Guzma growled. Too many damn customers. Not that he should be complaining. It just made him real busy was all. The thing about being old and doing what you wanted like Hala was you had to get there. You couldn't just screw around for the forty years in the middle. Or so the old guy said.

The intercom directly to Guzma's "office" buzzed with a familiar voice. Guzma could never get the guy's name right. Always just went by "A". Or was this the guy who went by "B"? Guzma could never tell them apart, despite the lack of blood relation. "Yo, boss, someone wants to see the manager."

Guzma rolled his eyes. As if he didn't have enough crap to do. "Of course they freakin' do. Tell 'em I'll be there in a sec."

"Gotcha." The noise stopped, and Guzma got to his feet. He straightened his stylish but casual black shirt. Guzma had gone shopping with his dad for the first time in a million years to get him some "better" clothes. Yeah, maybe not "better", but apparently the boss of a business had to dress differently to a Team Skull Boss.

Although, wasn't he both of those, now?

Guzma strode down the hallway leading out of his office, past the kitchen, and out into the restaurant area. Everything seemed fine, pretty standard for a Friday evening. He could see some of the "regulars" around. There was a mom and her two kids, all with striking blue hair, sitting together at a table. She was fussing at one of them, probably misbehaving. There was a female teacher and a male teacher from the nearby Trainers' School, whom Guzma had taken to spying on. They made a disgustingly cute couple. Two old men Guzma could never remember the names of sat down chatting jovially. You could probably slot Hala right in there with them, thought Guzma, chuckling. Other than that, there were a few couples still in the restaurant area. Guzma remembered he was single and turned away from them, heading towards the double-door entrance.

"Yo, what's the deal, guys?" Guzma spoke to the guy at the entrance, A... or was he the dude who called himself B? Who the hell cared? Both of the former grunts, dressed in new, skull-design uniforms, began talking over each other. "Calm down, ya morons! Geez." They were pointing behind him. Guzma wheeled around, coming eye to eye with someone he recognised.

Guzma forgot his name; standing in front of him was a man who inherently flew under the radar. He was darkly dressed, but in a look casual enough for Guzma to get behind. He had a red undershirt, matching his droopy eyes, and also wore a pendant with a small, dark crystal on it. He had thick, black eyebrows that looked kind of like bats, and greying hair. He looked to be about fifty, maybe older. Guzma was bad with ages.

"Hey there," he said, in a deep, bored-sounding voice. "you the boss?"

"Yeah, sure am. Ain't you that kahuna? Also, ain't you a policeman? I ain't done nothing."

"Hm." he said, offering no comment, "come sit. I reserved a table in case you were busy. Looks like it was a good call." Nanu moved to a table near the entrance, marked "reserved". Guzma had wondered why its occupant hadn't shown up. He obeyed the kahuna guy, sitting down.

"I'm tellin' ya, my nose is clean."

"My name is Nanu. You've seen me before. I tried to deal with your ilk a while back, until all got steamrolled by a child - the current champion of Alola."

Guzma decided to waste no time. "Chump, did you come here just to annoy me? 'Cos unless you got some crime to accuse me of, I actually got the authority to throw you out."

He grinned, a small, toothy expression. "I'd heard you didn't let people cross you. Hm. I came here to check on you. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Check on me?"

"A friend of mine and yours should be showing up shortly. Late old codger." Nanu leaned forward. "I still know an officer or two who thinks you'd be better off in a prison cell. Fortunately for you, I still beg to differ. Now, tell me, was I right?"

"Hell yeah. I done nothing wrong, I screwed over no one."

"And, if I heard right, you employ exclusively members of Team Skull here? Former ones, rather?"

"Only the ones that ain't got themselves in more trouble. And can actually do a freakin' job."

"I take it many cannot?"

Guzma laughed. "You'd be surprised, officer dude. I ain't got any problems here. All my boys work really hard, and I pay 'em good as I can. Of course, I gotta make some good dough, too, but things work out."

