Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a soft clinging noise that came from his glass of whiskey as the ice cubes collided with each other. It wasn’t like he normally paid much attention on small details like this, but today the kahuna of Ula’ula Island would take any distraction offered from the more oppressive matters. He wasn't big on drinking hard liquors either, but he had had an extraordinarily rough couple of days so far. What on earth had he gotten himself into?

“I still blame you for this!”

Nanu screwed his eyes shut before he downed the full glass in one go. He needed to feel the burning alcohol fill him before he could even begin to answer the boy. In the back of his mind he knew he was right… At least partly. But it didn’t mean he had to own up to it.

After he swallowed, he let out a drained huff. “Don’t you go accusing me of this, boy. It was you who decided to meddle with the gods, not me.”

Sharp, gray eyes were drilling holes in him as Nanu finally looked up. And he immediately felt like he needed another shot. In his small living room, packed tightly on the corner of his sofa, was sitting Guzma. Or rather, a very tiny version of him. Nanu simply studied him for a brief second before he reached for his bottle again. It wouldn’t make this madness go away, but he could always try. He had been right there when it happened and he still doubted his own eyes.

In order to collect his thoughts, he ignored his company and tried to recap the events of the past two days. It had all started with him leaving for a small trip to meet the Ula’ula Islands Tapu... It was old Alolan tradition for the assigned kahuna to once a year offer a token of thanks to these sacred pokémon. Normally Nanu wasn’t a big fan of festivities and he suspected that Tapu Bulu felt the same. It had, after all, chosen to live in a desert maze, as far out of reach as possible. If that didn’t read “Leave Me Alone”, he didn’t know what would. So he usually let this duty slide, not bothering to bother the Tapu at all.

It all had changed this year however, after he accidentally blurted to Hala that he had never done this trip. The other kahuna had almost preached his ears off, leaving him with two displeased entities to calm. Nanu’s plan had been to drop by the ruins, leave a small bottle of sake for Tapu Bulu there and hope Hala would be satisfied with his efforts for the next 5 years or so.

Two days ago he had finally left the comfort of his home and headed towards the Ruins of Abundance. The journey itself had started well, or as well as it ever could. It was common knowledge that Tapu Bulu lived in the mids of Haina Desert, one of the trickiest places you could find in all Alola.
The desert itself was scorching hot, full of vicious, wild ground-type pokémon and it was extremely complicated to find your way there. Many trainers ended up lost and trapped there until rescued. To Nanu, navigating itself wasn’t a problem, he had figured out the key elements of the landscape long ago and knew his way to the ruins. With his trusty team by his side, he had shuffled his way through the giant sandbox with a remote ease. But little had he known, leaving the bottle for the Tapu ended up being the hardest part.

Nanu closed his eyes. Remembering everything that came afterwards as clear as day, he let himself drift into a flashback.

--xx--

Nanu released a tired, but satisfied sigh as he saw the Ruins of Abundance growing closer in the distance. The burning midday sun was roasting him as he wiped a stray bead of sweat from his brow, happy that his mission was almost over and done with.
He wasn't as young as he used to be and much more accustomed to the cooler climate they had in Po Town. A good rest inside the ruins after his desert hike sounded like a blessing right about now. Yet, even if he was feeling tired, seeing the ruins made a spike of excited energy rush through him. Hala and these traditions were a pain, but it had been years since he last time visited those sacred grounds. Weighing a bottle of sake in his hand, Nanu smirked to himself. Who knew, maybe he would even share a drink with Tapu Bulu, if it was present. He was actually looking forward meeting the old bullface again.

His light thoughts came to an abrupt end as soon as he reached the entrance. A sound of furious screeching erupted from deep inside the ruins, followed by a tremor that shook the ground and making him halt his steps.

“What in the Giratinas name...?!”

Not waiting for another earthquake, he forced himself to run, hurrying his way inside. Reaching the main room within minutes, he was greeted by a sight he definitely hadn't expected. In the middle of the temple was a on-going pokémon battle happening. That was the only notion he could make before a dark shape leaped through the midair and with crushing speed, landed on the ground. He barely had time to cover his eyes as a cloud of dust rose in the air, momentarily swallowing the whole room. The impact of this unknown attack caused a heavy rumble that yet again shook the whole temple ground.

Squinting his eyes, Nanu tried his best to figure out what was going on. Or rather, who was attacking who? His vision was blurry, but he was able to make out a shape of bell-like creature slowly rising up. Tapu Bulu, Nanu thought to himself.

Before he could take this observation further, he was startled by a low, pleased hum that sounded really close to him. Jerking his head towards the voice, Nanu frowned as the figure of a man he knew well was revealed from the mids of the subsiding sand cloud. The guardian pokémon was fighting its hardest against one of the most stubborn and ill tempered trainers of all Alolan Islands, none other than the infamous boss of Team Skull; Guzma. The man was obvious of him entering the room however, his eyes fixed on the back of his star player. Golisopod looked tired, but it was nothing compared to the state of its opponent. Covered in dirt and scratches, Tapu Bulu was levitating close to the ground, its tail already dragging on the floor. It looked like it could barely hold itself up. Despite this, it let out a mighty roar before attempting to do a Giga Drain on its perpetrator.

Nanu felt a small shiver going through his spine as Guzma yelled a command and his Golisopod managed to avoid the attack.

He was about to interrupt the battle and question the mans reasons for attacking the Tapu when he noticed an ultra ball Guzma held tight in his grasp. The gang leader was about to catch the pokémon. As Golisopod prepared to use Razor Shell, it hit Nanu. If the giant isobod actually landed its next strike, Tapu Bulu would loose. All in all there was nothing illegal, or even wrong in the situation. Tapus, even if seen as the protectors of the islands, were also wild pokémon. Any trainer was allowed to challenge and catch them should they be able to do so. Nanu knew this but… It still felt wrong. Somewhere deep inside him the idea of Tapu Bulu becoming someones possession lit an angry fire in him.

Without even realizing it he threw a pokéball of his own, releasing his Sableye. The small, goblin-like creature entered the battle just in time, blocking Golisopods attack. The bugtype let out a surprised and somewhat frustrated whir when its attack didn't hit its mark, backing away. Trusting his team member to fend for itself, Nanu's full attention was aimed at the guardian spirit that was crouching on the floor. While its opponent was distracted, Tapu Bulu also turned its gaze towards him. For a brief moment, Nanu locked his eyes with the being that had once chosen him as the kahuna. After that, everything that followed happened so fast he barely even understood it.

It took a second for Guzma to realize where the interference had come from. As the gang leader turned around, looking more furious than Nanu had ever seen him, it begun. Tapu Bulu was apparently very good at taking advance of given situations. Before even a single word left Guzma’s lips, the Tapu did… something. Giving out a bright glow, Tapu Bulu released white, blinding light that engulfed the whole room. It reminded Nanu of Grassy Terrain, but at the same time it was something entirely different. There was something mysterious in the air, a feeling of electricity that made his skin prickle. Feeling a heavy pressure hit him, the last thing he saw was the ceiling before he was knocked out of consciousness.

When he woke up, Nanu had no idea how long he had been out. Still lying in the room, the first thing he noticed was the broken sake bottle, its content drenching his clothes. He released an audible groan. Great, it hadn't even been the cheap stuff either... Cursing under his breath, he somehow managed to sit up. There was no acute pain in his body, but his joints were feeling stiff as hell. Blinking slowly, he let his gaze wander around the room. Both his Sableye and Guzma’s Golisopod were there, knocked out and splayed on the floor. Tapu Bulu was gone, which didn't surprise him but... So was Guzma.

Shaking his head, Nanu tried to make some sense in this. He didn't have a high opinion of the Skull Boss, but even he wasn't so rotten he would leave his pokémon behind. Right?
Just when he was about to call his name, something picked his eye. Apparently blown further back in the room by the force of Tapu Bulu’s attack, was a small heap of clothing. They looked surprisingly empty, which confused him, but the Skull insignia on the back of the jacket was unmistakable.

Trying his luck, Nanu yelled. His voice came out hoarse.

“You okay? Guzma!”

There was no answer. The figure lying on the other side didn't even budge.

As the feeling of dread settled in, Nanu quickly retrieved his pokémon back to its ball. His vision swam from moving so fast, but he forced himself to his feet nevertheless and quickly made his way to the gang leader. The kahuna could tell even from the distance that something was wrong with him. But as he got to the guy, nothing could’ve prepared him for what had actually happened to the man….

--xx--

“HEY! Geezer, I’m talking to ya!!”

Nanu was snapped out of his thoughts when a pillow landed on the right side of his head. It didn’t hurt, but it made him spill some of his drink on the counter. To prevent more liquid escaping, Nanu quickly put the glass down and gave a deep sigh. Knowing he couldn’t ignore him any longer, the old officer finally lifted his gaze back to his 'guest'. No matter how many times Nanu saw him, it still filled him with unfair amount of unease. Now standing up on his couch was indeed Guzma, literally fuming with anger. Or rather, approximately a 10-year old version him. Whatever power or trick... Or, hell, black magic the Tapu had used on them, it had turned the big and bad gang leader back into a child.

After he had woken up and found Guzma like this, the only solution he had come up with was to carry the child home. From that moment on his mind had been racing with questions, but no answers were yet to surface. Who knew Tapus could even do such things?

The boy had been unconscious for the rest of the evening and had only woken up late in this afternoon. It had been both a blessing and a curse for the kahuna. On one hand he had started to really fear the boy wouldn’t ever wake up again. Seeing him stir back to life had been a huge relief to Nanu, but after realizing what had happened to him… Let’s just say the boy hadn’t taken it too well. There had been almost an hour long stream of cursing, yelling and half-panicked temper tantrums from the kid. Nanu had managed to calm him down not too long ago, after he had promised to make Tapu Cocoa for him. Lots of it.

The fact Nanu still hadn’t answered him seemed to tick Guzma off even more. It manifested in a form of another pillow, again aimed at the officers head. This time Nanu was able to dodge it, leaning out of the way as it flew across the room. Landing with a soft 'thud', it still managed to scare off few of his Meowths that were lying in the room, napping.
Normally he wouldn’t tolerate this kind of behavior in his house, but right now he felt like he deserved it. Besides, pillow wasn't the worst thing the kid could've picked to throw at him.

Raising his eyebrows in question, he coaxed the boy to repeat himself. Guzma gave him an evil eye, before plopping back down and crossing his arms. He was wearing Nanu's old t-shirt and a pair of plain shorts the kahuna had found from the 'Lost and Found'-box. The shirt was a lot smaller than Guzma's own, but he still looked like he had a small tent wrapped around his tiny torso.

“I said, none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t interrupted us! And they’re not gods, just pokémon!”

Nanu scowled at him. He had a question of his own, already thought out and burning in his mind. “Why would you even try to catch a Tapu in the first place? You know how important they are for the people of these islands.”

Guzma just snorted at him, trying to look as arrogant as possible. He knew better than taking his bait, but Nanu wasn’t completely able to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“… I mean it boy. Some folks might have gotten really heartbroken for having their guardian spirit taken away.”

Guzma just raised his brow at him.

“Who? People like you? Is that why you stopped me from catching it?”

Leaning slightly towards Nanu, Guzma put a finger under his eye and trailed it down slowly, as if he was shedding a tear. Feeling pressure rising to his temple, Nanu tried to massage his upcoming headache away. No matter how small, Guzma seemingly had always had the talent of riling up people.

“You really don’t know how to pick your fights, do you now?” With this comment he was referring both to himself and the Tapu Bulu alike. Guzma, however, seemed to pick only the latter and he gave him a defiant pout.

“Like said, I wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t interrupted. This is your fault, so fix it!”
The comment was thrown in the air with such confidence, it was like Guzma thought there was no room for argument.

Nanu, on his own part, had to take a double look on the boy for his bold demand. The kid was staring cockily at him from the couch, like he had the upper hand. In the end this summoned an actual laugh out of the officer.

Guzma furrowed his brow, but waited until Nanu managed to stop his wheezing. Wiping a stray tear from his cheek, Nanu finally huffed.

“Kid, even if this was remotely my fault, I have no idea how to ‘fix it’. You’re on your own with this one.”

The look on Guzma’s face went from confusion to anger and settled on disbelief. He sputtered. While trying to find his words to answer Nanu’s flat-out denial, the kahuna looked at the clock on his wall. Ten past eight, time to feed his Meowths.

Nanu slapped himself on the knee before rising to his feet. Leaving the young delinquent sitting alone in his living room, he wandered to his kitchen. Idly he started digging though his cabinets for cat food, making a ruckus on purpose. And sure enough, the familiar sound soon lured five out of his pack of eight to his side. Nanu almost sighed in relief as the way his Meowths kept mewling and pushing his feet immediately helped him relax.It was working way better than his drink anyway.
Unfortunately his peace of mind was short lived. While he shoveled pellets in one big bowl, he heard how small foot steps came closer to the kitchen, stopping near the doorway. Ignoring this, he worked as if he was obvious of being stared at, having no hurry to feed his pets.

The silent glaring continued, the boy wasn't giving up. Nanu didn't expect the kid to vanish, but his whole... Presence was starting to wear him down. He wasn't sure how long he could take his rude comments and annoying attitude on top of all that had already happened.

Finally Guzma got fed up and stated accusingly. “You’re a cop. Aren’t cops supposed to help people?”

Nanu lowered the bowl on the ground. He ended up addressing the kid with his gaze still fixed on the floor, watching his Meowths attack the meal he had served.

“Well kiddo, cops are also supposed to catch criminals, but there you and your gang are.”

This earned him an audible whine. Guzma was growing impatient, he could tell.

“…Someone once told me you used to be a secret agent, or something.”

Nanu shrugged. It was unnerving to hear there were rumors like that going around about him. But if Guzma believed it, there was no point in trying to deny it. He was stubborn, after all.

“It was a long time ago, but uhh... Something like that” He wouldn't use a word 'secret agent', but it was close enough.

“Then you must know how to solve cases!” Guzma tried.

Nanu noted how his voice was rising to even higher pitch. There was a hint of desperation, which made Nanu ponder his words. It was true he had past experience in solving crime and doing the detective work, so in theory Guzma's suggestion wasn't bad thinking. There really might be some clues Nanu could dig up if he put in the effort. But the biggest problem he had with this whole ordeal was simple; he didn't like the guy.

Guzma had caused enough grief in his day to deserve all the bad karma that came his way. Maybe this would finally teach him the lesson he needed. And besides, dealing with kids had always been too much hassle to his taste.

Not giving up, Guzma still went on. “You can’t do this old man! You have to help me!”

Coming silently to his conclusion, Nanu stared at the kid for a while, and then, mimicking the boy from earlier, put his finger on his cheek and slowly made the crying gesture. Guzma had no witty come-back to this, he just gaped dumbly at him.
Nanu knew it was petty to tease him like this, but he needed to unwind his own frustration as well and this was doing the trick nicely. Besides, it served the brat right, trying to guilt trip others to do his bidding for him.

He was about to give the kid another jab, hoping he might even leave his home if he was rude enough. But before he could release his sass, something caught his eye. It was very subtle, but the boy’s lower lip was quivering. This stopped Nanu on his tracks and instinctively he fixed more observant gaze on the boy. And sure enough, the kahuna found out he was giving off more signs of distress. Guzma was shifting his balance from one foot to another, shivering so lightly it was almost unnoticeable. With one hand he was taking support from the door frame while the other was clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly. Even his eyes, no matter how observant, had glassiness in them.

Nanu cursed inwardly. The kid had been faking it.

All the guilt he had been able to push back earlier by getting angry with the boy came back like a flood, nearly drowning him. Nanu had always considered the Guzma in his twenties to be a kid, because in comparison, he was. Now, standing in the dim light of his kitchen, wearing a shirt way too big for him and holding back tears, was a real child. What ever Tapu Bulu had done to him, that much was certain. And as an adult, he was expected to take responsibility. Not only by Guzma, but by the courtesy of common sense. Coming terms with reality, Nanu knew what he had to do. It didn't matter if he liked the Skull Boss or not, he didn't have the luxury of turning him away.

Heaving a deep sigh, Nanu closed his eyes and prepared himself for a ride he wasn’t ready to hop on. Curse his soft heart and still-existing sense of justice.

“Fine,” he let the word out with his breath.

This sudden change of heart made Guzma freeze. While he stared at him like he had spoken in a foreign tongue, Nanu gave him a tired but firm look.

“I’ll… try to figure something out. But I can’t promise you anything, boy. I’m not a miracle worker.”

His half-assed promise for assistance seemed to be enough for the kid however. Not being able to mask it, a relieved, almost goofy smile engulfed Guzmas face. It only lasted for a second, before he caught himself and quickly sobered up. Clearing his throat, he tried to cover his earlier panic with though-guy act.

“Yeah? That's what I thought! I…”

The warning glare Nanu gave him made Guzma shut up before he could start a new tirade. At least he was wise enough to actually zip it.

They stayed silent for a while.

“So... What about that Tapu Cocoa you promised?”

--xx--

Hours later, after Guzma had had his cocoa and settled to sleep on his couch, Nanu still rolled in his bed, wide awake. He was so tired it almost hurt, but he couldn't sleep. Looking through his bedroom window, he watched as the first droplets of rain hit the glass softly. There was going to be a storm tonight. Probably a big one, too. They hadn't had any real storms in a while...

He sighed. He was trying to think anything else than the matter in his hands and yet... One question relentlessly popped back, refusing to let go.

What on earth had he gotten himself into?

Chapter Text

“Can you describe me the incident and how this happened to you?”

Nanu rested his elbows on a wooden surface, fingers tangled together. They were sitting in his small office, him behind his work desk and Guzma seated on a chair in front of him. To his small embarrassment, the room looked like a tornado had swept through it- a dusty on at that. All his personal work tools were scattered around, clearly unused. His greatest fear was the cup of months old coffee. He still hadn’t dared to peek inside to see what kind of growth was going on in there.

All in all, the setting wasn’t really professional, but to his own defense, it wasn’t fully his fault the room was unused. There hadn’t been any serious criminal activity going on in his island for a long time. Something worthwhile to investigate, like actual schemes by actual criminals. Because in all honesty, Team Skull didn’t count. The gang might manage to do something annoying every once in a while, but most of the time those kids couldn’t even grab pokéballs from their own pockets. Nanu wasn’t interested in a bunch of juvenile punks and their need to steal Bus- signs. So, as a police officer, Nanu was almost as good as retired. Not that he complained, though.

“… You were right there with me. Why would you even ask?”

At least the Spinaraks were happy to use this space, Nanu mused as he stared at one strikingly large cobweb on the farthest corner of the ceiling. Turning his attention back to Guzma, he stated drily.

“Humor me. I may have been in the scene, but when Tabu Bulu’s attack hit us, nothing happened to me or our pokémon.”

This poked a small laugh out of the boy. “Yeah, you sure didn’t get any younger, gramps!” Considering the situation he was in, Nanu thought he found this funnier than he should have. Before he could release his groan, the kid went on.

“Is this an interrogation?

“Yes.” He spoke it through his teeth. It really wasn’t, but his patience was wearing thin and he hoped to scare some sense in Guzma. He had tried to question him for almost fifteen minutes now, but all he could get out of him were snide remarks and other nonsense.

But even if this all had been games for Guzma up to this point, it also validated something for Nanu. Guzma was being uncooperative, but in a childish way. There was no glaring, swearing or other menacing gestures. He wasn’t defying him in a “gangly” manner. To Nanu, this was a last proof he hadn’t gotten younger just physically, this all had also taken effect on his mind. He was currently acting and answering like an actual 10-year old kid. A bratty one but still a child.

“Why?”

“Would you just tell me how it felt when Tapu Bulu’s attack hit you?”

There was a short silence.

“…One more question?”

“Hmmph, shoot.”

“Are you the bad cop or the worst cop? It’s kinda hard to tell.” If Guzma could’ve looked more smug with his remark, his face probably would’ve split.

That was it, he was done. There had to be a line where this nonsense ended. If the kid didn’t want to give away even the simplest thing, who was he trying to help him? Plus Guzma had a horrendous sense of humor, Nanu decided.

“Neither, I’m the ‘over and out’ one. Since you can’t cooperate even when this matter touches you on a personal level, my hands are tied.”

With that, Nanu slammed the thin notebook he had chosen for this case shut and stood up.

He could feel Guzma staring his actions, but didn’t move from the chair. Even when he marched to the door and flicked the lights off, the boy didn’t budge. This suited Nanu just fine, if he wanted to sit alone in a dark room, he could do that to his hearts content.

Just when he was about to leave, there was a sigh and defeated mutter.

“Wait.”

Nanu didn’t move from the doorway, but gave the kid a gaze over his shoulder. Raising his browns, he waited what was to come.

“I can’t tell you what happened ‘cuz… I don’t remember much.”

This wasn’t exactly surprising for the kahuna. It was a little disappointing, but he hadn’t expected much from this lead. But Guzma went on.

“I mean, I don’t even really remember the fight. Like, I know I was there and all but… The details get weird and foggy, like it was a dream. The only clear things in my head is almost defeating Tapu Bulu and then… You. You tried to stop me and then I woke up like this.”

Nanu observed the boy for a minute, digesting his words. Was he really telling him the truth or was he trying to shove the responsibility of the incident on his shoulders again? Like the boy said, he had tried to stop him and afterwards scolded him for it. Despite his earlier sass, maybe he really thought it wasn’t allowed for trainers to try and catch these pokémon?

Testing the grounds, Nanu turned around. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he leaned against the doorframe.

“You’re not in trouble, you know. For attacking the Tapu Bulu I mean.”

Guzma gave him a nasty glare.

“I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t believe me…”

Huffing in frustration, he continued, but it was like he was talking more to himself than his company.

“This is why it’s always pointless to talk with grown ups. They just make up their mind and after that, it doesn’t matter what you say. They decide what was right and think you’re lying when you don’t give them what they want to hear. Their truth.”

When Nanu had asked Guzma to describe the incident, he had just wanted to hear his side of the story. He himself didn’t have any memory of what happened after the attack, he was out cold before he even hit the floor. But this comment, he actually found slightly interesting, if for another reasons.

Stepping back in the room, he cocked his head a little. “Then why do you think they ask questions?”

Guzma just shrugged.

“I dunno. So they can justify what punishment to give to rotten, lying kids? ‘Cuz good kids don’t lie.”

For a moment, Nanu was washed over with a feeling of unease. Silently gauging the kid, he was trying to make something out of this explanation. Could it be he had gotten cold shoulder from adults so often that he really had this little faith in them? Then again, Guzma was a troubled person. Maybe he was exaggerating things to spark sympathy?

Team Skull in itself was a bunch of gangly teenagers, more huff and puff than anything else. Sly, manipulative behavior was mostly above their brain cells. But this didn’t necessarily apply to their leader that Nanu knew from experience. He was rude and prone to violence, but…Underneath the surface lied something more than just a thug. Certainly not criminal mastermind, but he wasn’t completely dull either. One couldn’t hold up a gang with desperation and muscle only, Guzma did have other qualities too, as a leader.

For these reasons, it was hard for Nanu to think of him just as a misunderstood individual.
Relenting, he decided it didn’t matter if he was telling the truth or not. For now, he would just go with the flow and see what else unfolded.

“I believe you.” He offered easily.

He waited for a reply, but didn’t receive one. Guzma stayed silent. Moving on, Nanu clapped his hands together.

“So, if we can’t get any further down this line, I guess we better focus on this moment.”

Finally Guzma glanced him, giving a dry sniff. The way he regarded the officer was filled with suspicion.

“What do you mean?”

“Your gang. Someone must be informed, you know, before they start looking for you. They’re pretty thick, but even they will notice their boss is missing, no?”

Brows furrowing, he seemed to think what Nanu told him through before giving him a small nod.

“I want Plumeria.”

It wasn’t exactly what he had said, but the way he worded his request. Smirking, Nanu couldn’t help but tease. “You sure you want your girlfriend to see you like this? You’re not exactly the manliest guy around at the moment.”

As he predicted, the kids reaction was fast and exaggerated. He turned to face him with such speed he almost fell from the chair. Staring owlishly at him, like he had lost his mind, the boy barked in anger.

“S-shut up you old fart! She ain’t my girlfriend!”

Nanu just sniggered, but in his mind he knew Guzma had made the right call. Out of that toolbox, she was the sharpest thing for sure. The said admin of Team Skull wasn’t just bright, she was also so calm and collected it bordered cold bloodedness. If anyone, she probably would take this situation even better than Nanu had. As a cherry on top, she was loyal to boot to her ‘Boss’, she could be trusted not to spill anything about what had happened.

Nodding smoothly to Guzma, Nanu agreed.

“A’right, I’ll send a Meowth to fetch her.”

“…What?” The kid gave him a weird look.

Not bothering to answer, Nanu just walked out of the room. Soon he heard the chair scraping the floor and the kid jogged next to him.

“A Meowth? How is she going to know she has to follow that thing here?”

Nanu gave him a mysterious look from the corner of his eye.

“You’ll see.”

--xx--

Squinting his eyes, Nanu finished the last letter with his dying ballpoint pen. He was holding a small piece of paper in his hands. With neat handwriting, Nanu had written a note for Plumeria, kindly requesting her to come meet him at the Station.

By his side was sitting one of his Meowths, lazily licking its paw. He was lucky this particular one was visiting home, as it liked to spend majority of its time scouting the area and getting into who knows what kinds of adventures. It was the only one of his pack he could trust with a task like this.

Folding the note, he proceeded to add whom it was for. Nanu could understand why Guzma had so little faith in this. Originally even he had gotten the idea of sending messages with a Meowth by accident, really.
Some time ago, there had been a small sea accident on route 15. A raft full of tourists had had a collision with some unlucky guy riding his Sharpedo, sinking their boat as a result. His Station being the closest, the unhappy crowd had showed up on his doorstep, asking for help and his advice to solve who was accountable for the accident. There hadn’t been any real casualties, but the Sharpedo had suffered a minor injury. Lucky for the kahuna, Acerola had been visiting him that day. With Nanu having his hands full, she had volunteered to go shopping for healing supplies so they could take care of the injured pokémon as well. It wasn’t until she was gone that Nanu realized he hadn’t told her what to bring. Scribbling a quick note, he gave it to this particular Meowth, sending it after her. To his surprise, the feline successfully completed his request and ever since it had served as his messenger for small things like this. It had not failed him yet.

Satisfied with his note, Nanu bent down and offered the small piece of paper to the Meowth. It gently bit down and took it in its mouth.

“…I still think this is a dumb idea.”

Guzma was leaning against the doorframe with a look of boredom and irritation mixed in his face.

“Hmmh, everyone’s a critic…” Nanu hummed quietly to his cat-like pokémon.

At least he’d gotten a small satisfaction earlier when the kid had been genuinely impressed with his partner. Being able to carry his messages for him was nice, but that wasn’t the only thing that made this particular Meowth very special.

Nanu had seen a few shiny Meowths in his day, but even those couldn’t rival this specimen in beauty. Dark, soft spots were splayed all over its fur, like someone had skillfully spilled ink dots all over its body. The result was absolutely adorable.
Nanu had become his proud owner few years ago, when someone had just dumped it on his doorstep. Underweight and poorly taken care of, he had nursed it back to health. To this day it enraged him that some trainers could do something like that to their own companions. Pokémon did offer their trainers unconditional love, in Nanu’s mind this deserved at least some level of respect in return.

From a battling point of view, he could somehow understand why it got abandoned. It was really tiny for its kind, a real runt of the litter. Not all trainers saw the special traits of their pokémon as a good thing, they couldn’t be bothered to learn how to use them to their advantage. Well, even if its previous owner had been a real jerk, Nanu had gained himself a loyal and smart team member. It was more than welcome in his pack.

Smiling at the thought, Nanu gave it a quick rub behind the ears before sending it off.

“Go on Soot, I need you to go in the mansion and bring Plumeria here. She’s the bright haired girl with a scary face.”

After receiving his instructions, the Meowth gave its whiskers a graceful swipe and got up. Together Nanu and Guzma watched as the small feline padded off and steered straight towards Po Town. Feeling a little smug, Nanu gave Guzma an expecting glance.

“And now, we wait.”

Still looking unimpressed, the kid just slipped back inside, rolling his eyes as he went. Nanu could hear a muffled ‘dumb’ as he vanished.

Despite Guzma’s lack of faith, his note seemingly had worked its charm. It took about 15 minutes before Plumeria showed up. Nanu could recognize her ramrod straight figure storming towards his Station even from the distance. Hanging his Meowth under her arm, she was also ‘armed’ with her Salazzle. The kahuna felt a small bead of sweat rising to his temple, the look on her face promised murder. Or the very least extreme violence. Even the poison type that trailed just behind her legs gave Nanu a vicious glare that rivaled her owners as they arrived.

Nanu tried to raise his hand for a small, casual hello, but the seething admin wouldn’t have it. As soon as she was in close range, she pointed an accusing finger to his face.

“Where is he?” she hissed.

“Easy there girlie, no need to bite my head off.”

Watching how the Salazzles tail whipped the ground near its trainers sneakers, he felt necessary to add:

“Or drown me with Toxic, which ever comes more naturally to you.”

Pleased that she had cornered her enemy, Plumeria rested her free hand on her hip and visibly relaxed a little. Her eyes, however, still had the cold, steely quality.

“Oh, excuse my attitude, but sending threat notes is not the way to win over my good side.”

“… I wasn’t trying to threaten you. Just stating the facts as they are.” Nanu cocked his head.

Plumeria squinted at him, before fishing his now crumbled note from her pocket and read it out loud.

“It says here; ‘I have your Boss, come alone if you know what’s best for him’. Sounds a lot like a threat to me.” She eyed him accusingly.

Nanu just shrugged.

“Poetry’s never been my game, that’s why I became a cop. I get to write statements, not literature.” It was a total lie, but he’d have his chuckles out of the younger generation whenever it was available. Plus he had needed some excuse to make certain she would come alone. Well, as certain as one ever could be, in the worst-case scenario he would have ended up with the whole gang on his doorstep. Lucky that wasn’t the case.

Her frown started to melt into a surprise. “So… He’s not, like, in a cell or anything? Hanging shackled from the ceiling?”

Wondering briefly what the girl thought he was doing with criminals, out loud Nanu gave her an easy: “Nope.”

After receiving this clarification, the look of annoyance came back to her face. This time there was a hint of tiredness mixed in, too.

“Well, where is he then? Why did I have to come here to personally pick him up?”

This was it, Nanu mused, the best part was about to unveil. Carefully, he fidgeted. Immediately there was small hiss from the Salazzle, it was closely observing his every movement. After the kahuna gave her a sheepish look, Plumeria relented and finally called it back to its ball.

Without any further ado, Nanu let her in on the situation. “See for yourself.”

Stepping away from the doorway, behind his back was standing the tiny leader of their criminal enterprise. Plumeria’s brows knit in confusion, before Guzma opened his mouth.

Giving her almost a shy glance, Guzma raised his hand for a greeting.

“Hey Plumes…”

To her credit, she didn’t scream. She didn’t even squeal. But she did gape and drop Soot on the ground. Quickly gathering his Meowth in his arms, Nanu kept a close eye on Plumeria’s face. It was refreshing to see the normally glum admin wear other expressions than cynical boredom or anger. But eventually, even that got old. After two minutes of observing the finest of Team Skull, Nanu got bored. Stepping back inside, he waved them off lazily.

“I’ll go and make some coffee. You kids sort this out.”

It proved to be the right choice. As soon as he was out of the way, he could hear Plumeria’s voice bloom. It held a slightly frantic tone, but at least she wasn’t panicking or yelling. Soon Guzma joined in too, likely trying to explain the situation the best he could. Or that’s what he imagined, Nanu couldn’t really hear what they were saying while preparing the beverage. He was pouring a full pan, he had a feeling Plumeria might need it. Too bad he was out of whiskey.

While he was at it, he also put a kettle on the stove. Might as well make the cocoa now, caffeine was off-limits for the kid.

--xx--

After he had everything set up, Nanu went back outside to gather his guests. He found them standing where he had left them, engaged in awkward silence. Ushering everyone inside, they soon fond themselves seated in a small circle in Nanu’s living room. Plumeria and Guzma had taken over his couch, while the kahuna dragged a chair from the kitchen to sit on. The only thing separating them was a coffee table, which was now pleasantly occupied with snacks. Nanu had felt generous and even put out biscuits there for taking.

“What are your terms?”

With the steaming cup of coffee in her hands, Plumeria aimed a sharp look at him. Now that she had had time to mull this over, there were no signs of distress on her features. Nanu was a little jealous how calmly she was able to handle even the most impossible things that got hurled in her way. It was a rare talent, Guzma had found a real gem for himself.

Turning his gaze back to his own cup, Nanu thought about it. In all honesty, this hadn’t even crossed his mind yet. The past three days had went by with him getting used to the fact he now had a kid-sized criminal in his hands.

Judging his silence wrong, Plumeria started to explain herself.

“We all know he can’t come back to the mansion like this. If you’re investigating his case, I assume Guzma will be staying with you?”

Short and on the point.

Taking a small sip from his mug before answering, Nanu voiced his opinion. “I’m not a fan of the idea, but I also think it’s best for Guzma to stay. At least for now.” Scrunching his nostrils, he went on.

“But I’m not made out of money and the kids got to eat.” See, he could also stay on point.

A brief silence followed this. While listening them talk, Guzma was stuffing his face with the biscuits and downing them with cocoa. His sugar intake was slightly worrying Nanu. If the kid ended up sick and barfed, he would clean his mess himself that much was certain.

Meanwhile it looked like Plumeria was doing some hard thinking. Quickly giving a worried glance to Guzma’s direction, she admitted: “I can’t offer you much…We have been falling back on pretty much everything lately. We barely manage to feed the whole team as it is.”

Nanu had small sympathy for this. They were runaways as the situation was, getting at least one decent meal a day would do them good. He thought about this for a while.

“How about this, as long as he stays here, I won’t pay you the rent? “

Yes, as ridiculous as it sounded, Nanu actually paid Team Skull a small amount of rent every month. Their deal was that he could stay and the gang wouldn’t harass him, while he also had ‘access to their premises’. In reality, Nanu could kick their behinds to next Tuesday if he had to, but he had always guessed the real reason behind their demand for money.

Plumeria seemingly was appreciative of his offer. A small, relieved smile passed her lips.
“That’s… not a bad idea, actually.”

“But I won’t be buying any clothes. Not because of the money, I just don’t want to go through that hassle. I’ll make sure the kid has a roof over his head and meals to eat, can you manage to get something that fits him? For once, he is too small for his own good.”

Blinking, the admin gave Guzma another look, this time regarding his figure. She was completely ignored by her boss, he just absently slurped from his mug.

“Yeah, I think so. He’s a bit too tiny for the clothes grunts have, but we have some crewmembers working part-time in Malie. I’m sure I’ll… get a good discount.”

Nanu just nodded, deciding to erase that last part of information from his memory. As long as he didn’t need to put in the effort…

“What about his pokemon? They need to eat, too.”

The girl was trying to be considerate. It was sweet, even if he found her fussing a bit amusing. Nanu had already counted Guzma’s team to be part of the package. But now that she mentioned it, it occurred the kahuna that there might be some cuts that had to be made.

Nanu pondered this for a second, before coming to a conclusion. “He can keep three.”

Guzma, who up to this point had been surprisingly quiet, stirred back to life. With a baffled look on his face, he stared at them like someone had just slapped him.

“NO! No freaking way! I won’t give my team away!” His retort was loud and clear, but to empathize his point Guzma slammed his fist on the armrest.

This flared a small spark of annoyance in Nanu. The kid had already harassed him enough for one day while he had tried to question him earlier. It made him grunt grouchily: “This is a small Station as it is, boy. Your pokémon can’t stay in their balls all day and there’s no way we can comfortably fit everyone inside. “

He also didn’t feel comfortable with Guzma having access to his full team while staying in his home. Not that he was afraid the kid could beat him if there was a tight situation, he was mostly worried for his Meowths. If he suddenly allowed too much disturbance to their territory, who knew what might happen. He wasn’t about to renovate his whole house because one unnecessary fight turned into a war inside his home.

“I’ll go and take them out every day!” Getting more frantic, Guzma was now spilling cocoa on his couch.

“That’s until the rain hits us hard…” he thought to himself. On the outside, Nanu just raised three fingers in the air.

“You get to keep three and that’s final. Choose wisely kiddo, although I guess you can rotate them if you wish to see all of them while staying here. That’s up to your admin and how many trips she’s willing to make, thought.”

This was followed with a short, yet fierce staring match between the two of them. Eyes burning and brows furrowing dangerously, Guzma was breathing heavily through his nostrils. Nanu knew that look from day one the kid had woken up. He was about to throw an all-out hissy fit.

Before it could happen, the kahuna was saved by a unexpected ally. Swiftly, Plumeria laid both of her hands on Guzma’s shoulders, grounding him. It could be that she either recognized these signs also or that was some kind of womanly instinct, Nanu couldn’t help but wonder. The boy immediately snapped his head towards her, but already his anger was subsiding. He was looking more worried than anything else. Offering him a small smile, she spoke in a calm, gentle manner.

“It’ll be okay Guzma, I’ll take care of them, personally. I promise.”

Seemingly her tiny, but caring smile and kind touch was enough to calm the upcoming storm. Now, Nanu had been joking when he had called Plumeria his girlfriend at first, but… He wasn’t so sure anymore. Well, whatever it was, it was safe to say that they were close. If he ever needed anyone to babysit the brat, he had found his go-to girl.

“But, Plumes… I can’t give them away.” he whined.

“You’ll get to see them all. I’ll stop by as often as I can. Deal?”

There was a silence. Guzma was probably feeling a little betrayed with Plumeria agreeing with Nanu. Trying to reassure him further, she sighed.

“I know you don’t like this, I don’t either. But this is the best we can negotiate. The sooner you guys fix this mess, the sooner you can come back and things get normal again. You want Nanu to help you, right?”

He wasn’t looking happy about it, but finally Guzma relented.

“…Deal.”

Looking the kahuna in the eyes, they exchanged glances. Nanu just nodded at the girl, if she was willing to make it work, it was okay with him. It didn’t really matter which three pokémon Guzma had, as long as the number of them stayed the same.

Now that he had opened his mouth, the next question came from the kid.

“What if somebody sees me?”

… That actually was a good one. The fact he was hosting a kid wouldn’t go unnoticed forever. Someone ought to get curious.

For the first time, Nanu fixed an observing eye on him, taking in his features.

With his hair tangled and crumbles littering his face, Guzma’s over all appearance was rather unkempt. The kid was definitely scrawny and his ill-fitting clothes only managed to emphasize this fact. His hair in its natural state was as black as midnight and stuck out wildly in all possible directions like a Lycanroks mane, adding a feral touch in him. The most distinctive features were probably his sharp eyes and dark circles around them. His nose, which was still prominent, Nanu assumed had broken few times while growing up as it was still missing its crooked quality. Even when he was sitting, Guzma had his shoulders hunched, his posture just as bad as it normally was. This made it hard to guess his actual height, but Nanu was pretty sure he was tall for his age.

Clicking his tongue, he made up his mind.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t think anyone will recognize you. You have some resemblance, but with a black hair I think we’re safe.” It was also a good thing that their situation was so out of this world. It probably wasn’t even possible for anyone to guess this child was Guzma.

Plumeria was still looking thoughtful. “What do you think he should call you? I mean, it’s probably best I give the grunts some kind of heads up there’s a kid living with you now. Just in case.”

Nanu didn’t see a problem here. “He can use ‘uncle’ and it’ll be fine. Acerola calls me that all the time and almost no one ever asks about it.”

Small frown forming on her forehead, Plumeria didn’t criticize him out loud, but she didn’t look convinced either. Well, she was a little up tight... Shrugging, Nanu continued.

“Let’s say he’s my distant cousins kid, coming here to have a vacation in Alola. Don’t worry about it, we make it up as we go. I wasn’t part of the International Police for nothing. “

A sudden image of Looker flashed in his eyes, making him add:
“Cover ups are my specialty.”

Humming in his cup, Plumeria drank down whatever remains she had left. Fighting an urge to grimace, Nanu also took a sip from his now cold coffee. He didn’t enjoy the taste any more, but he wasn’t wasteful either.

Putting her mug on the table, she seemingly wasn’t satisfied with him yet. “How do you plan on starting to investigate this mess, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Swallowing the nasty liquid, Nanu coughed.

“I think our best move is to revisit the Ruins of Abundance together with Guzma. The chances of meeting Tapu Bulu there are slim, but it’s worth the shot. And even if the Tapu isn’t there, I’m hoping we can dig up something that’ll help us. But first I want to do some research. There’s no need to rush back, most of the people can’t even find the ruins. The chances of anyone tampering whatever possible clues we left behind are slim.“

As an after though, he added: “I’ll probably have to call Hala too. He’s an expert when it comes to Tapu’s and old rituals. He might have some insight.”

“NO, YOU CAN’T!”

When he had announced that the kid couldn’t keep his full team, Nanu had been expecting a reaction. This time his sudden outburst came as a total surprise, scaring the hell out of him.

“You can’t call that loudmouth and tell him what happened to me! He might… A word might get around…”

Before he could even begin to answer, Plumeria cut in.

“Maybe you should trust Guzma on this one.” Even she was looking a bit uneasy.

Nanu just stared at the two. There was definitely something he didn’t grasp here. It was frustrating, stupid even, to dismiss such a potential source of valuable knowledge, but… Fine, he would keep this as a secret from the Melemele’s kahuna. At least for the time being.

Raising his hands in the air as a sign of defeat, he complied. “If it’s going to keep you two from acting up.”

When they both still gave him an expecting stare, Nanu huffed. “I’ll start looking into this, alone. I promise.”

Apparently this was all Plumeria needed to hear. With her coffee finished and the issue at hand settled, she rose up. “I have to get going, I was kinda in a middle of something when I got your note.”

Turning her head towards Guzma, she started carefully: “Are you ready to give me, you know…”

The kid didn’t even let her finish. Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, he grumbled: “I’ll hafta think about it.”

Also done with his coffee, Nanu reached for the table, aiming to snatch the last remaining biscuit. He needed something to get rid of the nasty aftertaste. “It’s best you do it today. No need to postpone this.” Popping the treat in his mouth, Nanu stated bluntly. The kid just grumbled.

Plumeria let her gaze linger on Guzma for a small moment, before she smiled tightly at the kahuna.“Thanks for the coffee. I’ll drop by later.”

They bid short good byes and with that, she was out of the house. As the door slammed shut, Nanu almost sighed in relief. There was nothing wrong with the Skull admin, death threats aside she was definitely more pleasant out of these two. But this much interaction with other people was exhausting, especially for a loner like him. His back stiff for sitting so long on his uncomfortable seat, Nanu stretched and shuffled to his couch. It was about time he could kick back and relax. Plopping down on the soft cushion, he flicked the TV open. Doing some light channel surfing first, he settled on watching the news.

On his other side, Guzma didn’t budge. Gently chewing his lower lip, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. The kahuna just let him be, enjoying the peace and quiet as long as it lasted. At some point Nanu saw how the kid slowly slipped his hand in his pocket. After fumbling for a bit, he pulled something out, hand balled in a tight fist. Out of curiosity, Nanu gave him a glance. Guzma was examining six small pokeballs in his hands.

--xx--

True to her word, Plumeria came back later in that evening. Nanu was standing outside, leaning against the Station wall and despite the light shower, watching the setting sun when she appeared. This time she was in good spirits, hanging a plastic bag in her hand. She had found an old pair of sneakers that some of the younger grunts had grown out of, hoping they might fit Guzma.

“Pretty neat, right? You think he’s going to like them?“ she babbled airily, showing off her finding.

Giving the shoes a nod, he didn’t understand the youth fashion at all, the kahuna quickly changed their subject.

“What did you tell the grunts?” His curiosity was getting best of him.

“I made up a story of Guzma heading to take care of some business in Akala. It’s gonna be fine, they won’t be expecting him back any day soon.”

Nanu eyed the girl.

“Are you going to be okay? Taking care of that bunch of knuckleheads alone?” Without a doubt it was going to be a hard task for just one person.

Plumeria just shrugged. “Not the first time I’m in charge. Guzma comes and goes as he pleases, it’s nothing unusual.”

While they engaged themselves in their small conversation, Guzma suddenly popped his head through the doorway. Most likely he had been summoned by Plumeria’s voice.

“ ’Sup?” he greeted them coolly.

Lifting the shoes for him to see, Plumeria grinned. “I got you something.”

Guzma eyed her gift curiously as Plumeria put them down for him. Based on the crooked grin, he indeed did like their design. The sneakers were dark purple, almost the same shade his going-to-be tattoos were. To sweeten the deal, they were decorated with black, lightning shaped stripes and had matching shoelaces.

Not bothering to tie them, as soon as he had them on, Guzma gave a few trying kicks before striding down the road.

“Are they a good fit?”

She got herself an appreciative thumps up. Leaving Nanu to stand alone, she casually trailed after him. The kahuna suspected that the shoes also served as a peace offering for what was about to come.

“So. Have you decided who’s coming with me to the mansion?”

Guzma didn’t answer her, but started digging his pockets. He abruptly stopped when he realize that Nanu was watching them. Clearly wanting his opinion heard, he grunted with more volume than necessary:

“Can we do this in private? I don’t want any geezers snoopin’.”

The cold stare Guzma threw at him was a clear sign he wasn’t happy about this. Nanu just shrugged it off of his conscience. He was doing this for a reason, even if the kid liked it or not.

Plumeria didn’t say anything, but she did follow. Leading the way, Guzma stomped through a grassy patch before taking off to the nearby hill. Soon both the leader and the admin vanished behind the rocky cliffs. A few angry calls from wild Fearows rouse in the air before silence took over route 17.

They were gone for a long while. Stars were already out, peeking here and there between the clouds when a small silhouette finally emerged from darkness. This time Nanu was out for a smoke when he saw the kid approach. Plumeria was gone, Guzma came back alone.
As the boy steered towards the Station, he wore an expression that was hard to read. It wasn’t exactly angry, but his eyes had cold, almost isolated feel to them. Nanu had left the door open and as the warm light hit his face, it painted his features soft. He was looking almost painfully young like this.

Gaze fixed straight ahead of him, Guzma tried to move past Nanu like the kahuna didn’t even exist. He was clearly sullen, but Nanu had to make sure there was no foul-play going on. As a rule of thump, he didn’t give orders often but when he did, he expected them to be obeyed. Before the kid could slink inside, he dropped his hand on his shoulder. His grip was gentle yet firm, stopping him on his tracks.

“You only have three pokéballs on you?”

Guzma tried to shake his hand off, if only out of principle. When Nanu didn’t let go, he made a face at him.

“Uhh, yeah!” Hastily patting himself down, he then dug out three ultra balls to view.

Feeling satisfied, Nanu gave his shoulder a small pat before letting him go.

“Good boy.”

To his surprise, Guzma flinched from his small compliment. Not the reaction he had been expecting, but… ah well. Maybe he was overthinking it.

Recovering fast, the kid adapted a cheeky tone as he lingered on the doorway. “So, I did what you wanted. When are you gonna start making an effort, old man? “

Not taking the bait, Nanu just nodded towards the night sky.

“When the stars are lined in right position.”

Baffled by his odd comment, Guzma stared at him in confusion. It didn’t take him long to realize he was being made fun of.

“Tsk…Crazy cat bastard!” Growling in anger, he stomped inside, slamming the door shut so hard the hinges groaned.

Despite this, the kahuna couldn’t help but chuckle. Guzma had to wait until morning, but he had nothing to worry about. He wasn’t going to drag this matter any longer than necessary. The sooner he got the kid out of his house, the better.

Taking a last drag out of his cigarette, his eyes searched for one particular mountain that loomed far away in the horizon. Behind Mount Lanakila, out there was the Haina Desert. He had been serious about wanting to visit the ruins again. But first, he would do some reading. The place was old and had many mysteries surrounding it, by doing some research he hoped their chances to succeed would be better. Some clues might stay hidden until you knew how to search.

He also couldn’t stop thinking about Tapu Bulu. What was the motivation here? Maybe what the Tapu did had something to do with the location? Could they reverse this if Guzma battled it again? Or should he ask forgiveness? If they were lucky, maybe this would wear off on it’s own? If so, how long would it take…?

He was just guessing, but no one could blame him for that. Without anything even remotely similar to compare this to, he was about to try and investigate the impossible, after all.

Chapter Text

With his eyes squinting in the sunlight, a strong wind blew through Nanu’s hair as he soared through the sky on a Charizard Glide. It was a fine day and the kahuna was enjoying the sensation of being outdoors full heartedly. He had spent the rest of his week cooped up inside his Station, trying to do some research that might help them get started on cracking this mystery.

So far, his best idea was to go through old case files he had stored in his office. Most of them had already been there when he moved to the Station, relics from the officers that came before him. He was hoping to find something at least remotely similar to Guzma’s situation, even if it was a long shot. But despite his efforts, nothing had turned up yet.
After spending fruitless hours with his papers, Nanu had finally given up for the day. Instead he had decided to do something more productive, like drag Guzma along with him to do grocery shopping. With the kid emptying his fridge like a starved Snorlax, this was an inevitable run of events anyway.

While their need for food was real, there was also another motive behind Nanu’s actions. Ever since Plumeria’s visit, the kid had been acting increasingly hostile towards him. Most of his time Guzma spent on route 17, training his pokémon up in the nearby hill. When he couldn’t stay outside any longer and was forced to come inside, he tried to ignore Nanu in any way possible.
The kahuna did appreciate his alone time, but he was also starting to get fed up with the constant glaring and rude comments. He wasn't quite sure what he had done to piss the Skull Boss off this badly, but it didn't take a genius to see that he was the cause of the kids anger.

As a peace offering, Nanu had chosen to make a longer journey and go shopping to Akala Island instead of the small convenient store in Malie City. Maybe Guzma would lighten up if he did something out of his routine for a change? He had been spending too much time on that hill lately.

As if on cue, there was a small growl in front of him.

“This is so embarrassing! And I never agreed to go shopping with you in the first place!”

Shifting his weight, Nanu had to admit it was a little cramped to ride the Charizard Glide together. But even if it was a snug fit, with Guzma in his compact size they were both able to share the saddle. Embarrassing or not, as long as they got to Akala Island in one piece, it was enough for the kahuna. There was no better way to hop islands anyway.
Gripping tightly on the handlebars while trying to sit as far away from the kahuna as possible, Guzma threw him a dirty look. Or at least he tried. The rider helmet was pushing his mane of a hair over his face, covering his eyes almost completely. Nanu had made him wear it.

“Yeah, I think I saw a few Wingulls laughing at us up here.” Small smirk playing on his lips, he answered easily. Guzma refused to be entertained by his dry humor.

“Remind me why I'm doing this with you again? The kid huffed.

“Because I'm not leaving you in my house unsupervised. Not even near it. Now, if you just stop the bellyaching, I'm sure you can find something interesting to do in Akala. The Battle Royal Dome is there, so there's going to be lots of trainers hanging around in Royal Avenue. Maybe you can catch yourself a battle or two?”

This effectively stopped the whining. Nanu was certain his training must've been pretty unrequited lately. The fact he stayed on a same small area assured there were no new and more powerful pokémon to battle against. Guzma was probably getting sick of the small fries by now.

Suddenly the Charizard swooped down. Nanu tightened his hold as the beast started landing. Bursting through the clouds, he could see the small houses on the Royal Avenue grow closer with every wing beat. The weather in Akala Island was nice, like it always was. Already he was starting to regret the fact he had left his sunglasses home.

The Charizard dropped them off at the outskirts of the city. As soon as they touched the ground, Guzma jumped off, quickly scurrying away like he was afraid of being seen in their company.
While the kid struggled to get the helmet off, Nanu dug his pockets for pokébeans. He always made sure to have treats for all the Ride Pokémon as thanks for their hard work. The Charizard happily accepted them, swiping them in its mouth with one lick of its tongue.
After munching down his offerings, it gave the kahuna a deep roar and rose in the air, leaving the duo behind to go and gather more travelers who needed a ride.

“We ready to go or what?” As soon as the lizard was out of sight, the complaining started.

Turning to meet the familiar scowl, Nanu wanted to tell him that his face would permanently stuck that way if he didn’t stop. Instead, he just complied:

“Sure, but lets make up some rules first.”

Ignoring the exaggerated eye roll that was aimed at him, Nanu checked his wristwatch. They were on a move late, it was almost five in the afternoon already. He wanted to get back to Ula'ula before the nightfall, so that gave them a good few hours to spend here.

“I guess we can stay for two hours. How about you meet me at the Battle Royal Dome around seven? You can visit the Heahea City too if you want, just make sure you don’t wander off too far.” Looking past the city, he took in the sight of a high mountain that stood in the distance.

“Also, stay away from the Wela Volcano Park. You have no reason to go there.”

There was a small risk of Guzma running into anyone who had even a slight potential of recognizing him. Kiawe wasn't in a same age group as Guzma, so he doubted the guy even really knew him, but the kahuna wanted to stay on a safe side.

He was about to ask Guzma how familiar he was with the fiery Island Captain, but when he turned his head, the kid was gone. Blinking, he realized the boy was already running towards the city, probably missing half of what he had said. With his back receding further away, Nanu yelled after him: “Try not to cause any trouble, you hear me?”

He got no answer and the kahuna just gave up. He hoped the kid had at least paid attention when he told him to get back around seven. Shaking his head, he also started walking towards the busy streets in his own, calm pace.

As he shuffled through the Royal Avenue, he couldn’t help but think there really wasn’t much to do in the city itself, despite the Thrifty Megamart and the Battle Royal Dome. While Heahea City was more upbeat, he had come here for a reason. It was called great deals on MooMoo Milk and other groceries and Nanu definitely appreciated a good bargain. And thus, without any detours he steered towards the megastore.

Crossing the parking lot, the double doors invited him in with a happy jingle as he entered the store. While grabbing himself a shopping basket, he did his best to ignore the creepy guy in a Hypno-suit that stood near the canned goods. He would never get used to that thing.
Heading for the vegetables first, he was aiming to buy enough food that would last them for the next 5 days or so. His eyes roaming over the shelves , the kahuna soon fell into a relaxed pace, humming as he picked an item here and there. As his basket grew heavier, he had to admit, it was actually nice to plan out dinners for once. He had been living alone for such a long time now, he usually just ate noodles and other things that came in cans.

When Nanu stopped to compare prices on snacks, unbeknownst to him, someone sneaked close to the kahuna. He was trying to choose between two different brands of tamato chips when a singsong voice broke his concentration.

”Why if it isn't Nanu! It's so nice to see you here.”

Turning around, he was surprised to find a young woman with a sweet face and white hair smiling at him. Doing a quick mental check on her, he suddenly realized who she was.

”Hello Burnet, how have you been?”

The professor’s smile got even brighter. ”It's been years, I'm so happy you still remember me!”

Smiling politely, Nanu quickly scanned the aisle before asking: ”Is your husband with you?”

”Ah, no no. Kukui's back in the Melemele Island. You know him, ever so busy with his pokémon move studies.” Cheerfully waving him off, she leaned to peek in his basket.

”You sure are buying a lot. Are you having visitors?” she raised her brows curiously.

Hurrying to change the topic, Nanu dodged her question casually: ”Uh, something like that. So tell me, how’s Kukui’s research coming along?”

They ended up doing their shopping together. Burnet was surprisingly good company and it was nice to have a grownup conversation for a change. While catching up, at some point their discussion turned to work. He found out she was studying Interdream Zone, currently working on a research facility that specialized in Ultra Wormholes and other dimensions.
That piece of information made his thought drift back to Guzma. Too bad this case didn’t have anything to do with Ultra Beasts, otherwise Burnet might’ve come in handy. Even if what Tapu Bulu had done was rather otherworldly…

As they exited the Thrifty Megamart, they headed towards the city gates. There was still a good 40 minutes left before his meet up with Guzma. Originally the kahuna had prepared to wait around for the kid, so he was glad when the professor asked him to join her to come and see a pokémon match at the Battle Dome. Walking side by side, Nanu kept their light conversation going.

”I must confess, I never thought you were that enthusiastic about multi battles.”

A small, mischievous glint passed her eyes before she suddenly leaned closer to Nanu. Lowering her voice, like she was going to reveal a secret, she whispered: ”Actually, I'm also hoping to get a glimpse of The Masked Royal! He sometimes appears in these matches.” Sounding giddy, she grinned.

When Nanu smirked, she hurried to add: ”Not that I'd ever trade my dear Kukui, not even for him!”

At first the kahuna thought she was joking. But the faint blush that dusted her cheeks made him realize she wasn’t kidding. He had to momentarily look away from the woman before he could answer her with a straight face.

”Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.” If she really didn’t know the masked man was her husband, Nanu wasn’t going to burst her bubble. Still, he did find this immensely funny.

However, his positive mood didn't last for long. As they passed a dirt road leading to a flowerbed, a shrill scream split the air.

”LET GO OF ME!”

His heart skipping a beat, this stopped Nanu to a halt. That voice sounded uncomfortably familiar. Next to him, Burned was also gazing at the direction of the ruckus.

”I wonder what's going on in there?” She said with a light frown.

Not wanting to get her involved, Nanu swiftly turned to her. ”I think I'll go and have a look. Probably just some small hassle, you go ahead. I'll meet you at the Dome later.”

When she still looked unsure, Nanu added: ”Wouldn't want to miss that mystery man of yours.” He finished her off with a small wink.

Huffing in both frustration and amusement, she relented and bid him a good bye. When Nanu was certain she was out of the way, he made a fast u-turn towards the racket. Striding down the road as quickly as his flip-flops allowed, the voices were getting louder with every step. Finding the trouble always seemed to be the easy part and soon he could see there was a small crowd gathering near the store that sold malasadas.

As he reached the flock of people, Nanu had to use his elbows to tactically clear the way. A few people gave him curious glances as he squeezed past them, but he barely even noticed it. His focus was fixed on the scene that unfolded in front of his eyes as soon as he got to the action. There was a strong urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

” I didn't do anything! I said LET GO!”

Near the entrance, a man in a malasada apron was trying his best to restrain a raging child. And of course, that child just had to be Guzma. The brat was struggling wildly, trying to wrestle himself out of the man grip and aimed a kick to his ankle every time he tried to reel him in. With his free hand he was holding the hem of his shirt like his life depended on it.

For a second, Nanu was afraid that the man had actually recognized Guzma as the Team Skull leader. But the way the kid clung to his shirt made him change his mind. There was something going on here.

This spun Nanu into action. Dropping his grocery bags on the ground, he walked briskly to the pair. Before either one of them could react, he snatched Guzma by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him to stand up straight.
The sudden change of motion made the kid yelp and in his surprise he let go of his shirt too. As soon as the fabric was released, three small malasadas fell on the ground with a soft “thud”.

A complete silence followed this. For a moment, Nanu just stared at the buns that lay at his feet, his brain trying to grasp the concept here. He was snapped back to reality when the store clerk let out a relieved huff.

”Ah, officer Nanu, what a great timing. As you can see, this... Uh, young man was stealing from our shop!”

Looking down on the kid, their eyes met briefly. Guzma gave him a wide-eyed stare, slowly and unsuccessfully trying to back away from the kahuna. If Nanu had ever seen a look that spoke “busted” more clearly, he couldn’t remember. Of all the things he could’ve done with his free time in here, this was what Guzma had chosen? Petty crime.

Before the kid could say one word, Nanu silenced him with a dark glare.

”We have a lot to talk about when we get back home.” Realizing a moment too late what he had just said, Nanu wanted to cringe.

With a confused expression on his face, the shop clerk gave him a questioning stare. ”Excuse me, but is he with you?”

He wasn't the only one gaping. Nanu could hear a small wave of whispers emerge all over them, the people were already starting to gossip about this. Feeling heat rise to his cheeks, both out of irritation and embarrassment, he confirmed this little slip up.

”Unfortunately that seems to be the case.” The kahuna nodded sheepishly.

When the man still kept staring at him, Nanu hurried to make an excuse. “Relatives kid, came here to experience Alola. He’s… Still getting used to this place I suppose. “

Before he could utter any more lies, there was a loud snort behind him. Turning to face his left, he was greeted by a cone of ice cream. Following the hand that was holding it, Nanu found there was a short, fat man wearing the ugliest case of Alola-shirt he had ever seen. At some point he had moved closer to them, like he was somehow part of this ordeal.

Pointing at Guzma, the man offered Nanua a mocking grin.

”Didn't you watch the movie before you got that? You're not supposed to feed them after midnight!”

It was painfully obvious that the guy wasn't a local. The native people had enough shame to slowly walk away or at least look like they were waiting access to the malasada shop. A tourist or not, his rude interference was starting to piss the kahuna off.

”Thank you for letting me know. I think we both could benefit from that advice.” While speaking politely, Nanu offered they guy his nastiest grin.

First the mans face went blank, then it started turning into an ugly shade of bright red. Giving his ice cream a fierce lick, he harrumphed and walked off. Inspired by this, Nanu gave a disapproving glare to the rest of the crowd as well

”Don't you people have anything better to do with yourselves?”

It was one of those moments he was happy to be both the kahuna and a police officer. Usually at least one of those titles was enough to provide him the credibility that got people going. Some of the folks left more reluctantly, but in the end this comment alone was enough to scatter the herd of bystanders.

As soon as they were alone, Nanu turned to give Guzma a stern look. He was content to finally let go of his shirt though. The store clerk followed his suit, releasing his hand.

”Is there anything you want to say?” There was a clear warning in his voice, coaxing the kid to say the magic words that might still save their reputation.

It didn't register however. Giving Nanu a long, seemingly unimpressed stare, Guzma lifted his sneaker and slowly stepped on one of the malasadas. As the red jam poured on the pavement, Nanu was momentarily stunned still by the nerve the kid had.
Apparently he had also let go of his shirt too early. After the deed was done, Guzma quickly turned his tail and sprinted away from the crime scene.

“H-hey!” feeling betrayed, Nanu watched in disbelief how Guzma jumped over a fence and quickly vanished between the flower shrubs. That little Yungoos!

He was about to run after the kid when the malasada man stopped him by clearing his throat. The kahuna turned to give him an impatient stare. Gesturing towards the buns that still laid there like tasty evidence, the store clerk spoke in a hard tone:

”I assume you were going to pay for these?”

--xx--

He should've just abandoned him, right there and then!

The wind was blowing though the dying patches of grass as the kahuna hiked up the mountainside. He could see wild pokémon poking their heads out curiously every now and then, probably wondering what he was doing here.
Heaving a deep breath, Nanu forced himself to climb over yet another rocky ledge. It would have been a lot easier if he didn't have the heavy groceries with him.

After Guzma stormed off, the kahuna had spent a good 15 minutes asking if people had seen a black haired gremlin running around. The clues he had managed to gather with his vague explanation all pointed strongly towards the Wela Volcano Park.
Following the serpentine road up was tiresome, but Nanu was feeling confident that he was on a right track. Of course Guzma would go to that one place he had specifically forbidden from him.

To add into his irritation, the miffed store clerk had charged him the amount of 6 malasadas, on top of banning them both from his store. While bowing his head in apology and handing over the money, Nanu had felt both humiliated as well as ripped off. Guzma hadn't even eaten any of them! After the kid had stomped one and the other had just bursted open because of the fall, Nanu had managed to save only one of the buns. It was going to be the most expensive malasada he had ever eaten and he was going to consume it if only out of spite.

When one of his plastic bags got stuck and almost ripped because of the sharp rocks, Nanu finally stopped, cursing under his breath. This was exactly the reason he never had kids of his own. Too darn much hassle!

Waiting to catch his breath, Nanu laid his eyes on the setting sun. The sky was already turning into different shades of burning red, so much for getting back before night. If there was anything positive in this, at least it wasn’t the worst possible view.
While admiring the scenery, he couldn’t help but notice there was something strange in the horizon. Frowning, he realized that a mass of dark clouds was rising in the distance. They were still barely visible, but if living in Po Town had taught him anything, he knew a storm cloud when he saw one. Something was definitely arriving from the sea and he could only hope it wouldn’t hit the islands.

Mulling this over, he ended his small break. He wasn't far from the peak anymore and he wanted to get off of the island as soon as possible. After crossing one short cavern he finally reached the top. Upon arriving, Nanu was surprised to see that the site was empty. All the guards were gone, probably they had left home early as there were no new kids taking on the island challenge. Yet he wasn't completely alone.
The fires that normally burned on the torches were out, but the kahuna could see someone standing on the battle arena. In the dying light of dusk, he almost mistook the lonely figure as Kiawe, but the lack of more mature structure made him take a closer look. And sure enough, instead of the Captain, it was Guzma who stood there like he had conquered the place.

The kid had his back facing him, gaze fixed somewhere in the distance. He seemed to be so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even notice Nanu as he walked closer. Stopping before the stage, the kahuna cleared his throat.

”I have no idea what has you so on the edge, but enough is enough. Are you ready to stop with the games already?”

As his voice broke the silence, Guzma whirled around. Gaping at him, he looked surprised to see Nanu had followed him.
Unceremoniously dropping his bags on the ground, Nanu stuffed his hands in his pockets and casually joined the kid on the arena. For a while they just stood there, face to face, as a sensation of charged electricity sparked between them. It was Nanu who spoke again.

“I have to hand it to you, it takes some guts to go and steal right under my watch. But that also means I expect you to man up and explain me why you felt like doing it.”

Looking him from head to toe, like he was gauging him, Nanu was met with a dry, humorless snort.

“I don't have to explain you anything.” The kid just shrugged at him.

Nanu had to resist a sigh. There was a lot of reprimanding the kahuna wanted to do, but the long hike had already dulled his anger. Deciding that on top of a volcano wasn't probably the best place for them to talk this through, he gave up on his attempts to interrogate the kid. Instead he waved a small gesture, trying to get him moving.

”Come one, the day is almost over and we still have a lot to talk about. We're getting back to the Station.” To his surprise, Guzma gave him a simple:

”No.”

Before the kahuna could disagree, Guzma crossed his arms. ”I'm not gonna ride the Charizard with you again. Just leave me be, old man. I'll come back when I feel like it.”

Nanu blinked at this unexpected setback. The nightfall was almost upon them and he had no idea if Guzma even possessed a Ride Pager of his own. There was no way he could just leave him behind, but he had no idea how to force him to come back to Ula'ula either. Riding tandem on the Charizard Glide was tricky and if he tried to make Guzma ride the pokémon against his will, he would risk their safety.

Reading his distress from his face, Guzma gave him a small chuckle. “You know, for a guy who comes across as emotionally dead as you, you're pretty fussy. Always thought you had more chill, gramps.”

Feeling irritation bubble in his gut again, Nanu finally lost his temper. “Don't read too much into it, kid. I'm just doing my job as a police officer. Leaving a nuisance like you here unsupervised would be a crime on my part,” he stated nastily.

This comment made a small spark of rebellion flare in Guzma's eyes. “That so? If doing your job is so important to you, why don't we settle this like the trainers we are?”

Gesturing the arena they were standing on, the kid gave him an arrogant look.

“Let's have a battle, right here and right now! You promised me I'd get to fight a trainer today, might as well be you.”

Nanu just cocked his brow at his demand. “This stage of combat is meant for island challenges, boy. We're not allowed to raise unnecessary ruckus here.”

“Get real! If this place is not used for battling, then what good is it for?” Guzma barked out a small laugh, but his eyes steeled.

“Besides, I've already given you a fair handicap by handing over half of my team. Or is this still too intimidating for you, Kahuna Nanu? Gesturing himself the boy taunted.

Nanu wanted to groan. Guzma was really pushing it. But by the looks of it, he wasn't going to stop this nonsense until something drastic happened. The kahuna wasn’t sure what he had done to the kid, but clearly he had a bone to pick with him. To get this settled, it was probably best they did it Guzma's way.

Eyes hardening with resolve, Nanu gave the boy a serious look. If a fight was what he wanted, a fight he would get.

“Fine, I'll battle you.” Nanu stated coolly, but Guzma's face lit with him agreeing. Before the kid could get carried away, he added:

“But I have conditions. If I win, you come back to the Station with me, no whining. I also expect you to give me a real explanation of why you did what you did today. And it's better be a good one, because if I don't like what I hear, you won't be leaving the house before I say so.”

Guzma's confident smile fell a little. Based on the way his brows furrowed, he was starting to second-guess his challenge. Smirking in a faint amusement, the kahuna regarded the kid.

“What, you thought I'd just let you get away with that malasada stunt? I don’t always act the part, but I really am a police officer, boy. Stealing is not something I'm going to allow. It's a high time you learn there's consequences for your actions. ”

Trying to turn this to his own favor, the kid threw him a question of his own. “And what happens if I win?”

Nanu gave him a lazy shrug. “I guess that means you're the bigger man out of us two. You get to choose what you do from there on, no need to listen to an old bone bag like me. Naturally, I’ll still help you with this case.”

This promise was enough to get the kid back to high spirits. Flashing a wide grin, Guzma pointed a finger towards him.

“You’re digging your own grave, old man! I want a full battle, three versus three, no backing out. We fight until the other can't go on!”

For once, excitement was shining on Guzma’s face, but it was tainted by a trace of desperation. There was a need to win, no matter what.
Unfortunately for him, Nanu wasn't going to hand him a victory. He would take the brat down a peg, even if it were the last thing he ever did. His reputation, as well as the quality of his life in the future, was depending on it.

Doing a small mental check on which members he had brought with him, Nanu dug out a well worn ultra ball. On his opposite, Guzma did the same. There were no festivities, exchanging meaningful glances both trainers threw their pokéballs in the air in unison.

With a flash of light, Guzma's Pinsir appeared on the arena. Also emerging from its ball, Nanu's Honchkrow made a sweep across the stage before settling in front of the kahuna. Nanu had chosen to go with a type advantage, but before he could utter a word, Guzma roared a command:

“We're taking this match, Pinsir! Use X-Scissor!“

With surprising agility, the bug opened the battle by lunging forward. Honchkrow didn't have a chance to move away as it clenched its spiky horns around the birds midsection, successfully trapping it there. Letting out a pained caw, Honchkrow tired to struggle in its hold with no avail.

His plan succeeding, Guzma threw Nanu a smug grin.

“You snooze, you loose. I guess this is going to be an easy match after all.”

Brows furrowing in concentration, Nanu licked his lips. The kid might've gotten a head start by rushing in, but the game was just beginning.
Searching his partners eyes, they exchanged glances. Even while trapped, Nanu could tell it hadn't lost its nerve. They were still in a good place.

“Okay Honchkrow, let's turn this around. Break its focus with Snarl!”

Letting out an ear-splitting screech, Honchkrow rasped a painful sound. Like planned, with the attack hitting its target from such close proximity, it caused Pinsir to loose its ground. Shaking its head wildly, the bugtype tried to get away from the horrible noise. In the end, this forced it to let go of its prey. As soon as the pincers loosened, Honchkrow flew off, landing near Nanu. They had regained their distance and now the crow was eyeing its opponent cautiously. They wouldn't get surprised that easily next time.

“That was a mighty good Snarl, great job.” Nodding to his Honchkrow, Nanu acknowledged.

Turning his attention towards Guzma, he also slipped a small praise for the kid.

“That wasn’t too shabby either. Simple yet bold move, but too bad it didn't last. You might've actually won with that strategy.” He had to admit, there was a small shiver of excitement rushing through him. Already Guzma’s team was proving to be trickier to take out than Nanu had anticipated.

“Tsk, doesn't matter. My Pinsir is both faster AND stronger than that bird of yours. We won't let it get away twice.” Despite the kahunas compliment, Guzma just sneered at him.

“We'll see about that. Time to aim higher Honchkrow, we're going for Aerial Ace.” With a smooth sweep of his hand, Nanu gestured towards the sky. It was time to get serious. Hearing this, Guzma's eyes widened.

“Don't let it get away! Grab it with your X-Scissor before it takes off!”
Hurrying to give a command of his own, the kid pointed towards the Honchcrow. Immediately his pokémon launched into action. Nanu had to bite his lip as he watched Pinsir sprint across the arena before leaping in the air and aiming to get a new grip on his team member.

This time however, his Honchkrow was prepared for the strike. With a strong flap of its wings, it managed to get away just before the big pincers could take a hold of it. Leaving its opponent to stand alone in the arena, it successfully rose high in the air.

Guzma hadn’t been boasting, his Pinsir really was surprisingly agile. But speed alone wouldn't be enough to win this match. And now, as they had managed to escape those bothersome horns, it was likely enough to assure their victory.

Based on the look on his face, Guzma was also aware of this. Balling his hands in fists, the kid threw his Pinsir a serious look.

“Stand your ground! You can take that attack, I know you can!” As there was nothing he could do to prevent the strike, Guzma tried to encourage his pokémon to endure the hit.

Nanu was also ready to end this. “It's now or never, Honchkrow. Use Aerial Ace!”

Letting out a single caw, the bird dropped down from the sky. As it reached the ground, its speed became so great it wasn't even possible to see it with a naked eye. Yet, Pinsir didn't need to see it. Following its orders, with a wide stance it prepared to take Honchkrow head on.

Reaching full force, a beak collided against a hard chitin shell and the impact that followed was so intense it made a cloud of dust burst in the air.

His jacket flapping in a wind, Nanu held his breath as he waited to see the outcome. When the dust settled down, a small gasp escaped him.
In the middle of the arena, the two pokémons were tangled together, neither of them letting go. Pinsir was still standing on its feet, hunched over Honchkrow. The crow also had its beak connected with the bugs body, dug deep against its hard shell. But it wasn't like the bird could move away. After Honchkrow had swooped down on it, Pinsir had yet again managed to crush it between its horns. Now, they were struggling to see who was the strongest.

Guzma was first to break the silence.

“YES! Show ‘im, Pinsir!” Screaming in excitement, the kid made a fist bump in the air.

But unfortunately for Guzma, the damage his pokémon had suffered was too great. Screwing its eyes close, the bug suddenly collapsed to its knees. As soon as it lost its balance, it also released Honchkrow from its grip. While the crow quickly scampered away, Pinsir fell on its side and fainted.

Running a finger under his nose, Nanu grinned at the kid. “Best not to count your Torchicks before they're hatched. I guess we won this round.”

He was taunting him, but honestly, the kahuna was a little impressed. While being a flying type, his Honchkrow had a great advantage with its Aerial Ace. For Pinsir to be able to grab onto its opponent, especially from that speed and managing to hold on, required some skill. It was clear to the kahuna that this pokémon was well trained.

Giving his Honchkrow a searching look, Nanu tried to determine how much damage it had suffered. While it was still flying, based on the low altitude he knew that the attacks it had endured had stung. Quite unexpected and interesting, indeed.

But seemingly Guzma didn't share his amazement. With an expression that was hard to read, he called his pokémon back to its ball without a word.

Nanu also decided to give his Honchkrow a break, pulling it out of the arena. New pokéballs were thrown in the air, releasing a fresh set of pokémon to match their power.

As Guzma's Masquerain entered the stage, Nanu sent out his Persian.

Laying his eyes on the feline that came out of the ball, Nanu smirked. This pokémon was truly his pride and joy. It had been by his side ever since he was a young officer and it was needles to say they had been through a lot together. As it now stretched its long body, getting ready for a battle, it did feel a little excessive to send it after Guzma's team. But he had decided to see what the kid was made of.

This time Guzma wasn't as eager to attack as before and Nanu ended up giving the first command.

“Let's do some thinking before we go. Persian, use your Nasty Plot.”

“Masquerain, use Energy Ball!”

The kahuna watched a green ball of light hit his Persian, feeling confident. Their counter attack would be worth it.

“Energy Ball, again!”

“Burst it with Dark Pulse.”

With its special attack skyrocketing, the force of Persians Dark Pulse was strong enough to break Masquerains attack. Exploding the ball of energy into nothingness, the pressure wave that followed was so powerful it sent the bugtype flying half across the arena. Nanu smirked. Apparently they had been able to deal some extra damage, but it still wasn't enough to knock out their opponent.

While the Masquerain was trying to regain its strength, Guzma was starting to struggle with himself.

“Use Energy Ball! But do it right this time!”

Watching the kid opening and closing his fists, Nanu frowned. There was another reason why he had accepted his challenge, other than letting out some steam. He had never had the chance to see what kind of trainer Guzma really was.
Hala once told him that the guy was actually pretty good with strategizing, which was a good trait for a trainer to have. It also became somewhat vital when one decided to specialize in one particular pokémon type, like himself. You let yourself vulnerable in many ways and a good strategy was sometimes your only saving grace.

But right now, he wasn't sure what he was looking at. After his Pinsir had lost and his Masquerain wasn't holding up, all the composure Guzma had earlier started to fall in pieces. His commands became sloppier with hasty timing, like he had stopped thinking all together. Now he was just trying to overpower the kahuna with everything he had.

“Use Air Slash!!“

“Take that Masquerain down with Power Gem.”

With a mysterious light illuminating from its gemstone, Persian prepared to use its attack. Nanu allowed Masquerain to swoop closer, before motioning his pokémon to release a rain of rocks. And sure enough, with boulders hurling in its way, there was nothing the bug could do to get away. With a crushing defeat, it ended up being knocked down on the ground.
As soon as it fell, the feline seized its prey. Before Masquerain could get up, Persian laid a heavy paw on its back, pinning it down against the stone floor. With a low growl, razor sharp claws started to emerged, inching closer to the bug. The message it was sending was clear; give up or your pokémon gets it.

Cursing, Guzma was forced to retrieve it back. This time, their win had been easy and merciless.

For the next round, Nanu had no need to change his pokémon. Guzma’s last choice didn't come as a surprise and soon Golisopod landed on the stone tiles, its weight causing a light tremor. As if sensing its trainer wasn't in good spirits, the bug gave Guzma a wary look, lifting its antennae’s in question. But the kid wasn't in a mood for that.

“Don't just stand there! Use Razor Shell!” Pointing towards the Persian, he hissed.

As the bug hurried to obey, Nanu didn't even have to give his team member a command. The feline dodged the spurt of water that was hastily aimed at it with practiced ease.

And just like that, what had started as a promising battle was now dropping to an all time low. Nanu was currently paying more attention on Guzma than the combat they were having. If it could be even called that anymore. Pokémon battles were a team effort and if the trainer wasn't feeling it, there was no way your pokémon could earn you the victory alone.

Gracefully dashing across the arena, Persian was doing a fine job on dodging everything that was hurled in its way.

Meanwhile the kahuna was getting a little worried, for the sake of both Guzma and his team member. He had no need or intention to cause any unnecessary harm on the kids pokémon as the boy wasn't in a good mindset for battling.

“What's the matter, getting out of breath already? Why won't you attack?!”
Apparently Guzma had also noticed his lack of effort and was now trying to egg him on.

Nanu decided it was time to try and reason with him: “Maybe you should call your Golisopod back? I still have two more members in my party to use, even if Persian loses. There’s no need to continue this, if you ask me.”

But his attempts for kindness were misunderstood. Clenching his teeth, the kid just growled at him.

“Don't you dare to look down on me!”

“I wasn’t trying to…” But Guzma wouldn’t even let him finish.

“Shut up and hit me with everything you got! I'll show you what were made out of!”

Dear lord the kid was stubborn. Pinching the verge of his nose, Nanu weighed the situation. There were two options here; to go easy on him and likely deal with an enraged Guzma or go all-out and crush him completely. No matter what he chose, damage would be done to the kids pride. Giving Guzma a last glance, he silently leaned on the latter. After all, he was asking for it.

Shutting his eyes, Nanu took a deep breath, calming himself. Flip-flops sliding on the smooth tiles, he widened his stance. Meanwhile his Persian had turned its full attention towards him, reading the signs. It knew what was about to happen.
A familiar, empowering sensation took over him. The kahuna could almost feel his breath sync with his pokémon as he performed the well practices dance movements. Finishing the ritual by raising his hands over his head while bending his hips, the Z-crystal on his wrist lit up. It emitted an ominous, dark light.

“Black Hole Eclipse.”

No matter how goofy this pose looked, his opponents hardly ever had time for laughs, as they knew what was coming. And sure enough, he could see Guzma take a step back.
But it was too late to regret, the sky had already started to turn red. A great, black mass first gathered in front of his Persian, before the pokémon shot a ball of dark energy towards Golisopod. It didn't hit its target, but instead flew over the isopods head before forming into a dark void. Unable to resist its gravity, the bug was swept in the air and swallowed by the darkness. The void disappeared for a second, before turning into an explosion that shook the whole arena.

After the remains of darkness cleared away like a veil of black mist, Golisopod was left standing in the middle of the stage. Taking a step back, it swayed like it was about to fall.

“GOLISOPOD! Don't give up, do...” But before Guzma could give out a command, his pokémon started loosing its form. Turning into a beam of red light, it retrieved itself back to its pokéball.

Persian let out a pleased meow, proudly puffing its fur. It had been yet another easy win.

Nanu was relieved the bug had Emergency Exit in its use. Likely there wasn't a lot of energy left in its body, but he didn't want to hurt it any more. He was also disappointed that Guzma didn't have enough sense to read the battle better. He had brought this on himself.

With Golisopod forfeiting, the match was over. He had won and Nanu took his time to think back. Ever since he had gotten a glimpse of Guzma almost defeating Tapu Bulu, his interest had been piqued. It was no secret that the Skull Boss had never completed his Island Challenge, yet if he was good enough to take down a Tapu something must've changed. But right now, as he watched the kid shiver from anxiety, he knew this wasn't the same trainer he had met in the ruins of Abundance that day.

“I guess even your pokémon knows better when to give up than you.” Nanu scolded lightly. It was a little sad to see that Guzma's own mind was his greatest downfall.

This comment was apparently the last straw for the Skull Boss. With one hand digging into his own hair, he yanked down, hard. Throwing an enraged look on the pokéball in his hand, the kid snarled.

“GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID BUG!” Screaming on top of his lungs, he threw the ultra ball on the ground so hard there was an audible crack. Still, Golisopod wouldn't emerge. His pokéball just rolled quietly away from Guzma, stopping in the middle of the arena. Persian gave it a questioning sniff, before loosing its interest.

While the kid was struggling to calm down, Nanu also called his pokémon back. “So, anything else you want to add in this mess?”

“SHUT UP! You're not better than me! Just SHUT UP!!”

Nanu had no answer to that. Gulping down air, like he was out of breath, the kid yelled at him: “It's your fault I don't have my full team with me! I would've won if I had them!” His voice was thick with emotion.

With that, Guzma whirled around and stomped off. Not even bothering to go and collect his pokéball, he jumped off the arena and headed towards the rocky brim of the volcano.

As the kid leaned over the ledge, Nanu sighed. What he had hoped to be a nice, relaxing day for both of them had ended up as a disaster. The kid was upset, but Nanu had a feeling he now knew where this all was coming from. Rather than just being bad behavior, this was also a power struggle between the two of them.
No more than a week ago Guzma had been a grown man, who was also the leading figure of his own gang. He was used to give out orders, not receiving them. But now this balance in his life had drastically shifted, leaving him to be the underdog.
All he had left from his former glory was his pride as a pokémon trainer and now Nanu had beaten him in that as well.

Even with everything that had already happened up to this point, this thought still gave Nanu a tug of sympathy. He was having a hard time managing the kid, sure, but this all was probably even harder for Guzma.

Eyes softening, he went to pick up the abandoned ultra ball. Putting it to his pocket, he slowly walked next to the kid and joined him by leaning over the ledge as well. Even as the day had started to turn into a night, thanks to the fires that lived inside the mountain the rocks were warm against his front. Guzma did nothing to acknowledge him, he just stared in the distance, wrapped in sullen silence.

Nanu watched as a streak of magma flowed between them, running down the side of the mountain. The way this small stream divided them in their own halves gave him an idea.

Hand slipping in his pocket, he dug out the malasada he had been able to save. Being careful to not spill the filling, Nanu split it in half. The delicate, sweet aroma wafted in the air as the crust broke. Offering the other half to the kid, Nanu waited. At first Guzma tried to ignore it, but when the persistent bun didn't go away, he begrudgingly accepted it.

Nanu hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he chomped down on the malasada. It was bitter flavored, but not overly so and somehow tasted almost heavenly. Chewing slowly, Nanu kept his eyes fixed on the remains of the setting sun and let silence take over. Idly thinking how to start their conversation, Guzma suddenly piped up.

“Why are you doing this?”

He still hadn't taken a bite of his half. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the gooey jam that was trying to escape and drip on his fingers. Before Nanu could ask what he meant, the kid went on:

“You're not any different from the rest. I know you think I'm a bad person, so you can just say it!” While trying to sound aloof, his voice still had a small waver.

Nanu gave him a side way glance. Surprisingly, now that all the fight had left him, the kid was looking a little guilty. Pondering this for a small while, Nanu answered quietly:

“That's not true. While I can't say I’m pleased with the choices you made today, I also don’t think there’s such a thing as a bad kid.”

It was at least half a truth. Nanu really didn’t think someone as young as 10 years old could be labeled as a “bad person”. But in reality, Guzma wasn’t really that young, was he. On top of that, they already knew how he was going to grow up. Still, there was no gain in stating this to his face right now.

As he listened the kahuna, the kid was looking puzzled. Carefully glancing at him, he clearly hadn't expected this response. But Nanu wasn't going to let him off the hook.

“That being said, I still want to hear why you wanted to steal those malasadas.”

As the question was brought up again, the kid groaned. Popping the rest of his treat in his mouth, Nanu sucked the sugar off his thump. His own growling stomach made him ask his first question:

“Were you hungry? Did you take them because you wanted a snack?”

He got a shake for no. Well shoot, this was going to be more complicated then.

“You didn’t take them because you were hungry? Cripes kid, don’t tell me you grabbed them just because you wanted to steal something?”

He got a new shake for no, before Guzma complied. Fidgeting a little, he offered the kahuna a quiet answer: “No, I just wanted to get something for G-pod and the team. Most of 'em like bitter malasada the best.”

G-pod? Ah, he meant his Golisopod. So, the boy had wanted to get some treats for his pokémon. Nanu gave him a small nod, at least they had cleared that part.

“Okay, fair enough. But why did you try to steal them?”

Another shrug, but at this point Guzma had accepted the fact he had to give him real answers.
“I didn’t have any money, so… I didn’t know how else to get them.” With a mixture of emotions flashing through his face, he confessed.

Nanu raked his hand up his neck, scratching his scalp. “ I'm not even going to address that. You know as well as I do that not having any money doesn’t make it okay to just take what you want. Why didn’t you ask me to buy them for you? I may not have been in the store with you, but you knew where to find me.”

Taking a deep breath and sighing almost dramatically, Guzma finally took a bite out of his malasada. Gaze fixed on the darkening sky, he muttered: “It’s not like we’re friends or anything. Why would you buy me stuff?”

And with that, a penny dropped for Nanu. He... Could actually understand his reasoning. Taking a moment to think how to answer, the kahuna felt a small tug at the corner of his lip. They were not used to live like this. Yet, it was almost comforting to know that they could both relate to this absurdity that was their current life.

“Trust me, this feels just as weird to me as it does to you. But try to hang in there, okay? In the future, if you need something from the store you can just ask for it.“

Guzma gave him a skeptical look. Nanu just shrugged.

“I mean it. As long as I’m not paying the rent, we have some extra to spare.”

While not looking entirely convinced, he still received a slow nod from Guzma. Remembering what else he had in his pocket, Nanu handed the kid his pokéball.

“I assume you want this back.”

As soon as the black and yellow ball came to his view, Guzma quickly snatch it to himself. The kid opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when the damage he had caused earlier caught his eye. His mouth forming into a thin line, Guzma run his thump over the previously smooth surface. There was now a deep dent on its side. Bringing the ball closer to his face, his brow started to furrow in worry.

Giving the ultra ball a quick glance, Nanu tried to say something reassuring: “I've seen pokéballs take more damage that. Don't worry about it, your Golisopod is probably still comfortable in there.”

There really was nothing to worry about. Even if the damage was only on the surface, Guzma could always change Golisopod’s pokéball if the chip bothered him. His comment did nothing to erase the frown however.
Deciding this was enough drama for one day, the kahuna stretched his stiff shoulders. The day had been less than ideal, but maybe they could at least end it on a happy note. Digging out his Ride Pager, Nanu scanned the list for the Charizard Glide.

“What do you say we head to a PokéCenter? After that, we could go and grab something to eat. I'm not in a mood for cooking anyway.”

Throwing the kid a look over his shoulder, Nanu walked off and headed towards his long forgotten grocery bags. Guzma didn’t budge, but he did glance at his way. He was still nursing the damaged ultra ball in his hand.

“ Come on, I'll even let you decide what to get. I'm not a picky eater.” It wasn’t a bad deal, if you asked Nanu.

Stopping next to his groceries, he sent out the request for their ride to come and pick them up. This had been a lengthy detour, hopefully all that food he had bought was still okay. As he waited to get a glimpse of the Charizard Glide, Nanu lit himself a cigarette. He had earned it.
Soon a familiar presence graced his side. Guzma didn't say anything, but the kahuna noted their close proximity. The kid was standing just mere inches away from his side. It had to be the closest he had come to the kahuna on his own will. Releasing a puff of white smoke, Nanu felt his shoulders relax a little.

And so, they stood together under the starry sky, side by side. Tomorrow was going to be a new day. Maybe it would turn out to be better than this one.

Chapter Text

After their misadventure in Akala Island, the clouds Nanu had spotted soon made themselves known. His prediction came true; they were not some happy floss of cumulus, but an angry, black mass of clouds that brought a tropical storm over the Alolan Islands. This time, the storm hit Akala Island worse, but Ula’ula was also getting its fair share of rain and thunder.

The downpour had started early this morning, but despite the ghastly weather, today was the day Plumeria also paid a visit to the Station. And with her, she finally brought the long awaited clothes for Guzma. Holding three, plump shopping bags as she pushed through the door, it took Nanu one glance to figure the girl had outdone herself with this. Otherwise he would’ve been worried about the cost, but her comment of getting “good discount” still ghosted in the back of his mind.

While her feat solved their clothing problem, to Nanu's discomfort, her appearance also caused a new kind of chaos in his home. The moment Guzma’s pokémon saw her face, the critters went wild.

The kahuna was currently taking cover on his couch. Pushing the button on his remote control, Nanu tried to drown the annoying ruckus under the voice of the newscaster.

“A tropical storm Thundurus is blowing over the Alolan Islands. The storm surge...”

It was a futile attempt, all their happy chirping and clicking consumed his consciousness, making his ears hurt. Well, all expect Golisopod's.
As Nanu watched Masquerain and Pinsir buzz around the Skull admin, it occurred the kahuna he hadn’t seen it since they came back from their trip.

But he hardly had time to pay mind to this, because the sudden change in their routine also caused all his Meowths react differently. Some of them came to greet the quest properly, while others run rampant in the house, chasing after each other and quarreling. Shyest ones tried to hide themselves by climbing on shelves and dropping things as they went. The most severe case was Pepper, who sat angrily under the coffee table. Constantly hissing, it clawed anyone who dared to come close.

With this bedlam going on, his Station was starting to resemble a zoo rather than his home. In the end, Guzma had to call his bugs back so they could simmer down at least some of the racket.

After the formalities were done, Plumeria went straight to the business. Pushing two out of her three bags in Guzma’s hands, the excited admin ushered him in the bathroom, demanding herself a fashion round.
While Guzma was trying his new clothes on, Plumeria joined Nanu by leaning against the sofa. They both watched in silence as the weatherman presented a front of storm clouds sweeping over the islands. Clearly impatient to see the outcome, her attention was snapped away from the screen as soon as the bathroom door opened. With soft steps, Guzma made his appearance in the living room.

“Well look at you!” Plumeria’s voice came out pleased, going so far as ending her praise with a low whistle.

Nanu also turned his head to see what had changed.

While Plumeria had brought him different sets of garments, the ones Guzma had chosen were quite similar to the ones he wore as an adult. It came as no surprise that the main color scheme was black. Guzma had a long sleeved hoodie on, but it was put together in more detailed manner than his old one. It also had a logo on back, in black and white there stood a fierce looking Houndoom with a text that said “Hell Hound”. The kid had left the zipper halfway open, and underneath peeked a purple t-shirt.
Despite the fact it was chilly, Guzma had picked shorts instead of pants. They hung loosely from his hips, covering his knees. The fabric was thick and had ornamental stitching on both sides. They also sported large pockets, which would come in handy when carrying pokéballs.

It was a casual look, but it definitely suited him, even Nanu had to admit that. Based on the smug smile, Plumeria also knew she had done a good job on clothing her tiny boss.

“So, what do you think?” Looking him from head to toe for a good measure, she questioned.

Words were not needed, the satisfied expression told them the kid was quite happy with this. But as this was Guzma, he just ended up shrugging nonchalantly while approaching his admin.

“What can I say, I make everything look good.”

Nanu had half a mind to tell the kid to thank her, but let it slide when Plumeria just looked amused. Next to her feet was the last bag she hadn’t handed to Guzma earlier. Bending down, she now revealed what was inside.

“Okay, time for the mystery gift. Here, isn’t it adorable? ”

Almost bursting into an audible laugh, Nanu couldn't help but cackle quietly. Inside the smallest bag was a pokédoll. However, Nanu’s amusement wasn’t about the toy itself, but the way Guzma reacted to it.
As soon as it came to view, the kid jerked back violently. With wide eyes, he was looking at the toy like she was holding a weapon to his face.

“Plumes, what the heck? I don’t play with freaking dolls!” He screamed so high his voice broke, face turning pink with embarrassment.

Plumeria just gave him a disapproving eye, before she turned to look at the soft pokémon in her hands.

“Come on Guzma, Wimpod is your favorite.” She cooed to the pokédoll. Before Guzma could protest, she added: “Right after Golisopod, of course.”

While Guzma couldn’t deny this, based on the look on his face, he wasn’t going to admit anything either. Noticing her boss was still looking distressed, she relented and gave him a bump on the shoulder.

“I didn’t buy it for you so you could play with it, dummy. I just thought to get it to keep you a little company while the real deal is away.”

Nanu found their arrangement quite interesting; apparently they had a deal that Plumeria would take Golisopod with her if she ever needed herself “extra muscle” as a backup. And the current storm counted as one of those situations.

“Ugh, FINE!” Accepting her present, Guzma snatched it from Plumeria’s hands. Giving the Wimpod a quick glance, he haphazardly shucked the toy towards the direction of Nanu’s couch. The doll landed nevertheless successfully on its target, laying belly up on the cushion.

Plumeria puckered her lips in annoyance, which was answered with a dark glare.

Before the two of them could start arguing, Nanu hurried to change the subject. Glancing at the horrible weather outside the window, the kahuna voiced his opinion: “Wouldn’t it be better if your family just evacuated until this blows over?”

Plumeria made a face at him. “Try telling that to my Nana. She’s not going anywhere just because of “some drizzle and small wind”. She's as stubborn as a Mudbray and won’t leave her home even if it kills her.”

Sighing, she threw a tired look at the weather cast that was still playing on the television.

“Which might actually happen. Last time we got hit by a storm this bad their trailer fell over and got stuck in the mud, it was a disaster. It’s for the best if I just go there and make sure they stay safe myself.”

Turning back to Guzma, she gave him a small, but honest smile. Seemingly the pokédoll incident was already forgotten.

“Thank you for lending me Golisopod, he’s going to be a great aid.”

Looking past his admin, the kid started idly fumbling the sleeve of his new hoodie.

“… No sweat, Plumes. I mean, it’s for you and all.” Guzma muttered. For some reason, as soon as the name of his favorite team member came up, he completely withdrew himself.

Plumeria also seemed to notice this. Regarding him for a second, she suddenly leaned in and pinched his cheek.

“Heeey! What gives?” The kid flailed, clearly unhappy. He tried to smack her hand away lightly, but his half-hearted attempt for mutiny was futile.

“Sorry, I have to. As long as you’re small and cute, I can get away with this.” She deadpanned with a serious face.

Guzma sputtered and Nanu wanted to snort. The way Guzma acted and articulated, there wasn’t much to be called “cute”. Apparently the kid agreed with him. In rather squeaky voice, he protested the best he could.

“I’m not cute!”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

Guzma was saved from his admin when a strong gust of wind started rattling the windows. Huffing tiredly, she quickly glanced at the clock that stood on the wall.

“I really need to get going. I still have things to take care of at the mansion before I’m ready to hit the road.”

Pushing himself up from the couch, Nanu flicked the television off.

“Wait, I'll come to get some fresh air too.” It was his way of saying he was going out for a smoke.

He had to unlock the door for the girl anyways. As the storm was suspected to only get worse, Nanu started keeping his front door double-locked, just for safety reasons. While the kahuna fumbled with his keys, Plumeria bid her farewells. One hand petting the few Meowths that lingered near her, she held an ultra ball to view.

“You wanna say goodbye to Golisopod?”

“Nah, it's cool. I'll see him soon enough again. You know, don't want to make this weird or anything.” Guzma just waved her off. At the same time Nanu pushed the door open, letting the cold air inside.

“…Okay. Well, I'll see you when this ordeal is over.” Her hair blowing in the wind, she threw an unsure look over her shoulder.

With a small salute, the kid busied himself with trying to poke Pepper and not get scratched, paying no attention to them as they left the house.

--xx--

As Nanu and Plumeria made their way outside, they tried their best to stay under the slim protection of the roof. His steps were already flooding and there was little you could do to get away from the wetness. It really was as bad as the weather cast had predicted.

As soon as the door slammed shut, the girl threw him a question: “So, any idea what that was all about? “

First Nanu thought he'd tell her what had happened in Akala, but decided against it. It probably had nothing to do with this. Trying to light his cigarette in the wind, he ended up brushing it off with:

“Beats me, kids are weird like that. Maybe it's some kind of phase? He puts a lot of effort in order to look “tough”, after all.”

Silently mulling over his words, she leaned over to Nanu and covered his cigarette with her hand, trying to shield the flame of his lighter from the wind. The kahuna nodded in gratitude.

“I guess you're right....” There was a small trace of doubt in her voice, but she didn’t push it.

After a while, Plumeria gave Nanu a small glance.

“So, how have you two been holding up? “

Taking a deep drag, Nanu answered her as he released a puff of smoke.

“Just fine. He’s a tiny thing yet eats like a Snorlax. Leaves a huge mess in his wake too. But don’t worry, he won’t kick the bucket while I’m in charge.”

With a ghost of a smile rising to her lips, Plumeria just shook her head.

“Trust me, except for the height, nothing much has changed. But I didn’t exactly mean that. How are you two getting along?”

Nanu hadn’t expected that. Blinking slowly, the kahuna watched a ripped plastic bag go by in the wind.

“Eh, not horrible. As well as one can manage with that brat, I suppose…?”

He said it, but to his own surprise, he didn’t fully mean it. Against all the odds, he was starting to get used to the child version of the Skull Boss. After defeating his gangly behind in a pokémon battle, Guzma’s attitude towards him had slightly changed. The kid was still obnoxious, but he had definitely become more tolerable.
The moment was ruined by the sly look Plumeria was giving him. Apparently she wasn’t buying his sticks either. It made the older man grunt in dismay.

With a fleeting grin, she showed him some mercy: “Great. Nice to know you’re not at each others throats all the time or anything.”

Nanu just grunted again, not having anything to say to this.

“Well, time for me to get moving. If I keep spacing around like this, I won't get to the route 13 before evening.” And with that, she pushed herself off the wall and briskly walked away. Sloshing through a deep puddle, it was like she didn't even notice the water that soaked her pants. Living in Po Town did that to a person, Nanu pondered dully.

Before she vanished in the curtain of heavy rain, Nanu yelled after her: “Stay safe, you hear me!”

He was able to make out Plumeria rising her fist in the air. The girl had guts and Nanu could appreciate that.

After finishing his smoke, Nanu slipped back inside and locked the door behind him.
Shaking the water out of his hair, he noticed that Guzma had abandoned his living room while he was gone. Now, the kid was nowhere to be seen.

Using the moment of silence he had in his expose, Nanu headed towards his work desk. He had a case file open there; it was time to continue his research.
But the peace didn't last for long, and soon enough Nanu noticed that someone was trying to sneak past him. Guzma was hovering near the doorway, trying to quickly pull his shoes on.

“The door’s locked.” Not bothering to lift his gaze from his papers, Nanu informed helpfully.

Hand stopping over the door handle, Guzma froze, like he had been caught red-handed.
“Uh... You wanna open it? I'm just gonna go and check if Plumeria's gone.”

Nanu turned a page.

“No, you’re not.” She had been gone for twenty minutes, he couldn’t miss her already. Or if this was about his pokémon, well, he would just have to suck it up. He should’ve said his goodbyes when he had the time.

“But...”

“No buts, excepts yours inside the house. You heard the news, it’s one heck of a storm out there.” Besides, it was for the best if the kid didn’t go bother her right now. She had been right earlier; the faster she got to her destination, the better.

Just then, the lights flickered off for a second. Nanu scrunched his nose in dismay. Hopefully they wouldn’t loose electricity because of this. Turning his attention back on his heavy tome of a file, he ended their conversation.

“The storm will pass and those two will be back before you know it. Just be patient.“

Guzma stood in the doorway, angrily eyeing the lock, before he gave up. Kicking off his sneakers, a frustrated grunt escaped him. As he went past the couch, Guzma suddenly stopped and bent down. Giving the kid a small glance, Nanu saw he had picked up a cat toy.

The ragged thing the kid was holding had once been a stuffed Rattata. Now it was missing an ear and nose and due the poor stitching, its fillings were coming out from various places. But even if it was in a bad shape, Nanu couldn’t make himself to get rid of it. He had received it as a present from Acerola two years back. The toy was handmade and it was basically just two triangle shapes of gray felt stitched together. To make it more interesting, the Rattata had a long string as a tail and it held a small bell somewhere inside its body.

If you looked past the fact it resembled nothing like the pokémon it was supposed to be, it was kind of cute.

Giving the toy a testing swing, Guzma made a small whipping motion with the string. As the tail swung, immediately two of Nanu’s Meowths came to him. Gathering next to his feet, one of them gave Guzma a demanding meow, suggesting it was a play time.

Cocking his head a little as he watched the cats, Guzma suddenly threw Nanu a quick grin. Catching the look, the kahuna felt a small shiver go through his spine. He didn’t trust the face he was making, the kid was up to something.

Taking a slow step, careful to not step on his audience, Guzma made a new, larger swing. This time the bell also chimed and both Meowths followed after him.

Apparently satisfied with the result, Guzma gave Nanu a lazy smirk. He kept questioning the kahuna: “You sure I can’t go out? Even for a small while?”

“Positive.” Nanu answered curtly. He wanted to concentrate on reading, but he was getting a little too suspicious of what the kid had in mind.

On the outside, it looked like Guzma was just playing with his pets. Trying different techniques to tease them with the toy, he successfully kept them entertained. He was good at it, too. So good, in fact, that he was able to lure more of them to his side. Emerging from under the couch, two Meowths joined the game.

Like the piper from stories, he walked a slow circle across the room, cats following after him. His next question caught the kahuna completely off guard.

”Have you ever killed a man?”

Nanu almost dropped the case file from his hands. Lowering his reading glasses, he threw an annoyed glare at the kid.

Guzma was grinning like madman. Using the Rattata as a “gun”, he pretended to shoot him. ”What? You said you were a secret agent. Thought you’d had to end a bad guy or two in your day.”

Licking his thumb before turning a page, Nanu cleared his throat. ”I don’t remember telling you anything of the sorts. It was you who said I’m an agent, I just didn’t bother to correct you back then.”

He received a dubious glare, which was followed by another tail whip. He was able to summon yet another curious creature to his side. Pepper, Nanu noted, came running from the kitchen. It had earned its name simply because of its fierce nature and upon arriving, it jumped high in the air, trying to steal the toy to itself. But Guzma was faster, lifting the Rattata out of its reach just before it could snatch it. Landing on the floor and hissing in annoyance, it tried to claw the kids feet as revenge.

Ignoring the hostility, Guzma momentarily stopped next to Nanu’s bookshelf. Running his finger through one row of books, he complained: “Your house is so boring. It’s like an old folks home, but worse. You don’t even have any games in here, just some stupid old people books and moldy cat-pokémon magazines.”

“This is a police station, basically it’s not meant to be lived in.” He was now stuck on reading the same sentence the third time, thanks to the constant interruption.

“Why are you living here, then?” The kid quipped, sounding bratty.

“The rent is cheap.”

“Yeah, right.”

He was inching even closer to the kahuna. “Can you show me the cell unit?”

This time the whole Rattata was tossed in the air, making some of the Meowths jump after it. Their attempt was futile as the kid grabbed it before it fell down, but this motion made even more felines to join them.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because the urge to lock you there might get too great. Better not even humor the idea.”

The kid actually snorted a small laugh at that. He kept throwing the toy high in the air, again and again. This resulted a chorus of frustrated mews. Finally giving up, Nanu put the folder down and turned his full attention on the boy. The kid was relentlessly tormenting his audience with the stuffed rat, still not letting them have it.

While watching Guzma, the kahuna couldn’t help but be a little compelled by this. In mere minutes Guzma had managed to round up all his Meowths, even the shyest ones. Gathered in a loose circle around him, they all waited him to release the Rattata for their enjoyment.
The way Guzma treated them was teasing, but watching his display, the only word Nanu could describe him with was “natural”. If he just aimed his efforts into something positive, Guzma seemingly had an ability to work with pokémon.

But this was where his amazement ended. Now that he was the center of everybody’s attention, Guzma finally gave the cats what they wanted. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he suddenly tossed the toy in Nanu’s direction, aiming and landing it successfully under his chair. Before Nanu could even move a muscle, the full pack of agitated Meowths ran towards him, seizing the Rattata next to his feet with bared claws.

In mere seconds, his life turned into agony and scratch marks. The kid had managed to work up his pets just fine. After waiting for the toy so long, they all attacked their target viciously, using every dirty trick to win the prize to themselves. While Nanu had to hold in a breath to prevent himself from yelping when one of the cats bit him, Guzma let out a soft:

“Ooops.”

There was absolutely no remorse there. With a great mix of concentration and dedication, Nanu managed to kick the toy away. The Meowths immediately went after it, and he was happy he still had all his toes attached.

Knowing his prank didn’t go through as an accident, Guzma just smirked: “If you let me out of the house, I will also be out of your hair.”

Nanu threw him a dirty look. So, that was his tactic? Bully him until he released the kid into the wild? Well, tough luck.

The key to his front door rested on his desk. Nanu reached for it slowly, before picking it up. He made a small show first flashing the key to Guzma and then dropping it to his breast pocket. This earned him the result he was going for.

“Oh, come ooon!” Throwing his hands in the air, the kid groaned.

Feeling satisfied, Nanu slammed his folder shut. There was odd finality in that. After gathering his papers, he stood up and started limping towards his sanctuary. All the way to his office, he could feel Guzma's eyes on his back, staring at his actions. Just before he went inside, Nanu turned around.

With a finger pointed towards the treshold, he grunted: “See this? This is the line where everything stops. Beyond this, no nonsense is allowed.” Not waiting for a reply, the kahuna stepped inside, shutting the door after him.

--xx- -

In the dim light of his desk lamp, Nanu inspected the damage his feet had suffered. Aside a few scratches and one set of bite marks, he had come off with pretty minimal causalities. He would have to put some antiseptic on his wounds later, but he would live.

Which was a good thing, considering he had done nothing to deserve this treatment. It migh’ve been a little boring inside his home, but making this much racket about it was uncalled for. The kahuna didn’t understand Guzma's deal anyway, it didn’t take more than one gaze through the window to see it wasn’t a good idea to be outside.

Knowing the kid was crafty, Nanu had left the office door slightly ajar. Just enough so he would hear if Guzma tried to mess with the lock. He listened for a while.
At first there was some light rustling, and then, the sound of TV entered his home. Seemingly the brat had settled down. Feeling content by this, he let himself get absorbed in his reading.

… Which, unfortunately, had become a mind-numbing experience. When he first started his research, Nanu had been at least a little hopeful he might find something useful. That turned out to be positive thinking. Not only there was nothing in these papers that could help them, but seemingly nothing ever happened on this island. All the reports were about stolen purses, vandalized walls, speeding with Tauros Charge; the list went on like that. Once there had been a case of a missing Herdier.

Nanu bit his lip in frustration, this storm was a really unlucky break for them. Checking these files had kind of been his plan B in the first place. Something to do before he worked up enough motivation to go to Malie City. What he really wanted to do was to visit the library, as it held a vast collection of books related to mysteries of pokémon. He also hoped to find something about the Ruins of Abundance there. But now, it all had to wait until the skies were clear again.

He worked in silence for half an hour, tuning out the noise that came from the other room. He was doing fine, until a cold breeze suddenly caught him, flipping his papers and causing a shiver go through him. He probably should wear a warmer shirt and... Wait.

Eyes widening with realization, Nanu quickly stood up. Hurrying his way out, the reason for the coldness came apparent the moment he exited his office.

He had locked his door, sure. But apparently he hadn't secured everything. The curtains were fluttering in the wind as one of the windows was pushed open slightly. Just enough so that one 10 year old brat could squeeze himself through it. Now Guzma's earlier stunt made more sense to him. The kid hadn't expected him to open the door in the first place. He wanted to get rid of him all together so he could make his great escape.

“Clever kid.” He muttered to himself as he walked up to the window and pushed it open all the way.

Poking his head out, the kahuna quickly checked if he could still see Guzma. He had a feeling the kid hadn't left too long ago, but all he could see was the depressingly gray landscape that was being pelted down with rain. No Guzma was to be found.

Slamming his window shut, Nanu retrieved back inside. There was no reason to get soaked over this matter. If the kid really wanted to leave this badly and head into the storm, who was he to stop him?

Shuffling quietly to his couch, he sat down. The TV was already open, he might as well enjoy it. He was probably slaving over his papers for nothing anyway. All the kid ever did was pester him and cause him trouble. He had no need for this nonsense.

While Nanu was trying to get comfortable, Pepper came to him and jumped on the couch. Joining the brooding kahuna, it let out a questioning purr. Offering his pet a small smile, Nanu picked it up and placed it on his lap. With long, calm strokes he started petting its fur.

“So, I guess it's just you and me, Pep. We're going to have a nice, calm evening all to ourselves. How do you like that?” The Meowth just sat there, looking at him with half-closed lids. They stayed like this for a while.

“It's probably for the best the kid left on his own. I mean, if I'm honest with you, I have no idea if there's anything I can do for him. I've read through almost every case file stored in this Station, and there hasn't been anything worthwhile. I was meaning to go and check out the ruins with him, but... It's less work for me this way. So, good riddance. Now I don't have to kick him out myself if nothing turns out.” He was letting all his resent frustration out in one go.

Pepper still gave him a blank look, but at least it was a good listener. Normally, this would've been an ideal evening for Nanu. Just sit alone with his Meowths, watching telly and having no-one else to bother him. But somehow, his home was feeling a little empty.

The only sound, aside his TV, was the wind that loudly rattled his windows again. It was making it hard to concentrate on the show that was playing on the screen.

“In a storm like this, he'll probably end up being blown to Poni Island. He's such a tiny bloke. Not that it's any of my business.” He pondered out loud.

His companion yawned.

“And if he somehow survives the weather, how is he going to find Plumeria anyway? The girl's likely half across the island by now. What is he going to do? Swim after her? That kid never thinks things trough...”

Finally, Pepper seemed to have enough. Standing up, it came to lean against Nanu's chest and started tapping the Z-crystal that hung on his neck. When the annoyed kahuna tried to stop this, he got hissed at.

“Don't give me that. If the kid doesn't want to take my advice, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not his darn babysitter.” He grumbled. Pepper still hissed at him, before jumping off of his lap.

Nanu managed to sit still for about 2 more minutes. Then, he got up and marched to his bedroom. Clad in a long raincoat and armed with a flashlight, he was ready to leave his home in less than 5 minutes.

Unlocking the door, the kahuna was about to step outside, when Pepper gave him a questioning mew from the floor. It had come to see him off. Turning around one last time, Nanu told the cat:

“If I'm not back in few hours, call the cops.”

--xx- -

Upon entering the outside world, Nanu soon realized he wasn’t prepared for this. He had to dig his heels in the mud as the wind was so harsh it almost pushed the unsuspecting kahuna over. The weather had definitely gotten worse within the past few hours. Despite this, Nanu forced himself to move. His first stop was Po Town. If he was really lucky, maybe Plumeria, as well as Guzma, were there.

When he reached the gates, there was a lone grunt lingering at the entrance. The ruffian flat out refused to let him in, but he reluctantly told the kahuna that their admin had left a while ago. This was all he managed to squeeze out of him. When he tried to ask if the grunt had seen a young kid, the annoyed delinquent just turned him away.
Cursing under his breath, Nanu made an u-turn and started heading towards the route 15. Maybe he could at least reach the kid before he got himself killed.

In order to get to the shore, first he had to cross the Ula'ula Meadow. As he arrived, Nanu noted how the effects of the storm was more evident there. The crimson flowers that grew across the field were now drooping and the ground under the boardwalk was turning into a small lake.

