their eyes out for any potential pokemon, and other than a Pikipek that investigated them from atop a tree, none were to be had.

"You knuckleheads still there?" Plumeria's voice asked from behind a bush.

"Yeah," Tupp answered.

"All clear, Ariados is on the other side of the creek for now," Plumeria explained. "Follow me, newbie."

Ian crawled on all fours behind Plumeria with Tupp right behind him, thankful he had his jeans on as his legs continued going over various wood chips and organic debris. Once firmly in the middle of the grove, Tupp started looking up to the trees.

"What are you looking for?" Ian whispered.

"Some bait," Tupp said as he continued eyeing the higher up tree branches, then suddenly pointed to one twelve to fifteen feet above them. "There we are." Tupp looked around to make sure the coast was clear and took a Poke Ball out, releasing his Golbat. Ian recoiled, forgetting how large Golbats were, and how large the fangs hanging from its mouth were.

Golbat wheezed with a raspy voice as it began flapping its wings, its eyes closing as if it was in pain. "Just need them unripe Leppa Berries out that tree, yo," Tupp ordered, pointing up. Golbat let out a shrill squeal that wasn't super loud, but still made the hairs on the back of Ian's neck stand up. Golbat flapped its way up to the tree, its wings lighting up with a light blue energy for a moment before doing a slicing motion, cutting off a small branch and letting it fall into Tupp's hand, who plucked a couple cherry sized fruits.

"Shit ain't ripe so it ain't much. It will taste like crap, but it's something yo," Tupp said, presenting the fruits to Ian. Ian quickly took them and started chewing, recoiling at the bitter and sour flavors. He forced them to stay in his mouth and swallowed harshly, groaning when the experience was over, only for the disgusting residue to remain on his tongue. "Them's the only ones that won't fuck your stomach up when they ain't ripe."

"I'll take what I can get right now," Ian grumbled.

"That's the right attitude," Plumeria muttered, her gaze staying on the upper trees.

Tupp squeezed the green, unripe berries in his hands and scurried over to the small clearing on the other side of their current large bush. "Now's the shit part, yo," Tupp whispered.

"What?" Ian whispered.

"Waiting," Plumeria grumbled.

The three remained crouched uncomfortably for what felt like a good hour at least, eyeing little peepholes through the bush to see if they'd gotten anything with their meager bait. When Tupp began snoring, Plumeria punched him. "Wake up, idiot," she hissed. "Something's coming."

Ian, careful not to snap a twig and alert his potential new partner, eyed through the peephole curiously. He heard the thing before seeing it, hearing a high-pitched, raspy chirp in cadence. Ian finally got a good look as it came around some brush, and he spotted a life form with a vibrant yellow color walking somewhat awkwardly into the clearing with a round yellow head and a red fin on the top. Identifying Pokemon was a bit difficult as they did look quite different looking far more lifelike than just being anime-style creatures, but Ian felt confident: this was a Scraggy.

Would be really fitting if my first Pokemon with Team Skull was a Scraggy. They were always delinquents. Ian reached into his pocket with his right hand, using his left hand to steady his bent over position. Crap, I throw with my left and I can't use it... Right's worth a try though, right? Ian fumbled through his pocket, feeling the slight texture difference between the Poke Balls and the Heal Ball. He grabbed it and pressed the button, expanding it miraculously in his hand. He did his best to account for the bush obstacle in his way, then let the Heal Ball fly.

The thrown ball had a high arc, and Ian crossed his fingers, praying it would hit home while Scraggy suspected nothing. He followed the ball's trajectory until the bush obscured his vision and heard an alarmed chirp. He got up in a panic and saw Scraggy running away, holding up its sagging skin as it did.

"Damn it," Ian said.

"How'd you fuck that throw up, bro?" Tupp demanded.

"I'm left-handed, not right-handed," Ian admitted, lightly punching his forehead in frustration.

"Well Big Sis, I definitely ain't the biggest idiot in Team Skull anymore," Tupp said, folding his arms in disapproval.

"You could say that again," Plumeria said, eyeing Ian with only a slight hint of disdain.

I should probably be thankful that Plumeria's stoic like this when I fuck up... "Won't happen again," Ian promised.

"Hey, it ain't me who gets kicked out of town if you fail," Plumeria reminded him. Ian nodded and grunted before he got settled down in the crouching position again.

Time passed at a snail's pace. Ian felt the sun warming up as the day got later, and he figured lunch would be soon, causing Plumeria and Tupp to want to go into town.

"Fuck, Big Sis, any chance we can have Salazzle speed this up?" Tupp asked.

Plumeria rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

"What do you mean?" Ian asked.

"Her Salazzle can use Sweet Scent," Tupp said.

"Really?" Ian asked.

Plumeria sighed. "Before you ask why I've been holding off, there's an Alpha Ariados-sized reason we're not using it."

"Oh. I see," Ian said.

"C'mon Bis Sis, it's almost lunchtime, we ain't sticking around long anyways," Tupp reasoned. "Just a lil' bit, see if something shows up, then bounce before Ariados crosses the creek."

Plumeria grimaced and eyed Ian once more before speaking. "Real quick, okay?"

Tupp pumped his fist. "Finally."

The lightbulb went on in Ian's head and he felt the need to question it. "Why didn't we go further from the Alpha and do this from the start?"

Tupp and Plumeria both glared at him intensely. "You said you wanted to try the grove," Plumeria reminded him. "Plus the Pokemon that do come here tend to be weak and you have an actual shot at catching them without weakening them too much."

"Good point," Ian said, going silent once more.

Plumeria got Salazzle's ball from her belt and released the large, black, lizard Pokemon. "Salazzle, use Sweet Scent but real light okay?" Plumeria said softly.

Salazzle nodded, going still as it focused. Moments later, a pink gas began to lightly drift from its skin as a very potent but pleasant aroma hit Ian's nostrils. "That should be good," Plumeria said, eyeing the top of the trees once more for the grove's main resident. She quickly recalled Salazzle in a red beam of light and the trio crouched back down.

The aroma did fade after a couple minutes, but Ian figured Pokemon had more sensitive noses. The familiar sound of a Yungoos call hit Ian's ears and he turned his head, seeing rustling in the bushes. The last thing I'm looking for.

The wind began to pick up, and Plumeria eyed Ian expectantly. "We should leave soon."

Ian grimaced. "Just another minute," he pleaded.

Plumeria gave him a look, but relented. Ian tensed with determination, trying to will something, anything to show itself. The leaves began rustling more, Ian figuring it was just the wind.

He heard the sound of a twig snapping on the ground, and Ian dared to peek through the bush, seeing something pink. A Fairy Type? Not ideal but it could work, I got a fitting ball for it. He made sure his left hand was free, and reached for the Heal Ball. He raised his head slowly, getting a better look at things and was surprised to see he recognized the Pokemon coming to the berries: a Deerling in its spring form, pink fur with a cream colored face and underbelly.

Ian readied the Heal Ball as Deerling lowered its head to eat the un-ripe berries, and he almost threw but something caught his eye from above them in the trees: glowing red eyes. Ian gaped, paralyzed with fear as he saw the size of the Alpha Ariados in the canopy above. It was even bigger than he'd pictured, a massive torso with meter-long legs sprouting from the center. It shot a String Shot of webbing at Deerling, who yelped and jumped to flee, but Ariados' webbing had it stuck already. Ariados' rope of String Shot began to reel Deerling in further.

"We need to go," Plumeria said in a panic, pulling Ian's arm. Ian's trance ended as his brain started working again. He watched as Deerling yelped desperately in fright as Ariados drew its prey in closer with every moment. Spiders suck their prey's blood out while they're still alive, right? Ian gritted his teeth and launched the Heal Ball at Ariados' helpless victim. The pink ball hit Deerling on its head, stunning it for a second before the ball opened and absorbed Deerling in a flash of red energy. Ariados yelped with frustration, recoiling.

The Heal Ball fell to the ground, shaking one, twice, and then stopping. Excitement coursed through his adrenaline-pumping veins, and his mind moved a mile a minute. Ian's world centered on the bright pink Poke Ball, and before he realized it, he was dashing around the bush and mid-stride bent over to take the occupied Heal Ball in his hand. He turned his head, a smile on his face when-

A deafeningly loud sound hit his ears and his face hit the dirt, ears ringing from the incredibly loud, high-pitched cry. The Heal Ball was next to him on the ground, and the world seemed to be in slow motion for a few seconds. His own thoughts seemed so far away, and then his ears stopped ringing so much and he heard the frantic voices of Plumeria and Tupp. Ian turned, noticing his vision seemed to be moving, and he was being pulled up by some force in the middle of his back. He turned to see what and realized a rope of the Alpha Ariados' String Shot was stuck on his back, reeling him up to-

Ian shouted in terror, realizing the fate he'd saved Deerling from was now befalling him. The pincers and stingers on Ariados' face, along with the fierce red eyes paralyzed Ian with fear. No, no way, this can't be fucking happening-

"Golbat, Air Cutter!" Tupp's voice shouted through the cacophony of thoughts in Ian's mind. A light blue light cut across his peripherals, and suddenly he felt the pressure in his back stop abruptly. His body fell to the dirt, next to the Heal Ball.

"RUN YOU STUPID FUCKER!" Plumeria screamed desperately.

Ian scrambled, grabbing the ball and stumbling, but he got to his feet and sprinted like hell, almost knocking into a tree before veering off course and falling into some bushes, heart thumping wildly. Oh. My. Fucking. GOD!

Ian struggled to get up from the brush, but did so, seeing a pair of Spinaraks descending from the trees by their String Shot. Ian saw Ariados was dozens of feet away and he turned away, sprinting some more until he was out of the grove. The sprint turned into a jog as he made it to the grassy terrain, continuing along the edge until he saw Plumeria, Tupp, and his Golbat.

"Holy shit bro, you are NUTS!" Tupp exclaimed.

Plumeria had her arms folded, a true scowl on her face. He realized he hadn't seen her truly angry until now. "Don't you ever do that again you dumbass!" Plumeria barked.

Ian nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what came over me there."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Plumeria demanded, her eyes probing him for any reaction.

Ian turned to Tupp, and a shit-eating grin crossed Ian's face as he held Deerlings ball up to Plumeria. "Worth it."

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 4 Refugees

"Tupp, dude, I owe you and Golbat big time," Ian said, still giddy from the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Yeah I got you bro," Tupp replied. "Now just do the same for me some time."

"Consider it done," Ian promised as the dudes fist bumped. Plumeria marched quickly, quietly up ahead, clearly not approving of Ian's actions.

"That's a Deerling? They got those in Unova, right?" Tupp asked.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. They're not native to Alola?"

Tupp shook his head. "Nah man, never seen 'em. Must've run out of an Ultra Storm."

Makes sense.

"We far enough from the grove bro, you can let it out if you want," Tupp said.

"Oh yeah, not a bad idea," Ian said, expanding the pink Heal Ball once more and pressing the button at the center, causing the ball to open and a flash of red energy to release, manifesting the small, pink-coated fawn before his eyes. Deerling was maybe two feet tall with dark grey eyes. A yellow flower rested atop its head, and it immediately yelped in panic, dashing away quickly a dozen feet or so before turning back around to look at the two strangers.

"Deerling, it's okay!" Ian called to it as he knelt down. "We're friends."

The wheels in Deerling's mind seemed to turn, and it huffed before it trotted to Ian and Tupp, a curious look in its eye. As Deerling moved toward them it yelped suddenly and hurried to Ian, bleating joyously as it rubbed itself affectionately against Ian's side. Ian began petting his new partner Pokemon, an involuntary grin coming across his face. "That was one heck of a pickle we got ourselves in," Ian told Deerling as it continued mewling happily. Ian stopped petting Deerling and pointed at Tupp. "This guy helped too."

Deerling hopped lightly to Tupp and gave the Team Skull member a gracious rub with its head. Tupp tensed up, clearly not used to such affection. I see why his Golbat hasn't evolved.

"Hey dumbasses!" Plumeria shouted from well ahead of them. "Hurry up, it's almost lunchtime!"

Ian got up from his kneeling position and matched Tupp's brisk pace, Deerling following along onside happily. As Ian and Tupp came around the bend, they noticed a number of cycling Team Skull members riding to Po Town's gate. Ian's stomach gurgled with need, and the thought of food made his mouth water.

"Hey bro, I think it's gonna start raining soon," Tupp said, pointing to the sky.

What had been a partly cloudy day had become quite cloudy, with dark clouds coming in from the sea. "That's annoying," Ian said. "But my clothes are soggy enough already so some rain won't hurt."

Tupp shook his head. "Nah man, I ain't going out in that."

Ian opened his mouth to protest, but remembered Tupp was the last person who he could give crap to. "Hope it clears up before sunset," Ian said wistfully.

Back inside Po Town, Tupp led Ian up The Spine. He felt a number of stares at his foreign, freshly caught Pokemon as they made their way through the town. Deerling was on alert, ready to flee when needed, but mostly hid behind Ian's legs. The duo turned left at the canal street where the graffiti'd up Pokemon Center stood. Dozens more Team Skull members were coming to or going from the health care building. "You lucky you ain't gotta check in there yet bro," Tupp said, pointing at the line for the Pokemon Center.

Didn't Team Skull charge for using the Pokemon Center in the games? "Anything I should know about that?" Ian asked.

"Can only use it for healing Pokemon three times a week," Tupp stated. "Not a lot of Electric Type Pokemon running around besides Guzma's Vikavolt, and he doesn't like it charging the batteries too much."

"Guzma wants to keep his Pokemon fresh in case an attack comes?" Ian figured.

"Yeah."

"So, what attacks would happen?" Ian asked.

Tupp shook his head. "Prolly better if Plumeria tells you. It's complicated yo."

Ian sighed, but relented. Tupp did just save me from an incredibly gruesome death after all.

"Might wanna put Deerling away, bro," Tupp said. Ian nodded, and recalled Deerling into a beam of red light. He noticed the clouds overhead only continued to get darker. Please don't rain.

What was once a shopping center had turned into a graffiti-littered set of buildings in various forms of disrepair. A line of twenty or so Team Skull members were lined up out the door of a place that had "Grill" on the sign but had graffiti marks covering the first word. Looking closer, he saw the word "Grillz" spray painted over. "Grillz Grill?" Ian asked.

"Just call it 'Grill' bro," Tupp said. "Only cook who stuck around goes by 'Grillz' so Guzma just calls it 'The Grill.'"

Ian shrugged. "Fitting name for a cook."

"He got so many fake teeth peeps started saying he had a grill in his mouth," Tupp explained.

The line moved quickly, thankfully. The smell of whatever was being served was one of the more offensive culinary smells he'd ever smelled, but Ian was so hungry it didn't matter. When he got inside the door he was able to see the layout, dozens of tables packed full of Team Skull members. The line led behind the diner-style bar and heat lamps shown down on a bunch of nondescript bowls. A Skull member would eye the uniformed grunt in line and hand them a bowl and a spoon. When Ian and Tupp got to the front Tupp had to raise his voice.

"Faller who just came into town," Tupp said, pointing at Ian. "Guzma's testing him-"

"Not a Skull member, so he eats later with the dirtbags," the counter grunt said.

"C'mon yo-"

"You're holding up the line," the counter grunt said.

Tupp groaned in frustration and held his hand out. "Fine, but gimme two spoons."

The counter grunt obliged, handing Tupp a bowl full of a brown, un-appetizing liquid. The tables were full, so Tupp gave Ian the second spoon. "You holding this yo."

Ian nodded, understanding the sacrifice. "I really owe you, bro."

"Yeah you fucking do."

Ian 's first spoonful weirded him out so he closed his eyes. The chunk of meat was chewy, and the broth did little to help mask the flavor, but it was something. "I assume I don't want to know what this meat is?" Ian said after his first gulp.

Tupp cracked a grin and shook his head as he went for another spoonful.

"So you guys have been surviving on one bowl of mystery meat stew since this all started?" Ian asked.

Tupp shook his head. "Nah bro, we rationing now. Last week we stopped doing two meals."

"Oh…" Guzma has said food's getting low.

When the two finished their meager bowl of questionable meat soup and went outside, Ian noticed water drops hitting the ground. Dammit.

"Imma hit Shady House. What are you planning, yo?" Tupp asked.

"Not sure..." Ian said, pondering the possibilities. I'm going to need to battle a Pokemon, I might as well see what Deerling can do. "Where's the biggest tree in town?"

"On Backstreet, little road next to HQ," Tupp said. "Why you looking for it?"

"I figure I can train with Deerling since it's a good shelter from the rain," Ian explained.

"Let's go yo!" Tupp cheered as he pumped his fist.

Tupp led Ian up what was called "Kai Avenue," a street that ran parallel with The Spine, but along the western wall facing the beach. When they got to the end of the block the rain had picked up more, and Ian saw the familiar, unblemished street sign reading "Shady Way."

"This street was called Shady Way before Team Skull took over?" Ian asked.

"Yeah bro, there used to be hella trees in front of the mansion that made it pretty shady along the block. Guzma cut 'em down when we took over the house," Tupp explained.

That's why the Team Skull Mansion is called Shady House, wow.

"Hey, pizza boy!" Guzma's voice called out. Ian turned to see Guzma and Plumeria underneath the awning covering Shady House's main entrance. Plumeria and the Team Skull boss had both of their arms folded. "Heard you caught an interesting Pokemon."

"Yeah boss," Ian said, taking Deerling's Heal Ball out and releasing his new partner onto the pavement in a flash of red light. The pink fawn Pokemon cheered happily before realizing there were a lot of strangers around and it quickly bolted behind Ian.

"Wait, where the hell'd you say you were from again?" Guzma asked.

"Nimbasa?" Ian answered.

Guzma shook his head. "Nah, the shitty suburb."

"Elk-" How did I not realize this? "...Grove."

Guzma cackled wildly. "Pizza boy from 'Elk Grove' catches a fucking baby deer as his first Pokemon in Alola, what a surprise! They don't even live here and your ass still got one!"

Tupp was stifling a laugh and Ian looked at him, finally gave in. "Fuck that's good."

Ian shrugged. "I mean, yeah..."

"Don't get too comfy pizza boy, you still got two more Pokemon to catch!" Guzma taunted as he turned away and headed back inside the mansion. "And I bet you ain't making it!"

"We'll definitely see boss," Ian fired back.

With that, Tupp parted from Ian with fist bump and Ian followed Shady Way to a cul-de-sac with a tall tree in front of one yard, reaching thirty to forty feet high with a wide canopy of red flowers. This is perfect. Ian took shelter underneath it and let Deerling out once more, who happily pranced around the sheltered perimeter before returning to Ian's side, eyes looking up excitedly.

"So Deerling, I need your help," Ian began. Deerling nodded and began panting excitedly. "I need to catch two more Pokemon by the end of tomorrow or I'm kicked outta here."

Deerling watched on, its dark eyes observing him with a blank expression. "I don't know how much you can understand or how sentient you guys are..." Ian began. He bit his lip before an idea came to him and he spoke casually. "How about this Deerling? Show me what you can do."

Deerling eyed him with the same blank expression as if awaiting an order. Ian rolled his eyes. Of course there's gotta be some trick to this. Ian pictured himself like he imagined a Pokemon battle would go and pointed straight ahead. "Deerling, show me what you can do!" Ian shouted confidently.

Deerling turned around energetically and began to glow with a white energy, then it surged forward, the force of it causing the air to make a sound as Deerling launched what Ian assumed was its Tackle attack. Next Deerling gave a loud, off-putting whine that made Ian shiver with discomfort. Must be Growl. "Got anything else Deerling?"

Deerling nodded with determination and built up some speed before a green glow surrounded its mouth before a small barrage of green-glowing pellets were fired at high speed. Ian followed the trajectory, and saw the glowing pellets have mini, green tinged pops against the ground. Bullet Seed? Next, Deerling took one of its hooves that began to glow a light brown and stuck it in the ground before shoveling it out, making a cloud of sand appear. Sand Attack.

"Anything else, Deerling?" Ian asked nervously, silently accounting for the games' "four move limit." Deerling bent down excitedly, wagging its little pink tail. Dark red and brown energy formed around its front legs, and Deerling lifted the glowing limbs off the ground, then smacked them down, causing a mini shock wave when the limbs hit the ground. Double Kick, I reckon.

Deerling then gathered green energy on the flower atop its head and ran to the tree, firing a larger green pellet. The pellet opened up, revealing vines that encircled a tree branch, latching on tightly. Leech Seed? Oh fuck yeah.

"Great work, Deerling!" Ian cheered. Deerling ran over to Ian excitedly, tongue out and a gleeful look in its eye. Ian felt Deerling's fur coat, which wasn't very dense, and figured Deerling was likely pretty frail. Probably the best way we're going to win battles right now is if we just use Leech Seed and keep distance between us and our opponents so we tire them out before going in for the knockout. "I think I've got a plan for us, little one," Ian said, patting Deerling's head.

After some practice doing hit and run drills, Ian could tell Deerling was starting to tire. He remembered the line at the Pokemon Center and figured that was probably the best place to get some food for his first party member. The line wasn't as long due to the rain, and Ian got a decent amount of brown Pokemon food pellets for Deerling. Plus he found out his new partner was male.

He made his way back to Shady House and ended up watching some skirmishes between Team Skull members under Shady House's overhang and quickly deduced Deerling would need a lot of help going against any of the Raticates, Gumshoos, Ledians, Ariados or other Pokemon the other Team Skull members were using. Ian didn't say much during this, and the grunts left him alone, possibly on account of his rank smelling clothes. He used one of the outhouses for the first time and came out feeling even dirtier. And here I thought I couldn't feel any grimier.

