The route leading to Po Town was just as desolate as the town itself.  It was dark, grim, and cursed with unending rainfall.  Puddles of stagnant water scattered the route as the saturated earth struggled to retain it.  Mudslides were common: the rocky mountain path to the east yielded to the pelting downpour and sent many unsuspecting Trainers and Pokémon to their doom.  Because of its dire weather, the route saw hardly any traffic.  Guzma was just fine with that.  The only people who needed to be there were members of his former crew and the island’s kahuna.  

        He’d liked the area, once.  He’d reveled in the fact that Skull’s reputation preceded them, that they’d terrified the nearby residents enough that they steered clear of the town and Route 17 and left them well enough alone.  Even the police force couldn’t touch them—they’d split along with the townspeople.  All that left was Nanu, and he’d come later.  But that was so long ago.  Guzma shifted the umbrella as the rain changed directions, plunging his free hand into the pocket of his hoodie.

        When his crew first ‘conquered’ Po Town, they’d made it their castle, using its massive, impenetrable walls to keep society out.  And with his makeshift throne and his loyal followers, he was their king.  It was his word that was law, and his word that made their lives better than it was before.  Guzma led himself to believe that he belonged in Po Town.  But being so close to it now, it didn’t feel like home anymore.  It was a massive, hulking reminder of things he would rather forget.

        Excess rain splattered on his stark-white sneakers.  This rain had never been good for his threads.  He knocked on the door, as politely as the old cop had told him to do, and waited.  He stared at the door for what seemed like ten minutes, but an answer never came.  Maybe he was in the back messing with his Meowth.  Guzma frowned.  “OI!  Pops!   S’rainin’ like shit out here, lemme in!” he shouted, pounding his free fist on the metal doors.  He tugged on the door handles, but they were locked tight.  Nanu wasn’t home.  Guzma scowled, dissatisfied, and moved away.  He told himself he hadn’t wanted to see the old kahuna that badly, anyway.

        Guzma trudged down the path leading south, away from the looming walls of Po Town, his thoughts elsewhere.  He made sure to keep out of the wall’s line of sight just in case he was seen.  If any of his old crew still lived there, they’d be sure to go after him.  The phone in his pants pocket vibrated, breaking Guzma out of his brooding.  He knew who it was before he checked it.  It bothered him that Plumeria kept messaging him in spite of his silence.  In her message, she told him she wouldn’t quit on him.  A small part of him wanted to reply back, to tell her that this was for her own good, but another part held him back.  It was better to cut all ties, to rip it off quick like a Band-Aid, and get all the hurts done and over with before you had a chance to change your mind.  Nanu had told him that.

        He put his phone back in his pocket.  She still didn’t get it.  This wasn’t the first time she’d messaged him, nor was it the first time he’d ignored her.   When he first disbanded Team Skull and left without looking back, she’d messaged him, confused.  And when he didn’t reply, Plumeria messaged him again, cursing and angry and telling him that he had no right. It was her team as much as his.  But as the days went on of more silence, she messaged him again, this time offering explanations.  And the time after that, promises of continued friendship.  

        And now she tells him that she still waited for him, just like a few members of the old crew waited for him in Po Town.  Guzma didn’t know what to think.  The subject wrapped his stomach in iron chains, twisting it tighter and tighter until he was as mutilated as his own warped emotions.  He’d rid himself of Skull—he’d once fancied himself destruction in human form, but it was his crew that destroyed him.  The old cop had told him so.  The branching, bloodred scars on his shoulders and neck twinged in response, almost in agreement with the thought.

        Guzma rubbed his burning shoulder.  She’d be better off without him.  The weather cleared as he left Route 17 behind, transitioning from a dreary grey into brilliant, cheery sunshine.  Ula’ula’s meadow welcomed him with the sweet scent of its blossoming red flowers.  Guzma put his umbrella away and stashed it in the hollow at the base of a nearby tree.  The hollow contained other items from his past visits, and others still from members of his crew who’d used it before him.  He left them alone and continued on his way.

        He knew his trip back to Melemele Island would be a long one.  Guzma made it to Nanu’s house in record time—he traveled as fast as he could manage while still keeping his cool and nonchalant façade.  Old man Hala would wait for him, and now that his visit was cut short, he had no reason to hurry back.  He walked along the wooden bridge, slouching and keeping his eyes lowered as he passed people taking a tour around the meadow.   Their gaze was prying and suspicious.  Guzma shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and ignored their stares.

        But there was one person who caught his attention.  Standing at the edge of a bridge was a young man with blond hair looking over a small section of the meadow.  Guzma didn’t notice anything of overwhelming importance there, just the same red flowers and wandering tourists searching desperately for the flamenco-dancing Oricorio.  Guzma knew the kid by sight.  There was no one, save for himself, who held such an intense stare.  