"You don't quite match the image I had of you in my head, you know? Expected you to be more... rambunctious."

Guzma pointed a finger at him. "You're goddamn right I'm rambuncto... whatever. Still, everything here's legit. You got nothin' to worry about. No crime with the restaurant, no crime with the battles, no crime with the music, either. I wouldn't steal a... a music. The guy I got doing that's from Team Skull as well."

Nanu gave a disinterested "mhm." "Well, looks like my work here is done. I'll go tell all the whining nuisances at the station to shut up, and that I was right. Again."

"Really... just like that? You're just... done?"

"Look, kid." Kid? Really? "I've been involved with the police for twenty-eight years. How long have you been alive?"

"About twenty-eight years."

"My point is, I've got a lot of experience and a good instinct for these things. I've been highly regarded not because I love the job, or because I'm passionate, but because I have a good instinct. Our mutual friend confirms most of what you've just told me."

"Who the hell's this mutual friend?" asked Guzma.

"Hello!" called a voice from the entrance. Oh, right. Obviously. Hala strode on in, brusquely, the sliding doors closing behind him. He pulled up a chair, occupying the third seat of the table. He offered a hand to Guzma, which Guzma shook, rolling his eyes. "Sorry I'm late!"

"You are. I was just leaving. Everything is fine here." Nanu stood up. "Have a nice time. Don't do any crime. Heh." With a lumbering gait, Nanu plodded on outside and left the area.

Hala looked at the door, then back to Guzma, then back to the door, then back to Guzma again. "He's weird."

"Looks like it."
"So!" Hala fumbled in one of his coat pockets, producing a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it on the table, facing towards Guzma. "I cannot believe how busy I've been. Six whole months it's taken me to make a trip here!"

"Maybe you're just old and lazy?"

"Oh, begone with that." He pressed his finger onto the paper. "The paper's kept me happily informed, at least." Guzma began to read it, even though he knew the contents very well.

RESTAURANT-AND-BATTLE JOINT A ROARING SUCCESS IN HAU'OLI

By Piper Right

September 16th

AFTER its opening in June, the new "Skull Club" has quickly become one of Hau'oli City's most popular attractions.

Upon the closure of the Battle Buffet due to bankruptcy, the real estate was purchased by the former leader of "Team Skull", a local man who requested not to be named. The establishment incorporates some elements of the business that stood before it, but has been physically expanded and renovated, widely being seen as "new and improved".

"It's really great," says James, a father of two, "I've taken to eating there with my wife and just letting the kids loose in the battle area. It's always staffed and they do all sorts of different Pokémon battling games, outside of the regular tournaments."

The Club holds battle tournaments every Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 5 and 9pm, with several categories based on age. Winners are given coupons to eat free in the restaurant and given the opportunity to challenge the establishment's owner, who is said to be an accomplished Pokémon Trainer. The tournaments have proven a wildly popular evening activity for city residents, notably attracting school-aged children, local teenagers, and retirees. The restaurant section of the Club specialises in fried or grilled meats and potato fries, with considerable options for a dessert menu. The battle area also holds monthly dance battles in place of tournaments, every third Saturday night.

"Yo, it's the best, man!" says Marvin, who works as both a DJ and announcer for the Club's tournaments. "My parents don't think I'm a disappointment any more, they finally think I've got a real job... and I do!"

Though the Club's owner continues to decline interviews and call our reporters "chumps", Marvin has revealed some of the establishment's future plans. "The boss keeps saying he wants to build a playground in the spare room we got. I mean, not for me, not like I'd like that or anything. It's for the preschool kids, the ones that are a bit young to do the battles." Marvin also partakes in Pokémon Battles, and occasionally lets someone else handle his job so he can enter the Adult category of the tournaments. "That's not the next thing on boss's mind, next thing he's gonna do is get a few professional cookers. What? Oh, yeah, I mean chefs. Our fry cookers work fine."