When night fell on Po Town, Ian was lying in his bunk holding Deerling's Heal Ball with a big smile. I saved you from that Alpha Ariados, now tomorrow you're gonna have to save my ass. The rain didn't stop so they weren't able to add to the team for the rest of the day, and the Shady House was still blasting hip hop music in the main hall making it hard to sleep. To add to the discomfort, Ian's stomach rumbled. Accidental weight loss, here we come.

***
The next morning, Ian eyed the gate nervously. Sure I have Deerling, but anything slightly stronger than it or Deerling doesn't have a type advantage over will be trouble.

"Hey bro, wait for me!" Tupp shouted. Ian turned and sighed with relief.

"You can come with?" Ian asked

"Plumeria said there was an Ultra Storm out at sea when she woke up," Tupp explained. "So we free today."

Ultra Storms can happen at sea? Ian then pictured what would've happened if he and his tattered mattress had appeared two miles from shore and gulped. I sure lucked out.

"So where to today, bro?" Tupp asked as the two made their way out of the front gates.

"Considering Deerling's a Grass type, I think something on the beach would give us a good chance of running into a Water Pokemon," Ian explained.

"Smart. Whatcha doing if we see an Alpha?"

"Getting the hell out of there," Ian said with a sheepish grin.

"Good," Tupp said, then directed Ian to the beach partially in the shadow of Po Town's walls. Ian released Deerling from its Heal Ball and it pranced around happily.

"Any chance we get Plumeria's Salazzle to use Sweet Scent again?" Ian asked.

Tupp shook his head. "Not out here yo." Tupp then pointed to the walls towering over them. "Po Town's walls weren't just built for dangerous Pokemon from the land." Tupp then whirled around, pointing to the sparkling Alolan sea. "It's a Gyarados hot spot."

"Oh. Should we go somewhere else then?"

Tupp shook his head. "Nah man, we should be able to find something and not have to deal with them."

Gyarados were always overpowered in the games. Maybe catching one would be a good move down the line. But they're likely very dangerous... "So Tupp, now that no one's around..." Ian began.

"Yeah?"

"So remember how I told you I 'wasn't exactly a trainer' when you guys picked me up?" Ian asked.

"Oh shit, you did say that! That explains you gettin' that close to an Alpha," Tupp said. "You were so convincing I straight up forgot you said that bro."

Ian shrugged. "Yeah... So I take it that training a Gyarados is dangerous, right?"

Tupp nodded. "Yeah bro, they need to eat a lot, always got a bad attitude, and if they overpower your team it don't end well for the trainer. They're good, but mostly if you're trying to get yourself killed."

Ian nodded understandingly. "I got you. I might be dumb but I'm not that stupid. I promise."

"Fuck, I hope," Tupp said, continuing on along the beach.

Ian's clothes clung to him disgustingly, making him very uncomfortable in the morning sun. He'd slept in them the past two nights after all, and he could smell them too. The two trudged along, and apart from the occasional Wingull soaring overhead, nothing appeared on the sandy beach.

"Maybe we can check out the fishing spot?" Tupp asked.

"Fishing spot?" Ian said.

"A few grunts bike over to a little cove along the way to Outrigger," Tupp explained, pointing at what Ian figured was east.

"Outrigger?"

"Little beach town at the top of the island," Tupp said. "So the Straightaway takes you from the Ula'Ula Meadow and the Akua Jungle to Po Town, then you follow that road over to Outrigger."

"Yeah man, I'm going to need a map or something," Ian said. "This is all going over my head."

"Plumeria prolly don't want to give you the rundown until you're actually in Team Skull," Tupp said.

"Can't fault that," Ian said. Deerling tensed suddenly, its head turning to the wave crashing to the shore. Ian gasped as he saw a turtle shell riding along a wave fifty feet or so away from their position. "There!" Ian yelled as he and Deerling bolted over. Deerling quickly outpaced Ian, not just because of its natural speed, but Ian's increasingly crusty jeans and the beach's soft sand winded him quickly.

Deerling stopped a dozen feet from the turtle shell and to Ian's surprise, what he recognized as a Wartortle came out of the shell. As Ian scanned it, he noticed Wartortle's shell seemed slightly dented and deformed. Wartortle's blue-skinned limbs had wounds on them. "It already looks hurt," Ian said shamefully.

"You can get it healed at the Pokemon Center bro," Tupp said. "It's either catch that or you gone."

Ian grimaced, feeling rather dirty and cowardly. I'll make it up to you later, Wartortle. "Deerling, Leech Seed!"

A large green pellet formed atop Deerling's signature yellow head-flower and launched at the struggling Water Pokemon, bursting and a trio of vines enveloped Wartortle. Wartortle fired a stream of water at Deerling, who deftly dodged it, landing perfectly in stride.

"Now we just keep our distance," Ian said. "Bullet Seed it then fall back!"

Deerling bolted into action, dashing into range, firing a barrage of green-glowing pellets then dashing back out of range. Wartortle braced itself, taking the brunt of the small, green pops. Wartortle grunted in pain and then retreated into its shell. It then glowed with white energy and the shell began spinning unnaturally fast, shaking Leech Seed's vines off the shell in moments. Aw shit, Rapid Spin? So much for that strat.

When Wartortle finished spinning, it came out of its shell with a proud cry, only to be met by another barrage of Bullet Seeds. Wartortle then gathered blue energy by its mouth and fired rings of water from its mouth. Water Pulse? Deerling had plenty of time to dodge and did so, using its momentum to dash into range for another Bullet Seed. Get kited.

A translucent white field manifested around Wartortle, and as the barrage of Bullet Seeds hit it, they popped, leaving Wartortle untouched. That's gotta be Protect.

"Shit... Try another Bullet Seed!" Ian declared, thinking Protect wouldn't be as likely to work. Wartortle lit up another protective field, the Bullet Seed's pellets bursting impotently. No way it works three times in a row. "Re-position and fire another Bullet Seed!" Ian commanded.

Wartortle glowed with white, translucent power once more, but the protective field seemingly popped suddenly, leaving Wartortle exposed to the oncoming barrage. Wartortle yelped in pain as the Bullet Seeds hit their mark. Then it turned to the sea and began heading away from the battle.

"Shit," Tupp said.

"Yeah. Deerling, don't let it go in the water!" Ian commanded. Deerling dashed quickly. Wartortle then took a deep breath and a light blue, almost white energy manifested around its mouth. An Ice Type attack? "DODGE!"

Out from Wartortle's mouth came a light blue stream of icy crystals that glimmered as they caught the sun. Deerling bounded away, but the large area of effect attack caught Deerling's back legs, causing it to whine in pain as ice crystals stuck to its hind limbs. Icy Wind? "Deerling, Tackle!"

A white aura shimmered around Deerling as it wound up, then launched itself at Wartortle, who retreated into its shell just in time. Deerling bashed into the shell, sending it tumbling a number of feet as it rolled away from the water. Perfect.

Wartortle came out of its shell, shaking its head as Ice Type Energy began forming in its mouth again. "Deerling, fall back!"

Deerling turned around a little clumsily with its hindered back limbs but it was able to leap a dozen feet back still, landing a little unsteadily this time. The cloud of cold wind and crystals did hit Deerling, but at such a distance Ian figured the most potent part of the attack had already faded. "Fire off another Bullet Seed!" Ian said.

Deerling did so, and this time Wartortle withdrew into its already battered shell, which absorbed most of the damage. Gotta counter Icy Wind somehow. "Charge in for a Sand Attack!"

Deerling's legs made it move not so swiftly, but still much faster than the clearly exhausted Wartortle could recover. As Wartortle's head popped out, it was met with a face full of sand, causing it to yelp in frustration.

"Get out of there!" Ian ordered, pointing perpendicularly away from Wartortle. Sure enough, Wartortle fired off another Icy Wind, but completely missed the mark. Wartortle went to rub its eyes. "Finish it, Double Kick!" Ian commanded.

Deerling charged back, its front legs glowing with dark red energy. It made one more bound and smashed its front legs onto Wartortle's exposed face, smashing it into the sand. Wartortle let out a last gasp before going limp.

"Hell yeah!" Tupp hollered.

Ian ran up eagerly, tossing a Poke Ball lightly to the vanquished soon to be partner. Wartortle was absorbed into the ball in a flash of red light, and Deerling rubbed up against Ian's leg affectionately. Ian used an off hand to pet Deerling, but fixated on the ball. It shook more than Deerling's Heal Ball had, but it eventually went limp. Ian pumped his fist and picked up Deerling with a smile on his face.

Deerling began yelping in a panic as it flailed, and Ian realized Deerling probably wasn't too fond of being picked up. "Excellent job Deerling!" Ian began petting the back Deerling's neck and it cooed happily. "You probably can't reach back there yourself... You were great there!"

The duo returned to the front gates of Po Town all smiles. Even with his slightly crusty clothes, Ian felt like he was on cloud nine. Not sure how I lucked out with a Wartortle of all things, but I won't say no to it. Ian and Tupp made their way to the Pokemon Center, having to wait in a bit of a line before they got to the counter, where they were met by an East Asian woman just past middle age with greying hair and resting bitch-face. It's a common facial expression around here, ain't it?

"What's going on Doc," Tupp said.

"Tupp, what you do to your Pokemon this time?" The woman croaked in broken English. Galarian?

"Not me this time, Doc," Tupp said with a grin, pointing at Ian. "This is Ian, he catches one more Pokemon today and he's in Team Skull. Ian, this is Doc."

"Ian, not so lucky," Doc said, her smile oozing mischief.

"I just caught this Wartortle, it looked really beat up before I battled it..." Ian explained as he handed over Wartortle's ball.

Doc seemingly ignored Ian's words as she swiped the ball from him and released Wartortle from its ball. Getting a closer look at Warotrtle's shell made Ian cringe. There were punctures and cracks all over, not to mention the bruising on its skin as it laid unconscious on the counter. "Was fight with a Gyarados? Maybe two? Where you find?"

"Just at the beach behind the wall," Tupp said coarsely.

Doc eyed it suspiciously. "Ultra Storm out at sea this morning, maybe come from there..."

"He? Wartortle's a boy?" Ian asked.

"Male," Doc corrected. "But yes he is."

"It's a Gyarados hot spot in the seas around Po Town, right?" Ian speculated. "Can't imagine coming out of an Ultra Storm and boom, there's a bunch of Gyarados on your ass."

"You see puncture?" Doc said, pointing to a deep piercing of the shell, but it looked like there was still shell at the bottom. "Normal Gyarados bite never go this deep into Squirtle shell. Alpha Gyarados do this."

"An Alpha out there Doc?" Tupp asked. "Maybe it'll keep Sinclair's boats off our ass for a bit."

"Sorry but I gotta ask, is 'Doc' your real name?" Ian said curiously.

Doc scoffed. "Course not."

"Ah..." Ian said.

"Hey Tupp, Faller-guy!" Rapp's harsh, female voice said from behind Doc. The Team Skull grunt had her signature Comfey around her neck and a curious look in her eyes. "Why you guys here?"

Tupp pointed at the KO'd Wartortle. "Ian's second Pokemon, caught just now."

Rapp's eyes expanded as she saw the carnage on the shell. "How fuck did your Deerling do this, Faller?"

Ian shook his head. "It was like that when we saw him. Stroke of luck."

"You all done chit-chat? I have mangled Wartortle I need treat," Doc said, her frustration making her broken accent worse.

"Oh, sorry Doc," Rapp said as she took a quick step back.

"He heal, but machine not fully heal shell. No more cracks," Doc said.

When Doc was out of earshot, Tupp leaned over the counter. "Rapp, the fuck you doing back there?"

Rapp rolled her eyes. "What, a girl can't 'diserfy' her... I mean diversify her skill set?"

"Looks boring as hell," Tupp teased.

"How about you stop watching and help get this guy in Team Skull? How about that?" Rapp fired back.

"It's gonna be easy, just you wait," Tupp said.

***

A few hours later, Ian and Tupp were walking along the road east of Po Town, walking a narrow strip of flat land where the foothills leading to Mount Hokulani began just a few hundred feet away. "Fuck..." Tupp paused, folding his arms. "This is not as easy as I thought it was gonna be."

"We can go back and get Plumeria," Ian said.

"Only if you think Wartortle is in fighting shape," Tupp said. "Your Deerling won't be able to handle the stronger stuff out here."

A couple grunts on bicycles came riding by and threw up a hand sign to Tupp. "Any good Pokemon out there?" Tupp asked.

"Nothing but Yungoos bro," one grunt said as he cruised by.

"They out today yo," the other grunt said as he followed behind.

The sinking feeling in his stomach got worse. At least my stomach hurts because whatever was in the stew ain't sitting right instead of being hungry.

"Can Gumshoos smell really well?" Ian asked.

"Of course bro," Tupp said.

"Maybe it can find something I can catch?" Ian wondered.

"Nah, we upwind. Everything we'd be looking for is down wind," Tupp said.

Ian wanted to protest, not entirely sure he understood what Tupp was talking about, but decided against it.

"Your Deerling's kinda smelly yo," Tupp said. "Maybe it can lure some stuff."

"Use it as bait?" Ian asked. "I mean, that is how I got it in the first place."

"Sink or swim bro," Tupp insisted.

Ian eyed Deerling's Heal Ball and gulped nervously. "Here goes something." He released Deerling, who scampered around excitedly before coming back and rubbing up against Ian's leg. "You wanna help us find another Pokemon I can catch?" Ian asked.

Deerling licked its lips as it stared at Ian with its big blank eyes. "Looks like 'yes' to me bro," Tupp said.

The trio continued on, the clouds thankfully not gathering for a storm anytime soon. They came upon a small wooded area on the side of the road. It didn't seem very deep, but it seemed like a decent place for a Pokemon to hide out. Probably a Yungoos or Rattata. Ian searched for signs of anything, and an odd green blip of light caught his attention. "Fuck was that?" Ian asked aloud.

"What?"

"There was this green light in the brush over there," Ian pointed.

"Mystery meat might be hitting you hard bro," Tupp teased. "You want to go check it out just in case?"

Ian shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Fuck it," Tupp said.

Deerling seemed a bit apprehensive about going in, but Ian gave it a reassuring smile. Deerling followed, but stayed right behind Ian the entire time. Some Pikipek chirped, and the breeze felt quite nice on Ian's skin. "So bro... if I don't catch a third Pokemon, you think there's another spot I could go to?" Ian asked.

"Outrigger's up the road about a day's walk from here, but Guzma'll be pissed at you. If Outrigger and us ever get in a scrap, Guzma'll demand you come back in a peace deal," Tupp said. "Guzma don't mind runners, but taking his hospitality and running, that's fucked up."

"I wasn't trying to frame it that way," Ian said. "But just in case I come back with just a Yungoos, you know?"

"I feel ya bro," Tupp said, his eyes focusing on a rustling bush ahead.

Ian locked in, focusing on the rustling brush. Suddenly the familiar call of a Yungoos hit their ears, and in a flash of gold, the critter fled. "How much time do I got?" Ian asked.

"We got a few hours still bro," Tupp said.

"What about climbing the hills a bit?" Ian asked.

Tupp shook his head. "There's an Alpha Drampa somewhere up in these hills. You don't want nothing to do with that."

"Most definitely," Ian said. Suddenly Deerling yelped with fright, leaping away. "Deerling, what the-" A blur of dark color sped by Ian. He turned to catch up with the adversary and saw a little tuft of orange fur on top of its dark colored, feline body. Deerling fired a Bullet Seed, but the green pellets smoked by a flash of flames. Fire type? Shit.

Deerling bounded for cover, but the assailant was fast, and when Deerling landed, it was met with another flash of flames. Deerling cried out in pain, moving, but definitely wounded. The mystery assailant crouched, ready to pounce on Deerling, and Ian realized what it was. A Litleo!

"Deerling, Leech Seed!" Ian ordered.

Deerling fired a quick seed from its flower, bursting and landing on Litleo mid-pounce. Deerling scurried for more cover, with Litleo in hot pursuit.

"Dafuq is that?" Tupp asked.

"I think it's a Litleo," Ian said.

"I ain't ever seen them around here bro," Tupp said.

Ultra Storm refugee or something. We need to get Litleo in close for a Double Kick. "Deerling, Sand Attack!" Ian commanded.

Deerling stuck its hoof in the ground, kicking up sand, but Litleo was airborne, fire enveloping its mouth. Deerling whimpered as Litleo landed on target. Ian had Deerling's Heal Ball at the ready and recalled his partner. Litleo followed the red light for a moment, hissing at Ian and Tupp, readying more fire in its mouth. Seeing Litleo mostly still for a time made Ian notice something he didn't expect to see, the orange tuft of fur on top of Litleo's head flickered like a candle's flame, changing from a dark orange to lighter orange every couple of seconds.

"Bro, you got this?" Tupp asked. "If I help-"

"I know you can't help," Ian said, reaching for Wartortle's ball. I'll owe you even more if you can even go. Ian opened Wartortle's ball, wishing he'd at least gotten to know him before sending him into battle.

Wartortle manifested hunched over, clearly not one hundred percent. Wartortle's head turned, a pestered look in its eye as its glare met Ian's eyes. "I'm sorry dude, I'm gonna owe you..." Ian promised.

Wartortle snorted, turning back around to the hissing Litleo. Litleo then growled fiercely, pouncing into the air. Wartortle opened his mouth and let out a stream of blue energy rings, wobbling like water. The rings made contact with Litleo, each one connecting, slamming Litleo into the tree behind it. The assailant hit the ground hard, going limp in a quick second.

Wartortle turned back around with the same pestered look in its eye. Ian smiled nervously, recalling his second partner into its Poke Ball. He readied the third and final one, hucking it to Litleo's body. The ball connected, opened, and absorbed Litleo into itself in a flash of red light. Ian hustled over to the now motionless Poke Ball and picked it up triumphantly. Tupp barreled into Ian, giving him a playful shove.

"Let's goooo! Welcome to Team Skull bro!" Tupp said, putting his fist out.

Ian smiled. "Let's make some bad decisions, dude."

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 5 Team Members

The walk back to Po Town was a jubilant one, with Tupp's grin as wide as Ian's. "Imma see if we can get you on Plumeria's squad," Tupp said.

"I thought that was the whole point of you helping me, so I'd be Plumeria's new punching bag," Ian teased.

"Plumeria ain't too thrilled about that stunt you pulled with Ariados yesterday," Tupp said. "We're the squad that goes to Ultra Storms to check for Fallers. Ultra storms are dangerous, can't have have big risk takers in the squad yo."

"That's your guys' main job?" Ian asked. "Ultra Storms?"

"We found you, bro," Tupp said. "Any Fallers that make it out, we bring 'em back to Po Town. Not a lot of 'em do, especially ones like you without Pokemon."

Ian shrugged. "I'm just lucky I guess."

"Wait, Plumeria said you found a Star Piece in that Ultra Storm?" Tupp asked.

"Yeah," Ian said.

"It was just lying on the ground?" Tupp asked.

Ian nodded. "There were wormholes dropping random stuff in there, it wouldn't surprise me if one of the wormholes dropped a Star Piece for whatever reason."

"You right..." Tupp said. "Man, ever since the Ultra Rift showed up, Ula'Ula been crazy yo."

"I bet..." Ian replied. Ian looked to see if he could see the Ultra Rift at the top of Lanakila, but Hokulani and its foothills towered over them. "So Ultra Storms started happening when that rift showed up, right?"

"Yuuup," Tupp said.

Ian gasped as it hit him. Ultra Storms are like Space-Time Distortions from Legends Arceus! It all lines up, they came with the Ultra Rift, wormholes occur inside of them and... "No way..." Ian said aloud.

"What bro?" Tupp said.

"Sorry, just some ideas hitting me," Ian said. There were valuable items in the Space-Time Distortions, which means there's a good chance they're in the Ultra Storms as well. "You guys don't go in the Ultra Storms, right?"

"Sometimes we take a peek, see if anything needs our help," Tupp said. "But if it's too deep we can't really go in. Shit's hairy."

"Gotcha..." Ian said. Riding around on Wyrdeer was the best way to farm treasures in the Space-Time Distortions... Ian's hand instinctively reached for Deerling's Heal Ball. Well, if Deerling ever evolves into Sawsbuck, it still isn't as big as Wyrdeer, so I doubt I could ride on its back so easily. But maybe just moving rapidly or keeping the Pokemon inside the Ultra Storms distracted would let us hunt for valuables... And people I suppose.

When the gates of Po Town came into view, Ian pumped his fist one more time. "I suppose you guys are stuck with me now."

"Nah, you stuck with us bro," Tupp said, giving him a playful jab to the forearm.

When Po Town's main gate came into view, Ian spied Plumeria's now familiar face waiting at the threshold, arms folded.

"He got it!" Tupp said, pointing at Ian. "Three Pokemon, no shitters!"

"That remains to be seen, Tupp," Plumeria said skeptically. "What's the third one?"

"A Litleo," Ian answered.

"Pretty feisty one too," Tupp said.

"Litleo? I've heard there's a Pyroar population on Poni Island, but never heard of them being here," Plumeria said.

"Probably ran out of the Ultra Storms," Ian said.

"So all three Pokemon you caught were Ultra Storm refugees? Odd," Plumeria said.

A sudden realization from the Sun and Moon post-game hit him like a blow to the ribs. Beings that interacted with Ultra Wormholes would attract Ultra Beasts. Maybe this works with all Pokemon, considering Ultra Beasts are Pokemon are the end of the day.

"Something wrong?" Plumeria asked.

"Sorry, something from back home hit me all of the sudden," Ian said.

"Well forget about it, we gotta see Guzma first," Plumeria ordered coldly.

Wait, if there's hundreds of things with this Ultra energy signature or whatever, wouldn't that kind of negate the problem? So many sources of the energy that the Ultra Beasts can't hone in on one singular source? Fuck, this is complicated, gotta put it on the back burner for a bit.

