Chapter Text
You’d give anything for snow at this point. Sun beating down, tropical breeze barely cooling down the sweltering midday heat outside. It’s melting you from the inside out and honestly you don’t know why you decided to come to Alola for your first real try at a tournament.
In fact, you don’t really know why you came here at all - well, besides your mother insisting.
“You’re still young, why don’t you go out on an adventure!” Was how it all started. “I have a friend in Alola, professor Kukui, he can help get you on your start!” No matter how much you insisted you would rather stay holed up in your room, it wasn’t going to budge her. She had already gotten you planes tickets and before you knew it you were standing in front of the airport being greeted by a shirtless guy who claimed to be the professor.
That was all fine and dandy, and honestly you didn’t mind a lot of it. It got you away from your mother’s nagging and your frustrating step dad's existence and hey, now you had time to maybe catch a couple pokemon or two. Everything would be fine and you’d have a great time!
What you weren’t counting on were the thugs.
Team Skull.
Blazing hot outside, trying to catch a moment of rest in the shade, and there they were! Two on one as if that was any kind of fair.
“Hey yo, you better fork over your pokemon! Team Skull’s got a bone ta’ pick with ya!” Beanie, bandanna, pants that rode just a little too low. God they looked dorky. You thought it wise to forego saying anything about that, though. There were more pressing matters at hand.
“...I’m sorry?”
“Oh, shit, you’re not a trainer huh? Well, uh,” He awkwardly looked to his cohort. “Hand over all your money! This is a holdup!” He didn’t even have any of his pokemon out. Talk about unprepared.
You couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at his expense. What did he really think he was doing? Of course you were a trainer!
“You want a battle? Cuz I can give you one.” No hesitation, you toss out a pokeball, your beautiful Luxray emerging with a proud roar. “Alright, Envy, let’s show them what we can do!”
And they just stood there. Staring.
You’re really not sure what to do at this point, but you’re not daring to put your Luxray back in her ball. That was a guaranteed way to get your ass kicked. Even if these were the most incompetent stooges you had ever laid your eyes on.
‘Jeez, and I thought Team Galactic had problems…’
Why were they still smirking though?
“Salandit use poison gas!”
A cloud of fumes and toxins exploded in your face, your mind only just then registering the third grunt who had approached from behind. Envy cried out, rushing to try and stop you from collapsing. Fumbling and scrambling to grab her pokeball, you put her away, clutching tight as you could. There was no way these creeps were going to steal her from you.
“Ya’ don’t know when ta’ give up, huh? Think ya’ got some spunk left in ya?”
You glared down the grunt in front of you as best as you could.
“Let’s take’m with. Make a nice present for the bossman.”
-
When you finally came to, you found yourself face to face with the most tired looking human being in the entire universe. Dark purple bags drag under and around his eyes, a constant slouch kept him at eye level, and good God did he love to sneer.
“Boss! We got a feisty trainer! Figured you could use the manpower!” Stars practically beamed out of their eyes they were so proud of themselves. If it wasn’t at your expense - and boy did you try at those ropes they had you in - you might have found it a touch endearing. But it was at your expense and you weren’t laughing one bit.
“Hush up! Y’all givin’ me a damn headache. I’m the boss, I say when we need new recruits.” He snapped at them, voice gruff and just as tired as one would expect of his outward appearance. Even if he told you he did regularly sleep you don’t know if you would honestly believe him.
“So, what is it, kid? You good at battling?” He was directly asking you, and you tried to quickly size up how much to bluff him. If you boasted too loudly he would know you were lying, but if you were honest he would get overconfident and stomp you out faster than you could blink. No, a nice middle ground had to be the answer.
“I’ve gotten a couple badges back home, so pretty decent.”
“Badges, huh? Well, those aren’t gonna do ya’ much good here. How about this - a battle. I win, I get your pokemon. You win, you can keep them but you have to work for me.”
“What kind of wages are those?!” You exclaim, but it falls on deaf ears, the grunts are already untying you and handing you your bag back. If you had gotten the chance to head to a pokemon center before hand you could have grabbed out some pokemon from storage, but as it were you had been hoping to catch some while you were here. All you had was your Luxray, and you couldn't let it go past one round.
Part of you considered running. Kukui had to have been looking for you, right? Or maybe Hau? They probably wouldn't know where you ended up, though, but it was something you had to try.
He grinned wide and stanced his legs even wider.
“That’s our Big Bro for ya!”
“Kick their ass!”
The grunts were having a great time cheering their leader on. The two of you drew your pokemon out, and you couldn't be more thankful for the traditional one on one. One round, one chance, no takebacks. This wasn’t going to be an easy battle that’s for sure.
“Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form - it’s ya boy Guzma!”