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"You there, kid."

Instinctively, I turned to face the voice, recognizing it in the process of doing so. "Yeah? Don't tell me you're here to stop me or anything nonsense of the like, Nanu. This is my job, yours too. And don't give me the 'it's too dangerous' bit. I'm not a kid anymore." I replied steadily, stuffing my hands into my pockets and pausing my advance towards Po Town.

The graying hair of the aging man before me only shook his head in response, as if finding it useless to try and explain his train of thought to someone so thick-skulled as me. "No, I know there's no stopping you once you put your mind to it."

"Yeah, I know. And you know it too — there's no way in heck am I letting this gang of delinquents go around bossing people' 'round like it's their world." I scoffed, the faces of a duo of sneering grunts making me want to punch something.

Earlier in the day, a young Yungoos was stolen, for reasons that I couldn't care less about, and as far as I knew, it was being held as some sort of captive in Team Skull's headquarters, which was located in Po Town.

"Are you sure you've thought this through?" Nanu asks one last time, and I cast a wary glance at him. He may be retired, but Nanu was a policeman at heart. For him to be hesitant about this either meant this operation of mine to infiltrate Team Skull's base scared him or he was just looking out for me like the guy he was. "You'd better be ready if you're thinking of coming in here. Ready to live as Team Skull. Or ready to take on Team Skull."

"Got it, got it." I sighed heavily, giving him a dismissive wave. I was ready to fight — who cared about the risks? Being an officer like I was meant doing what needed to be done, doing what was right.

And as I stood on the outskirts of the small town, my determination didn't waver. I'd met the boss once, and he wasn't all his delusional followers praised him and claimed him to be.

Not even the rumbling thunder that wove through the darkening skies and accumulating clouds deterred my confident stance. While the outlook appeared dreary, no gloomy weather was going to frighten me.

Besides, I wasn't your average Jenny in the end.

However, Nanu continued to pester me with needless anxiety. "You really think you're ready for this?" He asks once more.

"Of course I am. Who are you kidding, Nanu? I can take a couple of battles — I'm no newbie begging for Nurse Joy after every time I encounter another trainer, after all." I grinned broadly, flaunting my capability by tossing up my partner's Poke Ball and catching it with a flourish. "And I'm not taking any funny business from lowly criminals like them. They can hardly call themselves an organization."

"I guess everyone has their own reasons. I've got my reasons, too, for doing what I do." He relents reluctantly, his dull, steely gaze sizing me up one final time. "I'll have them let you in. Oh, and if you don't make it, I'll be sure your remains at least get back home."

I punched his arm lightly. "That's my old man for ya. Thanks loads, Nanu."

To that, he chuckles lightly, turning to the city's outer walls. "All I can say now is good luck, kid, although you're so certain you don't need it."

"You know it." My grip on my main Pokemon's capsule tightened slightly as I faced the doors as they sluggishly opened, creaking in an ominous way.

The whole place was eerie to say the very least. The buildings were in shambles at best, the rest were caved in or torn down, and then used as a place to slather on more graffiti than I'd seen in my entire life. Everywhere you looked, a symbol or icon of some sort could be found — a cartoon-ish skull that adorned every member in this twisted group of wannabe punks, whether it was emblazoned onto their attire or tattooed across their skin in a flashy fashion.

With the storm overhead still brewing, it gazes quite the first impression, and likely would send a clear message to anyone who dared enter unwelcomed: go away. Of course, that wasn't exactly an option for me. Seeing as I should've been able to stop the thieves from taking Yungoos, I felt obligated to step in.

And the best way I knew how to do that was my favorite as well... raid.

Not to sound crazy or anything, but I'm just going to be upfront. I loved to battle. The reactions after having loss shoved into their faces... it was truly priceless, not to mention what they deserved.

Becoming a member of Alola's police force was only another way to gain access to more exhilaration, since obviously, not everyone can be the champion.

Shaking off those thoughts, I didn't slow my gait, taking in the sights of dark windows and the occasional unattended front lawn. Unimpressive. Not that I expected much. The lack of coordination really did show through though.

Their leader, Guzma, must be blind not to realize he was heading up a struggling business built off of outcasts and troublemakers.

At the far end of the town was a tower mansion which was one of the only structures that wasn't entirely falling apart. Bingo. The chances of that being the base were high, so I made a beeline for it, jumping over overgrown hedges and sliding across the hoods of cars that played as nothing more than obstacles.

The occasional grunt or three stepped in my way, but my starter Pokemon of choice, which was no longer such a small little thing, made quick work of them, and I was on my way.

Thankfully for me, I was able to throw open the doors of the shady-looking house just as the rain descended, going from a scattered drizzle to a downright torrent.

However, it wasn't time to let my guardian just yet.

Littered throughout the halls of this mansion were likely many foes, although you could hardly call grunts formidable, but I didn't let that slow me down. With an easy-going pace, I scaled staircases and conquered passageways, defeating anyone who stood to stop me.

