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kariachi · 1 year ago

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Some more commissionwork! A 3k prequel to @thenixkat's last commission- Guzma's run-in with Nihilego goes a whole lot differently, to pretty much everyone's distress.

Guzma hadn’t expected it to be so dark through the wormhole. Dark, enclosed, a trailing cave lit with the strange glow of what seemed like it should have been plantlife, the sense of being watched constantly itching up his spine. Lusamine hadn’t seemed concerned, but then she had been the one who’d had some idea of where they were going, had wanted to go. He had just, followed after her. The one who acknowledged his power, the one who kept his crew fed. Between the two he’d have done about anything.

Unfortunately.

Though the wormhole closed behind him, another remained flickering in the distance of the cavern, passed a group of the strange creatures Lusamine was so enraptured with. More were scattered about, just at the edge of his line of sight, but these few were highlighted by the glow of the wormhole. Almost like they were curious, like they were inspecting it. Lusamine cooed even as she spared them but a glance, her full focus on following the one they entered after. Guzma, loyal if nothing else, had trailed behind her.

One of pokemon had noticed them. Approached them. Approached Guzma. He’d tensed, dropped into a fighting pose.

The creature surged forward-

He-

He was-

It-

They-

They.

The wormhole closed behind them.

You’d have to have been really out of it not to realize something had gone horribly wrong. Plumeria had been back at Po Town with the grunts Guzma hadn’t taken to the Aether Foundation when the sky filled with thick, storming clouds. When a hole opened over Ula-Ula Island. The sudden midday darkness had been enough to leave the whole house quiet, and her stomach dropped on looking out and to the sky.

Without a second thought she’d run out the door, shouting back for the grunts to stay inside and that Peni was in charge until she or the boss returned. She couldn’t have told you how she knew that whatever was happening was centered on the Aether Foundation, at least no more than her brain screaming on repeat how she had never trusted that woman, but something had insisted she go to get her idiots, weak and strong, back safely home. That she had to. Whatever had happened was-

It wasn’t natural. It was viciously unnatural.

With the grunts under her care as safe as she could make them, nothing mattered more than getting to that floating ‘sanctuary’. Not the panic of the people she passed, not the strange shapes along the skyline as she raced a rental Tauros through Malie City, nothing. She’d gotten to the Aether Foundation as fast as she could, found Momo and Taro huddled together beside a cluster of fidgeting Aether workers, anxiety in the air.

There’d been no Guzma.

All the grunts knew was that the brat had beaten him again, that he’d let them and their friends enter the lab as a result. Had run in after them once his team was healed. That was the last they’d seen. The kids had left, the lab, the property, but Guzma was nowhere to be found. Neither was the bitch, but Plumeria found she didn’t give two shits about her. Let whatever trouble she’d led her boss into kill her, it was him she worried about.

They worried about.

It, he, they were scared.

Diglett’s Tunnel. If he could have done anything, if the struggling and the screaming worked, Guzma could have told you they were in Diglett’s Tunnel. Just about. The beast knew this. Given the way his memories of training there with Wimpod and Surskit flashed back and forth through his brain, it knew because he knew.

Diglett, ground-type, fear determination fear.

Local kids jeering at his team, hurt anger hate.

Coursing through the beast, through him, back and forth.

Tremoring around him, the beast made an unhappy noise. Even with how strange it was, Guzma knew plenty enough about pokemon to know that, even as he sat in a chaotic film of memories, helpless panic, and the gelatinous feel of it encasing him. It, he, they didn’t like where they were. It, he, they didn’t like those kids…

“What the fuck are you?” The sound of a human voice trickled in, and Guzma wanted to scream as the beast turned to them. Wanted to kick his legs, beat against the bell of the beast, call for help.

It’d been so long since he was willing to give in to a want of help.

His body harshly twitched for his efforts, no sound left his mouth. He could barely even see the worker freaking out, same as he could barely see the tunnel, through the haze of the beast’s flesh and memories rifling through his, it, their mind. The beast, it was sorting through, looking for something. It had to be.

Guzma tried to screw his eyes shut, to focus on shoving the alien mind away. Those were his memories, not for some fucking- Some fucking- Why couldn’t he-?! He was stronger than this-!

‘Damnit Guzma!’

**~**

Pale skinned adult man. Dark hair. Damnit Guzma.

It wasn’t him. It wasn’t him, but there was never any way Nihilego could understand that. Not when it had only seen three humans so far. Not when it had never fully merged before, had control before, didn’t understand why its host had begun to struggle harder. Not when it was itself scared and confused by this strange new place full of enemies. Not when it was so deep in his head, in his memories, trying to understand what it was dealing with.

