Archive of Our Own

“I ain’t ever gonna ask you to forgive me, so don’t get it twisted—this is no apology!” You remembered his exact line as he hunched toward you. “But shut up and take this! I got it for my first ever victory, and it’s always been like my lucky charm!”

You were startled when he roughly handed you a bright turquoise stone.

“Who knows what the Alolan winds will bring?” he silently whispered at your direction as he walked away, leaving you alone in the sandy shore of Hau’oli beach.

***

Two months had passed since that fateful day. You looked at the sparkling Dawn Stone in your hand as you lightly stroke Meowth’s head. You smiled when he purred into your touch. However exciting adventures were, there was no place quite like home.

After finishing your trials and became Champion of Alola you decided to take a break from your journey and head straight home. Your mother was ecstatic to see you returned and showered you with attention. For three days straight you had some quality time with your mother, sharing the stories from your adventures and introducing your Pokémon team to her. You were having quite a blast.

That was around the time you took a casual stroll around the neighborhood and you decided to visit that peculiar house by the entrance of Route 2. You were just about to knock when the door swung open, revealing no other than Guzma—the leader of Team Skull that you encountered merely months ago.

“You little brat!” he spat at you, startling you in all consciousness. You never even had any idea that he lived here.

He noticed you trying to speak in defense but cut you into it. He shook his head. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but I actually needed to talk to you. Get your ass over to the Hau’oli City Beachfront!”

And with that he left you hanging in front of his porch.

***

Even though he clearly stated that he wanted to ‘talk’, you should’ve expected as much when he asked you for a battle instead.

In the end you managed to defeat Guzma, just like you always did. Apparently old Kahuna Hala was watching the whole battle and came in just in time before Guzma tried to punch you in the face out of frustration of his defeat.

“You came all the way here just to watch me lose, huh? Must be nice to be an old island kahuna with nothing better to do…” Guzma stated in irritation, looking sideways at Hala.

“What a high opinion of yourself you have. Ha!” Hala replied, though there was no malice in his tone.

You noticed Guzma’s brow twitch in anger. “You wanna get beat down, old man?”

You gripped your Pokéball tightly in your hand. Did you go too far? Should you have just let him win instead? Questions and guilt started to pool inside your mind as you stood frozen between them.

Despite being agitated, Hala only smiled weakly. “Oh, Guzma, when will you understand? Only when you respect your opponent’s skills will it bring out the best in you.” He gripped Guzma’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You miss the true meaning of battling. The goal is not to beat your opponent down, but for both Trainers to grow stronger!”

The young man slapped away Hala’s arm. “I don’t care what you say to me, yo. Beating down people is all I know!”

Hala pressed on. “But the battle I just saw seemed a bit different. While you may say you’re only interested in crushing your opponent, I sensed a desire to defeat [Name] deep in your heart.”

Guzma’s expression changed for a very brief moment, but long enough for you to catch it. He quickly hid it by looking away from you and Hala and spat to the sand beneath his feet. “What do you know, old man?!”

“If you continue down this path, you’ll never be able to defeat [Name]!” Hala crossed his arm. “Guzma, admit the worthiness of your opponents! Only then can you become even stronger than you already are! Allow yourself to know the people and Pokémon you encounter, and look deeply into your heart.”

Guzma was silent for a very long time after that, which was weird seeing how he would normally retort with a snarky reply. You felt a shiver run down your spine. You never would’ve dreamed to be able to affect someone so much just through speech like that. Wisdom do come with age.

“You’re still trying to front like you’re my master, huh?” he finally found his voice to reply. “I gave up on you a long time ago.”

You bit your lip. So Guzma used to train under Kahuna Hala? You wondered whatever happened between them they ended up like they were now.

Hala sighed and turned toward you. “[Name], allow me to handle this foolish young man. I’ll make a fine trainer out of him yet, or I’m not an island kahuna!” He gave you a warm smile. “I hope that can be considered penance for the wrongs he and Team Skull have committed.”

The kahuna then left with a big smile ever present on his face.

A long silence enveloped the two of you as soon as Hala disappeared.

Guzma finally turned to look at you and clicked his tongue. “I ain’t ever gonna ask you to forgive me, so don’t get it twisted—this is no apology!” He hunched toward you. “But shut up and take this! I got it for my first ever victory, and it’s always been like my lucky charm!”

You were startled when he roughly handed you a bright turquoise stone.

“Who knows what the Alolan winds will bring?” he silently whispered at your direction as he walked away, leaving you alone in the sandy shore of Hau’oli beach.

***

The next time you met Guzma was when you went shopping under your mother’s order. Accompanied by Meowth, the feline Pokémon growled when he noticed Guzma standing in front of the store, staring at you in similar shock.

“Y-You again!” he said while pointing at you.

“Guzma?” You asked no one in particular. So many things had happened lately that you sometime forgot that he was practically your neighbor now. You snapped out from your trance and managed to ask, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to buy stuff, what else?” he replied with a roll of his eyes.

By some weird circumstances, you ended up helping him shop, for—apparently—he had never done this since he came back home. He was visibly annoyed by your presence, but also silently grateful for your help. Not that he would ever admit it.