While the meadow had seen its better days, this was where the kahuna got his lucky break.

In the midst of the never-ending mist, he saw a dark shadow moving. As soon as it spotted him, it froze, before quickly sliding on the ground and vanishing under the boardwalk.

Frowning slightly, Nanu pulled his hood deeper. If that was Guzma, he had to make his move carefully.
Coming up with a simple strategy, Nanu marched on. Making his way forward, he casually crossed the wet blanks and stopped approximately where he saw the mysterious form. Taking a deep breath, Nanu closed his eyes and listened. The heavy rain was loudly drumming the wooden surface, but his ears picked up a faint sound of something moving under his feet. Bingo.

Pretending to take a step ahead, Nanu suddenly swooped down and successfully grabbed onto something.

“HEEEYYYY!!”

After some struggling, he managed to fish his prey out of its hideout. He was secretly relieved to see Guzma's angry face, as he lifted him to stand in front of him.

“Let me go!” The kid growled.

“Hmm, I rather wouldn't. You know what they say; gotta catch them all.”

Their trip to Akala had taught him one thing; never let go too soon. Nanu just tightened his grip on the kids hoodie. It was covered in slimy mud, making the older man grunt in dismay. After his small adventure under the boardwalk, Guzma's new clothes were now caked in dirt. On top of that, he wasn’t even wearing a jacket, let alone longer pants. Watching him stand there in his shorts, Nanu was getting cold even from looking at him.

“What on earth were you thinking?” Shaking his head, Nanu huffed quietly. His question was good for at least three different topics.

“What do you care? Just let me go!” The answer was accompanied by a venomous glare. Apparently Guzma wasn't on a chatty mood.

Neither was Nanu. As he stood there, exposed to elements and getting soaked, his earlier annoyance started creeping back.

“I don't, not exactly. But you're currently a minor and it's against my job description to let anything bad happen to you. We're getting back, it's not safe out here.” With that, he turned on his heels and started dragging the kid towards the Station. But Guzma put up surprisingly feisty resistance.

“You don't understand! I HAVE TO get to Plumeria before she leaves!” Trying his hardest to gain at least some kind of footing on the slippery blanks, the kid growled.

When Nanu turned to give him a tired look, he was surprised to see the grim expression Guzma wore on his face. He was being completely serious about this.

Heaving a sigh, Nanu stopped his marching and faced him one last time: “If you want me to even consider your...Request, then tell me, what exactly I don't understand here.”

“...I’m not sure if Golisopod will come out of its ball.”

Nanu let go of his wrist. They stood still for a moment. When the kahuna kept looking puzzled, Guzma confessed:

“Look, it hasn't come out of its ball after we lost in Akala, okay? I mean, it could be nothing. Golisopod sometimes does that if its angry with me. I usually just let it be until its not stupid anymore. ”

His explanation was vague, but Nanu somewhat understood where he was going with this.

“So, you think your Golisopod doesn't come out, because it doesn't want to see you?” The kahuna scoffed. The idea of the bugtype being as hardheaded as its trainer was faintly amusing. But Guzma didn't see the humor here.

“Maybe, but... You saw the dent on the ball, right? How bad did it look to you?” He asked gravely.

Nanu blinked. Thinking back, he tried to envision his ultra ball from that night. In all honesty, his attention had been directed mostly on the kid and not his pokéball.
It was true he had seen pokéballs get pretty wrecked, and it hadn't been even close to that, but... If Guzma had damaged the inner mechanism, it was possible that the ball was broken. Sometimes busted pokéballs got jammed shut and if that was the case, it might be that Golisopod couldn’t get out even if it tried.

In that instant, nothing about this seemed funny anymore. Instead, a feeling of dread took over him, making him grunt more vehemently that necessary: “What were you thinking?”

Not waiting for a reply, he went on: “Your pokémon might be in serious trouble and you didn't actually do anything to make sure this isn’t the case. Guessing is not good enough.”

“I…” Guzma tried to cut in, but Nanu wasn’t finished.

“On top of that, you just handed the person who I assume is your best friend a potentially busted pokéball when she’s really going to needed it. Without a single word of warning! Why would you do such a thing?”

As he was being accused, Guzma grew more and more agitated. By the time Nanu stopped, his eyes were burning with defensive anger:

“I don't have to tell you that!!” The kid yelled at him.

Again, they were stuck in a silent glaring match. It was becoming a habit between the two of them. But surprisingly, it was Guzma who finally gave in.

“...We can stand here arguing about this, while she's getting away. I just need to know if the ball is okay or not.” Casting his eyes sideways, he muttered.

The kid had a point. This was getting them nowhere and time wasn't something they had. Against his better judgement, Nanu made a decision:

“If we’re doing this, you’re going to follow my instructions. What I tell you to do goes, and that’s final. I don't want any funny business.”

Relieved expression passing his features, Guzma gave him a single nod. For once, the kid looked like he was being serious. Putting what little trust he had in this, Nanu pointed a thumb towards the shore.

“Let's go.”

--xx--

When Guzma and Nanu finally arrived at the route 15, the beach was empty. With no living soul at sight, the roaring of the ocean was their only welcome. The monstrous waves raised their backs from the dark waters, reaching high like they were trying to touch the sky.

Walking to the water's edge, they both tried to shield their eyes from the rain, hoping to get even a glimpse of Plumeria. The task seemed impossible, until suddenly, a crack of lightning split the sky, momentarily lighting the area. In that brief moment, Nanu was able to make out a small form crossing between the high waves, only to disappear in the darkness again.

His heart thumped wildly, that had to be the girl. No one else was crazy enough to cross the small waterway in this weather.

“I saw her! She's out there!” Guzma had spotted her too.

It was too bad that the Sharpedo Jet was already in use; they would have to go for a plan B.

Tapping his Ride Pager, the Lapras Paddle soon appeared from the midst of the waves. It was a slower form of transport, but it had to do.
Due the high waves its swimming was labored, but the pokémon was making its way towards the kahuna nevertheless.

While they waited their ride to arrive, Guzma started chattering:

“If Golisopods ball is broken... Is there anything we can do about it?”

Eyes fixed on the sea, Nanu told him: “I'm going to need my tool kit, but yes. If your ultra ball really is jammed shut, I’m going to break it open and release your pokémon manually.”

“... Can you do that?”

When Nanu frowned at him, the kid shrugged: “You don't look like a handyman to me, that's all.”

“I've done it in the past. If you know where to poke, it's not that hard to pull off.” Nanu huffed.

At the same time, the Lapras Paddle reached the shore. Guzma hurried to mount the Lapras, while Nanu stood back, thinking. What they were about to do was dangerous and he probably should leave Guzma behind while he went after Pumeria.
But his gut feeling told him the kid would find a way to follow after him. At least he could keep an eye on him if he kept him close.

And so, the kahuna and the kid climbed on their ride. As they got further away from the land, it became clear that crossing the murky waters was going to be a hard task. But despite that, they were slowly catching up with the retrieving pokémon rider. If they kept this pace up, they would reach her about the same time she arrived on the opposite shore.

As their distance grew shorter, Guzma was becoming more anxious. They were hardly within the earshot, when he cupped his hands and yelled at the sea:

“PLUMERIA!”

But then, without a warning, the Lapras stopped. Looking baffled, Guzma threw the pokémon an annoyed glare. Giving it a light push with his heels, the kid tried to coax it to move.

“Come ooon! You can’t be so tired you’re just giving up now! We almost caught up with her!” Guzma growled impatiently.

But Nanu frowned. Carefully regarding the ride pokémon, the kahuna placed his hand on its side. Against his long fingers, he could feel a strong shiver going though its body. It wasn’t tired, oh no. It was too afraid to move.
Leaning slightly over the side, Nanu gazed in the water. And he was able to see it. A massive, dark shadow of a monstrous fish swam right under them. His only warning was a glimpse of glowing eyes before the beast made itself known.

With a booming crash, a column of water broke the surface and a Wishiwashi jumped high in the air. Completing a full arc, it passed right over their heads before diving back in the ocean. This was followed by a ruthless after wave that washed over the Lapras Paddle and its riders. Nanu had to grab Guzma by the shoulders as the kid got almost knocked into the ocean.

Spitting water from his mouth, Guzma gasped, voice laced with confusion: “You can't be serious! Why are those crybabies ganging up on us, we did nothing to harm them!”

Nanu didn’t answer. He was too busy trying to get another glimpse of the beast that was lurking underneath, likely trying to ambush them.
But what Guzma said was right. Wishiwashi’s weren't usually aggressive, and they didn't attack unless someone was menacing them. The storm was likely to be blamed for this. The sudden change in their otherwise calm territory had probably scared them and to cope with the stress, they had joined forces by taking a school form. There was strength in numbers, after all.

Coming to his conclusion, the kahuna watched as the Wishiwashi came back to the surface. Keeping its distance, this time it floated near the waterline, right behind them.

“Scared by the storm, aren'tcha...?” Nanu muttered darkly. This was not funny.

The Wishiwashi backed away slightly, before it let out a hollow grumble. It was still trying to decide whether to attack or not.

Using this time to his advantage, Nanu slowly slipped his hand in his pocked, fumbling around to grab any of his pokéballs. No matter how anxious the beast was, he wasn’t about to become fish food. Catching what the kahuna was doing, Guzma gave him a curt nod.

But oddly enough, no matter how hard he searched, the only thing in his pocket was the flashlight. With a squeeze of horror, the realization hit him. He had no pokémon. He had left in such a hurry he forgot to actually take his team with him. Getting impatient, Guzma grabbed onto his jacket, shaking his sleeve.

“What are you doing? If you don’t send out a pokémon and fast, that thing will crush us. Just attack already!” The kid hissed.

“I… don’t have my team with me.”

“What!” The kid yelped in disbelief, throwing him a bewildered glare. Not daring to take his eyes off of the Wishiwashi, Nanu whispered:

“You’re also a trainer, aren’t you. You have to send one of yours against that thing.”

“Are you nuts?! My Pinsir can hardly swim and Masquerain would be blown to the ocean if I release it here! Those two are all I have!”

Biting his lip, Nanu had to begrudgingly admit that Guzma was right. His team at hand would hardly be any help in this situation. The only pokémon Guzma had that could save them now was the one they had set out to rescue. Life was full of irony.

At the same time, the Wishiwashi made its mind. Water splashing, it charged, steering straight towards the Lapras. Nanu tried to yell a command, but it was in vain; the ride pokémon was immobilized by fear. All he could do was to watch in horror as the aquatic monster made its way towards them.

But just when it looked like hope had abandoned them, something unexpected happened.

There was a low, whistling type of sound, and a shell was lunged at their way.
It hit its target just in time, colliding against the Wishiwashi's head before it could attack the Lapras. Taking in the damage, the Wishiwashi let out an angry roar and dived again.

Not quite believing his eyes, Nanu turned to see where the attack had come from. And he couldn't be happier to see who had come to their rescue.

Sitting tight on the Sharpedo Jet was Plumeria. And right next to her, in the ocean swam Guzma’s Golisopod. Waving her hand, the trio was making their way towards them.

But before the Skull admin could get there, the Wishiwashi came back. Resurfacing, it had now changed its target. In a vengeful fit of rage the wild pokémon aimed an angry spurt of water towards its attacker. Golisopod dodged it by dashing to its left, successfully luring its opponent away from the others.

The two water types swam in slow circles, their fluid movements making it look like they were dancing around each other.
However, this almost elegant display had a crude end, when the Wishiwashi suddenly made its move. Without warning, it collided head on against Golisopod and sunk its teeth on the bugs shoulder armor. While holding its prey in place, a sphere of water started to gather in its mouth. The Wishiwashi was going to shoot Golisopod from close range.

Guzma, who had been just as stunned by their situation as Nanu, stirred back to life when his pokémon was being attacked right before his eyes. Anger evident in his voice, the kid yelled out a command:

“GOLISOPOD! USE SUCKER PUNCH!!”

It was a good call. The advantage the Wishiwashi had claimed now turned out to be its downfall, when Golisopod sucker punched it square in the jaw. The raw strength the bug had was so great it caused a tremor that traveled over the water. Even while sitting on the Lapras, Nanu could feel it.

It was enough to do the trick. Sending its opponent flying backwards, the isopod was able to knock the Wishiwashi away from its body. As soon as its jaws came loose, the attack it had been preparing was also released. Roaring, it shot a ball of water in the air where it exploded, melting into rain. After its attack missed, the Wishiwashi also lost its school form. Nanu watched in a small awe as the menacing beast broke down, turning into a herd of tiny, teary-eyed fishes. Crybabies, indeed.

Unfortunately, the loud explosion was the last drop for their distressed ride pokémon. Scared by the sound, the Lapras Paddle dived. There was nothing they could’ve done to stop this. As the aquatic creature sunk under the surface, it took both Guzma and Nanu with it.

The cold weather was nothing compared to the frozen temperature of the ocean. Nanu almost let out what little oxygen he had managed to gather in his lungs as the sensation of being stabbed by thousand needles took over his skin.

Trying to swim away from the pokémon, Nanu saw Guzma kicking himself away from their ride, floating closer to the surface. But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, Nanu couldn't get away from the seat. Panic was evident in Guzma's eyes as he watched Nanu being dragged further in the depths by the Lapras.

Wildly searching for the cause, Nanu suddenly realized that the belt of his raincoat was wrapped around the handlebar. He was stuck.

His hands went feverishly fumbling to open the buttons, but the task was slow and painful, as he could hardly operate his fingers in the freezing water. By the time he got himself freed, he was already swallowed by darkness. The surface was just a tiny speck of light, so far away it seemed impossible to reach.

His survival instinct kicking in, Nanu used all his muscle power to fight the heavy water that surrounded him. But the underwater current was overpowering and no matter how hard he struggled, he wasn't getting any closer to the surface.
His growing panic was turning into desperation, when suddenly, a huge claw was wrapped around him. He felt how something even bigger moved next to him, before he was tugged against a hard, smooth shell. And then, his whole world started moving .

The kahuna barely even understood what had happened, when his head suddenly popped back to the surface. Gasping for air loudly, a low moan escaped him. Taking in shaky breaths, it felt like his lungs were on fire. But he was alive. Close to him, someone else was also trying to cough water out of their system.

Paddling to reach his Golisopod, Guzma extended his hand before he latched on its other arm. Apparently the kid had swallowed some water, but he seemed otherwise well. Wrapping a claw around its trainer securely, the bug pulled him close.
As they hung loosely on the creatures grip, Nanu was silently happy it didn’t harbor any hard feelings towards him for blasting it with a Z-move last time they saw each other.

Golisopod had saved their lives.

But seemingly they were not out of harm's way just yet. The Sharpedo Jet now approached them, carrying on its back something even scarier than the Wishiwashi they had encountered. Emitting a dark aura, Plumeria's eyes burned with barely contained anger.

“Are you guys insane?!? What the hell are you doing here?” She roared over the storm, her fist swinging high in the air. She looked ready to bonk them in the head at the first given opportunity. Despite her wrath, Guzma threw a relieved look on her.

“Plumes, you’re… Okay.”

The softly spoken words made her falter. Fist slowly lowering back on her lap, she glared at them.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

Guiltily eyeing first his pokémon and then shifting his gaze on his admin, Guzma begun to answer: “We had to come after you because I…”

But before he could finish his confession, Nanu cut in: “Because I was fussing over the weather. I got the kid all anxious if you’d be able to cross the sea and he just wouldn’t relax before he saw you were okay. It’s all my fault, should’ve known you could handle it.” As the words escaped his lips, he could feel Guzma staring at him.

Plumeria, on her part, listened their excuse with a blank face. Then, her stern lips started cracking into a small smirk.

“Ooo-kay. Well, as you can see, we’re doing just fine.” She looked unconvinced yet faintly amused.

Leaning to pat the Sharpedo on the head, she added: “Better than you guys anyway. Need a ride back to the shore?”

Shivering from the cold, Nanu threw her a sheepish grin. She was fierce, but apparently also easy to placate.

“If you’d be so kind.”

Next to him, Guzma inched closer to Golisopod. Now that they had appeased Plumeria, he was trying to make amends with his pokémon.

“Hey buddy.” Being surprisingly gentle, Guzma reached to touch Golisopods head. He ran his fingers down its hard shell before settling on its chin, giving it a trying scratch.
At first Golisopod stayed passive, but as the hands kept petting it, it finally gave in. With a pleased whir, it leaned to touch the kid with its antennas. Apparently all was okay between the two of them.

When the bug started to bump its head against Guzma's cheek, Plumeria stopped their affectionate display by clearing her throat:

“Okay you knuckleheads, that’s enough. Haul your sorry behinds from the water this instant, it must be freezing in there.”

Extending a hand to Guzma, Plumeria granted him a teasing smirk. While she lifted the kid up, Nanu had to help himself to climb on Golisopod’s back. When everybody was out of the water, their new ride dashed forward, leading the way towards the land.

Just before they reached the shore, Plumeria turned to address her company:

“By the way, guys...” Her voice was sweet, but it held hidden menace. It was enough to make the hair stand up on the back of Nanu's neck.

“Make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Because if I have to come to your rescue in the future, I don’t care whose fault it is. I will end the both of you.” She finished her threat with a small smile.

Eyes wide, they both ended up stuttering a shaky: “Yes, Ma´am.”

--xx- -

After Plumeria dropped them off, they got to the Station without any further accidents. As they entered the house, they were truly a sad sight; both soaked to skin and dripping mud all over the floor.

While Guzma took a shower, Nanu changed his clothes to something dry and cozy.
After he deemed himself presentable, the kahuna busied himself in his small kitchen; making tea seemed appropriate course of action. His kettle whistled and soon Nanu put down two mugs full of hot liquid, seating himself with a tired sigh.

Watching tea leaves turn the water reddish brown, he couldn't help but shake his head; in the end, they had been no help whatsoever. He felt a little bad for Plumeria. The Skull admin ended up doing her trip twice, all thanks to them. But on a bright side, they now knew for a certain that there was nothing wrong with Golisopods pokéball.

His musings came to an abrupt end when Guzma appeared on the doorway. Instead of wearing his old t-shirt, the kid had a brand new tank top and pajama pants on. Everything was bug-themed, of course. Plumeria really had thought of everything.

Gesturing towards the mug of hot beverage, Nanu motioned Guzma to join him. Without a word, the kid padded in the kitchen and plopped down on a seat next to him. They sat in relaxed yet a little uncomfortable silence for a while, both of them nursing their drinks and not looking at each other. Finally, Guzma broke the ice:

“Why didn’t you tell her I wasn’t sure if the pokéball was okay or not?” He questioned quietly. His voice sounded a little raspy.

Nanu hummed in his mug before answering:

“...There was no need to cause unnecessary drama. You know how women are. She doesn’t need to know everything.” If he was completely honest with himself, even the kahuna wasn’t fully sure why he saved the brat. It had simply felt like the right thing to do.

Guzma run a thumb over the brim of his mug, seemingly mulling over something. After a short pause, he suddenly said: “I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them, honest. It’s just..”

Sighing, he threw Nanu a small glance. “When she last time went to make sure that everything was fine, things got pretty out of hand. She really needs Golisopod there. I didn’t wanna tell her that she was in a same pinch as last time because I ruined it for her.”

Nanu was ready to buy this, but his confession went on: “...And, maybe, if she found out that the pokéball was busted, she might have come back. It’s a lot safer here than in that trailer park anyway.”

Nanu frowned lightly. Guzma was... an interesting person. He was definitely selfish and didn’t think his actions through, yet he hadn’t done this because he was mean spirited. The way he had run into the storm after the guilt started setting in spoke volumes for that, but... It was clear he didn't understand that those people were important to Plumeria, which was the reason she was willing to take the risk. Still, somewhere down there was something good, too.

“What about her family? Don’t you think she would be sad if something bad happened to them?” Trying to open this idea to him, Nanu asked.

He only got a halfhearted shrug. “Whatever. Families are dumb anyway…”

The kahuna had nothing to say to that. Which was okay, as the kid changed their topic:

“Nanu?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for, you know. Helping me out and all.”

Nanu had to clear his throat as he almost choked on his tea. He hadn't expected the kid to actually thank him.

“It's fine, kiddo. “ He managed to cough. Nanu was going to leave it there, but something made him add: “There are plenty of times when you can figure things out yourself. But take it from me, life is not easy. From time to time, we all end up needing a friend or few to get through it.”

Taking a small sip from his mug, Guzma fell silent again.

Mimicking his company, Nanu finished his tea with a long swing. He was completely beat and thanks to their little adventure, his back was also killing him. A small nap would fix that. It was a little too early to hit the hey for good, after all.

”I’m going to catch a wink. Wake me up in an hour, I’ll make us dinner then.” Sitting up, he simply left his mug on the table. He would wash it later.

“Yeah, sure.” Still busying himself with his tea, Guzma just nodded to him.

With that, the kahuna walked off, heading towards his bedroom. He didn't even bother to take off his slippers as he nearly collapsed on his bed. He was sound asleep in mere minutes.

--xx--

His quick nap turned out longer than expected. Nanu woke up with a startled jolt, when a soft paw touched his cheek.
There was a heavy weight on his chest, and the kahuna pried his eyes open to see the culprit. A pair of lazy eyes stared back at him. The Meowth sat on top of him, and based on the suggestive purring, it was asking for food.

“Okay, okay... I'm awake.” He murmured, gently pushing the feline off. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he sluggishly got himself out of the bed.

Feeling rather groggy, his alarm clock informed Nanu that he had slept the entire evening and then some. It was currently 06:27 in the morning.

So... Guzma hadn’t bothered to wake him up, then. Slightly annoyed by this and the fact he had slept in, Nanu exited his bedroom. After skipping a meal yesterday, he was starving and more than ready to start preparing breakfast. As soon as he had fed his Meowths, of course.

But when he entered his living room, the kahuna found out he would need more than a cup of coffee and scrambled eggs to fix the situation that awaited him there. During the hours he had spent snoozing, things had taken a turn to worse.

Chapter Text

When Nanu exited his bedroom, his whole apartment was lulled in deep calm. The storm made itself known by loudly howling in the drafty corners, but otherwise there were no signs of life inside his home. His hungry Meowth leading the way, the kahuna shuffled to his kitchen, unaware of what awaited him in the other room.
Once he started banging the familiar cupboards, the rest of his pack started appearing, all eager to eat. After the task was done and his pets were happy, he noted that there was still one extra mouth missing that had to be fed.

With intention of asking Guzma’s opinion about the breakfast, Nanu headed towards the living room, only to stop in his tracks as he reached the doorway. Frowning, he fixed his eyes on the odd display that was taking over his furniture. Guzma was lying on the couch with his face buried in the cushions. One leg hanging half way over the edge, he was sprawled over the surface in a manner that hinted he had just crashed there and stayed. He hadn’t even bothered to fetch his blanket, let alone put on the sheets that nested in a small basket next to his makeshift bed.

Cocking his head, Nanu approached him slowly.

“Hey, kid. You dead?”

When the lump that was his “guest” didn’t even budge, Nanu’s frown deepened and he crouched next to him. Taking a light grip on his shoulder, he started shaking him gently.

“Guzma, wake up. Hey.”

His efforts were rewarded when a small groan escaped the kid. Slowly, Guzma stirred and started to turn on his side. The kahuna was about to say something, but swallowed his words when his face came to view. Guzma’s cheeks were burning red, while the rest of his skin seemed paler than usual. Blinking, like he was trying to focus on Nanu’s face, a small cough escaped him.

“Did an hour pass already?” The kid slurred.

Without a word, Nanu slipped his hand on the boy’s forehead. The lack of resistance was his first clue, but the contact with his skin confirmed his suspicion. He was sticky with sweat and definitely warm to touch; the kid had a small fever going.

Well, considering the fact that Guzma had been running around in a storm last night, it was really no surprise he had gotten ill.
Which now presented a new kind of problem to the kahuna; he had never taken care of a sick human being. Despite the popular belief, Nanu himself had been blessed with pretty much impeccable health and small flu’s aside he could remember only three or four cases of being really sick himself as he reached adulthood.

The fact that he was a pokémon trainer didn’t exactly help either. When his team got hurt, it was usually something he could take care of with berries, potions or different kinds of healing salves. If things got too hairy, he would rush them to PokéCenter and everything would be fine afterwards.

The boy coughed again. Starting with the question that was first in priority, Nanu asked: “How are you feeling?”

“…Dunno. My throat hurts.”

Nodding, he stood up. He was no doctor, but at least he knew the basics.

“Wait here.”

Crossing his small apartment swiftly, the kahuna went straight to the bathroom where his medicine cabinet was. Opening the metallic box that stood over the sink, Nanu took in the sight of his medical supplies. He had a respectable collection of everything a pokémon trainer could ever need, but sadly, in the midst of revives and repels, there wasn’t much you could use on humans. As he rummaged through his selection, trying to find something useful for his own species, Nanu’s thoughts started to drift to his own mother. She had been a practical and nature loving woman, who preferred using natural remedies to cure basic illnesses. Nanu had more faith in modern medicine than she ever did, but he couldn’t deny that her recipes were effective. What was the “secret ingredient” she had used on every instance? Chansey Egg Powder?

It made sense, it was highly nutritious and probably had other healing qualities as well. Whenever he had gotten sick as a boy, she’d start adding and baking it in all of his meals. And sure enough, he never stayed bedridden for long. If only he had that in stock, it would probably make Guzma better, too.

Finally, Nanu found a small package of Aspirin. It was simple pain medicine, but hopefully it would do the trick to also reduce fever. Breaking the plastic foil with his thump, the kahuna dropped two white pills on his palm. There was only two more left in the package.

When these were done, he had nothing else to give the kid. Well, it wasn't like he could've predicted this.

“Though luck. It was his own choice to go out and get himself sick in the first place. He has to pull himself together with this.” Nanu huffed quietly.

After fetching the medicine, Nanu forced Guzma up and sent him to get some water for himself. Meanwhile, the kahuna got fresh sheets and made his bed properly.
A scowl cemented on his face, he spread the white fabric over the cushions. Fussing like this was making him feel a little silly. Even if Guzma had gotten remarkably younger, the kid wasn’t a toddler for crying out loud. A boy his age should be preparing for his Island Challenge, not… Well, he was sick, but still! Making sure to smooth out all the wrinkles, Nanu decided that coddling wasn’t something he did.

Even with his resolution solid, he managed to keep his mouth shut when Guzma got back. Mostly because the kid was white as a Vulpix and looked he could barely stand without support.

Once the bed was made and the patient tucked under the blankets, things simmered down again. Guzma had no qualms in resting on the couch, munching cereals and letting the TV entertain him. Not even the Meowths were in a mood of making any mischief, they all lazied around the house, gathering their energy until it was time to go outside again.
Nanu himself sat in his office, isolated from the rest, but he had left the door open in case the kid needed anything. Idly, he browsed his papers and listened the sounds of the storm. His gutters were groaning deeply with the excessive amounts of water they had to pass and one overgrown tree branch kept knocking his window, but it was only a matter of days now before this ordeal was over. The weather forecast had predicted the storm would be over by the end of the week and he definitely appreciated the fact he could go to smoke outside again.

His concentration was broken every now and then, when the kid got a bad coughing fit. Listening him hack with a small wince of sympathy, Nanu admitted his condition was a shame, but he wasn’t worried. People got sick all the time; it was called common cold for a reason. If Guzma stayed in bed and rested well, he would be up and running in no time. And while waiting, Nanu got himself a small break from all the nonsense he spouted as regular basis.

He only had to get up once when Guzma called his name, asking for extra blankets.

--xx--

Nanu stopped working for good around the noon when he hit the limit of how much reading he could stomach in one go. To balance out the long periods of sitting, he needed something to do with his hands and cooking sounded like a perfect solution.
Setting up on a task of making them an early lunch, he was surprised to see his fridge being pushed to its limits again. They were running out of certain ingredients faster than you could say “Alola”, and to meet Guzma's ravenous tendencies, it probably would've been easier to own a Miltank than run to the store every two days. Cheaper, too. Letting his musings entertain him, Nanu started neatly chopping down the vegetables to go in a waiting pot.

Later when he appeared in the living room with a steaming hot plate of soup, he found Guzma lying sideways, eyes glued to some game show that was playing on TV. He had made a formidable base for himself with the extra blankets given to him and now buried in his warm cocoon, he also had a flock of admirers surrounding him. There was a totality of four Meowths gathered around him, happily hogging the warmth.

The setting looked enviably cozy, Nanu noted, as he lowered the plate on the coffee table.

“Here, I brought you lunch. Do you need something to drink?”

Without even taking his eyes from the screen, Guzma rasped nonchalantly:

“Nah, I’m not hungry.”

His flat out refusal made a disapproving hum escape Nanu and the man straightened his back, waiting a moment to be acknowledged. It had no effect whatsoever. Not until he tactically stepped in front of the television, completely blocking the view. With annoyed groan, Guzma finally lifted his gaze to eye Nanu angrily. Basking in his negative yet undivided attention, the kahuna pushed:

“You won’t get better if you skip your meals. Now, take the spoon and start munching.”

“My stomach hurts. I don’t wanna eat.” Came a sullen response.

Considering the kid, Nanu wasn’t sure if he believed him or not. He didn’t look any worse than before, but if he really wasn't feeling well, Nanu couldn't argue with that. Still, his aloof way of voicing this and the utter lack of gratitude towards his efforts only served to annoy him.

“I see. Well, I also have other work to do than serve you, so don't expect any more favors from me. I told you not to go outside, it’s your own fault you got sick.” He grunted rather coldly. He wasn't going to force the kid to eat, so he simply left the plate rest there.

“Like I care!” Came the standard, angry retort. Guzma's nose was getting stuffy, and to empathize this, he sniffed loudly before digging himself deeper under his blankets.

It marked the end of their conversation. Feeling less than triumphant after telling him off, Nanu finally stepped away from the screen and silently left the room. It would be for the best if they both cooled down.

After their little quarrel, he didn't feel like he could concentrate on reading anymore. In attempt to pass the time, he started looking for mundane tasks he hadn't had time to properly take care of. It meant mostly cleaning.
He soon discovered the long, muddy trails they had brought inside after their little misadventure. Fetching a mop was the only cure for that and after cleaning the floors, Nanu washed the dishes and did the minimal amount of laundry they had. He even took care of that nasty frizz one of his Meowths had on its neck and ended up grooming 3 cats in total.

When he run out of Meowths to pester, he aimed his efforts towards the visiting creatures. Guzma kept his pokéballs tucked in his hoodie pocket, and Nanu had deposited them earlier on the kitchen counter in order to wash the muddy jacket. Now he claimed the honor of letting the bugs out so he could feed them. When Guzma first moved in, they had agreed to keep their teams separated during their meals to avoid quarreling, resulting that the critters enjoyed their food in his bathroom. Pinsir and Masquerain looked surprised to see the kahuna when he released them, but ate nevertheless enthusiastically the pellets offered to them in a deep bowl.

Between his chores Nanu kept stealing quick glances of the heap that was lying on the couch. As the hours ticked by, Guzma somehow seemed to move even less than before while his coughs grew more persistent. Feeling a slight crack in his earlier resolve, Nanu wondered if he had judged his condition too quickly.

Just when he was about to go check on him, a crisp chime rang through his apartment. The old landline he had in his office was ringing loudly, demanding his attention. Changing his plan of action, Nanu headed towards the racket, if only to silence the darn machine. By the time he reached the phone, he was already feeling a little suspicious of who it could be. There were not many people who even had his number. Maybe it was a tad exaggerated, but he grunted nevertheless gruffly:

“Who is it?”

“Ah, Nanu! I’m glad you picked up!” His mind was put to ease when the jolly sound of the Melemele's kahuna reached his ear.

“Evening, Hala.” Lowering himself down on his chair, Nanu took comfortable position. This might take a while.

“I just wanted to check on you. If the storm you’re suffering is anything like here on Melemele, it’s no laughing matter. “ The mindful tone vanished for a moment: “Especially since you live alone.” He finished softly.

“The storm is bad.” Nanu agreed with a deep hum, before adding: “I do appreciate the sentiment, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll have you know there’s a totality of 8 Meowths here to assist me if anything happens. “

While Hala granted him a polite chuckle, Nanu grabbed a pen and started doodling on an empty piece of paper next to his hand. After receiving his verbal confirmation of being A-Okay, Hala’s voice turned serious.

“I’m glad to hear you say so. Now that we’re exchanging pleasantries, I must inquire whether you have considered making the trip we talked about last time?”

Nanu had already predicted this topic would come up. He didn’t answer immediately, too busy in his attempt on drawing a perfectly round head for the Persian he was scribbling.

”I have. Actually, I already visited the ruins.” He agreed eventually.

“Ho, is that so? I must say I’m pleased to hear you followed my advice!”

Adding whiskers to his masterpiece, Nanu wanted to comment it had been more of a friendly threat than anything else. Instead, he muttered ominously: “I wouldn't be so jolly about it, if I were you.”

This caused a short pause on the other end, then: “What do you mean?”

Realizing what he had started, Nanu swallowed dryly. His chance to tell his colleague what happened in the Ruins of Abundance had arrived.
Now that the opportunity was at his fingertips, the officer casted a quick glance towards the papers that were haphazardly scattered over his desk. Opening up about this matter would mean breaking his promise to Guzma, but… The idea of adding more resources to his already scarce selection of leads was tempting. From day one, he had wanted to inform Hala and ask for his expertise on this matter.

Yet, there was a rare twist of hesitation in his gut. He wasn't exactly a sentimental man and was proud of his ability to rely on reason, but...

“Nanu?” Hala brought him back to reality by uttering his name. By now, his voice was sharp with growing suspicion.

Weighing his options for a short second longer, Nanu took a deep breath, before releasing it in one, frustrated huff.

“It's nothing. You know how I feel about this superstitious humbug. It's like a big scam, Tapu Bulu doesn't even show up, yet I find myself missing one bottle of sake. Very good sake, mind you.”

There was another pause, before Hala broke into a hearty laugh once more. “It's good to honor old traditions. You're a kahuna, it’s your responsibility to show an example for the people of your island, after all.”

Nanu just made a face. Talking with Hala was always like this; at some point he felt like he was being lectured, no matter what topic they were on.

Once he made up his mind about keeping Guzma’s secret, their conversation steered back to lighter topics. While Nanu usually didn’t like talking on the phone, he found today was different. It didn’t really matter what the other man was saying, just listening his happy conversing was making Nanu feel calmer about things in general.
He didn’t like to admit it, but he was stressed out by the fact Guzma was bedridden. And the way he had snapped at the kid earlier had been uncalled for. Whether or not he appreciated his attempts on cooking didn’t really matter, it was just…easier to be angry than worried.

When it was clear Nanu wasn’t going to cut their call, Hala ended up being the one to excuse himself. But before they bid their farewells, he tried to question him one last time:

“Something you said earlier caught my attention. I don't want to pry, but you know you can trust me with confidential matters. In case there's something you're not telling me.”

For a man who had such a jovial view on life, Hala could be astoundingly observant. Not that it mattered, Nanu knew his way around him well by now.

“Well, if you insist to know, I have this really bad rash in my behin...” He started casually, only to be cut off by a sudden harrumph from the other end.

“Never mind, I'll talk to you later. Take care of yourself.” Hala shut the phone a little too fast for Nanu not to smirk.

After the line went dead, he clicked his tongue wistfully.
No matter how much he wanted to believe it wasn't wise to keep this from Hala, he didn't exactly regret his choice either. He didn't understand Guzma's reasons, the kid never gave him any. But apparently his own intuition on it was strong enough he was willing to take his side, no questions asked.

Their phone call had been a long one and the clock was already nearing eight, but Nanu got a sudden craving for coffee. Everybody had their own version of comfort food and he drained his life force from a cup of black roast, occasionally drank too late.
Telling himself it was good for a sore throat, he also started preparing a cup of tea for Guzma. With a small hint of guilt in his actions, he even sweetened the deal by adding honey in the mix. Imported stuff, straight from Sinnoh. There was just something in genuine Combee honey that couldn’t be competed with.

While the coffee was still pouring, Nanu went to deliver his little bribe to the patient, only to find a pile of cats where Guzma should’ve been. The TV was still on, making a huge racket, but the kid wasn’t watching it. By now, Guzma had completely vanished from the view and only a small tuft of black hair peeked under the blanket.
His Meowths were taking advantage of the given situation and now there were no less than 7 of them stacked on their helpless victim. Shooing the invading felines away, Nanu cleared a spot for himself before sitting down on the foot end. If Guzma noticed his presence, he didn’t show.

He put the mug down next to the untouched plate of now cold soup, before clearing his throat.

“I brought you some tea. Is there anything else you'd like?”

He was thinking of food or small treats. It really bothered him that the kid had barely eaten anything since yesterday. Patiently waiting for any signs of life, it took a moment before he got an answer. First some light rustling ensued, and then, emerging from his cave of blankets, tired eyes peeked at him. Guzma seemed to be only barely awake and with a small trail of clear snot trickling from his nose he was now looking worse than before.

“I want my Golisopod.” He sniffed quietly.

Blinking in surprise, Nanu wondered if he had heard him correctly. With a feeling that he couldn’t quite place, he just stared at the boy. What made this request so unnerving was the fact Guzma knew his Golisopod was on the other side of the island. Yet, the small glimmer in his eyes told the kahuna that his plea was for real.
This raw honesty forced him into action. Turning around, not sure what he was even looking for, Nanu searched for something that could help. He got an idea when a sight of purple antennas caught his eye. The Wimpod doll that Plumeria had bought was sitting in his line of sight, staring back at him with its sad little eyes. Guzma had abandoned it on Nanu’s work desk, where it now cowered.Walking over and quickly snatching the soft toy, he went back to the kid and lowered it on his chest. Guzma just stared at the pokédoll that was placed on his person like he was wondering if it really was there.

With a softer voice, the kahuna explained: “Your Golisopod is doing a good deed and helping Plumeria, remember? It can’t come to you right now, but meanwhile, this little fella will keep you company. Okay?”

Waiting for his reaction, Nanu honestly expected him to swat the plushie away. But after a while, Guzma lifted his hand, giving its back a slow stroke. Setting into an uneven rhythm, he started petting the stuffed bug with lax movements.

This tender gesture was so unlike him, Nanu felt a sad tug at the corner of his lips. The kid always kept an air of self-respect about him, trying his best to appear tough no matter what the situation was. To act this way, he was really sick, wasn’t he?

“I’ll bring you something to sneeze on, okay?”

Unable to offer any more comfort, the kahuna went back to the kitchen. A smell of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, but he didn’t feel like having a cup anymore. Instead, while searching his cupboards for a packet of tissues, his thoughts circled around the situation at hand. If Guzma was as sick as he seemed, maybe he should phone the emergency line and have a doctor see him?

It took only a quick glance through the window for him to abandon the idea. In a weather like this, there was no way anyone would come by unless it was a real emergency. Even if the kid had gotten slightly worse, their situation wasn’t bad enough to endanger anyone else.

He finally found what he was looking for. All he could do now was to make sure Guzma swallowed the last of his Aspirin before they went to sleep and hope for the best.

--xx--

He had a hard time falling asleep that night. Tossing and turning in his bed, it wasn't until the wee hours of the morning before Nanu finally fell asleep. With his sleeping pattern thrown to the gutter, the clock was already nearing afternoon when he was snapped awake by what sounded remotely like a Meowth violently coughing a hairball out of its throat. It took his sleepy brain a moment to realize the ungodly sound came from Guzma.

Cursing, he got up so fast he almost tripped over his own legs while trying to pull his pants on.

The first impression he got as he entered the living room was concerning. Guzma was sitting up on the couch, his face twisted in a pained scowl as he gagged. By the sound of it, something wet and hardy had started gathering in his lungs, unwilling to come out.
Moving next to him, Nanu hurried to give his back a set of solid pats. It took Guzma close to a minute before he was able to will his coughs to calm down. After struggling like that, he was visibly shaken and completely exhausted. Just listening his breathing rasp made Nanu's gut twist in uncomfortable manner and he asked:

“Do you want me to bring you water?”

He got up after receiving a small nod, but when he came back with the glass, Guzma had fallen asleep again.
Coming next to his bedside, he watched the boy’s chest rise unevenly in his slumber. Guzma's cheeks were glowing in an unhealthy shade of red, which made Nanu lean down and try his temperature. As soon as he touched his face, the kahuna almost spilled the water on the floor. He didn't need a thermometer to determine that this was too much fever, the kid was literally burning up.

The medicine he had given him last night had had no effect.

A deep sense of defeat creeping to his core, Nanu stared blankly out of his window. Even as it was a day time, the world outside seemed like nothing more than a void of darkness with wind and endless rain.
Biting down on his finger, Nanu screwed his eyes shut, mentally browsing through his options. He couldn’t move Guzma in that condition and it was very unlikely anyone would come by, even if he called. On top of that, he was completely out of medicine. How was he going to fix this?

There was an answer. One that had resided in the back of his mind for days now, ready to surface.

Chansey Egg Powder.

Shaking his head, he knew it was a ridiculous thought. In order to get his hands on something that special, he’d have to go to a pharmacy. Tapu Village didn't even have a regular store, meaning he would have to get as far as to Malie City. Which in this storm, he repeated to himself, was a ridiculous idea.

He stood there for a while longer, thinking hard.

...And even if he somehow got there, it was still a gamble. All the stores were closed by now, likely people been evacuated, but… Casting a wary look on the kid, he was breathing heavily in his sleep.

What other choice did he have?

Before he could come to his senses, the kahuna quietly put the glass down, walked to his bedroom and let out a long string of curses. After that, he felt empowered enough to actually dig out his backpack and started to pull a jacket on. Once he had geared up for his trip, Nanu dug out his favorite ultra ball and soon Persian uncurled itself on the floor. Instead of their usual greetings, he just nodded towards the couch.

“Watch after him while I’m gone, okay girl?”

His pokémon seemed to understand the situation just fine. With great care, Persian climbed on the couch and gracefully laid down. Burying its round head next to Guzma’s, it started purring deep, soothing sounds. The kid shifted lightly in his sleep, his hand sneaking around the pokémon and taking hold of its fur.

Feeling it was safe to leave Guzma behind, Nanu unlocked the door and quickly stepped outside.

Just like before, as soon as he revealed himself to the outside world, the wind attacked him like a hungry predator. When it failed to push him over, it repaid Nanu's resistance by whipping his hood down.
His short hair blowing wildly in the wind, Nanu got a small taste of what he was getting at. It was the second time he was going to defy the storm and while it had been crazy to try and cross the ocean with a Lapras, flying in a weather like this? You'd have to be either truly brave or completely out of your mind.

Feeling he was more of the latter, Nanu scoffed; if someone had told him two weeks ago that he would be riding the Charizard Glide in a goddamn hurricane in order to save Guzma, he would’ve laughed. Hard. Yet, here he was.

“I’m going to die out here, aren’t I?” He asked from no one, but the howling wind answered him anyway.

“Right.”

Pulling his hood back up, Nanu dug out his trusty Ride Pager. Gaze fixed in the horizon, the kahuna stared in the darkness, every now and then pressing the small device that might be their only saving grace. He must’ve waited there at least 20 minutes when he saw it. First he thought he was imagining it, when a small flicker of light flashed in the distance. But as it got closer and closer, Nanu could’ve laughed out of relief. Slowly but surely, a Charizard flew towards his Station. It had answered his call.

Landing with a heavy thump, the pokémon splashed water and mud everywhere. As it stumbled to find a drier spot, Nanu offered it an apologetic grimace. He couldn’t even begin to guess how being out in this rain would feel to a fire type.

The Charizard gave him a deep roar, as if asking why it had been summoned.

”I’m sorry you had to come here at a time like this. But I really need your help.”

Wanting to show it what he meant, Nanu went to the house and motioned the pokémon to follow him. As soon as the kahuna managed to pry the door open, the Charizard craned its long neck to peer inside. From their angle it was hard to see in the living room, but the constant and rather pitiful coughing was convincing enough.

Giving the beast a grave glance, Nanu explained: ”The kid has a high fever and I can’t get him to a doctor. Has hard time breathing, too. He needs to get some medicine in himself, preferably sooner than later.” It was concerning to admit he didn't even know what later would mean.

As he spoke, the lizard was staring intently at the small heap on the couch, a small growl escaping its throat.

”I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you fly me to Malie City? I need to get to the pharmacy.”

The pokémon kept gazing inside a while longer, then, it simply turned around and walked away. Nanu could feel his heart sinking when it flapped its wings open with a mighty sweep, momentarily cutting the downpour near its body. But instead of taking off, it suddenly lowered itself closer to the ground, laying still. It was waiting for the kahuna to climb on the seat.

Not wasting a moment, Nanu hurried to mount the creature. After he was seated, he leaned to give it a grateful pat.

“I owe you a big favor, my friend.”

--xx- -

Nanu wasn’t afraid of the heights, he actually rather enjoyed hitching a ride from the Charizard on a nice, sunny day. But flying in a storm like this? It wasn’t awful, by no means. It was pure torture.

Screwing his eyes shut as he accidentally looked down, Nanu squeezed the handlebars on his riders seat so hard he could feel his knuckles cracking. The seat was slippery from the rain that mercilessly pelted him and the Charizard, making it impossible to sit in a same position for more than two seconds.
While his body kept swaying from left to right, he tried his best to concentrate on surviving. After all, if he somehow didn’t slip and fall to his death, there were still other dangers lurking. He was painfully aware that his ride was slowly but surely being forced closer and closer to the ocean by the raging wind that was trying to overpower them. If they ended up being blown into the wide sea, that would be the end of it.

But no matter how dangerous the journey was, Nanu had started to realize how lucky it was that the pokémon had come to him at all. There was no way it had switched islands in this weather, no. It had already been on Ula'ula, taking cover somewhere when it got his call.

Whether it was a blessing from Tapu’s or sheer stroke of luck, against all the odds they made it. After what felt like an eternity, the familiar streets of Malie City appeared from behind a mountain and the Charizard started landing. As the lizards heavy body hit the ground, their high speed caused it to slide across the wet stone tiles for a few extra feet and they barely avoided running into a stone wall.

Once it was sure the Charizard was standing steadily on its feet, Nanu let his gaze wander the dead streets. By the looks of it, he had been right; the whole place was so eerily quiet it was as if he had entered a ghost town. Darkness seemed to creep in every corner and small nook, making its nests everywhere and claiming the place as its own. But despite the gloom, he took some comfort from the familiarity of this place, he knew exactly where he was.

The Charizard let out what sounded almost like a whine, bringing Nanu back to reality.
Sliding down from its back, the kahuna gave it a fast check to see how it was fairing in the weather. To his relief, the fire on its tail still burned like a torch in the darkness. This was one mighty strong beast.

“Let's go to find a shelter, no?” Offering its side a kind pat, Nanu suggested.

He successfully “parked” the Charizard Glide when he found an empty garage someone had left open. It wasn't a perfect solution to borrow someones property like this, but at least the place was wide enough to protect the pokémon from the rain. The Charizard clearly appreciated this and as soon as they reached the cover, it started shaking any extra water away from its scaly skin.

While the pokémon dried itself, Nanu found two Oran berries from his bag and put them on the floor for taking. After that, he turned to leave.

“I won’t take long. Stay here and gather your strength while I’m gone.” He told the pokémon before breaking into running.

The pharmacy was only two blocks away and as he approached the store he first peered inside through the huge glass window, just out of politeness. Of course nobody was there, but if he had to use a rock to let himself in, he could always say he had tried alternative methods first.
Proceeding to rap his knuckles on the door for a good measure, the kahuna grabbed the door handle. His brows shot up in genuine surprise when it actually opened with a soft click, allowing him to simply enter the building. In his haste he failed to see the small marks on the lock, signaling it had been broken earlier.

Once inside, he noticed it wasn't pitch black. Even without the electric lights, the big display window allowed some light to the dark interior, but it wasn't enough for him to operate properly. Clicking his flash light on, Nanu was about to start looking for the medicine, when a loud bang made him stop.

“Give me a break...” Turning sharply to his left, he searched the source with his spotlight.

Just when he thought he was hearing things, the noise repeated itself. This time, it resembled light rustling. Getting irritated by his constant stream of bad luck, the kahuna barked with as much authority he could muster:

“Who is it? Show yourself!”

He was expecting a wild pokémon attack. You didn't have to be an expert to know that especially ghost types loved a setting like this; looming darkness, leaking ceilings and not a living soul to bother them, the whole town in its current state was like a personal playground for them. But this time Nanu hadn’t forgotten his team. The familiar weight of his pokéballs gave him a sense of security, as the rustling now turned into thumping. Without a doubt, it was coming towards him. His fingers reaching for his pocket, the kahuna prepared himself for a battle.

He was about to release his Sableye when a slender and definitely human shaped form appeared. It was quite a bit shorter than Nanu and became even less intimidating when it stumbled and almost fell over a plastic plant that was placed on the floor.

“OWWMMMmh!!”

Nanu felt his brow rise in irritation as he stared at the being who now stood in the beam of his flashlight. A Team Skull grunt was hopping on one foot, while his other kicked the air wildly. He had stubbed his toe when he encountered the unlucky decorative element. It was rather… anti-climatic turn out.

When the guy kept squinting at Nanu pleadingly, the kahuna took the hint and lowered his flash light away from the poor kids face.

”What are you doing here?” Looking him from head to toe, Nanu asked tiredly.

Maybe it was his age, but in his eyes all the grunts looked the same. Except, this one came with a little dopier face than usual and was hatless. To replace this missing piece of garment, the Skull bandana was wrapped around his forehead, letting wet, slightly over grown locks of hair hung over his face like blue weed. He also had a packet of cough drops between his teeth, as his hands were occupied with three fat-looking grocery bags.

At first, all Nanu got for an answer was unintelligent mumbling, until the kid put one of the bags down and spat the package away from his mouth.

“Hi Uncle! We came here to restock some food. Well, not here, but in the store down the street. Heard they have a good hurricane sale going on, practically got all this shit for free, hehe!”

While he laughed at his horrible joke, Nanu couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bag he had put down. There was a bunch of Nanab Berries sitting there nicely, which reminded him that they would soon be out of food too…

”There’s more of you here?” He asked, taking a casual step closer to the grunt.

”Nah, just me. The others already left, I came here looking for pastilles. Might get sick after a storm like this ya know? Better prepare!” The kid smiled toothily.

That was all the clarification he needed. Crafty as a Meowth with Thief, he snatched the bag that sat on the floor to himself.

The grunt blinked once, before uttering a wounded: ”Heeeey!”

Holding the grocery bag close to him, Nanu retorted with a blank face: ”What you’re doing here, young man, is stealing. I’m confiscating this as an evidence.” His bluff was so weak even a dummer-than-usual Slowpoke could've called it.

Nevertheless, it seemed to convince the grunt. Brows furrowing in worry, he let out a long whine.

” Aawwww maaan. Please Uncle, you’re not really gonna arrest me, are you?”

”…No, if you keep your mouth shut. You never saw me here, you understand?”

The grunt stared at him, eyes wide like saucers and furiously nodded his head. To drive his point home, Nanu leaned closer to the delinquent. Pointing a finger between himself and the grunt, the kahuna growled:

”This. Never. Happened!”

”Okay, okay… Yeesh. No need to be mean.” Crossing his arms, the grunt gave up. He didn’t have the guts to openly complain, but he did pout.

Nanu could relate. Here he was, the kahuna of this forsaken island, breaking into drugstores and committing petty crime with team Skull dummies. But necessity knows no law, he supposed…

Remembering what he had come to do there in the first place Nanu shook his head and sauntered past the guy he had pretty much just robbed. He didn't have time for this nonsense. Working as efficiently as he could with the minimal light he had, the kahuna finally started digging through the shelves. After the first row, it came apparent that the task at hand was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. He wasn't able to spot the egg powder, but he happened to come across a bottle full of stiff looking liquid that promise to cure a cough. It was the first item that was slipped in his waiting backpack.

As his behavior towards the grunt had been less than polite, Nanu expected him to leave. Thus, he was startled when a wary voice behind him questioned:

”What’cha looking for?”

The youth was standing a few steps away, trying to peek over his shoulder.

”Chansey Egg Powder.” Hoping that answering would shut him up, Nanu kept browsing through different bottles and packages.

”Oh, that’s on a third shelf, on your left.”

Silently following his instructions, Nanu was surprised to see the grunt was right. Like promised, on the third shelf sat a neat row of small, brown paper bags. Cartoony, happy looking Chansey smiled on the label, holding out its egg. It was a relief and a time saver, too. At least the kid had some manners and... Wait. Turning around, Nanu gave the grunt a suspicious glance.

”How did you know where to find these?

The grunt just shrugged.

”Already went through all the shelves, man. There’s nothing worth stealing, thou.”

Nanu wanted to roll his eyes. He should’ve guessed. Well, he might be trespassing as well, but he wasn’t about to stoop that low.

After stuffing his bag with enough egg powder to cure a sick Dragonite, he fished out his damp wallet. He had no idea what his “purchases” would cost, so he settled on slamming a generous amount of money on the checkout counter. Might as well pay for the cough drops too, while he was at it. As he put the money down, he almost wanted to point out to the grunt that he hadn’t even robbed the cash machine. As tempting as it was, he managed to keep his mouth shut, but… Really, some criminals they were. Like said, with team Skull around, he was almost as good as retired.

Now that Nanu had everything he needed, he started to exit the building. Just before he stepped outside, he turned to give the kid advice.

”I wouldn’t linger here any longer if I were you. If the forecast is right, the storm is going to pass soon, but it’s not over until it’s over. Better run for a proper shelter. You have one, right?”

”Yeah yeah, we have one hideout nearby. I’ll be fine.” The grunt made a few “menacing “ gestures towards Nanu, but he seemed nevertheless happy the kahuna had asked.

Mumbling soft tunes, the grunt followed him outside. Trying to ignore the kid who thudded after him like a lost Rockruff, the delinquent actually went so far as to see him off to his ride. Arriving side by side on the empty main street, the Charizard was still covering under the shelter and looking down right miserable with everything. As soon as it saw Nanu approaching, it let out a loud, relieved roar.

Stopping a good distance away, the grunt stared at the glide that came to greet them.

“Wooaaah! Are you gonna ride that, Uncle?” He gaped.

“How does it look to you?” The kahuna growled as he struggled to climb on the pokémons back.

“In a storm like this?”

Once seated firmly on the saddle, Nanu allowed a small spark of pride bloom in his chest at the awe in his voice. Lifting his chin a little, he gave the young man a smug glance.

“Hmmph, I’m not the island kahuna for nothing, kid.”

With that, the Charizard flapped its wings open. It was also in a hurry to leave and soon the stunned looking grunt was only a small dot in the streets of Malie.

Nanu’s moment of triumph was short lived. As soon as the ride pokémon reached the sky, what could be described as “The Rodeo of Death” started all over again. With the grocery bag tucked against his stomach, it was now even more chaotic to try and stay seated. When a strong gust of wind once again dipped him sideways, he let out a hearty yelp. As a result, a can of beans and few berries fell from the plastic bag, but Nanu couldn't care less. Teeth clenched in concentration, his knees shook involuntarily from trying to prevent himself from falling.

It was official. He was going to die.

--xx--

It could be either that the pokémon was tired or it had learned something from their first flight. Their journey back lasted for a while longer, but this time the Charizard flew with lower altitude, seemingly making sure they stayed further away from the open waters. It helped that the wind was also slowly subsiding, but the rain fell on them as heavy as ever.
Getting a good overview from the sky, Nanu found what was left of the dirt road leading to his Station was now reduced to a narrow, muddy trail. As the Charizard landed on it, the wet mud splashed everywhere, reaching so high the kahuna got soaked to his knees. Not minding this one bit, he came tumbling down, so relieved to get away from the sky he could’ve kissed the soggy ground.

While Nanu gathered his bearings, his ride silently turned to leave. It was already heading further down the road, making its way towards a proper take off spot when Nanu yelled after it.

”Do you need a shelter from the storm? You can stay with us if you like.” It was the least he could do.

The beast stopped, but apparently his offer was not needed. With one meaningful glance, the Charizard growled softly and took off. Watching those strong wings carry it in the distance, Nanu felt sure it had a good shelter in mind.

He'd have to write an anonymous letter and thank Kiawe for raising such a liable and kind pokémon.

--xx--

The sound of key turning in a lock made Persian lift its head in caution, giving whoever might enter a warning hiss. After it saw who the intruder was, its low growls soothed back into purring, greeting its master. It was also doing a fine job on guarding its charge.