Not when those memories had one most prominent creature that looked enough like the one in front of it for it to understand. Not when those memories came in a rush of his, it, their pain, fear, anger, hurt, threat-

Nihilego charged.

**~**

It was on the ferry back to Ula-Ula that they got their answer.

Plumeria sat with her eyes on the ominously clear sky, one arm each around Momo and Taro. Her foot had tapped a quick beat as it tended to do when there was a problem she couldn’t do anything with. She wasn’t as bad as her boss, more patient by halves, but you didn’t become and stay second in command by sitting on your ass.

There had been nothing else to do, though. They hadn’t known where Guzma was, hadn’t been able to get a hold of him. If anybody else knew they weren’t saying, or at least weren’t there to say. She had every intention of tracking down the brat, or Gladion, or whoever she had to to get answers. But before she could do that, she had to report back to the others. Let them know the boss was missing, get the two with her safely home.

“Breaking news from Akala Island!”

And then had come the emergency alert, drawing everyone’s attention from the brand-new gossip to the small television.

“A mysterious, unidentified pokemon has appeared in Heahea City! Reports say this pokemon was first sighted in Diglett’s Tunnel, having since gone on a rampage through the caves and now into the city itself! Authorities request citizens avoid-”

She didn’t hear any more than that, her eyes blowing wide as the creature came onto screen. A great black mass of spiny tentacles, refracting light like an oil slick, launching attacks and throwing everything from benches to people about. Her heart hurt for them, in spite of her status and reputation, but couldn’t focus there.

A familiar pair of legs stuck out from under its bell, she could just make out a shock of white hair though its translucent skin.

“Sis!” Plumeria didn’t look at her little siblings, just clamped a hand on Momo’s shoulder as she got to her feet, eyes narrowing. The rest of those on the ferry stumbled away as she set Golbat and Salazzle loose, passengers and workers both staring wide eyed and scared as she stared them down. A rush of pride rose in her chest as a second Golbat and Trubbish joined her team.

With all the confidence, pride, and authority that came with her position, she looked to the captain, met her eyes through the window.

“Full speed to Heahea, now!”

It was like an awful loop. As if that first memory of his father the beast had drug out had opened a spiraling whirlpool beneath his feet.

Heavy hands, harsh words. Nothing had ever been good enough, Guzma had never been good enough, and it had shown in dismissal, in insults, in bruises and blood and broken bones. With each memory came another and another, from as far back as he could remember to the day he’d finally had enough. They played in the forefront of his mind, digging, burning into his gut even as he tried to push them away. How his father had abused him, how his mother had lived on denial, how no one had done anything, how they had pitied the man when Guzma failed the Island Trials, how he was a failure failure failure and failures didn’t matter-

With each memory the beast grew fiercer, more brutal. Crushing cars, flinging people and pokemon the same. Spraying poison, generating and throwing stones. Shattering windows, twisting signs and lampposts both. The authorities, the local trainers, stood no chance as it lashed out like a creature in pain. All its actions visible, hazy, for Guzma’s view.

His body twitched with his own wish to do something, wish for all of this to stop, it was too much, too much, and he, it, they were hurting- But it was only at the will of the beast he moved, shifted alongside its own movement in a mass of jelly that felt endless from within, like a hopeless fate, like there was nothing else despite the world being right there-

“Guzma!”

Distant, dripping in like a light rain, Plumeria’s voice was unmistakable. In a heartbeat he froze, instinct as much as anything recalling the first response to his struggling for help and refusing to tempt fate with her. The beast turned and he could just make her out, alongside two grunts- Momo and Taro, it had to be, of course she would go get them, he’d left them alone he’d thought they were safe thank fuck they were safe-

Filtering through his memories again, playing them at the head of his mind, the beast found the trio quickly. His second, his grunts, Team Skull, home- Guzma tried to latch onto those memories, gatherings at the big house, those rare full meals-

Even as his crew called out to him, the good times slipped away into the depths of his breakdown- superseded by that familiar gnawing anger and memories of the ways they’d also been wronged, cast aside like so much trash. Plume and Momo’s families with their judgement and impossible expectations, the rampant derision towards Taro’s ‘scatterbrained’ energy and enthusiasm.

The beast shivered again, made a sound lower and rougher than he could have expected, and shot off to continue its destruction.

“Boss!”

“Guzma!”

Throwing out an arm to block Taro from running after the pokemon, Plumeria cursed under her breath. The sight of her boss, her friend, trapped in that thing- The way he’d gone so still. She’d never seen him that still. But he had been awake in there, a spark of him in the depths of otherwise hollow eyes. Behind her, Momo and Taro talked over each other.