"And hey, Big Sis..." Tupp began. "I gotta say, Ian here was pretty good at battling. Like really good with his Deerling when he fought Wartortle."

"Wasn't Wartortle already seriously injured?" Plumeria asked.

"Yeah, but Wartortle's probably way stronger than Deerling, and he still pulled off the win. He was all starteejick and shit," Tup said.

"Strategic you mean?" Plumeria said with a smirk. "Forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

Tupp turned to Ian and shrugged. Good try, Tupp.

The walk up The Spine didn't take long, and Ian saw Tom and a couple other stewards locking the doors on his warehouse for the day. The Shady House bustled with activity as hip hop music played loudly over the speakers while uniformed Team Skull members lounged around, some with their Pokemon out. Whether it was an Alolan Rattata, a Yungoos, or what Ian recognized as a Fomantis, everything seemed pretty chill. "Tupp, stay here," Plumeria ordered.

Tupp wanted to protest, but settled for giving Ian a thumbs up, which he reciprocated.

Plumeria led Ian down the hallway and swung the door open, this time there being no guard. Guzma was seated on his throne, Larvesta on his lap like a stereotypical mob boss petting a cat. "Don't tell me pizza boy got three Pokemon?" Guzma asked.

"Three," Plumeria said. "And apparently not shitters."

Guzma whistled. "Okay pizza boy, let's check 'em out. Besides that fucking deer of course."

Ian tried to force a laugh. He then stepped to the throne to hand Guzma the two Poke Balls. Guzma opened one, revealing a flash of red light before manifesting Wartortle sleeping on its back. It promptly awoke and turned right to Ian with the same scowl on its face as before. Sorry dude. In moments Guzma recalled Wartortle, then opened the other Poke Ball. Litleo, still battered and bruised emerged with an agitated growl. One of its legs gave out and it fell to the ground with a shocked yelp, only to begin hissing. Guzma recalled it into its ball and tossed one ball at a time to Ian. "Not bad. But those two do look a little tough to handle," Guzma noted.

"Thank you, boss," Ian said, not realizing he'd bowed his head slightly.

"Welcome to Team Skull then, pizza boy," Guzma said, stepping closer to Ian. "Wait, what's your name again?"

"Ian..."

"That's not bad actually. What's your last name?" Guzma said.

"Derry."

Guzma recoiled. "Ugh, now that sounds stupid." Guzma got up from his throne, causing Larvesta to scuttle along Guzma's arm and to his shoulder. "You ever have any stupid nicknames from when you were younger?"

Ian thought back on it, trying to remember something, anything. Then he scoffed, remembering the story behind his stupid fifth grade nickname. "Cougar."

"Cougar? Why the hell'd they call you that?" Guzma spat.

Ian shook his head. "In Alola it might be different, but the slang definition back home was like a forty year old woman who was dating a twenty year old guy-"

Guzma cackled. "You dated a woman twice your age?"

"No, 'Cougar' is the the term you call the woman,"

Guzma eyed Ian suspiciously.

"We were in fifth grade, and I had a crush on this one girl. Turns out she got bumped up from the class below, so she was a year younger than us..." Ian explained. "Because we were in fifth grade we didn't know what the actual term meant, so they just called me 'Cougar.'"

Guzma chuckled. "It's so dumb I like it." Guzma then closed in on Ian, standing over him on his raised platform. "You're into princes and knights and shit, right?"

"Uh, not exactly..."

"Fuck it, better than being called 'Pizza Boy' the rest of your life," Guzma said. He put his hand on Ian's head. "Welcome to Team Skull, Ian Cougar."

Did I just get a new last name? After catching a lion cub? An involuntary grin formed on Ian's face, and something about the whole informal ceremony still felt very sincere.

"What squad's he going on?" Plumeria asked. "I'd recommend Rook's since he's still starting out."

Guzma eyed Ian. "What do you think, Coogz?"

Ian understood the implied nickname and turned to Plumeria, who was giving him a look of pure disdain. "So, I have an idea about the Ultra Storms..." Ian started.

"Yeah?" Guzma asked.

"That Star Piece I found in it? I bet Ultra Storms have other treasures and stuff in them, including rare Pokemon," Ian explained. "Since Plumeria's squad goes and checks them out, maybe I could join that squad," Ian paused, then pointed to Guzma's treasure chest. "Maybe after a few weeks you'll have to get a second one."

Guzma cracked a smile. "I like the sound of that. What do you think, Plumeria?"

"Not at all. He's reckless. That whole thing with Alpha Ariados is just the first symptom. I'm not sure he understands this isn't a game," Plumeria lectured.

If only you knew. "I wanted to get Deerling out of there. It was in the heat of the moment and I... I couldn't just leave it. It's my partner, now and forever," Ian said. "Just like everyone in Team Skull is now."

Plumeria's scowl turned a bit more neutral. Or dare I say, a smirk? Plumeria sighed, and turned to Guzma. "Fine, but he's on a short leash." Plumeria stepped to Ian, her golden eyes fixated on his. "The moment you put us in danger is the moment I leave you in an Ultra Storm. Got it?"

Ian nodded. "I do."

"Tomorrow's your first day in my squad. I know you just got your Pokemon, but I need them to be able to battle for you by then, okay?" Plumeria demanded.

Ian nodded. "Yes ma'am-"

"Don't fucking 'ma'am' me, I'm your squad leader, not your grandma," Plumeria spat.

"Yes... squad leader?" Ian asked uncertainly.

"Just Plumeria's fine," Plumeria said with an eye roll.

"Well now that that's settled, Coogz, do you know what the one and only rule of Team Skull is?"

Ian shook his head. "No..."

"We're a bunch of misfits, bunch of people society never gave a fuck about. We can't count on anyone else to look out for us," Guzma explained. "So it's this: always look out for each other."

Ian nodded. "Understood boss," he said seriously.

"You may think the other factions on this island have it better, and hey it might look like that from afar," Guzma said. "But they all got their own bullshit. They're ruthless, and they'll toss their own people aside if it means a slight improvement in their situation."

Ian nodded, trying to sound like he understood what Guzma truly meant while actually not having a clue. "I hear you boss..." Ian paused. "But, I don't know anything about these factions. I've heard things about Breon and Surge, and everyone makes it sound like they're really strong-"

"They are really strong," Guzma said. "Plumeria, you tell him. I fucking hate talking about the map," Guzma pointed to Ian's left, and draped on the wall was a large, exquisitely painted island. Guzma made his way out of the throne room, Larvesta still resting on his shoulder. How did I not notice that before?

"So this is Ula'Ula Island..." Plumeria said, stepping in front of the map. She pointed to the top left corner. "That's Po Town, that's us. Guzma's our leader." She then pointed a little to the right where a small town with an island just bigger than a spec to Ian's eye rested just off the coast. "That little beach town is called Outrigger. Leilani's their leader. We're kinda cool with them, kinda not sometimes. They have some deal with Surge so he won't wreck them. That means they can't get too close to us."

"Surge? I keep hearing-"

Plumeria gave Ian an annoyed look, and Ian quickly shut his mouth. "Sorry."

"Thanks," Plumeria croaked. "So the top mountain, that's Mount Hokulani. Surge controls the mountain. There are observatories on top of it, and Surge turned them into a base. It's damn near impossible to touch him up there. Malie City pays him tribute to not fuck them up."

"And by Surge, do you mean the Kanto gym leader Lieutenant Surge?" Ian asked.

Plumeria paused. "I'm actually not sure. I can double check with Driftwood next time I run into them."

"Driftwood?"

"The Driftwood Guild," Plumeria said with a sigh. "They're this neutral group. They operate across each factions' territory. Want a certain spice? They can get it for you. Want a certain TM for a Pokemon? They can acquire it and bring it to you, for a price. Always a price with them, sometimes information, sometimes treasure. They even have some stupid motto their people say whenever you interact with them."

"Interesting. And they don't get caught or anything?" Ian asked.

"They have Pokemon that use Teleport. No way to track them, but they're around," Plumeria explained, then pointed to the urban area to Mt. Hokulani's right. "So Malie City, that's the last place the ASF still controls."

"And the ASF is...?"

"The Alolan Security Forces. The government," Plumeria said plainly. "With this being an island and all, Alola hasn't been in many wars. You Unovans used this place as a base in the Great Ocean War way back."

Why do I think she's talking about the Pokemon world version of World War II?

"Unova keeps Alola safe from abroad, but it didn't want Alola's military getting strong or something like that. Keahi even said that's the reason why Alola never formed a Pokemon League. So when the Ultra Rift appeared on top of Mount Lanakila and Ultra Storms started popping off all over Alola, the ASF was a complete mess."

"Ultra Storms are happening on other islands?" Ian asked, putting the name "Keahi" in the back of his mind for later.

"Kinda, but not nearly as much as here. Probably because of the Ultra Rift on Lanakila," Plumeria said. "The rest of Alola sends food and supplies to Malie City and then dishes it out to certain factions. We're so far away we're not one of those factions."

Ian eyed the beautifully painted map and noticed a road sprouting off between Po Town and Outrigger that went around the base of Mount Hokulani. "I assume that road is Surge's?" Ian asked.

"Well, Surge blew up the Gap Bridge that connects us to Malie City," Plumeria said. Plumeria then pointed to Po Town, her finger leading down from Po Town. "So the only road that kind of works goes through Haina Town..." Plumeria pointed to a coastal city at the southern base of Mount Lanakila, where Ian remembered Tapu Village was in the games. That's a lot more than a trailer park and a Pokemon Center.

"Haina Town was run by the ASF, but something happened and the ASF trainers mutinied. Now they're just a bunch of assholes. Their leader is this guy named Breon," Ian noticed Plumeria's voice dropped fearfully at the end of her sentence.

Plumeria backtracked, pointing to the rough, hilly area between Malie City and Haina Town. The Mudsdale riding area. "There's this group called the Rough Raiders that lives in these hills," Plumeria explained. "They ride Mudsdale and stuff like that. I've run into them once and they were alright. They don't like Breon and his goons in Haina Town though."

Ian nodded. "Sorry if I forget some of this, it's a lot of information..."

"Yeah, the ones closest to us are probably the ones worth remembering," Plumeria said. "So up here on Mount Lanakila there's this weird group, we think they're refugees from Haina Town. There's some chick named Irida who's leading them. There's an old abandoned mining town called Makamae Town they took up residence in. Not a lot of food up there, so we've seen some of their foraging parties in the Akua Jungle." Plumeria pointed at the dense forest of green just south of Po Town.

Irida? Like the Pearl Clan leader from Legends Arceus? What the hell is she doing here?

"You still following?" Plumeria asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Something just crossed my mind… Anyways, Pearl Clan?"

"What?"

"Shit, sorry. Irida?" Ian recovered.

"So the last one is Sinclair," Plumeria said.

Ian's eyes drifted to the desert, but he remembered something about Sinclair and his boats. Plumeria pointed to the bottom left corner of the island where there was a bay with a bunch of islands scattered about. "This is Mahiki Bay. When the ASF started falling apart, some guy named Sinclair got some followers and stole a bunch of boats from Malie City's harbor and took them down here," Plumeria explained. "We think he's on the biggest island in the bay. Him and his goons have gone pirate, raiding shipments from the rest of Alola and harassing everyone from the sea."

This is fucking intense.

"Any questions?" Plumeria asked.

"Does anyone have the desert?" Ian asked, pointing at the Haina desert beside Mount Lanakila.

Plumeria shook her head. "That's neutral ground where disputes between leaders get resolved," Plumeria said. "Us and Haina Town were fighting for a couple months, then Guzma and Breon went with some Driftwood Guild folks and hashed out a peace deal," Plumeria said.

"Oh, and one more question. Where'd this map come from?" Ian asked.

Plumeria cracked a smile if only for a second. "Mina. She works for Rook, paints in her spare time."

Like Mina the Trial Captain? What's she doing here?

"So you gonna remember all of this nonsense?" Plumeria asked.

"There's gotta be a lot of history going on..." Ian said.

"Yeah, and I'm getting sick of your stinky ass clothes. Let's get you some uniforms," Plumeria said.

"Finally!" Ian rejoiced.

"Wait, one more thing..." Plumeria pointed to a small area of water surrounded by jungle just southeast of Po Town. "This is the Lake of the Sunne. Never go there. Tapu Bulu protects it. It is sacred, and Tapu Bulu has killed people who've gone in there. And if it doesn't get you, the Alpha Golurk who lives there will. Got it?"

Ian nodded. "I do. I swear."

***
Half an hour later, Ian admired the fit of his Team Skull tank-top and black pants. The Skull hat on his head looked odd at first, but it was starting to grow on him.

"The underwear could be comfier," Ian said, talking about the light green drawers he remembered putting on.

"Yeah man, that's all that's left over," Tupp said. "Scratchy as fuck."

"If you scratch your balls, I won't think you're jerking off if you do the same for me," Ian said.

"Deal."

Ian checked his new belt which had six depressions with magnets at the bottom of them for his Poke Balls. He grabbed the Heal Ball and two Poke Balls and they attached almost too easily. "That's pretty sweet," Ian commented.

"You don't got those in Unova?" Tupp asked.

"Something like that," Ian replied, examining his Skull tank-top one more time. "Just curious, I got two more pairs of these right?"

Tupp nodded. "Yeah bro, why you asking?"

"Where'd these Skull shirts come from?" Ian asked. "There's not a secret sewing department, is there?"

Tupp scoffed. "Nah man, so this all went down when Keahi was still Kahuna of Ula'Ula and her crew 'the Cinders' ran Po Town…"

So that's who Keahi was? Got it.

"… the spoiled rich kid whose family owned Shady House? He wanted to throw a big ass party and bought a bunch of shirts he wanted to make everyone wear. Brought all the DJ equipment and stuff, and no one showed," Tupp explained.

"Rich kid? Is he still around?" Ian asked.

Tupp nodded. "Yeah, he's the chubby dude everyone calls 'Slugg.' He's in Rook's squad. I'll point him out next time I see him."

"How's he fat if we're eating one meal a day?" Ian asked in genuine bewilderment.

"Dude's lost a lot of weight since this all started," Tupp explained.

"Okay… So Keahi was the former Kahuna?" Ian asked. "Where the hell is Nanu in all of this?"

"Nanu? How you know that name?" Tupp asked.

Ian tensed, realizing he might've just blown his cover. "Plumeria said something about him…" Ian said, trying to act calm.

"Oh yeah, you were in there a while bro," Tupp said. "He got announced as the Kahuna when the Ultra Rift showed up. He disappeared like a week after he got the position. No one's seen him since, not even Driftwood."

The weird, neutral trading group right? "So there's been no Kahuna on the island this whole time?"

Tupp shook his head. "Nope. I bet Nanu dipped out after he saw how fucked everything was about to be."

Ian's curiosity wanted to talk more about Keahi and how things were like in Po Town before Team Skull took it over, but something told him that might be a sensitive topic. "So, Plumeria said I have to have my Pokemon ready to go tomorrow morning."

"Wartortle still got an attitude, right?" Tupp asked.

"Litleo too," Ian said. "Any ideas on how to chill them out a bit?"

"Bribe 'em with food," Tupp said. "Should work on one of 'em at least."

"Is the Pokemon Center still open?"

"Yeah, gotta hurry though," Tupp said.

The duo made their way down The Spine, Ian noticing he was no longer catching lots of suspicious looks. I was starting to think everyone just mean-mugged everyone around here. Guess I'm blending in a lot better.

When they got to the Pokemon Center he saw Doc and Rapp behind the counter.

"Why back so soon?" Doc asked in her broken accent.

"Just here to pick up some food," Ian said. "Wartortle isn't my biggest fan, neither is Litleo."

Rapp turned to Doc. "I'll be right back." Rapp dashed around a corner and out of sight, her shapely legs catching Ian's eye for the first time. I should probably focus on getting stronger so I can eventually ditch this crazy place, not spend time chasing after girls. Plus the dick to pussy ratio here is crazy from what I've seen so far. I'm sure she's got dozens of guys going at her.

Rapp came back with three plastic baggies of large, brown pellets and held them out for Ian with a smile. "Welcome to Team Skull, Faller."

"Glad to be here," Ian replied, taking the bags and carrying them close to his body.

When Ian and Tupp got outside the Pokemon Center, Tupp eyed him. "I saw you eyeing Rapp in there. You like her?"

Ian gulped nervously, realizing Tupp likely had a crush on a girl, and there weren't that many in town. "No just... Finally not nervous enough to notice, you know?"

Tupp laughed. "Nah man, it's okay if you're crushing. Me and her go way back, grew up in the Tapu Village streets," Tupp explained. "She's like my sister."

"So you got a different girl you're crushing on, is what you're saying?" Ian deduced.

Tupp froze. "Well, yeah but... You can't tell nobody, bro. No one."

"You've been keeping this one secret for a while, haven't you?" Ian teased.

"A'ight bro, don't laugh..." Tupp leaned in, his voice hushing to a whisper. "I'm down pretty bad for Selene."

"It would be almost weird if you weren't," Ian said with a shrug.

Tupp stymied a laugh. "Right? And the funny thing is, I'm kind of the reason she's here actually."

"You are?"

"Bro, right around when the Ultra Rift popped up, Rapp and I was doing a job outside Malie City, and this cute ass girl runs up in a funny hat and just fucking bodied us bro. Fell in love with her right then and there," Tupp explained. "A couple weeks later we were doing something south of the meadow and there she was, her Pokemon were hurt and she had nothing else. She'd just gotten out of Haina Town when Breon took over..." Tupp paused before opening up more. "Man, you're the first person I told this to. You just seem like you give more of a fuck. Prolly just cuz you're new here. But if you do tell someone, I'm putting you to sleep and feeding you to Guzma's Ariados."

"Fair. I won't say anything bro," Ian said, bumping Tupp's fist. "But I'll be rooting for you."

"Appreciate you bro," Tupp said. "All the girls got a thing for Rook though. I think they just like him cuz he's a strong trainer."

His cheek bones and goatee likely help too. "We can always fix that bro," Ian said.

"You handled Deerling real well, but how you gonna help me?" Tupp said.

"I did study a lot," Ian said.

"Where at?" Tupp asked demandingly.

This is gonna be so troll. "The Blueberry Academy in Unova," Ian said with a shit-eating grin. Not sure why the place was technically in Unova, but boy is it convenient for me all of the sudden.

"Dafuq is that?" Tupp asked.

"It was like high school but for Pokemon training," Ian explained.

"But you weren't a trainer?" Tupp asked.

"It was a financial thing..." Ian lied. "You know how to handle Pokemon, I've got all of the advanced studying. Together, we might actually become good trainers. When Plumeria was dogging you I remember you saying something about not having a good practice partner."

"Fuck, you right about that..." Tupp pondered the idea for a few moments. "Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought."

"I have my moments," Ian said, a grin returning to his face. "Know a good spot to train in town? Figure the gate's closing soon."

"You went to that tree on Backstreet yesterday, right?" Tupp asked.

Ian shrugged. "Not a bad idea, it was a comfy spot."

The duo made their way past Shady House and to cul-de-sac where the large tree stood over them. Ian took one of the pellet bags and emptied a decently sized portion into the grass. He then reached for Wartortle's Poke Ball and opened it. "Imma take a wiz real quick," Tupp said, scampering to one of the houses on the cul-de-sac.

Wartortle appeared in a flash of red light, and it immediately turned to Ian, the same scowl on its face as the encounter with Litleo. "Got food for you," Ian said in his customer service voice and pointed at the pile of brown pellets. Wartortle turned to look quickly before returning his scowl to Ian. The message was clear. You really think I'm gonna eat that off the ground?

"Look Wartortle, you've clearly had an awful day," Ian began. "And maybe you're in some pain..."

Wartortle looked down at its shell, specifically one of the deep punctures into its shell that was still there before moving on to scanning the rest of its shell. Wartortle gave a throaty croak, seemingly pleased with his recovery. It then bent over and picked up a food pellet with whatever the amphibious substitute for a hand was and popped the pellet in its mouth. Wartortle gave another throaty croak in approval and sat on its shell. Its arms weren't big enough to reach the pile, and Ian saw his opening.

Ian walked to Wartortle slowly, maintaining eye contact with his distraught Pokemon until he got close enough to crouch down and pick up a food pellet, handing it to Wartortle. Wartortle eyed him with suspicion, but ultimately accepted the help. Baby steps.

"I'm really excited to work with you," Ian said, voice full of encouragement as he handed Wartortle another pellet. The Pokemon didn't even acknowledge Ian had spoken, instead just eating the pellet emotionlessly.

"You really saved my ass back there with Litleo," Ian said. "You deserve a bigger treat than I can give you right now..." Ian continued, with Wartortle ignoring his words some more. "You don't seem like a big fan of me, which I understand. I'm not always the biggest fan of myself sometimes. But I promise to work hard as your trainer, and we can both grow together. What do you say?"

Wartortle grew impatient with waiting for more food and instead bent over, causing it to lose balance and fall on its side. Ian grabbed Wartortle's arm and helped adjust the turtle to its original seated form, grabbing another pellet. "If things aren't working out, and you wanted to leave..." Ian paused, realizing the heft of what he was saying. "When I can find a replacement, we can part ways, if you want..." Wartortle gave a higher pitched croak, eyeing Ian one more time before swiping another pellet. Ian continued picking up the pellets for Wartortle until there were no more. Wartortle crossed its arms, or as close as it could, eyeing Ian expectantly. "Alright, I see," Ian said, recalling Wartortle, his heart feeling heavier than when the conversation began.

"That didn't look good," Tupp observed, strolling back.

"No it did not. And how much did you piss, you were gone that whole time?" Ian asked.

"There are some punks watching us from the house behind us," Tupp said. "Wanted to make sure they weren't trying to mess with us."

"You talk to them?"