Eager to start preparing his home made remedy, Nanu first changed his wet clothes before making a beeline to the kitchen.
While he waited for small bubbles to emerge on the milky surface, for every spoonful of Tapu Cocoa Nanu added a smaller portion of the egg powder. Mixing the ingredients carefully until the milk boiled, he soon had a mugful of gooey cocoa. Out of curiosity, he tasted his creation with a spoon; it was rather thick but otherwise edible.

When it was time to deliver the mug, he found Guzma exactly the way he left him, hugging Persian and completely out cold. His breathing wasn't any better and even though he had three blankets on, the kid was was shivering like he was cold.

Trying to recreate his mothers recipe had brought a faint memory back to him, and Nanu left the cocoa to cool on the table. When he came back, he had a bowl of cold water in his hands. Dipping a small cloth in the water and getting it soaked, Nanu started gently wiping Guzma’s face. The kid was still burning up, he could feel his temperature even through the thick fabric. As Nanu worked in silence, Persian backed away to give him more space. On his third round across his face, the kid finally woke up. With a startled jolt, he suddenly snapped his eyes open. Gaze clouded with fever, Guzma aimed the older man a confused look.

“It’s just me.” Nanu told him quietly.

Getting the rag moist one last time, he folded it neatly before placing it on Guzma’s forehead. The kid didn’t even seem to notice this, as he kept searching Nanu's face. Small frown forming on his forehead, he was about to say something when a sudden coughing fit cut his words. Using the moment to his advantage, Nanu helped him to sit up. Persian also offered its aid, letting the kid cling onto its body for support while Nanu fixed the pillows for him. Once Guzma was propped up properly, Nanu offered him the mug of cocoa.

“Here, drink this.”

With shaking hands, Guzma accepted the mug. After taking a first sip, he wrinkled his nose.

“This tastes funny.” He said with broken voice.

“It’s an old family recipe that will make you feel better. Now, drink up.”

For once doing as he was told, Guzma took another, deeper gulp. Making sure he drank everything, Nanu found some humor in this. Even in his feverish stupor, Guzma was still picky about his Tapu Cocoa.

As soon as the task was completed, the kid fell asleep again. Allowing exhaustion to finally take over, Nanu also hauled himself on the empty spot that was still available on the couch. He didn't believe in beds at that moment, he simply wanted to rest there until he felt like a human being again.
Once he found a good position and settled down, Persian made its move. A small huff escaped him when his feline companion stretched its long body over his stomach, laying over him and Guzma alike. It was cramped, too hot and his pokémon definitely wasn't a light little kitten anymore, but Nanu was too tired to even complain.

And so, the kahuna of Ula'ula Island, the tiny boss of infamous Team Skull and one over-sized feline all fell into a slumber. While the couch they shared was a little too small for comfort, soft, soothing purrs soon filled the air and ensured there were no dreams to bother them that night.

--xx--

Nanu first stirred and then proceeded to slowly wake up when a small ray of light hit his eyes. Feeling stiff all over, his back cracked painfully as he forced himself to sit up.
He didn't even have to see his surroundings to know where he had spent the entire night. When you got to his age, you could tell just by the way your body complained whether or not you'd slept in a bed. On a bright side, his Persian had had enough of the close proximity and sauntered off somewhere. Everything still hurt, more or less.

“...I’m too old for this…” Moaning softly, Nanu rubbed his face in his hands. He needed coffee. Black coffee. And fast.

Just when he was about to get up and make this become reality, he was washed over by a strong feeling of being watched. Still leaning against his pillows ,Guzma was also awake. Silently staring at him, his eyes roamed over the kahuna in a way that was definitely considering him. It was a mysterious look, one Nanu wasn’t sure of what it meant. Nevertheless, he was happy to see his eyes looked sharper than before.

“Morning.” Nanu told him hoarsely.

Guzma gave him a small nod of acknowledgement, before quickly turning his head away. If the kahuna hadn't known better, he would’ve said he looked almost embarrassed. Faintly amused by this, he was about to get up again when Guzma suddenly said:

“It's over.”

Nanu didn't quite understand what he meant at first. Puzzled, he turned to see where Guzma was looking and found it was true. Actually, it was even better than that. The storm was finally over and a stream of sunlight poured in the room between the curtains. Having clear skies was a rare occurrence in Po Town, but it happened every once in a while. These moments were truly something to be cherished.

“Well, would you look at that.”

They shared a long, silent moment, admiring the sliver of blue sky that was showing between the white clouds.

“Nanu?”

Still looking outside, the kahuna hummed.

“I’m hungry.”

It was enough to get his attention. “Yeah? Anything you’d like? We don’t have a great variety of things left, but I can always try to improvise.”

After some pondering, they agreed on having pancakes and the morning was off to a good start. While Nanu busied himself with mixing the pancake batter, Guzma suddenly came to the kitchen. Surprised to see him up,the kahuna gave him a glance over his shoulder. Still looking pale and a little wobbly on his feet, the kid went to rummage through the cupboard.

”Shouldn’t you be lying? I’ll bring you the breakfast to bed.”

”Mmmbeen lying too much. Need to move around.” The kid mumbled while picking himself a black coffee mug.

As Guzma came to stand next to him to use the tap, Nanu slipped his hand on his forehead. He was still warm, but it was nothing compared to earlier. He would be okay. Adding an extra spoonful of egg powder in the mix, Nanu couldn’t help but smile lightly. His mother had been a genius. Not really thinking about it, he let his hand linger for a while, absently ruffing the kids hair.

”I’m not one of your Meowths.” Came tired, slightly annoyed murmur, but Guzma didn’t move away either.

It made the kahuna huff, but it was in a good humor. “Okay, back in the bed. You'll get to eat these soon enough.“

He could almost hear the eye roll, before Guzma turned to leave. Just when he was about to vanish from the view he granted Nanu a small quip.

“I thought you didn't do favors for me anymore.” The mischief in his voice was nothing but subtle.

Nanu simply made a small shooing gesture. Yes, he was definitely getting better.

--xx--

Three days went by in a blink of an eye and during that time, pancakes became a habit. Now that the kid was eating again, he started requesting them for almost every meal. What made things even worse, Nanu found himself relenting more often than not.

It was an early afternoon and they were both sharing the couch, watching TV. It was also a new “ritual”, which they both seemed to enjoy. At least most of the time. Today was Guzma’s turn to decide what to watch and to Nanu’s dismay, he had ruled over cartoons instead of any actual series.
As Nanu chomped down on yet another portion of the sweet treat, he wanted to cringe. After this whole “sick” ordeal was over and done with, he never wanted to see a pancake in his life. He also didn’t understand a thing about the show that was on. Emerging from the midst of explosion, a brightly colored Pyroar flew across the screen, shooting beams of laser from its eyes. For some reason, it was made of metal and it was in the space. Dear Archeus, what were they showing the kids these days…

He was about to try and hint that there might be a bug pokémon documentary showing on the nature channel, but as he opened his mouth, all his word turned into one, big inhale. His nostrils itched fiercely for a second before the kahuna sneezed so hard he almost spilled his meal on his lap.

While Nanu hurried to grab himself a tissue, Guzma gave him a sideway glance and smirked.

“Bless you.”

Chapter Text

Upon arrival, the day was gray and accompanied with a light drizzle. Nanu was up early, more or less against his will. Hands squeezed around an old wooden broom, with lax movements he guided a pile of soggy leaves into one big heap. Now that the storm was over, it was time to deal with the chaos it had caused.

Taking a deep breath, he could smell the crisp chill in the air. While the brief blessing of sunshine had been nice, he felt more at home in the permanent rain, the feeling of fat droplets of water on his back soothing him.

As he diligently kept sweeping the trash away from his front yard, the kahuna was annoyed of the workload the storm had caused; it would take him all week to get everything tidied up.
Giving a sideway glance up, he knew his biggest challenge wasn’t scattered over the ground either. On top of his Station rested a fine cluster of loose tree branches that wind had kindly delivered there. Even the idea of asking was making him feel old, but he knew he would have to request Guzma’s help if he wanted to clean the place for good.

Speaking of the devil, he was still soundly snoozing inside. The kid was always late to rise, and if left alone, he could easily sleep way past the noon before gruffly rolling out of the bed. When he first appeared on his couch, Nanu had tried to wake him up daily, but nowadays he just let him be. Getting his beauty doze at least assured he didn't growl and grouch through his waking hours.

The kahuna was so lost in his thoughts he was completely obvious of the small form approaching his Station from the distance. Getting closer with a steady pace, it wasn't until that certain someone cleared their throat that Nanu turned his head in question.

Behind his back was revealed a rather pleasant surprise. Acerola stood a few steps away from him, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Taking in the sight of the older man, her brow proceeded to form a straight line.
While she clearly wasn’t in a good mood, the sheer surprise of seeing her made Nanu obvious of her gloom and the kahuna smiled at the girl. But before he could get a word out, Acerola stated coldly:

“Hello Uncle. Nice to see you up and enjoying the morning, all fine and dandy.”

The kahuna opened his mouth, then shut it again. Nanu blinked. While he tried to process what he was being accused of, the girl gave him no mercy. Cheeks puffing in a sign of annoyance, she huffed in frustration:

“I’ve been waiting for Sooty for days! After the storm, there was no note from you. I was worried sick!”

As she lectured him, the realization started to sink in. With a small wince, he knew she was right. Normally he sent her a short letter in every two months or so, but after something unpredicted happened, he always scribbled a note to let her know he was okay.

“Forgive me, Nanab berry. I’ve been so busy I completely forgot.” Hand sneaking to rub his neck, Nanu offered a sheepish apology.

Her eyes squinted in suspicion and she regarded him for a while. But the longer she glared, more her strict demeanor started to crumble. Lips twitching almost involuntarily, it was as if frowning was making her laugh.

“Aww, I can’t stay mad at you. You’re such a goof, Uncle.” Finally giving in, she instead latched on his hip and hugged him tight.

Not sure if he was feeling “goofy”, Nanu was still happy that he had been forgiven. The girl always found such… Unique angles to view him. Giving her a fond pat on the head, he waited until she let him go.

“I’m also happy to see you’re okay.” He told her with a rare smile.

“Yup, fit as a Feebas!” As if to prove her statement, she made a twirl to present herself, her long ragged dress gracefully following the motion.

Once done, she raised her brow in question. “So, exactly what have you been up to?”

Before Nanu could even start, the answer walked out of the door. Looking like he was barely awake, Guzma slouched out of the house. Rubbing his eyes, he gave a big yawn as he stepped squarely in the middle of the two.

The trio stood there in a startled silence. Well, startled at least on Nanu’s part, Acerola just tilted her head curiously, giving Guzma a long, intense look. Flinching in surprise, Guzma quickly turned his back on her.

“I… uh. I’m gonna go and stretch my legs.” Throwing a thump towards the hill, he muttered to the general direction of Nanu.

With that, he just stormed away, completely ignoring Acerola’s existence. Not taking the offence from his cold demeanor, a mysterious smile formed on her lips as she studied his receding form until he was completely out of sight.

Before the kahuna could utter any explanation for the strange boy coming out of his house, Acerola dropped the topic by turning her half-smile on him.

“Do you have any tea left? I'd love to have a cup with you.”

--xx--

It so happened that Nanu had the said tea, and soon they were both enjoying each other’s company in his small kitchen.

While he busied himself with preparing them snacks, Acerola kept a small conversation going, telling him this and that about the things that had happened to her while they had been apart.
Nanu answered her dutifully with quiet humms and small yes’s, hoping they would suffice.
He was listening her with half an ear only, too busy racking his own brain and trying to find an explanation for the odd phenomenon that was Guzma.

In truth, it bothered him more that the girl still hadn't asked anything. It was nearly abnormal for him to have anyone over, and she knew him well enough to at least point that out. But instead of drilling him with tough questions about his guest, she was telling him something about Haunters and… missing socks?

Acerola laughed and Nanu hummed.

By sweeping the last crumbles of bread in the sink, he reached the point where there was nothing else he could do without making it obvious he was stalling. After all, there were only so many times a person can wipe his counters without making it seem unnatural.

Accepting his fate, Nanu took his tea with him and sat on the opposite side of his guest. Seemingly his timing couldn’t have been worse either. Having finished her story, for the first time during her stay Acerola fell silent. It was permanent type.
While nursing his drink in his hand, he tried to act like the stretching silence wasn't bothering him. Or the way the girl was just happily smiling at him, seemingly pleased he had joined her company.

In the end, the pressure of telling her something pushed him to his limits.

“So, the boy from earlier. He was…” Nanu started, but couldn't finish. He had no qualms in telling a white lie or two when it was convenient, but even the idea of lying to Acerola made his stomach twist in uncomfortable manner. She deserved better than that, always.

“Oh, I know Uncle.” The girl nodded. Reaching for a plate of cookies, she dipped one chocolate chip in her tea.

“You do?” Was the only thing he could think of, while studying her over his own beverage. On the outside, Nanu just nodded slowly.

“But tell me, how did that happen to Guzma?” While munching her treat, she threw the question in air like she had asked about the weather.

Nanu felt his jaw snap open. Before the silence could turn uneasy again, Acerola mercifully answered the question he didn’t know how to ask.

“I can sense his aura. “

When the kahuna still kept looking as lost as ever, she tried to explain.

“They’re like… psychic fingerprints, you can tell people apart from them. Auras have their own color, size and intensity, it’s always different depending on a person. Even if he doesn’t look like himself, I know that’s Guzma.”

Acerola looked thoughtful for a while. “He has a very strong presence.” She added like it somehow settled this matter.

Taking a moment to process this, Nanu was smart enough to not question her. After all, he had known the girl ever since she was a small tyke, and yet she always surprised him with her talents. It was best to take her word for it, rather than trying to understand it.

Seeing no reason to deny anything, Nanu just rested his back against his chair and gave the girl a brief explanation of what had happened.
Acerola listened his story with keen interest, not once uttering a word to interrupt him. But every now and then, her brows would furrow lightly and then smooth out again. Nanu interpreted it meant she found something interesting in that part.

Once everything had been laid open, the kahuna sighed tiredly. “ And from that day on, he has been living with me. You wouldn’t happen to know a way to make him turn back to normal, would you?”

His slim hope she actually would died fast. With a look of genuine concern, Acerola shook her head.

“Sorry Uncle Nanu.”

“It’s okay, I know you would if you could.”

But the girl didn’t give up. Swirling her spoon in her cup, it made a soft chiming sound.

“I don’t know for sure, but… the way you described it happening, I think he might’ve been cursed.” Acerola said thoughtfully.

Nanu, who had just taken a sip, was somewhat startled by this sudden revelation. It manifested with him almost choking on his tea. Coughing, he lowered his mug on the table.

“Does that actually happen?” He asked between his coughs, trying to wheeze the liquid out from the wrong pipe.

“Sure! Many ghost type pokémon exist solely because of being cursed in a way or other. For example, Banettes are originally dolls that got tossed away, and their grief of being abandoned turned them alive. Occurrences like this fit in the description of curses, even if Guzma didn’t actually turn into anything inhuman.”

While listening the girl, Nanu’s brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the surface of his tea.
A curse? He didn’t say it, but the kahuna was skeptical. While ghost type pokémon were certainly real, Nanu couldn’t quite bring himself to swallow that right away.
More importantly, even if Acerola was right, they still had to figure out how to deal with that. If she didn't know what to do to help, that meant one thing; more research. But it was fine, this was actually something he had been hoping to ask from the girl for a while now.

“You’re more knowledgeable in these matters than I am, so enlighten me. Couple years ago, Aether House donated plenty of your father's books to Malie Library, no? Do you remember any particular piece of literature from his study that might help us out?”

Acerola grimaced in apologetic manner.

“That's a tough one. I've read plenty of dad’s books, but I'm afraid I don't remember any of them containing information about anything like this...”

Nanu hummed thoughtfully.

“But I could look into it! I mean, I can't say it's not there if I can't remember.”

“That’s a very kind offer, but you don’t need to burden yourself with something that.”

The girl just shook her head happily.

“Nu-uh, it’s not a big deal. I love reading and besides, I think it’s sweet you’re trying to help Guzma, even if he’s not a very nice person. You’re helping that Skull ruffian, so I want to help you Uncle!”

Nanu was going to disagree with her, but a hard bang from the hallway interrupted his attempt on curbing the girl. The front door was rather kicked than pushed open, and the ruffian in question came stomping inside. This wasn’t the first time the kid used his feet to get through the doors, and Nanu was getting tired of telling him off for that.

“Oi, old man! I needa...” But his roar for a demand died the second Guzma spotted Acerola sitting in the kitchen with him. Taking a step towards the coat rack, he tried to hide from the view.

The girl snickered and Nanu rolled his eyes. Eyeing Guzma, who lingered awkwardly in the doorway and tried to blend in with the surroundings, the kahuna just motioned him to join them.

“You can come here, she already knows.”

It wasn’t enough to assure him. When Guzma didn’t budge and kept staring at the girl suspiciously, she called out:

“We're having tea and snacks!” To empathize her point, she popped one more cookie in her mouth.

That did the trick.

Never one to say no to a snack, especially to sweet ones, Guzma sauntered in the kitchen. Quickly snatching two cookies for himself, his eyes never left the girl as he lowered himself to sit down next to Nanu. Ungracefully stuffing both of them in his mouth, he leaned to whisper the kahuna.

“I thought we agreed nobody was to know about this!” Hissing angrily between his teeth, he was spraying crumbles on the table.

Nanu just scoffed in his tea for both his theatrics and the fact he had no apparent table manners. “You only whined about me telling Hala, we never actually agreed on anything. But I didn't tell her, she figured it out herself.”

Guzma wasn’t convinced. “Yeah right! Like anyone could even...”

“I did. You have an aura that's hard to miss.“

Nanu was pretty sure that Guzma’s expression mirrored his own when Acerola first time spilled her beans. One brow rising towards the ceiling, his mouth snapped slowly open. You could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he processed her words.

“I have a whatnow?” Speaking slowly, it was like Guzma couldn't decide whether he was being ridiculed or not.

Acerola just smiled, quickly guiding the conversation to different direction.

“It’s good you’re here now, because we were just talking about you! Or rather, how I could help with your case.” She was stealthily working her way to be included in this.

Holding back his groan, Nanu didn’t have time to disagree with her this time either, as Guzma quickly turned back to him and whined.

“ No way! How is she going to be of any help?” Making a face, he was looking more than unimpressed.

“I already have a theory!”

They both stopped, turning to her in question. With a proud grin, she pulled out an ultra ball from one of the hidden pockets her dress had, and dropped it on the table. It rolled gently across the wooden surface, before the small button flashed in red and her Banette was released. A wicked grin plastered on its face, the creature stood up and stretched its stumpy limbs.

“This little darling is my very own Banette. You two have a lot in common, Guzma, because you see its…” She started, but stopped when she realized Nanu was motioning to her.

With a curt wave of his hand, the kahuna silenced the girl before she could even start. He wasn’t exactly dismissing her theory, but first Nanu wanted to get some actual evidence to support it. Until they got some solid proof, there was no reason to alarm Guzma with tales of being cursed and whatnot.
It wasn’t only for the kids sake either, Nanu wasn’t sure how long HE would last if the boy started pestering him with paranormal mumbo jumbo.

Guzma was obvious of the gesturing game that was going on across the table, too busy gawking at the small ghost type that stood sturdily in front of him. Tilting his head curiously, he lifted his hand to grab the small zipper the pokémon had as its mouth.

“How's this thing have anything to do with me? I'm not a dummy.”

Lucky for him, Nanu noticed what he was doing. With a swift move, the kahuna snatched Guzma’s hand before the kid could actually pull the zipper open and release whatever sinister resided inside that doll-creature.

“Clearly.”

“...HEY!”

Before they could work themselves into an argument, Acerola’s bright laughter broke the mood. Hiding her giggles behind her hand, her voice was warm with mirth.

“ I can see why you like having him around Uncle. He's way more interesting than I thought!”

--xx--

Now that Guzma was accustomed on the idea of somebody else knowing about his situation, it didn’t seem to be such a big deal after all. More surprisingly yet, he showed some odd fascination towards the young ghost type user.

It was a welcomed thing, to see those two getting along, but having two kids in the house was also pushing Nanu to his social limits.
With an excuse of needing to get some research done, he shooed them into the living room, while the kahuna shut himself in his office. Once safely inside his sanctuary, Nanu let out a relieved breath, basking in the calm atmosphere.

It still didn’t stop him from eaves dropping on their conversation.

Even now, their voices carried through his door and the air was filled with bubbly chatter. It was mostly one-sided, with Acerola telling Guzma about pokémon related legends. While her company was clearly trying to play it cool, more often than not Guzma ended up bombing her with follow up questions. Currently they were on a topic of mysterious occurrences.

“Did you know that the first Kadabra was originally a human boy, who turned into a pokémon in his sleep? You were lucky you only got younger.”

Scrunching his nose in a mix of disgust and disbelief, Guzma crossed his arms.

“No way something like that actually happened!”

Her playful giggles made whatever protest stop from emerging from the boy. Giving her a mild stare, he ended up huffing quietly:

“Whatever, weirdo…”

Face screwed in concentration, he seemingly had a thought. “So, you're a trial captain, right?”

When he received a nod, Guzma straighten his back ever so slightly. Giving his lips a quick lick, his eyes moved to the Ghostium Z crystal that Acerola had on her Z-Ring.
The girl seemed to notice the longing way he kept eyeing the battling ring and lifted it to view. Guzma just nodded in acknowledgement.

“Can I see it?”

“Uh, sure.” Easing the Z-Ring over her wrist, she slipped it off.

Accepting the bracelet given to him, Guzma lifted it above his head for examination. Slowly turning it in his hands, he made sure to check every angle of it, before handing it back.

“Are they, uh, personal or something? I mean, if someone had to borrow your Z–Ring, could they use it or is it like “one master” type of thing?”

Blinking in surprise, Acerola shook her head. “No, I’m sure anyone can use a Z-Ring. They don’t choose you or anything.”

Guzma just nodded his head, eyes shifting away from her in thought.

“You’ve never had your own?”

“Hala must’ve been out of stock around the time I left to have my island trial.” Guzma muttered darkly.

Before the girl could ask anything more, he changed the subject: “Why didya want to specialize in ghost types?”

Pondering the question for a short while, she just shrugged happily. “They're my favorite pokémon type!”

“I think they're pretty weak.” With a slightly bored tone, Guzma informed.

“No, they're not!”

Raising his hands up in fake-defeat, he looked openly amused for managing to poke a reaction out of her. Glaring at the Skull Boss for a second, she then sighed, her frown easing.

“... Then again, I guess I just grew up with them.”

Aiming her gaze through the window, she went on softly: “My dad loved ghost pokémon. He did train his team for battling, but by heart he was a researcher. He put most of his time and effort into studying them. And old Alolan legends too. He always told me he loved his job because mystery and reality mix together in delightful ways.“

Guzma had the decency to look a little embarrassed for saying something that might’ve offended the girl. But Acerola wasn’t the type to get caught on negative feelings and continued on the topic:

“How about you. Is your dad also a pokémon trainer?”

Nanu stirred lightly at the question. During his stay, Guzma hadn’t uttered a single word about his family and he had an itch the topic was a taboo. Thus, the kahuna was honestly surprised when the boy actually answered her.

“Nah... He's your regular blue-collar, works at the power plant. My old man never had any big ambitions towards anything.“ There was a brief pause, then: “Except for golfing, but I guess he's no good at that either.”

Guzma casted a half lidded look on the third member of their party. Masquerain was resting on his lap, and with his finger he gave it a gentle stroke across its folded wings.

“It's cool though. Like, it's great when people have something they devote themselves to. Stuff that actually means something to them.“ Acerola silently followed him tracing the wing patterns of his sleeping pokémon.

“I think so too.” She agreed softly.

They fell silent again. Deciding this was enough spying for one day, Nanu turned his attention back to the task at hand. Turning a page, he continued his reading.

--xx--

Acerola stayed with them until the evening. As the sun was starting to sink below the horizon, they went to see her off to the route 15. Guzma said he had to visit a PokéCenter and claimed he was only tagging along to get it out of the way. Still, he was listening Acerola intently as she kept lively conversing to him all the way to the beach.

After their talk earlier, Guzma didn’t seem to be in a mood to answering much, humming and grunting quietly. But when the girl was floating away from the shore with the Sharpedo Jet, he finally yelled after her:

“Hey, Spookum!”

Stopping the pokémon, Acerola turned to look back, pointing a finger towards herself.

“Yeah, you. Your dad has a book about how to make this... reverse, right?” Guzma was trying to sound tough, but it masked poorly his awkward attempt on getting some reassurance.

“Not sure.” She answered him truthfully. From the corner of his eye, Nanu saw how his shoulders sank.

“But this sort of thing is right up to my alley. I'll help you out in any way I can!” Flashing them one last smile, she turned her ride pokémon around and took off.

Watching her receding form, Nanu waved her a good bye while Guzma stood with his hands tucked in his pockets. After she was gone, the kahuna cocked a brow at the boy.

“Spookum?”

The kid just shrugged, a small, teasing grin playing on his lips.

“I couldn’t call her a creep, right?”

Nanu gave him a disapproving stare, but it was lost as the kid whirled around and took running towards the Pokémon Center.

“Right.” He finally sighed, trailing after his smaller tracks in the sand.

--xx--

The rest of the evening unfolded uneventfully. They had a dinner, Nanu did the dishes and Guzma took care of his team by brushing his pokémon while they watched some TV together. When couple of the Meowths came looking for attention, he was nice enough to groom them too. All the while, the kid seemed to be wrapped in his thoughts, more so than normally but the kahuna didn’t ask.

When Guzma suddenly claimed he was tired and bid him an early good night, Nanu retreated to his bedroom. Despite his words, Nanu noted how the light in the living room didn’t go out until long after the midnight.

He was also staying up late. It had been his plan to burn some midnight oil and get a little late night reading done. Leaning against his pillows, the file he had carried with him laid abandoned on the floor and instead, the kahuna had engaged himself with filling a crossword puzzle.

Pen stopping in the middle of writing a word, he was snapped out of his little hobby when his bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Silently, he watched the kid peek his head through the doorway. He was about to step inside, but stopped when he realized that Nanu was observing him.

“Why are you still awake?” Taking off his reading glasses, Nanu frowned at him in question.

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep.” There was a short pause. “Is there… more books somewhere? I couldn’t find anything to read from the shelf.”

Guzma wasn’t really looking at him as he spoke. His gaze kept roaming his surroundings and he seemed to be more interested in the room itself. Well, Nanu’s bedroom was normally off-limits, the kid probably was just curious to snoop around a little.

“I’m afraid all the suitable reading material is in the bookshelf. Is the couch uncomfortable to sleep on?”

He folded his glasses and extended his hand to put them on his nightstand. Almost knocking over his glass of water, he rested them next to his Z-Ring. Guzma observed this carefully, before replying:

“Nah, it’s not like that. I never sleep much.” Not waiting for the kahuna to answer, he quickly turned away.

“Well, it’s okay. I don’t have to read anything, I’ll figure out something else to do. Night.”

With that, his bedroom door was slammed shut again. Blinking slowly, Nanu scratched his cheek in thought.

That had been… strange. Trying to make something out of Guzma’s unexpected visit, his train of thought was interrupted when he felt a yawn rise to his lips.
Suddenly the heavy feeling of sleepiness washed over him, and the kahuna gave up on analyzing the situation. He would ask about the couch again in the morning. Maybe check if there were any old books or magazines stored in the back of his office.

An hour later, when Nanu was already fast asleep, his bedroom door was pushed open the second time and softly, someone sneaked in.

--xx--

He woke up the next morning in rather peaceful manner.

With a big yawn, Nanu stretched and rolled on his back. Mind still wrapped in sleepy stupor, his first conscious thought was how well rested he felt. Surprisingly so, considering how late he had stayed up. As he continued waking up, he suddenly realized he didn’t remember his alarm clock ringing.

Fumbling to grab the said piece of mechanics, he noticed two things; he had overslept and his alarm was already pushed to off-switch. Puzzled by this, he frowned. Maybe he had been so tired he had shut it in his sleep? It wasn’t like him, but…

Hand racking through his hair, he got up, clothed himself and proceeded to execute his morning routine. With a haunting feeling that something still wasn’t right, Nanu left his bedroom, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

His second surprise came when he found out his apartment was empty. For once, Guzma was already out of the bed and nowhere to be seen. Judging by his missing shoes, the kid had gone outside. This made a suspicious frown form on his forehead again, but after quickly checking his living quarters, nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until after he had had a breakfast and was brushing his teeth that something caught his eye. Regarding his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he was clad in his normal attire, but something was missing. His wrist looked almost naked without his Z-Ring.

Spitting the toothpaste out of his mouth, his crimson eyes were burning as he growled: “Guzma!”

Hot bubbles of anger boiling in his stomach, the kahuna made a beeline towards the front door, ready to hunt down the pint-sized hooligan and claim his Z-Ring back.
Instead, when he was about to grab the handle, his door was pushed open and a Team Skull grunt rushed in, bumping head-on against his chest.

A pained huff escaped his lungs and for a second, everything was a mess of tangled limbs and two men trying to keep their balance. Taking support from the wall, Nanu realized this was the same one he had met during the storm.

“You’re the one from the drugstore, aren’t you? What do you want?”

“There’s a..! * huff * * huff * And he just came out of nowhere I… I need you to… * huff *” The nervous grunt was unable to finish, too out of breath to make any sense. It was only fueling Nanu’s annoyance further. He was clearly upset about something, but the kahuna had his own troubles to deal with first.

“Can’t it wait? I’m having a missing persons case to take care of.” He muttered darkly, but it was mostly aimed to himself. Now that he though back on it, it was obvious Guzma had been gaping at his Z-Ring. How could he have been so stupid to just leave it on his nightstand for taking?

But the grunt just shook his head violently, grabbing his arm as the kahuna tried to squeeze past his doorway.

“No, no! You’re looking…* huff * for a kid… right?”

Before Nanu could pry the skull grunt away from his person, his mention of the kid certainly caught his attention. Turning a stern look on his visitor, he snapped in irritation:

“Where is he?”

He had to wait patiently until the grunt managed to calm down enough to explain properly what was going on.

“Big sis… Big sis Plumeria told us you have some relatives kid spending the summer vacation here with you or something. And, and that we shouldn’t go near him to goof off or anything, but… He just showed up in the mansion on his own and now he’s getting his ass kicked!”

In that instant, Nanu felt his heart skipping a beat. The grunt was about to say something more, but it turned into a surprised squeak when the kahuna grabbed him by the shoulders, turning him roughly to face him.

“What happened? Where is he?” He repeated, a sudden rush of adrenaline expelling his dark mood.

“I’m not sure! I mean, I didn’t see him until the guys were dragging him down the stairs. I just came straight here to tell you!”

Nanu squinted in suspicion. “You’ve never even seen this boy before, why risk your own hide by coming here?” He asked. “If I know anything about snitches, they’re not very popular.”

The youth was a little taken aback by this. His free hand sneaking to rub his neck, the grunt casted him a quick, almost shy glance.

“Sure, but…I mean, he’s just some dumb kid. I dunno how he got inside, but he was probably just looking for something exciting to do. It’s not fair to harass him like that.”

Searching his eyes for any trace of deceit, Nanu looked firmly at him. But the grunt didn’t seem to be lying. Maybe there were some good eggs in that basket of goons, too.

Deciding to put his trust in him, the kahuna let him go and without a word, headed outside.

The grunt followed his suit, exiting the Station. But instead of going after him, he lingered near the house, unwilling to go further. The old officer understood his situation well, the chances he would be taking Guzma’s place if he showed up with Nanu to rain on their parade were quite probable.

Facing the grunt one last time, Nanu flashed him his infamous crooked grin. “You’ve already done your part, I’ll take it from here.” He assured him.

“… Yeah. Okay.” With one more quick glance, he waved Nanu a short good bye, and they both headed to their separate ways.

Even though it was in their agreement, Nanu hardly ever visited the Po Town. Team Skull had already conquered the place when he moved his bones in the abandoned Police Station, and he honestly didn’t care what those little vandals did with their free time, as long as it didn’t include any innocent onlookers.
But now, as he approached the white walls that stood so tall they threatened to block the sky itself, he felt a dire need to get inside, post-haste.

That was the easy part. For once, as he arrived to the gates, there were no guards present, allowing the kahuna to simply walk inside.

Following the stony steps that took him deeper into the heart of Po Town, Nanu let his gaze wander the dead streets. This was indeed a gang territory.
Sniffing at the childish graffiti’s that sloppily decorated the streets and buildings like ugly tattoos, the only word Nanu could use to describe this place was a “dump”. And seemingly it was only going to get uglier.

In the middle of the main street was gathered a loose ring of what seemed like the majority of Team Skull.
Most of the teens were howling loudly, their teeth bared in excited grins like canine fangs. Fists were raised in the air and meaningful looks exchanged. The ones who couldn’t get close enough were jumping on a broken down car, desperately trying to see what was happening in the center of the action.

Not everyone was joining this fun however. On the outer ring lingered a smaller herd of unwilling participants. Compared to their more enthusiastic brothers and sisters, these kids were sharing nervous glances, brows ceased in worry. Like Mightyenas and Mareeps, Nanu couldn’t help but think as he laid his eyes on them.

But no matter which side they were on, all the teenagers were too focused on the main attraction to notice Nanu silently creeping closer and closer. Circling the group until he found a proper spot to peek inside, the kahuna straightened his back in order to get the best possible view.

In the middle of the ring were two people.

Standing with his hands tucked in his pockets and lips curved in a smug grin, a male grunt was looking rather pleased with himself.
He was quite tall, taller than most of these kids, and while he wasn’t exactly muscular, he was heavily built. The second person was indeed Guzma. Unlike his companion, he was lying on his side on the ground, hand furiously wiping his face to his sleeve. Taking quick breaths, he was glaring at the guy who stood over him with murder in his eyes.

At least his spirit wasn’t broken, Nanu thought as he watched a small trail of blood trickle from his nose before it was wiped off again.

“You didn’t have to punch him, Jay…” One girl from the outer ring uttered.

The grunt in question tore his gaze away from his prey for a second, aiming an arrogant glance on his female co-member.

“Didn’t hafta punch him?”

Eyes wandering back to Guzma, he watched the kid struggle to climb back on his feet.

“What do you think Boss had done to him if HE had found this brat snooping in his room, trying to steal his hard earned Z-Crystals?”

The thug took a long look over the crowd, before suddenly aiming a kick to sweep Guzma off of his feet. With a surprised yelp, he fell flat on his back on the ground again.

“Why, I think he would beat this kid down to a dust.”

Nanu had had enough. He was just about to step in and put an end to their game before it turned into carnage, but stopped when Guzma suddenly stood up to his tormentor.

“Yeah, keep barking you looser. You can shove me around, but do you have the guts to have a pokémon battle with me?”

Looking amused by his challenge, the grunt dropped down to crouch in front of the kid.

“So, lemme get this straight. You want me to beat down both you AND your pokémon?”

When Guzma just glared at him, the youth chuckled. “Man, you’re either stupid or masochistic, kid.” Apparently he couldn’t resist his baiting. Grabbing Guzma by his jacket, he stood up, bringing the kid on his feet with him.

“You’re on.”

Interested to see where this would go, Nanu crossed his arms. He would inspect the situation for a while longer.

Meanwhile, the two challengers took their positions. Showing off his “moves”, the grunt danced around for a while before tossing a pokéball high in the air. Soon, a Trubbish landed on the ground.

On his opposite, Guzma silently composed himself and simply released his partner. A wave of excited whispers rose in the air when his Pinsir appeared in the ring.

He’s a bug type user too? You think he was trying to join Team Skull? Don’t be stupid, that’s Nanu’s relative, there’s no way! But Boss might actually like him…

As the crowd’s attention was shifting towards Guzma, the wave of amazed whispers seemed to tick the grunt off. Clapping his hands together, he barked loudly:

“LADIES! Let’s focus on what’s important here!”

Giving Guzma a low snarl, the grunt pointed a finger towards him.

“I’m gonna show you all what happens to naughty little brats who sneak in here and try to steal from our boy.”

It made Nanu click his tongue in distaste. So, this idiot was a glory hawk? He was trying to gather brownie points in order to impress his leader, even if it meant beating up a child? Had the situation had been less dire, the kahuna might’ve laughed at the irony of this.

But the grunt was blissfully ignorant of who his opponent was. While he kept boasting, Guzma used this time and slipped his hand in his pocket, fumbling to grab something. It turned out to be a small bracelet.

Nanu, who in the heat of the moment had forgotten why he himself was after the kid, quirked his brow as something awfully familiar came to view. Swiping his thump over its bumpy surface once, Guzma proceeded to wear his stolen loot.
He had to push Nanu’s Z-Ring over the arm of his hoodie, as it was otherwise too big for his hand. Seemingly he had already done some alterations on it too; the slot where his Darkinium Z normally rested was now replaced with a Buginium crystal.

Somebody else was also paying attention on him. One of the girls standing close to Guzma gasped, before yelling:

HE HAS A Z-RING!

You could hear the entire crowd simultaneously taking in an admiring breath. Observing their reaction, Nanu had to remind himself that these kids were the ones that had drawn the short end of the stick, and for most of them, holding a Z-Ring was something that happened only in their dreams.

Taking a nervous double look of his Z-Ring, his opponent seemed to realize what the kid was up. Trying to prevent what was about to come, he hurried to give his pokémon a command.

“Trashy, attack with your mean Sludge!“

But he was too late. Almost feral glint passing his eyes, Guzma roared out his next words with such ferocity his voice echoed through the streets.

“SAVAGE SPIN-OUT!”

Sneakers kicking into the pavement while his hands travelled through the air, Guzma executed perfectly the necessary dance movements to trigger the Z move, like he had been practicing for this moment all of his life.

Nanu felt a spark of excitement bloom in his chest when the Buginium Z in his ring actually answered Guzma’s call. With a sharp buzz, the small shard lit up, its powerful gleam illuminating on the wet pavement.
Watching the kid standing there, his back straight and his whole being oozing with confidence, it was… interesting to witness someone else using his Z-Ring. It was like Acerola had said, Z-Rings didn’t have “one master”, but a certain level of emotion was always attached to them.

Guzma’s Pinsir was also starting to glow in a golden hue, the strength that stemmed from the bond between a pokémon and its trainer enveloping it with energy that’d help it unleash its fury.

Everything was going accordingly, but then, without a warning the Z-Crystal zapped brightly before buzzing one last time. Its glow then got weaker and started to fade.

The kid was fast to notice this. A twist of horror taking over his face, Guzma lifted his writs to see what was happening. The last remains of the green shimmer reflected in his eyes before the Buginium Z shut down and once again became a piece of dead stone it was.

Nobody had been expecting this. Each and every single grunt had fallen silent the moment Guzma started executing the feared Z-move. Still trapped in this trance, Po Town was so quiet you could hear the soft rain drumming on the pavement.

Finally the grunt Guzma was facing broke into an ugly laugh. “What the hell was that? You have a Z-Ring that you can’t even use? Man, this kid is even worse clown than I thought.”

Soon, the others followed his suit.

Oh man, what a rip-off! I’ve never seen anyone screw up a Z-move before. For a moment I thought he was kinda cool, but that kid is even worse than we are!

The amazement was replaced with laughter. Even the ones who had joined Guzma’s torment reluctantly were now snickering next to Nanu. The kahuna ignored the mixture of feelings that tried to swell inside his chest, instead focusing a hard stare on the kid.

While standing there as a public laughing stock, Guzma still hadn’t moved. Completely frozen to his place, his eyes were looking almost hollow as he kept staring at the crystal on his wrist.

“What are you going to do now?” Nanu whispered to himself. The fact he had failed wasn’t so important, but rather, how he was going to pick up the pieces.

Pinsir was also growing restless. Twisting its upper body, it gave Guzma a questioning click with its pincers. Watching the bug trying to connect with its trainer, the grunt threw it a mocking stare before stating:

“Pffft, what a crybaby. Seems like your pokémon is just as pathetic as you are.”

That did the trick. As if someone had physically slapped him, Guzma’s head snapped up. For a second, he stared at the grunt with wide eyes. Then, untamed fury started pouring in those gray pools, filling his gaze with thunder. His hands squeezed into tight fists and Guzma screamed again, so loud it rumbled over their mocking yaps.

“PINSIR! USE BRICK BREAK!”

Once launched into a fit of rage, Guzma was fast to reveal his true colors. Despite their failure to use the Z-Ring, Pinsir showed the same skill and strength it had while battling with Nanu’s Honcrow. And this time, his opponent wasn’t a kahuna either, but one badmouthed buffoon with no skill to his name. Trubbish didn’t last even for a minute.

As the grunt was forced to draw out his team to go against Pinsir, all of his choices proved to be a mixture of low level poison and fire types. While Guzma had the elemental weakness, one by one the bug knocked its opponents out like it was nothing.

The grunt had been shocked for the first couple of rounds, and now he was starting to look desperate. His Salandit was his last pokémon to enter the battle and by the looks of it, it would soon be meeting the same fate as the others. Getting his whole team ripped apart by a mere 10-year old would be devastatingly humiliating. Nevertheless, the youth wasn’t giving up.

Buffing his chest in a futile attempt to appear confident, the grunt snorted: “It’s your time to shine, Sazz! Teach that squirt a lesson with your crazy flames, yo!”

This promised fiery inferno turned out to be nothing more than an ember. Guzma just eyed him darkly, before voicing his command monotonously.

“X-Scissor.”

Taking the small burst of fire head on, Pinsir seemed just as unimpressed as its trainer when it dived through the flames. With a brutish strength, it crushed its opponent between its horns before tossing the squealing lizard high in the air.

The Salandit flew like a ragdoll across the ring, before landing on its back with a pained scream. For a moment it looked like it was about to faint, but it managed to roll over and climb back on its feet. It was an act of pure stubbornness, however. Wobbling to keep its balance, its hind legs were already giving out. Guzma was just inches away from winning this fight

As their battle had taken an unexpected turn, the crowd around him was also starting to grow restless. No one had expected this weird intruder to be a tough challenger, and the Skull members were buzzing with worried whispers of how they would explain everything to their admin if the kid actually won. While the teens got louder by the minute, it was then that Nanu heard a faint sound of a pokéball opening and something flew over his head.

The high screech was their only warning before a burst of flames emerged from the sky, hitting Pinsir from outside of the ring. Unable to dodge this surprise attack, the bug was enveloped in fire.

“Need a hand here, bro?”

Coming to view, another grunt pushed his way through the crowd and stepped inside the ring. Heading towards his friend, a Talonflame circled over his head, giving out a second shriek.

The grunt, who had been visibly sweating while battling Guzma, relaxed at the sight of his backup entering the battle.
Releasing yet another pokémon from its ball, the second grunt officially joined their fight. This time out came a Garbodor; seemingly this guy was a little more noteworthy trainer than his friend.

Meanwhile, kneeling on the ground, Pinsir wasn’t doing so well. There was a dark patch of smoldering shell on its back, which suspiciously looked like a burn. Their unexpected attack had been devastatingly successful.

The kahuna clicked his tongue in dismay, but he wasn’t surprised. From the beginning, he had had an itch they wouldn’t let Guzma win that easily. Playing dirty was the only quality these youngsters shined.

The kid, however, was livid. Momentarily forgetting the unfortunate issue of his current age and how nobody seemed to recognize him, he still tried to act like he was the big and bad Boss of his gang.

“What are you freaking numbskulls doing? How dare you?” Eyes wide in disbelief for this show of arrogance, he raised his fist towards them. The teens just found this exceedingly funny.

“Aww, what’s the matter? Forgot that you’re playing with the big boys?” His original opponent cooed.

“Yeah, you want a clean game, go back battling with your grandma!”

While the two idiots high-fived each other, Talonflame and Garbodor took their position, surrounding Pinsir. It was now three against one.

Nanu had seen enough. Tapping the grunt blocking his way on the shoulder, he grinned as the guy turned to look at him.

“Excuse me.”

“… OH SHIT!”

The reaction he was able to summon was cumulative. When one of the grunts realized Nanu was present, soon they all hurried to back away from him.

Making his way calmly through the path the grunts had cleared for him, the kahuna didn’t feel like he had to hurry in order to join the fun. His soon-to-be opponents were both gaping at him, trapped to their place like a couple of Deerlings in headlights. This didn’t apply on Guzma, however.

For a second, the kid looked like he might’ve tried to bolt away, but the warning stared Nanu aimed at him was enough to hold him still. With a reluctant “tssk”, he accepted his fate. Busted, again. Coming to stand next to Guzma, Nanu extended his hand towards him.

“I’ll take that back now.” Despite his mellow tone, it wasn’t a plea but an order.

Knowing full well he had screwed up, the kid hurried to obey. Quickly swapping the Z-Crystal with Nanu’s own, Guzma dropped the ring out of his hand and gave it back to the kahuna.

The grunts kept eyeing their exchange curiously, frowning at each other in confusion. It made Nanu call out to them:

“Mind if I join you kids? It looks like you’re one player short.”

Guzma looked surprised for his claim, but didn’t say anything. Neither of the grunts was stupid enough to sass him for his sarcastic retort either. His familiar Z-Ring wrapped around his wrist, the kahuna was ready for a battle.

Taking a second to consider his choice, Nanu tossed out his ultra ball with a lazy flick of a wrist and a striped gator joined the fun. Appearing next to Pinsir, Krokorok snapped its yaws in intimidation. It successfully caused the opposing team to back away, clearing more room for their battle.

Casting a small glance towards Guzma who stood at his side, Nanu could almost feel his crystal resonate his dark mood, calling him to use it. But this was not the time. He wanted to give the kid a small lesson in battling.

Guzma, on his part, was also giving him fast looks. When it seemed Nanu wasn’t going to say anything, he turned to give his pokémon a command:

“Pinsir, use…” His words were cut when Nanu suddenly snapped his fingers at him. Startled, Guzma jerked back, blinking in confusion.

“Take it slow. Since we don’t have any water types in our use, first you need something to protect your pokémon from those flames.” As he spoke, Nanu’s eyes were fixed on the Talonflame. It was the only one of that pack that could do some actual damage.

“My Pinsir is more adapted in head-on combat. We don’t really have any moves to boost stats or anything.”

“Then switch it.”

Looking sour for being told what to do, Guzma still pulled his Pinsir out to switch it with Masquerain. Soon, the moth-like creature materialized in the air.

“Do Water Sport. “ Guzma uttered his second command and the pokémon wrapped itself in a thick veil of water. Chirping happily, it soaked its body.

“Good. Now, it’s up to you to take care of that Talonflame. My Krokorok doesn’t do well with flying types, after all.”

Giving him a curt nod, Guzma begun their assault: “Masquerain, Energy Ball!”

A familiar sight of green energy gathering in front of it, the bug soon released its attack. To avoid being hit, Talonflame shot skywards, Masquerain following hot on its heels. Both of the flying pokémon soared high in the air, leaving the battle ring behind.

Satisfied with this, Nanu shifted his attention towards his own party member. While he had been busy guiding Guzma, the grunts had taken a head start. His Krokorok had been subjected to one of Garbodor’s sludge attacks, its muzzle now covered in thick slime. It was time for a payback.

“Krokorok, use Swagger on that Salandit”

Shaking the last remains of black goo from its face, Krokorok swayed its body aggravatingly, enchanting its target with fury.

Flames bursting from its marks, Salandit first shook its head violently in confusion, before jumping on Garbodors back and sinking its claws into its flesh. It probably didn’t hurt that big pile of garbage too much, but it worked just like Nanu had hoped.

Disturbed by its ally’s scratches, Garbodor whirled around, trying to reach the small lizards with its tube-like hands. Salandit countered this by quickly scuttling away, aiming bursts of ember towards the offending limbs.

Meanwhile, the two grunts were flabbergasted at the sight of their pokémon attacking each other.

“What are you doing Sazz?! Stop attacking, that’s your bro!” Hand slapping on his temple, he yelled impatiently.

“Squash that lizard already and go for the Krokorok!” The other grunt growled.

“HEY! Don’t you dare to hurt my Salandit, yo!”

“But…”

While the grunts bickered, Nanu turned his eyes skywards. The actual battle was happening up there, after all.

Flying in tight circles, the two aerial pokémon were testing their strengths. It wasn’t a fair match however, and the bird was successfully menacing its much smaller opponent.
Masquerain was showing good spirit, but it still barely managed to avoid the huge talons that constantly tried to grab onto it. The attacks were fierce, but there was a downside in breaking the rules and using two pokémon at the same time. Talonflame had to fight with its instinct only, as its trainer was… otherwise occupied. It gave Guzma a fair edge.

“Nice job Masquerain! Now, use Icy Wind!” Guzma yelled, trying his best to encourage his pokémon.

Diving dangerously close, Masquerain successfully avoided being caught once again and released a burst of cold air. Talonflame screeched when the attack hit it in close distance, frost gathering around its body.
Trying to counter the attack, the bird wrapped itself into a fiery vortex, but its flames failed to reach its wings. There was a small patch of frozen ice around its right wing that didn’t get expelled. It brought a grin to Nanu’s lips; there was some karma for you.

That being said, Masquerain still had to pay a price for its bold move. Not fast enough to fly away, it took a Flame Charge head on.

A distressed yelp escaped Guzma’s throat as he watched the second time his pokémon being engulfed in the bird’s flames. Nanu also felt his heart beat fasten, waiting to see the outcome.

To their equal relief, Masquerain managed to pull it off. A trail of smoke following after it, the bug sprinted away from the predatory birds reach.
Even though the battle was happening high in the air, the kahuna could see water evaporating into steamy mist from all over its body. There went its protection, but without Water Sport, that attack alone would’ve been enough to finish Masquerain.

Despite their slim escape of being knocked out, Guzma was getting anxious again. Fidgeting impatiently, he kept glaring angrily at their opponent, instead of trying to aid his own pokémon.
Reading his body language, Nanu felt certain he hadn’t even noticed how successful their Icy Wind had been, and gave him a small hint.

“How about you use the damage your Masquerain caused to your advantage?”

Brows furrowing, Guzma threw him a quick glance, before squinting harder at the Talonflame. It took him a second, then: “Nice.” Slowly, a smile spread on his lips.

“Masquerain! Aim your Energy Ball on its right side and knock that dumb vulture down from the sky!”

Nanu had been right. With its wing frozen, Talonflame’s speed had dropped drastically, allowing the bug type to take a free shot at it. A green ball of energy was released again, this time sweeping its target with it. Giving out one last shriek, Talonflame fell from the sky.

As the bird’s unconscious body slammed hard on the ground, it was as if a magic spell had been broken. The quarreling pokémon, as well as their trainers, all stopped their bickering.

Claiming the finishing touches for himself, Nanu grinned menacingly at them. Now that Guzma had taken down their main opponent, it was time to end this.

“Krokorok, Earthquake.”

His partner seemed to equally like the idea. Roaring out almost a jolly sound, Krokorok slammed its tail hard on the ground, creating a quake that shook the whole street.

There wasn’t much you could after that. Getting swallowed in the earthquake, both Salandit and Garbodor faced the same fate as the Talonflame just moments ago. Before their fainted team members were lost in the grumbling earth, the grunts retrieved them back in their pokéballs.

The pokémons weren’t the only ones suffering from their rejoice either. The teens, who had been following the fight in muted awe, shook along with the earth. Surprised yells and panicked screams emerged all around them as the entirety of Team Skull literally turned their tail and fled.

Watching them bump into each other in their haste of getting away from the kahuna and his pokémon, Nanu felt a small drop of sweat forming on his brow.

… Maybe he had over done it a little.

Nevertheless, the match was finally over and it resolved in their victory. And there was still one more deed left undone.

Retrieving Krokorok back to its ball, the kahuna started walking calmly towards the two ruffians, his eyes glued on the one that had been menacing Guzma.
Seemingly his intimidating approach was a little too much for the sidekick who had so eagerly joined his friend earlier. Now that the fun was over and it was time to pay the price, he was quick to show his underbelly. Pacing nervously back and forth, he took off before Nanu could come to arms reach.

Luckily the one who had started this nonsense wasn’t as cowardly, it made things a lot easier for him.

Waiting sullenly until the kahuna got close, the grunt blinked dumbly when Nanu offered his hand for shaking. “It’s polite to shake hands after a good match.” He told him curtly.

The grunt was right to be wary as he slowly extended his own hand in order to shake Nanu’s. First it seemed like the kahuna was going to accept it, but instead he ended up grabbing a fistful of the delinquent’s tank top, before pulling the surprised youth close to him. Whispering to his ear, he finally let his anger seep through his lips like venom:

“If anything like this happens again, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your youth behind the bars.” Maybe it was a little exaggerated, but what was the point of scaring the guy if he wasn’t doing a diligent job?

He could hear the grunts breath hitch in rather satisfying manner, before letting him go. Fast, like Nanu’s touch had burned him, the youth leaped backwards, crouching down to keep his head low.

“I assume I’ve made my point clear?”

“No! I mean YES! Yes, sir. Crystal.” Shrinking further under his burning gaze, he slowly kept backing away from the kahuna. When he was certain the older man wasn’t going to say anything more, he turned around and run off like there was no tomorrow.

With that last buffoon out of the way, all the members of Team Skull had vanished like whining Wimpods from the scene, not even a footprint was left behind. But as a testament to their battle, there was now a gaping hole in the middle the main street. The grunts would have grand old time trying to explain that to their admin.

Not feeling guilty even a slightest, Nanu was also ready to leave Po Town in his dust.

Turning towards the exit, he didn’t say anything to Guzma as he passed him, fair amount of frustration still stirring in his system. He was certain that the kid understood this, but he still heard small footsteps thudding after him, following in his wake.

Then again, where else would he go? Guzma had been kicked out of his kingdom and his own had smitten him.

--xx--

With the stoic kahuna leading the way, their short trip from Po Town to his home ended almost too soon. Neither of them shared a word as the familiar sight of his Police Station came to view, but as soon as they got inside, the kid opened his mouth.

“I was going to give it back, you know.” Snorting softly, he had the gall to sound almost accusing.

Taking his flip-flops off, Nanu didn’t answer him.

“Don’t make a scene out of this old man. I only wanted to borrow it a bit, and I…!”

His babbling stopped when Nanu turned to meet his eyes. His mouth pursed in a tight line, that one disapproving stare was enough to make the brat drop his act. Breaking their eye contact, Guzma sighed and swallowed hard.

Keeping up his silent treatment, the kahuna just shook his head and motioned Guzma to follow him. Not waiting to see if he obeyed or not, Nanu calmly crossed his apartment, making his way to the bathroom. The small cabinet under his sink had everything he needed to execute what was coming next.

While Nanu was busy searching the drawer for these wanted items, his ward arrived.
During his short trip to the bathroom, all the fight had left Guzma. Now, as he stood in the doorway, he looked like he was marching to his own death. It made the kahuna ease his frown a little before he told him gruffly:

“Boy, I’m not going to eat you. Come here.”

Still hesitant to be in close quarters with him, the kid padded inside painfully slow, his hand bringing the door close. Nanu paid no attention in his stalling. Ripping open a packet of cotton pads, he gestured towards the closed lid of the toilet.

“Good. Now, sit. And take your jacket off.”

There was a sound of a zipper being opened, before his hoodie collapsed into a dirty heap on the floor. A moment later, Guzma sat down, as far away from Nanu as possible.

Dampening a cotton pad in antiseptic liquid, Nanu kneeled in front of him. As he leaned closer to inspect his wounds, Guzma avoided meeting his eyes.
His whole face was a mess, and along with a still bleeding scrape on his elbow, the kahuna noted how his other nostril was looking suspiciously wet. At least it didn’t seem like anything needed stitching.

Nodding to himself, Nanu set to work. Using his free hand to lift Guzma’s chin, he started gently wiping the stains of mud and blood away. Hands squeezing the fabric of his shorts, Guzma sat perfectly still during this treatment, letting the kahuna tend to his wounds. Every now and then, there was a small hiss or sniff, but he didn’t openly complain.

As the dirt scrubbed off, it became clear that the damage the kid had suffered looked worse than it actually was. He was covered in cuts and scratches from being tossed around, but the Skull idiot had had enough sense to go somewhat easy on him. His only significant injury was a large reddish-blue bruise that was starting to form on his cheekbone.

Once he was finished cleaning his wounds, Nanu moved to the next part. Peeling the package open with his teeth, he unwrapped first of the many band-aids he was going to need.

When Nanu added one on his cheek, the kid closed his eyes and leaned against his touch.

”I was going to give it back, I swear.” Nudging his fingers lightly, he tried again. This time, there was a trace of guilt in his voice.

Pausing to take a deep breath, Nanu sighed tiredly. ”Didn’t you learn anything from the malasada incident?” Considering the events during the past two hours, it was a rhetorical question.

“OUCH!”

Nanu winched at the sudden scream.

