1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 36

The following day, we find ourselves back in Malie City, heading toward Malie Garden. Professor Kukui is currently dealing with two Team Skull Grunts.

"Yo, yo, yo! Hold up, yo, Mr. Kukui!" exclaims the first grunt.

"You say you wanna make a Pokemon League? You got rocks in your soul?" questions the second grunt.

"Four turns!" Professor Kukui declares. "Bring it on, the both of you! I've been researching Pokémon moves, yeah, so I'm always ready, oh yeah! I'll take you both on in a Battle Royal, and you'll be down with just a Swift and Incinerate or two! You gotta beat the man to be the man, boys!"

"Yo, for real?" exclaims one of the grunts. "F-fine! You asked for it!" responds the other.

"Get 'em good, Professor!" cheers one of the bystanders.

"You numskulls should learn your place!" shouts another, while the crowd begins to cheer enthusiastically for the Professor.

"Battle Royal, huh? Nice idea there, Kukui. You can beat down three Pokémon at once, huh?" The voice startles Lillie and me as we recognize the imposing figure before us. Nate queries, "Ash, Lillie, what's wrong..."

The man's intimidating presence sends a chill down my spine. I mutter, "Team Skull's Big Boss... Guzma..."

"That's the boss?" Selene asks.

Guzma strides off the bridge, now just a few inches away from Professor Kukui. The nearby grunt cheers, "The boss has graced us with his presence!"

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

Professor Kukui appears to wear a slightly sweating expression as Guzma bellows, "Greetings, cowering public! We have an exciting bout for you tonight! In the opposing corner, the Pokémon professor Kukui! And in this corner, the boss of Team Skull and the hardest guy around, Guzma!"

He turns back and addresses Kukui, saying, "Here we are, Kukui... Fellow rejects who never could become captains. We've got all these moldy old traditions in Alola—the kahunas, the captains... It's about time we cut out all that silly garbage and make something new for ourselves. Trust me, I get that."

Kukui grits his teeth as Guzma continues, "Don't get me wrong, though, Kukui. We've got no need for a Pokémon League. After all, everyone already knows who the strongest Trainer is on these islands!"

"Speak for yourself, Guzma. It's not like I couldn't become a captain. I chose not to. I had other dreams, see?" Professor Kukui regains his composure, returning to a neutral expression. "I wanted to figure out which moves would be strong enough to beat old Hala... and I finally found what I was looking for. The strongest moves you can use are the ones a Trainer and their Pokémon choose together... in the heat of the moment, when it really counts. That's when I knew I had to make a Pokémon League, yeah, to give everybody a chance to be pushed to the limit with their team and find that perfect move! Let's see it, Guzma! Show me your moves and prove you aren't just all talk! If you really can, that is..."

"Professor," we interject, stepping forward to join the conversation. He notices us and smiles, saying, "Right, Ash and Lillie? Don't you agree?"

"That's right," Lillie confirms.

"So you're two of the kids on their island challenge? You don't look like you're from around here!" Guzma remarks.

Kukui introduces us, saying, "This here's Ash and Lillie. They just moved to Alola recently. Discovery! New experiences! Adventure! They're loving every minute of it! Ash and Lillie and their Pokemon can unleash some real powerful moves. So if you think you're the strongest Trainer on these islands, Guzma, why don't you battle them?"