Truth be told, there were things about him that tugged at your curiosity. The thing that he didn’t know was that before you went to battle him at Hau’oli beach a few days ago, you had a brief talk with his parents. You silently racked your brain for the memory.

“It’s good for kids to experience their own journeys, but running away without even a word to your parents is another thing entirely. I tried to set that boy of mine straight, but when I did, I was the one who got beat…”

You recalled the words his father told you. The expression on his tired face when he looked at a bag full of broken and dented golf clubs in the corner of the room seemed so sincere, yet sad.

You also met Guzma’s mother, who silently brought you across the house—past the halls with photo frames hanging on the walls that showed a younger Guzma, clasping his trial amulet with a clear glow of pride—to his room to show you his collection of trophies that started to collect layers of dust on the table by the bed. Her words rang inside your head like siren.

“He started visiting again lately,” she said softly. “I know that there were a lot of rumors flying around, saying that our Guzma was up to no good and doing terrible things… but I know it was all just lies.”

That smile on his mother’s face was all too clear. You knew it well, that smile of denial. Lillie used to smile like that. Deep down she knew every piece of truth, yet she insisted to believe otherwise.

His parents cared for him a lot. Maybe in a slightly wrong way, but you could definitely feel their love. It was just a matter of acceptance in Guzma’s point of view.

***

You didn’t know what came into you, but you somehow ended up on Guzma’s porch again. You were contemplating whether to actually knock on the door or just leave, fooling yourself into believing that he wasn’t home. Before you knew it your hand already moved to tap against the wooden surface.

A weird feeling crept up as you saw his familiar face opening the door. His expression wasn’t too happy to see you, though. He didn’t completely open the door and only spoke from behind the wooden barricade between the two of you.

“What do you want now, brat?”

Your tongue froze as you lost all capability of speech. To be honest, you didn’t even know what you were doing here at his house. You just acted in spontaneity.

Figuring that you probably wouldn’t be answering him, he decided to close the door and leave you outside, but you panicked and stopped him from doing so by grabbing the handle of the door.

“Wait! Let’s have a battle!” you blurted out.

He turned to look at you incredulously. “Ha?”

“It’s been a while,” you muttered, trying to hide the fact that it came out of nowhere. “We can both see if we’ve grown any since last time.”

He contemplated for a moment before finally agreeing. “Fine. Just because I don’t wanna automatically be labeled a loser for declining your request!”

…And with that you ruined his team again for the fifth time. You mused at your own streak for beating him again. To be honest, he had gotten better since the last time you faced him, proving that Hala actually made progress with this rebel.

He lightly tapped his Golisopod’s ball when it returned. He shrugged. “Are you happy now, you cocky little brat?”

Yes, you wanted to shout to him, but that just seemed wrong at the moment. There was no need to add salt to his wound, so you chose to stay silent.

He sighed before walking past you. “If that’s all you want then I’ll just go home now.”

You thought to yourself. What was the reason you walked up to his house without even thinking in the first place? Was it really just to have a battle with him and enjoy your victory after you kick his team out? Either way, letting him go home now felt like such a waste of your courage so you stopped him.

“Want to get a drink?”

He loved Tapu Cocoa like his life depended on it. It was one thing you knew about him beside his weird attachment to his bug Pokémon. You brought him to the nearest Pokémon Center and treated him to a drink on the café. Seeing him giddily sipping out the content of his mug made you realize that this troublemaker was really just a normal kid inside, just like you and other people were.

He was going to order his fourth glass when you frowned at him. “You’re gonna get a sore stomach if you keep drinking that.”

“What do you care? You’re paying so might as well get the most out of it!”

You rolled your eyes. Well, as a capable Trainer you never had any problems managing your finances so a few drinks wouldn’t rob you poor, but still. This could be considered addiction if anything.

You suddenly remembered the talk you had with his parents. You played with the Roserade Tea in your cup, creating ripples on the liquid’s surface. Would it be alright to ask him in person? A lot of questions regarding his past had been running in your mind lately. You decided to just give it a try.

“Why did you run away from home?”

He nearly choked on his drink as he stared at you wide eyed. He probably wasn’t expecting that kind of personal question. “The hell? Where did that come from?”

 “I just figured that I don’t know a lot of things about you.”

He frowned and slammed his mug down in an irritated manner, earning looks from other patrons. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re a skilled Trainer, Guzma.” You glanced at him from the corner of your eyes. “Why throw it all away for something so temporal like recognition?”

He downed his fifth mug of Tapu Cocoa. In the end you never heard of the answer to that question.

***

“I heard you’ve been hanging with Guzma a lot lately, [Name],” Hau casually mentioned as he took a big bite out of his malasada.

You only nodded in reply. It was true. You’ve been hanging out with Guzma ever since then to get a drink from time to time. He probably just enjoyed you treating him some Tapu Cocoa, but honestly his company wasn’t half bad.

“He’s changed, you know,” Hau commented. “Despite being so loud and rebellious all the time he’s actually doing pretty well with Gramps’ trainings. Maybe I should challenge him into a battle sometime!”

You chuckled. “You’ll have a hard time beating him.”

“I know, but you know, either way I’d still have fun doing it!” he exclaimed with a giant grin. “One more Sweet Malasada, please!”

***

“Don’t hunch!” you shouted as you slapped Guzma’s back with all your might.

