They of the Sun
Chapter Twenty-Two: Welcome to the Club

cyra

     "It's you!"

     I rolled my eyes at the grunt with a lump on his head. The air was hot and dry here... a complete change from the snow on Hokulani and the rain in Malie City. It felt like there was sand in my mouth. There might as well be given our location.

     "Yea, it's me," I smirked at the fear in his eyes, leaning in close to them. He stood up then, glowering back.

     "Hey! You nincompoops, no fighting," Plumeria snapped her fingers. "Why would Gladion send you here? You were chosen by the Tapu. You're with Kukui and those pesky vermin."

     I clenched my jaw, keeping anything from tumbling out of my mouth. She wasn't wrong, they were pesky vermon. But that was for me to say and her to simply know.

     "Gladion isn't even a part..." The girl rolled her eyes, before pinching the bridge of her nose. I'm sure if she could pace she would but the space we were in was cramped. Currently, we sat in a rundown trailer by Haina Desert, an older lady knitting away in a chair in the corner. She was watching us with a knowing smile on her face. From what I had gathered this was a beginning point for Team Skull... But this didn't seem like the place Guzma had come from. Especially if he knew Kukui since childhood. I mentally shook my head, none of it mattered. "Whatever. We just have to figure out what to do with you. But that's on Guzma's terms."

     "Are you suggesting we take her to Po Town, Plumie?" A girl grunt ask, her hot pink bob of mess against the arm of the couch she laid on. Plumeria looked down at the ground hands on her hips before shrugging.

     "That's exactly what I mean, sis."

     "I guess that doesn't have anything to do with our daily plans."

     The grunt snorted, returning her poisonous pink eyes to the fashion magazine she held above her head. I was getting a little antsy. An island ago I nearly murdered Plumeria's Pokémon and now I'm at her mercy. I wasn't necessarily complaining, though. If it was up to the grunt with the lump on his head from the bus pole, maybe I'd worry. Plumeria seemed more level-headed than the rest of them.

     "Okay, Cyra." Plumeria waved me out of the trailer into the dry desert heat. A few yards away was an oasis filled with clear and surprisingly cool water. She had released a Golbat that gently fluttered its wings to keep itself afloat but also not to disturb the sand. "Hop on."

      Two Golbat rides in one day! Look at me go. I wanted to ask where she would fit because although Golbat were rather large, they weren't large enough for both of us. I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't in the mood to chat with anyone. I wasn't in the mood for anything. I climbed on and as the Pokémon flew up,  Plumeria hopped onto one of the feet, standing with ease as it flew us east. Over a dessert path with Tapu statues scattered about, an abandoned PokéMart and past...

     That's Mount Lanakila... The most sacred spot in Alola, the closest to the heavens you will ever be. The closest to the emissaries of the sun and the moon.

      I felt my heart flutter in my chest at the sheer size of it. The peak was nowhere in sight, shrouded by white clouds of snow. There was a faint flicker of light every now and again. A familiar feeling crawled along my skin and sunk in deep. Soon I couldn't turn my head back enough to keep looking. The village below passed by quickly and all that we saw before a the stretch of water and spots of land was an ornate white and blue house... Two children playing with their Pokémon below. How simple that must be.

     I must've dozed a little since what jostled me awake was a crack of thunder. Close ahead were towering mushroom clouds, dark and heavy with rain. They, too, emanated light every now and again. Golbat lowered until we were below the clouds and in front of a walled in city. There was an threatening air that gave me... a thrill?

    Po Town- I think that's what the grunt had referred to it as- had probably been a nice, wealthy neighborhood. Behind all the grime, graffiti, and degradation, the houses seemed to be quite nice. And the community had been gated? They really must've lived in a bubble...

     Especially since they got taken over by Team Skull of all people.

     I kept a giggle in at the thought. How pathetic...

     At the furthest end of the town was what had once been a majestic mansion. Now torn apart and dull; dilapidated. The inside was something straight out of a horror movie... broken furniture, ineligible writing along the walls, bottles on the floor. There were probably some bomb ass ragers here...

     A few grunts drunkenly lurked here and there, Plumeria stepped over them without giving them the same inquisitive looks I was... Was it always like this?

      We made our way up until we reached a broken balcony window... and onto the roof into another broken window. Now in a short hall that had long been blocked off by a fallen chandelier. These people really knew how to... decorate? What would this mess even be? An escape room?