”Cripes, kid. I’m not deaf.”

He said it, but the kahuna immediately tried to be even more gentle as he added the plasters on Guzma. They varied from a range of pink, purple and yellow, all having different kind of character themes. Purple ones with Drifloons, yellows with Combees and the ones he tried to add less than the others; pink with Skitties.

… He had originally bought these in case Acerola was visiting and hurt herself, so sue him if they were a bit girly.

Once he was all patched-up, Nanu took a step back and looked him up. The sight was absolutely miserable. He had a feeling there was something more on Guzma’s mind, other than being in trouble for ”lending” his Z-ring. Taking a wild guess, the kahuna questioned:

”Was he a good friend of yours? The guy who roughened you up?”

”… No. I don’t even know who that was.”

Nanu gave the kid a blank stare. Some gang leader you are, not even knowing your own crew.
He didn’t have to say it out loud, Guzma read his thoughts from his face. Wiping a fresh trickle of blood from his nose, he sniffed.

”We just had new recruits coming in, four days before this!” Gesturing to himself he explained.

” ’S not like I’m going to recognize every one of them right away….”

Fair enough.

Hand reaching to grab the package, Guzma rolled up a small ball of cotton and stuffed it in his bleeding nostril. Trying to dig more reasons out of him, Nanu sat on the brim of the bathtub and crossed his arms.

“So, why to sneak in the mansion? Getting homesick or something?”

Guzma just snorted. “Yeah, right. I had to go and grab one Buginium Z from my room.”

“And why would you even have one of those?” He had no Z-Ring after all, the kahuna saw no sense in owning a useless Z-Crystal.

“No reason, I just collect them.”

Trying to prop answers out of Guzma when he didn’t want to give anything away was like trying to catch smog with your bare hands. He was sure he would never hear what was bothering the kid so much, but was proven wrong. Nanu was taken off-guard when Guzma suddenly looked him squarely in the eyes and asked:

“There’s something wrong with me, isn’t there?”

Not following this sudden train of though, Nanu didn’t say anything. Despite his silence, Guzma carried on:

“Hala never let me have a Z-Ring of my own. He told me I lacked the “spirit” to use it, and before I figured out some deep stuff, he couldn’t give me one. I always thought he was bluffing but… “

Gaze dropping on the ring that was now back on its owners wrist, he finished with a sigh:

“I really can’t use it.”

Nanu had hard time countering that. In truth, even he had never seen a Z-Crystal dying in the middle of a performance before. And so, his next words were a gamble, but he had already made up his mind about this.

“Who knows? Maybe he is right, and you lack the spirit.” He didn’t have to see Guzma’s face to know his words cut deep, yet he wasn’t finished: “But the chances are, Hala could also be wrong. Instead of stealing them, why don’t you try and earn your own Z-Crystal? Maybe it’ll help you figure out what you need along the way.”

He was not Hala. He didn’t have his patience or his experience in giving guidance. He had never considered himself to be right material for that.
But after what he had witnessed today, there was something that kept sparking his interest, like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Just like the first time when he battled with Guzma, there was a rush of excitement passing through his being, something he hadn’t felt in years. Something he hadn’t even realized he had been missing. Guzma was gutsy, almost to a point it was infuriating, and if that hardheadedness was pushed into a right direction, something interesting might come out.

“…Like, win a pokémon battle against you and get a crystal? I gave up on my island trials years ago.” Guzma frowned at him like he was trying to figure out what the catch was. Despite his company’s open skepticism, Nanu just shrugged.

“I don’t care if you’re doing that thing or not. I’m not big on the traditions, really. ”

“Pffft, well, what ever. I’ve already battled you once and we both know how that went.” Guzma muttered.

Pondering how he was going to word his next answer, the kahuna ended up being truthfully blunt: “I don’t think there is that big of a gap between us. As trainers, I mean.”

Guzma’s brows shot up at this sudden revelation. Searching his face for an answer, he was clearly bewildered.

“Then why…?”

“Why I was able to kick your behind back to next Tuesday on Akala?” The kahuna grinned.
Guzma threw him a dirty look, but his attempts of intimidation just made him look like an angry Poochyena. It was amusing, but now wasn’t a good time to keep ruffling his feathers.

“Your problem is that you loose your temper. The moment you feel like things aren’t going your way, you blow your fuse and try to bully your opponent into submission. Instead of going for that direction, if you just kept your cool and gave it a little thought, I bet things would turn out very differently.”

He did mean what he said. The kid had some talent, but it wasn’t enough. His bad temper was his biggest issue, both as a trainer and an individual. Even now, the way Guzma was scowling at Nanu’s bathroom rug was a testament to that. Unable to word his frustration, the kid just shrugged in exaggerated manner.

“I could show you how to do it.” With a small smirk, the kahuna offered. He was about to add that it was all up to the kid, but Guzma spoke first:

“You mean… To actually teach me how to battle against you?”

Shaking his head, Nanu explained: “Not just me. To battle in a way you can bring out the best potential both you and your team have.”

While Guzma just stared at him in stunned silence, the kahuna added:

“But I must warn you, I’m nothing like your islands kahuna. I’m not a teacher or a master. If you want to get better, you have to work hard for it. No one’s going to chew it for you, but I can point you into a right direction.”

“That’s fine with me, I’m never looking to have a master again.”

They fell silent for a moment.

“Why? Why would you offer me something like that?” Guzma asked.

Nanu had his reasons. A small part of it was selfish; a wish to relive something he thought he had already lost. But the bigger portion, one that was a mystery to himself too… It was based on a gut feeling. The same kind that made him secure Guzma’s back while he knew he should be siding with Hala. No questions asked.

Out loud, he told him: “Persian has been getting awfully lazy lately. Having a regular sparring partner should do it good.” It was somewhat true. His Persian hadn’t lost a battle in a while, and now the feline was getting too confident of its own skills. Having someone to put up a fierce fight would be a welcomed change. Plus he was sure its waist was getting a bit thicker…

The sudden reminder of food brought a terrifying realization upon him.

“Cat food!”

Slamming his palms on his legs, Nanu bolted up. His sudden yell made Guzma jump up as well, and he stared Nanu in startled confusion.
He had completely forgotten to feed his Meowths in the morning. Now their dinner was already hours late and if he kept the small devils waiting much longer, all hell would break loose.

Nanu was already hurrying out of the bathroom, but stopped when Guzma asked carefully:

”So, uh…You’re not mad about what happened?”

One smile included glare was enough to send the message. With a soft groan, Guzma grimaced.

”Don’t worry. Watching you do some community service will help me to forget and forgive this little mishap.”

It took a second for his words to sink in. But once they did, it was in rather satisfying manner. ”WHAT!” Eyes big as saucers, Guzma shrieked. He looked absolutely horrified.

”Rest up well tonight, we’ll get to that first thing tomorrow morning.”

With that, the kahuna finally slipped through the door. It was a case closed and justice would soon be served. His grin only widened when he heard Guzma moaning in despair:

”Drat!”

--xx--

He hadn’t been kidding when he said they would start early. When the first Fearows started their morning calls, Nanu shooed the kid out of the bed and ordered him to take a shower. An hour later, the kahuna was up on the roof, balancing on top of a ladder. With a wet “splat”, he shucked a clump of leaves down.

“This is stupid!”

Face twisted in disgust, Guzma scooped the mushy leaves up and quickly deposited them into an open garbage bag.

“Doing something useful for a change is not going to kill you. After we’re done here, you’ll get to clean the grass areas from clutter on route 15 and 16, all by yourself.” Nanu threw another fistful of dead leaves over the edge. This earned him a frustrated groan, but Guzma was playing along otherwise nicely.

While yesterday had been a stressful experience, there was one upside to all of this. Now, he didn’t have to ask Guzma’s help to clean after the storm. From his point of view, the place would practically tidy itself up.

“Why do we have to clean the roof? Isn’t wind going to blow all this garbage away?”

“Wind doesn’t clean the gutters. Besides, we don’t want any of those branches to fall on an unsuspecting passer by.”

“…You’re worried about your Meowths, aren’t you? They’re the only living things that willingly hang around here.” The kid accused, sounding bored.

Deeming his gutters passable, Nanu straightened his back for a short break. Gaze wandering in the distance, his lips curved lightly as he spotted something familiar heading down the road and towards his Station.

“A Meowth, certainly. And occasionally a young lady, too.”

Guzma also turned his head to see what was coming. Plumeria and Golisopod were still merely silhouettes at the other end of the road, yet unmistakable in their approach. Once close enough, she cupped her hand around her mouth and yelled: “No fair, you ruined my surprise!”

Arriving in front of the house, the Skull admin took in the sight of rather sheepish Guzma, standing there in his work attire. He was wearing Nanu’s old t-shirt again, since the kahuna had claimed his new clothes too nice for all the dirty work he was supposed to get done.

“Nice bandages.”

“Can it Plumes!”

Before they could exchange anything else, Golisopod charged in. Seeing its trainer after being apart for days, the big bug launched itself towards the boy. Guzma’s own smile revealed his excitement, he was clearly as impatient to get in touch with his favorite team member.

Running to meet the bug in the middle, Golisopod dived down, allowing Guzma to half-climb over its head before lifting the kid up. Running his palms over its back, he rubbed its shell in broad circles.
While those two got rowdy, Nanu also climbed down from the roof to properly greet the Skull admin. Using the moment to light himself a cigarette, he nodded at the girl.

“I see you made it through the storm.”

With a small glint of mischief passing her eyes, she deadpanned: “Yeah, I did. With no help whatsoever.”

Nanu just grunted silently. He had a feeling she would keep taunting him with that for a long while.

The moment was interrupted by a small laugh. Face split in a wide grin, Guzma was in the air for a moment, before landing on his belly. Golisopod was playfully bouncing him up and down on its back, like he was riding the bug in a rodeo.

“Don’t toss him around too much! He already looks like he went through a shredder.” Plumeria yelled at the duo, while raising a brow at the kahuna. It was her silent way of asking “What The Heck?”. Aiming his eyes in the sky, Nanu took a deep drag of his cigarette.

“…It’s a long story.”

He was saved from any follow-up questions when Guzma suddenly made an announcement:

“By the way Plumes, I think I wanna swap my team.” He informed, sliding down from Golisopod’s back.

“Gurrrppp!” The bug immediately protested, gurgling small foam of bubbles. Nanu just blinked at it with a twist of awe. How could anything that only whirred and burped bubbles sound so rejected and offended at the same time, he didn’t know.

Guzma, on the other hand, seemed to understand it perfectly well.

“Not you dummy, you stay with me. But Pinsir and Masquerain could use some time away from he cats.” He bumped his fist lightly against the isopods stomach, which earned him a relieved whiz.

With that, Guzma turned to give his admin a questioning stare.

“Fine with me.” She agreed.

After that, they didn’t stay for long. Claiming she had to get herself a Komala Coffee, they headed back towards the Pokémon Center on route 16. Guzma let her lead the way, stalling near the Station for a while. When Plumeria was out of the earshot, he turned to address Nanu.

“I’ll, uh, collect the trash on my way back, okay? I want to catch up with her a little.” He whispered. Quickly tucking an extra garbage bag in his pocket, he gave the kahuna a pleading look.

“I’ll be checking your progress later today, keep that in mind.” With a deep hum, he relented. There was enough work to keep him busy for a while, after all. One little break couldn’t hurt.

Nanu didn’t miss the quick insult Guzma made at him by sticking his tongue out, but nevertheless, the kid seemed pleased. Watching the assorted trio head down the dirt road, he suddenly realized something.

They never agreed on it, verbally. No handshakes, no festivities, nothing. Their promise was made in silence, yet it was as good of a vow as any other. From now on, along with everything else, he would also be guiding the kid in the complicated art of being a pokémon trainer.

And while the kahuna wouldn’t say he was excited by the idea, there was a small, tingling feeling in his palms.

Chapter Text

The air was filled with a lingering smell of cooked eggs and bacon. Both Guzma and Nanu were sitting in the kitchen, gathered around the table for breakfast. Golisopod was in their company too, taking its late morning nap under the table. Every now and then Nanu could hear the bug whirr in sleepy delight, the kid was probably scratching its smooth shell with his feet and soon the whole table shook in the rhythm of its movements.

Despite the small interruptions, they had sat in comfortable silence for a good while now, Nanu with his newspaper folded open as Guzma had his focus solemnly fixed on his meal. The bottom of his face covered in pieces of scrambled eggs, the boy suddenly stated:

“Mmm’ gonna see Plumeria today.”

Surprised by this announcement, the officer peeked over his paper, regarding him silently before asking: “Is she coming over?”

That wasn’t anything unusual, she had visited them only four days ago when Guzma had wanted to swap his team. Judging by the fact he felt like announcing this, Nanu suspected todays visit was more important than her casual ones. Fork scratched the plate as Guzma shoveled the last remaining pieces of his breakfast into his mouth. A short nod. No wonder he was in such a hurry, then.

“Yeah, but we’re heading out. Gonna visit Akala.” Mouth still full, he muttered.

Upon hearing that, Nanu's brow furrowed almost involuntarily. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, especially after what happened last time.” The memory of the malasada scandal still made him cringe a little.

His answer came in a form of an exaggerated mumble and Guzma trying to explain himself with gestures.

“Chillax, we’re only going to the beach.” He managed after a hearty swallow, but his sharp tone made it clear he didn’t think he needed Nanu’s permission to begin with. Ignoring this, Nanu put his paper down for good and fixed a serious eye on the kid, who had started to look reluctant to answer any more questions.

“Why on earth do you need to go that far? There's a fine beach on the route 15.”

Wolfing down his glass of Pinap juice, Guzma shook his head. “It's a Mantine surfing challenge, we're gonna have a race.” He revealed, looking at him almost expectantly.

“...You know how to surf?”

Face splitting in a confident grin, the kid beamed. “Heck yeah, I’ve been doing Mantine surfing ever since I was a teen! Plumeria likes to challenge me for a race every now and then, but she just can’t beat ya boy!“

Nanu didn’t have time to second-guess his gloating, just then Golisopod moved under the table, shaking it violently. While Nanu hurried to grab his coffee mug before it dropped on the floor, Guzma used this distraction to escape his interrogation.

“I'm gonna pack some stuff!”

Surprisingly, he heard a quiet “thanks” as the kid vanished from the view and gave up. Deciding to confirm the story when Plumeria came, Nanu already knew he didn't have the kind of energy to really try to stop their plans. Young people and their tiresome need for activities.

Alone and not feeling like finishing his now soggy eggs, Nanu waited until he was sure Guzma had busied himself in the bathroom. Once the coast was clear, he peeked under the table. Golisopod was fully awake, looking expectantly at him with its tiny eyes.

Winking at it in a sign of comradery, he handed his plate to the waiting bug. This earned him a happy whirr and a small brush with the antennas, before Golisopod dived in to take care of the scraps. Watching it gobble down the food, Nanu had a feeling Guzma would have a fit if he knew he kept pampering the bug with “extra goodies”, but… No need to waste good food, after all. Golisopod was starting to grow on him.

Besides, he couldn't use his sink OR trashcan in a meantime. As the kahuna had learned first thing in the morning, they both were covered in sticky cobweb. Ever since Guzma had swapped his team, this had become his new reality.
The culprit for this wasn’t a mystery. Ariados was a wild and territorial creature, going on about tricks worthy enough in their wickedness to rival his Meowths’ shenanigans. Currently it was trying to get cozy in its new habitat by covering the ground it roamed with its webs. Guzma explained it had done the same things in the mansion too. While it was adjusting, Nanu would have to swallow this inconvenience and buy something to remove the webbing. He wasn’t going to keep sticking to his walls like a Cutiefly on a flypaper.

He had liked the first half of Guzma's team better than the newcomers in general. He didn't have anything bad to say about his Scissor, except for its tendency to scare the living soul out of him. It was a shy creature and a complete opposite to the arachnid. It would quietly hover around the house when on a loose, making next to no sound as it travelled. Nanu still wasn’t used to seeing anything human-sized creep in the room from the corner of his eye, especially after the dark.

But above everything else, there was a habit Nanu hated the most; someone had started gnawing the cat food packages open. The pellets that didn’t get gobbled by the wandering pokémon were spilled all over the floor and got stuck on his feet as he accidentally stepped on them. Nanu had tolerated this for the first couple of days, but he was getting irritated having to clean the extra mess.

Interrogating Guzma about it was futile as well, the kid refused to frame any of his pokémon as the culprit. Of course he couldn’t tell for sure it wasn’t one of his own that had gotten a new whim, but… Whoever was behind this vandalism, he would have to put an end to it preferably sooner than later.

“I don’t suppose it's you, or is it? You sure have the appetite…” The kahuna accused teasingly, knowing the bug in question wasn't the culprit. Unlike its trainer, it was actually pretty well mannered. When Golisopod lifted its head from the plate in confusion, its pink tongue still showing, Nanu simply gave it a sloppy grin.

A sharp knock from the hallway cut their little moment of bonding. When there was no sign of Guzma getting it, Nanu sat up and went to open the door for Plumeria. He had his questions for their daily plan already sorted out, but all his thoughts died as soon as he saw the girl.
It was indeed Plumeria who stood on his doorstep, a light smile gracing her lips. Yet her unusually cheery mood wasn’t what made Nanu take a double look on the young woman. He could honestly say this was the first time ever he had seen the Team Skull admin without any make up.

Apparently amused by the fact Nanu was staring at him, she asked almost sweetly: “So, officer, is my disguise passable for the day?”

She had a simple, white tank top on, ripped shorts and a trendy beach bag. To go along with her modest attire, she was also wearing her long locks on a tight hair bun. Not waiting for him to answer, she gave her hairdo a small poke.

“Just messing with you. I know it’s not much of a change, but since we’re on a move together, I’m trying to draw as little attention on myself as possible.” She did look a little uncomfortable in her unusual get up.

Nodding his head in approval, Nanu just hummed. Any actual comments on her overall appearance just didn’t seem appropriate, even though the outcome was good. Despite her criticism, Nanu had a serious doubt even he wouldn't have recognized her if she casually passed him on a street while looking like that.

There was faint stomping coming from inside and finally Guzma appeared behind him, tugging the straps of his small backpack. With white slivers of hastily added sunscreen on his face and wearing Nanu’s old pilot glasses (where did that little Yungoos even find them?), he was also looking ready for their day out.

Plumeria eyed him approvingly. “Looks good. Ready to go and get your tail end kicked?”

“Don’t be a sore loser before you’ve even lost, Plumes!” The boy gave her a rare, toothy smile that was meant to go with his taunting words, but he was clearly exited about this.

She faked a laugh, before squinting at him menacingly: “Seriously thou, if you try to push me off of the Mantine Ride this time, I’m going to end you squirt!”

“That never happened! You fell on your own!”

As they bickered in a good humor, it was making it hard for Nanu to voice his concern. Hand sneaking to rub his hair, he held back a small sigh. This didn’t seem like too great of an idea, but they both looked so darn happy to spend some time together. And the kid probably even needed this. After his collision with Team Skull, Guzma hadn't poked his head out as often as he used to. While TV offered him a small distraction, Nanu knew that boredom was a growing problem he suffered while inside the closed quarters of his Station.

He ended up huffing half-heartedly: “Do I have to tell you two to not cause any trouble?”

This cut their little quarreling. Before Guzma could bark anything unflattering at him, Plumeria defused the situation with an easy shrug.

“Don’t worry, we’re just going to catch some waves while I get to beat this brat in a race. All in good fun, there’s no way we’ll run into any mischief out there.” Grabbing Guzma by a shoulder and pulling him past Nanu, she had the gall to give the kahuna a small wink. “I promise.”

The Skull duo wasn’t the only one growing impatient. As if to tell him to stop fussing already, there was a loud roar at the end of the road. The Charizard Glide was present and waiting for its riders, its tail whipping the ground and signaling it wanted to get going. The kahuna watched them climb on the saddle, the two of them fitting there perfectly. And of course, now that Nanu wasn't there to heckle him, Guzma didn't wear the helmet.

“Don´t get eaten by Sharpedos!” Nanu yelled, but his warnings were probably lost when the Charizard begun its takeoff. Wings beating the air, the beast soared easily into the sky and just like that, they were gone.

Left behind to stand in the small drizzle, there was a silver lining in this, he thought. If they were going to have a day off, Nanu was going to follow their suit. He had had his hands full with the kid ever since he got there. Now that Guzma was being babysat by another source, he could enjoy his hard earned peace and quiet.

--xx--

The first hour went by just fine. After finishing his paper and checking the news, Nanu had engaged himself in a game of solitaire. As he divided the cards in neat rows, he felt almost disappointed he couldn’t figure out anything more constructive to do now that he had the time. As much as he hated to admit it, he was bored. The weird thing about this was that he didn’t actually recall getting bored before Guzma had moved in. It was a little unsettling realization.

Shuffling through the cards idly, he tried to concentrate on his “fun”. Now that the house was so quiet he could actually hear his own thoughts, something he had forgotten earlier came back to him. Even though it had been mostly for a scam, Guzma's question for something to read had stuck. It was good enough excuse for Nanu to get up and leave the game there. He was loosing anyway.

Before the investigation had started, the room had been more of a storage area, but nowadays spending time in his office had become a regular thing to him. Absently thinking he should get the place cleaned up for good, he padded past his usual spot behind his working desk and towards a pile of abandoned boxes that sat in the dark corner.
With a smooth motion, he swiped his hand over the top of one of them, creating a clear path through the layer of thick dust. Yes, these had been here for a long time. But unlike many of the other documents stored here, these boxes were those few selected ones that Nanu had brought with him as he moved into the Station. He just… Hadn’t bothered to open them yet.

Frowning a little, he honestly couldn’t even recall what was in them. But that was about to change as Nanu dug his fingers under the soft cardboard and pulled. The old tape gave up and crumbled easily, allowing its side to pop open almost in surrender.

He was in luck: seemingly his first pick happened to be a real treasure chest. Being only half way through with it, he had already found a few magazines about training methods and team building he guessed might interest Guzma. But better yet, he had discovered a rare gem; a red ball that hung at the other end of a wooden handle. Sharpening his skills with kendama had been his favorite past time hobby for decades!
Giving it a trying go, he easily popped the ball from one cup to another before finishing his set by successfully landing it on the top. The kahuna smile triumphantly.
He had parted with it in almost unfair circumstances. Looker, being the worrywart he was, had one day decided Nanu’s working ethics were suffering because of his “addiction” to his game. Challenging him in a bet, that son of a gun had won and demanded that he would give up on it for a year. Nanu was a sore loser but he did put it away for the time being, apparently forgetting about it all together.

Lowering his recovered treasure on top of the magazines, the kahuna couldn’t wait to get to show his skills. His Meowths were going to have a kick out of it! Maybe he would even let Guzma practice that ought to get the boy a break from his boredom.

Inspired by the lucky streak he was having, the kahuna greedily dug deeper. As he neared the bottom of the box, it didn’t have as much “random junk” anymore. There was a layer of some old documents, and under them… A silent gasp escaped Nanu’s lips. With a small chill running down his spine, he found himself staring at a black folder that emerged from the depths of the box. He… Hadn’t even realized it still existed.

Lifting the folder in the open, Nanu squeezed its cover like it weighed almost too much for him to hold. Innocently enough, it looked almost identical to all of those other boring binders that filled the room. But to him... This was his most shameful act, written in black and white and stapled together.

For a while, the kahuna just stared at it, feeling how taking air in got harder. His first thought was to get rid of it. But despite his growing nausea, he ignored all the signs of discomfort and opened it.

The papers were worn and in the midst of rows of written words, there were also photographs. His eyes scanned the pages quickly as he flipped the thin folder through. He was remotely aware that he knew all those faces, but his thoughts felt too thick for him to worry about that now. So instead, he passed them like strangers in his newspapers.

He didn’t even know what he was hoping to gain by putting himself through this. It wasn't like he was actually reading it, just catching some key words here and there... Until one small section really got his attention.

Highlighted with a blue marker, it simply read: “After the Ultra Beast, codename UB-05 Glutton, materialized in this realm, it has caused massive destruction on Ula’ula Island. All means to stop this beast have so far proven to be futile. The guardian spirits of every island seem to be keen on picking up the energy passing through the Ultra Wormhole, summoning these deities to observe the situation. Their attempts to communicate with the beast might suggest that there is a connection between the Ultra Beasts and Tapus. However, as writing this, there is no solid evidence to support this theory.”

And just like that, he was sucked back to the reality. Maybe he couldn't handle the past, but he could do the present. His head got clear again.

Nanu re-read the highlighted sentences couple of times more, feeling how a new idea came buzzing in his brain. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?
Tapus were not regarded as Ultra Beasts, but it didn’t mean that the people who studied the latter didn’t have some valuable information.
They already had people working on researching Ultra Wormholes, possibilities of intelligent societies if you passed through them and, of course, there were the Fallers. Age regression couldn’t be too hard for those great minds to grasp. Maybe some science geek could…Zap Guzma with something that turned him back to normal?

Heart beating loudly, he was getting excited. But that also meant he had to contact somebody.

The image of Looker flashed in his mind again, but he immediately discarded it. It wasn’t like he disliked the sweet yet overly-enthusiastic man, but… Even if he had fallen behind, he could do this on his own. He just... Couldn't get them involved.

Besides, he already had one overly enthusiastic helper, which didn’t exactly please him. Knowing the girl, Acerola was doing her best to help him out, and through that, also Guzma.
While the girl researched the curse aspect, he would go with the science. Now that he had finally found something meaningful in this haystack of impossible possibilities, he had to at least try. Even at the price he might get burned a little.

Brows furrowing in concentration, Nanu thought hard. First, he needed to find someone knowledgeable enough they could handle a situation like this, but also someone he could fully trust… Aether paradise had some of the leading experts on this field, but when it came to trust, they didn’t win him over. No, it had to be somebody else.

His eyes widened slightly at the realization. There really was a person like that, someone he had met not too long ago. Professor Burnet.

During their brief meeting at the Royal Avenue, she had told him about her work with Ultra Wormholes and everything that came through them. Originally being born away from the islands, she didn’t have anything personal against Guzma either. Burnet would keep this tricky little secret of theirs, the bigger problem was how to explain it all. Acerola had been easy, as the girl just… Knew it, on her own.

Fighting back a sigh, he knew he could manage that somehow. Burnet was a good person. He didn’t even doubt they couldn’t persuade the professor to sacrifice her time to do this favor, but… Turning to her also meant he might have to work around another pesky obstacle; the relationship between Guzma and Kukui. Or the severe lack of it.

That was the farthest he could take that idea for now. The sudden rush of adrenaline was washing off, already leaving him feeling drained. Making up his mind, Nanu threw the file back in the box, gathered the flimsy magazines and his game from the floor and headed out. Everything else could wait. This was still his day off and he needed a drink. There probably was some leftover cans of beer at the back of his freezer, they would do.

Unbeknownst to him, a small piece of loose paper had found its way from the folder and landed under his desk.

--xx--

He never made it to his fridge however. As he went to drop the magazines on the coffee table, something caught his eye. One of the Meowths was laying on its side, and with small huffs of frustration, it persistently tried to paw something under the couch.

“Did you loose a toy under there?”

The Meowth in question was called Dime. It turned its lazy eyes towards the kahuna, before mewling pitifully. With a humored huff, he dropped on his knees, peeking under the couch. At least he was good enough to banish the grieves of his cats.

It was a world of its own down there. Somewhere in the midst of dust bunnies, lost coins and apparently stashed food pellets, a shadowy figure stood its ground. Squinting his eyes, the kahuna was a bit surprised as the realization dawned on him; it was the Wimpod doll Plumeria had bought for Guzma. Turning to look at his company, the kahuna made a face.

“You shouldn’t play with that one, you know it’s not yours.“ He scolded his pokémon lightly, gently pushing the felines forehead with two fingers. It had the gall to start purring.

“How did you even get it all the way back there…?”

Not feeling like moving the couch, the kahuna flopped on his stomach so he could use his arms length to its maximum. Reaching out as far as he could, his fingertips successfully tapped a cool, smooth surface. There was a fast brush of wind and immediately a jolt of pain exploded in his hand. Yelping mostly out of surprise, Nanu quickly retrieved his injured limb back to himself. With a great deal of disbelief, he stared at the three small puncture wounds that were starting to bleed. Something definitely just bit him.

First the folder and now this, the kahuna had had enough. His temper raising its head, he jumped up and kicked the couch, hard. That did the trick.

With a high-pitched screech, an unidentified something shot out of its hide out. Too bad it decided to take shelter under his writing desk, because the baffled kahuna now found himself staring straight into the eyes of a very living and kicking Wimpod.

The small bug first tried to find some kind of hole or nook to burrow itself in, with no success. Then, raising its flat tail in a threat, it hissed.

Well, he didn’t have to guess who was behind the stolen cat food incident anymore.

Sensing the Meowth next to his feet grow tense, he grabbed its lithe body and tucked it against his side before it started its hunt again. He didn’t want to attract any more attention. So far, the other felines seemed obvious of the intruder in their territory. Nanu didn’t even dare to think what might happen if they all got a hint of a possible prey in their home turf.

That meant one thing: he had to capture it.

Frowning in thought, he weighed the situation. The angle was inconvenient for him to just go and throw a pokéball at it. First, he needed to shoo it out. Giving a glance to Dime that was trying to squirm away from his hold, he decided it was time for some team action.

Lowering the cat back on the floor gently, Nanu gave it a command while pointing at the bug: “Okay Dime, do me a favor and use Scratch.”

The Meowths that roamed free in his apartment were mostly considered as pets. But it didn’t mean they couldn’t battle when the time called. Eyes turning black from excitement, Dime took two short steps before it leaped and bounced, attacking its target.

Unfortunately, its prey had sharp reflexes. Instead of freezing in front of the cat that came flying towards it, sharp claws bared, it shot out like a missile from under the table. Dime let out disappointed mewl when its claws ripped the carpet, but was fast to charge after it in a new attempt of Scratch.
For a moment, there was a wild chase around and under his furniture, forcing Nanu to wait until he could get a clear shot at the bug. This Wimpod was showing to be a clever one, making sharp twists and turns while escaping the predators paws, but cautious enough to not appear on an exposed ground.

Yet it couldn’t just run away forever. Finally, in a desperate attempt to loose Dime, it dashed into the open! It was clearly making its way towards the nearest exit available; Nanu’s bedroom as the door was slightly open. Not wasting time trying to lower its energy, the kahuna chucked an empty ultra ball towards the Wimpod before it got away. With years of training under his belt, he smirked when the ball successfully took contact with his target. But instead of the bug type vanishing inside the ball to fight for its freedom, the red beam of light broke before even capturing the pokémon. Screaming in protest the once again free Wimpod fled and disappeared into the bedroom.

Both the kahuna and the Meowth stood still in a baffled silence. The gears were turning in his head and he didn’t like the conclusion this was headed. What had happened could only mean one thing; that pokémon already had a pokéball. And from there, it didn’t take a genius to guess who was responsible for the bug being on a loose in his apartment.

It took all his willpower not to curse out loud. Maybe the stress from earlier was still clouding his judgment, because he honestly should have guessed this the moment he laid his eyes on that thing!
Still seething under his breath, Nanu went to the desk the bug had been hiding under and opened the single drawer it had. Inside was a small selection of pokéballs and the kahuna picked a black and golden one.

Paw brushing through its whiskers and looking a little unsure what was expected of it, Dime silently watched and waited for instructions. Noticing this, he smirked at the small cat and pushed the drawer shut.

“Well done. I look forward using you again.“ Nanu praised softly. It was a rare occasion, but he decided to pull his “pet” back to its own pokéball. Just in case he needed to battle that Wimpod again. It was still too small to face his regular team. There was a questioning mewl from Dime when he put it in its ball, but it did comply.

Rolling the ball in his hand, Nanu peered in his dark bedroom. Now that capturing the Wimpod was out of the question, he needed a different plan to contain it.

--xx--

Despite all the ruckus they had caused earlier, luckily they still hadn't alerted any attention to themselves. Nanu had been gathering all the things he deemed useful to execute his plan, and was ready to face his unwanted guest the second time. Softly padding inside, he was wise enough to shut the door behind him to get some “privacy” for the two of them.

Knowing it couldn't escape, Nanu let his eyes wander almost lazily across the room. There were only a handful of places for a little Wimpod to hide, he had dragged his playful Meowths out of his sleeping quarters many times enough to know that. His first guess was that the bug was under his bed, but it turned out to be a wrong choice.

The closet was next in line. Lowering himself on his knees, the kahuna looked inside, trying to get at the same eye level with the pokémon. This time, his hunch was right. Against the back wall, behind an old suitcase and buried inside a hole that existed because of a stacked pyramid of shoeboxes, beady little eyes stared at him. It had found itself a perfect spot since there was no way anyone could reach it without rearranging the whole storage space. Cozy or not, Nanu didn’t want it to gnaw any more holes in his property, so he couldn’t exactly just leave it to live in his closet.

”Come on out you little... bug.” Nanu whispered as softly as he could. Tiny eyes squinted at him suspiciously. It hissed, again.

Now that his target was located, Nanu set his plan into motion.

Unlike Guzma, he wasn't an expert on bug type pokémon, but he knew that Wimpods were hungry fellows, ready to chomp anything that could be described even remotely as edible. And so, the kahuna had sprinkled different types of treats all over the floor, near is hideout; pokebeans, a small plate with honey, food pellets, and as an after thought, a piece of ham.

Sitting on his bed, sturdy work cloves covering his hands, he simply intended to grab onto it when it came to eat. He would have to find some kind of container for it, since he had no idea where the kid had hidden its darn pokéball, but that would come after catching the little rascal.

It was a waiting game, but he was used to those. He had all day and he could easily out sit one hungry Wimpod. Or so he had thought. When half an hour had passed and there was still no sign of the bug coming out of its hideout, he had had enough. It was starting to look like his clever trap didn't work quite as well as he had hoped. So, maybe he had underestimated his opponent a little.

It was time to increase the allure of his trap. He had found the actual toy Wimpod under Guzma’s blanket. Placing it on the floor, near the ham, he backed on the bed once more.

”See, there's even competition now. Better come and eat while it lasts...”

This time, it actually worked. Mere minutes later, Nanu smirked triumphantly when the small bug cautiously scuttle on the floor. It was aware of the kahuna in a sense, passing the bed as far as possible. Watching it get further away from the closet, Nanu silently waited for it to start munching so he could grab it.

But instead of heading for the food, the Wimpod went straight towards the fake bug.
The kahuna cocked his head in slight interest as the bug circled his decoy, giving it couple of trying nudges. Then, it suddenly bit down on to the soft toy! Immediately rushing back to its hiding place, the Wimpod hissed furiously as it dragged the toy with it.

This unexpected turn almost left him frozen to his place. When the bug was dangerously close of getting inside the closet again, the kahuna got his wits back and acted on his instinct. Almost leaping from the bed, he missed his living target but still managed to grab onto the toy. Fearing the pokémon would vanish in the closet again, his next surprise came when the Wimpod didn’t let go. Instead, the small bug took a wide stance, digging its tiny legs in the carpet and pulled, trying to claim the doll back.

For a moment, Nanu was engaged in a fierce tug-of-war with his small opponent. Not daring to let go of the toy incase he lost his grip altogether, he suddenly realized there was something he could use to win this. An old carrier sat in the corner, right next to the closet. He had actually bought the thing for those cases where he needed to move or return a lost or stolen pokémon. They didn’t always recognize a friend from a foe, and now the container had a chance to once again prove its usefulness.

Working carefully, he started steering the bug towards the open carrier. Eyes fixed on his face, the Wimpod didn’t suspect a thing as it was steadily being led towards its capture. When it was close enough its hind legs almost touched the plastic brim of the cage, Nanu tugged with a greater force once more, bringing the bug closer to his face.

“You want this?” He asked almost innocently. Its hissing only got louder.

“Be my guest.” And with that, he released the toy completely. As he let go, the pokémon backed all the way inside the carrier on its own, and Nanu simply had to slam the door shut and pull the latch to lock it.

It took a moment for the Wimpod to realize it had been trapped. Once it did, the whole carrier shook left and right as it darted around inside. When the cage didn’t open by force, it tried screaming again. All its attempts were futile however, as its capturer didn’t yield. The carrier stayed locked and so did the small prisoner.
Sitting on the bed, Nanu listened its whining, regretting he had already stressed the pokémon more than he had hoped, but it had to be done. He was also aware that a massive headache was heading to his way.

“Dear Archeus, that boy is in so much trouble.” He told the bug that kept trashing around in its prison.

--xx--

The colorful pennants and tall tents were already visible across the rocky landscape. Trotting down the road, Nanu increased his pace as he got closer to his destination with each step. Maybe it was a little exaggerated, but he had decided that sitting at home and waiting for the two hooligans to come back wasn’t an option.

He had delayed leaving his house with the bug until the Wimpod had calmed down first. After offering it pokébeans and a spoonful of honey with no success, it was covering the front of the carrier with a towel that did the trick. Now the carrier was almost deadly quiet, save for the occasional rustling of its small legs. With his cargo tightly in his grasp, Nanu passed the painted Mantine sign that stood at the entrance of Ula’ula Beach, welcoming all the wave catchers and sunbathers. Thankfully, the surfing spot was rather remote one, even if there were good access to Akala and Poni Island.

He arrived just in time; as he set his sandal-clad feet in the white sand, Guzma emerged from the water. Nanu watched in the distance how the waves rolled him to the shore in almost gentle manner. The boy was wearing a blue swimming cap and a pair of huge goggles, but the lack of other surfers made it easy to spot him. His Mantine Ride was long gone and he was apparently just goofing around in the water. Their race had already ended, then.
Plumeria was standing near a herd of Slowpokes, drying her hair in a flower printed beach towel and yelling something at the kid.

Her words seemed to summon Guzma to get out of the water. He had already started making his way towards Plumeria, but stopped abruptly. As if sensing Nanu’s dark presence, the kid turned to look at his approaching form and lifted his goggles to check if it really was him. Noticing him as well, Plumeria lifted her hand in a greeting.

Waiting until the kahuna got close, with uncertain smile on his lips, Guzma asked:

“…Did you come to see who won the race?”

His well-practiced poker face survived this question, and Nanu merely smirked at him. Lifting the carrier a little, he told them: “Something like that. You see, I finally found out who has been terrorizing the Station. “ Finishing off his sentence, he dramatically lifted the towel away. Both of the Team Skull members froze on their spot.

“Seems like your pokémon really were innocent. Can you imagine, there was a wild Wimpod loose inside the house! It’s a real mystery where it came from, but I thought I’d check on you and while here I could do this little fellow a favor and release it into the water.“

While talking, he passed Guzma and Plumeria without really looking at them. Soon he was squatting near the waterline, so close the waves that arrived on the beach brought small bursts of water inside the carrier. To emphasize his performance, he even rested his fingers over the flimsy latch keeping its door shut. He had no real intention on setting it free, but he had decided to make Guzma admit the pokémon was his. Sure enough, it was working.

“Stop that!” Guzma snapped in agitation.

Hastily peeling off the swim cap, the kid shook his hair loose wildly. Nanu was about to tease him more, but the sight that was revealed cancelled all the other smart remarks he might have had.

Staring almost dumbly at first, he stood up slowly, blinking at him. “Why is your hair white?”

Well, to be fair, Guzma’s hair wasn’t as bleached as it normally was but there was a large tuft of silvery white hair that hung over his eyes. The kid had had his bangs done.

Plumeria, who still stood in the sidelines, looked more uncomfortable by every passing moment. She ended up being the next victim of the kahuna’s still building frustration. Throwing an angry glare at her, Nanu shook his head.

“I can’t believe you let him do it. I don’t know why, but I imagined you’d be more mature than this. “ It came out louder and harsher than he had intended, making the young woman he accused flinch.

Surprisingly, this spun Guzma into action. Hands spread wide, he stepped in the middle and took a stand in front of Plumeria. It was like he thought Nanu was going to do something to her, even though the kahuna had made no signs of moving a muscle. Reading it as an act of exaggerated dramatics, he was getting increasingly annoyed by the fact they were starting to make a scene. The small group of people that were scattered nearby and previously had paid no attention to them were now starting to give the trio odd looks.

“It’s not her fault! I’m the one who…” No matter what excuse the kid had, Nanu didn’t want it. Still planted firmly on his place, Nanu’s stern words cut him off.

“Shush it, you’ve already messed up big time today! If you really don’t give a squat whether people recognize you, maybe you should go back to that mansion already?”

From there on, the situation went down hill like a row of dominos.

Mouth snapping softly open, the kid gave him a wide-eyed stare. Then, Guzma’s hands slowly dropped down to rest against his sides. Nanu watched how his emotions unfolded and went from confused to offended and finally, anger. Eyebrows knitting together and scrunching his nose like a feral Lycanroc, the kid screamed at him:

“Screw you!”

His temper flaring, Nanu threw an equally dark glare at the kid. “That’s it! I’ve had it with you and your games. You’re getting out of my house today!”

The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. It was just his frustration boiling over that made him say it, but there was no true meaning behind. Unfortunately, it did nothing to the fact the words cut deep.

Not caring he was still in his swimming shorts, Guzma turned away and bolted off. Quickly snatching his backpack before steering towards the exit, he almost stumbled on a Rockruff and pushed over its trainer who stepped on his path with his surfboard. Someone close by commented something about the rudeness of the kid and the obvious lack of parenting.

Tuning it out, the kahuna felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Watching him go was all Nanu could do at this point. Acting on an impulse and coming here to “settle things” was starting to feel even worse of an idea than it had before. But the deed was already done. Plumeria looked like she wanted to go after him. Now that he had already lost one, the kahuna stopped her escaping by uttering seriously:

“Plumeria, a word.”

It really was lucky that the beach was rather empty today. Still, the kahuna didn’t dare to meet anybody’s eyes as he led the girl aside. He was especially aware that the two ladies in the Beach Point-stall were giving him criticizing stares as they had witnessed the whole thing.
Following the grumpy kahuna down the same path Guzma had run off to, she didn’t say a word even when they stopped abruptly near the Mantine sign. Forcing himself to calm down, Nanu pinched the verge of his nose, still unable to look at the girl directly.

“I would’ve expected something like this from him, but for some reason I though you were a little different.”

“Look, the hair thing…”

“I’m not talking about that. We had a deal, three pokémon, no more, no less. Size doesn’t matter and he was keeping that thing on a loose for crying out loud. Think what would’ve happened if my Meowths had found it and cornered it when I wasn’t home! It was a Tapus blessing I got it in time!”

Plumeria visibly winced at his scolding. Casting her eyes on the sand she spoke softly: “I... I guess I didn't realize it could be so dangerous. “

Then, she made a brief eye contact before bowing her head. “I'm sorry we betrayed your trust. It won’t happen again, I swear.” Unlike Guzma, apologizing seemingly wasn't above her.

When she had her make-up and Skull gear on, she stood her ground like a female Pyroar. But now, without her “war mask” and wearing ashamed look on her young face... It somehow made Nanu feel like he was attacking her unarmed. He couldn't be mad at her, not like that.

“Are you really going to kick him out now?” With a small waver in her question, she voiced her concern.

Nanu almost wanted to groan. It had been an empty threat, but he was still guilty for letting it out. It was his turn to make this right.

“…I made a promise. Wouldn’t be much different from you two if I go back on my word.” No matter how aloof he tried to sound, it was still making him look awfully soft.

Plumeria, however, let out a relieved breath. Closing the small distance they had, she leaned close to bump her fist playfully against his shoulder.

“Thanks… Uncle Nanu.”

That was a dirty move. Completely unable to tell her off anymore, he shifted his focus back on Guzma. “Sweet talking me isn't going to save his neck.” He grunted.

Plumeria’s smile faltered a little, but she didn't backtalk to him. And so, they stood in awkward silence for a moment.

“But if he plans to stay, that hair bleach was a stupid move.” Nanu finally huffed, refusing to be this easily appeased.

Lifting her hands up in defense, she hurried to explain: “That’s only a temporary dye, it’ll wash off after couple of showers.”

He thought of asking what the point of it was, but the girl went on: “It was only to make him feel a little bit like his “normal” self. What happened with the grunts… I don’t know, I guess it shocked him.”

“He told you that?”

“Sure. I’m his best friend, he tells me a lot of things.” A hint of her usual attitude creeping back on her, she finished: “Plus that hole you put on the main street is pretty hard to miss.”

The kahuna still felt a spark of satisfaction for that. Served the punks right.

“…Don’t be too hard on him, okay? He puts on a brave face, but he has been quite down about these things.”

Frowning in question, Nanu felt puzzled “What things?”

She gave him a long, considering look from the corner of her eye. “Look, it’s not like he does these stunts just to spite you. He whined my ears off until I agreed to smuggle that Wimpod in. All because he misses his team, like any proper trainer would. I know you have your reasons, but you can sympathize with that. Even a little, right?”

Nanu had no answer to that. He… Hadn’t expected that the tables would be turned like this. And apparently there was more than one victim in this mess.

Well, shoot.

--xx--

Leaving Plumeria to collect their belongings from the beach, Nanu searched around for the missing kid. He still had to fix things with Guzma.

The kahuna found his lone figure close by, sitting on a small cliff. His focus fixed on the horizon, he was hugging his knees to himself and sulked. Nanu approached him slowly, until he was close enough to almost touch him. Knowing for a certain Guzma was aware of his presence he cleared his throat before asking:

“Want to settle this like the trainers we are?”

Guzma turned to look at him over his shoulder. He was clearly angry, but immediately stood up. As he straightened his lean figure, he tried to brush away the sand that clung onto his still wet shorts. It just seemed to smear rather than fall off, but the kid didn't care.

When he silently reached for his backpack, Nanu offered the carrier to him. “You're not going to need them. This is the only pokémon you're going to use.“

Guzma accepted the container, but his eyes told the kahuna he didn’t quite get the idea.

“Consider this our first training match, we start small.” He explained.

As if on cue, the bug started rustling in the cage. Guzma peeked inside and after confirming what was in there he huffed in disbelief:

“You’re joking, right? This is just a Wimpod, there’s no way it can hold its ground against you.” He gritted his teeth as he spoke, but Nanu just shook his head lightly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be using my regular team either…” Glad he had acted on his intuition, he now pulled out his luxury ball where Dime was. Tossing it in the air, he released the feline.

“Here we go, I think this Meowth will be enough to test you guys out. “

To his surprise, he was met with another annoyed look.

“You mocking me or something? Dime is about the worst thing you could’ve picked.”

Raising his brow in question, Nanu countered his strange complaint: “How so?”

“That one is a total wussypaws. I've seen it quarreling with the other Meowths. When things get tough, its always the first one to turn its tail!”

He…Had no idea if the kid was bluffing or not. Still, he felt like he had to stand up for his pokémon a little: “A suitable opponent for a Wimpod then?”

Guzma didn’t answer. Chewing down on his lip, he still seemed to ponder on something. “What happens if I win?” He asked eventually. But the kahuna just shook his head.

“There's not going to be any deals this time. I only want to give you guys one go. After this battle, you will give that Wimpod back to Plumeria's care, or swap one of the others with it.” He was almost hoping the kid would choose to give away his Ariados... And save him from its webs.

If look could murder someone, Nanu would have taken his last breath right then and there. Lucky for him, that wasn’t the case. Not giving the kid time to dwell in his bad mood, the kahuna walked a bit further in order to create enough distance for their battle.
When he thought Dime was roughly in the middle of them, he turned around expecting his opponent to be ready. But Guzma was still glaring daggers at him, his fingers nervously tapping on the latch that kept the carrier shut. When the moment seemed to stretch, Nanu taunted him a little to get things going.

“What’s the matter, getting cold feet?” By now, he knew Guzma well enough to push the right buttons.

“You wish, old man.” Angrily snapping out of it, he slammed the carrier on the ground and popped the door open. As soon as the bars cleared from its way, the Wimpod stepped into the sunlight.

Eyes scanning its surroundings, the tiny bug seemed to welcome its freedom. But it wasn’t stupid, and as soon as it noticed the Meowth standing in front of it, it turned to check who its trainer was.
Guzma and the Wimpod stared at each other for a while. Seemingly considering him from head to toe, the Wimpod vibrated its tail, creating a rhythmical, rustling sound. In the end, the bug just turned its back on the boy.

The energy between the two of them was somehow... Strange.
Not that he was one to criticize; Dime apparently didn't like their “arena” of choice either. Guzma had been somewhat right about this Meowth, it really was a little fussy. Tail puffing, it eyed the wet patches on the rocky surface and seemingly stood as far away from them as possible. How weak... Still, Nanu had thrown this challenge on the table himself, there was no backing out now.

He was doing the kid a small favor by letting him go first, patiently waiting what seemed to be a hard choice. Eyes fixed on the back of his Wimpod, Guzma seemed to make up his mind.

“Okay Wimpod, use Aqua Jet!”

Instead of charging to obey, the Wimpod just stood still. Little taken a back by this, Guzma tried again:

“Uh... I mean, Struggle Bug. Do that!”

Again, nothing. The Wimpod pretended to sniff a small rock, not even glancing at his direction.

Cocking his head, Nanu tried to make something out of this display of disobedience. Then, a suspicion started to creep on him. Could it be that the kid had no idea what attacks this pokémon had? Oh boy…

Brows furrowing in impatient confusion, the kid finally crouched next to his unruly partner. Lightly, he tapped on the Wimpods shell. This made the bug turn slightly and it finally gave Guzma a blank stare.

“What’s the matter with you? At least do a Struggle Bug against that stupid cat! That’s literally the first move every Wimpod has so even you can manage that, right?” To emphasize his command, the kid pointed his finger towards their opponent.

The Wimpod still stared at the Skull Boss and then his raised finger. It came as an equal surprise for both of the trainers when it suddenly made a small dash and bit him.

“OUCH!!” Screaming rather out of surprise than pain, Guzma quickly retrieved his injured hand, popping his attacked finger in his mouth.

After getting its first chomp, the small pokémon seemed to find its fighting spirit. Turning to face its opponent for real, it lifted its tail towards the sky and released a mighty hiss. Then, it charged towards Dime.

That was the day when Nanu learned that a Wimpod could be just as fast to attack as they were to flee. His Meowth barely had the time to jump away when the bug came crashing forward. Missing once did nothing to dishearten it, conversely it got even more steam. With a sharp turn and beelining towards its target again, it seemed to be so keen on landing a hit on Dime, maybe it wanted to get a revenge for the earlier?

With a frustrated mewl, all Dime could do was to sprint away from its rampaging opponent. The ground was proving to be a hampering aspect as well, since his Meowths attention was divided between keeping an eye out for every puddle and dodging the Wimpod. Allowing this to go on for a moment longer, Nanu had finally seen enough.

“Don’t let it scare you now. Use Scratch.” Trying to break the pattern, he encouraged his pokémon to strike back before this got completely out of hand. It would do them no good to just keep running away.

Giving him a fast glance, Dime seemed to get hold of itself. Once it found a dry spot, sharp claws finally emerged from its paws.

But even when the murder mittens came into the play, surprisingly enough, the previously wimpy Wimpod wasn’t fazed. Instead, stopping in front of the feline, it let Dime get a free shot at it. Just when the claws were only inches away from making a contact, its shell flashed in metallic hue. Kahuna squinted his eyes at that observation. It had definitely just Hardened itself.

While their Scratch didn’t do that much damage, getting the first attack in was all they needed. Battles also happened inside ones head, physical strength was only a part of it. Encouraged by the fact it had gained the upper hand, Dime kept batting its target without ordering. It didn’t seem to be far away from learning Fury Swipes. Using Harden once more, the Wimpod finally had to back away from the rain of scratches.

Suddenly turning its tail, it scuttled away full speed. Seeing its target retreat triggered a predatory instinct in Dime, and the way it run after the Wimpod was more in a hunting manner than trying to battle against an opponent. In situations like this, it came clear his Meowths weren’t trained for battling purposes, but the kahuna let it have little fun.

It turned out to be a tactical retreat, and as soon as the Wimpod confirmed that the cat was behind its tail, the cunning bug run straight through a large puddle. Seeing the water barrier, Dime immediately stopped, careful that not a droplet of water soiled its fur. Even the Wimpod seemed to be aware of this weakness.

For a moment the cat and the bug were frozen in a stand out position, waiting for the other to make a wrong move. Nanu was planning on a new strategy of how they could corner the bug for good, but the Wimpod managed to strike first.
With bursts of green energy, it finally used Struggle Bug. But instead of aiming it at the Meowth, the attack was released on the puddle that stood between them. A wave of muddy water splashed in the air, hitting its target straight in the face.

With a panicked mewl, Dime quickly raised its paws in an futile attempt to groom its fur. With that single move, the Wimpod had managed to get its opponent soaking wet. And when it realized its precious charm was covered in mud, all hell broke loose.

Before Nanu could pull it back to its pokéball, Dime rushed to him and jumped on his leg. With a muffled cry, the kahuna just had to withstand his Meowth climbing up his pant leg and from there, slip under his shirt and up his back, sharp claws digging into his flesh all the way. His poor feline was wet, dirty and downright upset. Still, it was a little hard to feel bad for it, as it was painfully yowling right next to his ear.

But this was far from the worst. He also had to accept the fact that this was the end of the match. They had lost. Thank goodness he hadn't made any deals with Guzma this time because honestly, he hadn't seen this coming.

Now that it had taken care of its opponent, the gutsy Wimpod mellowed back to its usual self. Scuttling as fast as its little legs allowed, it run straight back to the carrier, almost leaping inside.
Guzma just let it do as it pleased, his attention solemnly fixed on the kahuna. Eyebrows nearing his hairline, he was staring at him in almost mesmerized fashion. They looked at each other for a moment. Then, the kid bursted into a laughing fit. Not snorting or cackling, Guzma was laughing so hard he was tearing up.

“Serves you…Serves you right, old man!” He managed between his gasps for air.

Fighting back an eye roll, Nanu let him have his fun. He supposed he was quite a comical sight; standing on his toes and his shirt full with the still screaming cat. Not to mention that he, the kahuna of Ula'ula Island, had just lost to a Wimpod.

Just then Dime was starting to loose its balance, thus sinking its claws even deeper. Quickly pulling it back to its ball before it turned his back into minced meat, the kahuna sighed in relief as the Meowth dematerialized. That experience had been literally a pain in the neck…

His only comfort was the fact that the Wimpod had used its jaws on both of them. Somehow, now that it had bitten them both, Nanu wasn't feeling so sore about the earlier, or the whole ordeal in general. Trying to bring the kid back to reality, he huffed gruffly:

“You got us. But don't think you earned yourself a dark crystal just yet. This was only a training match.”

Calming down with bursts of dry cackles, Guzma complied easily: “Yeah, yeah, I know. Besides, I didn't even get to give that Wimpod one command, stupid bug won this round on its own.”

The confirmation that they were on a same page was all Nanu needed to hear. His back starting to ache from the rough treatment he had suffered, Nanu decided to go and sit on the rocky ledge so he could check his own battle damage. He wasn’t going to strip here, but he slipped his hand under his shirt in order to feel his broken skin. Rotating his shoulder around carefully, he hissed in pain. He had multiple scratches all over, but none of them seemed to be deep and most of them didn’t even bleed. If he was lucky, he would make it out without any scars. This was just one of the joys of being the owner of a cat pokémon…

Allowing himself to drift in his thoughts for a moment, he rested his eyes over the ocean. Admiring the view, one could easily get lost in gazing its glimmering beauty. As he sat there, Guzma suddenly came to sit next to him, but didn’t say anything.

Silence enveloped them. Thoughts shifting back to what had happened only moments ago, Nanu gave him a pensive look. After that showdown, even he was a little impressed with the Wimpod. But what came to its attitude towards the boy… It had been an odd match to say the least. Trying to understand the duo better, he asked:

“Is it that new as your partner?”

“Huh? Y..yeah, it's new. I got it a week before...Uh, this.” Gesturing to himself, Guzma explained and went on: ”Meaning I haven't had any proper time to get to know it yet. But Plumeria's been telling me its quite wild. Doesn't really trust anyone and it shows. It likes to bite people.”

Nanu just smiled tightly.

”I thought it could maybe bond with Golisopod or something but... I dunno, it's kinda hard if I can't let them get to know each other.” Guzma shrugged innocently.

Knowing full well where he was going with this, the kahuna just shook his head. “And you thought you could somehow keep it hidden from me, in my own home? You could have asked me if you could keep it.”

“Why bother? You’d said no.” He answered matter-of-factly.

He got him with that. Clearing his throat, the kahuna simply changed the subject: “I must say, that Wimpod is a feisty one. Poor Dime, it's going to take quite a bit of appeasing and some special wax to polish its charm if I want it to even look at my direction any time soon.”

