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Guzma shoved his hands into his pockets as he stared down the kid in front of him. This tiny brat was the one who was causing issues for his guys? No way. One of the grunts mentioned that there was someone else with her but the woman with the brat was never doing anything besides watching intently and then giving tips after the battles to anyone who would listen.
So where was this mysterious lady that was traveling with this kid?
The brown haired girl looked up at him with a questioning look,before glancing over her shoulder in a nervous manner. He had that effect on people sometimes. It was nice to be feared. Especially with a clearly outsider kid like this one. She had to be from a region originally not from Alola. Because he would have known who this brat was.
She made a soft whining sound as her hand flew up in a flurry of motions. He tilted his head and stared at her. What was wrong with this brat?
“Come on kid. Let me show you why you shouldn’t mess with the big bad team skull and their leader Guzma.”
“A grown man picking a fight with a mute kid? This should be amusing.” a voice sounded from behind him as the kid’s eyes shone bright.
He whipped around and felt his heart drop. No. Why was she here? Why her of all people? He felt the scars on his back sting with the memories. The memories and thoughts of never being good enough for anything.
“You With them?” He snarkily asked, crossing his arms to guard himself. He wouldnt let her in. He wouldn’t let her see how shooken up he was by seeing her.
“Selene is my cousin, yes. I'm also her interpreter. She doesn't talk.” Cardinal, the champion of Kalos and Sinnoh, spoke up and furrowed her eyebrows.
“Look if you wanna fight her, be my guest but don’t threaten her or I will fight you myself. And you wouldn’t like that.”
Guzma growled low and stared at her. He couldn’t let her know that he knew who she was. How important she was. How much she fucked up his life- without even knowing who he was.
Cardinal looked at him with those soft green eyes and it made him even more mad. Was she showing pity to him? Was she just writing him off like everyone else did?
“Hey kid battle me. We will see how well your cousin does at teaching.”
Selene nodded and sent out her first pokemon , a little bear pokemon- Pancham- he noted to himself and quickly figured out a way to destroy the kid with messy and nearly cheating methods. He sent out his Ariados and frowned slightly as Cardinal stood in between the trainers and cleared her throat.
“The battle between Selene and Mister Grumpy Asshole is about to begin. Each trainer is allowed two pokemon for the battle, one at a time until one faints.” She told them , looking between them and smirking at Guzma. He frowned deeper , if that was even possible. So she was going to be the referee for this battle? Then fine. He could show her what he was made of. He could prove to her that he wasn’t a joke. But did that really matter to her? She didn’t even know his name.
What impact would he even have on her if he destroyed her cousin? He would be the asshole even more then. He already was one but… something about her knowing he was an ass hurt him for some reason. But why did he care? She was the reason behind everything. All his pain. All his trust issues. Behind it all.
In a flash the battle was over.
Guzma lost. How did he lose to a kid?! He stared at the ground , kneeling on the ground and slammed his head into the hard gravel under foot. He heard a gasp from Cardinal as he muttered to himself.
“Stupid Guzma. You really thought you were good? Of course the champion’s cousin is gonna destroy you.” He muttered under his breath as he felt something running down the side of his face. He couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood but either way- he ignored it.
He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked up slowly to see a worried Plumeria in front of him.
“Hey boss. You okay?” She asked softly, picking him up off the ground and as she looked at Cardinal and Selene.
“Next time he’s gonna win. I know it. Just watch him. And stay out of our way. Got it?” She snapped at the two as she walked off her and the two toned haired man off towards the direction of a safe haven for them. Po Town.
Guzma looked up at Plumeria before looking away when she made eye contact. “I didn’t need your help damnit.”
“I know. But i think if you continued your spiral- the champ would have gotten more worried and we don't need her in our business more.”
“Fair.” He grumbled , pulling away from the pink and yellow haired admin of his.
“I just didn’t think it was her. Why her?” He asked softly, showing his rare side of weakness to his trusted friend and admin. “Why does the universe get a kick out of seeing me suffer , Plums?”
“I really dont know Guzma… But you don’t need to prove to her you are a good trainer. A strong trainer. You already know that you are right? Your old man was a piece of shit and doesn’t deserve any of your time.” She frowned and lightly punched his shoulder.
“You know Team Skull believes in you one hundred percent. We will always have your back Boss.”
He nodded numbly. He just wanted to get home and sleep off the raging headache he had now from slamming his head into the ground.
By the time they reached Po Town, Guzma had stopped bleeding. He quickly had found out that yes, it was blood in fact and not sweat.
He wiped off the blood, swearing slightly at the sting that the antiseptic wipe gave him. He laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, cursing at what today brought him.
A brat who stuck her nose where it didn’t belong and her annoying champion cousin. The one who his father consistently compared him to.
He closed his eyes thinking about the time he was 14 and working on his trials. When his father found out his home region’s new champion was a girl younger than his own son- It put even more pressure on Guzma to be the best he could be. And then the verbal downgrading started.
You’ll never be anything to me if you don't become trial captain. You’ll never be anything if you don’t become a kahuna.
Cardinal is better than you in every way and she’s only 12. Why can’t you be more like that child? She’s younger than you by Tabu Bulu’s sake.
How can a child from
Snowpoint City
be better than my own son?
And then he was shoved into a smaller box of self doubt and issues when she became champion of Kalos. He had failed of course to be a trial captain and a kahuna. And she was out here becoming another champion of a region at 18? That was two championships under her belt and what did Guzma have to prove for his hard work? Nothing. That pissed his father off more.
He had been beaten a few times by his dad but it wasn’t ever bad… not this bad. Not the night she was basically crowned on TV as champion of Kalos.
He noticed she looked… dead inside when they were doing interviews but the fact never clicked with his father. His father just went on a rampage and grabbed his belt and … well the rest was history.
His wimpod has evolved to a Golisopod to protect him and he beat his father down to the point he wouldn’t ever touch Guzma again.
He punched the wall with the side of his fist as hot angry tears flowed from his eyes.
He was mad.
His father never loved him. He was nothing to his father and his mother just went along with her days numbly in hopes that they would eventually get along one day.
And he knew. He knew that Cardinal would give him pity if she found out. And pity was worse than death for him. He never wanted pity from anyone. Which is why Plumeria and him got along so well. She had her demons too and he never gave her pity for them either.
But it was nights like this… he wished he had someone who loved and cared for him.
Someone to stay by his side even when it was rough. Someone who wasn’t afraid of seeing his bad sides and not leaving. Not like his one night stands he’s had in the past.
He wanted something real.
He wanted love and that was so scary to think about for someone who never had it.
He rolled over onto his stomach and screamed into his pillow.
“FuCKING BITCHASS”
He heard muttering outside his door, knowing that some grunts had to have heard his screaming.
They would have never come into his room though. While they were a weird little family… He knew they feared him too with his quick to anger personality.
He closed his eyes and just hoped. He hoped that tomorrow would be better and he wouldn't have to deal with Cardinal anytime soon.
He just wanted the pain to stop.
The pains of his past will not break him. But just might destroy him if he wasn’t careful.