As everyone knows, each major region in the world of Pokémon has its own uniquely styled villainous team.
There's Team Rocket in Kanto, Team Plasma in Unova, and both Team Aqua and Team Magma in Hoenn. These organizations might not necessarily start out with evil intentions, but they all have one thing in common: they're constantly up to something big. Sometimes, it's even for a so-called "blue dream."
Whether or not their plans are actually sound is another story—but there's no denying their sheer level of action and ambition.
Naturally, the Alola region has its own villainous group too. That group (ahem, "villainous") goes by the name... Team Skull.
They're more of a gang of petty thugs, but they've made quite a name for themselves across Alola. And their boss? None other than Guzma, the man currently standing before Haru, a walking embodiment of villain energy.
Because of certain events in his past, Guzma holds a deep resentment toward Alola's traditional "Island Challenge." In response, he's led Team Skull in disrupting these challenges at every turn, even going so far as to claim the town of Po Town as their own base of operations.
But all of that... is just a front.
Behind the scenes, Guzma has always been following Lusamine's orders. And more than that—he harbors a complicated and intense emotional attachment to her.
Yet due to the mismatch between his personality and Lusamine's status, he's never been able to express those feelings aloud.
As for Lusamine herself... aside from a very select few things that truly interest her, she doesn't care about much of anything. Naturally, Guzma's feelings aren't something she's ever noticed.
The truth is, Lusamine and the Aether Foundation are the true major villains of the Alola region.
On the surface, they present themselves as a "protective" and "sheltering" organization for Pokémon, but the reality is far more complex.
And right now, Guzma has been assigned to complete what might be the most important mission Lusamine has ever given him.
In all the years he's worked under her, this is the first time Lusamine has told them to contact her immediately, no matter the reliability of the lead, if they so much as caught a whisper of the target.
What's more, Lusamine—the president of the Aether Foundation—actually came out in person with a team after confirming the target's location?
All signs pointed to one thing: that mysterious man must play a critical role in Lusamine's upcoming plans… or maybe Lusamine had her eye on one of his Pokémon.
There's no other reason she'd go this far.
Who knows? At this very moment, Miss Lusamine might be plotting something monumental!
And if this mission succeeds, Guzma will have performed a great service. Surely, Lusamine will be pleased.
The more he thought about it, the more Guzma felt the weight of this sacred mission settle onto his shoulders.
He rolled his arms a bit, then reached for his Poké Ball.
And just as he did, several young men dressed like bank robbers strutted out from behind him.
As they walked, they twisted and swayed like a bunch of dancing ducklings in the middle of a festival—less like a gang, more like street performers.
Finally, Lillie came to her senses.
She didn't know who Guzma was, but she'd definitely heard of Team Skull.
Wait a second—weren't they supposed to be the troublesome group giving people across Alola endless headaches?
They had just enrolled in Jujutsu Academy, and already they'd run straight into Sukuna?!
Uneasy, the girl tugged gently at Haru's sleeve.
"Mister Haru... maybe we should run for now. If they stall us here, we might not be able to escape."
To a timid girl without the ability to protect herself, the name Team Skull still carried real weight.
Even though Haru had Mew—and had already demonstrated its strength—Lillie still couldn't rest easy. She didn't want to see the man who clearly liked her get hurt.
Besides, if things went wrong, and her mom got her hands on Haru... there's no telling what awful things she might do to him.
"No worries," Haru said, waving it off like it was nothing. "Actually, his timing's kind of perfect."
"I don't really know my way around Alola. I was just wondering if we could find a guide to help you track down someone who might be able to help you. Looks like we don't need to search anymore."
Relaxed. Casual. Haru's tone made it crystal clear—he didn't consider Guzma a threat at all, just some background NPC.
If Guzma had been the scheming type, he might've been delighted by Haru underestimating him, seeing it as a golden opportunity to strike hard and fast.
But Guzma... just isn't that kind of guy.
In fact, those few words were more than enough to royally piss off the so-called "Emperor of Destruction."
"What did you say?! You think you can just order me around like some errand boy?!"
"Don't kid yourself, punk! I'm the embodiment of destruction! I will bring you down and present you to Lusamine myself!"
Being belittled or looked down on—those were absolute taboos for Guzma.
Fueled by Haru's provocation, Guzma was furious.
"Go! Golisopod—show them your terrifying power!"
"Let that brat feel—in his bones—just how devastating Bug-types can be!"
A Poké Ball flew from Guzma's hand, and with a flash of red light, a towering white Pokémon landed firmly on the ground.
It resembled a massive, upright isopod, cloaked in pale, heavy armor, with a pair of wickedly sharp claws jutting out to either side.
It didn't look much like a typical Bug-type. It looked more like a heavily armored warlord.
The moment Golisopod appeared, the grunts behind Guzma lit up with excitement.
"Long live the boss! Long live the boss!"
"Guzma, crush that cocky bastard with your most devastating move! Show him what happens when you mess with us!"
They didn't know who the opponent was, or how strong—but their faith in Guzma was absolute.
Surely, their boss would humiliate this arrogant punk in spectacular fashion.
Encouraged by their cheers, Guzma straightened up, clearly enjoying the attention.
"The power of Bug-types?" Haru smirked. "That's so funny I might actually laugh. Evolve a couple more types of coverage, then come back and talk."
"Flutter Mane, prepare for battle."