     Plumeria knocked on the door at the end, fidgeting a little. From the other side was a familiar voice, slurring their words. I don't know why I was so surprised. What had I been expecting? I was stupidly smack dab in the heart of Team Skull territory. I held my breath as Plumeria opened the door and shoved me in- earning her a scowl. Not that she cared much- before slamming the door shut behind us.

     Guzma sat in a throne-like chair, bottles strewn at his feet and on the table next to him. Some whole, some shattered. On the other side of him was a chest glowing with sickly green Z-Crystals... (Why did he have so many?) He sat there, slumped. The circles under his eyes gave him an ominous look in the dim lighting. Even the two female grunts that hung over the armrest and back of his chair were hardly noticeable, with their standout hair and slinky outfits.

     "So," he spoke slowly, his eyes watching me. I felt Plumeria's hand on my back as she pressed me forward. Harshly. I didn't bother with a glare, knowing that she'd have her resting bitch face in play. He straightened up a bit, a lopsided smirk forming as he watched me with droopy eyelids. "We've been waiting... You gottya answer?"

     The fatigue was catching up with me, Acro's jump, not sleeping for a whole day, running away from my fri- pesky vermin. My eyes felt as if they could fall on to the floor. I really should be a little more alert...

     "No."

     There was a minute of silence before the man let out a boisterous laugh, slapping his hand onto his goggle-covered forehead. The irritation was beginning to fester in me. "Spo-spoken like a true member!"

     Guzma stood, wobbling before recovering his stance, to make his way to me. I should've been chilled, but I was so exhausted. I tried to keep the sleep from my face, though. He was close enough now that the smell of liquor was right in my nostrils, waking me up a little. Disgusting. I held my ground.

      "Tell me, Cyra," he said, raising a brow with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his lips. Oh no. "Is this your choice? We understand... the hardships, the weight, the failure. We-we're like you, people who were forced and worn out. Thaz whyyyy we're doing something!"

     His eyes seemed to glows a bit as his brain gears began to turn more.

     "Something big! To prove we aren't just want the Kahunas or the Tapu say we are! To pr-prove that we can make a change to such pathetic traditions."

      Did I have much of a choice? Guzma wasn't like Kukui, he wasn't making it feel like I had some grand expectation to live up to. Like this was all I could be... but it wasn't. Guzma was giving me the choice.

       "Where do I sign up?"

       Guzma grinned, reaching around his neck to take off a chain. The Skull emblem dazzled sinisterly even in the dim lighting as he placed it over my head. It was heavy, but definitely not as heavy as the weight in me. Shouldn't I feel relieved being away from the influence of the Tapu? The hopes and assumptions of others? Whatever.

     Guzma waved a hand as he turned away. "Grunts, get out here. Plumeria..."

     He threw a golden smile at us.

     "Welcome her to the club."

     The air was forced out of my lungs as my shoulder met the wall, Plumeria's arm kept any more air from making it into my throat. Fighting through exhaustion was hard. Her eyes as narrowed and wicked as Salazzle's.

      "Gladly."

•••

omni

     "I have Aether Employees and a Recon Squad scouting for areas related to the lore," Lusamine said to the screen. His eyes were as dark as night as he stared down at her. She wasn't sure if it was the lack of light outside of the screens blue light or if that's just how they were. "The Squadron's leader, Phyco, says much of the lore is intertwined with their Tower."

      The woman, as calm as a Lucario she could be, felt her nerves jitter under his thoughtful gaze. Finally, he spoke, raising a hand to his chin. "Do you have muscle? People and Pokémon ready to get their hands dirty? I know how these situations take a turn."

      "Sure does," Guzma said, approaching the screen. He leaned on Lusamine's powder white throne, smiling at the Team Rocket boss. For once, he didn't reek of liquor and could walk straight. He even shaved his face. Guzma wouldn't dare admit that he only did it in her presence. The one person to notice his talent. Giovanni's eyes widened into an entertained smile.

     "Common street thugs?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "My, my... Lusamine as organized as you are, I didn't expect this."

      "Guzma is capable!" Lusamine fumbled to talk Team Skull up. She had seen what Guzma can do, the damage he could wreck. His getup was lacking... his base was a mess. His crew... questionable. But capable! Before she could continue, Giovanni clicked his tongue in disapproval.

     "It seems I will be making a personal visit."