He yelled in pain. “Wh-What the fuck?!”

“Stop hunching like a freaking Oranguru and stand straight. It’s bad for you posture.” You put your hands on your hips to emphasize your point. You had been irked with the way he stood since the first time you met him.

“What’s your problem, kid…” He rubbed his aching back. “Who cares how I stand?”

“If you keep doing that I won’t treat you Tapu Koko anymore.”

“WH-WHAT?!”

***

You threw the sea cucumber shaped Pokémon as it made a sound as soon as it touched the surface of the sea. You wiped your forehead. These Pyukumuku just wouldn’t give it up, would they?

You were hunching down to grab another misplaced Pyukumuku when you noticed someone took it faster than you. You frowned when you saw that it was Guzma. He quickly threw it to the sea before you could take it back from him.

“That’s my job,” you whined.

“What are you doing with these petty jobs?” he sneered, though he took another Pyukumuku in the sand before throwing it again.

“If you’re going to rob me off Tapu Cocoas all the time I’m gonna need to find myself a living, don’t I?” you joked, picking another Pyukumuku. That was sort of half true, but mostly you just enjoyed throwing these persistent, cute little Pokémon back to their habitat for fun.

He rolled his eyes, seeing through your lies. “This is pointless. You could be training and become stronger, yet you chose to do weird stuff like these.”

You chuckled. “You should learn to appreciate the little things in life, Guzma. As long as you enjoy it there’s no need for a goal in everything you do.”

The two of you continued to throw Pyukumuku off the shore in silence. After what felt like hours, less Pyukumuku were visible and you decided to just finish the job for today. The island’s heatwave really could kill if you stayed any longer.

You cooled off to the nearest Pokémon Center. As usual, Guzma ran off to the café counter and ordered himself a mug of Tapu Cocoa without your permission. It had sort of became a habit between the two of you.

The café owner smiled as he handed him his mug. “Enjoy your drink! Here’s a little extra from us.” The owner then gave him a heart-shaped chocolate wrapped in clear plastic. He winked. “A Sweet Heart chocolate! Maybe you can give it to your girlfriend there. Have a nice Sunday!”

“She isn’t my girlfriend, yo,” Guzma muttered, but the owner already went away to serve other customers and probably didn’t even hear him. He clicked his tongue but still gave the chocolate to you despite his annoyance. “Whatever. You can have it.”

You managed to catch it mid-air. “Thanks… I guess?” Wait… what were you saying? You paid for that Tapu Cocoa so it was supposedly yours from the beginning. You fiddled with the chocolate in your hand and frowned.

He suddenly blushed. “D-Don’t get the wrong idea just because it has a heart shape, okay?!”

You blinked in amusement. Who would’ve thought someone like him would be worried about such a trivial thing? It made you feel like teasing him a little.

“You know they’re always giving out Sweet Hearts every Sunday,” you said with a smirk, leaning forward in your seat. “So, you’re saying… that you’re willing to fly over to Akala Island and went through all that trouble of helping me with my part-time job in the middle of the glaring heatwave, just because you want to get a Sweet Heart to give me?”

The expression he gave you when he spurted out the Tapu Cocoa he was drinking gave you a reason to laugh for the rest of eternity.

***

The cold night wind blew through your hair as you strolled through the ragged path of Hau’oli Cemetery. You could faintly hear the cries of Gastly running around behind the tall grasses by the graveyard. It was chilling, yet soothing in a way.

You liked to visit the cemetery from time to time. It reminded you about how short life could be, telling yourself to enjoy every moment while it lasted. You halted your steps in front of one particular grave. You remembered how you met a lady and her Machamp that visited this grave a few months ago, telling you a sad story about how his husband died in accident and barely saved his precious Pokémon before meeting his end.

You kneeled down to put a fresh bouquet of flowers on the stone grave. Even though you had never met this person, you couldn’t help but feel a deep respect toward him. Not everyone could put someone else’s life before their own.

The sound of dry leaves crunched under someone’s footsteps took your attention. You would recognize that hair color and trademark sunglasses anywhere. Guzma squatted beside you and silently examined the grave.

“Someone you knew?”

“Not really,” you replied, standing back up. “I just appreciate what he had done.”

He chuckled. “See? You’re always doing pointless things. Dead people can’t appreciate appreciations.”

“They can,” you argued, putting your arms on your hips while looking at him judgingly. “Honestly, have you been following me around? You always seem to find me at the weirdest places.”

He stood up after you. “Why would I do that? I just happen to be at the same place, at the same time as you.”

“Like, in a cemetery, in the middle of the night?” you asked back, raising a single brow. You shrugged. “Yep, definitely not stalking.”

He flushed bright red, but didn’t really say anything to deny it. He only huffed and crossed his arms in annoyance. To be honest, you didn’t really mind his company, since it was getting kind of creepy alone, but you still couldn’t help but tease him.

There was a calming silence afterwards. A soft breeze caressed your face. Looking down at the grave, you suddenly asked him out loud.

“Have you ever lost someone?”

He made it seem like he wasn’t going to answer, but in the end you heard him faintly say, “Yes.”

“Who was it?” you gathered the courage to ask further.

The answer he gave you was not something you had expected. “Myself.”