Upon attempting a second interview, the owner directed us to Marvin once again. "The boss is trying to get his act cleaned up, like me. My question, is if we could've got tons o' money and fun legally, why didn't we do it earlier?! Anyway, the boss told me to say he'd consider opening up another store somewhere else if this one keeps raking in so much money. He's listening to his dad, see, he's gonna try and give it a couple of years to, uh, "make sure the success holds"? Yeah, then he was gonna chuck a store in, like, Hehea or Malie City. I dunno, though. I'm just a DJ!"

The Skull Club is open seven days a week, from 8am until late. So far, it has been a fine addition to Hau'oli entertainment and culture.

Hala smiled, a genuine, beaming grin. "Well, well, well, big bad Guzma!"

Guzma leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table. He could put his feet on the table whenever he wanted. "Yeah, I guess it's alright. They're damn right I'm an "accomplished Pokémon Trainer"!" Guzma laughed, "Hehehaha! Those reporters sure were chumps, though, I ain't taking that back!"

"I did want to come and try the place out, but perhaps I'm a bit late?"

"Nah. That article didn't tell ya everything. We do the first tournament at 5, then the second one at 7 each night. So, if you want... you can stick around for the second. We got enough people that I made a sixty-five plus category. You could probably walk in there and steamroll them."

"That does sound appealing. I can see why this is popular. How much money are you making?"

Guzma rocked the chair slightly, being careful not to knock it over. "I ain't gonna give you all the numbers, but enough that I get plenty, my boys get plenty, and I got enough to keep this place running real good."

"You're turning a good profit?"

"Yeah, whatever ya call it." Guzma leaned forward. "Good to run into you again, but I need to get back to you know, owning."

"Owning... the place?"

"Yeah."

Hala nodded. "Well, it's great to see someone like you is getting their life in order. No more troubles with the police?"

"That Nanu dude said we're good. Sure, I miss causing trouble sometimes, but I get to beat down some people in the tournaments as well. Not too many people that can actually match me, though." The doors opened again, and Guzma's sentence petered off. He felt suddenly distracted. Someone was walking towards him. He turned.

"Hi there, Guzma! Long time no see."

Guzma growled. "The hell do you want, Professor Tree?" Kukui smiled at Guzma through those idiotic sunglasses. His wife, the one with the cool white hair, stood next to him. What was her name? Burn it?

"Just wanted to come and greet an old friend! Hala, you've met my wife, haven't you?"
"Yes, yes, I have!" replied Hala, beginning to stand to shake Burnet's hand.

"No, no, we can sit, right?" asked Burnet.

Guzma grunted. "Fine. Don't keep me too long, I got battles to coordinate and a kitchen to run."

Burnet and Kukui sat, taking up the remaining two seats at the round dining table. "We were all gonna come and check the place out, together!" said Kukui. He took a look around. "Where's Nanu?"
Hala chuckled. "Heh. "Where's Nanu.""

"Don't tell me he's already left?" asked Kukui, looking a tiny bit offended.

"That man's never been one for doing things he doesn't have to or that he thinks aren't quite worth his time."

Kukui rolled his eyes, then turned to Guzma. "It's great to see you're doing so well! Oh, and I don't know if I said it, but congrats on being the Champion of Kanto."

"You did say it, you imbecile. Twice. Once when I got back here, then again, the next day. I didn't even ever find the guy I was looking for, so whatever to the "champion" crap."

"Eh. You did better than I ever did." Oh? Oh, really? Well... honestly, that was all Guzma really needed to hear.

"Too right I did!"
Kukui moved on. "Burnet and I were thinking we'd join in one of the tournaments. Is that alright with big boss Guzma?"

"It's fine." said Guzma through gritted teeth.

"Oh, it'll be a grand time!" said Hala, clapping his hands together, "don't you think, Guzma?"

"I gotta go run it, Hala."

"Oh, almost forgot," said Kukui, smiling and holding his wife's hand. Eh? Guzma didn't really know relationships too well. "We have some news, as well!"