"Nah, they just been watching from a window," Tupp replied.

Ian readied Deerling's Heal Ball and released it. Ian held pellets in the palm of his hand this time, and Deerling ate quickly, sometimes tickling his hand with its tongue. When Ian recalled Deerling, he took a deep breath as he readied Litleo's ball. This should be interesting.

Ian released Litleo for the second time, this time the lion cub manifested on its side, yawning. It eyed Ian curiously for a moment before resting its head again. Ian noticed the tuft of fur on its head stayed bright orange and wasn't flickering. Odd.

"Might wanna put them on the ground for this one," Tupp said.

"Yeah, you're right," Ian said, taking the pellet bag and pouring its contents onto the ground. Litleo arose and strutted over before lighting its mouth up with flame, then hissing flames on the pellets. "Litleo, what the-" Ian paused as he saw Litleo happily enjoying the now scorched snack.

"Okay then..." Ian said, watching Litleo chow down with almost anger.

"A'ight so far," Tupp said.

When Litleo finished its scorched snacks, it eyed Ian threateningly, hissing aggressively. "Litleo, that's all I've got," said firmly.

Litleo's mouth flared up with flames, making Ian step back cautiously as he reached for Litleo's Poke Ball.

"Nah bro, you gotta show it who's boss," Tupp said.

"What, like me?" Ian asked, pointing at his quickly beating heart.

Tupp rolled his eyes. "Nah bro, with Wartortle."

Ian eyed Litleo again, who began to growl menacingly. "Alright, you're asking for it. Wartortle!" Ian tossed Wartortle's ball, and Wartortle manifested, facing Ian as it manifested, with an annoyed look in its eye. Ian pointed at Litleo. "In case you want round two."

Wartortle turned and its frown turned upside down as it noticed Litleo, realizing who had just appeared. Litleo switched its focus to Wartortle and got ready to pounce, embers of flame emanating from its mouth. Ian noticed the tuft of hair on its head had begun flickering to a dark orange and back to light orange. Okay, something's clearly going on with that. Litleo then shot a burst of embers at Wartortle, who casually shot them down with an effortless Water Gun stream. Wartortle croaked, almost amused, then fired another low intensity Water Gun, hitting Litleo in the mouth, forcing the fiery cub to yelp and dash back, taking a defensive position.

Wartortle stepped forward, giving a proud croak before it puffed its chest out. Litleo changed its stance, from one ready to pounce to turning into a loaf like regular cats would. Wartortle gave one more proud croak before turning to Ian and giving him a look that seemed to say: my job here is done.

Ian recalled Wartortle, then walked over carefully to Litleo, whose flickering tuft of hair ceased flickering almost instantly. Ian took a seat a few feet away from Litleo. "Nice to finally meet you when you're not upset, Litleo."

Litleo eyed him suspiciously and seemingly sneezed a flame before returning its focus to Ian.

"You already seem really dangerous," Ian said. "Quick like Deerling, but you're ranged fire attacks hit much harder. I bet if we train like Deerling and I did yesterday, you and I would become a formidable team."

Litleo snorted another ember and laid its head down.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to earn your loyalty. I can understand that," Ian said, pulling out Litleo's Poke Ball and recalling it. Ian turned to Tupp, who had been observing silently. "How'd I do?"

"At least Wartortle kinda bought in," Tupp said with a shrug.

"That's a good way of looking at it."

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 6 Legend

The early morning breeze sent a shiver down Ian's spine, and the goosebumps on his arm started to become prominent. The Team Skull tank top is great when it's hot, but boy is it a double-edged sword when it's breezy. The sound of water sloshing on his back made Ian crack a grin. It had felt like he'd been dehydrated for the past three days, and having a camelbak of his own gave him a sort of comfort he'd never expected.

"Hurry up bro, I think we kinda' late," Tupp said as his brisk walk turned into more of a jog.

Ian matched pace, hustling down to Po Town's main gate. He noticed one squad of Skull grunts densely huddled up on the asphalt near the gate house, but saw another group of three grunts in a line, with Plumeria's distinct hair catching his eye. There we are.

"Hurry up, numbskulls!" Plumeria barked, sparking an extra bit of energy from Ian and Tupp until they got in line with Selene, Rapp, and Hyde. Each member had their respective camelbaks on, but Rapp had a whole backpack on as well. Tupp did mention something like Rapp usually carried the medical supplies. Ian also noticed the Team Skull admin had a binocular case strap around her neck, with the actual binoculars covering her chest.

"Tupp, Ian, why are you two late?" Plumeria asked.

"We couldn't get his camelbak open when we were at Grill," Tupp said.

"Sorry Plumeria," Ian apologized.

"Really, this asshole's with us today?" Hyde spoke up, glaring at Ian.

Plumeria sighed bitterly. "Trust me, I didn't want the newbie on our fucking squad, especially today, but Guzma says he's with us so there's no use in complaining about it Hyde."

"Fucking bullshit," Hyde muttered.

Plumeria's eyes lingered on Hyde for a bit, but he appeared compliant now that his displeasure had been voiced. "No Ultra Storm hunting today. Instead we're helping the border squad on a scouting mission."

"Which border?" Selene asked.

Plumeria did a quick scan with her head to make sure there were no eavesdroppers around. "Tell you when we're alone," Plumeria said bluntly.

"Yikes," Selene said.

"We'll get into the other specifics as we get closer," Plumeria said, strolling over to Tupp and Ian. "Tupp, you're in charge of the newbie."

"Gotcha Big Sis," Tupp said with a nod.

Plumeria's probing gaze met Ian's. "Newbie, since this is your first mission with us, you're shadowing Tupp," Plumeria explained. "Tupp, you'll be our rear lookout for this."

Tupp gave an affirmative nod, and Ian realized he should do the same.

"Ian, you're shadowing Tupp, nothing more. I don't want you to use your Pokemon unless you absolutely have to. Shadows don't talk, so when we're in position, you don't say a damn thing," Plumeria said harshly.

"Understood," Ian said, nodding some more.

Plumeria stepped to the center of their line and glossed over her little squad one more time before pointing to the row of bikes leaning against the bottom of Po Town's mighty wall. "Then let's ride."

***

The squad of Skull trainers kept a brisk pace on their bikes on the road Ian identified as heading to Outrigger. And border with Surge if I remembered the map right. Ian's leg muscles quickly reminded him he hadn't ridden a bike since early in high school. The day was sure to be a beautiful one, with only a few clouds in the sky. They pedaled with the wind, making the effort less taxing to keep up with Plumeria and the rest of the squad. The road was surprisingly smooth, just some overgrown bushes and fallen branches scattered about. They passed the wooded area on the roadside where he'd caught Litleo the previous day. Getting another glimpse at it made Ian remember about the odd blip of green light he'd seen, and he did a quick scan as he rode past, seeing nothing this time. Must've been the mystery meat. The occasional Yungoos or black-furred Rattata scurried around, and Ian even spotted some larger Pokemon he was told were likely Fearow flying well overhead.

When Plumeria held her hand up, Ian noticed the rest of the crew began to slow down, and he followed suit. "Alright, we're far enough out of town, we can talk about mission parameters," Plumeria said, popping open the tube of her camelbak. "We'll hide our bikes when we get close to the junction."

"I take it we aren't going to Outrigger?" Selene asked.

Plumeria shook her head. "Right. We're going into Surge territory." Plumeria took a breath and cleared her throat before raising her voice. "Malie City's supposed to be sending aid to Surge's crew at the observatories today. The aid convoy should still be a few hours out. We're just observing the size of the convoy and its escort today."

"Gauging how much muscle we'd need for a real raid?" Hyde asked.

"Something like that," Plumeria answered.

"Why not just have the border scouts do it?" Selene asked.

Plumeria rolled her eyes. "Border squad's doing a diversion today. Supposed to draw whatever patrols Surge has in place before the convoy comes. They'll be on the Whitestone Plateau, we'll sneak around the Windswept Ridge."

"Shit," Tupp cursed.

"Huh?" Ian asked.

"Gonna be a hike yo," Tupp grumbled.

"Alright everyone clear on what we're doing?" Plumeria asked.

"Yeah," Ian answered first.

Plumeria glared at him. "Shadows don't speak, remember? Let's go."

***

Another hour or so of pedaling up the slight incline really fried Ian's legs. One scoff from Hyde was all it took to push through fatigue as they closed in on Mount Hokulani. The closer view of the mountain was truly breathtaking, with its summit standing above the clouds majestically. When Plumeria put her hand up and slowed her pedaling, Ian let out an exasperated groan.

"We can just leave the rookie here, Big Sis," Hyde suggested. "He ain't making it across the gap anyways."

"Stow it Hyde," Plumeria barked. As the group came to a stop all around her, Plumeria folded her arms and smirked. "Besides, if he's a spy like you really think he is, wouldn't it be better if he stayed with us?"

Hyde grunted, but had no reply.

This guy has such a hate boner for me, I really don't get it. I guess I'll have to let my actions win him over... If I even stick around that long. Ian eyed Tupp and Plumeria and a little pocket of guilt starting form in his chest.

Plumeria then began walking her bike to the forested side of the road, rested it up against a tree, and pulled the shrub next to the tree up effortlessly. What? Ian watched as Plumeria held it up, and realized it was a fake bush hiding a slightly worn path underneath it. "Alright, let's go!" Plumeria ordered.

Damn it. The squad of Team Skull members raced into the gap single file, with Ian waiting to go in last before Plumeria replaced the fake bush. Plumeria caught up with him not long after. The path was much less smooth, causing the bikes to shake and vibrate as they went along the uphill path through the wilderness. The commotion of their bikes seemed to keep wild Pokemon away and Ian couldn't help but enjoy the sense of wonder and adventure, if only for a short while as the Team Skull members ahead of him had come to a stop, reminding him he was in a much more dangerous situation than he'd likely ever been in.

Tupp rested his bike against a tree as most of the other squad members had, and Ian followed suit. Just ahead of him the forest came to an abrupt stop, and Ian realized they were actually on top of a tall cliff face. Ian made his way a few steps from the edge, seeing it was a couple hundred feet down with a river running at the bottom. About forty feet from their cliff face rested another of almost the exact same elevation. So this is what Hyde meant by "the gap."

Suddenly he felt hands grab his shoulders and push him forward to the edge for a brief instant, but the hands held onto his shoulders and pulled him back. Ian turned around quickly, seeing a smiling Hyde. "Saved your life, fake ass Faller."

"Fuck off Hyde," Ian growled.

"Hyde, you're not funny," Plumeria said dismissively. "As punishment, you get to be the first to go over there."

"Whatever," Hyde croaked, taking position close to the ledge.

"So what are we doing here?" Ian inquired.

"C'mon out Toucannon!" Selene announced, followed by a burst of red light that appeared a few feet away from Ian, forming into a parrot with a multi-colored bill. It stood almost four feet tall, and seemed much more intimidating than it ever did in the games. Toucannon's narrow eyes scanned him suspiciously, then made its way to the ledge. Someone's riding on that?

"Alright Toucannon, you know the drill," Selene said sweetly, pointing across the gap. Toucannon squawked its displeasure, but opened its wings and began flapping them. Toucannon got a couple feet above Hyde, who then reached up and grabbed Toucannon by the legs. Once secure, Toucannon began glowing a light blue, almost white, and took off without a need to build momentum.

Ian watched in awe as Toucannon kept Hyde at a relatively even level as they soared through the air. Hyde lifted his legs as the other side came under him and his feet began dragging. He let go while Toucannon kept moving, causing Hyde to roll chaotically until he came to a stop.

"Wow..." Ian said, impressed.

"First time's always the scariest," Tupp said.

"Hyde, is the emergency Revive still over there?" Plumeria yelled over.

Hyde scampered to a specific bush and pulled the yellow, diamond-shaped item from it before putting it right back.

Ian felt his stomach turn into knots, and not because of the mystery meat the squad had been given at Grill this morning.

"Toucannon's never let anyone fall, she's the best," Selene said reassuringly.

"But she's never taken someone quite Ian's size," Plumeria noted.

"He's not that much taller than me!" Tupp shouted in protest.

"Uh, he kind of is much taller than you," Selene replied.

"What? No way!" Tupp said in a slight panic.

Ian instinctively hunched over a little more. "You sure?" He asked Selene, who just rolled her eyes. Tupp gave him a subtle wink.

"Well, you want to go next, Ian?" Plumeria asked.

"How about someone else just so it's not just Hyde and I over there," Ian answered.

"Fair point," Plumeria said with a smirk. "That guy really does not like you."

"You think?" Ian teased.

"I'll go next," Rapp said, double checking the medicine bag was secure before putting her hands up for Selene's fast approaching Toucannon. Rapp grabbed a hold of Toucannon's limbs and Toucannon lit up in the same, what Ian assumed was Flying Type Energy from the previous glide trip across the gap. Rapp made it over without issue, and she threw up hand signs proudly from the other cliff's edge.

Ian felt the pit in his stomach get bigger as Toucannon approached, eyes already fixated on him. Here we go... Ian took the take-off position and put his hands up to signal he was ready. In the movies they always say don't look down... When Toucannon's black plumage and light blue legs descended upon him, Ian gulped and made sure to keep a tight grip. He felt Toucannon's talons wrap around his forearm painfully. As Toucannon began to glow once more, Ian closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.

In moments he was lifted off the ground, his legs suddenly dangling as the wind surged around them. Ian kept his eyelids closed tightly, doing his best to not focus on his thumping heart. Toucannon's talons dug tighter into his skin and he realized he'd somehow tightened his grip around Toucannnon's legs.

His feet began dragging across solid ground and Ian opened his eyes as he slid across the dirt. Toucannon's talons released him, and Ian released his hold. Momentum propelled Ian's face forward while his legs hadn't adjusted, and Ian's head collided harshly with the dirt. "Shit..." Ian cursed.

Male cackling filled his ears, but the pain in his forehead drowned most of that out.

"You alright dude?" Rapp said, genuine concern in her voice.

"I think so..." Ian grumbled.

"What a fucking idiot!" Hyde commented.

"Is that how the Unovan marines teach their guys?" Rapp said sarcastically.

"It's all a fucking act," Hyde fired back. "You'll see."

Ian rubbed his forehead and realized he had thin, long cuts along his arm. From Toucannon's talons I reckon. Ian eyed his other arm, seeing similar cuts and grimaced. Hope these don't get infected... Wait, are there microbes here or are they Pokemon? I've seen flies around here. It's an issue I think I'll have to read up on, asking would show I'm completely full of crap about where I'm from. But does Po Town have any books?

"Aw, you gonna cry, fake ass Faller?" Hyde teased.

"Hey Rapp, is there some really loud insect buzzing around here?" Ian asked facetiously as he turned to the other two Team Skull members on the cliff's edge with him.

"I ain't no insect, fuckhead," Hyde growled, puffing his chest out and stepping to Ian, an intense look in his green eyes.

Suddenly the form of Plumeria and Toucannon glided into view and Plumeria let go of her flying aid and went into a perfect parkour roll, ending up in a perfect standing position in between and Ian and Hyde. "There a problem here, idiots?" Plumeria barked.

Rapp giggled. "Just Hyde being the newbie's biggest hater," she added.

Hyde breathed in, eyes still fixed on Ian's before finally turning away and muttering: "yeah, but he ain't worth my time."

Ian opened his mouth to counter but a dirty look from Plumeria shut him up. It's almost impressive how much this guy hates me for no reason.

"Rapp, have Comfey heal those cuts," Plumeria ordered.

"Put your arms out," Rapp ordered in her harsh accent before releasing her flowery, cheery Comfey whose voice chimed excitedly upon seeing Ian's cuts. It focused and began expelling a pink-ish mist to Ian's arms. The pain seemed to dissipate almost instantly, and skin began re-growing over the spots in moments. Once Comfey seemed satisfied with its work, it gave another cheery chime.

"Thank you Comfey, I'm good as new," Ian said graciously.

"Hey Ian, check this out," Plumeria said, her tone shifting to a much lighter one. Ian still held his aching forehead, but got up from the ground and followed Plumeria's finger as she pointed further up the "gap" as it was called. A few hundred feet away Ian saw the beginnings of a bridge, support beams at each side of the gap still formed. The ruined ramp on the opposite side had been completely chopped off from whatever center portion went over the ravine. Rusty metal girders stuck out in a mess of concrete and steel.

"Gnarly," Ian said.

"Surge destroyed it once he took over the observatory," Plumeria said.

How powerful is this Surge guy if he destroyed a whole bridge like this?

Tupp's cheering, gliding form came into Ian's peripheral vision and Ian began clapping and hollering as Toucannon brought the Team Skull grunt across. Tupp started to run before he even hit the ground, and Toucannon released him mid stride. Tupp went right to Ian and fist bumped him. "You ate shit hard yo."

Ian laughed, still holding his forehead. "You're right about that bro."

Moments later Selene landed gracefully and recalled her Toucannon, prompting Plumeria to push the group onward. Thankfully this part of the hike was mostly downhill. As the group descended, Ian noticed the wooded area to their south reached around the hills where they'd come from.

"Okay, this might be a stupid question, but why didn't we just go that way down there?" Ian asked, pointing at the forest below.

Tupp shook his head. "Bunch of Bewear in those woods, bro."

"And it gets real close to the Lake of the Sunne. One wrong turn and you're where you're not supposed to be," Plumeria added from ahead of the duo.

Ian noticed the black buildings he hadn't been focusing on. Sure they were kind of close to the forest's edge, but they weren't that close. "I see," Ian lied.

The hike down wasn't too bad, but Ian knew that every step down the hilly terrain meant just as many brutal steps back up the hill. Hyde led the way, with Selene and Rapp chatting away behind him. Plumeria walked carefully next in their sort of line through the rocky terrain, while Tupp and Ian brought up the rear. When the downward slope started to flatten out and they got to a strip of trees hugging a road up ahead, Plumeria held her hand up to signal the group to stop. She then motioned for them to huddle up, drawing the rest of the squad to her.

"What time we got, Hyde?" Plumeria asked.

Hyde checked his wristwatch. "We got fifteen minutes if they're on schedule."

"Good," Plumeria said before leaning into the huddle. "So we're just about at the observer spot, and the border squad is set up near the checkpoint a couple miles up the road," Plumeria explained lowly. "Tupp and Ian, you're a rear guard to make sure no one sneaks up on us. Don't make a fucking sound unless they're on us, which they really shouldn't be."

"Gotcha, Big Sis," Tupp nodded. Ian followed suit.

"I'll be observing closely, Selene will be my backup. Hyde, Rapp, you're our flankers," Plumeria ordered, pointing to the right and left. "Get in position now everyone."

Ian followed Tupp a bit deeper into the woodland and eyed a large tree trunk, before disappearing behind the back.

"Wha-" Ian's apparent question was answered when the back of the trunk had wooden boards ingrained in to make a natural, makeshift ladder. Tupp was already halfway up the main trunk, and Ian caught a glimpse of the tree's top. Gotta be fifty feet high, damn.

"We not going all the way up," Tupp said in a whisper. Tupp crawled along a branch that stuck out, and Ian made his way up the board. He hadn't climbed a tree since he was younger, but having boards made everything much easier. I wouldn't say more re-assuring though. "Keep going up bro," Tupp said. "You'll get a good view from there and they won't see shit."

Ian gulped, taking a look at the ground that was now far enough down from him it would surely cause a bone break. "Wonderful," Ian grunted as he made his way up. When he came to the spot, Ian saw what Tupp meant. It was almost like it had a stand for him to lean on. Sure he had nothing behind him, but he was well covered and could see over the tree in front of him, catching a sliver of the road. The breeze felt nice up here, and he had a nearly unobstructed view of the sky. Tupp sat on a lower branch, but was still visible to Ian.

The duo waited in silence for a while, unable to tell where the others had hidden. A couple Ledyba hovered by, and Ian could swear he saw a Caterpie crawling about not too far away. Nothing crazy so far.

"Psssst!" Tupp whispered. Ian turned to Tupp, who pointed to the road. "They comin' now," Tupp said.

Ian instinctively made himself as small as possible as the ominous rumble of engines neared. Ian hadn't seen trucks, vans, and the couple of motorcycles he heard moving in the convoy like this since he'd arrived in Alola four days prior. Ian watched closely, then something caught his eye in the air above them. He gasped as his mind went blank from disbelief. No. Fucking. WAY.

In the sky only a couple hundred feet off the ground flew a large Pokemon Ian identified the moment he gazed upon it. The great bird was a bright yellow with a long, orange beak protruding ahead of it. Its wings were adorned with pointed, bright plumage, and a spark of electricity traveled around its torso in the sky. Zapdos!

There was a special, elegant, calm to the great legendary bird Pokemon as it glided over head. Even if Ian had no knowledge of it, he would be able to tell this was something almost divine to behold. "Holy shit..." Ian mumbled under his breath. As Zapdos passed overhead, he caught a glimpse of a figure riding it on its back in green. Gotta be Surge, right?

A sudden commotion below him distracted took his focus away from the legendary, and he saw Hyde sprinting across the forest floor. That's not good.

"We gotta go yo!" Tupp said in a loud whisper, already beginning to climb down the tree. Ian took a deep breath and began his descent, trying to hurry but unable to see where his feet met the boards until he felt them, delaying his process. "Hurry up bro," Tupp whispered lowly.

Ian got six or seven feet from the ground and saw the panicked expression on Tupp's face. Fuck it. He leapt from the tree, making sure to relax in the air as he hit the ground hard. Before he could even process he wasn't hurt, Tupp was pulling him off the ground.

"Two more right there!" A gruff male voice called out from close to the road, and Ian's world became one of simplicity: Run! Ian's legs ached from the uphill cycling they'd done prior, and when he felt his legs starting to slow, a booming thunderclap hit their ears, prompting Ian to turn around for a moment. One of the trees he'd run past was now ablaze, and a guy in a dark green camo uniform was on their heels. Ian staggered as he refocused on fleeing, doing whatever he could to push his screaming muscles forward, no sign of his other companions anywhere.