You tensed in silence.

“Until two years ago I was always such an optimistic Trainer. I stopped caring about everything when I failed to become a Trial Captain.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. “I finished my trials perfectly, won a lot of tournaments, proved my worthiness as a great Trainer… but apparently, that was not enough for Hala to give me the title of Captain despite everything I’ve done. He said I was lacking the heart of a Trainer, that I should stop looking down on other people and admit the worthiness of my opponents.”

There was a pause after that.

“I never trusted anyone since then. I was blinded by pride. My father’s efforts to discipline me only ended up with me running away from home. All I could think about that time was earning someone’s recognition of my skills… That was when…”

He trailed off, but you knew what the rest of the story was about. That was probably when he met Lusamine—the only adult who ever recognized his worthiness as a Trainer—who came out to only be using him in the end.

He shrugged. “Pathetic, right? You can laugh if you want.”

You frowned. Deep down, he wasn’t a bad person. He was just misunderstood, and upset. Anyone could fall victim into his state. What he needed was someone to understand his situation, guide him back to the right path, and give him a shoulder to cry on.

Despite his permission, you didn’t laugh. Instead, you scooted closer and held his hand in yours.

You felt him tense under your touch, which made you realize that this was the first time the two of you had ever made physical contact despite knowing each other for a long time. His big and slightly callused hand felt warm in the cold night breeze.

It took a moment for him to return the touch and intertwined his fingers with yours.

***

You asked Guzma to accompany you go clothes shopping to the mall the next day. He didn’t seem so excited at first, but still tagged along in the end. Guzma then suggested to try the Battle Buffet, and the two of you spent the rest of the day kicking everyone’s ass and stealing their meals. The thing was, it started raining cats and dogs by the time you were on your way home.

Figuring that the two of you should probably go find shelter until the rain subsided, you decided to go to the closest place possible which was Guzma’s house. Your hair and clothes were drenched wet as you dripped rainwater all over his porch. Guzma wasn’t much different. His usually flaring hair was now matted on his forehead.

He kicked his shoes off to get rid of the water pooling inside them. “Darn rain!”

“That was fun,” you commented in amusement, trying to dry your hair.

“Fun my ass,” he replied with a glare. “Get inside.”

His house was very much the same like the last time you came to visit him. You squeezed your shirt, trying not to drip so much water around the house. Guzma pointed to the bathroom, which you quickly tiptoed to.

“Get yourself cleaned. I can borrow you some clothes.”

You giggled with a smirk. “Oh, being a gentleman now? I thought you never had it in you.”

The blush on his face would put an Incineroar’s Flare Blitz to shame. “Would you rather walk around naked?!”

“I’m sure that’s what you’re secretly hoping to see.”

“Just get in the bathroom already!”

After taking a nice warm bath you came out of the bathroom, wearing Guzma’s shirt. Of course, it was too big for you but it was better than nothing. Despite casually joking about it to him you would really rather not walk around with nothing to wear, in a man’s house.

“Where are your parents?” you asked after Guzma came out of the bath. You only just noticed after everything calmed down.

“They went to see relatives. Probably won’t be back for another week or two.” He shrugged. “Good riddance.”

You frowned. “You shouldn’t talk like that about your parents.”

“Who cares about them?” he replied. “We have the house all to ourselves without anyone to bother us.”

You suddenly felt heat rising up to your face. You knew he didn’t mean it that way, but realizing that the two of you were alone in his house right now, in the middle of the night, with a thundering rainstorm outside was not exactly a calming situation.

Wearing his clothes didn’t really help either.

Trying to distract yourself, you stood up from the couch to examine his house. You walked past the bag of broken golf clubs, reminding you of a painful memory from Guzma’s past. You would rather not bring anything about that up, so you continued to look at the hanging photos on the walls.

You ran your fingers over the photo of him holding his trial amulet. You smiled at his proud expression. You silently wondered what kind of person Guzma was before he gave up on his dreams to become a Trial Captain. Would it be possible… to bring back that Guzma to the current Guzma?

“Stop looking at those,” he muttered in embarrassment as he stood beside you. “Those pictures are ancient.”

You chuckled. “Your history is a part of you. It is what built you to become the person you are now. You should be proud.”

“Stop trying to be a wise-ass. One Hala is enough.”

You ignored his comment and returned your focus to the picture. You smiled softly. “You know, you look better when you smile like this. You should start doing it again.”

His face flushed red and you let out a chuckle. He then walked over to the bookshelf on the corner of the room, running his index finger across the dusty covers of the old books. His hand stopped as he pulled out a single hard-covered photo album that seemed like it hadn’t been touched for a long time. He blew off the dust and walked toward the couch. You followed him and took a seat beside him.

“This album is from my childhood. Be grateful because I’ve never showed this to anyone else.”

You scooted closer to him. “Really? Why show it to me, then?”

He tried to hide another blush. “If you don’t wanna see then I’ll—”

“Wait! Wait! I am interested! Let me look!”

Inside the album were pictures of Guzma and his parents during his childhood. He seemed like a very happy child. The first few pages were pictures when he was just a toddler, then the next was of his first battle as a Trainer. It showed pictures of his first caught Pokémon, his Wimpod—which was now a Golisopod. You smiled softly. That Golisopod had been with him for so long, you finally understood why he loved it so much. They must’ve went through a lot together, just like you and your Pokémon.