"Do tell." said Hala, hands on his cheeks like an excited schoolgirl.

"Burnet and I are expecting!" announced the Professor. Expecting wha-… oh, right.

Hala burst into laughter. "Congratulations! Oh, you'd be quite the father, wouldn't you? I can just see you testing Pokémon moves on a little boy or girl."

"Good grief, not on my watch!" cried Burnet.

"Pssh, big deal," said Guzma, "kids are a waste of time. Have fun."

"Oh, you'll change your mind when you're my age!" said Kukui, laughing.

"You're younger than me."

"That was the joke."

Hala sighed. Some people would never change. Well, scratch that. Guzma had changed. "Well, I did want to mention something, before you go. Well, before I go. I'll be heading in to beat down some other old people after I order some dinner and catch up with your dear professor. I'm thinking of getting the delicious fries."

"Damn right they're delicious!" he cleared his throat, "anyway, uh, what'd you want?"

Hala smiled, knowing Guzma would like this. "There's a bit of a shakeup over in the Elite Four. Olivia, our rock-type specialist, is taking a trip overseas to chase some cute young boy she's met online."

"And I need to know this because...?"
"Guzma, she's a member of the Elite Four. Who'll be unavailable for weeks, maybe months. See what I'm saying?"

"You'll have to get someone to fill in for Kahuna, too, won't you? I still don't get it."

"Nope, nope, I've already got someone doing that. Let me put it this way, Guzma. We have an opening for substitute Elite Four member, and Nanu is a million miles too stubborn to do it."

Guzma snapped his fingers. "Ohhh! I'm freakin' stupid. You want me to do it?"

"Actually, a few other people have already expressed interest..." Guzma's jaw dropped. Was this a prank? "...so you'd have to fight them for the position. What the champion, or as you call him, "the twerp" is letting us do is nominate one candidate each to vie for the position. Depending on how things go for Olivia, this could end up a permanent thing."

Guzma cracked his knuckles. He hadn't had an intense, heart-pounding battle since... a damn while ago. Ugh. "Not-Lance" flashbacks. "Heh. I'd get to be surrounded by hot babes, right? That'd be sweet."

Hala chuckled silently. "Well, depends on your definition. You would be replacing one of the "hot babes". One of the other ones is seventeen and, in my experience, almost never talks to anyone else. The other is... thirteen, I think? Actually, I think you and her would get along very well! But yes, she is thirteen."

"Wow. That, uh, kind of dashes all my hopes."

"Well, there is one last hot babe I forgot to mention."

"Really? Who?"

Hala held his arms out wide. "Me!"

Guzma slapped himself on his forehead with the palm of his hand. "A bit too old and male for me, sorry. Anyway, I'll destroy all your stupid "candidates" whenever this thing is happening. Come in when you've got details and ask to see "The Mix". Call him "Marvin" if you want to piss him off. Even if there ain't too many hot babes, sign me up."

Hala chuckled. "Well, Guzma, it's been a thrill chatting with you. I'll er, what is it you say, "hit you up" when I have some details. Farewell.

Guzma turned away. "See ya, Hala." Guzma began to walk towards the kitchen, but stopped and turned around. "Also, Kukui?"

"Yeah?"

"Get better sunglasses." Without another word, Guzma strode towards the kitchen. Thoughts swam in his mind. His life was so different now, but every red-blooded man needed a few things in his life: Money, hot babes, and sweet, sweet Pokémon battles.

Maybe not today or tomorrow, but the Pokémon League was gonna say hello to ya boi Guzma!

AUTHOR'S CLOSING NOTES

Hoo boy. I wrote this bit all in one sitting. Like 2,956 Words.

This is the conclusion to my first story on this website, clocking in at 92,000 words. I have written something effectively of short novel length.

I couldn't write this little note without pointing out how long this took me to write. This story spanned January 6 2017 - July 26 2018. Wow. Guess I can relate to George R. R. Martin (sort of...? I would sure like to have his writing ability. Or money).