Guzma didn't answer, but glanced at him. Then, he picked up a stone and after shucking it into the water, he suddenly asked:

“Why do you like Meowths so much?”

Nanu hummed in question.

“You like them to a point where the number of them in your house is called hoarding. I was just asking why. Why Meowths?” Picking up another rock and giving it the same treatment, he calmly repeated himself.

It was a question the kahuna could answer without even thinking. Or rather, he always settled for giving his standard explanation. “Meowths don’t care who you are or anything. Take care of their basic needs and they accept you just the way you are.” It was an easy life choice as there were not many things he wouldn’t do for them.

Third rock was tossed into the water. This time Guzma tried to make it skip and it danced over the surface for couple of touches before the waves swallowed it.

“Man, you’re so weird.” It was more of a statement than anything else.

Nanu just grinned to himself, the kid was probably right on the money with that.

“So, don’t think we’re anything alike, but… I understand. I know what you mean. Bug pokémon are like that, too. Loyal.”

“Yeah?”

A small nod. “Yeah.”

“I’m glad you told me that.”

There was a feeling of mutual forgiveness in the air. Picking up a rock himself, Nanu also joined his game. He was more skilled with this than Guzma, and his stone crossed the surface easily until it almost vanished in the horizon.

“Show off.” The kid snorted, the light sass back in his voice.

“...I bet you can't beat that.”

Hand shooting to gather rocks, he barked: “Bring it on, old timer!”

They kept up their little competition for a while. They probably would’ve used all the suitable skipping stones near hands reach unless Guzma hadn’t suddenly opened his mouth:

”I should’ve told you about that Wimpod.” With a little sigh, he reluctantly admitted.

Facing the kid, guilt had also been gnawing in Nanu’s stomach after what Plumeria had told him. He really had thought he had been clear with him that day. Looking back onto it now, he had to admit he had made a mistake.

”And I probably should’ve been more flexible with you.”

”What does that even mean?” There was a touch of nervousness lacing his voice.

Trying to form his thoughts better, the kahuna tried again. ”I...May not have been entirely fair with you. From the very beginning.”

Casting a look on the lone carrier where the Wimpod was hiding, he weighed the single rock he had left on his palm.

”You're a trainer, it's your duty and privilege to take care of your pokémon. I shouldn't had so carelessly made you just toss away part of your team. They are your precious friends, after all.”

He didn’t have to see the kid to know he was blown by his luke warm apology. This time, he intended to explain himself properly: ”But I would like to emphasize that I'm doing this for a reason, not because I’m trying to be mean to you. ”

This summoned an annoyed snort from the kid. ”Yeah, right. So that my team doesn't eat your furniture or whatever.”

Nanu had to stifle a little chuckle at that. ”It's a bit more complicated than that.” Deciding to spare Guzma from the lecture he had given Plumeria, the kahuna went straight to the point.

”I should have told you this from the very beginning, but the Meowths I take in, most of them come from bad homes. They’ve previously had trainers who didn’t treat them too well, or they simply got abandoned. Because of their background, they don’t always know how to behave themselves, especially around unfamiliar pokémon.”

He threw his last stone into the ocean.

“In time they’ll learn how to get a long, but it takes a familiar environment and a pack they’re used to live with. If we suddenly bring all these new pokémon to their territory, they might feel threatened and who knows what happens then.”

Looking Guzma squarely in the eyes, he finished: “They’re more friendly now that they’ve been living with me, but honestly, taking even three extra members in the house in one go was a risky move. ”

While Guzma listened his explanation, his bushy brows furrowed. He was clearly mulling this over. After a lengthy moment of silence, he seemed to come to a conclusion.

”Okay. Yeah, I get it.” Giving him a curt nod, he looked serious.

“I’ll be fine. We're talking about Plumeria to take care of my team, so it’s fine.”

Relief washing over him, this time Nanu had a feeling he actually did understand. And he… He was grateful that the kid was willing to give up something important to him for everybody’s sake. It was a very mature thing to do.

Feeling obliged to offer something in return he finally gave in. ”We'll have a two weeks adaptation period. Prove me that Wimpod can behave itself and maybe we can make an exception. That means it has to stop stealing food, no fighting with others is allowed and absolutely no biting!”

It wasn’t much, but it was best he could offer. However, Guzma didn't seem to see it that way.

”Really? You mean it?” He was staring at him in such disbelief Nanu might’ve told him his Persian actually pooped gold.

Not being able to resist it, Nanu gave him a small, but genuine smile.

”Really.”

In that moment, Guzma looked so happy he might’ve even hugged him unless Plumeria hadn’t shown up. Head peeking around the huge rock that offered them their privacy, she gave them a small whistle as a signal of her arrival. With a plastic bag hanging loosely in her grip she strode forward, clearly relieved to see them in such good spirits. Guzma eyed her haul curiously.

“Did you go to the store?”

“I thought that getting something to eat couldn't hurt.” She confirmed.

Still feeling a little sheepish after barking at her earlier, Nanu scratched his neck. “You didn't have to.”

But the Skull admin just shook her head and shrugged. “No, I kinda did. I ended up losing the race, it’s a tradition that the loser buys snacks.”

While speaking, she sneaked her hand in the bag and suddenly threw a can of beer at him. Not expecting it, the surprised kahuna barely managed to catch it in time, looking at her in question.

“We’re cool now, right?” Face splitting in a mischievous grin, she ensured.

Not that he harboured any hard feeling towards her, Nanu checked the label and decided he was thirsty. He could still ride the Charizard after one or two. Besides, she had even grabbed his favorite brand.

“You kids are impossible...” Running a finger under his nose in an attempt to hide his involuntary smirk, he muttered.

They ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in the beach. Choosing to claim the farthest corner to get some privacy, they had spread Plumeria’s towel under the lone palm tree to have a picnic of a sorts.
Along with the promised snacks, she had also bought a lunch box for each of them. It was the highest priority on the kahuna’s activity list. No matter how much they tried to pester him, Nanu absolutely refused to go in the water with them.

Guzma was feeling like showing off his “mad surfing skills” or at least that was how he described them. Thus, he had taken another round with the Mantine Ride. Munching down on a maki roll from his sushi plate, the kahuna watched him spin in the air with the ride. The kid really wasn’t half bad in that.

Floating near the shoreline was Golisopod. The bug looked like it was snoozing as the waves lulled it, and on top of its back Plumeria was sunbathing.
They had called it out in hopes of getting the Wimpod to show up, with no luck. The tiny resident stayed inside the carrier it had deemed as a safe heaven. Guzma ended up sticking some pokébeans through the bars for it and almost got his finger bitten the second time. But maybe the little bug was at least a little thankful, as it sometimes came to check on them through the half-closed door.

Letting the wind gently tousle his short hair, Nanu filled his lungs with the sweet air of the paradise island and leaned to rest against the rough bark of his shade. Now, this was a constructive way to spend your day off, he decided. Tapping the cover of the can lightly, he corked his still cool drink.

--xx--

The first evening stars had started to appear when they finally got home. On their way back, they had had a long talk about maintaining the Wimpod. Now that it was staying, new house rules would be applied.

Apparently Guzma hadn’t decided to let the Wimpod loose, it was keen to escape its pokéball on its own. Knowing that, they agreed to keep it in the carrier for time being. After offering it pellets and attaching a water feeder on the door, the carrier was placed next to the couch and covered with a towel again. Judging by the silence, the bug was already deeply asleep inside. It had been a rough day, after all.

They were wasting the evening away together, sharing the couch. The kid was flipping through the magazines and did indeed look interested in the content. Sitting on the other end, the kahuna’s attention was absorbed into his kendama. It hadn’t won Guzma’s adoration yet, but one of the felines was already a fan. Malie observed him under the coffee table, its head popping in the same rhythm with the ball.

Inspired by their earlier conversation, Nanu suddenly asked: ”So, you know all my Meowths' names?”

Turning to face him, Guzma looked almost embarrassed: ”Nah, it's not like that. I mean, some of them I recognise, but only a few.”

“Hmm, let’s hear it.”

The kid groaned in rather exaggerated manner, but did play along. ”Like, there's Soot, the pretty one who is your personal post...cat or whatever. Then there's the one you call Rudy who loves to eat and Nickle, the scaredy cat. And of course that pest, Pepper, who keeps clawing me for whatever reason.”

”It's called kneading. It does that because it likes you.”

“…That’s a weird way of showing it.”

”Love hurts. But you’ve memorized half of them, not bad.”

Guzma just shrugged. Trying to keep their conversation going, Nanu slipped a small inside info to him: ”One of your grunts named one.”

Taking the bait, the kid cocked his brow at him. ”What, who?”

”Boy, it's not like I can even tell them apart. But he keeps calling one of the Meowths Nani. It kind of stuck.”

Guzma gave a humored snort. ”Whaaat, he named that cat after you? Such a dork.”

Humming in thought, Nanu went on: ”You're mixing two, Sashimi likes to eat and Rudy is... The more regular sized one.” He had no idea how to describe it. It was just a very normal specimen of its kind in every way.

The kid fell silent again. His brows furrowing, Guzma stared at the Meowth under the table. It had lost its interest in them as soon as Nanu stopped playing with his kendama, and was now sleeping peacefully.

”... You said your Meowths are also from broken homes.”

Not sure if Guzma was referring to his gang members, Nanu answered simply: ”More or less, yes.”

Another thoughtful silence, then: ”How do you do it? Make them trust you?”

The way he worded it didn’t quite fit his grunts. So maybe this wasn’t about them, but pokémon.

”Time.”

He rested his eyes on the kid when Guzma turned back on his magazine and added in his mind: ”And patience. And kindness.” All the things wild ones need.

Seemingly he was unable to concentrate on reading anymore. Based on the way his knee bounced restlessly, Nanu was waiting for something else to come. Giving him time to think, the kahuna turned back to his game. After a moment, Guzma shut his reading material for good and spoke:

“Today was kinda fun, right?”

Little surprised by this, Nanu hummed in agreement. It was a rocky start, but in the end, they had landed in a good place. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Guzma added teasingly:

“Looking forward to kick your ass again.”

Nanu rewarded his arrogance with a nonchalant shrug, eyes following how the red ball bounced.

“We’ll see about that. You can’t let that Wimpod do all the hard work.” He landed the ball on the top.

The kid probably had a smart retort for him, but it came out as a big yawn. Tearing up a little, he rubbed his eyes.

“Maaan, I’m beat. Think I’m gonna turn in soon.“ He informed and yawned again. Instead of putting the magazine on the table, he dropped it on the floor.

It was his cue to get out of the living room. Not that he minded, the kahuna was also feeling the exhaustion in his heavy limbs. The day had been long for everybody.

While Nanu got up and stretched, Guzma started preparing his bed. Lifting his sheets and blanket from their assigned basked, he looked around before asking: ”By the way, where’s Wimpston?”

Giving the kid a questioning look, Nanu cocked his brow: ”Inside the carrier?”

”No, I don’t mean…”

Realizing his mistake a little too late, Nanu’s eyes lit with amusement.

”You named that toy Wimpston?”

”SHUT UP!!”

Chapter Text

There was only darkness.

Thick, soft, swirling darkness that devoured everything. Darkness that concealed his body, cocooning it into wrap of nothingness. When Nanu opened his eyes, he was greeted by pitch black, feeling weightless and out of place.

After a moment of composing himself, he was able to make out his surroundings. He was in a dark room. The only source of light came from blue flames that burned far in the distance. But no matter how much Nanu wanted to look into the flames, he couldn’t. Somehow they always moved with him, escaping his vision.

Suddenly, something floated past him. A deep chime of a bell rouse in the air, like a low rumble of thunder.

When the kahuna turned again, Tapu Bulu was in front of him. The two of them stood face to face and Nanu looked deep into its small golden eyes. They were so un-human like, yet there was deep understanding behind them.

Swallowing hard, he had to force his mouth open so he could speak: “The boy. What he did... It wasn't right, but was it really so bad he deserves all this?”

Tapu Bulu just floated in place, eyes glimmering with a message he didn't understand. Nanu tried again:

“Did he do anything else to anger you, other than what I saw?”

This time, the Tapu moved a bit farther away. Reaching his hand out, Nanu tried to stop it from vanishing into the dark abyss.

“What should he do to make you turn him back? If you tell me, I’ll do anything to help him fix it!”

Another deep gong rouse in the air. This time the sound was harsh and angry. Floating through the air, it slipped from his grasp.

As Tapu Bulu backed in the veil of darkness, the loud gong of its bell still rang through the room.
It was getting louder and louder, until Nanu couldn’t take it any more. It felt like his eardrums were going to burst if the horrible noise didn’t stop. He screamed.

Sitting up so violently he almost fell out of his bed, Nanu threw his blanket on the floor. Looking wildly around, his hands squeezed his sheets and his heart was beating like a drum in his chest. He was wet from cold sweat.

It had been a dream.

Screwing his eyes close, Nanu roughly wiped his face with his palm, willing himself to calm down. But thanks to his screaming, he had alarmed the whole house. Quick thumps could be heard on the wooden floor before Guzma slammed his bedroom door open.

“What? What's going on?!” Eyes wide, he stared at Nanu in sleepish confusion. His wild bedhead was making him look even more awestruck, pointing towards all possible directions.

Hand sneaking to rub his neck, Nanu gave the kid an apologetic grin.

“Sorry, it's nothing. I just had a nightmare.”

Staring at him for a moment longer, Guzma let out a long groan, his grip on the doorframe loosening.

“Are you kidding me? I thought you had a freaking heart attack or something...”

Before the kahuna could answer, couple of Meowths run between Guzma's legs and jumped on the bed. Mewling in a suggestive manner, they pushed their soft faces against Nanu's sides and neck. With amused huff the kahuna groomed his fingers through their fine fur, earning himself pleased purrs.

Guzma had crossed his arms and while leaning against the doorframe, he observed the affectionate display presented to him.

“So, you scream like a little girl every time you get a nightmare, kahuna Nanu?” he teased.

Nanu just shrugged, he was too old to get embarrassed by something so trivial.

“Happens to everyone, I suppose. I'm sorry I woke you up though.”

“... It's morning already, so, whatever.”

It was true; as Nanu checked his alarm clock it was only a few minutes away from eight.

First pushing the felines off of the bed, he then started shooing all the invaders in his sleeping quarters: “Go and make some coffee boy. I'll get changed and then feed these monsters and you.”

Grumbling something unintelligent under his breath, the kid turned to leave. Guzma still hated taking orders, but lately the amount of back sass had decreased considerably. It was a step to better direction, so Nanu just let him fuss as much as he felt necessary.

--xx--

As he clothed himself, Nanu thought back on his dream. It seemed to be hard to shake off the unnerving feeling it had caused. Being plagued by nightmares was something he had grown used to during his days at the Interpol, yet this dream had been different. Normally he didn't believe that dreams meant anything, but this one...

Shaking his head, he decided that he was over-thinking it. Maybe a good hour of morning training would drive the heebie jeebies away. After the match between Wimpod and Dime, Nanu was hoping to start a light sparring routine with Guzma. The only problem with this, he thought, was the fact Guzma was too accustomed to his team. He wanted to push the kid to think training differently, but it would be hard as Guzma and his pokémon already had their own way of doing things. He would have to figure out a way to challenge him in unexpected way...

Pondering the matter, he exited his bedroom and quietly shuffled towards the kitchen. He was pleased to find out that the kid had actually granted his wish. Guzma was slouching against the kitchen counter and with a black coffee mug firmly in his grasp he was waiting for the coffee to pour.

Drinking coffee was something, to put nicely, they agreed to disagree on. While Guzma was often happy with his morning cocoa, he sometimes insisted on having a cup of “black roast” to make him more sharp while training his team. Nanu found his choice of words mildly funny, as Guzma always dumped three sugars and plenty of milk in the mix.

In his opinion, Guzma was currently too young and didn't need any caffeine in his system. He had enough destructive energy to begin with. Still, every once in a while he gave in and the kid got himself a caffeine fix. Today apparently was one of those mornings.

Knowing full well what was coming, Guzma threw the approaching kahuna a dark look. He was clearly miffed he had been caught before he could loot the forbidden beverage to himself.

“Don't even start. I made it, I have a right to claim it.” He grumbled and shook the cup at him. His intimidating gesture lost some of its effect as the boy ended his sentence with a long yawn.

Considering him, Guzma honestly looked like he hadn't slept at all.

“You look like hell.” Nanu pointed out helpfully while he picked his favorite mug from the sink and rinsed it. He would let it slide, this time.

Finally the kid got tired of waiting. Not caring that stray droplets were still dripping, he grabbed the pan and let out a dry laugh. “Thanks. And you're the handsome one.”

“At least I'm the well-rested one.

Pouring the dark liquid for himself, Guzma huffed: “Yeah, well... I woke up twice last night. Dime was poking around the carrier.”

Offering his mug so that Guzma could serve him coffee too, Nanu lifted a brow in surprise.

“You mean it tried to attack your Wimpod?”

“Nah, it wasn't like that. First time it came and stole the towel. I woke up because your dumb cat walked all over me. The second time it was sitting on top of the carrier and just stared inside. Wimpod didn't like that too much though, I'm surprised you didn't wake up when it hollered.”

“I wonder what that's all about...” Nanu muttered, mostly thinking out loud.

Guzma ignored him, his focus fixed on dropping sugars cubes in his mug. When he leaned to look into the fridge to grab the milk, Nanu suddenly realized something.

“Cripes kid, have you grown taller?”

Poking his head out, Guzma seemed to consider this, before he shrugged. “Uh, maybe? I mean, I won't hit a serious growth spurt until fourteen, but I've always been pretty tall.”

“You don't have to reach your full size as long as you're here.” Shaking his head, Nanu said in good humor.

“If only you weren't so slow to solve this case, I wouldn't have to.” Guzma accused, but he was clearly teasing him back.

Just then, there was a soft tapping noise coming from the window. Soot was sitting on the windowsill, asking to be let inside.

Leaving his mug on the counter, Nanu went to open the front door. Soot had left home yesterday and the kahuna was surprised to see it was back already. The Meowth was readily waiting on his steps, and as soon as the wooden barrier cleared from its way it quickly slipped inside from the rain. More than the others, Soot was a real daredevil but even it didn't like getting its fur soaked. Watching it give its coat a quick brush, Nanu realized it was also carrying a small note.

Nanu squatted down to its level and greeted his Meowth properly with a small smirk. “Welcome home. You have some mail for me I see.”

While his other hand gave the Meowths' ears a good rub, his other hand took the folded piece of paper from its mouth. The note was light lavender colored and had no signature, but it came as no surprise when it revealed Acerola's round handwriting. As he read the short message it held under his breath, Guzma came to stand behind him.

“What are you mumbling?” He asked, taking a deep gulp from his mug.

Standing up, Nanu offered the note for him to see. “Acerola sent me this. She's asking us to come and meet her at the Malie library this afternoon. Apparently she's found something from one of her dad's books.”

“What is it?” Immediately getting curious, Guzma snatched the paper to himself but didn't bother to read it.

Nanu just shook his head. “That we have to go and find out ourselves.” The girl knew how to keep her audience on their toes.

--xx--

There would've been enough time for them to have a training match, but Nanu decided against it. After receiving the note, Guzma had been so eager to get going he knew the kid wouldn't be able concentrate on learning anything. And so, they arrived at the Malie City early. This also suited Nanu fine, while Acerola hadn't mentioned any specific time for their meeting, he preferred not to make her wait.

The Charizard Glide dropped them off right in front of the library. As soon as they stepped inside, the librarian smiled at the kahuna. Acerola spent a lot of her time in here so over the years they had come to somewhat know each other. Nanu nodded to her in a greeting and she motioned him to come over.

Guessing the reason of his visit correctly, she said: “If you're looking for Acerola, you barely missed her. She was here earlier but had to run for a small errand. She promised to come back soon though.”

“Thank you. I think we'll take a seat, then.”

While waiting for the girl to arrive, they claimed a spot at a long table. Guzma had grabbed himself a comic book when they passed a cart with recently returned books and his eyes were now glued to the content. Taking a small glimpse on the page Guzma was reading, Nanu lifted his brows at a guy who was swinging a hammer while wearing a mask that looked like a … Human heart? It all seemed horrendously violent, but the kahuna didn’t feel like it was his business to intervene. Instead, Nanu slumped on his chair sideways and let his gaze loom across his surroundings.

The library was conveniently sized, not too big for comfort yet large enough it had two floors. Behind the staircase was a small reading area for children where Acerola often liked to tell stories for even younger generation than she was. Her father had been a lot alike when it came to books. Always one piece of literature open in his palm and two more waiting for his attention next. Her gentle nature was something Acerola had also inherited from her father, Nanu thought with a small, sad smile.

He was idly wondering how many of these books were originally a donation from Acerola's family (surely not the comic books), when something caught his eye. He first noticed a white, long coat flutter between two of the nearest book rows. Then, Kukui leaned to view. His finger browsing through the books, he was inspecting the reading material with a concentrated frown on his forehead.

Nanu didn't have time to prepare himself in any way for the sudden encounter. As if the other man had sensed that somebody was staring at him, Kukui turned his head, directly facing the kahuna. They both looked at each other for a short second, before the Professor broke into a smile as Kukui realized who he was.

Abandoning the books, the man immediately steered towards their table with long strides.

“What a nice surprise! I didn't expect to find you here, kahuna Nanu!” With a volume that was hardly a whisper, he greeted him.

“Are you visiting Acerola? If so, I might need to ask her about this book I...“ Kukui's question died when he noticed that Nanu's company wasn't the ghost type specialist. Guzma, who previously had his face buried in the comic book slowly lifted his gaze to meet Kukui. Mouth snapping open ever so slightly, the pokémon Professor took a double look on the kid.

Before Nanu could even lift a finger to stop him, Kukui suddenly leaned down on Guzma’s level. With a wide grin, Kukui offered Guzma his fist, trying to coax him into giving him a fist bump.

“Hello there young man. I don’t think we have met before. My name is professor Kukui and I’d love to get to know you!” Silently watching from the sidelines, Nanu waited for a catastrophe that never came. It really was a small miracle the kid didn’t punch him in the face for invading his personal bubble like that.

Guzma didn't answer. He just sat perfectly still, brows furrowing and shoulders tense. Kukui seemed to be obvious to any of this, jovially slapping his rejected hand on the table.

“But first, do you mind if I borrow you Uncle for a little bit?” It wasn’t really a question. Before the last words were even fully out of his mouth, Kukui was already turning back to the kahuna.

Knowing he had to hear the Professor out, Nanu sat up. Guzma glared at him vehemently, but again he was ignored. Taking a light hold on Nanu's shoulder, Kukui started steering him towards the back of the library.

Without a word, Nanu just let Kukui lead him towards the safety of the book rows. As soon as the Professor felt that they were a good distance away from the table, his calm demeanor started to crumble. Giving a fast glance towards where Guzma was still sitting, he locked his eyes with Nanu. With all the seriousness the jolly man probably could muster, he whispered:

“Does Guzma have a son?”

Nanu blinked. And then blinked again. Apparently reading his silence as a yes, Kukui let out a silent gasp. Not wanting to lead the man astray, Nanu touched his arm lightly, trying to calm him.

“Kukui, relax. He’s not…”

“I have known him ever since we were kids! I went to the Trainers’ School with him for crying out loud! And I’m telling you, that boy is a splitting image of Guzma, oh yeah.”

Nanu still didn’t have a chance to answer him, as Kukui rambled on:

“But wait, that boy has to be at least 10? It means he would’ve had him… No, that doesn’t make any sense, it’s just... I mean, that's very unlikely!” Desperately trying to keep his voice low, he nervously scratched his chin.

“How old is Plumeria? I think she's even younger than....”

Kukui was saved from himself when Guzma’s cold voice cut his sentence: “I don't have kids, you feather dance for brains. This is me.” He had been cunning enough to go around the book rows and was now standing behind them.

Nanu's wasn't surprised the least that Guzma had sneaked up on them, but his sudden revelation left the kahuna speechless. His head snapped towards Kukui to see his reaction, but the Professor was just staring at the kid with a blank expression.

“That's a funny joke, young man. Did your daddy tell you to say that?” Kukui asked calmly.

Eyes squinting dangerously, Guzma took a long breath through his nostrils.

“When we were kids, one time you sneaked your dad's Raichu out so that we could play we were doing the island challenge. The bright idea was to go and fight the totem Raticate by ourselves.”

Upon hearing this, Kukui's eyes widened. Guzma went on:

“We actually managed to sneak past the guards because I discovered a small crack on the rock face. Wide enough for two kids to slip through. But when we went to challenge the totem pokémon, Raichu didn't listen to us one bit. Things almost got really bad, but luckily Hala happened to be around that day and heard our cries. He and Hariyama saved us and he was nice enough not to tell your old man about it... But as a punishment, he had us weed his garden for two months!”

Nanu supposed that this was somewhat classified information, the kind of thing only the two of them and Hala would know. At least hearing it from the kid had done a number on Kukui. Opening and closing his mouth like a Magikarp on a dry land, the Professor had to take support from the bookshelf, backing away from Guzma a little.

“What are you doing? I though you didn’t want anyone to know your identity!” Prying his eyes from the panicking man, Nanu hissed at the kid.

“You were getting annoyed with him yourself too. At least that shut him up for good.” Guzma muttered darkly.

“Plus I didn't want Plumeria to get dragged into something... weird! It's his own fault for saying stuff like that.”

With a tired sigh, Nanu just gave up. The deed was already done. But Guzma wasn't wrong; the way Kukui's bantering had started to go from bad to worse would have eventually worn him out. Still, being at least somewhat decent person, Nanu saved the pokemon Professor before he could work himself up enough to have a heart attack. With a firm pat on his shoulder, he said:

“Let’s go to someplace else. I’ll treat you a drink and explain everything.”

--xx--

There was a nice, quiet cafeteria near Malie Garden. Before they exited the library, Nanu had asked the librarian to give Acerola a note when she came back. With his instructions, she would find them well. Now, sitting under a shade of a colorful umbrella and enjoying the lovely breeze, Nanu had also made good of his promise of treating everyone a drink.

He had already started his story when the waitress came to bring their order outside. Smiling at the girl politely, the kahuna thanked her and carried on with his explanation. Listening quietly everything Nanu told him, Kukui was doing his best to stay focused, but the further Nanu got into his story, the more frequently his eyes started to shift on Guzma.

When he reached the end, Kukui just nodded his head, unable to say anything to what he had been told. A silence fell over the table.

The glass was sweating clear droplets of water, but Kukui hadn't taken more than one sip out of his Lemonade. Instead combing his fingers through his brown hair, the mess he was making on his hairdo probably reflected the inner turmoil he was experiencing. Guzma on his part was determined to ignore the gaping Professor. After drinking his glass of Pinap Juice, he started playing around with his straw, currently chewing it flat.

Feeling a bit awkward for being the only spokesman in their group, Nanu was hoping to get Guzma at least a little involved. He hadn't said a word during Nanu's explanation of his current situation, and the kahuna tried to provoke him a bit. Lifting his brows, he threw a small question to his direction:

“Is there anything you would like to add in the story? Perhaps tell Kukui a detail I might've forgotten?”

Lazily rolling the straw in his mouth, Guzma aimed him a quick stare before shrugging. He wasn't about to take his bait.

“Nope. I already know what happened, I lived through it.”

Before silence completely overtook them, a savior arrived. Acerola emerged from inside of the cafeteria, her eyes searching the tables. Once she spotted them, she flashed them a big smile and called out:

“Uncle Nanu!”

Turning towards her, Nanu also raised his hand as a greeting while the girl came running towards the trio. She was about to greet Guzma too, but the sight of the pokémon Professor took her by a surprise.

“Oh, hello mister Kukui! I didn't expect you to be here too.”

Nodding his head, Kukui finally stopped tormenting his hair and smiled nervously at her. “Yeah, me neither...” He still looked like he was on a verge of a meltdown.

Looking at Nanu in question, the kahuna explained: “We had a little... accident while running into the Professor and now he is also aware of Guzma's situation.” The kid ignored his disapproving scowl.

Upon hearing this, Acerola's expression brightened. “Well, this is good news then!”

“Why?” finally dropping the straw from his mouth, Guzma asked.

“I was reading tea leaves earlier this week and they promised “unexpected yet successful encounters”. I was expecting something fun to happen to me or Mimikyu, but I guess this fortune was meant for you!” She chirped happily.

Unsure if he believed that wet leaves knew anything about the future, Nanu realized that they actually could use the situation for their advantage.

“I think Acerola is right.“ He said, taking a sip from his coffee.

Kukui only managed to blink at him, but the kahuna went on: “We came here today to meet her, because she has some information that might help Guzma. Would it be possible to meet Burnet and ask her opinion on this matter as well?

The mention of his wife snapped Kukui out of whatever stupor he was in. When his expression still remained perplexed, Nanu added: “It would be really helpful to get as many different takes on this as possible. So far, I haven't been able to crack anything meaningful by myself.”

With a deep hum, this time Kukui's hands went to fix his ponytail and he cocked his head in thought.

“Well, I suppose that could be a valid idea. I can't say this is her expertise by far but she is really smart... And knowledgeable about peculiar topics, GAH!”

Yelping out of pain and surprise, Kukui suddenly jumped up from his chair. Hand sneaking to rub his leg, Guzma had kicked him under the table.

“Who are you calling peculiar?” the kid grunted.

“I would really appreciate it if we could go and see her.” Nanu hastily continued before Guzma could sabotage everything.

Still hissing in agony, the Professor just nodded. After getting his consent, Nanu turned to address the girl.

“What do you think, Acerola? Should we head back to the library first so you can tell us about the book?”

She just shook her head and smiled. “Nu-uh, I think I'd rather tag along with you. After all, I want to see how my reading unfolds.”

--xx--

They had spent so much time in the cafeteria, it was already a rush hour when they finally got moving. That meant they had to wait a good while to grab available Charizards to swap islands. Quickly instructing them where to go, Kukui had taken the first Glide in order to go and prepare his wife for what was coming. Literally.

Nanu had never been to the Dimensional Labs, but when they arrived in front of a tall brick building, he knew this was the place. The biggest hint was a huge satellite dish that invaded most of the free space in the company's parking lot. Guzma had pointed it out while they were still in the air and the buildings themselves looked like tiny boxes.

When they entered through the glass doors, there was a middle-aged woman sitting at the reception. She gave them a quick glance, but didn't otherwise acknowledge their existence. The only other person in the lobby area was Kukui, who stood up from the sofa as soon as he saw them.

“Welcome to the Dimensional Labs, where the dimensions are given physical form.” He greeted them with a light chuckle.

Feeling slightly worried how things had gone, Nanu asked: “Are you sure we're not intruding?” He received thumbs up.

“Everything is fine, Burnet's really eager to see you all. We should head up right away.” Kukui assured and motioned them to follow him towards the elevators.

Burnet's working space was on a third floor. When the metallic doors cleared from their way, Nanu had expected there to be more staff, likely a whole herd of serious looking geniuses waiting for them. Maybe the white haired lady had done something to empty the space out for this occasion? Never the less, the only person welcoming them was Burnet.

She was standing just outside the elevators, her hands planted on her hips and wearing a white lab coat over her usual sporty attire. It added a touch of professionalism in her. Kukui was first to exit, so Nanu gave the kid a little push, ushering him to step to view and stand in front of them all.

As she laid her eyes on him, a silent gasp escaped Burnet and she clapped her hands gently together. It took her only a couple of steps to close the distance between them, excitement shining brightly on her face.

“So this was your mystery guest.” Smiling softly, her words were addressed to Nanu, but her eyes never left Guzma. The boy smiled at her, albeit in a confused manner. Bending down to his eye level, she then offered her hand for Guzma to shake.

“I'm Burnet, Kukui's wife. I don't think we've ever met, but I've heard a lot about you from my hubby. Well, most of it was about you as an adult, but you know what I mean.”

With a small and rigid movement, Guzma returned her gesture but didn’t say anything.

“Kukui also told me a little bit about your current situation, but I confess I was expecting this to be some kind of silly prank. This is quite extraordinary, really.”

Once on a roll, Burnet was clearly a woman of action. Within that small timeframe Kukui had spent there before their arrival, he couldn't have told her everything. But the way she immediately took control of the situation was admirable. It reminded Nanu of his old working partners at the Interpol.

“Feel free to take a look around and make yourselves at home. I need a moment to go and gather some equipment. I would like to run a few tests.” Giving everyone an assertive nod, she took the elevator and exited the room swiftly. The machine whirred loudly as it carried her to higher floors, but Nanu could still hear a faint sound of squealing.

Without a better word for it, she seemed “ecstatic”.

Kukui didn't share his wife’s excitement, but he had calmed down considerably. “Make yourselves comfortable, this really might take Burnet some time.” The Professor suggested, gesturing them to enter deeper into the laboratory.

While they waited for Burnet to come back, Guzma wandered around the room, idly gazing at the huge technology that surrounded them. Acerola joined him too, pointing out things every now and then. Both of the kids were drawn to the big monitors, where long streams of calculations flowed and graphic 3D models slowly turned around.
Nanu couldn't care less about the machines, he didn't understand one thing about them. So he sat down on one of the computer chairs and instead kept an eye on the herd. He would be damned if one of the kids managed to mess up anything.
He also noted how Kukui was stealing fast glances of Guzma, before the man turned to stare at the floor again. He was still looking a little pale. Nanu didn't blame him, he himself had been in a shock for the best part of three days after Guzma's transformation. Even thou nobody was asking the Professor to look after his old acquaintance.

The soft whirring could be heard from the elevator again and this time Burnet came back holding a plastic box full of equipment.

“It's probably best to use my personal office so I can examine Guzma, come this way.” With her head, she pointed towards the farthest side of the laboratory.

Behind a dividing wall was another separated room, which was more “homey” than the laboratory itself. Burnets personal touch could be seen all over the room; on a small side desk was a group of framed pictures with Burnet and Kukui together. Next to a row of lab coats that hung on the wall was another table with a small cacti and even a coffee maker. There was also a Slowpoke on the floor. Acerola immediately went to give it a pat.

In the middle of the room stood Burnets working desk. Ignoring the pokémon, she started clearing it for use. First piling up the books and then gathering her loose papers, she made room for her patient. Once the space was emptied, she patted the wooden surface. “Could you please come and sit here?”

Playing along, Guzma shuffled to the desk an hopped to sit on it. Burnet helped him to take his hoodie off, neatly folding it next to him and started unloading her box. Lifting a tall machine that looked like a blood pressure meter to view, she told him:

“Now, this won't hurt one bit so try to relax. I'm just going to check some basic things, all right?“

When Guzma nodded, Burnet went straight to work. But instead of going for any of the usual medical equipment, she started her inspection with a device Nanu had never seen before. On her hand she had something that looked like a handheld radio with a modern touch screen. Keeping her eyes on the panel, she gently moved it around Guzma's upper body. The machine beeped every now and then and numbers run wildly on its screen. After the quick scan, Burnet put it on the table and continued her inspection by hand, gently touching Guzma's neck while looking for possible signs of changes.

Despite her promise, she soon noted how tense Guzma was. Leaning to pick up the Slowpoke, she put it on her chair so that the kid could keep his eyes on it while she run her tests. Looking unimpressed with her tactics, Guzma squinted his eyes at it. Slowpoke stared back, slowly swaying its head from left to right. Maybe it was its goofy expression, but after a while, just observing the pokémon actually seemed to help the kid to loosen up a little.

Burnet used this moment to push his tank top up and landed a stethoscope on his back.

“Can you take a deep breath for me? Good, now exhale slowly...”

All in all, it looked to Nanu that she was performing a routine check up on the kid. She tested his reflexes, blood pressure and even looked into his eyes with a small light pen. The only abnormality so far was the small radio-like box she had used first. Now it just sat there, still giving short beeps.

While Burnet worked, she also asked a series of specific questions. She appeared to be mostly interested in the moments right before and after everything happened to Guzma.

When she was checking the boy's temperature from his ear, the kahuna decided to voice the matter of why they had come. Clearing his throat, Nanu questioned:

“So, uh. Do you have any idea how this… Regression came to be?”

Letting go of Guzma's head, she turned to give him a fast glance. “Oh, gosh no! I have no idea how something like this could’ve happened.”

When there was a strangled gasp from the kid, she quickly added:

“Yet! But I do think we have one lead.”

Leaning away from the boy, she turned to her computer and typed something in. Soon, an image appeared. On the screen was presented a tube-like 3D model. Nanu squinted his eyes; it appeared to be some kind of passage that was connecting two worlds together.

Moving her finger over the picture, Burnet started to explain: “This image is a model of what we call an “Ultra Wormhole”. They are dimensional rifts that, for some mysterious reason, appear in Alolan Islands. There are a lot of complicated theories and mathematical explanations behind them, but to put it simple, they work as portals between the Ultra Space and our world.”

Looking directly at Nanu, she continued. “As some of you might know, there are people who have actually experienced going through the Ultra Wormhole, also known as “The Fallers”. It’s a very common trait for many of them to suffer from memory loss, just like Guzma.”

“You think Guzma is a Faller? How?” Nanu asked in disbelief. Like Burnet was subtly implying, he had firsthand experience in working with people from that background. Guzma didn't exactly fit his recollection of Fallers; the kid had only lost small fragments of his memories and they were all tied around the incident itself. But then again, Fallers were all individual cases and vastly different from one another. To him, the idea was still unnerving.

“When Tapu Bulu did unleash its power, maybe it also opened a portal? Perhaps Guzma was momentarily swept inside the Ultra Space and came back changed? “ Burnet explained. “It’s very unfortunate you both were unconscious when the attack hit you, I can't ask if you saw any specific signs that might suggest there was a dimensional rift. But you were both hit by the same burst of energy, yet nothing happened to you. Guzma must've experienced something different.”

Guzma was listening Burnet's theory, his brows furrowing. “But isn't that something an Ultra-Whatever would do? I mean, I was battling with Tapu Bulu, not some weird monster from another dimension. Why would it be able to open any portals?” he pointed out.

Burnet scratched her chin. “While its true Tapu’s are considered pokémon, we’re not entirely sure where they originate from. Some of my fellow colleagues think they came here through an Ultra Wormhole long time ago and stayed. Studies show they are at least able to sense energies that come from Ultra Space.”

That piece of information actually went along with Nanu's own police files. Frowning in thought, he had to question her: “Has anyone ever had any... Alterations on their body?”

“I’ve never come across with such data, no. But if Guzma really went to the other side, it’s not impossible he didn’t come in contact with something that did this to him.”

She once again turned to type something on the computer. Soon, the 3D model was replaced by another illustration. There was a humanoid, riding a Solgaleo through some kind of cosmic vacuum.

“Lately there has been new discoveries on how Ultra Space is structured. Instead of there being one enormous space where all the Ultra Beasts roam, we believe it is divided into countless sectors! In common terms, within Ultra Space exists multiple different worlds. There really is no telling what could occur there.”

At that moment, there was a long beeping sound from the machine next to Guzma.

“What does that thing-a-majig do?” Pointing at the noisy equipment, Nanu asked.

Eagerly lifting the machine to check its screen again, she said: “ I'm glad you asked. I call this device an “Ultra Radar”. It's still a bit of a prototype, but I was hoping it might enlighten some things for me”.

“I’m trying to invent a machine that’s so keen on picking up the energy from Ultra Wormholes that in the future, we will be able to predict when and where one is about to open before it actually happens! Then we would be able to prepare beforehand for any possible UB attacks.”

“And you're using it to scan Guzma?” Kukui asked, a peek of genuine interest in his eyes.

Winking at her husband, Burnet gave him thumbs up.

“What does it say?” Trying to get a peek at the monitor, Guzma asked.

“The reading is… It’s not very high, but that doesn’t exactly debunk any theories yet. This happened to you quite a while ago and the machine is still far from perfect. Any energy traces from dimensional rifts vanishes in time.”

Nanu was keeping a close eye on Burnet's expression. She seemed genuinely swept in her theory and the kahuna felt like now was appropriate time to seal the deal:

“So, I take it that you're willing to help us?” For the first time in a long while, Nanu was feeling more hopeful about their situation.

Burnet nodded. “I must say I'm really interested in this “case” you two have. But in return, I would like a request of my own. Something I absolutely need Guzma's permission for.”

She received a skeptical rise of an eyebrow. “What's that?”

“If this really is caused by something related to the Ultra Space, I would like to write a paper about you. Once you're back to your normal self, of course.” She wasn't fully able to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice as she asked for his permission.

Guzma looked at her with a hint of distrust in his eyes. “Only if this is because of an Ultra Whatever? Because if not, I don't want anyone to know about this!”

Burnet hurried to agree: “You have my word. And if I end up writing an article, I'll use a fake name, no photography. I'd write about your experiences purely from a scientific point of view.”

There was a long pause, before the kid muttered: “I guess that's fine.”

To Nanu’s surprise, Burnet gave also him a look that was asking for confirmation. Since Guzma had already complied, he just nodded at the woman.

“I still think this is something like a curse.” Acerola, who had been as quiet as a Mimikyu up to that point, suddenly piped up.

Everybody in the room turned to look at the young ghost-type specialist who lingered near the photographs. Blinking, Burnet said:

“Ah, well, I suppose it could be something like that, too. I’m not familiar in that, uh, field, so can you open up this idea for us?”

“Curses are quite difficult, but there’s often a way to break them. Normally a caster afflicts the curse for a reason, such as to punish or teach and it won't go away until certain means are met. For example, you might have to complete a task or ritual in order to get rid of a curse that’s laid upon you.”

Guzma was looking even more uneasy with her theory. “Like what?”

Giving him a small smile, the girl had a violet bag with her and she stuffed her hand inside. After a brief moment of digging, she pulled an old book out. Its sides were worn but despite its obvious age, the golden, beautiful illustration on the cover was looking almost new. The owner of this tome of a literature must've taken a good care of it.

As Acerola held the book out for view, Nanu frowned a little as he saw the name of it. Before he could say anything, Guzma voiced his exact thoughts:

“Isn't that book about fairy tales?”

Nodding her head, Acerola laid the book on the table and flicked it open.

“Yes, it is. But it's not just any old book for little children, I found this at my dad's private collection. I think I told you this earlier, but dad used to research old Alolan legends and folktales. All the stories written in here originate from these islands.

She stopped her browsing once she found a page that had a small, Genger-shaped bookmark between its pages.

“ While fairy tales and legends aren't strictly based on reality, they're meant as teachings. Even if the circumstances aren't real, the truth hidden in them is.”

As he listened her reasoning, Nanu found himself agreeing a little with this logic. They were already dealing with otherworldly topics, might as well take this into consideration.

“I did find one story that sounds something alike you. I won't read you the whole story word to word, but I'll tell you the main events.” Clearing her throat, she began the tale.

“Once upon a time, there was a pokémon that was called `the King of all Tricksters´, also known as Zoroark. It lived in a deep forest that was bound by a desert. Unlucky were those who crossed paths with this trickster, because it loved to change its form to whomever it encountered. Once claiming a new form, it never forgot it and was able to cause great mischief and misery. While many admired its talents, its mean nature assured that nobody wanted to come near it and Zoroark had not one friend in the forest.

One day, Zoroark saw a young monk passing through the forest. He was headed into the desert, carrying a basket full of tasty pastries that were a gift for the sacred spirit that lived in a hidden temple. Zoroark thought it could use a little trick to get a share of the offering.

Sneaking after the youth, it followed him like a shadow, memorizing his path carefully to avoid all the puzzles that were laid in their way. Just when the temple could be seen in the horizon, Zoroark circled past the monk and made sure to arrive there before him. Then, it put its shape shifting skills in use.

When the monk arrived at the temple, he saw himself standing at the entrance and was beside of fright. Silently, the doppelganger waved its hand in an eerie greeting. Dropping his gifts on the ground, the young man run away as fast as he could, not even daring to glance back.

Feeling very clever and proud of itself Zoroark happily went to claim its prize. It gobbled the delicious treats but little did it know, the spirit of the temple was home that day. Coming to inspect the thief, it immediately saw through Zoroarks disguise and was angered by the pokémon's selfishness and greedy nature.

As a long shadow fell upon Zoroark, the pokémon realized that the spirit was right behind it. But it wasn't scared; it had been playing tricks all of its life and was certain it could fool the spirit too.
Swiping the last pastry in its mouth, it pretended to be a weary travelling monk, taking a rest in front of the temple. It couldn't speak in a human form, so when it faced the spirit, it just smiled and politely bowed its head.

Determined to punish Zoroark for its insolence, the spirit roared: “One's bad deed is tied to the cause!”

With a flash of bright light, the spirit was gone. Zoroark snorted triumphantly and turned its back to the temple, preparing to return the forest after a successful scam. But then, Zoroark realized in horror, it couldn't change its form anymore! The spirit had robbed it from its powers and it was now permanently stuck as a human.

Scared to its core, Zoroark fled into the desert, but crossing the sands in its new form was hard and gruelling. Zoroark did its best to remember all the landmarks it needed to get away from the maze, but without its powers or even a fur to protect its body from the burning sun, it was struggling to go on. How did humans manage being this weak?

It travelled all day. When the night fell upon the land and the scorching heat turned into bitter coldness, exhaustion finally took over and it collapsed in the sand.

When Zoroark opened its eyes again, it was in a warm, cozy house. A kind farmer and his Mudbray had found it and he had carried what he thought was an unconscious monk to his home. First the man and his family were a little surprised when their guest couldn't speak, but it didn't stop them from taking him in as their honored guest.

And so, Zoroark stayed with the family, in a village that was at the edge of the desert. Day after day it watched the humans work from a sunrise to sundown and thought to itself how stupid they were. It had never worked that hard for anything because of its skills and cleverness.

As time passed, it got its health back. But as long as Zoroark was in a human form, it couldn't go back to the forest and was forced to live with the humans. Depressed, it just loitered around the house, unwilling to help or participate in any daily tasks. Now that its powers were gone, it couldn't even entertain itself with its shape shifting.

One day Zoroark was sitting in the garden when the eldest daughter of the house appeared. With a basket full of fresh laundry, her chore was to hang them up to dry. When she realized that the monk was curiously observing her, she bowed her head and asked:

“Would you like to help me?”

Zoroark hesitated first, but out of curiosity it did offer a helping hand to the girl. The task wasn't fun or exciting the least, but once it was done the girl smiled and thanked it dearly. Nobody had never been thankful to Zoroark for anything before and soon it started yearning to hear more praises.

First it started helping around the house, then on the fields, until it was a common sight for the mute monk to be helping out all across the town. Soon Zoroark became the most popular resident whom everybody regarded as their friend. And little by little, its heart started to change.”

At this point Acerola looked up from the book, checking that her listeners were still paying attention to the story. Once satisfied, she continued reading:

”Months passed. Everything was fine for the longest time, until one day a huge sandstorm swept over the village. It kept raging on for days with no end and killed the humble crops humans had planted. Thinking they had done something to anger their protector, the people of the village started to pray for the desert spirit for forgiveness.

But Zoroark knew that this wasn't a normal sandstorm. Even in its human form, it could smell a foul scent that the wind carried. It was the smell of a monster that lurked in the sand. And it knew that the only way to stop the storm and save the village was to defeat this beast.

It was forbidden to leave the village during the storm but being the cunning trickster it was, Zoroark waited for a perfect opportunity to sneak out and headed into the desert. Braving the grueling sand, the storm raged on and on, painfully beating its body. If only it could change its form into a scaly Krookodile or even a small Digglet to burrow itself in the dunes, everything would have been easier! Still, Zoroark didn't give up.

It's determination paid off when it reached the heart of the storm; there was a complete calm and there also stood the evildoer.

A wild Tyranitar was raging and by whipping the sand wildly with its tail it kept the storm winds flowing.
Unable to speak even to other pokémon, Zoroark dug two stones from the sand. It hid one behind its back and used the other to get the monsters attention. With a fast swipe, it threw the rock against the monster's back.

Turning its massive head around, Tyranitar subdued its storm enough to take a look at the being that dared to disturb it. When it saw a young monk, it didn't recognize it as Zoroark. Instead, Tyranitar thought that this was a sacrifice from the humans, a desperate plea to end the storm.

Its voice was full of contempt as it spoke: “I'm tired of being ignored. If the spirit of the temple is good enough to be worshipped, I should be ten times more popular. I am, by far, bigger and stronger!”

Tyranitar stepped closer, quaking the earth under its feet.

“I raised this storm to show those humans how foolish they are. But this is the best they can do? I'm drowning them in sand and they send me one pathetic child to feast on?”

Lowering down to stare at the Zoroark, it growled deeply: “First I will eat you, then I'll raise my storm to tenfold to repay their insolence!”

With these words, it charged towards its prey. But even if it had lost its powers, Zoroark still had its wits. Now using the second stone, it successfully hit Tyranitar in the eye with it. Tyranitar roared in pain and while the beast was distracted, Zoroark fled. Half blinded by the stone, the angry beast run after the trickster.

By running towards east, Zoroark was desperately trying to lead Tyranitar as far away from the village as possible but couldn't keep its distance. Feet sinking in the sand, it could feel the beast already catching up on it. Tripping, Zoroark fell down in the sand and readied itself for a bitter end.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in the storm and Zoroark felt a long gone power fill its body.

The desert spirit, who had been summoned by the prayers of the villagers, had seen how unselfish Zoroark was when it tried to sacrifice itself in order to protect the village from Tyranitar and its sandstorm. Finally forgiving the poor pokémon it lifted the curse and Zoroark was able to shed its human form.

Meanwhile the villagers had noticed that the monk was missing and a rescue party had been sent out to find him. They arrived just in time to see how the monk turned into a pokémon.

Like the villagers, Tyranitar was awestruck when the monk revealed its true form. Angrily it thought Zoroark had done this on a purpose to fool him! A furious fight ensued but with its cunning tricks and skillful shape shifting, Zoroark came through victorious. Defeating its enemy for good, it drove Tyranitar back into the dunes and the monster never dared to return to cause harm again.

After witnessing the battle, the humans now knew that their weird newcomer had been Zoroark all along. But instead of being angry that they had been tricked like that, they welcomed it with open arms, praising Zoroark for its bravery and cleverness. It was, after all, a friend to all of the villagers.

From there on, Zoroark moved in the village for good, happily living side by side with the humans. And even though it had gain its powers back, it never changed its form to fool anyone ever again. “

Once she reached the end, Acerola slammed the book shut with finality.

“That was quite an exciting story!” Grinning in delight, Burnet admitted.

“One’s bad deed is tied to the cause... In other words, you have to pay a price for your bad deeds. The message wasn't bad either. That spirit did sound a bit like Tapu Bulu, to be honest.” Kukui said thoughtfully.

“I think so too!” Acerola exclaimed.

“Whether it was a spirit or Tapu Bulu, I would've loved to see that move it used, oh yeah.” Shifting on his seat, Kukui was visibly getting more excited by the minute. It seemed to annoy Guzma.

“Well, I don't think me and that fairy tale Zoroark have anything in common.” the kid muttered.

“True, you are different as individuals.” Acerola agreed. “But what I mean is, if the spirit in this story was Tapu Bulu and if it laid a spell on you, there might be something you need to do in order to get your “real form” back, just like Zoroark! Something to make it see you in a better light again.”

Burnet, who along Kukui seemed to be the most open minded of her idea, kept questioning her: “And what do you think that could be?”

Shaking her head, Acerola sighed. “That’s a tricky thing to answer, I have no clue. But if we follow the story's logic, it should be something that’s tied to what happened on that day. I'm sure we can figure it out.”

“Going to the original source would be my best guess. Since this all started in the Ruins of Abundance, maybe Tapu Bulu left some kind of hint or clue there.” Hitting his palm with his fist, Kukui beamed.

Nodding his head, Nanu agreed. “It was also my original plan. If that storm hadn't swept over the islands when it did, we would've made a trip there as a first step.” He had to admit, he had wasted some time out of the routine of reading his case files. But then again, if he hadn't, he might've never gotten the realization that Burnet could help them. Or even Acerola, for that matter.

“Maybe the storm was a lucky break. If you're going there, I would like you to take my Ultra Radar with you!” Burnet exclaimed, her eyes squinting in a happy manner.

“I thought you said Ultra Energy fades after too much time passes?” Nanu asked. But Burnet just shook her head.

“Yes, but this machine is built to specifically detect readings that come from dimensional rifts. In order for one to manifest there has to be a massive amount of energy in the first place, meaning they also leave a strong trail. If there was a portal, it will still get a reading.”

But instead of offering the machine to the kahuna, she quickly bowed her head in apology.

”Or at least that's what I hope! Like I said, this is still a prototype. I would like to make some adjustments before handing it over, just to be extra sure about everything!”

Not wanting to rush their contributor, Nanu agreed easily. “Well, we can always use the spare time to prepare for the trip.” She was doing this out of the goodness of her heart, it would've been incredibly rude to pressure her.

“I'll be as quick as possible!” Smiling brightly, she nodded in gratitude.

While everybody was buzzing and sharing ideas, Guzma had fallen completely silent. Gently worrying his lip with his teeth, his eyes were aimed at the floor. Burnet was first to notice his shift of mood this time as well. Moving next to him, she laid a gentle, reassuring hand on his back. This effectively snapped Guzma out of his inner musings. He gave the Professor a wide-eyed look.

“I know this all might sound worrying to you. But remember, everything we discussed here today was simply assuming. We have to dig deeper in order to understand what exactly happened to you.” She gave him a tiny smile.

“Yeah, I know that.” Cheeks reddening slightly, Guzma quickly turned his head away. With a light pat on the back, Burnet leaned away from him.

“Good. Now, before you all leave there's still one test I would like to take. Could you come with me to the second floor?”

Guzma blinked at the Professor, who still smiled at him sweetly.

--xx--

When everything was finally settled and they started to leave, Kukui and Burnet came to see them off outside.

Exchanging a few casual words and small laughs at the Dimensional Labs's gates, Burnet promised to contact Nanu as soon as she was ready to part with the radar, which also meant she would be seeing them again face to face. There was a list of precise instructions she wanted to give to the kahuna to “assure best possible result”. Nanu had a feeling the young woman was afraid he might break her precious invention, so she felt a need to train him in using it.

Acerola also gave her dad's book to his care, in case he or Guzma wanted to read the story again. Or any of the other tales for that matter, she said they made fun bedtime reading. When Nanu invited her to join them for dinner, the girl excused herself, telling him she still had some ghost pokémon related issues to take care of and so their party finally split.

Acerola parted via airways and both of the professors waved them off as Nanu and Guzma headed down the road and towards the small heart of Heahea City. Things had turned out a lot better than Nanu had hoped for. Even if they hadn't gotten any affirmations or certain facts, this was still definitely a step forward. But not everybody was happy.

Guzma was dragging his feet and stayed a couple of step behind him, sulking. With his other hand, he kept picking on a white plaster he had on his arm. Burnet had wanted to take a blood sample out of him.

When he noticed that Nanu was giving him glances, Guzma stopped his fiddling. But after couple more steps, he voiced his opinion: “Needles suck.”

Holding back a smirk, Nanu didn't answer. They were half across the shopping street already, but he slowed his pace a tad to look around. At the corner of a store that sold surfing equipment, there was an ice cream stall. When they reached it, he offered:

“Would ice cream make it better?”

Kicking a small pebble on the pavement, the kid stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Don't belittle me...” he grunted. Nevertheless, Guzma stopped to check the menu.

Carefully inspecting his choices, a pair of demanding eyes turned at Nanu.

”I want more than one flavor.”

The young man inside the stall had heard their exchange. Judging by his look, the lanky teenager was a summer trainee. A scoop ready in his hand, he looked a bit too excited to get to serve customers. Digging his wallet out, apparently Nanu was about to grant multiple wishes in one go.

“Fine, but two is the limit.”

True to his word, Guzma ordered himself two big scoops and soon he was balancing a tall tower of ice cream in his hand. Nanu picked more humble option, a lime popsicle. The teen smiled, told them to have a nice day and so the kahuna and the kid were off.

Since the weather was nice, Nanu suggested they should go and sit down somewhere. Steering off the main road, there was a lone bench partly hidden in the bushes.

Sun was warming his back pleasantly and the popsicle wasn't bad either. Nanu didn't visit Heahea City often, but he knew they were near the ocean. Even now he could clearly hear Wingulls screaming in the distance, it was likely this side road they had picked as their resting spot led to the beach. He was also aware that despite getting himself a sweet snack, Guzma was still acting moody.

”How do you feel?” Nanu asked eventually.

There was a moment of silence before Guzma muttered: ”It was just a blood sample, I'm fine.”

”I don't mean that. I was talking about our trip in general.”