Your eyes wandered to the corner of the room, where the bag of broken golf clubs sat forgotten. You silently wondered how it happened between him and his family. Without realizing it, you asked.

“Guzma… what happened between you and your family?”

He suddenly froze upon hearing your question. “Why ask that?”

You bit your lip nervously. You knew that it was a sensitive topic for him, but you pushed on. He couldn’t hide forever from that fact. “Your parents care about you, you know.”

“Yeah,” he replied rather sarcastically. The tone in his voice changed. “Only when you’re good enough to meet their expectations.”

“Look, it’s not your fault that you failed to become Captain.”

“Well, it’s clearly not how they are thinking!” he yelled at you, catching you off-guard. He glared at you. “They never cared about me. All they ever think about is their own pride!”

“That’s not true!” you defended. The memory of your talk with his parents came back to your mind. The regret in their voices sounded sincere. “They might’ve been once, but they’re different now!”

“Shut up! What do you know about me?!” he shouted back again. He raised his hand to hit you.

You shut your eyes, readying yourself for the incoming pain, but a loud thunder startled the two of you as Guzma stopped whatever he was about to do.

The look on his face was indescribable. You could guess that your expression wasn’t much different either. If it weren’t for that thunder…

Guzma suddenly stood up from the couch and looked away, hiding his face from you. His voice trembled when he spoke, “You know what? Forget it. I’ll just go find something to eat.”

Without waiting for your answer, he slid away to the kitchen and searched his fridge for any leftovers. Figuring that it was better to avoid him for a moment, you quietly walked to his room and closed the door behind you. You slid down the door to your knees to calm yourself down a bit.

You took a deep breath. The two of you probably were just caught in the moment. You were the one who brought it up in the first place, so you should really apologize to him. This didn’t need to happen.

You stood up to examine Guzma’s room once again. The last time you were here you never really had a good look around. You noticed an MP3 Player near the door, with stacks of CD collections beneath it. There was also a 20-inches flat screen TV sitting by the corner of the room with various game consoles ported under it. You walked toward the table with the trophies and took a closer look on each of them.

Those were trophies from various tournaments and battles. There were a lot of trophies from regional championships, contests, and even a Battle Royal trophy. You knew how difficult it must’ve been to achieve so much. You let your finger graze over its dust covered surface. He really did his best to achieve his dream, and for that dream to be crushed when it was right in front of his eyes must’ve been his worst nightmare.

You suddenly felt sleepy. You limped over to Guzma’s bed, making yourself comfortable in the warm blanket. You could vaguely feel that sad, musty odor of an old bed that no one has slept in for a long time. Your hand reached your pocket to take out the Dawn Stone that he gave you long ago. Even in the dim light, it still sparkled like stars. You closed your eyes, imagining what it must’ve felt like to leave home with such a heavy feeling.

Before you knew it, you had fallen into a deep slumber.

Guzma had finished preparing dinner and knocked at the door after a while, but after earning no response, he opened the door only to find you sound asleep in his bed. He quietly closed the door behind him and put the warm food on the desk beside the bed. He watched you closely as your chest rise and fall in a stable rhythm.

He pulled the blanket higher, tucking you in. Never in a hundred year that he would think that he’d let a girl sleep in his bed so soundly. It was scary just how much you had changed him.

He recalled the events that took place earlier, how he practically yelled at you over nothing. The expression on your face would forever be carved into his mind. He probably had just ruined the fragile relationship that you had carefully built. He was a jerk, a bad influence to a good person such as yourself. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for hurting you so.

He knew that he had crossed the lines between.

“Maybe it’s best that we forget anything ever happened.”

***

When you woke up the next morning Guzma was nowhere to be found. He didn’t even leave a message to tell you where he went. You found food on the table beside the bed, which had turned cold by the time you wake up.

A month had passed and you had not seen him since then. You had been visiting his house every day to check, but he still never showed up. You went to every place that you thought he might’ve been, but you still couldn’t find him. You even dared yourself to visit Po Town and asked Plumeria if she had seen Guzma, but to no avail. It was like he just suddenly disappeared.

You were used to having him around so much lately that having him missing felt a little bit lonely. Was he trying to avoid you? You never really wanted to know the answer to that. Each day the heavy feeling of guilt thickened inside your heart.

One evening you finally gathered the courage to ask the kahuna about him.

“Young Guzma?” Hala echoed. “He went off to the Battle Tree a month ago. He had been acting weird, like he suddenly lost his focus and messes up his own battles. I’ve been wanting to ask you about him but never really found the moment for it.”

The Battle Tree.

Why did he leave so suddenly, without even informing you?

Was he really avoiding you?

That answer alone was enough reason for you to follow him there.

You had visited the Battle Tree before. You even won in enough streaks for you to face the living legends Red and Green, and other battle prodigies from various regions all over the world, but that was it. Other than challenging your limits and having fun, you never went there to search for anyone in particular.

This time would be an exception.

Charizard roared as it dropped you on the entrance of the facility. The familiar spark of torches welcomed you and sent chills down your spine. It felt like so long ago since you last stepped foot inside the Battle Tree.