"You're starting to tire, Team Skull idiots!" The deep, gruff voice of their pursuer called to them.

Tupp tripped, meeting the ground hard, and Ian turned around reaching for his bro. "We ain't out running him bro," Tupp said.

Ian turned to see their pursuer still charging them at full speed and reached for his magnetized Poke Ball belt. "Finally found some courage?" Their pursuer asked, reaching for his belt and tossing a ball in the air, opening to manifest a Machamp out of the red energy. Machamp gave a fierce, throaty battle cry, flexing its four incredibly muscular arms as it did, standing a mere twenty feet away or so. That thing's taller than me!

"Golbat!"

"Wartortle!" Ian called out as two Poke Balls opened, revealing the trainers' combatants.

"Pussies!" The man called out. "But if you're gonna be pussies, at least you're being smart pussies!"

"Golbat, Confuse Ray!" Tupp called out.

"Water Pulse!"

"Bullet Punch that Golbat!" The enemy trainer commanded.

Before Wartortle and Golbat could even finish channeling the energies for their attacks, Machamp's form was already airborne, propelled so quickly all Ian could see of the attack was a bright gray flash before Golbat was ruthlessly smacked downward, Ian watched in horror as Golbat hit the ground with such force it bounced back into the air, right back into Machamp's free hands. Machamp took hold of Golbat while still in midair and landed, slamming Golbat into the dirt once more, shaking the ground as it dragged it a few feet as well.

"Golbat!" Tupp shouted in disbelief.

Blue rings of water smashed into Machamp causing explosive splashes as each ring made contact with Machamp.

"Thunder Punch!" The enemy shouted.

"Water Pulse again!" Ian ordered. Please let Golbat not be a goner. Machamp's arm lit up with Electric Type Energy and it smashed its arms into the downed bat Pokemon. Water Pulse's rings re-connected with Machamp, this one seeming to at least get Machamp off balance.

Tupp took the moment to recall Golbat. When Water Pulse finished, Machamp turned its attention to Wartortle, frenzied bloodlust in its eyes. Oh shit.

"Mach Punch that fucking turtle!" The enemy combatant roared. Machamp's right arms lit up with dark red energy before it launched itself at a freakish speed.

"Wartortle, Protect!" A white field almost instantly enclosed Wartortle, and Machamp's blow landed against the field, pushing Wartortle back, but seemingly unharmed. The shock wave kicked up dust into Ian's eyes.

"Thunder Punch!" The opponent roared. Machamp's right arms lit up with Electric Type Energy, and Ian was so filled with dread his mouth just hung agape, the action unfolding in slow motion in front of him. Machamp wound up its arms cracking with electricity and took a step forward, but one of Machamp's arms launched up and in, upper-cutting itself, forcing the hulking mass of muscle to collapse.

"Let's go!" Tupp called, grabbing Ian's arm.

Water Pulse must've confused it! "Wartortle, Icy Wind!" Ian commanded as he began his retreat, reaching for Wartortle's ball. Wartortle took a deep breath and fired off icy breath with frigid crystals in it. Machamp was slumped over on the ground, and Ian noticed ice start to form on its legs. Perfect! "Wartortle, return!" Ian said as the Poke Ball's red beam of light streaked to Wartortle, recalling his valiant turtle.

Ian and Tupp rushed away desperately, getting as much separation as possible. Ian didn't dare look back, and it was then he realized his heart was pumping possibly the most wildly he'd ever felt it doing. They continued running deeper into the forest, Ian vaguely thinking they were going in the direction directly away from the road.

After a couple minutes of more sprinting, Ian's legs could go no further and he stopped. "Tupp... I can't..." Ian pleaded as he breathed heavily.

"Fuck bro..." Tupp said, coming to a stop but breathing just as heavily.

"What do we do from here?" Ian asked, still panting.

"Prolly best we split up, one distracts, one goes for help," Tupp said, shaking his head.

"What the hell even happened?" Ian asked.

"Someone blew their cover, I think it was Hyde," Tupp said.

"Fucking asshole," Ian cursed.

The distant sound of great boom followed by the crackling roar of thunder assaulted their ears, and the duo instinctively went to move.

"I'm in better shape yo," Tupp said bluntly. "I'll distract the guy in case he's still pursuing us. You go that way-" Tupp pointed what would be further up the road, closer to the hill they'd descended on. "And get help."

Ian nodded. "I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you Tupp."

"You about to bring help and save my ass is what you're gonna do," Tupp said with a smile.

"I gotchu bro," Ian promised, the two bumping fists one more time. Ian turned around and began jogging in the direction Tupp had told him to go.

A bright flash of multiple lightning bolts shot across the sky, hitting multiple trees directly in Ian's path, causing the whole row of trees to burst into flames as the thunderous boom of sound surged into his ears. Are you kidding me!? Ian eyed the now inflamed bank of trees and jogged along the path of the flames, hoping to get around them.

It was a few trees down when Ian slowed, running out of breath once more and leaning against a tree out of pure exhaustion. What have I gotten myself into? A loud thud and a different cracking hit Ian's ears, the sound of wood splintering. He then noticed a massive blue hand sticking out of the tree trunk he was leaning against. Holy-

Ian's legs began moving without his mind fully processing. Why's he going after me? Ian saw Machamp's hulking form struggling to pull its massive arm out of the trunk and Ian kept his eyes ahead, going deeper into the forest, hoping he was further from the road and any backup his pursuer might have. The forest grew denser and thicker as Ian continued his mad dash. Ian soon ran into a midsize river, blocking his way forward. He looked to the right, seeing the riverbend back closer to the road, while to his left the river led to a series of stone structures a half mile or so away. Ruins? Ian eyed them skeptically, turning around to make sure he wasn't about to get impaled by an airborne Machamp. That's the Lake of the Sunne!

Plumeria's words of warning echoed in his mind, and while he did truthfully respectfully those words, a glimmer of inspiration hit him. Maybe the guy will stop if I go in there. It's better than trying to run at this point, I got almost nothing left in the tank. Ian took a step to the stone structures, but remembered he was supposed to be getting help for Tupp.

Ian turned away from the stone structures, only to see Machamp and its nameless trainer closing in from the direction he was hoping to go. Dammit. "Finally outta gas, Skull grunt?" The pursuer yelled.

"Not yet!" Ian said, grabbing Wartortle's Poke Ball and sending it out once more.

"Thunder Punch!" The enemy trainer roared.

"Protect!" Ian commanded desperately. The same white field shrouded Wartortle, and Machamp's leaping Thunder Punch connected with the field with a powerful smash, pushing Wartortle back, but leaving it unharmed. Gotta think of something here!

"Thunder Punch again!" He ordered. Machamp's arms once again became engulfed in crackling electricity, and Wartortle instinctively went to Protect again, but the white field failed to manifest. Wartortle was smashed into the ground in a cacophony of electrical crackles. Ian had Litleo's ball at the ready, sending out his fiery lion cub as he recalled Wartortle's unconscious form.

"Litleo, Ember hit and run!" Ian called out, hoping the Pokemon understood his instructions as he tried to get further away. Litleo appeared midair, fire in its mouth, launching a small series of fireballs at Machamp as it readied another attack.

"Mach Punch!"

In an instant, Machamp's glowing dark red arms collided with Litleo, sending his lion cub flying ahead of Ian. Ian had the ball at the ready and connected the Poke Ball's red laser beam to Lilteo's careening body midair. That would've been cool if I wasn't so screwed.

Ian released Deerling out of its Heal Ball, his pink fawn already in mid stride with him as the distance to the Lake of the Sunne's structures shortened with every step. "You gotta do a Sand Attack and a Leech Seed," Ian said. "Or I'm toast here little guy."

Deerling turned its head and yelped in fright as Machamp was already upon them. Ian dove out of the way as Deerling stuck its hoof in the ground and kicked up sand right into Machamp's eye. Ian struggled back up and he noticed Machamp was gone, but there seemed to be a large splash in the river twenty feet deep. Did Mach Punch miss?

Ian and Deerling continued their retreat, and he did turn his head to see Machamp struggling to get back to the shore. At least we have some space between us now. Nature gave way to the great stone structure in front of him, a lake of dark water with stone bridges of varying levels of upkeep caught his eye first. A stone monolith twice Ian's size rose like a sentinel from the bridge's beginning, and the cracked base of what was likely the monolith's twin remained on the other side of the bridgehead. He didn't have time to admire the preserved stone, so he continued jogging, breath growing more ragged every few strides. His shoes hit the smooth, carved stone of the Lake of the Sunne's connecting bridge and he turned to see the location of his pursuer, who had gone into the river to help Machamp out.

"Alright Deerling, back in your ball..." Ian said, reaching for his belt, only to find he had two balls there. He leaned over to check, seeing Deerling's pink ball was not there. Must've slipped my grasp when I dove out of Machamp's way. Ian cursed but continued. The bridge led to a large, stone rotunda that had another circular bit atop it further into the temple. Ian paused at the threshold of the rotunda, the dark hallways leading deeper in, and the increasingly sinking feeling he really shouldn't be here took hold of him. Ian took a step into the shrouded hallway and an eerie silence came upon them. The wind died the moment he stepped into the temple's space. That's spooky.

Ian and Deerling trudged deeper in, now Ian's pace a brisk walk as he kept his eye out for any protective Pokemon that would attempt to ambush him. Be on the lookout for Alpha Golurk. Tapu Bulu's probably at its temple in the desert, so by the time it gets here I should be long gone.

Ian saw a fork in the hallway and pumped his fist excitedly. A way to lose this guy. Cracks in the ceiling let light stream in certain areas, and Ian saw a blip of green light that made his heart jump, but only for a moment before it disappeared once more. A mass of glowing blue light in a vaguely humanoid form entered his view up the stone hallway, and what Ian realized was a Golett walked calmly, emotionlessly as it disappeared into another hallway. Don't tell the Alpha Golurk about me please.

Deerling nuzzled up against Ian's leg, clearly alert and ready to flee at the first sign of trouble. Ian bent over a bit and gave the back of Deerling's neck a good petting. "You earned it little fella," Ian whispered. Ian and Deerling continued on, careful not to make any sounds that could signal where they were. As Ian passed by beams of light in the stone hallways, he could see ornate carvings adorning the stone walls. I wish I had time to admire these.

Ian finally needed to sit down and take a breather, and he leaned against a wall and lowered himself, sitting down. Every part of him hurt, his legs most of all. Deerling took a spot next to him, its aroma reminding Ian of freshly bloomed flowers. There he sat for a good five minutes, listening closely for the sound of their pursuer's footsteps which didn't come. When Ian's breathing normalized, he got back up, his aching muscles protesting as he did. Him and Deerling began making their way to the exit, or at least where he thought it would be. The ominous feeling of not belonging only continued growing on him, and even Deerling seemed more frightened than normal. Ian got to the threshold of the fork in the hallway and took a step-

"There you are," the familiar voice of their pursuer growled.

Ian bolted back, Deerling whining in fear. Machamp growled savagely as it chased the duo. Ian came upon another hallway intersection and turned right, praying it would lead to freedom. Instead, Ian realized the hole in the ceiling shone a beam of light ahead, and a carved stone wall stood at the end of the corridor. Shit.

"Ah, finally got to a dead end, grunt," the man said.

"Deerling Leech Seed!" Ian ordered. Deerling fired a glowing pellet, but Machamp threw whatever it was holding, smacking into it midair. Ian ducked, and the stone brick collided

That's not a good idea on his part. Maybe I can work with this though, get Alpha Golurk involved.

"Deerling, Sand Attack!" Ian ordered. Deerling stuck its hoof in the stone, but quickly recoiled. Really? Stone nullifies the move? Ian's heart sank as Machamp closed in. Deerling cowered, and Machamp grabbed it by its back, then tossed it up in front of it, then connected a brutal Fighting Type Energy punch, sending his little fawn flying as it whined in agonizing pain. "Deerling!" Ian called out desperately, realizing his eyes had begun to water as Machamp closed in on him.

"I won't lie, you put up a nice fight, little grunt," the man said. "Surge could've used a guy with your kind of gumption, but we don't take Team Skull bozos in the Last Spark. What's your name kid?"

Ian gulped, hearing another pained whine from Deerling behind him. "Ian... Yours?"

"Dwayne," he said. "You gonna recall your Deerling? Little guy's pretty fucked up."

"I dropped its ball by the river," Ian said coarsely. No sign of Alpha Golurk...

"Too bad for it then," Dwayne said. "Machamp..."

Machamp towered over the cowering Ian, blood lust in its eyes, raising two of its hands, ready to drop like a guillotine. Ian closed his eyes, heart thumping. So much for living in the Pokemon world.

A sudden gasp caused Ian to open his eyes. Machamp was frozen, fear in its eyes as it backed away from Ian. Dwayne's breathing quickened, and even he cowered in the dim stone hallway. "Machamp, retreat, now!" Dwayne ordered, turning tail and running.

Machamp nearly stumbled as it turned around frantically. Ian watched in disbelief as his impending doom scampered away. Ian turned his head a bit, expecting to see whatever his rescuer's form was, but saw nothing but Deerling's wounded, silent form. "Oh no..." Ian scrambled to his knees, crawling desperately to his fallen Pokemon. Ian noticed one of Deerling's legs had been bent back in a way he knew it shouldn't. "Deerling, I'm so sorry..." A tear fell from his eye.

A booming, high pitched shriek suddenly overtook all of Ian's senses, echoes of it bouncing off the walls. Ian turned to face the source of the call, realizing his savior was not something standing, but hovering in midair above him. It had what looked to be a headpiece red as dried blood. Two horns sprouted from the headpiece like two miniature tree trunks. In the dim light, its dark body blended in like a shadow. It had no legs, just a green-ish gold bell, and its deep blue eyes watched in judgment. Tapu Bulu.

The Guardian Pokemon hovered in closer to Ian and his wounded Deerling, its hand now beginning to glow a vibrant, jungle green in the shape of a blade. "I'm sorry I'm here, Tapu Bulu," Ian pleaded. "I was warned..."

Tapu Bulu gave a shrieking cry of disapproval, raising its green, bladed hand ominously. Dodge one guillotine for another, just my luck. Ian turned to see Deerling one last time. "Do whatever you gotta do to me, but Deerling didn't choose to be here, please show him mercy," Ian said carefully, bowing his head in resignation, sticking his neck out. At least I didn't get cheated on this time around.

Deerling's wails returned, and Ian felt it struggling to get up, pleading with its wails. Ian opened his eyes and turned to Deerling, who had tears in its eyes as it whined desperately to the Tapu. Are you crying for me, Deerling? Oh wait, you have a major leg fracture, nevermind. A contemplative chirp came from the hovering Tapu, and Ian could feel its eyes scanning him.

Deerling's whine took a different tune, and Ian eyed his wounded fawn once more. A multi-color aura had come over its form and it suddenly began to hover. "Deerling-"

A low grunt from Tapu Bulu silenced Ian, and he stayed back and watched. Tapu Bulu's green, blade-like hand now glowed the same multi-color light that Deerling's outline did as it floated in midair. Tapu Bulu's hand then came in contact with Deerling, and the dim hall of stone glowed with every kind of color swirling in a mass around Deerling. What the...?

The swirling vortex of color began expanding, and Ian had to shield his eyes from its brightness. Air swirled in gusts where there had been none, Ian's clothes billowed wildly as the hum of something ancient, sacred, filled his ears. Ian stayed kneeling, hoping against hope things were going to turn out alright.

Suddenly the vortex of color burst, scattering the colors everywhere like ethereal scarves before fading into the hall's dimness. Ian uncovered his eyes and gasped in awe at the sight before him. No longer did Deerling stand in front of him, but a majestic stag stood multiple feet taller in its place. Its fur had browned, its underbelly still a soft cream color. Cherry blossoms adorned its antlers that stretched elaborately a couple feet above its head. Sawsbuck!?

Sawsbuck whined loudly, bending over and licking Ian gleefully. "Deerling, you're a Sawsbuck..." Ian said in disbelief. Ian soothingly scratched Sawsbuck's now much larger neck, and caught a look at Sawsbuck's front leg which had been horribly fractured before. "Your leg, it's healed!" Ian stated dumbly, to which Sawsbuck cheered with a bugle call.

A sudden low, rumbling hum came from behind the celebratory duo and Ian turned around, seeing Tapu Bulu watching them. "Sorry Tapu Bulu, we'll get going..." Ian stammered as he led Sawsbuck forward. "Thank you, thank you Tapu Bulu. I can't say it enough..."

Tapu Bulu raised its arm with a low "hmph!" It then stretched its arm and pointed down the hall.

"We're going. Sorry... and thank you..." Ian said, nothing but gratitude in his voice. Tapu Bulu gave a slight head nod and suddenly ascended into the air and out of the hole in the ceiling where the only source of light had come through. Ian swore he saw another blip of green light for a moment, but its disappearance made him think it was just lingering residue from Tapu Bulu.

Ian began scratching Sawsbuck's back as they escorted each other down the sacred stone halls, a dumbfounded grin stretched across his face. When they finally got to the bridge, Ian turned back around at the great rotunda and bowed his head reverently. I owe you more than I could ever know...

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 7 Fallout

Upon finishing his bow, Ian tensed up. What about Tupp? "Sawsbuck, we gotta find Tupp," Ian said, turning back around, walking quickly across the stone bridge, eyes peeled for friend or foe. Sawsbuck gave a hum of acknowledgement and began scanning the tree line at the end of the bridge as well. Hopefully that Dwayne guy booked it. Ian saw plumes of smoke in the sky, but Zapdos had seemingly disappeared.

As Ian and Sawsbuck took their first steps off the bridge and into the dirt of the forest, Ian noticed all of the plants shift like an inch. "What is going on here?" Ian asked as he watched the Oran Berries of the tree in front of him expand and ripen in front of his eyes. It's like those nature documentaries that record a flower blooming over half a day but it's happening in seconds. Ian felt his stomach rumble, and he made his way over to the tree, grabbing some of the low hanging fruit and stuffing the rest of the suddenly ripe Oran Berries in his pocket and keeping a handful of them for Sawsbuck, who eagerly began munching on them out of his hand.

Ian watched with fascination as all around him the phenomena happened, the grass lurched upwards with growth underneath them, the bushes and shrubs began to flower, and the tree branches creaked as their wood grew spontaneously. He turned to Sawsbuck, who stepped back in fear, watching all of the plants around it grow so rapidly. "Nothing to be afraid of bud, they're just plants," Ian said, putting his hand on the back of Sawsbuck's neck, giving it a soothing scratch. Sawsbuck seemed to calm a bit, but still looked a bit tense. "C'mon bud, it's okay," Ian said, urging Sawsbuck to move forward. Sawsbuck hesitantly did so.

As they got to the riverbank, the same phenomena continued happening. Flowers rushed to bloom as Ian and Sawsbuck got close. This is really strange. Ian turned around, figuring the effects would wear off. Instead, all of the plants kept their flowers, and the path behind them had become demarcated with a higher level of grass. Little white flowers sprouted every few feet and Ian just looked on in bewilderment. He turned to Sawsbuck's legs, seeing if it was using some move or special ability, but nothing had the typical glow showing a Pokemon was using a move. Then he noticed a flower sprout up right where Sawsbuck picked up its front hoof, then again, and again- "Is this Grassy Terrain?" Ian asked Sawsbuck, who had a blank look in its now versant green eye. "You know as much as I do at this point, right?"

"IAN! YO!" Tupp's voice bellowed out from deeper in the forest.

Ian sighed in relief, finding strength in his aching muscles to jog over to Tupp. "Tupp you're alive!" Ian rejoiced.

"Bro, you're alive. When that dude went after you I thought you were a goner..." Tupp paused, seeing Sawsbuck still by Ian's side. "Is that Deerling?"

Ian nodded. "Is it safe here? Are Surge's guys still around?"

"Nah man, after whatever you did that dude, I saw him running back to the road. Zapdos moved on too," Tupp said.

"That's good..." Ian said, sitting down.

"What'd you do to him, yo? Obviously Deerling here must've whooped some ass," Tupp said, taking a seat and pointing at Sawsbuck.

"Hard to explain... Want some Oran Berries?" Ian asked.

"You got some?" Tupp asked.

Ian nodded, taking a few out of his pants pocket and handing some over while he ate one himself. "I'm still in disbelief man," Ian said, still chewing. "I went into the Lake of the Sunne."

Tupp's eyebrows rose. "And you're alive? I call BS, yo."

"Can't blame you," Ian said with a shrug. "I figured maybe he wouldn't follow me if I went in there, but he did."

"And Deerling just whacked out and evolved?" Tupp asked.

Ian shook his head. "Not at all man... Guy cornered us with his Machamp, smacked Deerling, it had a broken leg, and he was about to have Machamp take me out and he just... stopped."

"You forreal?" Tupp asked.

"So, Tapu Bulu came in through the ceiling or something and spooked him. Tapu Bulu then seemed like it was gonna take me out instead, but Deerling intervened or..." Ian's mind struggled to get the details straight. It was a pretty crazy event.

"And then what?"

"Tapu Bulu's hand changed color, and it touched Deerling, made it light up with some special power and then..." Ian paused. "It evolved."

"Wow what the hell-" Tupp yelled abruptly as he flailed from his seated position. Ian noticed a vine had begun to grow underneath him. "Fuck is that?" Tupp asked.

"It's happening around Sawsbuck, I'm not really sure what's up, but all the plants are growing super fast wherever it goes," Ian explained.

"That's like what they say Tapu Bulu does," Tupp added.