This time he received a shrug for answer. It really didn’t surprise the kahuna to see that Guzma was a little shaken after all that. First they had had almost no clues on where to even start, now there seemed to be too many ideas on what might have happened. Nanu cleared his throat.

”I know it was a lot to take in, but it's just as Burnet said. Those were all theories. We don't know anything for sure until we investigate this further. They could all be wrong.”

To his surprise, Guzma threw him a question: “Who exactly those ”Fallers” are?”

Giving his icepop a thoughtful lick, Nanu said: “Well, they are people who have gone into the Ultra Space and then came back. I've worked with bunch of them, back in the day.“ Guzma's brows furrowed as he listened to his explanation.

“How did they end up in there?”

“That's a hard thing to answer kiddo. I suppose there are some ways to encounter a dimensional rift, but I don't really know much about the Ultra Space itself. It also doesn't help to investigate these things that the ones who go there often do loose some of their memories as a parting gift.” So far, this information was about the same that Burnet had already told Guzma earlier. Trying to pick his brain for something more, Nanu added:

“But going there does leave a mark on them. At the head quarters they believe these people get targeted by Ultra Beasts more easily. Something about an energy imprint that's left on them.”

When there was no answer, he glanced back at Guzma and realized he had said too much. The kid was staring at his ice cream without blinking, his fingers gripping the waffle cone so hard it was a miracle it didn't break. Nanu hurried to add:

“You didn't seem to have one in you though. At least not strong enough for Burnets fancy machinery to pick up. And if something that came from her brain can't do it, no Ultra Beast can either. There's plenty of things I don't know, but I'm sure of that.”

He was babbling, but Nanu couldn't help it. He hadn't meant to make things worse for the boy. As frustrating as it was, he really didn't have anything reassuring to tell. They just had to move forward one step at a time.

Grip loosening a little, this seemed to calm Guzma for time being. Nodding his head, he changed the topic.

”When are we going to the ruins?”

Nanu had already thought about it. First they needed to stock some equipment, but that meant mostly food as the trip itself was pretty easy to make. With his experience, they would reach the temple within one day and it was possible for them to camp nearby if they needed more than one day to look around. Burnet had mentioned something about the radar needing enough time to scan its surroundings. He supposed that two days at the ruins would do.

“I think we ought to give the good Professor whatever time she needs to work on that machine of hers. But once she is finished, I don't see any reasons to delay our leaving.”

Guzma just nodded. His forgotten ice cream was starting to melt from the bottom, and he gave his sweet treat a determined lick before it could drip on his fingers. Still eyeing the kid, Nanu knew Guzma had a great deal of moxie in him but... There was a rare tug in his chest. An unfamiliar feeling that pushed him ask his next question:

“Are you really okay with Burnet writing an article about you?“

His good intentions only got scoffed at and Guzma threw him an annoyed look.

“You're asking so many questions, what's up with that?”

He was rude, but the kahuna was secretly happy to see that reaction. Knowing he could deal with an angry Guzma, Nanu pushed his worries away and simply shrugged. “Just making sure, that's all.”

He could feel Guzma's eyes on him, but when he persistently focused on his popsicle, the kid eventually gave up. They sat in silence for a good while.

When his ice cream was done and he was lazily nibbling at the cone, Guzma finally admitted: “If there's something that's bothering me, it's the fact that Kukui is trying to push his fat head into this, really.”

“You have yourself to blame for that.” Nanu pointed out.

Guzma snorted and Nanu pulled his Ride Pager from his pocket. While he ordered them a ride back home, he could hear his company mutter something about him being an annoying old fart.

Ah yes, the kid was back to his lovely old self.

--xx--

Later in the evening, there was a sudden knock on the door. Nanu was shuffling through his daily newspaper in the kitchen, but before he could put his reading down, Guzma went to open it.

Soon, a joyous voice carried to the kitchen. Perking from the familiar sound, Nanu had to go and see if it really was who he thought it to be. And sure enough, Kukui had showed up for a second time in one day. The man was still standing in the doorway as Guzma was blocking the entrance. But Nanu could see he was holding a black box in his hands.

”We're not buying anything.”

With that, Guzma tried to slam the door shut, but Kukui had already stuck his foot in the way to prevent this. Huffing good-naturedly, Kukui lifted his present up.

”I meant this to be a gift. Nanu mentioned something about you being bored here in his home. We used to love wasting our time with this.” the Professor said, offering him a sly grin.

Once he realized what Kukui was holding, Guzma's whole attitude made an U- Turn. The kid stared at the box, eyes wide with excitement. ”No way man! Does it still work?”

”Want to test it?”

Those were the magic words. While the pokémon Professor let himself in, Guzma run in the living room with the mystery gift in his hands. Observing them from the kitchen doorway, Nanu raised his brows in question.

”Sorry for barging in without a notice. I happened to find my old game console and thought it would be a good idea to bring it here. Is it okay to use your TV to give it a little test?”

Nanu gave him a curt nod. ”Coffee?”

”Ah, no thank you. I'm more of a tea person.”

”That can be arranged.”

Deciding to postpone their dinner, instead he went to prepare something small for their guest. Nanu listened the duo bustle over his old television, pulling cords and bickering over every possible little thing. He had no idea what was going on, so he let them work in peace. When he had tea and snacks ready, there was an excited yell. Loud, cheerful music filled the apartment.

Kukui stayed over for a good while. At some point Nanu joined them on the couch, watching with mild interest the match that was going on on the screen.

It appeared to be a fighting game of sorts; two tough looking characters were trying their hardest to beat each other up. But their match was far from being even and a muscular luchador was mercilessly slamming his opponent on the ground.

”You always use that Masked Wrestle-Guy. It's cheating!” Guzma moaned, frustration creeping into his voice.

”Character doesn't matter. You just have to know how to play this game, oh yeah.”

Guzma gave his arm a punch and Kukui laughed in a well-mannered way.

As Guzma’s character hit the ground with a loud “K.O.”, Wimpod also started to make noises in the carrier. With a small groan, Guzma dropped the controller on the floor and left to grant it freedom.

“Yeah, yeah, you're getting out. No need to be so whiny about it...” the kid muttered and opened the cage. With a smooth motion, Wimpod slid on the floor and made a little stretch. Turning to see what was happening, Kukui lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

”You've taken yourself another Wimpod?”

Instead of answering, the kid paused. Nanu could see the cunning expression that flashed through his face. Before it could get away, Guzma grabbed the bug and carried it back to his gaming spot.
Without a word, he then offered the Wimpod to the pokémon Professor.
Nanu had a suspicion of what the kid was up to, but before he could warn the unsuspecting man, Kukui already had his hand out and leaned to pet the small bug. Seemingly luck was on his side; this time Wimpod just accepted its fate and let Kukui gently pat its shell. Guzma stared in disappointed disbelief how Kukui was allowed to handle it.

”Are you going to train it for your team?” Kukui asked, cooing at the bug.

”I... Haven't decided yet.” Guzma muttered.

Finally getting enough of being touched, the Wimpod started to struggle but still didn't bite. The kid lowered it back on the floor and as soon as its little legs touched the ground, it immediately steered towards the kitchen and small feeding bowl where cat snacks were.

Watching it go, Kukui scratched his beard but didn't say more. He was asking the same question Nanu had been wondering about. Guzma was a serious trainer, and it felt...unpractical to have another pokémon of the same species on his team, especially since his Golisopod was already in top tier. But at the same time, it wasn't highly unusual for people to have their favorites around. Nanu couldn't judge with the amount of Meowths he fostered. Whatever the kid had in store for the little Wimpod was a mystery that probably would be revealed in time.

“You still have steam to go for more?” Leaning to grab some crackers from the coffee table, Kukui suggested.

Watching the man stuff his face, Guzma grinned. “Sure, you look like you could eat a knuckle sandwich as a side dish!”

They played for half an hour more. When Guzma finally started to look sour for losing almost all the rounds, Kukui had one last trick up in his sleeve. This time going for his backpack that rested against the couch, Kukui pulled out a small cd holder.

“I still have something for you. Burnet helped me to find these, she feels a little bad she had to manhandle you so much today.”

“Are those...?”

“All of them!”

Faster than a false swipe, Guzma snatched the cd holder to himself.

A satisfied grin played on his lips as Kukui watched Guzma eagerly go through the games from their childhood. His surprise visit had been a total success. But when he extended his hand to ruffle the kids hair, the murderous glare he received made him retrieve his limb back. It was a good choice.

Instead pretending to check his wristwatch, the man seemed to realize how late it actually was. “I have to get going now, Burnet is making dinner. But I think it's safe to say I'll see you again soon?”

“Whatever.” Brushing him off with a wave of hand, Guzma muttered.

After receiving the plethora of games, Guzma went back to completely ignoring Kukui again. Once he had throughoutly inspected his new selection of entertainment, he immediately went to change the disc.

Kukui was left to awkwardly linger in the living room and Nanu saved the rejected man from trying and failing to bond with the kid any more. Sitting up and stretching his back, he told the Professor:

“I think I'll come to get some fresh air too. I hope you don't mind having company while your Glide gets here?”

He received a grateful nod and both of the men headed towards the hallway. When Nanu was pulling his flip-flops on, the music in the living room changed into something more annoyingly loud. Out of curiosity, he gazed to see what was going on. On his TV screen was now racing a team of goofy looking cartoon characters. Why did everything that was meant for children have to be so noisy...

Shaking his head, he followed Kukui's suit and exited the house. When Nanu poked his nose out, he noted that the wind was rising; the weather was about to take a turn to worse again. Desperately trying to take shelter under his roof, Kukui stood with his back squashed against the wall. Choosing to stay in front of the open doorway instead and avoid getting wet, Nanu leaned against the frame.

Kukui was ill prepared for the weather this part of Ula'ula always had and he wasn't fully able to hide the fact it bothered him. Visibly shivering a little, he lifted his collar up to get more cover from the wind. But other than being tormented by mere rain, he was also looking a bit sheepish. When he opened his mouth, the reason came up:

”I hope he's not going to play that thing all night. So you get a decent amount of sleep...” There was an apologetic grin at the end of his sentence.

Feeling a little amused that Kukui thought he couldn't manage, Nanu just brushed his concerns off. ”Thank you, it was really nice of you to bring that game console here.”

Brightening up after receiving his praise, the Professor nodded and fixed his hat a little.

“Acerola's story gave me the inspiration. You know, that monk with offerings and all.”

Digging his pocket for his smokes, Nanu pushed one coffin nail between his lips and hummed.

“Is there anything you want in return?” He asked as he lit his cigarette.

Immediately, the uneasy look came back. “... You caught me. Actually, I was hoping you could tell me more about this incident?”

Blowing the smoke out, Nanu lifted a questioning brow.

“When the attack hit you, what was it like? How did it feel?” With a spark of untamed interest in his eyes, Kukui leaned closer.

Not waiting for his company to react, the man chuckled. “You know me, I’m the move maniac. While Burnet is working with her Ultra Radar, I thought that in a meantime I could also look into this. You never know, maybe this is a side effect from a hidden ability or something? I have a book collection of my own about pokémon moves, maybe I can find something useful there.”

Surprised by his generous offer, Nanu tried to describe the incident once more. By the time he was done, his cigarette was out and he dropped its butt in his ashtray.

“There really is nothing more to tell, unfortunately. Like said, I also lost consciousness when I was hit by that... Well, whatever it was. Guzma might have something different to tell you, he's the one who got fried after all.” Nanu suggested. From the corner of his eye, he suddenly detected suspicious movement behind him.

Kukui shook his head. “I would love to, but I don't think he's willing to share anything with me. We haven't exactly been in best possible terms in... Well, years.”

Nanu casually put his foot down to block the doorway. Wimpod had been waiting for an opening behind the shoe rack and let out a quiet whiz, before it gave up on its attempt to taste freedom. They had to do something about that little rascal, Nanu decided as he watched it take its frustration out by attacking one of Guzma’s shoes, furiously biting the laces.

Unaware of anything that was going on in the hallway, Kukui kept talking: “I may not be on his good side at the moment, but... Guzma and I have kind of a long history together. We were pretty good friends at one point. I just feel like I have to do something to help an old friend out.” The kahuna hadn't asked, but the man seemingly wanted to explain himself.

“What happened?” Once certain the bug couldn't escape, Nanu asked bluntly.

“It's kind of a long story...”

“Won't ask about it then. The tale Acerola's told today was enough.” Faking uninterested, Nanu dropped the topic. Broken bonds were something he knew a thing or two about. And he also knew it really wasn't any of his business to snoop.

Their conversation ended when a sound of strong wings flapping emerged from the sky. Soon a Charizard swooped down from the clouds, circling his Station once before the beast landed right in front of them.

“I guess this is my que, thank you for the tea and hospitality.” With a tight smile, Kukui waved Nanu off and started climbing on the Charizard's back. The last bit of their conversation had apparently left him glum.

Nanu waited until the man managed to haul himself up. Once Kukui was seated safely, the kahuna yelled:

“Kukui!”

The Professor turned to give him a surprised stare and Nanu flashed him one of his crooked grins.

“I really appreciate this. Everything you and your wife did today, including what you just told me. Deep down, I'm sure the brat does too. Have a safe flight.”

Seemingly this was what Kukui needed to hear. Face beaming with happiness, he rubbed his neck: ”I'll come to check on him when I have some free time, yeah. Take care, both of you!”

He didn't have time to say anything more. Apparently in a hurry, the Charizard Glide suddenly took off, dragging Kukui with it. The Professor barely had the time to grab the handlebars with both hands as the lizard shot up in the sky.
Winching a little from the sight of their rough take off, the kahuna kept a close eye on the Glide until it was safe to say Kukui wasn't going to fall off. After his own experience in midair rodeo, he felt real sympathy for the man.

Soon all that was left of the Glide was a tiny dot in the horizon and Nanu felt a small but honest smile tugging at the corner of his lip. It was a little unexpected turn of events, but they seemingly had gained not one but two new allies today.

Guzma had better former friends than he gave them credit for.

Chapter Text

The sandy dunes were burning in warm hues of red as the first rays of a new morning lit the beach. Two shadows moved over the soft surface in swift, calculated movements, clashing against each other for short moments before pulling back.

Persian had its bared claws sinking in the sand as it circled its opponent. The fur on its back was raised, a predatory look in its eyes unmistakable. But its target hardly saw itself as a prey. The way Golisopod towered over the much smaller feline, unwavering and ready to strike, spoke it had all the self-confidence it needed to win.

Before neither of them could make a move on their own, Guzma's voice shot out in the air:

“Poison Jab!”

“Persian, use Slash!”

With quick twitch of antennae the huge isopod swung into action, straight towards Persian. But before its dangerous claws could make a contact, the feline jumped. With a graceful twist in midair, it managed to avoid the attack. Seemingly light as a feather, it landed on top of its opponents back.

But that was where the soft treatment ended and as soon as the contact was made, sharp claws scratched along the tough shell. Even the sound itself was ear-splittingly painful, but the bug didn´t give in. Golisopod shook left and right violently, trying its best to drop Persian down but it had already hooked its opponent.

“Use Sucker Punch” Guzma tried.

It wasn't a bad strategy, but unfortunately useless. Persian had chosen its targeted spot well; no matter how hard Golisopod tried to reach it, the isopod's arms didn't stretch far enough to land a strike. Looking rather smug, Persian raised its paw for another Slash attack.

Just before the blow was struck, a sharp whistle cut the air, halting the battle. Both of the pokémon turned to look at the kahuna.

“That's enough. Good job, both of you.” Clapping his hands together, Nanu declared and offered them a small smile.

Almost reluctantly, Persian jumped down from Golisopods back. But before returning to its trainer, it quickly brushed its side against Golisopod's leg. The bug also let out a kind whir. They were both being good sports about the match.

If only the same could be said about Guzma. First eyeing his pokémon, he then threw a glare at Nanu.

“Already? We still have steam to go for more.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the kid complained.

Nanu countered this with a small yawn and stretched in leisure manner.

“I thought I explained the rules when we started. This is light sparring, I don't want anyone fainting.” Today was their first official training match. They were doing this way before he wanted to be even out of the bed, but claiming these early hours assured there were no beach dwellers, or Skull kids for that matter, loitering around.

His simple answer seemingly didn't satisfy Guzma and the kid tried again. “Golisopod is not even close to Emergency Exit, let alone fainting. You can't decide we were going to loose just like that!”

“I didn't say you would. Who knows how this would've ended, but that's not the point.” Nanu said easily.

While Guzma blinked at him in confusion, Nanu turned his back and started slowly walking towards the Pokémon Center. His Persian followed his suit, proudly matching its steps with his. In its mind, Nanu though, it probably considered itself a winner of the match, that smug beast.

But no matter how his Persian saw it, Nanu was feeling good about this outcome. Doing relatively short yet fierce sparring battles was a tactic he thought might be worth trying. The kid was so obsessed with winning and loosing, he wanted to give him matches where neither was possible. No sticks or carrots, only moments where he could concentrate on battling.

First a long shadow fell over them and soon Guzma and Golisopod appeared to his side. The bug thudded happily behind Nanu, gaze dreamingly fixed on the ocean. Guzma's hands were burrowed in his pockets and glared at no-one in particular under his furrowed brows.

“There's no need to sulk, this is going to be our morning routine from here on.”

“Great. First you kick me out of the bed at asscrack of dawn, only to have these baby battles.” The kid grumbled.

Nanu almost let out a small chuckle at his. Deciding to ignore his criticism, the older man just shrugged.

“There is definitely an upside in doing training on these ungodly hours.”

“Blow my mind.” Guzma's voice thick with sarcasm.

“I finally get to try the baristas morning special. I've been eyeing it on the menu for a long time.” And with that, Nanu pushed open the glass door leading to the Pokémon Center.

Lingering at the outside for a moment longer, Guzma kicked the sand and followed after him.

--xx--

After having a hearty breakfast, they headed back to the Station. The kid was still moody, but all of his energy went into yawning and staggering towards their destination like a zombie.

When they got inside, Nanu noted that Wimpod was up too. It had its face buried in one of the feeding bowls, but as soon as it realized their presence it took off. Shooting out like a bullet, all it left behind was a crumbled carpet and a single food pellet.

The door of the carrier rattled loudly, Guzma had forgotten to lock it again. But it hardly mattered, the bug had been acting like a hermit for a solid couple of days now, only coming to view when it had to eat. This regress in its behaviour was starting to bother Nanu.

Guzma, on the other hand, hadn't either noticed the bug at all or he wasn't concerned about it for the time being. Without a word the kid stepped out of his shoes and headed straight towards the living room. Soon his hoodie collapsed on the floor and he unceremoniously crashed on the couch, pulling his blanket to cover his figure.

Nanu was also fancying a nap but just when he got his flip-flops off, the phone in his office rang. It was such a rare sound, his brows shot up from mere curiosity. As he hurried to answer it, he could hear Guzma's muffled bark:

“Shut that freaking thing off!”

To get the kid off of his back, Nanu shut his office door before reaching for the receiver.

“What is it?” He grunted casually, expecting it to be either Hala or Acerola. Those two were the only ones who ever called him.

Thus, he was taken aback when an unfamiliar, distressed female voice exploded into a fast tirade. Requesting him to come at her house, she was so upset that all Nanu really caught was her name and address. Quickly reaching for a paper and pen, he scribbled down this scarce information.

“Yes, ma'am. I'll be right on my way.”

After she hung up, Nanu just stared at the phone for a small moment. He honestly didn't remember the last time somebody actually called to his Station, asking for his assistance. People usually had the sense to pick more... Well equipped departments. He was merely a one man unit, after all.

The call had come from Akala Island, meaning he would have to make a trip there and see for himself what was going on. It was lucky he had decided to start training Guzma this early, otherwise this would’ve been his wake up call.

Packing what small equipment he felt necessary, Nanu hurried out of the house. He only stopped on his way to check on Guzma. The only sign of life was light snoring emerging under the blanket, and he left the Station without alarming the kid.

The location of the address was on a residential side of Royal Avenue, meaning the people who lived there had money. Watching the mansion like buildings from his seat as the Charizard carried him towards his destination, Nanu couldn't help but wonder if anyone actually needed that many square feet to live comfortably. While his Station was small, he had always considered it cozy.

The woman who had called him, approximately in her early 50's and casually attractive, was waiting for him at the front gates of her house. She had already calmed down considerably, but she still took a strong hold on Nanu's arm as soon as he came within her reach. The way her manicured nails dug into his flesh like predatory claws made Nanu want to winch, but he managed to introduce himself with a straight face.

After making sure there was no commotion happening inside the home, Nanu had escorted the woman to her own kitchen for a glass of water. Now, half an hour later and a cup of cappuccino in front of his nose (the lady had insisted), he had filled a couple pages of his flimsy notebook with the facts about this case.

“ I know this morning has been greatly shocking, madam. But I need you to think hard. Aside your Weavile, is there any other property missing or damaged?” Apparently she had been woken up by the agitated barks of her Lillipup, only to find her basement window broken and her other pokémon gone.

The lady of the house sat on his opposite, every now and then still releasing sighing breaths. Nanu assumed it was her way of composing herself. Patiently waiting for her answer, he added new lines on a Meowth he was currently doodling on a separate, otherwise blank page.

Finally, she shook her head. “No, I have checked all the rooms and my valuables are still in place. Thank goodness Pupsy was here to protect the house.“ On her lap, this said Lillipup made a small huffing noise. The tiny terrier pokémon was dressed up in so many layers of pink fabric and frill, at first Nanu mistook it as a toy until it had growled at him.

“How about the basement?”

“As soon as I saw the window, I couldn't bring myself to stay in there... But I suppose you'd like to take a look to investigate, that IS the crime scene after all.”

Once she received a nod from Nanu, she quickly stood up. Downing the last bit of his beverage, Nanu followed in her tow.

The door to the basement was located in her main hallway. As she opened it, a smell of stuffy air wafted into his nose, but that was the only sensation he got. The path leading down was almost pitch black. Stepping in the darkness the lady flicked a switch, but only a small light at the very bottom of a long staircase answered. Peeking down, it reminded Nanu of a scene from a horror movie.

There was a wooden creek that told him that his client had started climbing down, so he followed after her into the darkness.

“I'm sorry, but that's the best lighting we have. These stairs are a hazard, so watch your steps.” He couldn't see her face, but her tone was apologetic.

On the way down, the kahuna tried to prompt more information out of the woman:

”How about the pokéball you keep your Weavile in, is it gone too?”

Her dark shape shook its head.

“No, I always let my dearies roam free. But I do keep their pokéballs in my bedroom drawer. Luckily that hooligan didn't have the guts to come upstairs!”

Nanu only hummed, but didn't answer.

Finally the endless stairs ended and in the dim lighting he could see the actual area of crime.

At this point, his guide stepped aside and let Nanu saunter deeper into the room on his own. Instinctively clutching to her Lillipup like it was some kind of fluffy shield, she stood right next to the stairs and peeked after him like she was waiting for someone to ambush Nanu at any given moment.

Happy he was able to inspect the room in peace, Nanu let his gaze loom over his surroundings. All the belongings kept here were either packet in boxes and neatly stacked on top of each other, or they were so heavy you couldn't just lift them and run.
Thanks to the fact the place was in such tip-top shape, he immediately took a notice on how nothing appeared to be rummaged through or even knocked over. The only damage done was the window.

It was relatively small, the culprit had to be a petite adult or a juvenile to be able to use it as a route in a first place. Sunlight poured in through the now empty frame where the glass should've been, making a warm square on the ground. Nanu frowned. Finally, he had found something actually missing.

Feeling satisfied, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled back to the lady. She still kept peeking in the back owlishly, expectant look on her face.

“I need to step outside for a minute.” Pointing a finger up, Nanu gave her a small smirk.

A moment later, Nanu circled the house, keeping his heavy-lidded gaze on the grass. And sure enough, as soon as he found the basement window he could see small glimmering on the grass. Crouching down, he carefully lifted a piece of broken glass to view.

Releasing a quiet huff, this likely was a detective case even a child could solve. Soon a set of delicate steps stopped behind him and Nanu spoke:

“It looks to me, madam, that nobody got into your house through the window. Rather, it was smashed from inside.”

Turning to face her, she looked a little puzzled. But she wasn't dull and as soon as Nanu showcased the piece of glass to her, she immediately came up with a conclusion.

“Well, it just means that the robber entered my home some other way and made their escape through that window. This is a nice neighbourhood; I've forgotten to lock my front door more than once in the past. Maybe Pupsy chased them into the basement and they took off.” As if it made her theory solid she lifted the pokémon in her arms. It was currently nibbling its own paw.

Of course she would forget to mention an important detail like that. But no matter how convincing that Lillipup's guarding abilities were, Nanu already had his suspicion of what was going on.

“Is there any way your Weavile might have... “ He had to work carefully, not wanting to upset her more. “Gotten scared of something and run off?” If that poor pokémon was anything alike the passive Lillipup in her hands, Nanu couldn't blame it for wanting to change the scenery on its own.

For a moment, she looked like he had just thrown an insult at her. With a cold tone, she said: “No, there is absolutely no way my Wiley would worry her Mama like that!”

“I don't think it’s a possibility we should rule out. Regarding how nothing else seems to be stolen or even tampered with, I have a strong suspicion that there's no foul play here...” Nanu, who still had his notebook in his hand now flicked it open to better explain his point.

Unfortunately, he missed the page with his actual notes and instead the one he had been using for doodling flipped to view. She stared at the page with one, badly drawn Meowth in it. Then, her lips pursed tightly for a moment, before she unleashed her fury:

“If you're not taking this seriously, I will call to somebody else. Since you are a kahuna that trains dark types, I thought you'd have more interest in this. But I will find a real policeman who has the time and energy to find my stolen Weavile!”

Winching, Nanu quickly shut the offending notepad. That hadn't been one of his greatest moments, but he had to admit, the “real policeman” stung a little.

“My apologies ma'am, I didn't mean any disrespect towards you. I understand it is heartbreaking to have your pokémon gone missing.” Hand sneaking to rub his neck, he tried to sympathize.

His words had no affect, the woman had already had enough of him.

“I can assure you it is. Good day to you.” Briskly turning around on her heels, she made a beeline towards the front door.

Following after her, Nanu managed to catch up with her just as she lingered on the doorway.

“I'll keep my eyes out for your missing Weavile.”

“Hah!” And with that, the door slammed shut to his face.

Staring at the white door for a moment, a sigh erupted from him. There was no denying it, he was getting really rusty...

Slowly, he made his way towards the gates; there was nothing more he could do right now. When his hand reached the metallic latch, Nanu was stopped by a fierce sound coming from the house. Pupsy stood on the windowsill and in its pink and layered might it barked a storm at him.

The sight made a tired smile rise on his lips.

“My bad, it looks like you are a real guard dog after all.” With a small salute, he pushed the gate open and left.

-- xx--

On his flight back home, Nanu found himself feeling uncharacteristically nostalgic. Maybe it was everything that went down moments ago combined with the vast emptiness of the sky that stretched in front of him, but he let himself to be pulled back into his memories.

Despite her harsh words, he had been a ‘real’ police officer once. And whether or not the fact pleased him anymore, he had been a darn good one at his job too.

Now, those days felt like they existed an eternity ago, as disjointed from him as the clouds. The man in his 20's felt like an entirely different creature. Bright, ambitious and ready to bring his own idea of justice to the world that sometimes seemed so wrong. His sole reason of joining the force might’ve been a bit naive, but such is youth. So he slaved away his best decade and then some, but in the end his efforts were rewarded: his own team and a title as an agent was what he sought after and was granted to him.

Knowing what he knew now, sometimes the things you don’t get are a blessing.

If he had never made it to the Interpol, all the things that had lead to his current life wouldn't exist. The heavy weight of mistakes made in the past would be somebody else's burden. And maybe, the happiness he once held would still be his...

Nanu was snapped out of his thoughts when his whole world abruptly came to a halt. Charizard craned its neck to give him an impatient look and Nanu realised they had arrived in front of his Station. With apologetic grin he gave his ride a pat on the side and slid off of the saddle. As his feet hit the ground, his back cracked painfully. All this activity was starting to get the best of him and he desperately yearned for a nap.

Upon entering the house, there was no greeting from the kid. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but he was a little surprised to find his home lacking any lighting. Nanu didn't have the time to dwell on this, as soon as he shut the door there was a sharp hiss:

“Don't put the lights on!”

He found Guzma in the kitchen. The kid had lowered all his shades and through only a small crack, he was peering outside.

For a moment, all Nanu could do was to stare.

“What on earth are you up to?”

He was immediately shushed. “There are policemen in your backyard!”

Raising his brows, Nanu walked to the kid. Nudging him to give him a spot, Guzma slipped off of the counter but stood right behind him as Nanu leaned to have a peek.

His kitchen window faced the small forest that lead up to the hill. And sure enough, two men in blue uniforms were walking around on the small grassy patch that was still considered to be part of his lot. They appeared to be discussing about something, every now and then pointing to different directions.

“I don't think they saw me when they approached the house. They even came knocking on the door.”

“And instead of answering it, you shut all the blinds and went hiding?” He could see Guzma tense at his question.

“I don't like cops much!” He muttered through his teeth.

Rolling his eyes at his dramatics, Nanu simply backed away from the window and left. Guzma followed after him like a shadow, going so far as tugging his jacket when Nanu grabbed his keys.

“Where are you going?” The kid was still looking alarmed.

“Outside, to see what they want.” To demonstrate, he opened the door.

Before Guzma could argue, there was a muffled hiss coming from under his hoodie. After a small struggle, Wimpod pushed its head out of the neckline.

It tried to wiggle its way to freedom, only to be pushed back inside the shirt by Guzma. Knowing that Nanu had also seen it, the kid quickly slipped past him and exited the house first.

“I'm not gonna stick around if you want to get cozy with your copper friends. The morning practice was a bust, so I'll go training with Wimpod. It also needs exercise.” Throwing Nanu a glance over his shoulder, he flipped his hood up and broke into a jog.

Watching Guzma's hunched form thud down the dirt road, he looked like a tiny gangster. Which in a sense, he kind of was.

Today was turning out to be a very odd one. After the kid came to live with him, there had been plenty of those, but this was making its way to the top five. Guzma always made fuss over the strangest things, leaving Nanu's nerves crave for a smoke.

Inspired by the thought, he pushed a cigarette between his lips and reluctantly forced himself to move. He had to go and see what his unwanted guests were missing.

Nanu found the two policemen still standing on the same spot where he had first spied on them. For a moment, he simply observed their antics. Their conversation had ended, but their eyes still kept searching for something.

When they didn't realize that he had joined their company, Nanu cleared his throat. “Good day, gentlemen. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The other snapped his head sharply towards him, while the other lazily turned around. Clearly surprised to see him, they gave each other a quick glance. Then the taller one with a calm demeanor took a step closer to him, his pace slow but assertive.

“Hello. We're officers Johnson and Miller from the Akala Island police department. Are you the patrolling officer assigned on this post?”

It was painfully clear that these two were a pair of rookies. He could stomach the fact not everybody knew he was an active policeman, but his other title was widely known.

“Something like that. When I'm not too busy fulfilling my duties as the kahuna, I also run this place.” Giving the man a small grin, Nanu agreed. It wasn't like him to rub that into people’s noses, but today he felt like he had earned some respect for his efforts.

That seemed to impress the man he assumed was officer Johnson. But the smaller one with round face and a thick mustache was a bit harder nut to crack.

“We tried knocking on your door earlier, but you didn't answer.” He stated, almost accusingly.

Nodding his head, Nanu released a small puff of smoke. “You're in luck, I just came back home.”

Officer Johnson gave him a curt nod and reached to fix his hat.

“We are sorry to disturb you like this, but we came by because there is a report of a missing pokémon.”

Nanu almost chocked on his cigarette. So, the lady really had kept her promise. She wasn't wasting any time, that was for sure.

“No need to go into the details, I'm already familiar with this case.” Willing himself not to cough, he informed.

Looking pleasantly surprised, the man continued: “We mainly came here because Team Skull has their hideout right around the corner. Have you seen anything suspicious going on?”

Nanu lifted a questioning brow. “I didn't know there was evidence that Team Skull had something to do with this.”

Both men gave each other a fast glance.

“... Well, we don't have any solid proof either. But they're notorious for stealing peoples partner pokémon, so it's worth checking them out.” officer Miller admitted.

And with that, Nanu had everything figured out. The young ones were always the most tiresome to deal with, still full of steam and packed with bright ideas but nothing solid to back them up.

And for those exact reasons, he didn't want these two bumbling around Po Town. Just like their leader, Team Skull grunts didn't have a high opinion of the law enforcement. Worse case scenario, these officious rookies would start useless commotion with them. He didn't need any of that nonsense, period.

Taking in his last drag, the kahuna dropped his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it.

”Tell you what. I'll go to Po Town and have a chat with them.”

Before either could object, he explained: ”I've been living here as their neighbour for a long time. They know better than to start messing with me, their Boss included.”

Nanu could see them visibly relax, but he hadn't sold his idea yet. Time for the finishing touches:

”It would be more beneficial to leave checking Team Skull hideout for me and meanwhile go around and ask people if they've seen anything out of the ordinary. The Pokémon Center at route 16 gets many visitors. The cafeteria food is especially good around here.” After all, there was never a bad moment to have an early lunch.

Officer Miller was first to react. “Well, I suppose it would make things faster...” He muttered, giving his partner a pleading glance.

The other man frowned at him, but Nanu pushed on. “It's a small area. I'll come to inform you as soon as I know if those boneheads had anything to do with this.”

His brow sunk even deeper as he considered this. But when the two pairs of expecting eyes kept staring at him, he finally relented:

“Very well, if you insist. This is your island, after all.”

They only exchanged a couple more words before the duo left his yard. Watching their receiving backs, Nanu let out a small, relieved sigh.

Yet this was a bittersweet victory. Now he would have to post-pone his nap for a while longer.

--xx--

He could hear the blasting of loud music from the gates and as soon as the Mansion came to view, he found a herd of Skull kids gathered in a loose circle. Despite the downpour, they had dragged a small, beaten up stereo outside. Bodies fluidly moving in the rhythm of the beats, they were having a dance off of sorts.

Too absorbed on their fun, only a few really paid any mind at his arrival and he picked his random target from the outer ring. One female grunt was rolling her thump over her phone when Nanu tapped her on the shoulder. She didn’t look up, but she hummed in confirmation that she acknowledged he was there.

“Is your admin inside the Mansion?” Nanu asked.

She still kept tapping on the screen. “Nah, big sis ain’t here today. She had some business at the trailer park or something.” Came the reply eventually.

There was no point in trying to ask about the Weavile, so Nanu left the conversation at that.

Shuffling past the teens he entered the mansion on his own accord. Plumeria's absence was a shame though; he had been hoping to be fast about this and simply ask her about the incident. After all the things that had gone down during these past two months, he trusted her to be truthful with him.

Thanks to the rain-party that was going on outside, the lobby area was completely empty. And since there was nobody to stop him, Nanu decided to snoop a little. Picking a door at random, he slipped inside the Team Skull lair.

This place had once been grand, but after the gang turned it into their hideout, it was only a shadow of its former glory. The kahuna sniffed a little as he watched the shriveled, moldy wallpapers; there had been many major leaks and other water damage due neglect. But what made things even worse was the sheer amount of junk.

Cursing under his breath Nanu climbed over a pile of cardboard boxes, choosing to go through a door on his next turn. Trying to find a way to move deeper inside the house was like trying to crack a labyrinth. There were broken furniture, fallen bookshelves and personal items all over the place. One of the hallways was completely blocked off by an old mattress. But in the midst of shattered china vases and paint cans, no Weavile was to be found.

His luck turned when he stumbled in the kitchen.

A grunt had his head pushed inside of a fridge, so at the first take all Nanu could see was his torso. But as he leaned out, the kahuna immediately recognised his round, childlike face. He was the one from the pharmacy.

The teen had headphones on and his mouth was stuffed full with a hot dog bun. Under his arm was an entire package of those. Since the music was blasting so loud Nanu could hear the beat to the doorway, he yelled to catch his attention:

“Hey, you! Pastille!”

The grunt jumped out of surprise, dropping his loot and swallowed his snack on whole. This resulted a coughing fit and Nanu had to give his back hard pats to prevent him from chocking. He released a relieved sigh when the grunt took a long breathe in.

“That's not my name.” He coughed, giving the kahuna a teary-eyed glare.

With one last pat, Nanu leaned away. “No kidding. I'm here to do some investigating, so let me ask you a few questions.”

Bending down to fetch the bag he had dropped, the grunt gave him an unsure smile. “Uh, yeah. Sure thing.”

Nanu was about to go straight into business, but got distracted by the sight that was on the table. An open jar of peanut butter was waiting there, accompanied by a bottle of whipped cream and bag of marshmallows. The youth steadily headed towards them with a new hot dog bun in his hand. When he started spreading large lumps of peanut butter between the buns, the kahuna couldn’t help himself any more:

“Don’t tell me you are going to eat that?” He asked in disgust.

The spreading knife stopped in mid swing. Looking a little embarrassed, the grunt put the hot dog sandwich down.

“We haven’t been able to go to the store in a while… So if you wanna eat, you gotta improvise.”

Feeling the need to confirm this, Nanu went and opened one of the fridges himself. It really was as sad as the grunt said; all he saw was a pile of pre-cooked hamburger patties, lone carrot and a half empty cup of noodles.

“Is this all you kids eat?” He asked, a hint of genuine concern in his voice.

“We also have a lot of snacks.” Came the defensive response. “Was that what you wanted to know?”

Sighing quietly, Nanu shut the coffin of dead nutrition. “No. Early this morning there was what seems to be a breaking and entering at Akala Island. A Weavile went missing. Do you know if any member of your little group had something to do with that?”

The grunt immediately shook his head.

“Nu-uh. No way any of us did it.” He finished buttering his hot dog and sprinkled marshmallows inside.

When the kahuna gave him a skeptical scowl, the grunt assured him: “Trust me, it's not every day that somebody manages to steal a pokémon for real. If that happens, it's never a secret. They'll parade it out just to show off, yo.” He filled the insides with whipped cream.

Unable to watch, Nanu muttered to himself: “Well, that sounds about right.”

He wasn’t taking this whole investigation thing too seriously. If nothing else, he knew these numbskulls were too lazy to get up at a crack of dawn to go and steal anything. While the kahuna pondered about his next move, the grunt feasted his masterpiece of questionable flavours.

Listening his munching for a moment, Nanu asked: “Can you show me the fastest way to the front doors?” Anything to get him out of the kitchen was fine, really.

Mouth too full to speak, the grunt nodded and motioned Nanu to follow him. After another furniture obstacle course, he was relieved to see the main hall again. This was the last time he ever tried to invade Team Skulls lair on his own.

His tour ended at the bottom of the staircase. Now the grunt just looked at him expectantly, so he questioned him some more:

“What’s in upstairs?”

The teen hummed, using his fingers as he silently counted the rooms.

“Mostly bed rooms and places to hang out. Like, one room is called ‘grunt cave’ because we have a bunch of game consoles there.”

Considering whether to check it out or not, Nanu ended up choosing the latter. He really didn't think these kids were hiding any stolen pokémon. His next question came purely from him being nosy:

“Where's your leaders quarters?” He had never been invited to Guzma's personal lair, so he had no idea what his room looked like.

“Uhh, that's on the other side of the second floor. But since the stairs are busted, you hafta go there by using the roof.”

Well, curiosity killed a Meowth and he wasn’t going to break his neck just to snoop.

The mention of Guzma made the grunt sigh and he scratched his arm. “Sucks that Boss still hasn't come back.” He admitted.

Nanu didn’t have any answer for that, but he did humor him a little: “I'm sure he'll come around, eventually.”

“Yeah” The grunt was starting to get restless. “... Is there anything else or something? The guys said they'd start a match of Smash Bro's soon.” Nodding his head upwards, he asked.

With a ghost of a smile rising to his lips, Nanu shook his head. Always with the video games.

“Alright. Thank you for your co-operation and whatnot.”

Exchanging small waves of goodbye, they parted their ways. The grunt was already on the next landing when he suddenly leaned over the railing.

“Oi, Uncle!”

Nanu stopped and turned around. With a goofy grin plastered on his face, he yelled: “Say hi to Nani for me! And also remember to toss your cats out more often, I haven't seen any of them in a good bit.”

Not knowing what to say, he just nodded and then sauntered off. Only later, when he was half across the main road it hit him that this was probably the kid who had named that Meowth in the first place.

“He sure is an odd one...” Nanu muttered to himself. But that didn't erase the small feeling of satisfaction. That grunt was steadily working his way on his good side.

--xx--

When Nanu arrived back to the station his Meowths were his only welcome committee, Guzma still hadn't come back. They eagerly pawed his trousers, commanding food. This trick worked every time.

He was feeling more at ease now that the nonsense of Team Skull kids breaking and entering was pretty much proved false. His own instinct on things still seemed to be intact. The only thing left was to deliver the news and then he could finally catch some well-deserved shuteye. But before that he needed a cup of coffee, just to carry on.

While he was measuring beans in the coffee maker, his phone started ringing again. Since the first call had been official business, he answered with more professionalism than usual.

“Ula'ula police department, this is officer Nanu speaking.”

“Ah, finally! I was getting worried you wouldn't answer me anymore. Not after what happened today.” He recognised the feminine tone immediately. It was none other than the lady from this morning. But this time, her voice was sweet, almost cheerful even. In the background, there was fierce barking.

“I just wanted to call and apologise for what I said earlier. My neighbour came by a while ago to return my dear Wiley.”

“Apparently it has been sneaking out to play with their Murkrow at nights. Last night I had my front door locked so it used the basement window to get out.” There was a short laughter. “Such a clever girl, I'm sure it didn't mean to break anything. “

Listening her story, Nanu felt like snorting. But instead, he ended up humming good-naturedly:

“It's perfectly alright madam. I'm happy to hear your pokémon got back home safely.”

He was about to end the call, when he realised something.

“While I'm at it, I can inform the policemen you sent here that everything is cleared.”

There was a short pause at the other end of the line, before the woman said: “I'm sorry but, I'm not sure what you mean.”

Nanu felt a quick jolt rush through his spine.

“You didn't call the Akala Island police department to come and investigate if Team Skull was after your pokénapping?”

“No, my neighbour came by before I could decide where to call next.”

“I see. Thank you, madam, for letting me know.” He managed to say, not answering to her wishes of farewell.

Once the line went dead, he lowered the receiver down slowly. He had a bad feeling about this... In his minds eye, he could see Guzma's hunched form running down the road. And under his hoodie, he was smuggling Wimpod.

Feeling a red flag rise, he grabbed the phone back up. There was one particular thing about that pokémon that had been nagging in the back of his mind for a while. Now the need to confirm things made him dial a number of his own. It took only a couple of beeps before Kukui's voice greeted him.

“Alola! This is Professor Kukui, how can I help you today? ”

“It's me.” Nanu said drily.

“Ah, Nanu! I wasn't expecting to hear from you this soon.” He sounded pleasantly surprised.

“I won't take too much of your time. I just have a small, pokémon related question for you.”

This immediately sparked the Professor’s interest: “Okay, let's see if I can help you out.”

“Is it possible for a Wimpod to learn Harden on its own, or do you need... Other means to require it?” Ever since he saw the small bug protecting itself from Dime with that move, his interest had been piqued. Kukui sounded equally surprised.

“Harden? Can't recall seeing a Wimpod using that before but... Just a second, I need to check this from my books.” There was a short pause, before Kukui continued light heartedly: “ I wish I was as knowledgeable on the subject as Guzma is!“ Nanu just smiled tightly, even though the Professor couldn't see it.

They fell silent for a moment. Listening the fast rustling of turning pages, Nanu had his eyes fixed on the wooden pattern of his table, willing himself not to think anything. Finally the rustle stopped and a moment later Kukui spoke:

“Ahaa, here it is! Apparently Harden is not something they learn on their own, but it is possible through breeding. It's so called 'egg move'.”

“I see.” It was all Nanu could say.

Apparently noticing his tone of voice, Kukui asked after a moment: “Is there anything else I can assist you with, or...?”

“No, this is enough. Just a little stray though I had, thank you for checking it out for me.”

He could hear the Professor starting a new sentence, but didn't give him the time to ask more questions. He shut the phone too abruptly, but at that moment it was the least of his concerns.

Because right now, it felt like his own heart had sunken in his chest.

Not knowing where to start, he just stood there. He would've been lying if he said this came as a complete surprise for him. From the very beginning, he had found that Wimpod a little off. The way it didn't seem to fit Guzma's team, his complete lack of knowledge of its moves, how hostile it was towards the boy...

Of course, the fact Wimpod knew Harden didn't prove anything for sure. But thinking back he remembered it clearly, the day they first had a fight over the small bug. Guzma had told him he got it a week before things went south for him. Not hatched it or even caught it. He got it.

At that moment, he felt like an absolute idiot for not linking any of this together sooner.

“It just comes to show that they never really change...” Nanu let out a tired breathe. And the worst part was... He had honestly thought the kid wouldn’t do stuff like this. Not anymore.

The brief melancholy was soon over written by the boiling anger that rouse from the bottom of his stomach. Forcing himself to concentrate on the task at hand, Nanu briskly walked out of his office. He didn't have time for dwelling, not when there was a stole pokémon on a loose.

As he headed for the door, something caught his eye. A lonely pokéball was left on the coffee table, looking innocent just sitting there. But Nanu knew better. In his hurry to get out, Guzma had forgotten to take it with him and it was the first real piece of evidence he had found that day.

Making one last detour, he stuffed it in his pocket. After all, he needed it to get that pokémon back to its rightful owner.

--xx--

Nanu checked all the routes and Ula’ula Meadow as he went down on his manhunt, but found what he was looking for as soon as he arrived at the beach.

Near the shore line he could see a circle of three people. Two grown ups, both of them trying to corner a smaller figure. Steering towards them, it took him some effort to not break into running to see what had been discovered already.

Guzma still had his hood up and furiously kept dodging the hands that tried to crab him. His pants were wet and sneakers down right soaked, the kid had probably even tried to run into the ocean to get away. But neither of his harassers looked any better; their uniforms were dirtied with sand and officer Miller was using his hat to fan himself. By the looks of it, Guzma had given them a run for their money.

Getting closer with every step, he now heard their words as they tried reasoning with the kid. Their struggle was soothing his dark mood and he almost didn’t want to step in to stop this nonsense. Almost.

“What is the meaning of this?” Faking concerned, he frowned at the trio.

His timing couldn't have been better, only the fact both officers turned their attention on him saved Guzma from being snatched by his shirt. Straightening his figure, officer Johnson wiped sweat from his forehead.

“Ah, you’re back. We just wanted to question this young man here about his Wimpod. We have a reason to believe that he is hiding something.” The man was out of breath, but it was hard to tell if it was because of exhaustion or anger.

Gaze falling heavily on the kid, Nanu lifted a brow. “Is that so?”

Guzma, on his part, was ignoring all of them. As soon as Nanu showed up, his resistance simmered down but he still looked to be far from co-operational. Eyes fixed on Wimpod’s head, his hands were securely wrapped around the tiny bug, hugging it tightly against his stomach.

“When he first saw us, he run away. And once he realized he couldn't loose us, he tried to hide that pokémon from our sight.” Pointing towards the said bug, officer Johnson explained.

“Not to mention that little devil kicked me.” His partner muttered.

Digging out a folded piece of paper, officer Johnson handed it for Nanu to see. It was a missing pokémon poster with a Wimpod printed in the middle. Next to the photo was a separate area with a hand drawn illustration. Nanu didn’t understand what it was, but the man pointed his finger to this detail and explained:

“It says here that the stolen Winpod has a dark, crescent-shaped mark on its underbelly. We just wanted to take a quick look to see if this is the same pokémon or not. If he is innocent, there's nothing to worry about.”

Nanu could see the Adam's apple on Guzma's throat bop. Letting the kid dread for a moment longer, he eventually gave his fellow officer a lopsided grin.

“I understand your concern, but you can both rest easy. That boy lives with me at the Station.”

Guzma snapped his head up, eyes wide with surprise. Meanwhile both of the policemen blinked.

“A child lives with you in a police station?” Officer Johnson asked slowly. He clearly had a hard time believing his statement. Nanu just shrugged it off.

“It might sound odd if you put it like that, but he is only here to spend a summer vacation with me. He’s a relatives kid of mine and likes to come and visit his Uncle every now and then. We caught that Wimpod for him together last year.”

While they conversed, Guzma still kept staring at him. Now, looking squarely the kid in the eyes, the kahuna asked:

“And you'd never stoop so low as to steal somebody else’s pokémon. Isn't that right?” If there was any misconception that Nanu might think Guzma was innocent, it was now dispelled. The kid knew that he knew.

“Right.” Guzma muttered, aiming his gaze in the sand. At least he had the shame to look guilty.

Officer Miller, who had been surprisingly silent up to this point, shook his head: “That doesn't matter. He clearly resisted us when we asked him to show us that Wimpod. And on top of that, he doesn't even have a pokéball for it. If that's not suspicious, I don't know what is!” He huffed angrily.

“That's because he forgot it at home. I was just on my way to bring it to him.”

And with that, Nanu pointed the pokéball at the Wimpod. The bug tried to duck away before the red beam of light caught it, but the kahuna was able to pull it back.

As soon as the pokéball snapped shut, Nanu pushed the button to minimize it and as casually as possible, stuffed both of his hands in his pockets.

The pokéball felt hot in his palm, shaking violently as the bug protested against this treatment, but he didn't let go. Steeling his grasp around it, he was hoping the struggle inside his pocket wasn't too obvious. These two were still too suspicious of them and if that Wimpod escaped now he wouldn't have any other means to prevent it from being examined.

It was a bold move, but he wasn’t about to let Guzma get caught. Not that he wasn't protecting the kid or doing this out of mercy. Oh no.

He was going to get this thing sorted out and see it through that justice would be served. But he was going to do it on his own terms and no wet-behind-the-ears rookie officer would push their nose in the way he handled his things.

Like he had suspected, his little stunt didn't sit well with his colleagues. Officer Johnson, who clearly was more level-headed than his partner, took in an angry breath.

“That was completely unnecessary! We would like to take a simple look. If the mark isn't there, that would prove nobody did nothing wrong.” The man was starting to loose his temper as well.

But Nanu wasn’t about to back down. Taking a step closer to the man, he spoke in his most assertive tone. It was the same voice he had used when he was still in charge of his own unit.

“No, this debate is unnecessary. I am his Uncle and I can tell you for a certain that pokémon is his. I would also like to remind you that I am not a mere pencil pushing patrol officer, but the kahuna of this entire island. You would do well if you stopped throwing accusations against me and my extended family. Or are you suggesting that I had something to do with this pokénapping as well? ”

This had the effect Nanu was aiming for. Looking completely baffled, officer Johnson swallowed drily. They stared at each other for a moment, before the younger man cracked. Casting his eyes down, he muttered: “No, sir. I'm making no such implications.”

Nanu gave him a sharp nod. “That's what I thought.”

Then, he threw officer Miller the same look. This time his mustached upper lip stayed closed.

And just like that, he had both of his fellow officers under his thumb. Using the moment, Guzma slipped past the men and came to stand next to Nanu. Eyeing them a moment longer, the kahuna decided to let them out of their misery:

“I also have good news for you. I had a chat with Team Skull and it turns out they had nothing to do with this either. You two can hurry back to your own Station now, I'm sure you have a lot of important paperwork to fill. Have a good one.”

When Nanu didn't move a muscle to leave, the duo got the hint. Tipping their hats for a silent good bye, both officer Johnson and Miller turned to leave. Neither of them said a word as they headed to the direction of the Pokémon Center. Likely they needed a moment to lick their wounds before they were ready to head home.

As soon as the men were out of sigh, Guzma immediately piped up: “I didn't steal that Wimpod.”

More than ready to give him an earful, Nanu turned to face him. But Guzma wasn't finished and he hurried to cut him off:

“I saved it!”

Nanu opened his mouth, only to shut it again. He …hadn't been expecting that. Now that they were alone, the kid was looking as guilty as ever. But there was also a determined glimmer in his eyes.

“I took it from a trainer that was mistreating it. It's true, I didn't catch it but you can't call taking it from a bad person stealing either!”

Technically, he could. But if what Guzma said was true and there was a case of animal abuse.... He couldn't turn a blind eye to that either. Deciding to give him a chance to explain himself, Nanu planted his hands on his hips.

“Mistreating how?”

“One night I was doing some Pyukumuku chucking at the Hano Beach, when something caught my eye. There was flashing light coming from behind a cliff and I went to check it out.”

“It turned out to be a trainer who had two pokémon out. Those flashes of light were electric shocks, he had a Jolteon facing Wimpod. Like a training match but… I don’t know why, something about it just didn’t feel right. So I sneaked closer to see what was going on.”

Guzma frowned, like he was trying to figure out how to describe what came next.

“Both of the pokémon stood against each other, sure, but there was a pokéball in the middle. The trainer wasn’t giving any commands either, he just kind of stood there, eyes fixed on the ball.”

The last part he spat out, real hatred lacing his voice:

“It took me a second, but then it hit me; he was preventing Wimpod from using Emergency Exit! It was already so weak it couldn't attack anymore, but he wouldn't let it do it. Instead, every time it even looked at the pokéball, he motioned his Jolteon to zap it. It was literally shivering out of exhaustion and fright.”

As Nanu listened Guzma’s story, he felt the hair on the back of his neck raise. It was an unsettling scenario to say the least.

“How did you take that Wimpod from him?”

Guzma actually snorted. “I was so angry I just run to him and punched his light out. I don't think he even understood what happened when I ambushed him.” The memory still clearly pleased him.

Biting down on his lip, Nanu mulled over this information. Now that the kid said it out loud, all the bad habits that Wimpod had could suggest it had suffered a trauma. Even some of his own Meowths had had similar mannerisms when they first arrived, even if not as severe. But he still wasn't ready to buy the whole story without seeing this by himself.

“We can't give it back to someone like that.” Breaking the silence, Guzma held his hand out for the pokéball.

Ignoring the offered hand, Nanu simply shook his head. “You're not getting this Wimpod back. Not until I get to the bottom of this.” Unfolding the paper he had taken from officer Johnson, he eyed it through. Printed on the bottom was the owners contact information, including his address.

Nodding to himself, Nanu pocketed the flyer and pulled out his Ride Pager. “We're going to go and meet this person. And you better be telling the truth about this matter, or we both might end up in a big trouble.”

Openly offended by the accusation, Guzma snapped: “I'm not lying! And how is this going to affect you in any way?”

“Well, worst case scenario is that you could still get blamed for stealing that Wimpod and I’ll get charged for trying to cover you for it.” He had made some very bold implications while he spoke against his fellow officers.

Some of which could easily be checked with the computer system they had. For example, the small fact he had no nephew and none of his still living relatives had children even close to Guzma's current age would be fun to explain.

To that, the kid didn't say anything.

--xx--

Their whole trip to Akala Island was spent in silence. Not that Nanu minded, he rather preferred Guzma not talking. Stealing the Wimpod was one thing, but he was frustrated with the kid for multiple different reasons. It all had to wait for now, because he could already see their destination in the distance.

The Charizard glide made a turn and landed on a small grassy area near the house.

The residence was located on a remote side of the island and stood far apart from any neighbours. It was rather uncommon place to build, but the lot was big and especially the fenced yard was impressive in size. As they walked past it, Nanu peeked over to see what was in there. Instead of regular yard furniture the space was almost empty. With white spray paint there were outlines of a battle arena painted in the grass and the ground was trampled in a way that also suggested pokémon activity. It was obvious that the person living here was a serious trainer.

But other than that, it appeared to be just a normal home.

When they reached the front door, Guzma stayed behind, letting the kahuna claim the honor of knocking. Rapping his knuckles against the door, Nanu waited. First there were faint noises coming from inside before the lock clicked.

After Guzma's description, Nanu was expecting to meet a hardened-by-life thug or a gangly, snot-nosed brat. But instead the man who greeted them was tidy and all around proper looking person. He had rather handsome features that were highlighted by the way his hair softly framed his face. Clad in an outfit commonly used by Ace Trainers, the only difference was his bright red bomber jacket with a text “Hyper Trainer” embroidered on the chest.

He did smile, but also looked surprised to see them. “Oh, did you have an appointment today?”

Eyes shifting from Nanu, once he realised that Guzma was there his smile got even wider. Leaning down he spoke directly to him: “Hey there tough guy, came here shopping? Lucky you, I have a perfect Houndour with your name written all over it!”

Both Guzma and Nanu stared at him in open confusion. Taking the hint, the man changed his pitch: “Not one to train fire types? I understand, they can be real hot heads to deal with. I also have a recently evolved Granbull available, if that's more of your thing.”