You felt watchful eyes following your every step. Of course, people would start to notice you. You could already see it being in the headlines of news in TV: ‘The Champion of Alola had finally returned from her hiatus’. The attention made you flare with excitement and pride.

You saw the familiar face of the receptionist. “Miss [Name], welcome back. We haven’t seen you in ages. How can I help you?”

You replied her welcoming smile. “I’m here to participate in a battle.”

The receptionist nodded her head. “Which battle format do you want?”

There was only one reason for your visit.

“Single.”

“Alright,” she nodded again. “Please choose your Pokémon for the battle.”

You lightly touched the Pokéballs in your bag. You had thought about this on your way here. If he really wanted you to find him and to beat him for one last time, your choice was made since long ago.

You threw the Pokéballs to the air and called out the three of your most trusted partners, “Decidueye, Incineroar, and Primarina!”

You gently stroked their heads, whispering to each of them with a proud smile, “Don’t worry. We’ll make him pay for leaving us so suddenly.”

It didn’t take long for you to reach the top tiers.

The three starter Pokémon fought valiantly through the battles, earning you flawless streaks of victory. Everyone knew there was no holding back the Champion in a one-on-one battle, especially when you had a goal set in mind. You were unstoppable.

Primarina sang gleefully when she managed to knock out an opposing Lycanroc. Its owner sighed in defeat and gave you a supportive smile. “Good battle, Champion. Maybe we’ll meet again someday.”

You gave her a nod of approval as you advanced to the next floor.

You rubbed the button on your Pokéball. How many streaks had it been now? Fifty? Sixty? You lost count. Everything just passed by like a blurry memory. The only thing you had in mind was to get as far as you could and battle one single person.

When you reached the next floor, you prepared yourself to just get over whoever was in this level and go on to the next. When your opponent came out, you stood frozen like a Ninetales just used Freeze-Dry on you.

Guzma stood across of you with his trademark ruffled hair and fancy sunglasses. It felt like so long ago since you last saw him that he seemed like a stranger. His expression didn’t change, even though he clearly recognized you standing before him as a challenger.

He snickered. “So, you really do come, Champion.”

His tone of voice sounded foreign to you.

For a second, he seemed like a whole different person to you. Like everything you had done to change him vanished into thin air. He was no longer the same Guzma you knew.

You silently laughed in irony. If that was how he wanted to play, then so be it. For now, you just had to face him as a Trainer against a Trainer.

You didn’t reply, instead, you picked up your Pokéball and raised it to his eye level, declaring your challenge. If you needed to talk, there would be time for it later.

Seeing no response from you, he chuckled. “You know what? Doesn't matter who I'm up against, I'm gonna beat them down! That's what big bad Guzma is all about!”

Felt like ages since you last heard him taunt you before a battle like that. You ignored the tug in your chest. It felt rather nostalgic.

Guzma threw his Pokéball and Liepard came out. You threw your own and let Primarina take the first battle. The Pokémon sang in determination.

You were just about to shout a command to Primarina when Guzma cut you into it, “Liepard, Sucker Punch!”

You cringed as you watch your Pokémon got hit. Luckily, Primarina was made to bulk up on Dark types so it didn’t really affect it a lot. You clicked your tongue. You weren’t planning to let him enjoy this for long. “Primarina, Moonblast!”

Primarina quickly regained its composure and focused on the attack. The originally clear sky suddenly turned dark, revealing the moon shining bright. A beam of pink light appeared before Primarina as it hit Liepard, taking it by surprise and knocking it unconscious.

Guzma called his Pokémon back to its ball before letting out another ball. Pinsir jumped out with a challenging cry.

You called Primarina back and switched out with another Pokéball. “Primarina, you did great! Incineroar, it’s your turn now!”

The feline Pokémon jumped out of its ball. It roared at the opposing Pinsir, showing dominance. You commanded, “Flamethrower!”

The bug Pokémon was overwhelmed with the blast of heat aimed at it. By sheer determination, it survived the attack by using Harden and regained its stance despite taking a critical hit. Guzma commanded, “Pinsir, Sword Dance, and use Superpower!”

The bug Pokémon then did a brief frenetic dance to uplift its fighting spirit, before charging towards Incineroar with great power, causing the feline Pokémon to fly across the floor from the impact.

You silently sighed in relief when Incineroar stood back up. He was sort of limping, but he managed to return to the ring and resumed his fight. Just when you were going to command another move, Guzma took back his Pinsir and switched it with another Pokémon.

It was his prized partner, Golisopod. You should’ve expected it. The bug Pokémon welcomed you with its signature First Impression, taking Incineroar off-guard.

The large arthropod Pokémon loomed over Incineroar like a gargoyle. You felt sweat rolling down your temple. Considering the moves that Golisopod was capable of and the state Incineroar was in, it could be dangerous. Having the annoying Emergency Exit ability in which even Decidueye’s Spirit Shackle wouldn’t work on wasn’t helping either.

Despite the small chances of surviving, you took the risk and pushed on with Incineroar’s signature move. “Incineroar, Darkest Lariat, now!”

Upon hearing your command, Incineroar started to spin around towards Golisopod. It hit the bug Pokémon hard, but not enough to knock it out. Guzma quickly retaliate and shouted at his Golisopod, “Liquidation!”