I said it a couple of times while writing this - time and time again I have come across a fanfiction on this website, gone, "hey, that's pretty good!", and either kept reading or checked ahead a little to see it hasn't been updated in ages, and is effectively abandoned. It will never be finished, most likely. That always makes me despair a little bit – so I swore to never do something similar. I am pleased to say I have held myself to exactly that and did not abruptly stop writing this around chapter 11 – 15. There was a several-months long period in there somewhere where I didn't update, though.

The problem is, of course, life. Without giving away too much, I am a university student (or at least, that is true in 2018) and that means I get kind of busy. I'm not in a particularly intensive degree but assignments (usually) take priority over fanfiction ramblings. Which reminds me, I've got to do a bloody assignment due next Thursday and I haven't started. Yuck.

Moving on, I'm surprised at how well this has been received for a debut. I appreciate how the people who gave some criticism did so constructively. It looks like fanfiction has a likable mentality where, unless something is particularly offensive or terrible, people simply do not read if a story doesn't draw them in. They move on and do something else. The fact that essentially all of my X reviews are positive in some way is probably because anyone who wouldn't have liked it quit in the first few chapters.

I would say part of it is of course, Guzma. He ends up easily being one of the most entertaining characters in all of the Pokémon games. He has enough of a personality to make him likeable while still being a "bad guy" and a fearsome opponent. He is fun to write, of course, and not hard to to do so. I liked it.

It would be cheesy as hell and a bit of a stretch to say writing this has been a "journey". Might be better to just say I learned a lot. Leveled up my writing, maybe? Nah, also cheesy as hell. I am a sucker for "villainous" protagonists. Guzma, Dexter Morgan, Light Yagami, Walter White. Hell, even Bowser in one of the Mario & Luigi games... some of my all time favourite fictional things all have a well-executed "villainous" protagonist... to varying degrees, of course. I guess I didn't know it, but I was trying to do that with this story.

Among the things I've learned – it may be best for me to avoid putting in too many original characters. I feel there were a couple that ended up being awkward. It is fanfiction – I have started trying to write some of my own original stories as well (not published anywhere, though I'd hope to someday). Original characters, for me personally, seem to belong in original stories. There's plenty of potential for interesting things to write when you just work with existing characters, so in the future I personally will stick to using them.

On that note, I do doubt this would be my only thing on this website. I was struck with an idea while writing chapter 17 of this story. I won't say much in case it never happens – but if you think you'd be interested, follow me as an author on this site. Heck, if you've actually read this far, you probably like what I do. I make zero promises – but the idea was Pokémon, was a little different to this story. As the TV Tropes saying goes, it would be a bit Darker and Edgier, (decent bit more violent, would probably keep other aspects about the same) and would probably have Ya Boi making an appearance. I can't say I am going to get straight to writing a sequel to this story, but it's definitely an idea and not off the table. I made sure of that with the ending.

Fanfiction's beauty is that anyone can do it if they have a keyboard, an internet connection, and an idea. I do not assert that many or most people can do it well, or that I necessarily do it well. It is a goal of mine to try to publish an actual book at some point, which is harder than doing an entire fanfiction story (90,000 words though, oof). On 26th July 2018 I'm still very young, so I've got some time yet, but I'm getting right on that.

Alright, I think I've said everything I want to say. I'll mark this story as complete within the next few days. As a final thing - thank you everyone for 35 reviews. If you haven't dropped one already, feel free to do so. I appreciate all the support. There was a guest reviewer early on who pointed out a major mistake in the story (like "big fail" mistake), so thanks for that also. I also notice one fair criticism by Lebensmude - I tend to focus on dialogue, or as they put it "talking heads". This is a fairly major weakness in my writing; I tend to forego surroundings and just get straight to the point – which is not always great to read. I will attempt (may not succeed) to remedy this in the future.

If you've read the whole story, as I've said, consider following me as an author.

Destruction in word form, signing out.