Trying to make any sense in the situation, Nanu dug out his badge and flashed it to the youth.

“I'm officer Nanu, from Ula'ula Island police department. I came here to meet the owner of a Wimpod that was reported missing. I assume I'm speaking with a right man?”

He first blinked as he saw the badge, then his expression turned sheepish.

“Aah, shoot, so you're not customers. My bad, since you have a kid with you, I expected you came here to buy a pokémon.”

Still feeling lost on what was going on, Nanu pointed towards the house.

“Can we come inside?”

“Yeah, of course! Come on in.” Motioning them to follow, he stepped back in the house.

They let themselves in and found the man lingering at the open kitchen isle. “Would you like something to drink? I was just making tea. This is my home, but also I run my business here.”

Nanu simply shook his head for no, as the man kept happily chattering: “Some parents want to give their kids a head start with their starter. Not that there's anything wrong with taking one from a Professor, but mine have an edge that's hard to compete with.”

Nanu had to shake off the weird feeling that being regarded as a parent caused. Concentrating on the matter at hand, he asked his next question to clarify things:

“What...Exactly is this business of yours?”

Digging his pocket, he handed a business card to the kahuna. Turning it around, Nanu read it’s message out loud. On golden lettering, it said: “You name them, I train them.”

The youth winked. “That's right. I am an official pokémon trainer, merchant and re-trader. “

Nanu quickly looked around. And sure enough, there were hints that suggested he was speaking the truth. On the walls were photographs, many of them taken from tournaments. It was like a hall of fame but with one person accompanied by different pokémon. Attached to some were also ribbons. Following the row of pictures was a door that said ‘Daycare’. It was shut, but from inside he heard barking, mixed with a screeching sound of a bird pokémon.

On the farthest corner of the hallway were two large cages. One of them was empty, but the other actually did have a Granbull inside. It was wearing a muzzle and there was a small sign that read ‘Careful, I bite!’. Guzma was currently crouching in front of it, his expression completely unreadable.

Walking up to the kid, Nanu also leaned to peek inside the cage. The pokémon seemed to be curious about them and kept bumping against the bars.

“So, what you're saying is that you sell these pokémon to people?” He slipped his hand inside to lightly tap the metallic structure covering its yaws. It’s nose wiggled playfully.

The young man nodded. "To be more precise, I sell combat pokémon. Most of the time it means partly or fully evolved forms that are immediately ready to be taken into battles. But I also offer my services as a trainer.”

When Nanu didn't answer immediately, he hurried to assure him: "There's nothing illegal or shady in my business, I have all the permits to prove it. Pokémon battles are a big scene, but not everybody has the time, skill or knowledge to raise their team to the next level. That's where I come in, getting even hard breeds to evolve is my specialty!"

Leaning away from the Granbull, Nanu kept his tone as casual as possible: “And how, may I ask, you do that?"

The youth gestured them to follow him. Passing through his living room, on the wall was a framed copy of his trainers license. He was heading to a massive, locker-styled cabinet. Guzma didn't follow them, but instead hovered over a glass vitrine. Inside were rows of trophies. They were all first place cups.

”Are all of these yours?” Touching the glass with his fingertips, the kid asked.

Giving him a glance over his shoulder, the man chuckled smugly: ”You bet. Keep working hard kid and one day you might have half as many. But some of my success I owe to these babies!” And with that, he opened the doors.

Where most of the people used these types of spaces to store cleaning supply, this guy had it hold his power items.

Training belts, lenses and bracelets were piled on almost every shelf, but that wasn’t where it ended. A collection of evolution stones sat under their assigned glass domes and right next to them was a row of bottles. They were labeled with tags that read 'Calcium',' Zinc', 'Iron' and so forth. There was even a small glass jar that was half full with what Nanu assumed to be Rare Candies. If nothing else, this guy was dead serious about boosting stats to their maximum.

Nanu could honestly say he had never seen that many training items in one place. Out of curiosity, he reached out to grab a training belt that looked familiar yet foreign at the same time. It was a lot heavier than he thought it should be, but that wasn't what he found alarming. As he run his thumb under the inside of the belt, small, spiky knobs rubbed against his skin.

”I don't think I've seen this type of equipment before.”

Lifting a black Power Anklet twice the size of a normal to view, the youth showcased it in his hands for Nanu to see. ”Yeah, I have some of my training tools custom made. They can save me a lot of time when results have to be made fast, even if they are pricy to get.” He gloated.

Nanu just nodded, handing the belt back. Appearing a little annoyed that he wasn't praising his possessions, the youth stuffed the equipment back on the shelf and shut the door.

”So, you said you came over because you have some news on my Wimpod.” Clapping his hands together, he changed the subject.

Digging his pocket, Nanu pulled out the pokéball. From the corner of his eye, he could see Guzma staring at him in horror as he handed it over.

“Unfortunately we never caught the criminal. This young man I brought with me is my nephew and he found a Wimpod stranded on a beach. When we realised it might be the one that was reported stolen, we came here to show it to you.”

The youth seemed to accept his story with no extra questions and simply took the pokéball from him.

”Okay, let's take a looksee.”

Tapping the button to release it, Wimpod soon curled on his arms. First the bug aimed Nanu a lazy look, but once it saw who was holding it, it immediately tried to squirm away. But the youth was faster and before Wimpod could run off, he grabbed it by the tail while his other hand squeezed its side. Then, he effortlessly flipped it on its back and run his finger over its belly. And just like in the poster, there really was a faint, dark pattern that resembled a crescent moon.

A satisfied smile broke on his lips. ”Yup, this is exactly the one. I can't thank you enough for returning it, this will save me a lot of money.”

Before Nanu could ask, the man went to explain himself: ”I've already made a deal to sell this little bugger. The last thing to do now is to turn it into a Golisopod and it's ready to be shipped to Galar. If that idiotic buffoon hadn't stolen it, I would be over and done with it already!"”

"Doesn't the pokémon matter?"

They both turned to look at the kid. Guzma was glaring daggers at the guy from under his brows.

"You can’t just tell them when to evolve, they'll do it naturally when they're ready! It's not right to force them to be something they don't want to be!” He was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles had turned white.

This earned him a small chuckle before the youth spoke. His tone was overly patient, like he was explaining things to a slow child.

"Well, if a trainer has enough money, they get to decide. Most of the time pokémon need a little encouragement, some are just afraid to change. But once they get stronger and start winning their matches, they will be thankful. Nobody likes to loose."

Throughout their visit there had been a looming feeling that the guy was pushing to keep his good mood, but Nanu was starting to see small glimpses of his true temper. He was a pretty good actor, but he had seen better.

Still, his arrogance combined with the way he was handling that poor Wimpod was starting to get under his skin as well. And so, he joined Guzma’s side:

”I think what the boy is saying has truth in it. There are many things that pokémon get to experience only when going through their first evolution forms. If nothing else, those times will become important memories for them to have a full experience in life.”

Now he was presented with the same, patiently contemptuous look. To that young trainer, they were probably just a yapping old geezer and a brat.

"I understand you mean well, but I take my job very seriously. I have real connections and buy these pokémon from only the best breeders. A Golisopod with at least 4 perfect IV's and a certain egg move, that's what was ordered and that's what the buyer will get."

Apparently that was the last bit of hospitality he had left in him. Now, his tone turned cold: " I still have a lot of work to do today. I assume you know your way out."

At that moment, coming here was starting to feel like a big mistake. Nanu couldn't argue with the situation. And their host also knew it.

The youth tucked still struggling Wimpod under his arm and marched off. There was a glass door leading in that back yard they had seen as they approached the house. Pushing it open he vanished from the view, leaving them stand by themselves in his living room.

Trying to rack his brain for any legal way to take that pokémon back, Nanu felt powerless. Just when he was about to give up, there was a tug and he found himself staring straight into Guzma's eyes. The kid was looking serious, his mouth pressed into a thin line. But his grey eyes were filled with a silent demand.

Do something.

It was enough to push him into action. Instead of getting out of the apartment, Nanu followed after the youth.

True to his word, he really wasn’t wasting any time when it came to training. Wimpod stood on the grass and on it's back was a power weight that was pressing it almost flat against the ground. With that thing strapped on it, it wouldn't be running to hide any time soon.

Heart clenching at the pitiful sight, Nanu blurted out the first thing that came to his mind: "How about I buy it?"

The guy turned around, raising a brow. When he only received a blank stare, Nanu explained:

"Boy got awfully attached to it while it was staying with us. If it's already on sale, we would be happy to take it off of your hands, just the way it is."

This seemed to bring back his interest in them. Faking thoughtful, he tapped his cheek. "I don't know. This is a first rate pokémon, it'll cost you a long penny. I'd also have to charge you for the extra trouble. If I give this one up, I'll have to order and hatch a new Wimpod to start over with."

Nanu was ready to start bargaining when Guzma's angry voice cut the air.

"You wouldn't even have that Wimpod if we hadn't returned it!" Still standing at the doorway, the kid yelled.

The youth’s mouth twisted in a way that bared his teeth. ”Too bad you didn't have any other choice. You're not its trainer.”

”And you shouldn’t be one at all! How is preventing a Wimpod to use Emergency Exit going to help? It's not a sign of weakness, it's a natural instinct. Your ”method” wasn't training it, you were abusing it!"

The way his smug expression dropped, Guzma had gotten him in a way he didn’t expect. Nanu almost wanted to facepalm himself as the kid released this information. But luckily the guy was getting too angry to realise that he couldn't know anything about it unless he had been there to see it.

Abandoning Wimpod where it stood, he approached Guzma, squinting dangerously.

"That's quite a claim you're making there kid. And I suppose you'd know better how to raise a Golisopod than I do?”

Guzma's hand was in his pocket even before he ended his sentence. All Nanu could do was to watch things unfold as the ultra ball was tossed in the air. Soon, Golisopod landed on the grass with a heavy thump. Widening its stance, it stood like a bodyguard next to the kid.

Unexpectedly, the sight of the huge isopod on his lawn washed all the traces of anger from the youths face. Instead, he gave the bug a long, intense look. It was as if he was judging it with his eyes.

Pointing a finger to his face, Guzma challenged him: "Let's have a pokémon battle. If I win, you'll sell that Wimpod to us, half the price. If I loose, we'll get the hell out of here and stay off of your hair."

Listening Guzma boast seemed to lift his mood even more. All his previous composure was back in a flash.

"I'll make you even a better deal. You win and I'll give you that Wimpod for free. But if you loose, you'll trade that Golisopod for my Wimpod."

Guzma's jaw literally snapped open. But the young man just smiled, giving him a nonchalant shrug.

"It'll save me a lot of time and you'll get that Wimpod either way. Your Golisopod may not have the correct stats, but that thing has mileage. It'll sell easy."

As he spoke, Guzma turned to give a serious look at his pokémon. Before Nanu could flat out refuse this preposterous proposal, Guzma cut him off:

"Deal."

As soon as the words were out, the gleam in the youth’s eyes turned dangerous. That expression reminded Nanu of a Persian who had just trapped a Rattata. Soon, these fraudulent eyes turned on him.

”You, Mr. Officer, can you act as our referee? I need a witness in case that kid tries to back down after he looses.” He asked almost sweetly.

Not bothering to say anything, Nanu just nodded. But as Guzma walked past him, he grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Have you lost your mind?" The kahuna hissed.

But Guzma just shook his hand off. "There's no way I'd ever loose to a slimeball like that." He looked dead serious.

Knowing there was no backing out now, the kahuna muttered: ”Keep your head in the game and don't loose your cool.” It was the best advice Nanu could give him at the given moment.

It wasn't like he didn't have faith in Guzma's skills. But he was playing a dangerous game.

Guzma went to take his position while Golisopod already stood in the field, ready to battle. Giving it one last hungry look, the youth also tossed an ultra ball in the air.

“Allow me to show you my partner.”

Out came a yellow canine pokémon. It was probably the same Jolteon Guzma had been talking about earlier. Electricity crackled in the air as the spiky fur on its back raised at a sight of an enemy.

Now that all the participants were present, the show had to start. Raising his hand above his head, Nanu let it drop down in a lazy chopping motion.

“Start!”

Guzma didn't waste any time, he opened the battle with: “First Impression!”

Golisopod shot into action and momentarily disappeared. Before Jolteon could even blink, the huge isopod punched it straight in the face and sent it flying.

For a moment, it looked like Jolteon would crash against a lone Pinap tree that stood half across the field. But instead it managed to get a hold of itself, twisting around in midair and landed on its feet against the trunk. Using the bark as a launch pad, it leaped high in the air. This made Nanu grit his teeth; reflexes like that took a lot of training. The guy really wasn't half bad.

The young man was keeping a close eye on his pokémon, confident smile plastered on his face. When Jolteon was right above Golisopod, he gave a command.

“Thunder!”

But Guzma was expecting this. Not a second later, he yelled his own counter: “Block it!”

There was a bright flash and Nanu was momentarily blinded by the white pillar that struck down with terrifying tremor as pure electricity hit the ground. It was soon followed by a deep roaring rumble. Hearing it so close felt almost surreal. Even the air was swimming with electric currents that prickled against his skin and licked the grass around them.

Fearing to find Golisopod unconscious before the match had even started, Nanu let out a relieved breath as he saw the bug standing. Golisopod had its armored hands raised above its head; it had used its hard shell as a shield. It wasn't like it got away scot free, but that stunt had likely minimized the amount of damage it took.

Mouth forming a silent 'yesss', Guzma flashed a triumphant smile at his pokémon. Even his opponent looked reluctantly impressed by this, smacking his lips in annoyed manner.

Meanwhile Jolteon had landed back on the ground. Tense as a spring and ready to bounce, it was waiting for a new command.

Getting ahead of himself, Guzma yelled out an order: “Golisopod, use Sucker Punch!”

Unfortunately, his timing was bad. When the bug was close on landing a second punch, the young man said calmly: “Agility”.

Escaping the claws narrowly, Jolteon brushed past Golisopod. Not only was the attack in vain, but its already quick-footed opponent got even faster.

Correcting his mistake, Guzma wasn't about to let it slip away. Immediately commanding Golisopod to use Poison Jab, they were soon engaged in cycles of attacks being thrown and dodged. While Golisopod wasn't able to make contact, it was wearing Jolteon down in a long run. Every now and then there was a small opening for Jolteon to try and use its electricity, but every time Golisopod managed to block it with its armor.

In a flash it had turned out to be a battle where one wrong move might resolve who was the winner and who looser.

Watching this go on, the young trainer was starting to get impatient. Probably unsatisfied that he hadn't been able to gain the upper hand, he seemed eager to end this as fast as possible.

Up to this point Wimpod had stayed out of the harms way, but it was also lingering at the edge of the battle. Scared by the sheer amount of electricity surrounding it, the tiny bug was slowly making its way towards the house and shelter.

Suddenly taking a notice of it, one of his finely trimmed brows rose. Cunning look flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly yelled: “Jolteon, use Thunderbolt!”

He didn't say it out loud, but Nanu realised that the man was pointing straight at Wimpod. This was likely a strategy they had done before, because his pokémon immediately aimed its dark eyes towards its new target.

Dodging one last Poison Jab, Jolteon sprinted under Golisopods arm and towards Wimpod, electricity crackling through its fur as it prepared a ball of lightning. Once the small bug noticed it coming, it froze to its place. It was a trap and Guzma was supposed to see it. And the kid took the bait.

“Golisopod! Shield it!”

Leaping across the yard, the isopod made it just in time. Its armored body completely blocked Wimpod from taking the hit, but it didn't have time to defend itself. Golisopod suffered a Thunderbolt head on.

There was a pained screech and Golisopod collapsed on its knee. Nanu could feel a bead of sweat on his temple as he watched the bug sway dangerously, but it didn't fall.

Streams of electricity crackled over its body, threatening it with paralyze. Visibly panting, Golisopod was starting to get low on health but it wasn’t done yet. When it was about to get up, Wimpod suddenly emerged from behind its back.

The smaller bug stared hard at its evolved form. Then, it made a small, almost cooing sound. Golisopod answered it with a low, gentle whir. Using one of its claws it bent down and knocked the restraining weight off of Wimpods back.

As soon as the horrible bracelet was lifted Wimpod stirred back to life. It made two fast circles on the ground before taking off. But instead of running to hide, it headed to the battle field. Widening its stance, it took a position in front of Golisopod.

Its official trainer merely snorted as he watched Wimpod raise its tail, aiming the intimidating gesture at Jolteon. Everyone had their eyes on the bug as it attacked straight against its enemy.

“Get rid of that pest.” Not bothering to give any specific order, the youth just huffed.

Doing as it was told, Jolteon chose to bombard it with Thunderbolts. Balls of lightning crackled all over the yard, one of them almost hitting Nanu. But this time Wimpod wasn't phased. Just like when fighting against Dime, its witty way of using its speed proved to be its greatest attribute. Sprinting left and right in a zigzag pattern, Wimpod was steadily making its way towards its opponents. Some of the zaps hit the ground dangerously close, but Jolteon could make a direct hit.

Once it was close enough to strike, the small bug did something nobody expected. Sliding on the ground sideways, a patch of dry soil splashed in the air. It had created its own version of Mud Slap.

While Jolteon tried to scratch the dirt from its eyes, both Guzma and Golisopod used the opportunity Wimpod had created for them to attack.

“Golisopod, use Poison Jab!” The kid roared.

A sound of thumping was its only warning before a pair of strong claws hit Jolteon straight in the back, crushing it against the ground. Once pinned down, Jolteon let out an angry bark and released one last burst of lightning.

Likely it was out of sheer will, but Golisopod pulled through it. First the electricity died down, and soon after its opponent went limb. Once sure that Jolteon had stopped moving, Golisopod finally released its hold.

Walking to check both of the pokémon, Nanu bent down to confirm that Jolteon was passed out. Running his fingers through its wire-like fur, he quickly checked its body. Both of the pokémon had dealt massive amounts of damage to each other, but it seemed to be alright. Nothing a trip to Pokémon Center couldn't fix.

Nodding to himself, Nanu declared: “Jolteon is unable to battle. Golisopod wins the match!” He also extended his hand to give the said bug a firm pat on the head. It had done good.

But this didn't sit well with the so called 'Hyper Trainer'. Up to this point he had been staring at the Wimpod in a stupefied trance that only Nanu’s words seemed to dispel. Now, he yelled:

“Are you serious?! That kid was using two pokémon to battle, it's cheating!”

But Nanu wasn't having any of that: “No, he wasn't. He gave only commands to his Golisopod. What your Wimpod did, it did it all on its own.” It served that jackass right to get a taste of his own medicine.

Gaping at the kahuna like he couldn't believe what he was saying, his face was starting to turn bright red. By the time Guzma approached him, he seemed ready to explode.

“Although, that's not your Wimpod anymore. It's mine.” The kid stated, holding out his hand.

First the youth looked like he was about to grab him, but when Nanu stepped to stand behind Guzma, he gave up. Instead slamming the pokéball on his palm, he growled:

“FINE! Just take that thing out of my sight!” He did execute his mood by pushing through them and stormed deeper into the yard.

Acting accordingly, the kid pointed the pokéball at his new partner. For once happy to get inside, Wimpod vanished from the view. Golisopod faced the same treatment and soon he had both of his bugs safely tucked inside his pocket.

While the youth fussed over his Jolteon, Nanu ushered the kid to leave. He had a feeling that the sooner they got out, the better. Using the yard gate to make their exit, the kahuna only stopped once they were on the other side.

Jolteon was nowhere to be seen, but the youth was still lingering there. Before he could go inside, Nanu called out:

“It was nice doing business with you.”

--xx--

While the battle between Guzma and the horrendous trainer had ended in their victory, it also left Golisopod in a bad shape. Needing more than just a good nights rest to heal, their first priority was getting the bug to the Pokémon Center. And so Nanu requested that the Charizard Glide would drop them off at route 16.

Luckily Nurse Joy was present behind the counter and she greeted them with a gentle smile. Taking Guzma’s pokémon under her care, she first checked it by scanning the ball with her machine. Apparently Golisopod needed some extra attention, and she politely requested them to stay until she was finished with it. Handing the ultra ball to her assistant Blissey, they vanished through a door leading to the operation room.

Now sitting in the lounge, Nanu had a cup of coffee in his hands. They were the only customers present at the moment, so they had been able to choose the best plastic seats available. Best meaning you could see the television that stood in the corner, even if it was muted. It served as a mindless distraction, in reality he was waiting.

He had offered Guzma Tapu Cocoa from the cafe too, but the kid had refused it. Hands wrapped across his chest and a blank expression on his face, the only thing that gave him away was his restlessly bouncing knee. He was thinking.

Nanu had learned that letting him mull over things worked as a verbal lubricant for Guzma, he couldn’t resist bringing topics up when something started bothering him. And sure enough, after a while he gave him a small glance from the corner of his eye.

“So, you don't think I stole Wimpod anymore, right?”

Nanu took a sip from his hot beverage before his maroon eyes turned on the kid.

“As a matter of fact... I do. And because you didn't tell me you had taken that pokémon from somebody else, you put us both at a great risk. Not to mention I could’ve taken the needs of that Wimpod into account from the very beginning. We’ve probably ended up scaring it during its stay at my house. There’s no excuse for that!“ he scolded.

Guzma listened his accusations and his shoulders sank in defeat. But after getting that out of his system, Nanu’s expression softened.

“ But...I'm still glad you took it.” He admitted in a mellow tone.

The both gave each other a glance. There was silent hopefulness present on Guzma’s expression, questioning if he was off the hook. It made the kahuna relent.

“You were right. That man is heavily mistreating those pokémon in his care. Thanks to you, we'll be able to put an end to it today.”

Before Guzma could ask, he explained: “Those custom made power items were all against the official safety regulations. And I'm almost certain the muzzle that Granbull was wearing was made of steel.” It was probably some twisted idea of strengthening that poor creature.

Guzma frowned at him: “Why didn't you say anything?”

“Because I didn't want him to panic and destroy any evidence. Once we get back home, I'm going to report that guy to the Akala police department. Officers Johnson and Miller might even score a promotion for this.” Which they probably deserved after having to deal with them today. “The very least he'll loose his permit to run that business of his and I'm going to strongly advice them to strip him from his trainers license as well. “

Thinking this over, the kid asked: “What are you going to say about the Wimpod?”

Nanu just shrugged. “That he already sold it, but then regretted it and thought he could scam a second one for free. Once they see what he has been up to, he'll loose a lot of his credibility in the eyes of law.”

Guzma`s expression went from slightly worried to reluctantly impressed.

“…That’s kinda badass, old man.” There was a mix of admiration and awe in his eyes.

Cracking into a grin, Nanu gave him a wink. “I'm not a dark type trainer for nothing, kid.”

They sat there for a moment in silence. A Blissey with a cart full of restore items run past them.

"Also...I wanna do your training."

Nanu raised his brow in question.

"Those sparring matches... We're doing stuff like that because I sometimes loose my temper, right? After meeting up with that slimeball again, I don't ever want to be like that guy. Never again..." His self-criticism was harsh to a point it was unfair. But Nanu knew without asking that he was thinking about the battle he had lost at the Wela Volcano Park.

And so, he treated this statement with respect. “That's good to hear. But prepare yourself. Along with your old team, I'm going to make sure you do everything that Wimpod needs in order to feel comfortable being your pokémon. Ones taken from bad environments take double the amount of work. I won't let you slack off.”

The way Guzma’s mouth curved into a determined smile told the kahuna he was serious. “Not a chance I would!”

There was the spark of hard headedness he liked to see, going towards a right direction. Nanu decided that deserved a little reward. Just then, the door to operation room opened and Nurse Joy stepped out. Instead of heading behind the counter, she came to meet them in the waiting area.

“Here you go, your Golisopod is as good as new.” Holding out a tray with his pokéball, she smiled sweetly at them.

After thanking her for her hard work, Guzma was about to leave. But before he could slip past him, Nanu tapped the kid on the shoulder and steered towards the Pokémart that was inside the Center. The store clerk was currently sorting out heal items and greeted them with a polite nod. Quickly eyeing the menu that was presented on the price board, Nanu leaned against the counter.

“Do you have a good variety on pokéballs? This young man here needs something special.” He asked from the man.

“You’re in luck, we just got a refill yesterday! There are some rare picks.” Putting the spray bottles aside, his eyes squinted happily.

While the clerk dug out his selection, Guzma gave Nanu a questioning look.

“You just got yourself a new partner. I thought it would be a fresh start for Wimpod too if you got it a new pokéball.”

Soon the man lifted a display tray on the counter and Guzma eyed the different pokéballs through carefully.

“It’s my treat so pick any that you like.” Nanu added and decided he should also stock on ultra balls.

It didn’t take long for the kid to choose a ball of his liking, but there was something else he also fancied. After a short discussion, they ended up buying a brand new brush, one that was best suited for bug pokémon.

With a paper bag holding their new supplies hanging in his grip, Nanu would’ve been ready to head home. But the kid informed him he wanted to swap Wimpod’s pokéball right there and then, so they headed to the beach instead.

Once they found a suitable spot near the waters edge, Guzma released his pokémon. Happy to be out again the bug made a few small circles in the still warm sand, searching the area before it calmed down. Facing the kid, it aimed him a questioning look but didn't go to him.

Looking a little nervous, Guzma gave his lips a quick lick. With a voice that was hardly above a whisper, he said:

“You’ve been through a lot. Not just today, but probably throughout your life. So if you don’t want anything to do with humans again, I understand. This time you get to decide.”

Listening his surprising announcement, it dawned on the kahuna what the kid was doing. This was the first step he chose.

Guzma went on: “That’s why I’ll release you here. The ocean is wide and you can swim anywhere you want. You are tough so I’m sure you’ll do fine on your own.” As a proof of his words, the kid dropped Wimpods old pokéball on the ground.

They were so close to the ocean that the next wave arriving at the shore cradled it in its wet grasp and swept it in the dark waters. As Wimpod saw the ball sink underneath the surface, it tilted its head curiously. Guzma then pulled out a second pokéball, this time one the bug had never seen before. It kept a close eye on his hand as the kid lifted it to view.

“But you can also stay with me. I don't know if you want me as your trainer or not, but I promise you I'll make hell of a lot better owner than the last guy.”

Wimpod answered by making a short, rhythmical sound with its tail. Whatever it meant, it clearly had an opinion on this matter.

“So if you accept me, then Wimpod, I choose you!” And with that, Guzma threw his new netball in the air.

The ball crossed the distance in a speed that Wimpod could've easily dodged it. But instead it stayed put, allowing the ball hit it in the back and pull itself in.

Despite his best effort to stay aloof, Nanu could see the way Guzma tensed when the bug type vanished inside the ball. Even he found himself holding his breath as the button flashed red once. It rolled sideways. Twice. Then, there was a beeping sound and a click. The ball stood still.

Nanu was about to say something when Guzma whirled around, a relieved smile crossing his face. At that moment, he looked so genuinely happy that Nanu couldn't help but also crack a grin at the boy.

“We did it!”

Blinking in surprise, Nanu watched Guzma pick up the netball from the sand. We?

The fact he was included caused a warm rush run through him. Well, when you put it like that, today’s accomplishment had been a team effort after all. Walking next to the kid, he gave him an approving nod.

“Congratulations. That pokémon is now rightfully yours.”

Guzma answered him seriously.

“Yeah. I caught it.”

From the distance, he could hear Fearows start making their evening calls, informing them to head home soon. But before that, Nanu took a moment and just looked at the kid.

In these last moments of the setting sun, the ocean glimmered like a pool of gold. Those warm hues were casted over them as well, making Guzma look unusually gentle as he held his pokéball with both of his hands, his other thumb caressing its surface. It was softness he revealed seldom, but it was all part of him nevertheless. There had been a strong feeling swelling inside his chest for a while now and Nanu was finally able to voice it.

“I'm proud of you.” It came out as naturally as breathing. And he meant every word of it.

But Guzma jerked around, eyes wide with shock. After a lengthy moment, he asked:

“Why?”

He looked so utterly lost, the kahuna couldn’t help himself. Reaching out his hand, Nanu brushed his fingers through his wild locks like he was trying to sort out this idea for him. Giving him a good ruffle, he said:

"Because of everything you did back there and just now. Today you took a huge risk in order to do what you felt was right and saw it through that justice was served. That's what real courage is. Thanks to you that Wimpod is now free of its past and you gained yourself a new friend. Take good care of it.”

His hand was knocked off when Guzma suddenly reached out and flipped his hood up. A tight grasp pulling down on the fabric to cover his face, he then released Wimpod next to him.

“Come on Wimpod, lets get going.” He muttered firmly and walked off.

The bug didn’t seem to understand a thing that was going on, but this time it happily followed after the boy. Making small leaps while dashing loose circles around him, the duo made their way towards the beach exit.

When Nanu realized that the kid was storming off for good, he had to actually run to catch up with them.

Even as his presence appeared at his side, Guzma refused to pull his hood down. But Nanu was able to catch a small glimpse of his face. Guzma was sporting a hearty blush, but even that was overshadowed by the wide, almost giddy smile he had.

A few cries of early Murkrows were mixed in the evening air, waiting for the moon to rise. Perching in the trees they watched as the kahuna, the kid and his Wimpod were swallowed in the ever-present mist that rouse from the red sea of flowers that covered Ula’ula Meadow.

Chapter Text

A soft, gray paw patted gently on the surface of a puddle. With deep concentration, Nani’s heavy lidded eyes watched how round ripples danced over the surface. It was raining lightly, but it didn’t seem to bother the feline in the least. Soon, both paws were sunk in the water, creating a splash.

It was a rather cute display, Nanu mused. Out of all of his Meowths, Nani was the only one who actually loved playing in this weather.

He was standing outside his Station, having a smoke and watching his pet entertain itself when he heard the phone ringing in his office.

Quickly hurrying inside, he managed to answer in time:

“Ula’ula police station, officer Nanu speaking”

“Good afternoon Nanu! How have you been?” a jovial voice on the other end chirped.

“Hello Kukui. Can’t complain too much. And you?” leaning against his desk, it was a nice surprise to hear from the professor.

“Especially good! Burnet just finished running her tests with the Ultra Radar. We were wondering if it's okay for us to come and visit so she can teach you how to use it?”

This made a jolt of excitement rush through the old kahuna. Despite himself, he grinned at the phone. Finally they could start the real investigation!

“All fine by me. At what time exactly?”

As Nanu discussed with Kukui for a moment longer, his gaze started to drift to his surroundings.

His apartment had never been spotless to say the least, but with Guzma around, he had been really slacking off.

Heaps of clothing lay haphazardly around the floor ( all thanks to Guzma), as well as cat toys and other junk. The kitchen especially was in a small state of chaos.

Realizing he couldn’t have guests around with the Station like this, he hurried to hang up with the professor.
Steeling his will, Nanu took a sharp breath. If it had to be done, he wasn’t going to do it alone.

Guzma was lying on his stomach on the floor, eyes fixed on the television screen. Thumbs rhythmically pressing the buttons of his controller, the kid was completely sucked into his videogame. Wimpod was snoozing against his side, its tail every now and then vibrating as it dreamed.

Poking the kid with his foot, he received an annoyed grunt.

“Good news. Burnet has finally finished with her Ultra Radar, she and Kukui are going to swing by to bring it here.” Nanu informed him.
This summoned an interested reaction from Guzma. Pausing his game, he turned to look at the kahuna with raised brows.

“But before I agree to let them in, we need to tidy up the place. It looks more like a tepigsty than a home.”

“Sure, have a blast.” Guzma turned back to his game.

Nanu had been anticipating this reaction. Grabbing the remote control from the coffee table, he simply shut the television.

Before the kid could blow his fuse, Nanu said: “Burnet has made a great effort in order to help you. Making this place a bit more presentable is the least we can do, no?”

For a moment, Guzma looked like he wanted to argue but then gave up.

“Ugh, fine!”

With a huff, he hauled himself up. This caused Wimpod to stir awake as well. It gave them a tired blink, but soon it was fast asleep again.

“You can start by collecting your clothes and then vacuuming. Pick up the cat toys too if you would. I’ll take care of the kitchen.”

Guzma muttered something under his breath, but actually started doing the task. With lax motions, he grabbed his pyjama pants from the floor.

Satisfied, Nanu headed to tackle his own mountain of mess. Standing in front of the towering dishes, he sighed before digging out his dish gloves. Shooing away a Meowth that was trying to steal the dish sponge, he set to work.

The next 20 minutes passed in silence. Guzma clearly wasn’t trying too hard, but at least he was doing something productive.
Just when Nanu was about to start scrubbing his saucepan, there was a holler:

“Yo, old man. Where is the vacuum cleaner?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Nanu yelled: “Not in the closet?”

“I’m not blind, it ain’t here!” came the annoyed retort.

Racking his brain for a moment, the kahuna tried to remember where he had last used it. It really had been that long, huh.

“Check my study. It might be there, behind the boxes.”

He heard Guzma’s footsteps cross the living room before his office door creaked.

A moment passed and when there was no sound from the kid, Nanu put his dish gloves down and went to check on him.
He found Guzma standing in the middle of the room. With one hand he was carrying the vacuum cleaner, but his gaze was fixed on something he held in his other.
Curious to see what he had found, Nanu peeked over his shoulder. As soon as he saw what it was, he felt his heart skip a beat.

It was a photo. With hands wrapped around her midsection stood a young and rather beautiful brunette who smiled at the camera. By now Guzma had noticed his presence.

“Who is this lady? An old girlfriend of yours?” the kid asked with a mischievous smirk.

The question was completely innocent. Guzma didn’t know, he had no idea what kind of picture he had found. Despite that, Nanu couldn’t stop the bitter anger that roused from the pit of his stomach, making his heart ache.

With venom in his voice, he grabbed the picture from Guzma’s hands.

“Why do you have this? I’ve told you not to touch my papers!”

Guzma stared at him like he had lost his mind.

“What the HELL! I didn’t touch any of your moldy stuff. It was under your desk and I just picked it up!”

“Don’t lie to me boy!”

Completely bewildered, Guzma threw the vacuum cleaner down. There was a loud crack on its side, but Nanu couldn’t care less.

“Have you gone senile?! I’m not lying to you!”

“That would be the first time!”

Before they could work themselves into a more heated argument, there was a knock on the front door.

“Out. Out of my office.” Nanu almost growled at him, pointing his finger towards the open door.

The kid didn’t need to be told twice. Stomping his feet, Guzma stormed past him. It took Nanu a moment to steady his breath before he headed for the door. It was no surprise he found Burnet and Kukui at his doorstep.

“Hello cousin!” With a bright smile on his face, the professor was holding a ceramic dish.

Not quite as enthusiastic but equally happy to see him, Burnet greeted the kahuna.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we brought some casserole with us. Kukui made too much yesterday and we thought it would be nice to have lunch together.” Burnet explained.

A little taken aback by their generosity, Nanu scratched his cheek. He was already mellowing out after his outburst with Guzma.

“Ah… Yes, that sounds… lovely.”

When the professor couple looked at him with mild confusion, he realized he was blocking the entrance.

“Come on in.” Stepping aside, he let Kukui and Burnet enter the house.

In the hallway was also Guzma. He looked ready to bounce. Figured, it was the kids only reaction every time he was in a situation he didn’t like. Before he could do just that, Nanu aimed him a sharp request.“Kukui and Burnet brought us all dinner. Fetch the plates, will you?”

To back this up, Kukui showcased his cooking to him as well. Guzma didn’t answer, but with his only exit blocked, the kid didn’t have any other choice but to relent.

Despite the tension, they managed to set the table without any bickering. Nanu couldn’t say he had any appetite, but the food did smell delicious.
Once everything was set and participants seated, Kukui lifted his glass playfully in the air.

“All right everyone, dig in! I hope this meal brings a smile to everyone's face!” he claimed.

The lunch was an awkward ordeal to say the least.

Kukui tried his best to start a conversation with both Guzma and the kahuna, but no topic would stick. Nanu was able to answer the man with a couple sentences at best and Guzma mostly ignored him. Eventually the professor gave up and silence fell over the table.

“Can you, uh, pass the tomato sauce cousin?” clearing his throat, Kukui aimed his request at Guzma.

The said bottle stood between Nanu and the kid. Giving it a glance, Guzma made no effort to reach for it.

“Sure, although I’m not sure if it's okay to touch stuff around here. " Guzma commented loudly.

Nanu’s fork scratched against his plate.

“Wait, what?” Kukui sputtered. Even Burnet gave them a funny look.

The professor looked so genuinely confused, the kahuna hurried to pass the bottle to him.

“Nevermind that, it's just an… inside joke.” Nanu said with unease. Guzma snorted.

‘Right, thank you.” Still looking unsure, Kukui nodded.

With that, they all fell into a silence again. The Donphan in the room was evident, but there was nothing that could be done about it.
As they ate, Nanu’s thoughts kept drifting back to the photograph incident. To his horror, he realized that there was a chance Guzma was telling the truth after all.
The only place he could imagine that picture would be kept was the file Nanu himself had browsed a while back.Within that time frame the kid had spent in his office, there was no way he could’ve dug it out and then cleaned after himself.The realization hit him like a brick, followed by a sting of remorse.

After their shared lunch, Nanu offered to brew a pan of coffee for dessert and they moved to sit in the living room.

While the said treat was still boiling, Burnet clapped her hands together. She was probably getting tired of the weird atmosphere.

“How about I show you how to use my Ultra Radar, no?”

Taking this chance, the kahuna agreed hastily: “Yes, let’s get that out of the way.”

Nodding, Burnet motioned him to stand in the middle of the room. After she had him where she wanted, Burnet turned to address Guzma.

“Guzma, would you come and stand in front of Nanu?”

Probably mustering the last bits of co-operation he had left in him, the kid did as Burnet requested.

Standing now face to face, Guzma’s posture was rigid. Hands wrapped tightly across his chest, he refused to meet Nanu’s eyes, instead glaring past him.
Nodding in satisfaction, Burnet passed the Ultra Radar to Nanu. Kukui was observing the situation from the couch.

As Nanu held the device, it was surprisingly heavy in his hand. Eyeing it carefully through, he was hoping he wouldn’t need to use all the buttons the device had. He was in silent awe that Burnet had been able to invent something like this.

“Now, let's start with the very basics. If you push this button here, we get the power on.” A slender hand gripped the radar from the side and Burnet started showcasing him its features.

“Let’s begin with a simple scan. This is how we can confirm if there’s any leftover traces of ultra energy.” Burnet twisted a knob and a bright light in the radars antennas lit. On the screen appeared a scan grid.

“We did a scan like this on Guzma before, but there were no hits then. To practice, let's do it again. This will be your best way to gather data for me in the ruins after all.”

With that, Burnet stepped away and joined her husband on the sofa.

Lifting the device higher, Nanu carefully moved it around Guzma’s shoulders.

“You can go closer to him. Ultra energy weakens in time, you’ll get a better reading from close proximity.” Burnet instructed from the sidelines.

“Right…” Stepping closer to the boy, he repeated the process only inches away from him. Guzma’s expression was almost unreadable, but the twitch in his eye told Nanu he didn’t like this.

Suddenly, there was a high beeping sound from the device. Startled, Nanu turned his attention from the boy.

“I think this thing-a-majig got something!”

As the kahuna turned to face Burnet, he accidentally almost poked Guzma in the eye with the antennae.

Guzma let out an angry yelp. “Get that thing out of my face!” with an annoyed swat, he smacked the radar away.

The sudden movement made Nanu drop the device and it banged against the coffee table before landing on the floor.
The kahuna didn’t say anything, but when Guzma saw the disheartened expression on Burnet's face, he finally snapped.

“That’s it, I’m out of here.” the kid muttered before storming off.

Guzma hastily grabbed his jacket and his still sleeping Wimpod from the floor. With a startled squeal from the bug, the front door slammed shut.

“Yikes.” Kukui said through his gritted teeth.Burnet rose from the couch and went to pick up her Ultra Radar.

Massaging his temple, Nanu took a deep breath. He had to explain the situation to the bemused professor couple.

“I’m so sorry about that. We… had a little argument before you showed up and everything’s been going south ever since." He admitted in defeat. These two were making a great effort for their sake and this was their thanks.

A petite hand landed on Nanu’s shoulder and squeezed it kindly. He was met with Burnet’s hazel eyes.

“Well, that’s kind of relieving to hear, really.” she smiled at him.

When Nanu looked surprised, Kukui continued: “Yeah, for a moment I thought you two were out of sorts because of us!”

“I hope we didn’t break your radar. It was quite an outburst.”

But Burnet only shook her head. “Don’t worry, this thing was build to endure far worse.” She winked her eye at him.

“ And don’t worry about Guzma too much. As far as I know him, he’s always been fast to lose his temper but also gets over things pretty soon.” Kukui assured him.

Nanu gave them a small, grateful smile. He hoped both of them were right.

Giving his shoulder a small pat before retrieving her hand, Burned exclaimed: “Now, let’s try the scan again. You can show Guzma the ropes later.” Her positive energy was starting to rub on Nanu too and he nodded with determination.

“Unfortunately that beep you got earlier was just a standard sound, but it’s good you get familiar with those too.”

Rising from the couch, Kukui joined them.

“I can be you test subject. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of this in no time!”

It took them around an hour and half before Nanu felt confident he could handle the Ultra Radar correctly. The technique was simple enough, but why did there have to be so many buttons and options in devices these days?

Once they were finished and had their cups of coffee, Burnet and Kukui didn’t linger. As the professor couple bid their farewells, Nanu waved them off with a small hint of melancholia. He still felt a sting of regret of how wrong things had gone earlier. He also knew he had to apologize to the boy, he just… didn’t know how.

–xx–

Guzma was gone longer than he usually was when he needed to let out steam. Nanu suspected he had gone to see Plumeria, she always knew how to cheer up her Boss.

While he waited for the kid to return, he started packing the essentials for their trip.

Feeling lucky he had restocked items not too long ago, Nanu made sure he had a decent assortment of everything. From potions to empty ultraballs, he also packed some dry food for them. There was no plan to camp in the ruins, but he wanted to be thorough.

In the end, it resulted in one, rather plump backpack. Nanu lifted it up testingly. While it was a little excessive, the weight was manageable.

As he dropped the backpack on his bed, he heard his front door slam.

Guzma had finally returned.

Nanu peeked from his bedroom and saw that Guzma was sitting in the corner of his sofa. Hugging his knees to his chest, the kid had pulled his hood up and tightened the strings around the fabric, partially hiding his face.

Walking slowly to the boy, Nanu stopped next to the couch so he wouldn’t be directly invading Guzma’s line of sight.
He cleared his throat.

“I was thinking we could make our trip to the ruins tomorrow. How does that sound?” Speaking softly, Nanu started.

Guzma just shrugged, refusing to look at him.

Hand sneaking to rub his neck, Nanu casted his eyes down. Now would be a good time to admit he had been wrong.

But instead, what came out was: “ I, uh. I’ll go to visit Malie City and buy a bottle of sake. It’s a custom to bring an offering to Tapu Bulu. Meanwhile you probably should pack your things for tomorrow.”

Guzma just nodded, absolutely refusing to acknowledge him any further

The awkwardness of his one-sided conversation lingered in the room. After gathering his bearings, Nanu tried again:

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly.

He could see Guzma’s figure tense slightly, but the boy didn’t answer.

With a quiet sigh, Nanu gave up. There was nothing more he could say or do, so he left the room and headed outside.

–xx–

While riding the Charizard Glide, Nanu’s thoughts started to drift back to the photo and everything that was tied to it.

By the time he arrived to Malie City and shopped for the liquor, he was going through the motions without actually registering anything. His mind was locked in the past, events that went down more than two decades ago.

He paid the sake, nodded when the clerk wished him good rest of the evening and was out of the store.

When he was about to grab his Ride Pager, his own reflection from the store window caught his eye and pulled him back to the present moment.
As he gazed upon himself, he was looking worn,expression stern and quite frankly, old. Older than he felt. Then his eyes shifted on the heavy bottle he had with him.

“Screw this all!” he muttered to himself.

And so, instead of returning home and the boy, Nanu steered away from the main street.

The golden gates of Malie Park glimmered in the dying daylight as Nanu entered the park.

After shuffling through the sinuous roads that snaked around small ponds, he ended up sitting on a lone bench inside one of the small pagodas. With a growth of bamboo also blocking the view, no-one could see him directly.

With a little effort and no remorse, he opened the sake bottle. The taste was bitter and its promise to wash all his troubles away was almost more intoxicating to him than the drink itself.

For the first time that day, Nanu felt his muscles relax. Slowing his speed a tad, he barely noticed the setting sun as he downed his treat.

He must have nodded off at some point, because the next time he opened his eyes, the moon was shining down on him. Guzma was shaking him by the shoulder, his bushy brows knit in a familiar scowl.

“Why are you sleeping here? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Nanu just gave him a little snort; oh how the tables had turned. Usually it was the kid who gave everyone a slip.

Lifting the now empty sake bottle up to view, he gave it a little shake.

“I was just doing a standard taste testing to see if the sake was good enough for our guardian deity."

“Don’t know about Bulu, but it sure was good enough for an old wretch like me!” With actual self loathing seeping into his voice, Nanu gave Guzma a dry cackle.

… Apparently he was still drunk. Well, nothing he could do about it now.
Instead of losing his nerve at him, Guzma gave him a surprisingly serious look. Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded the kahuna with a sliver of worry.

“Is it really okay for a kahuna to behave like this?”

Nanu lifted a sarcastic eyebrow. “Are you Hala in disguise?”

There was a long pause.

“ Seriously, what has gotten into you? You’re starting to freak me out.” Guzma said quietly, sounding more mature than he should have.

For some reason, this made Nanu sober up a little. Leaning back against the bench, Nanu rubbed his eyes. He was starting to feel nauseous.

“Just some ghosts of the past came to haunt me.” He breathed out.

When Guzma didn’t answer, he continued:

“You should head back home and get to bed. I’ll come back as soon as I get this sorted out…” Burying his face in his hand, Nanu sighed. He had no idea what the time was, but the hours had to be ungodly. Instead of footsteps heading away, he soon felt Guzma sitting next to him.

“No way geezer. You’re not acting like yourself, I’m not leaving you here alone.”

Nanu didn’t have any fight left in him to argue. Tossing the empty sake bottle on the lawn, he just shook his head.

Guzma watched the bottle roll down the grassy hill before it hit the pavement with a small clink.

“Is this about the picture?” He asked gently.

Nanu’s eyes widened. He felt like vomiting.

“Who is she? Clearly someone who is important to you.”

Try as he might, he couldn’t escape this any longer.

The picture was still in his breast pocket. Fishing it out to view, the beautiful young face stared back at him once more. Had she lived longer, she would be closer to a middle aged lady.

The idea made Nanu smile sadly.

“Do you remember when you asked me if I had ever killed anyone?”

The boy nodded slowly.

“I have. I killed her.”

Nanu was expecting his confession to spark fear in the boy. Maybe he would even run away from him.

But instead, Guzma just deadpanned: “Now who’s the liar.”

Before Nanu could say anything, Guzma cut him off:

“I don’t believe you. You’re many things but not a murderer!”

His flat out refusal to believe him was making the kahuna exceedingly nervous. When Guzma stopped talking, they just stared at each other, emotionally charged.

It was getting a little too much for Nanu.

”Kid, you don't know anything. Not a darn thing...She was my charge, my responsibility. And I let her down. Worse, she lost her life because of me!” He almost growled, trying to hide his eyes behind his hand.

”Then why don't you tell me what happened? Maybe I would understand if you for once told me one darn thing about yourself.” Not taking the offence from his harsh words, Guzma pushed.

Maybe it was the alcohol clouding his judgement or that he was a sad old wreck with no shame, but nevertheless, the kahuna gave in.

If he was going to open up, better start from the beginning.

”Since day one, you've been accusing me of being a secret agent. Well, you weren’t completely wrong about it.”

Guzma turned to directly face him on the bench. He had the kids full attention.

”I used to be part of the Interpol, I worked under the name agent 000. That was long ago though. ”

Handing the picture for Guzma to hold, the kid took it in his hands.

“The lady in this picture, her name is Lena.” Nanu explained.

“I had my own unit, she was straight under my command. A very promising young lady.”

“I still remember the day like it was yesterday. The phone calls started pouring in around noon. All coming from Alolan Islands, there was an anomaly spotted in Melemele island, a strange vortex near Hau’oli city. Soon an unknown pokemon emerged and started causing havoc. My unit was in charge of wild pokemon emergencies, so I was ordered to enter the city with my crew and take care of the situation.”

“At first I didn’t quite believe all the reports we were receiving. One man claimed the creature was eating his car while he escaped with the inch of his life.
Back then we didn’t have any idea what this pokemon was, but nowadays we call it Guzzlord. An Ultrabeast with a code name UB05 Glutton. A fitting name for a beast with an endless appetite.”

“Once I got to the scene, the reality was even worse. Within an hour the pokemon had destroyed nearly half of the city. Cars, lamp posts and houses, you name it, all left wrecked and trambled like they had been made of straws. Some citizens even lost their lives that day, those poor souls.
I had to think and act fast. Dividing my crew so that some would be helping the civilians to evacuate while the members with strongest pokemon and most battling experience would be taking a stand and attacking the beast head on. I was naturally going to lead the combat.”

By now, Guzma was completely sucked in by his story. His mouth slightly ajar, he was staring at the kahuna with wide eyes.

“But then, there was Lena. When I told her she would be needed in the evacuation team, she refused. Always one to go against her superiors orders when she felt like there was something more she could do to help. So, I did the next best thing and ordered her to stay close to me.”

“At this point, some of the finest pokemon trainers in Alola had also arrived there, offering their help. That’s how I met Hala for the first time.

The whole commotion was so big, even all the island Tapu’s showed up. Not directly taking any action against Guzzlord, I recall Tapu Lele healing some pokemon while they battled.”

Nanu was still grateful for its kindness. Without Tapu Lele’s aid, his Persian might’ve not pulled it out without lasting injuries.

“It took a great effort from my team and those volunteer trainers, but finally we started to force the ultra beast out of the city. It was a slow and grueling task, but we were chasing it back towards the wormhole it came from.”

“Me, my Persian, Lena and her Metang were forming the front line.”

Closing his eyes, Nanu pictured the moment as it had been. The way her long hair brushed in the wind as the wormhole was sucking them all towards it. She had stepped past him, but Nanu had grabbed her by the arm, ordering her to stay back. But she didn’t want to. The fire in her eyes telling how much she wanted to prove her capability made Nanu to relent and release his hold. It was the biggest mistake he had made in his life.

“She and her partner pokemon were the ones who managed to give Guzzlord the final push. With that one last attack, the beast fell backwards and the vortex sucked it in.”

Nanu’s expression grew dark. “Or so we thought.”

The way Lena had turned to face Nanu, her pokemon already back in its ball. Despite the exhaustion, there had been so much pride in that smile she gave him. Nanu had returned that smile. But then, a great black mass resurfaced.

“She had her back turned against the Ultra Wormhole, but I saw it. How that giant claw shot out and took a hold of her.”

All he had managed to do was to raise his arm, the very same that had tried to hold her back. But now it was too late.

”I couldn't save her. I stood there like an idiot while it dragged her with it.”

There wasn’t even a scream, her face frozen in terror as she was pulled through the wormhole. And as soon as the beast was gone, the ultra wormhole had vanished, as suddenly as it had appeared.

“But if Guzzlord dragged her with itself, could it be possible she survived on the other side and later turned up somewhere as a faller? Guzma said, looking a bit bewildered.

Nanu just shook his head. The way that claw had crushed her petite body in its death grip, no one would survive it. He felt like crying.

”Okay but…you didn't kill her.”

For a moment, the kahuna couldn’t speak. His anger pushing away his tears, Nanu roared; ”Of course I did! Weren't you listening to anything I just told you?”

”It's not like you kicked her into that beast's mouth to save your own ass! I mean, I understand you feel bad for her, but you didn't kill her!” Guzma insisted.

Nanu didn't say anything to that. He simply couldn't.

When he didn’t continue, the kid pushed; ”Then what happened?”

Nanu eventually said: ”Well, the higher ups didn't fire me for what happened, but... I quit. I couldn't take the guilt.”

“There were some people in my unit who blamed me for what had happened as well. I was near to... Ah, never mind. The bottom line is, I gave up my position as agent 000, walked away and never looked back.”

”...What did you do, then?”

With a self-loathing grin, he pointed to himself.

”I became how I am today; sad, melancholic, depressed. However you want to word it. I made some bad decisions too. Around that time I still had my fiancé, but in the end, I drove her away. I cut all my ties to my friends and my family. I isolated myself. Eventually everybody gave up on me... Except for one person.”

Had there been any sake left, Nanu would’ve taken a gulp now.

”This man, a guy named Looker, used to work on my team. A peculiar one, but has a heart of gold. Anyway, he wouldn't stop pestering me. I sometimes hated, even despised him for that. But he didn’t give up. It was actually him who got me this job as a regular police officer, here at Ula'ula.”

”But it wasn’t exactly a fresh start. The incident had been so shocking, many people around Alola knew about it. They recognized me. I was the ”shady secret agent”.

”The shady part was already out of it when I started hearing rumors about you.” Guzma filled in helpfully.

Nodding absent mindedly, Nanu went on.

”First people avoided me. Then they got used to me. And once they had enough of that, they pretty much forgot about me. When you operate like a shadow, act polite and don't make much noise about yourself, eventually they will stop paying attention.”

Guzma’s brow furrowed in thought. He seemed a little confused at that.

”But... Everybody respects you now. ”

Nanu threw the kid an amused look.

”Everybody?” Lifting his brows, he couldn't help but tease.

Guzma made an effort to roll his eyes at him.

”All I mean is, you're not unliked. What did you do to make them change their minds?”

Nanu shrugged.

”It wasn't what I did, but what was done to me; I was chosen as the kahuna.”

“One day Tabu Bulu just appeared to me, bringing me a Z-ring. A sacred gift, according to Hala.”

He let his gaze fall on the said ring.

”I'm... Not exactly sure I've done a very good job on that, either.”

”Yeah. Thanks to you not caring, the end of the world is probably coming.” Guzma snorted.

”I don't understand why you beat yourself up so much.”

”Aren't you the same?”

The kid gave him a puzzled look.

”After you failed your island challenge. Unable to shoulder that disappointment and go on, isn’t that why you created team Skull?” A place for him and other failures alike to belong.

Guzma didn't even try to deny it. Instead he asked: ”How do you even know that?”

”Hala speaks about you. Often.” He didn't have to tell him how much grief there was in those conversations.

”He does?” Casting his eyes down, Guzma asked quietly.

”He does.” Nanu confirmed.

Now that he had told his story, he was feeling a little numb. He knew he shouldn't have burdened a child with all this. The kid had enough on his plate as it was.
Unable to hide his regret, he kept gazing at Guzma mournfully. Eventually growing annoyed of this, Guzma grunted:

“Just say it.” He demanded.

Not knowing how to fully explain his feelings, Nanu said: “You’re a kid. Kids are not supposed to fix broken grown ups.”

Guzma huffed quietly.

“Don’t start with the nonsense again. And besides, this is Alola. Isn’t it kind of our grotesque tradition to view everybody as a family? Family members help each other out, so there.”

Nanu lifted his brow in genuine surprise.

“I thought you said that families are dumb.”

Even in the dim light of the moon, he could see Guzma’s face twist with embarrassment.

“You’re dumb!”

Nanu couldn’t help it. He laughed. Not grinned or chuckled, but a deep, rich laughter escaped him. It didn’t last long, but it did wash away some of his melancholia.
Guzma didn’t join him, but there was a tiny smile.

Slapping his hands on his legs, Nanu stood up. “Okay, this is enough brooding for one night. Let’s get back to home. Tomorrow is a big day, we need to get some shuteye.”

The kid didn’t answer but followed his suit.

As they were about to exit the park, there was a deep groan from Nanu’s stomach.

He felt his knees buckle as the wave of nausea finally hit him with its full force. For a fierce second he looked around in panic, before dashing to reach an open trashcan. He managed to push his head inside it before he vomited.

Nanu’s world was spinning as he gripped the rim of the trashcan with all of his might. Then suddenly, he felt a tiny hand on his back, rubbing lightly between his shoulder blades. Had he not been so ill, Nanu would’ve been absolutely mortified with the situation.
As soon as it started, it also ended and most of his nausea was gone. Being sure to wipe his mouth before lifting his head out, Nanu did not look inside.

The kid eyed him for a moment, then Guzma snickered. When Nanu glared at him darkly, the kid had the gall to look smug.

Against his better judgement, he asked: “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just refreshing to see you screw up and me being the responsible one.”

Oh how the tables had turned indeed.