Oh yeah, Tapu Bulu's ability is Grassy Surge, which makes Grassy Terrain form around it... Ian turned to Sawsbuck, who was bent over munching carelessly on some recently grown plants. "Sawsbuck, do you have the Grassy Surge ability now? That's not normal, right?"

Sawsbuck lifted its head up to look at Ian, still mindlessly chewing before returning to its meal.

"You know, that would make sense..." Ian paused. If Tapu Bulu causes plants to grow exponentially faster, I see why it lives in the middle of a desert.

"Can you make it stop? All the plants growing be freaking me out," Tupp said.

"I lost its ball around here somewhere," Ian said.

"You lost the pussy ball?" Tupp asked.

"Something like that-"

Tupp gasped suddenly, and Ian turned before gasping himself. There stood the floating Tapu, its red headpiece and dark colored body with fierce, deep blue eyes. It extended one its arms and a Heal Ball came floating out to Ian.

"T-thank you, Tapu Bulu," Ian stammered bowing, noting Sawsbuck did as well.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOO," Tapu Bulu bellowed loudly before flying back across the river.

"Bro did you see that?" Tupp asked in disbelief.

Ian held up the Heal Ball in his hand. "It literally gave me the Heal Ball back, of course I saw it."

"Bro... you really met that thing. Like for real…" Tupp said in shock.

"It saved me and Deerling man," Ian said. "Very glad it did, I'm not sure why."

"Bro ain't nobody gonna believe this yo," Tupp said.

Ian shrugged. "I still kinda don't believe it either." Sawsbuck gave a concerned whine, and Ian turned to his evolved partner. "Scratch that, you're the proof." Sawsbuck's whining turned higher pitch, and Ian could tell it was more of a cheer.

"Hyde's gonna be pissed yo," Tupp said.

Ian smirked. "Well, considering I almost died twice in there, I'm not gonna rub it in his face." A thought then occurred to Ian and looked around. "Bro, is anyone else around here?"

"Ain't seen no one," Tupp said. "But let's get moving. They might be looking for us."

"Good idea," Ian said as he recalled Sawsbuck into the Heal Ball.

***

A half hour's worth of walking later, Tupp and Ian had gotten close to what they thought was their rendezvous point when they spotted something familiar above the trees. Selene's Toucannon. It squawked, diving immediately down to the two lost trainers.

"You gonna bring help here?" Tupp asked.

Toucannon tilted its head slightly and squawked some more before turning perpendicularly and extending its wing, pointing to the base of the hill they'd come down. "That's where they're waiting for us?" Ian asked.

Toucannon nodded, squawking some more before flapping its wings and lifting itself in the air. The bird Pokemon became their aerial guide, gliding slightly ahead of the duo as they walked.

"So Tupp, you only got two Poke Balls?" Ian asked, a thought that had been pestering him coming to the forefront of his mind.

"Yeah bro," Tupp said. "Guzma said I ain't gotten my two Pokemon strong enough in battle to deserve a third."

Ian grimaced. He's been born and raised in the Pokemon world and he's not a good battler? Or at least he was impressed by me... Perhaps having a near autistic knowledge of the battling system and base stats for all Pokemon ended up being helpful. "Any idea on how to impress him?"

"If I had an idea I would've done it by now, yo," Tupp admitted.

"Good point," Ian said. Next order of business, getting a Poke Ball for Tupp from whatever the Driftwood Guild is...

They were about halfway up the incline they came from when Toucannon dove down ahead of them. "That's them!" Selene called out from a still hidden location. As Ian and Tupp closed in, Selene and Rapp appeared from behind a nearby boulder.

"Newbie made it back!" Rapp said in shock.

"Tell Hyde I'm sorry, but I'm still alive!" Ian called out with a smile on his face.

"Y'all ain't gonna believe what happened yo!" Tupp said. "We saw Tapu Bulu!"

Plumeria emerged from behind the boulder with her arms folded and an irate scowl on her face, Hyde close behind her. "How?" Plumeria asked skeptically.

"Ian went to the Lake of the Sunne and Deerling evolved but he lost the ball-"

"Ian did what?" Plumeria demanded.

"He uh..." Tupp stammered.

Ian stepped forward. "I was being chased down by one of Surge's guys and his Machamp, I figured he'd get spooked and leave if I just went in the entrance."

"I told you very specifically not to go in there," Plumeria said like an angry teacher. "That's it, I'm done with you. When we get back to Po Town, you're off my fucking squad."

"Wait Big Sis, you gotta see this," Tupp said, turning to Ian. "Show her Sawsbuck and how it grows plants hella fast."

"Don't care," Plumeria said, turning away.

"Tapu Bulu brought Ian's Heal Ball back to him," Tupp said, almost pleading.

"What?" Plumeria asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Tapu Bulu did something nice for once?"

"Deerling and I were cornered," Ian explained. "Then Tapu Bulu came in and scared the dude off, then turned to us... Its hands started to glow and Deerling started to glow and then boom, Sawsbuck appeared."

"Tapu Bulu blessed your Deerling?" Plumeria demanded.

"I guess?" Ian asked. "If that's what you call it."

"Show me," Plumeria said coldly.

Ian grabbed the Heal Ball and opened it, revealing his majestic, freshly evolved Sawsbuck to the squad. They gawked in pure surprise, and Ian noticed the gravel underneath their feet start to move as flower stems and grass sprouted from underneath.

"Wooooah..." Rapp watched in surprise.

"Sawsbucks don't normally get that large, do they?" Selene asked.

"I don't think so," Ian said.

Plumeria's attention turned to the ground as she watched more plants sprouting out from underneath. "It really blessed your Deerling..." Plumeria said in disbelief. "I've heard about the other Tapus blessing Pokemon, but never Tapu Bulu."

Ian caught Hyde's mouth still agape, but his eyebrows furrowed. This may be about to get interesting.

"I need to take a piss," Hyde growled suddenly, turning around and storming away from the group.

Ian gave a silent cheer and re-focused on Plumeria. "Can you tell me more about these blessings?"

"The last one I heard was an Oricorio on Akala Island," Plumeria explained. "It was extremely powerful, way more than other Oricorio, and it loved to challenge trainers. But that was decades ago. Its old dwelling became where the Battle Royal dome is now. "

Ian turned to Sawsbuck and whistled. "You hear that? You're even stronger than other Sawsbuck." Sawsbuck just stared at Ian blankly. Maybe not yet at least.

"But that doesn't change the fact you're reckless and keep getting repeatedly bailed out," Plumeria said. "I know you just got here and this seems like a whole different world for you, but there are consequences for your dumbass actions, and I'm not going to be responsible for you getting killed." Plumeria then marched up the incline, leaving Ian in stunned silence.

"Why we going back up there?" Tupp asked.

"The bikes are still on the other side," Selene said.

"Shit, forgot about that," Tupp said, starting to follow Plumeria. Ian recalled Sawsbuck, the wind being taken out of his sails. He looked out wistfully to the forest they'd come from and began the slow walk up the hill. He suddenly heard a loud, bellowing male voice screaming in frustration. Hyde's definitely not too stoked about this development.

***

Crossing the gap was much less painful this time around, and once they were on bikes again Ian felt a silence come over the squad. Ian wasn't sure if the silence came from exhaustion or just the group dealing with the emotional fallout of the afternoon's events, and he was too afraid to ask. Riding got easier when they got back to the road, even if they were now pedaling against fiercer wind than they rode with earlier. It's kind of funny how Alola was one of the games to not have bicycles in it and here I am biking around the place. The silence lasted until the sky darkened overhead and drops of rain began to sprinkle on them.

"Hey Big Sis, how bad this rain gonna be?" Tupp asked.

Plumeria held her hand out and looked up to the sky. "Nothing crazy, but not fun to ride in. We should find shelter soon."

Shelter ended up being a familiar place, the wooded area Ian had caught his third party member. Litleo's Hollow seems like a good name for this spot. The trees weren't particularly large so they didn't offer a lot of shelter from the rain, but sitting underneath a branch proved better and safer than riding through the rainstorm. Ian sat with his back on a tree trunk watching on as Selene, Tupp and Rapp played rock-paper-scissors to pass the time.

"Hey dumbass," Plumeria's voice said softly, taking a seat next to him.

"Hey, soon to be former boss," Ian said, not realizing how lifeless his voice sounded. I don't think I'm cool enough with her to call her Big Sis like the others do.

Plumeria smirked. "I might've been a bit harsh back there," she began.

"But you weren't wrong," Ian admitted. "I've been reckless."

"You've gone through a lot the past few days," Plumeria said. "I'm sure your mind's pretty messed up."

Ian chuckled. "That's a nice way of putting it." He paused, thinking about all that had happened the past few days: emerging out of the Ultra Storm, the catching challenge, and the seemingly doomed struggle he'd miraculously survived. Not even mentioning what happened that damn night.

"Maybe you're very good at hiding it, but you aren't as mopey as most other Fallers when they show up in Po Town," Plumeria said.

Ian smirked. "I just don't think about it, it's too painful. Plus I've had plenty to distract me with recently."

"Distractions, that's what we are?" Plumeria asked seriously, her piercing yellow eyes narrowed in on him.

Ian shook his head. "No, it's just..." Ian sighed, his heart getting tense as the image of Suzy and Alex kissing came back to him. "I had probably the worst night of my life before I woke up here."

"Really?"

"I was closing after a rough shift and I went looking for a mop bucket and then boom, my girlfriend of four years is making out with this D-bag coworker of ours," Ian explained. "I stormed out and my boss called me, saying if I didn't go back I was fired. I was just about to get a promotion and start saving up for an engagement ring too..." Ian felt his eyes begin to water, but he blinked back tears. "Went right to bed, took a while to fall asleep and..." Ian's voice trailed off.

"That's when you woke up here?" Plumeria asked in disbelief.

"Yeah..."

"That's rough buddy," Plumeria said. "Kind of explains why you act like you have a death wish though."

Ian laughed for a few moments, blinking back more tears. "It's not quite that," Ian said. "But there is this 'screw the consequences' mindset I've been in. That's not even mentioning I don't think it's hit home for me that I'm probably never seeing my mom again."

Plumeria said nothing, but something in her eyes told him that she was sorry and cared. She put her arm out tenderly and rubbed his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Ian."

Ian smiled, hiding the tear falling down the cheek facing away from Plumeria. It took him a few seconds for him to find his words, but he wiped the tear from his cheek and turned to Plumeria. "I see why everyone calls you Big Sis."

Plumeria smirked. "It's all part of the job."

Ian nodded. "Sounds pretty demanding."

Plumeria's smirk turned into a full smile as he held eye contact with her. "It sure is," Plumeria said casually before dipping her voice into a more serious tone. "How about you do one more mission with us, and if you don't do any stupid stuff, I keep you around. Sound fair?"

Ian nodded. "More than fair actually."

"Okay," Plumeria said. "And this whole Sawsbuck ability thing, there are some developing berries on that tree over there," Plumeria pointed close to where Tupp, Selene, and Rapp were sitting. "Think Sawsbuck can grow some for us? I'm sure we're all pretty hungry."

"That's an idea," Ian said, grabbing Sawsbuck's Heal Ball and standing up. He ignored the raindrops hitting his skin and tossed Sawsbuck's ball casually, fixing his eyes on what he realized was the berry tree and saw in moments how the unripe, green fruits suddenly expanded and changed color from light green to light blue with green leaves on top. Blue strawberries? No, Rawst Berries. "Anyone want some Rawst Berries?" Ian asked, starting to pick the fruit from the tree.

"Is a pig's pussy pork?" Tupp said crassly, getting a chuckle from the girls. Ian started lightly tossing the strawberry lookalikes to his fellow Team Skull members and took a bite of one, feeling a bizarre chill on his tongue for a moment. So that's why they heal burns. Plumeria got up next to him and snatched a berry from his hand.

"What about Hyde?" Ian asked.

Plumeria shrugged. "Let him sulk. I'm sure he wouldn't want it from you anyways."

Ian shrugged. "Might be worth a shot."

Plumeria glanced to make sure the other squad members hadn't snuck up on them and leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "I think he's got something against you Unovans," Plumeria explained. "He threw these same tantrums when we picked up a Unovan last month."

"Oh..."

"Just a thought on my end," Plumeria said.

"Gotcha," Ian replied.

***

The rain held for another hour or so, and it was now late afternoon when the group hopped back on their bikes and finished the final stretch to Po Town.

"Ian, when we get back to Po Town, you're coming with me to Shady House," Plumeria said. "Selene, go get Tom for me. He needs to hear this too."

"On it Big Sis," Selene said as the group pulled up to the now closed gates of Po Town.

Plumeria started hand-signing unenthusiastically at the dark window next to the gate and moments later the gates opened with a clangor of metal screeching, only for Rook with his noticeably muscular physique to appear just beyond the gate. "You're late, Plumeria," Rook accused as the squad walked their bikes to the wall just inside the gate.

"Things didn't go according to plan," Plumeria said.

"I heard. Pete's squad's guy beat you here," Rook said, eyeing the rest of Plumeria's squad. "Everyone made it back for you? Color me surprised."

"Come with me to Shady House, gotta tell Guzma and Tom something important," Plumeria said.

"Are we at war with Surge then?" Rook asked grimly.

"No. At least I don't think so," Plumeria said.

"Then it can't be that important," Rook said.

"It is that important. Come." Plumeria grunted, and Rook rolled his eyes but did so, giving instructions to the guards behind him.

As the squad made their way up The Spine, there were a number of Po Town's denizens eyeing them suspiciously, most eyes centered on Plumeria. Perils of leadership, I guess. Ian felt a pang of guilt as the heart-to-heart with Plumeria replayed in his mind. Selene eventually split off to get Tom, and when they got to the intersection at the end of The Spine, Guzma was already in front of Shady House, arms folded and a scowl on his face. Guzma's little Larvesta hung from the front doors, clinging on for dear life as it had started to slide down to the ground.

"Everyone but Ian, go," Plumeria instructed.

Hyde gave an audible "Hmph," but the rest complied quietly.

Rook spoke first. "So what's all this about Plu?"

"Don't call me that," Plumeria retorted.

"I'm older than you, I'm not calling you Big Sis," Rook fired back.

"Call me by my name then," Plumeria said, frustration evident in her voice.

"You two done or should I get you a room?" Guzma asked sourly.

Because Plumeria was in front of Ian, he couldn't see the look Plumeria gave Guzma, but it was enough to make Guzma chuckle.

"So first order of business, what's pizza boy doing here?" Guzma asked, indicating Ian. It's almost endearing at this point.

"Pizza boy got chased down by one of Surge's goons," Plumeria explained. "He figured the only way to get away from his pursuer was to go into the Lake of the Sunne..."

"Ha! Never happened, guarantee it," Rook chimed in.

"What's all this about?" Tom asked as he strode into the informal Team Skull cadre meeting.

"It looks like Ian here ran into Tapu Bulu and it blessed his Deerling," Plumeria continued. A hush fell over the group as the island guardian's name hit their ears.

"Big claim," Rook said.

Guzma eyed Ian skeptically. "Show us."

Plumeria turned to Ian and gave a nod. Ian reached for his Heal Ball and tossed it into the air, revealing Sawsbuck in a flash of red light. Sawsbuck's majesty lasted for only a moment, as it became spooked from being the center of attention and moved its hooves about fearfully.

"So what?" Rook teased.

"Look beneath you, Rook," Guzma pointed out.

The already unkempt lawn in front of Shady House began sprouting even longer grass and weeds, with a couple dandelions growing out of the grass well. Flowers appeared on a bush to the side of the house, and Ian noticed Guzma's Larvesta hit the ground with a comical thud.

"Do Sawsbuck normally have the Grassy Surge ability?" Tom asked.

"No," Ian said. "Usually Sap Sipper or Chlorophyll."

"Blessed by Tapu Bulu... I never thought I'd see the day," Tom said. "My grandpa told me he got to see the Alolan Raichu blessed by Tapu Koko in his youth. He said it was a wondrous sight to behold."

"Not bad, pizza boy," Guzma said. "Pretty sure this is the first blessing Tapu Bulu's ever given out."

Plumeria nodded in agreement.

"So this Grassy Surge ability..." Tom began. "How effective is it for plants?"

"Berries that weren't even halfway mature ripened in just moments of exposure," Plumeria said.

"I assume we're all thinking what I'm thinking?" Tom asked, to which the Team Skull heads all nodded in solidarity. "This could be the answer to our coming food crisis."

"We should go to Palmer's Ranch and get those seeds then," Rook said. Something tells me this meeting just became so important I shouldn't be here... Better not draw any attention.

"We don't have the laborers to harvest like that," Tom said. "Certain Team Skull squads would have to assist, especially those with Pokemon suitable for it."

"Well we don't have the ability to defend those swathes of land," Rook said. "We barely have enough to keep the wall fully stationed."

"Let's not get hasty here," Guzma said, stepping into the center of the meeting. "We don't even know if Sawsbuck here's special ability works like that over time."

"We can try it out with the berry grove just outside of town," Tom said.

Plumeria stifled a laugh. "Last time Ian and this Pokemon were there they nearly died."

"That's what you get for hanging out too long on Ariados' turf," Guzma said, pride filling his voice.

"Boss, with all due respect..." Tom began hesitantly. "...if we have a chance to fix the food crisis, we need to pursue it to the best of our ability."

Guzma snorted. "Alphas aren't like normal Pokemon, they have to be out in nature to keep their alpha power boosts," he explained. "I keep Po Town safe, and Ariados must be at full strength for that to happen. End of discussion."

Tom's head hung low when Guzma finished speaking.

"Boss," Plumeria spoke up. "Maybe we could rotate Sawsbuck to be on the opposite side of the creek that Ariados is on at the time."

Ian gulped. Something tells me Sawsbuck isn't going to be too keen on going near Ariados again. Plus I don't want anything to do with it myself.

"We gonna need food, boss," Rook offered. "Plumeria's idea really doesn't sound that bad, and Ariados still gets to do its thing."

Guzma grunted, but stepped back. "We'll give it a try tomorrow."

Plumeria stepped forward. "Thanks boss..." Plumeria paused, treading delicately. "I heard there might've been fallout from the incident today with Surge?"

"Driftwood already reached out," Guzma said. "Said Surge will send someone here to talk tomorrow. I doubt it'll be anything big. Surge is too preoccupied with going back and forth with Malie City."

"He might just be waiting to starve us out," Rook said. "We run out of food, he promises us food, we become his bitches. Breon's trying the same thing."

Guzma's attention turned to Sawsbuck and eyed it curiously. "Let's hope pizza boy's little miracle here can bail us out of this."

Ian smiled, giving Guzma a nod. "We'll do our best," Ian chimed in.

The meeting ended shortly after that with Guzma picking up his Larvesta by its horns and carrying it inside as it scrambled helplessly in protest. With the sunset just beginning, Ian had a certain burning desire for knowledge. What are Sawsbuck's new capabilities? Ian and Sawsbuck made their way to the cul-de-sac on Backstreet in the corner behind Shady House, as inches of unkempt grass and various plant life grew suddenly with Sawsbuck's mere presence.

Ian felt a big grin shining through him as he got to the space he'd unofficially declared his training spot empty. Tupp did say something about some people watching us out here last time, right?

"Alright Sawsbuck," Ian said authoritatively. "What are some new moves you learned?"

Sawsbuck's antlers began glowing grown, and suddenly looked much sharper. Sawsbuck then leapt forward, ramming its antlers into the great tree trunk in the front yard. Green energy then seemed to flow back out of the tree and into Sawsbuck's horns. That's the horn thing. Horn Leech, right?

After Sawsbuck pranced around the front yard with extra vigor, it got back into a fighting stance, channeling pink energy to its head and antlers. Psychic Type Energy? Zen Headbutt! Sawsbuck charged to the tree, crashing into the trunk as a high pitched psychic whine hit Ian's ears for a moment. A deep gash in the outer wood of the trunk showed evidence of the attack's might, only for Sawsbuck's horn to grow a light green, and fresh wood crawled across the gash, re-sealing it. That's nifty.

Sawsbuck seemed to tire a bit, but pranced around the yard one more time before getting into position. Sawsbuck's hooves glowed with a light brown energy and stuck them in the ground almost like it was going to use Sand Attack. Instead, Sawsbuck's whole body then took on the light brown glow and it charged forward, moving mounds of dirt like a bulldozer. Bulldoze, that's an easy one.

"Yo bro!" Tupp's voice called from behind Ian as Sawsbuck began to pant. "Just got back from the Pokemon Center, you back here training again?"

Ian nodded. "Yup Tupp! I wanna see what Sawsbuck's capable of now."

"Bro, what happened at the meeting? You got to hear everything, right?" Tupp asked.

"I mean, yeah..." Ian said, and began explaining about Tom wanting to use Sawsbuck's Grassy Surge ability to grow food way more rapidly, when he got to Guzma's initial rejection of the berry grove idea, a thudding bass note came from the house directly behind the two. "What the..?" Ian asked in bewilderment.

Tupp rolled his eyes. "It's these guys, great..."

"What guys? The guy watching us from last time?"

"You'll see yo," Tupp said sourly.

The sub-woofer got louder as the windows that weren't busted on the house rattled as the bass rattled in Ian's eardrums. From one of the second story windows came a tall, uniformed Team Skull member who swaggered on the shingles before flipping a hand sign and posing. Once he took his position, another climbed out of the same window, this one a bit more unsteadily as he swaggered, nearly tripping on the shingles of the overhang. Once he steadied himself, another one, notably shorter than the other two but not wearing a skull cap came out, showing his blonde hair and wearing a pair of sunglasses. This one struck a pose between the other two, emphasizing he was the de-facto leader of this little group. He's trying really hard to look cool, whoever he is.

The short guy in the middle opened his mouth to start talking, but all Ian could hear was the overly loud rumble of the bass. "Can't hear you!" Ian shouted, pointing to his ear.