        Guzma’s memories were fuzzy of the day prior to his entering Ultra Space.  What was said, what was done, they were scattered in bits and pieces, with some memories being hazier than others.  He was certain he’d seen the kid outside of Aether’s base.  An image flickered in his mind, one of anguish and one of maniacal laughter.  He couldn’t remember what came next, but he remembered that Gladion was her son.

        He clenched his jaw, images of her face popping into his mind, a waking nightmare.  Inside his hoodie, Guzma clenched his hands, his fingernails digging into the scarred flesh of his palms.  The bitch had a way of inciting him to do anything at her command—and even now, he was forced to suffer memories that he wished to forget.  Guzma grit his teeth and drove them out.

        He found himself staring at the kid’s torn sleeves.  He moved closer, his hands deep in his pockets and his posture poor as ever.  Reliving those moments took more out of him than he cared to admit.

my opinion on;

character in general: okay like… literally my first impression when Gladion was revealed was “wow he looks like an edgy 12 year old” and I was right which is fucking incredible. I always liked Gladion and as I was speeding through Moon, I grew to really like Gladion a lot. Mostly because he reminded me a lot of Silver. Though when I met Nanu he became the New Fave  but I’ll always love Gladion. He’s such a neat character and his backstory is so good...how they play them: I haven’t seen much of your writing or interpretation yet, but I like your Gladion so far! I like how he interacts with others a lot. And I like that although he’s quite serious, he has a bit of a sense of humor too. He’s great and I love him.the mun: dkjsfhdjks you’ve been here for like a couple weeks but I already really like you haha. you’re a very nice and fun person!

do i;

rp with them: yes!want to rp with them: yeah!!!ship their character with mine: Silver/Gladion is interesting but it would probably be… bad

what is my;

And what a majestic, magnificent, mutant horse it is!  It has edges in all the right places; and even its trainer, too.  I’m glad to see that your hiatus has brought your enthusiasm to a fever pitch!  I just love it!  We’re so pleased to have you back!

Don’t sweat it!  Finals are a tough time for anyone, and you’re not exempted from that.  You should be focusing on your schoolwork.  We all want you to do well, you know?  And I know you will.  Make me proud, friend, and kick your finals to the curb.  We’ll see you back on May 14th.  Good luck!

“I should be honest here. Being champion was never a goal of mine at all. My journey was to do the Island Challenge, then go back home. But I think what happened during my journey really changed me. And now, there is something else I want to accomplish. I want to make Alola the perfect place to live. I want people to be happy here. And that’s my mission, to make that possible.”

✉ - my muse likes to pester / talk to

{For Silver? For sake of just going for those in the group, I’ll say Ethan. Ethan is always nice to talk to and he’s not a bad Trainer either. He’s probably one of Silver’s only friends right now so there’s that too. But I’d also put my money on Kris or Lyra as well, if we had one.

As for Proton... would give it to Clair. He knows somebody that likes him, yay. She’s a lot of fun to be around too, I’m sure. Not even sarcasm, they probably get along very nicely (the more the relationship progresses, it’s a bit early thread-wise). So yes. Just in general-wise: Petrel, probably??? That dudes chill he probably gets along with everyone, and if Proton had to like one coworker (excluding Gio) it’d probably be him.

*Nanu voice* I don’t know anybody or anything. Please don’t ever talk to me again. Tell everybody to stop talking to me. (/s)

In all seriousness, he likes to talk to a lot of the people he knows. Plumeria is always enjoyable to talk to. They have a lot of good banter and whatnot. But G-man too. Being so close you’d figure he likes talking to him, haha. Acerola’s probably fun sometimes as well.}

☑ - my muse wants to know better

{...tbh most people he knows haha. Silver’s not super well acquainted with a lot of people currently. Though it’s split between Ethan and Clair. Ethan just because they’re friends now but not super close friends yet, and Silver really doesn’t know much about him yet. Then Clair too, since they’re bonding and learning about each and shit partly in this thread. Silver is genuinely kind of interested in her past and whatnot. As for in general, just all of Silver’s rivals.

For Proton... Clair haha. He knows she’s a Gym Leader but not a whole lot otherwise. Sure he likes her but there is lots to learn I am sure! Just about her in general. Then in general, uh... not anybody I can think of.

Send ‘regress’ to meet my muse as a child.

Giovanni was bored. His lessons were over for the day, his mother was busy, and Meowth was being lazy and getting annoyed with him whenever he tried to wake her up from her nap. What he really wanted to do was play Pokémon cards with someone, but the only person around was a kinda scary-looking boy who didn’t really look like the type of person who liked to play games with kids.

Was he a new member of Team Rocket? He was wearing the right colors... sort of. It was worth a try to ask, at least. Giovanni didn’t have anyone else to play with, and if he kept sitting around doing nothing he was going to die... probably. Besides, no one was even allowed to be mean to him. If they were, he would tell on them to Mother and they’d never ever be mean again.

Froakie -  What is your sense of style?