When Golisopod slammed into Incineroar using a full-force blast of water, you knew your precious Pokémon wouldn’t stand a chance. Incineroar fainted as it returned to its ball. You clicked your tongue. After considering your chances of winning, you finally called out to your third Pokémon.

“Decidueye, you’re in charge!”

The bird Pokémon screeched to your call. You quickly commanded, “Leaf Blade!”

Decidueye charged forward with a sharp leaf, dealing a great deal of damage to the Golisopod. It wasn’t powerful enough to knock it unconscious, but enough to trigger its Emergency Exit ability. Guzma was forced to switch out with Pinsir.

The ex Team Skull Leader smirked. “Too bad, [Name]! Pinsir, Mega Evolve!”

A blinding light engulfed Pinsir as it changed its form. Mega Pinsir spread its wings to show dominance, daring Decidueye to make a move on it. You gritted your teeth in nervousness. You needed to retrace your strategy.

You called Decidueye back and let Primarina out of its ball once again. “Primarina, I’m counting on you! Use Hydro Pump!”

Primarina followed your command as it released a huge volume of water at Pinsir. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir’s speed outrun Primarina’s and it managed to avoid the attack. Guzma took the opportunity and shouted, “X-Scissors!”

Mega Pinsir crossed its thorny horns as if they were a pair of scissors and slashed Primarina. Primarina took the hit pretty badly, but due to its deep admiration towards you, it didn’t want to make you worry and managed to endure the attack. With its last strength, Primarina sang a soothing lullaby. The melodious tone took Mega Pinsir off-guard as it slowly fell into a deep slumber. You took the chance to deal a final attack at it.

“That’s it, Primarina! I knew you could do it! Use Hydro Pump once more!”

With that final blow, Mega Pinsir fainted in its sleep and returned to its ball. You couldn’t stand seeing Primarina in pain, so you decided to call it back and let it rest. It had done a splendid job and it deserved it.

Guzma then stood up from his squatting position, giving you an applause. You couldn’t really determine if he meant it, though. He gave you a cocky smile. “As expected from the Champion! I’m feeling all fired up!”

You glared at him and clenched your fists in anger. He was still doing that? You didn’t say anything to respond. You were too furious to talk back.

“We both still have one Pokémon left. Let’s see who actually deserves the title of Champion!” he exclaimed as he threw his final Pokéball to the air.

Golisopod roared in enthusiasm as soon as it came out. You rubbed Decidueye’s Pokéball one last time before throwing it to the air, letting it take over in the ring. You took a deep breath and calmed yourself down.

Golisopod then proceeded to make the first move. It growled at Decidueye, attempting to enrage it. When you realized that it was performing Swagger on your Pokémon it was already too late. Decidueye fell for the move and became trapped in confusion. Its focus blurred and it hardly seemed to be listening to your command.

You cursed under your breath. This had only just started and things were already looking bad. Guzma commanded to his Golisopod, “Golisopod, Fury Cutter!”

The bug Pokémon swung its huge claws and scratched Decidueye. The confused Decidueye couldn’t fight back. It flapped its wings aimlessly, trying to shoo away Golisopod.

“Fury Cutter again, Golisopod!”

Another scratch, this time much harder than the first.

“Again!”

And another.

“More!”

And another.

Golisopod’s attack gradually became stronger each time. You couldn’t stand seeing your Pokémon so helplessly being assaulted. With all your might, you shouted at it, “Decidueye! Snap out of it! You have to fight back!”

The owl Pokémon blinked a few times. Apparently, your call managed to snap it out of its confusion as it swiftly avoided Golisopod’s attack and countered with a powerful Sucker Punch. Golisopod, not expecting the sudden counterattack, got hit and flew a few meters back.

“Nice!” you shouted victoriously. “Leaf Blade!”

Golisopod tried to avoid Decidueye’s attack, but it wasn’t quick enough as Decidueye swiftly launched forward, slashing it with a sharp leaf. With this powerful blow, Decidueye managed to knock Golisopod unconscious as it turned into a flashing light and returned to its ball.

Decidueye let out a victorious cry before returning into its own ball. You looked at Guzma. None of you dared to move as silence enveloped the ring.

The judge signaled an end to the battle as she announced, “Congratulations! Winner of this battle, [Name]!”

Despite your victorious outcome, you didn’t really feel excited. You only looked at Guzma, waiting for his response.

He was silent for a moment, before finally raising back his façade. He swung his hand to the air in a careless manner. “I guess that's how it is, Champion! But I'm not beat down yet! The next time we battle I’m gonna make sure it’s the other way around!”

And with that, he turned around to leave the ring. Your fists clenched even harder, turning it white. Really, that was all he was going to say? Of course not. Like hell you’d let him leave that easily.

You quickly stepped across the ring and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his track. He didn’t look back at you, though, but you didn’t really care.

“We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he finally replied, turning around to look at you. “In fact, if you’re here just to ramble on me I’m tellin’ ya I don’t need a fucking kid to scold me!”

There it was again, you thought, acting like he didn’t even know you. Just when you thought he was starting to change, he returned to this cowardly state. You couldn’t contain your anger anymore as you raised your hand and slapped him square in the face.