Whoever the sunglasses guy was realized what was up, and pointed the clumsy one back inside. Ian gave Tupp a look as if to say "are they serious?" The bass finally lowered, with the two guys standing on the shingles waiting awkwardly as the clumsy one gracelessly stepped out of the window once more. He went back to his spot and stumbled, falling forward and nearly falling off, a hand on the gutter managing to save him... If only for a moment as the material groaned and creaked before the section of gutter the clumsy one held onto completely detached from the house, dropping the hanging Team Skull member onto the front yard.

Ian and Tupp bursted into a fit of laughter. "That's rough, dude," Ian said. The fallen member of the trio ran for the front door, but it was locked. He then scurried around to the back of the house.

"How 'bout you shut ya' faces right now, 'fore we chop ya' up like a wasted cow!" The Team Skull member with sunglasses started saying rhythmically. Wait, is he rapping?

"Hey idiots, who the fuck are you guys?" Ian called out.

"Who are we?" The short blonde guy in sunglasses called back over the bass. "You end up on Backstreet, you gonna deal with us! Excited guy down there is Versez, and to my right is the muscle, that's Flexx!" He paused for dramatic effect as he lowered his sunglasses. "And they call me Lil'Dizz."

"And who are we!?" The taller, muscular guy named Flexx called out rhetorically.

These guys can't be serious, can they?

"You bettuh' pray for mercy, cuz we da'..." Lil' Dizz paused for dramatic effect, then flipped his hair back, and then said in as dangerous a tone he could muster: "...Backstreet Boyz."

Ian keeled over in another fit of hysterical laughter, not sure he could believe what his ears had just heard. At a point, Tupp's hand went to Ian's back. "Hey bro, you kinda pissing them off."

Ian shook his head. "I was not ready for that, not gonna lie," Ian said, trying to regain his breath.

"Fuck's your problem?" Flexx asked from atop the overhang.

"Guys... I didn't mean to laugh so much..." Ian paused to stifle another cackle. "I'm a new Faller around here, and back home there was this boy band-"

"I don't give a fuck about no boy bands, yo!" Lil' Dizz called out angrily. "You come to this street, our street, and disrespect us like this? You beggin' for a fight yo!"

Ian turned to Tupp, who shrugged. "Yeah, we kinda gotta do this bro," Tupp said.

"You know these guys?" Ian asked. "They strong?"

"I dunno the clumsy one," Tupp said. "But those other two, yeah. They pretty strong."

"Put 'em up, Tupp, new guy!" Lil' Dizz said, he and Flexx were taking a Poke Ball out apiece. "Double battle, one 'mon a piece!"

Ian turned to Tupp, feeling a bit nervous. I haven't been in an organized fight like this...

"Bro we gotta," Tupp said, grabbing a Poke Ball from his belt. Ian figured Sawsbuck had enough time to catch its breath and decided he might as well go with it.

"A'ight asshat, listen up," Lil' Dizz began. "When we whoop yo' ass, you gettin' on your knees and kissing my fuckin' feet."

"That's oddly specific!" Ian called back. "I agree as long as you don't touch yourself while I do it!"

Lil' Dizz tensed with anger and muttered something incoherent.

"And if we win?" Tupp asked.

The two Backstreet Boyz on the overhang looked at each other uncertainly and shrugged. "We let you leave, how 'bout that?" Lil' Dizz called back.

"How about we get to train here in the front yard?" Ian replied. "Just us two, no other friends or anything."

Flexx eyed Lil' Dizz, and they both nodded. "Fine! You using that oversized bush down there?"

"Yeah!" Ian called back, suddenly a faint green glow came across the battlefield.

"That's first choice then, I'll go second!" Flexx said, grabbing a Great Ball and tossing it off the house's overhang. After a flurry of red light, an Electabuzz materialized, its yellow and black body emitting sparks as it flexed.

"Third, Scrafty!" Lil' Dizz called out, sending a Poke Ball out, revealing the vandal looking Pokemon with a red mohawk atop its orange skinned head, A yellow, rubbery material covered its torso, only to drop and reveal more orange skin.

"What's going on here?" Ian asked.

"We're taking turns revealing, since we know what you got already," Tupp said.

I guess there is honor amongst Team Skull members, no matter the beef.

"Golbat, get out here!" Tupp announced as Golbat appeared in a flash of red light. "You ready?" Tupp asked.

"Yeah, GO!" Flexx yelled.

A cacophony of orders were called, with Ian staying conservative and yelling "Leech Seed!"

The four combatants sprang into action, Golbat charging in first, wings aglow with a Wing Attack. Sawsbuck's Leech Seed was able to land unhindered on Electabuzz, who was charging up a Thunder Punch and diving to defend Scrafty. Scraft glowed with Dark Type Energy and dodged the streaking Golbat like it was in The Matrix. Golbat slowed out of sheer surprise, and its hesitation was met with Thunder Punch from Electabuzz, smacking it into the ground. That sure does happen to Tupp's Golbat a lot, why is he sending it charging in headfirst for a battle like this?

"You gonna join the fight, yo?" Tupp asked, slightly annoyed.

I wanted to play it safe and wait them out, looks like I won't get that chance. "Sawsbuck, Bulldoze!" Sawsbuck charged through the battlefield, aglow with light brown energy as the shaking ground made Scrafty and Electabuzz lose their footing, leaving them sitting ducks as the wave of dirt and dust washed over them. Golbat managed to make it in the air but not looking great. "Poison Fang that son of a bitch!" Tupp yelled out. Why not Air Cutter? I know you got it Tupp!

Golbat's fangs glowed a deep purple, diving into the dust where the two opponents who were still getting out of the piles of dirt they'd been were buried in. Scrafty gave a pained bellow while Sawsbuck made a clean getaway, Ian noticing green bubbles of energy had flowed from the vines now hanging off of Electabuzz and going to Sawsbuck.

"Perfect! Sawsbuck, Leech Seed Scrafty too!" Ian ordered, sending another large green pellet across the battlefield, and bursting, wrapping little vines around Scrafty.

"Really bro?" Tupp said in frustration. "You gonna get in this at all?"

Ian rolled his eyes, trying to tune Tupp's critique from his mind.

"Shock Wave!" Flexx ordered. Electabuzz raised its hand and fired a bolt of electricity to the sky before Golbat could move, striking it down from the sky.

"Scrafty, finish it with Crunch!" Lil' Dizz ordered.

"Horn Leech!" Ian called out desperately.

Golbat was near helpless, and while Sawsbuck was fast, Scrafty had the initiative. It caught the falling bat in its jaws, now cloaked in Dark Type Energy and chomped on it, Golbat eliciting a pained screech before going limp. Sawsbuck's Horn Leech rammed into Scrafty's exposed torso, puncturing it and sending it careening into the house's wall, with green bubbles of energy getting absorbed into Sawsbuck from Horn Leech and both Leech Seeds. Scrafty got up, glowing in red energy as it cheered savagely in victory.

Tupp recalled Golbat with a grunt, and Ian caught a sour look in his peripheral vision as Sawsbuck withdrew to its side of the field. Even if I win this, the conversation afterwards will not be fun.

"Now it's two versus one, suckah, and Scrafty's all Moxie'd up!" Lil' Dizz taunted.

Aw shit, Scrafty's attack just went up.

"Ain't laughing now bitch! This why we the Backstreet Boyz!" Flexx piled on.

Ian grimaced, taking a deep breath, readying himself for the next round. Both opponents have taken some real hits, and Sawsbuck's probably even better than it was at the start of the fight thanks to all of the leeching. Ian studied Scrafty for just a moment, noticing a purple tinge of color in its face. It's poisoned, I got a chance! Just gotta stall.

"Sawsbuck, prepare to dodge!" Ian ordered.

"Electabuzz, Swift!"

"Scrafty, Brick Break!"

Ian expected some movement, but Sawsbuck stood in place, almost dancing rhythmically as dark pink energy flowed through its legs. What is- it's Agility! The energies suddenly dissipated and Sawsbuck bolted left, Scrafty missing by just a few precious seconds. Some star-bolts of Swift did collide with Sawsbuck's body, resulting in mini explosions, but Sawsbuck seemed mostly unphased. Take out Electabuzz and Scrafty won't last a while, it's Speed is de-buffed and Sawsbuck will run circles around it.

"Sawsbuck, Horn Leech Electabuzz, finish it!" Ian shouted. Sawsbuck was already en route, antlers aglow before Ian even finished the sentence.

"Electabuzz, hold on and Thunder Wave!"

What? Shit! Sawsbuck connected, its antlers piercing into Electabuzz and the two slammed into the house's wall harshly. C'mon, go down! Electabuzz clearly was struggling and on its last breath, but Sawsbuck tried to break free from Electabuzz's grip, and then sparks of electricity erupted around the both of them. There goes Sawsbuck's speed advantage. Electabuzz collapsed shortly after.

Before the Thunder Wave had fully faded, Scrafty was midair, its head aglow with dark red Fight Type Energy as it wound up its neck and threw its head into Sawsbuck's torso, connecting with the brutal Brick Break, shaking the surrounding area and causing his blessed stag to yelp desperately.

Sawsbuck hobbled away from the wall, which now had an indent from the blows. Looks like he got the wind knocked out of him or something. Really can't play keep away anymore.

"Torment!" Lil' Dizz ordered. Scrafty suddenly glowed with more Dark Type Energy and when it dissipated, it flared up around Sawsbuck, freaking it out. Dammit, no Horn Leech. Maybe try Bulldoze? Needs to be a knockout blow.

"Scrafty, finish this, one more Brick Break!" The lead Backstreet Boy commanded.

C'mon Ian, think of something. I bet he's never washed his toes. "Double Kick from above!" Ian belted out desperately. Sawsbuck mustered what strength it had from its strained breathing and leapt, two front legs aglow in the same energy as Scrafty's head. Scrafty wound up its neck one more time, ready to launch its dome forward for the commanding blow, but Sawsbuck's hooves slammed into Scrafty's exposed torso, crunching the body against Scrafty's legs. Scrafty's head still went forward, giving Sawsbuck's legs a glancing blow but with enough force to knock Sawsbuck off balance.

"What the...!?" Lil' Dizz shouted in disbelief.

Scrafty tried to claw its way back up, and Sawsbuck's neck suddenly fell under the weight.

"Ha! That's it, that's ma-"

Green bubbles of energy suddenly floated from Scrafty to Sawsbuck, making Scrafty collapse in the dirt, while Sawsbuck regained enough strength to struggle onto its hooves again, rather unsteadily as it did so.

"FUCK!" Lil' Dizz shouted.

Ian pumped his fist before recalling his victorious stag. This victory doesn't feel that great though. Ian eyed Tupp, who had watched the rest of the match sulking in silence.

"Ay that was a good fight though," Lil' Dizz said.

"It was a crazy fight," Ian said, stepping closer to the house's overhang where the Backstreet Boyz still stood. "I didn't mean to disrespect you guys like that. It's just been a really crazy few days. That's my bad."

"I hear you, yo," Lil' Dizz said, still slightly bitter.

"It didn't help that..." Ian pointed to the clumsy guy. Versez? "...the gutter came down with him."

Versez gave a nervous wave and nodded. "You ain't wrong fella. Guy who fights like that got my respect," Lil' Dizz continued. "But you prolly wanna go check on your boy. You owe him after that fight."

"I owed him my life before the fight! I'll see you around Backstreet Boyz!" Ian replied, turning around and seeing Tupp walking away, clearly in the dumps. Ian hustled to catch up and lowered his voice. "Hey man..."

"Ain't gotta say nothing, you won..." Tupp uttered lowly.

"We never practiced double battling, and I didn't know everything Sawsbuck could do," Ian explained.

Tupp shrugged in response, staying quiet.

"Look, I don't know how to handle double battles, I've never been in one-"

"You never even been in one?" Tupp said, anger in his eyes. "You still beat 'em one vs. two, so I guess fuck me, yo." Tupp turned away, clearly agitated.

Ian sighed, smacking his palm against his head. Real smart Ian. I gotta give him some time... Why's it I win the first fun Pokemon battle I've had and I feel like I lost?

 

[Oceanside Lowlife]

Chapter 8 Revelations

Ian followed Plumeria down The Spine on another bright, sunny morning on Ula'Ula Island. "So I hear you had a little falling out with Tupp yesterday," Plumeria stated once they were far enough away from the walls.

Ian sighed, remembering Tupp giving him the silent treatment in the bunkhouse the night before. Plus Tupp was out of his bunk when Ian woke up a half hour ago or so. "Yeah."

"What'd you do?" Plumeria asked, turning around.

"He sent his Golbat out in a double battle, and had it charge head first into the opponents," Ian said. "He was mad I didn't have his back."

"So you and Sawsbuck left him out to dry?" Plumeria asked.

"Kind of, but I was being strategic," Ian said.

Plumeria gave him the look a teacher gives a student after messing up something they've done a dozen times. "First rule of Team Skull...'

"I know, 'always look out for each other,'" Ian said.

"So, Golbat gets knocked out like it always does, you're down two verses one against the Backstreet Boys..."

"I had Sawsbuck use Leech Seed on both the opponents. If Golbat just stayed back and used Air Cutter, our opponents would've been screwed," Ian asked.

"Well you gotta commit with your teammate, that's why you lost-"

Ian cleared his throat, shaking his head as a sassy smirk emerged on his face. "We didn't lose. Sawsbuck's Leech Seed ground the last bit out of Scrafty to give us the win."

Plumeria's eyebrows rose. "Wait, you're serious?"

Ian nodded. "Sawsbuck damn near lost, but we took it. Leech Seed's OP."

"OP?" Plumeria asked in bewilderment.

"Overpowered," Ian replied. "Slang from... not here."

"I see... So was it just dumb luck or is Sawsbuck being 'overpowered' why you won?" Plumeria asked mockingly.

"Sawsbuck, but some luck's gotta be involved, it was my first double battle-" Ian froze as he realized what he was admitting.

"First double battle?" Plumeria said, a knowing look in her eye.

"Well, since the-"

Plumeria folded her arms, clearly holding back anger. "I didn't say anything in front of Guzma, but I didn't think you were a trainer back home either," Plumeria said accusingly.

"You didn't? Then why'd you vouch for me to Guzma?" Ian asked.

"You're on the bunk below Tupp, right?" Plumeria asked, her tone noticeably softer.

"Yeah..."

"That used to be Isaac's bunk," Plumeria said. "He's been gone for a month, and when you popped up in that Ultra Storm and started buddying up with Tupp right off the bat, it was the happiest I've seen him since."

"Oh..." Ian said, the revelation washing over him and symbolically knocking him back like a wave. "When he brought that guy up, he seemed so nonchalant..."

"Didn't say his name, did he?" Plumeria asked.

"No..." Ian said, realizing what Plumeria meant.

"And don't worry, I won't tell Guzma about you not being a trainer," Plumeria said. "Beating Freddy and Disnthorpe one verses two isn't too shabby either."

"Freddy and Disenthorpe?" Ian asked.

"The Backstreet Boys' pre-Team Skull names," Plumeria said with a smile.

"Disnethorpe? Lil' Dizz-" Ian said, the realization hitting him.

"Yup," Plumeria said, a rare giggle escaping her lips. "Don't go telling Lil' Dizz I told you though."

"Your secret's safe with me," Ian said. "Why are you so sensitive about it? You got a little crush-"

"If you finish that sentence I'm dipping you in Salazzle acid," Plumeria said dismissively, upping her pace as the duo came upon Po Town's gate.

"Hey Plumeria!" Rook's familiar voice called out. "Where you going? Surge's guy is supposed to be here soon."

"Just taking Ian to the grove," Plumeria said. "I'll see them when they come up."

"Okay," Rook said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Once outside of the gate, Ian scurried to catch up with Plumeria. "So what's the game plan here?" Ian asked.

"We find where boss's Ariados is and go exactly where it's not," Plumeria said. "Get your Sawsbuck out here."

Ian did so, with Sawsbuck prancing about for a moment before it realized where Ian and Plumeria were heading, quickly giving a distressed call and freezing in place, eyes fixated on the grove of trees in front of it. "Sawsbuck chill out, we're just checking something."

Sawsbuck eyed Ian suspiciously.

"I don't want to be here either," Ian said, the memory of being pulled up by Ariados' webbing from his lower back still fresh in his mind.

Plumeria took out a Poke Ball and released a floating, dark purple form with a head and disjointed hands, which Ian recognized as a Haunter. He felt a sudden chill as he realized how large the Ghost Pokemon in front of him was and noticed Sawsbuck was none too happy about Haunter's presence. For being blessed by Tapu Bulu, you sure are timid, Sawsbuck.

"Haunter, go find Guzma's Ariados and tell me which side of the creek it's on," Plumeria ordered. Haunter bowed submissively before de-manifesting its form.

"That's a neat trick," Ian commented. Might have to get me a Ghost Type if they can do that. The two waited in silence until Haunter's return, one of its floating hands pointing to the ground.

"Must be on this side, let's go to the other side then," Plumeria said, leading Ian to the small bridge going over the creek leading under Po Town's wall. A few Team Skull grunts rode by on bikes, greeting Plumeria with a "Big Sis" as they blew by, fishing poles in tow. Plumeria led Ian around the edge of the grove, sticking closely to the road as Sawsbuck and Haunter accompanied them.

"Alright, let's have a look at this," Plumeria said, taking the lead and heading into the grove. Ian followed right behind, spotting a Spinarak crawling up a tree trunk and instinctively looked to the tree tops, seeing nothing but sunshine coming down. With each step Sawsbuck made, trees rustled and the breeze started to be felt as the random shrubs, grasses, and branches began shifting as sudden, rapid growth began to come over everything within ten to fifteen feet of Sawsbuck. Even the branches in the air way above them began surging with growth. Whatever effect Sawsbuck has must be traveling through the whole tree.

"Look at that!" Plumeria said in surprise, pointing at a tree that had just entered Sawsbuck's range as fruits expanded from green into a bright yellow, looking like a pear with skin like an orange. "They were maybe halfway mature..." Plumeria remarked. "If Sawsbuck's growing Sitrus Berries that fast, this could damn near be a gold mine."

"What, really?" Ian asked.

"Fully ripened Sitrus Berries are used in the top potions and revives," Plumeria said. "I'm sure Doc could get the juicing machine in the Pokemon Center working if we had a reason to actually use it and start making a bunch of these."

"Nice..." Ian said, watching carefully, still on guard. Seeing all of the plants move so rapidly like this is really freaky. It's like my mind has been trained to be put on guard for any sudden movements, and there's so much going on I'm feeling overstimulated.

Plumeria gasped. "Look at those Lum Berries!" Plumeria dashed over to a tree Ian couldn't tell was all that special with green, un-ripened fruit. Oh wait, Lum Berries are green aren't they? Plumeria broke one off from a low branch and opened it. "My goodness..." Plumeria said, turning back to Sawsbuck. "This is incredible."

"But how far along in the growing process were these?" Ian asked.

"I saw the Sitrus Berry tree was like a third of the way through its growth cycle?" Plumeria said. "Stay here, let me find something at the very beginning of the growth cycle." Plumeria headed off closer to the creek, and Ian turned to Sawsbuck with a big grin.

"If we can pull this off, Guzma's gonna have to stop calling me 'pizza boy,'" Ian said, giving Sawsbuck an affectionate scratch behind the neck, causing Sawsbuck to mewl happily. This could also be our ticket to getting off the island. A pang of guilt hit him, but he tried to brush it off. Who knows if Tupp ever gets over this tantrum, and the prospect of being at Guzma's whim doesn't seem too great of a long term play. I'm in the Pokemon world, the possibilities are endless-

"Okay, found one!" Plumeria said, beckoning Ian and Sawsbuck over.

"Let's see..." Ian said as he tried to put those thoughts to the back of his mind, leading Sawsbuck to the origin of Plumeria's voice. Trees along the periphery began shifting as fruit developed almost instantly, causing branches to creak with extra weight as the breeze danced through the grove.

Plumeria had her back to Ian and Sawsbuck as they approached, and Ian fixed his attention on the tree Plumeria observed. The fruit suddenly began expanding, turning from a budding green to a hint of yellow as what looked to be a developing lemon with a leaf on top took shape. "Wow, that's impressive..." Plumeria said.

Ian and Sawsbuck stopped at Plumeria's side. "So how far along would you say that is?"

"Probably two-thirds," Plumeria said. "If it's possible to get berry harvests done every two days, I think the food problem will fix itself."

"You think it can keep up like this? Aren't there nutrients needed in the soil for this growth?" Ian asked.

Plumeria stifled a laugh. "I think Tapu Bulu's blessing is more than enough for whatever's in the ground."

"I hope so..." Ian said.

"Let's spread the effect around this side of the creek until Ariados gets here," Plumeria said.

"Okay..."

Ian led Sawsbuck around their side of the grove for the next five minutes or so, watching with fascination as Tapu Bulu's blessing worked its wonders on the berry grove.

"Ian, we gotta go," Plumeria whispered. "Ariados..." Plumeria pointed to the canopy in the direction of the creek, and sure enough, there was the massive spider with red eyes hurrying across branches.

Sawsbuck gave a panicked cry and began dashing the opposite way, with Ian and Plumeria breaking into a light jog, passing through most of what had already been touched by Sawsbuck's Grassy Surge ability. Upon reaching the road, Sawsbuck still looked very on guard as it scanned the grove's trees.

"Proof of concept," Plumeria said as she turned back to the grove. "We may have just lucked out after all."

"Yeah," Ian said, feeling more guilt about his ambition to leave.

"Oh, there they are," Plumeria said, pointing up the road to an oncoming white van. "Recall Sawsbuck for me, it'll look threatening."