While I assumed I was likely getting closer and closer to where the final boss would be residing, I soon discovered that I was lost beyond measure.

Every panel of fading wallpaper and every creaking floorboard felt the same to me, hence why it didn't take long for me to get turned around. But, concluding the summary of my current lost state, I decided that if I just kept waking, I'd find it eventually.

Also, they can only squeeze so many grunts into one place. Eventually, the only enemy remaining would be Guzma himself.

"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up... Yeah. Big bad Guzma is here!"

And luckily for me, I found him. While a draw-out sigh, I scanned the room — which was just as messy as the others — and quickly settled on him. From his eternally tousled white hair to his bent and crooked yellow shades to his crazily oversized jacket that screamed a fashion statement I couldn't even begin to name.

"Hiya. Name's (Y/N). We've spoken once before." I replied, not letting myself falter in a moment as pivotal as this.

"I don't really get you, but at least this is a change of pace. It's not everyday someone comes straight to me for a beating!" He cackles slowly, already preparing a Poke Ball for battle. I spotted a cluster of grunt near the back, one of them holding Yungoos. They didn't even lock it up... meaning either it was a sloppy job or maybe they weren't all that bad.

I returned to the conversation. "Yeah, about that one. I'm not really here for you."

"No bone to pick with me, huh?" He tilts his head, a scowl forming. "I'll take a wild guess — then it's for Yungoos, yeah?"

"And we have a winner." I pumped my arms half-heartedly, purposely letting the enthusiasm fall into flat sarcasm.

"And you came all the way here just for that, huh? Can't you just watch out for your own Pokémon and stay out of other people's business?!" Guzma throws up his hands in disbelief. "You're one messed up kid!"

I frowned. What was with everyone calling me a kid? If anything, those brats who just started their Island Challenge should be the children, not the heroes. "You're not that much older than me, you know." I reminded him with a grin.

"Whatever you say."

"I suppose a battle is in order, no? Then what are we waiting for?" I lifted up my partner's Poke Ball and got into a battle stance across from him.

Guzma nodded and wordlessly tossed out his first Pokemon: Golispod. Faint whispers from the lower Team Skull members filled the air as curious eyes turned to watch. I caught snatches of their gasps and mumblings, but they were mostly about how rare it was to see Guzma so serious.

It didn't matter to me either way, by the end of the day Yungoos would be returned to its rightful owner, and not in custody of these delinquents.

"Listen up." I demanded. "If I win, I get Yungoos. Deal?"

"And if I win?" He raises an eyebrow at me, skeptical.

"You keep Yungoos." I reluctantly grumbled through gritted teeth. These stakes weren't the most impressive, but that didn't matter at the moment.

The second I revealed my Pokemon, we flew into a flurry of moves, tactics, and type advantages. Every attack, dodge, and use of items turned the tides in all sorts of directions that would make even the moon jealous.

And although we were on opposing sides, and although the stress of bearing either victory or loss was growing more and more intimate as the brawl continued, I found myself enjoying the raw thrill. Even Guzma was sporting a grin as our Pokemon engaged in the high-energy fight.

My smile wasn't uncontained, and soon a crowd of grunts had surrounded us, cheering and narrating the fight.

By the time it was over, I wasn't even focusing on the fact that I won, but more about the burst of adrenaline and the loss of breath I suddenly felt after the rush and heat of battle was slowly subsiding.

"Yeah, yeah. I gotta admit, that was great!" Guzma declared after returning his last Pokemon.

"I know, right?" I laughed, doing the same.

Then, we both blinked and snapped back to reality. We were enemies. Enemies.

"Guzma! What is wrong with you?!" He suddenly growled at himself, looking like he wanted to bang his head on something. I mean, I wasn't judging, since I felt the same. For a brief moment, I wondered why we had to be at odds so often anyway. "Yo! Give the Pokémon back to (Y/N) — NOW!" It took me a moment to realize that he used my name instead of the usual 'kid'.

Once the Yungoos scampered to my side, I let the tense atmosphere I felt fade away. "Thanks for the epic battle, Guzma."

He returned my broadening  grin, crossing his arms with finality and announcing to the room rather boldly, "Listen up. I'm gonna beat you down one of these days! I swear it!"

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Author's Note:

Welcome once more! This was a request from dontteachmyhamster

Honestly, I hope the reader didn't come off as too obnoxious. It was specified to make them fiery, but I wasn't sure to what extent. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

Today's question: Who's your favorite Gen 7 villain? For me, it's Lusimine, who may be psychotic at times but has an intricate backstory that is undeniably interesting.

Anyway... recently, I went back a read a few of the first one-shots of wrote... and I'm so embarrassed!! To think hundreds of people... actually read that...

Uh, well, it means I've improved! ...right? Or was I really that poor of a writer a year ago...? (They were only about six hundred words or so each to boot... gosh...)

Thanks again for everything,
Lillian

Word count: 2076 words

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