“What even is that thing-”

“We have to do something-”

“There’s got to be-”

“It fucking has the Boss-”

“Plumeria!”

The grunts startling at the sudden call, Plumeria turned on her heel with a stressed glare. Running up the decimated road was the brat that kept beating everyone, without their group of friends and looking as confused as they were tense.

“What are you doing here,” she demanded as they skidded to a stop in front of them, worry for Guzma gnawing at her nerves. They dropped their chin, looked at her through their lashes, and gestured to the black mass destroying the city.

“There’s a rampaging pokemon, at this rate I figure maybe I can help,” they said. “What are you doing here?”

“It has the Boss,” Taro blurted out before Plumeria could say anything, her hackles raised. It was to the brat’s credit that their face immediately fell, screwing with honest worry as they looked out at the pokemon.

“Fuck.”

“He’s still conscious in there,” Plumeria said, unable to help a twinge of guilt at how quickly their attitude had turned, after all the trouble they’d given them, “you can see it in his eyes, but…. We don’t know what it’s doing with him.”

“Okay,” the brat said with a slow nod, fidgeting with a pokeball as they turned to meet her gaze. As they came to attention. “Have we got a plan?” They didn’t, they hadn’t had the chance and information to form one, much as the fact burned.

“Maybe we can talk it around?” Blinking as one, everyone turned to Momo, who blushed but stood up straight. Another trill of pride went up Plumeria’s spine. “It turned when Big Sis called, and it didn’t try to hurt us. So…the Boss might have some control of, whatever this is.”

“He wouldn’t do anything to this scale though,” Taro countered, “even if he does have some, it’s not a lot.”

“Oh, do you have any bright ideas then?!”

“Quiet,” Plumeria ordered before the two could work themselves up. Each immediately dropped the hard looks they’d formed and turned back to her. “Momo’s right, and he is still in there, it’s worth a shot.” Steeling herself, she turned to the brat, who threw her a tight smile.

“He’s yours,” they said. “Lead the way, I’ve got your back.”

**~**

Nihilego did not understand the chatter of the humans following it. Their calls were concerned, that much it could glean, but that was fine. Of course they were concerned, surrounded by enemies as they were. It was dealing with that though, and soon everything would be safe, none of them would be in danger. Even its host seemed to have finally calmed, no longer trying to lash out in fear now that they were present. There was safety in numbers, Nihilego had enough power to protect them all, and once the threats were gone it could figure out how to return to it, his, their home.

A plan cut short by a cry of fear behind it.

Nihilego flared as it twisted around, searching for the cause of the alarm. The bench that smashed to the ground behind those trailing it failed to register when compared to the being that had their hands on one of them. The memory of that one came quickly and with ease, fighting fighting fighting and now they were here, attacking his, its, their kin from behind.

With a call of wrath it charged the threat, his, its, their kin bolting aside as they surged back in response. There was a flash of light, a call from the interloper, and an enemy of blue and white suddenly appeared. Nihilego drew up short, just in time to be driven back by the powerful blast of a fairy move. The interloper looked to his, its, their kin, gave another call.

The other pokemon aimed at them with a spray of bubbles.

They turned to flee.

The threats gave chase, and so did Nihilego.

**~**

Momo had been right, there was something of Guzma in there. Something that seemed about ready to kill the ‘threat’.

“I think,” the brat called from the back of the crowd, recalling their Primarina and dodging attacks as they went, “we’re gonna have to fight this thing!”

“What if we hurt the boss though,” Taro called back, and Plumeria made an immediate decision, grabbing a pokeball.

“What if we hurt the boss, you two are staying out of it!”

“But-!”

“No buts!” She called back to the brat- “You got anything that can handle this?”

“Think so! Three on one?”

“You need two?”

“Having seen your team!”

“Fuck you!” Stopping on a dime, Plumeria turned to face the pokemon as the brat skidded to a stop beside her, flashing a wide grin. She threw out her ace as the brat released their selection.

“Salazzle!”

“Raichu, Salandit!” To their credit, none of the pokemon shied away from the great beast barreling down on them. “Psychic and Dragon Rage, aim for the tentacles!”

“You heard them, Dragon Rage, Salazzle!”

Stopped with a fierce jolt by the Psychic, the pokemon gave what could only be described as an approximation of a screech. A sound that only worsened as great twin bursts of dragon fire scorched along its tentacles. For all people talked about Salandit not being able to keep up, all people had said Dragon Rage wasn’t a move worth keeping, the fire-types certainly did their fair share of damage. They had to, for the way the pokemon burst away from Guzma, shrinking to something small and white and graceful as it threw itself to the side.