Ian nodded, seeing Sawsbuck didn't seem too upset about getting protection from Alpha Ariados. Oh yeah, Surge's side has cars. "Why don't we use cars?" Ian asked.

"No gas for 'em," Plumeria said. "One of Breon's guys infiltrated Po Town and blew up the gas station pretty early on."

"Where's that?" Ian asked.

"Next to the water treatment building," Plumeria said, pointing at the wall. "Right on the other side of the wall here actually. No fuel, no cars."

"Is it weird I haven't seen it?"

"You've been here, what, five days?" Plumeria asked.

"Yeah..."

"In your defense, you've been pretty busy, nearly dying every other day," Plumeria teased.

"You're not wrong," Ian said, noticing the white van coming to a halt not too far off from them as a feminine figure in khaki short-shorts, a green shirt, and a brown vest got out of the side door. "What's going on there?" Ian asked.

Plumeria grimaced. "Letting out the Driftwood Guild member, they can't seem too partial." The van pulled up to Ian and Plumeria, stopping and opening the sliding door. "Plumeria?" The driver's masculine voice asked.

"That's me," Plumeria said joylessly as she hopped into the side of the van. "Head to the other side of the creek Ian," Plumeria ordered before shutting the van's sliding door and the van accelerated down the road.

She really just got in with the enemy? Must be some diplomatic procedure or something. Ian eyed the creek, remembering Plumeria's order, then eyed the feminine Driftwood Guild member up the road. Maybe I can make a little stop first though. Ian made his way up the road, the driftwood guild member's pink hair becoming visible to him underneath her baseball cap. She gave a wave and a big grin as Ian neared.

"Hey there random Team Skull guy!" The woman who didn't look much older than Ian said gleefully.

"Hey there!" Ian called back, giving her a wave as his eyes were drawn to her exposed legs. "You're part of the Driftwood Guild, right?" Ian asked as he got close enough to not have to yell.

"Yup!" She said energetically before putting her hand over her heart and saying: "'No oaths above the island,' and all that."

Is that the weird motto Plumeria mentioned they all say? Ian eyed her curiously, seeing her pretty face along with her matching bubble gum pink eyes that would normally weird him out, but something about them seemed so natural compared to the jarring look colored contact lenses gave to people back home. Ian also noticed just above the woman's chest was a twisted badge of intertwined pale wood. Interesting.

"So what brings you my way, stranger?" She asked.

"I'm Ian."

"I'm Neroli," she said, extending her hand, which he shook. "Ian what?" She asked casually.

"Ian Derry- er... Cougar now, I guess," Ian said. "Guzma gave me a new last name when I joined Team Skull officially."

"I take it you're new around here?" Neroli asked.

"Yeah... Plumeria found me outside an Ultra Storm, what, five days ago now I think?" Ian said aloud.

"You're lucky," Neroli said. "Plumeria's not the biggest fan of the Guild, but the Guild really likes her."

"Why's that, Neroli?" Ian asked, feeling himself drawn to her.

"We hold no oaths above the island," Neroli repeated. "We care for the island and its people who are caught up in the crossfire between the factions, which means we have to be truly neutral between each side. Plumeria understandably doesn't like that."

Ian shrugged. "Fair enough..."

"So what brings you drifting my way, Ian Cougar?" Neroli asked, almost flirtatiously.

Ian felt blood rushing to his cheeks. She's true neutral, remember that, this is all a ploy. "I was interested in getting a Poke Ball for a good friend of mine," Ian explained.

"Hmm, I could do this. Do you have anything to exchange?" Neroli asked.

"Well, I could give you some berries..." Ian said, remembering Sawsbuck had just made hundreds of berries ripen in the grove right next to them.

"We're not really looking for those right now. Anything else of value to trade?" Neroli said.

Ian opened his mouth to speak, but had no words. "Uh... I could get something. What would you want?"

"Something equivalent to four hundred Pokedollars," Neroli said.

Aren't they normally two hundred in the games? Oh right, supply and demand, plus delivery logistics. "I don't have anything on me right now, but next time you come by..."

Neroli shrugged. "Well, you're in luck actually. I'd be willing to trade it for some information..."

"Strategic?" Ian asked, realizing the implications.

"We don't want you to betray Po Town or Team Skull," Neroli said with an overly sweet smile. Neroli then leaned in and began to whisper. "This may sound a bit off the wall, but we heard a rumor that a Team Skull member had a Pokemon blessed by Tapu Bulu recently. Any truth to that?"

Well that sure is lucky. Ian tried to keep a straight face as the decision to reveal himself to someone outside swirled around his mind. My name can't hurt too much, plus they'll probably find out eventually anyways. I owe Tupp too much to get cold feet about this now.

"Looks like you know something about it," Neroli teased.

Ian smiled. "Yeah, I'm in luck..." Ian took a slight breath then pointed to himself. "It's me."

"Really? A Faller like you got Tapu Bulu's blessing?" Neroli asked, not quite believing him.

"Yeah..."

Neroli then reached into one of her vest's many pockets and pulled out a Poke Ball in its shrunken state. "Prove it and this Poke Ball is yours, Ian."

Ian nodded, reaching for Sawsbuck's Heal Ball and pressed the button releasing it, revealing his blessed Sawsbuck to what Ian realized was much more than just the two of them. The grass at the side of the road began shifting upwards as it grew suddenly, with dandelions and other weeds sprouting up as well.

"ʻIke nā maka i ka hana kupanaha a ka kiaʻi," Neroli speaking quickly in native Alolan, almost in disbelief. "So it's true."

Ian folded his arms and pointed at the Poke Ball. "So..."

Neroli smiled. "More than enough proof for me." She presented it to him, and Ian took it, attaching it to one of the grooves in his belt. "A deal well struck, Ian Cougar."

Ian shook the offered hand once more. "Thank you, Neroli. So if I ever need more stuff in the future, how do I get in contact with you guys?"

"We'll find you," Neroli said. "When the time is right."

Something tells me that's a bit more sinister than she's letting on. "Thanks, I hope to see you in the future."

"Something tells me we will, trainer of the blessed one," Neroli said, her eyes fixating on him.

Ian nodded, recalling Sawsbuck quickly and walking closer to the grove, debating whether the butterflies in his stomach were from the cute girl who's gaze was now replaying in his mind, or that he essentially made himself known to the island if the Driftwood Guild found the information worth valuable enough. This is for Tupp, remember that. He dismissed his doubts with a sigh and remembered Plumeria's orders from before, heading over to the other side of grove.

***

After an hour of circling through the other bank of the creek, picking some Oran Berries before Alpha Ariados chased them off once more. Ian made his way back to Po Town, going up the road passing the apartments where the Dirtbags mostly lived, and saw the charred remains of Po Town's gas station. He made it in time for lunch, even spotting Tupp ahead in line at The Grill. Now's probably as good a time as any.

After getting his questionable bowl of mystery meat stew, Ian found Tupp sitting alone.

"I owe you an apology dude, I left you hanging out to dry in that match," Ian said as he took a seat and put a handful of Oran Berries in front of the grunt.

Tupp gave Ian an annoyed look and returned to his stew.

"That's not even saying I owe my life, twice," Ian continued.

"Nah, just once, and Plumeria was there anyways," Tupp said dejectedly.

"You tried to play decoy against Surge's goon, just because he didn't take your bait doesn't diminish what you intended," Ian said.

Tupp loudly slurped the broth from his spoon and returned it to the bowl for more.

"So, don't ask how I got this, but I got something for you," Ian said, reaching for his belt and grabbing the empty Poke Ball, rolling it to Tupp's bowl and bouncing it off. "That's yours."

Tupp grimaced, flicking the Poke Ball back to Ian. "It ain't even about that, yo."

"Then what's it about? Me being an obnoxious prick?" Ian asked. "Cuz I definitely have been recently."

Tupp rolled his eyes. "Nah, we all are here. Even if I had another Pokemon, it wouldn't matter. Guzma ain't letting me get more Pokemon cuz I ain't strong enough."

"If anything, getting another Pokemon can help you learn to get stronger," Ian said, trying to not talk about himself.

"It'll just get the shit beat out of it like Golbat in our double battle," Tupp said. "Like what always happens with Golbat."

Gotta tread lightly here. "Golbat is pretty fragile, it's not supposed to get in close like that," Ian explained.

"Then what's it supposed to do?" Tupp questioned.

"Confuse and poison the opponent from range, and use its speed to whittle the opponent down, then go in for the final blow with its fangs," Ian said.

"That sounds like the way a lil' bitch fights," Tupp said. "Guzma ain't about that shit."

"Do you think Guzma uses his Ariados to tackle its opponents right off the bat?" Ian asked. "He probably uses webs and poison to debilitate the enemy-"

"You ain't even know how Guzma fights, yo," Tupp said.

"Golbats usually are out at night and in caves, their enemies are in the dark while it can see. It's fast and just harasses from range..." Ian explained.

Tupp shook his head. "I ain't fighting like no lil' bitch yo," Tupp said, taking his bowl and leaving the table.

Ian sighed in frustration and returned to his lukewarm stew, making sure to keep the Poke Ball with him. Great job.

When Ian finished up and started making his way to Backstreet to do some training, he heard Plumeria's familiar scream. "Hey dumbass, Ultra Storm's forming! Get Rapp from the Pokemon Center and get to the gate in five minutes!"

Ian gave Plumeria a thumbs up and turned to the entrance. He strolled down The Spine, entering the Pokemon Center and seeing Rapp helping someone behind the counter. "Hey Rapp, Ultra Storm's forming! Plumeria wants us at the gate in like three minutes!" Ian called as he got closer.

Rapp groaned, trying to flag someone else down and giving them what appeared to be instructions before hopping onto the counter top and sliding across, making her way to Ian holding a Poke Ball up. "Plumeria got me this today."

"Nice!" Ian said, not sure if he should present his own Poke Ball. Maybe I can just say I got it in the Ultra Storm. If a Star Piece and a potted plant can appear in one, why can't a Poke Ball?

"So keep an eye out for any Pokemon that can do some healing," Rapp said. "Doc wants me to get another healer besides Comfey, speaking of..." Rapp released her floating flower necklace Pokemon and it twirled in midair, coming to a rest on Rapp's shoulders like a lei.

"What about what you want?" Ian asked.

Rapp shrugged. "You know, I like working here when I'm not with Plumeria's squad."

"That's cool..."

"When I was going to school in Tapu Village..." Rapp began.

Tapu Village? That was like a Pokemon Center at the base of Mount Lanakila was, right? Kind of where Haina Town is here?

"...we'd do career day every year, but cuz we were Tapu Village kids, the only person who'd show up was the nurse from the local Pokemon Center. She'd always bring a cute lil' Pokemon too, I looked forward to it every year..." Rapp explained.

"What's wrong about Tapu Village?" Ian asked.

Rapp snorted. "That part of Haina Town's only got trailer parks and apartment complexes. Don't even got a grocery store cuz everything'd get stolen."

I guess even Alola has to have ghetto neighborhoods. "It's still cool she'd do that every year."

Rapp nodded. "Yup. When I was in first grade and I saw her for the first time, I told her I wanted to be a nurse just like her. My teacher got in the way saying there was no way I'd do that, way I was acting, but the nurse found me after class and asked me my name and told me: 'Seraphina, you can do anything you put your mind to,'" Rapp said, fading her rough accent for a higher class one.

Rapp's real name is Seraphina? Never would have guessed that. "That's awfully sweet of her," Ian said.

"Yup! Tupp and I didn't stop being troublemakers cuz like, fuck them teachers, but the nurse would come in every year on career day and would remember my name," Rapp explained.

"I take it you want to be a nurse one day?" Ian asked.

"Hell nah, you know how much school I gotta go through for that shit?" Rapp said in frustration before giving out a sigh. "Working the Pokemon Center's on the days off is cool though. Plus if someone ever gets hurt while we out, I can help. Ain't no one like Doc, but I can keep a Pokemon going long enough to get to her... I think."

"That's a good way of looking at it," Ian said, the duo coming upon the gate, seeing Hyde and Selene chit-chatting casually sitting on bikes.

"Rapp, I see you're getting the newbie all hyped up for the Ultra Storm," Selene greeted.

"Nah, it's really only interesting when we go peek inside. Even then we never do shit in them," Rapp said.

"Mine was pretty chaotic, probably best to keep a safe distance," Ian added.

"Pussy," Hyde sneered.

"Thanks Hyde, very helpful," Ian fired back, to which Hyde wrinkled his nose.

"Alright listen up!" Plumeria barked from behind the group. "Our resident newbie who's got a death wish sold Guzma on the idea of there being treasure or some shit in the Ultra Storms, so for this one we have to go inside and stay inside, looking for stuff as long as we can," Plumeria said, looking at Ian with her arms folded. "Everyone say 'thanks Ian.'"

"Thanks Ian!" Rapp and Selene chorused together sarcastically, going into a fit of giggles.

"Ian, we need to pick up some berries on the way so we can pass through the meadow. I take it Sawsbuck's good to go?" Plumeria explained.

"Yeah, Sawsbuck's fine-"

"Good. It looks like it's just south of the Akua Jungle so we got some riding to do," Plumeria said, turning to leave but hesitated and turned back to Ian. "Remember, no funny business or you're off my squad, got it?"

Ian gulped out of fear involuntarily. "No funny business..."

***

The ride down The Straightaway dragged on for what felt like forever. Selene and Rapp led the way, chatting about whatever, with Hyde and Plumeria in the talking somewhat seriously at times, and Tupp managed to always trail Ian no matter how much Ian tried to slow down to talk. Well this sucks.

When trees started emerging on the horizon Ian figured they were close. The Akua Jungle? That was never in the games... But there were a bunch of tropical trees around the Ula'Ula Meadow, this might be that.

Looking beyond the trees, Ian noticed a shimmering white substance well in this distance. "What's that?" Ian asked.

"That's where we're headed, the Ultra Storm," Plumeria said. "It's still forming."

"Gotcha..." Ian said.

Plumeria and the group continued on until they got a fork in the road, with the paved road continuing on while a dirt road led into a scattering of trees with the jungle looming in the background. Plumeria took a dirt road splitting off, seemingly going deeper into the trees. When they came upon what Ian realized was a dirt parking lot that hadn't been used in months, Plumeria put her hand up, signaling them to dismount and put their bikes in hiding places. Once Ian put his in a bush close to Plumeria's, Ian noticed a wooden cabin on the other side of the parking lot sheltered underneath the trees around it. "What's that?"

"Old ranger office," Plumeria said. "Hasn't been used since the ASF pulled out of most of the island."

"Alolan Security Forces," Ian repeated to himself, remembering what the acronym stood for. If for some reason I ever need to dip from Po Town, this seems like a good first stop.

"See any berry trees around here?" Plumeria called to the rest of the team.

"I think I got one here," Rapp said, pointing to a tree off to the side by the cabin.

"Get Sawsbuck out, we're going to need those berries as tribute," Plumeria ordered quickly.

Tribute? Ian grabbed Sawsbuck's Heal Ball and released his majestic stag, still in its spring form with pink cherry blossom on its antlers. The greenery surrounding them shifted ever so slightly as plants began flowering, and berry trees surged with growth, the branches becoming adorned with color as they creaked and expanded suddenly as Ian got around the corner of the rangers' cabin.

"I know I've seen it already, but it sure is amazing," Selene said in awe.

Ian caught Tupp glaring at him and grimaced. C'mon man, you know I'm not trying to go after your crush.

"A'ight, these should be good," Rapp said, picking a few ripened Leppa Berries from a low hanging branch and presenting them to Plumeria.

"The Oricorio should be okay with that tribute," Plumeria said.

Oricorio? Tribute? Ian shook his head as he figured he'd learn the answer soon enough. He noticed a metal gate covering a dirt path coming from behind the cabin and got closer to examine it.

"Hey Ian, don't go down there!" Plumeria barked harshly. "That way leads to the Lake of the Sunne."

Oh yeah, the Lake of the Sunne was accessible from one side of the meadow. "Gotcha," Ian said, stepping away from the gate.

Plumeria led the way along a hiking path to a good half mile into the now very dense jungle. Ian heard the sounds of wildlife, even the distinct call of a Yungoos or song of a Pikipek from time to time as the group made their way through. After coming around a bend in the trail, a tall wooden structure loomed up ahead. So this must be the Ula'Ula Meadow. The raised, wooden walkway from the games came to his mind, along with the dark green of the tall grass the walkway towered over. As the group got a couple dozen feet from the stairway, Plumeria held up her hand.

"You got those berries, Rapp?" Plumeria asked.

Plumeria led the group carefully to the wooden stair to the raised walkway platform and held her hand up to signal the group to stop, then lowered her hand slowly, making the rest of the group kneel. Ian joined in and looked over the group, seeing everyone had their eyes on the meadow's tall grass intensely, an eerie calm coming over the party. Suddenly a sound like a crackling flame broke the serenity of the meadow, then it repeated, this time far louder, and seconds later louder still. The tall grass rustled as the crackling sound became like a rhythmic beat, and a sound like the cross between a small bird's morning song and a flute pierced the air. The rhythm of crackling fire alternated with the song in what Ian could tell was an important chant. He looked around to see what the rest of the party was doing, and everyone had their heads lowered, except for Hyde who just continued glaring at Ian, like he must have been doing for some time. This guy better have some deep ass trauma with Unovans to be this much of a prick.

The chant picked up as multiple small red birds shot up from the tall grass, which Ian recalled were Oricorio. Some Oricorio got on the stairs and took positions while others floated without flapping their wings around the tips of the top of the tall grass in complete opposition to Ian's concept of gravity. Remember, they're pokemon. Physics don't really apply to them. A larger Oricorio, this one's feathers a slightly more vibrant red than the others, took center position atop the wooden stair as it inspected the group with eyes, Ian noted, that weren't glowing red like the Alpha Nidoking from the Ultra Storm or Ariados in the grove.

"Rapp, now," Plumeria hissed under her breath.

Rapp kept her head lowered, and as Ian followed her, he noticed her pants fit perfectly on her rear, his gaze lingering longer than he thought. He averted his eyes, and out of his peripheral vision, Ian saw Rapp darting back to the group, head still lowered. The crackling rhythm increased in speed with the Oricorios' song becoming louder, more ominous.

Ian felt his own heartbeat matching pace with the crackling beat and gulped nervously once more. The seeming head Oricorio atop the wooden stairway cried out a shrill, piercing note, silencing the rest of the sound. It floated weightlessly down to the ground in front of the steps and gave the pile of Leppa Berries a curious glance. It dipped its beak into the pile and withdrew, turning around to its fellow Oricorio. It gave a short shrill and took off quickly, this time flapping its wings. This set off a frenzy where more red Oricorio darted out of the brush, taking portions of the berry pile before there was nothing left.

Plumeria gave a relieved sigh and Ian's shoulders relaxed. Plumeria was the first to get off her knees, and the rest of the party quickly followed suit. "That was gnarly," Ian said as he stepped onto the raised, wooden walkway.

"Right?" Selene asked. "Once things broke down and people stopped coming here, the Oricorio got all protective and stuff. We have to do this offering thing whenever we cross the meadow to get to Ultra Storms now."

"I see..." Ian said. Wait, if they don't really look into the Ultra Storms and just go to them, why are we doing this in the first place? Ian debated speaking up, but the happy songs of the Oricorio chirping deterred him as they crossed. It was a good half a mile before the raised platform ended and they returned to thick jungle encroaching upon their walking trail.

The trees finally started to give way, and Ian gazed upon a dome of sparkling, translucent white. "Wow..." Ian said in amazement. There were a few trees and a boulder scattered throughout the burgeoning Ultra Storm's borders, but it was mostly flat with grass.

"Hey asshole, maybe you can go back where you came from if you get in there," Hyde taunted.

"Nah, I'd rather stay here and annoy the fuck out of you," Ian retorted. "You're making it too fun, dude."

Hyde snorted but remained silent.

"Alright, here's the game plan," Plumeria announced loudly. "Ian and Selene, you two and your Sawsbuck and Arcanine go around the perimeter and look for anything valuable that gets dropped. Go out of the barrier if something too dangerous is in your path."

"The Alpha, you mean?" Ian asked.

"Shush, Death Wish," Selene teased as Ian realized her new nickname for him.

"So once you two have gone around the perimeter, we'll all march in closer to the center. We should have some time to poke around," Plumeria said. "If we do it quickly enough, we can bounce before the Alpha shows up, that's the goal. Got it?"

"Yes indeed," Ian said with a nod as the rest of the group responded in their own way.

"Let's get our Pokemon out, Ultra Storm should be popping soon," Plumeria said, reaching for her Poke Ball and sending out a huge, multi-colored, sludgy form with teeth. Ian crinkled his nose as he watched the constant flowing of the multi-colored blob of sludge caught his eye. Alolan Muk smells just like I figured it would.

Next came Selene's Arcanine, a majestic bright orange and black striped fur coat with cream colored tufts of fur coating its tail, also serving as a mane. It gave a playful howl and began licking Selene affectionately.

"Ian..." Plumeria said expectantly.

"Right," Ian said, grabbing Sawsbuck's Heal Ball and releasing his blessed stag. Upon manifesting, Sawsbuck yelped in a panic at the sight of Arcanine, dashing away from the group. "Sawsbuck, come on, chill out..." Ian started.

Selene's Arcanine gave another playful yelp and leapt in front of Ian with ease before pursuing Sawsbuck. "Arcanine, no! No play right now!" Selene called back.

Sawsbuck gave another panicked cry as the fire breathing tiger chased after it for a moment before Arcanine turned around dashed elegantly back to Selene. Ian sighed, realizing he'd have to go comfort his skittish Pokemon.

"Wow, some blessed Pokemon that is," Hyde chimed.

Ian rolled his eyes and jogged to Sawsbuck, cursing Hyde as he did.