You could sense his shock as he stared wide eyed, his expression blank. You angrily turned around, whispering, “Well, his fucking kid wanted to apologize for her insensitivity, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”

You took a step forward to leave, but stopped again. Tears started to well in your eyes, but you tried to keep your voice from faltering. “If you still care, you can always find me back home.”

You waited for a while, but he didn’t respond, so you left with the heavy atmosphere still lingering between the two of you.

***

Another week passed since your visit to the Battle Tree. Even after giving Guzma some time to himself, you still hadn’t hear a word from him. He really left for good.

You fiddled with the bright turquoise gem in your hand. The Dawn Stone that he gave you gleamed under your room’s lamp. Where was he now? Had he been taking care of himself? Did he feed his Golisopod in time? Questions by questions pooled inside your mind each passing day.

You started to give up on him. Maybe it was best to just forget about everything. Sometimes, people weren’t destined to walk the same path as you. Maybe Guzma had finally found his own.

That was until one night, you heard a knock on the window in your room.

You carefully stepped closer, opening the curtains to reveal a figure you knew so well.

Guzma stood outside. He was facing the other way around so you couldn’t see his face, but you would recognize that bad posture anywhere. For a long moment only the faint sound of the waves filled the silence between the two of you.

After a while, he finally spoke, “Come with me.”

Without answering, you jumped out of your window to follow him to wherever he was about to take you. The night breeze gently caressed your face as you walked in silence. He took you across Route 1, over to Route 3, and into Melemele Meadow. You could hear Oricorio singing in the distance as you carefully stepped after Guzma down to the Seaward Cave. By this time, you knew that he was probably taking you to Kala’e Bay.

Kala’e Bay was known as the most scenic spot in Melemele Island. It was even chosen as one of the top 100 views in Alola. You knew all that, but being here in person, looking up at the clear starry sky really took the beauty of this place to its extent. A flock of Wingull soared through the sky with a melodious screech, sending chills down your spine.

The two of you enjoyed the scenery in silence. Guzma was the one who broke the silence between you.

“I’m sorry.”

His voice took your attention.

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” he continued, finally turning around to look at you. “I shouldn’t have said any of that. You were just trying to be a good friend and I overlooked it.”

You only stared back. It was still difficult to believe that he was right here standing before you.

“I’m just here to tell you that.” He put his hands inside his pockets. “This is no place for an asshole like me. You don’t deserve me. You can just forget we ever met.”

He paused.

“Thanks for everything.”

He began to walk away toward the Seaward Cave, leaving you alone. You felt your body freeze. That was all? There was so much in your mind you didn’t even know where to start. You lips felt dry, opening and closing without anything coming out. This could probably be the last time you’d ever see him, and yet you couldn’t say anything at all.

You turned to watch his back slowly getting further. You couldn’t let it end it like this. This didn’t feel right. With a turn of your heel, you ran towards him and grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him.

“Wait!” it came out as a sob as you felt tears rolling down your cheeks. “You can’t leave!”

You could feel him tense under your touch, but he stopped walking. “Good people like you should stay away from me. I’m a bad influence for you, kid.”

“Stop calling me kid!” You hit his back. “After all this time I thought you could see me as your equal!”

He turned around to face you. “I don’t want you to be. I’m not a good role model, ya know.” He smiled. It was a sincere smile that you had never seen him wear before. He raised his hand to wipe your tears, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. His tone was softer than the last time you met him. “You shouldn’t hang out with a dropout like me in the first place.”

“But we can fix that!” you pushed on, feeling more tears coming out of your eyes. “You’re not a dropout, Guzma! Yes, you were wrong, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t change it!”

He stared at you wide eyed.

“But you know what?” you managed to stutter in between sobs. “Even if you don’t change, I’d still want you to stay! I don’t care if you’re a bad influence! I just want things to go back like it was before!” You paused, letting your grip on his arm tighten. With the last of your voice, you whispered, “I miss you…”

That was it. Deep inside, Guzma knew that was probably the one thing he wanted to hear the most from you. With a swift movement, he closed the gap between you and enveloped you in an embrace.

You didn’t take the time to be surprised as you welcomed the hug and cried into his chest. It felt warm. You didn’t know just how long you sobbed in his arms, but you didn’t care. Nothing else mattered anymore.

When you cry started to subside into small hiccups, Guzma wiped your cheeks from traces of tears. He chuckled. “You look like a mess.”

You pouted, but laughed in reply.

He slid his arm down to your hips and pulled you closer, leaning in to you. You felt your face heat up as you looked up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Something I should’ve done long ago.”

He closed the gap between you and caught your lips in a kiss.

It was warm, yet wild, filled with feelings from years of uncertainty and pent up emotions. You relaxed into the kiss as you felt the knots in your heart slowly untying itself.

When you pulled away he leaned his forehead with yours. You gave him a shy smile, feeling a little teasing. “You love me.”

He flared fifty shades of red. “Sh-Shut up. I know you love me, too.”

You contemplated for a moment. “No.”

His face was a mixture of shock and confusion.

You smirked. “Isn’t that how you Team Skull people are doing it? No is always the answer!”

The two of you laughed as he dived in for another kiss.

—Fin.