There was no stopping the grunts from charging towards their boss then, even as the brat and pokemon had to throw themselves between the lot and the still attacking creature. In truth Plumeria didn’t even try, too busy leading the charge as Guzma fell from the air to his feet, to his knees. Light faded back into his eyes as he wavered on the ground, reaching out for them with a smile.

He half mouthed her name before collapsing into the trio’s arms.

Guzma woke to a sterile white ceiling, scratchy sheets, low snoring, and Golisopod’s familiar weight at his side. Blearily, with more effort than normal, he dropped a hand on his ace’s sleeping head and tried to remember why he was there. It was a tough gig with the way his head ached. The way everything ached. What the fuck… He hadn’t been in the hospital since his father- His father-

Fuck.

Gut falling out of him, Guzma grit his teeth and resisted the urge to lash out, unwilling to risk harming his pokemon. That thing, it had, he’d been- It wasn’t there, he was out, but-

As if it sensed his upset, Golisopod burbled into wakefulness beside him, raising its head in tired curiosity. He turned in time to see it realize he was awake, to cry out in joy and fling itself forward, nuzzling under his chin in a mass of chittering burbles. A weight lifted from him with its presence and comfort, not enough to fix the tattered hole in his chest- it would be months for that to scar over- but what was needed to bring out a small laugh and half-smile. He recognized a sigh of relief at his other side enough to breathe easy as he turned again.

“Plume.” She returned his smile as she straightened in her chair, bags under her eyes. “The fuck you been staying up for?”

“Like ya didn’t just wake me,” she said, rapping a fist against his arm. “How ya feeling?”

"Like I made friends with a Bewear," he groaned, scratching Golisopod’s head. He was never leaving Po Town again, and never trusting anybody Plumeria hadn’t already vetted. “Who’s keeping an eye on the grunts?” She snorted.

“Why the fuck you think I’m so tired.” Looking down, she kicked out at something and raised her voice. “Yo! The Boss is up!”

In twos and threes, the grunts popped up from the floor like Watchogs on alert, some swaying a bit with what had only seconds ago been sleep. They had even, he noticed as he watched them rocket to their feet, busted the footboard off the too short bed so he could stretch out. If anyone had the balls to ask, Guzma would first deny and then blame on what had happened the fact that he teared up.

“Boss!”

“Boss is awake!”

“Mr. Guzma are you okay?”

“How do ya feel?”

“He’s probably starving- go grab him some food!”

“Why me?!”

“‘Cause I’m older than you!”

“Don’t worry, Boss, you’ll never see that, thing, again- the brat caught it and promised to keep it far, far away!”

“Do you want us to grab ya something? We can do that!”

Guzma just laid back and took them in. Masao and Garish bickering while Peni just sent their Golbat to grab something. Ami and Ruki damn near falling over trying to check he was okay. Okazaki grinning like it was his birthday, while Nalani elbowed the others aside so she could be closer. Momo and Taro-

Safe.

They could have not been. They should never have been in danger in the first place. If that beast had left the lab- It could have been one of them instead of him. And that rampage, they’d only been there because he’d fucked up. They could have been hurt; they could have been killed. And Plume as well, if that final fight hadn’t ended so quickly who knew what that thing would have done-

He’d failed them. He’d failed as their leader, as their protector. It wasn’t enough that he’d failed to ensure they were fed, had the basics of survival reliably available, but his attempts to fix that had caused him to fail them even worse. To put them in harm’s way. It was more than worth blackening his own eyes over, if only he’d had the energy, if only everything still didn’t hurt. The shake of his head he managed wasn’t enough.

“You’re all a’ight?” The talking stopped, a sea of soft eyes that left him warm and spooked and guilty turning to him in near unison. Plumeria laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

“With you up, we’re all set.”

~~~~

He’d never be able to tell you whether he or the beast came away from that mess in worse shape. According to the brat they were going to have to unteach a lot of threat responses, and work their ass off to convince it humans besides his crew weren’t immediate enemies, before they could safely decide what to do with it long-term.

But, with the grunts and Plume refusing to leave his side or shadow, driving off problems and standing with him as he struggled- Even when he tried to disband, as soon as he was well enough to give orders, even when he claimed he’d lost his right to lead them. Had failed them more than could be accepted. Still, there they’d been with him.

Guzma was damn sure he’d won this round.

#fanfic #pokemon sun and moon #guzma #plumeria #team skull #commissionwork #did i go entirely into left field writing this? yes but it was the way the story wanted to be #nix wanted memory shit and the anime makes nihilego at least some amount psychic so...

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