I Really Didn’t Want to Be a Trainer

Chapter 795: Earth Defense Force, Deployed!

Hau'oli City, Scenic Beach.

Three Team Skull members wearing masks stood on the retreating shoreline, surrounding a blond boy.

Beside the blond boy stood a dark-silver beast, clad in combat armor, its head restrained by a heavy mask, its gaze deep and inscrutable.

If the Rotom Pokédex were here, it would quickly identify this manufactured Pokémon — Type: Null.

The Team Skull members looked grim, keeping their ring of encirclement and whispering:

"What… what Pokémon is that?"

"I've never seen one, and it knocked Dustox out in an instant!"

Gladion's gaze went cold as he stepped forward, and the three Team Skull members hurriedly backed up. Gladion remained standing, and the three immediately closed in again.

"You, stay right here!" the lead Team Skull member barked, his voice fierce but hollow, "Boss Guzma will be here soon!"

Type: Null emitted an irritable low roar, scaring the three into further retreat, and Gladion reached out to stop them.If you bully others simply because you have Pokémon, then you're no different from a gang of thugs.

Gladion crossed his arms. "I fight Pokémon battles. I'll defeat Guzma with honor."

Then… with a sharpening of his eyes, Gladion demanded to know the whereabouts of Little Nebula, what his mother and the Aether Foundation were truly planning!

The atmosphere became taut as a drawn bow;

the rustling palm groves suddenly echoed an offscreen voice.

"No need for you to step in, kid!"

"Alola is under our control meow~"

The Team Skull lieutenant snapped his head around and glared at the figure perched in the treetops, shouting:

"Who, who's there!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Looking toward the corner, there was a Pikaclone — actually a Mimikyu — using Confuse Ray, like a competent lighting technician, and Gladion couldn't help but frown.

The light shone, revealing a man and a woman on the branch, back to back.

"Petal face and willow waist, shamed are the moon and the flowers." Musashi wore a casual shirt and a sun hat.

"Dragon soaring on clouds, handsome and spirited." James wore a floral shirt, blue hair offset by sunglasses, holding a rose.

"Reborn as one lotus, sharing life and death." Meowth's golden coin above its head sparkled.

With a crisp flourish they shed their casual clothes and in an instant changed into white outfits emblazoned with an R. The trio called out in unison:

"Team Rocket, blast off!"

Wobbuffet saluted loudly, while Mimikyu emitted a cold, rustling cry.

The situation slipped into a peculiar awkwardness, and Gladion pressed a hand to his forehead.

The pink-haired female member whispered to the little lieutenant:

"Boss, their lines somehow sound cooler than ours…"

"Shut up!" the little lieutenant snapped angrily, "They're just a delivery company, thinking they can meddle with Team Skull in Alola!"

"I heard the Plasma Gang that was entrenched in Unova was taken out by Team Rocket." The husky member said flatly.

"Huh… what!? That's the first I'm hearing of this!"

The trio leaped down from the treetop with style, recalling their battlefield plan from half an hour earlier.

They couldn't let "the watermelon-glasses girl" take all the credit alone.

From their Rocket channels, they knew the cadres' mission target was to oppose Team Skull, so they could lend a hand!

"Hey, blond brat!" Musashi shouted, "Get out of here, we've got this!"

Gladion stayed rooted, brow slightly furrowing.

Rather than act rashly, it was better to stay and wait for Guzma to come to them.

"Can't you understand a simple order!"

Musashi twisted to look at the Team Skull member who had thrown out the Pokémon and shouted, "Mimikyu, go!"

Mimikyu let out its rustling cry. James asked curiously, "What is it saying?"

Meowth jumped in fright, face ashen. "Kids, you-you can't say dirty words meow…"

"Forget it…" Musashi rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Wobbuffet, you go, use Counter!"

"Su~ nashi!" Wobbuffet faced off alone against three Crobat charging in. The blade of Air Slash cut through the air, but Wobbuffet's body flashed white with Mirror Coat, reflecting every air blade back!

Boom!!

In an instant, the three Crobat collapsed from the black smoke, their eyes-spiraling.

Gladion was taken aback.

Wobbuffet is so strong… even Type: Null's attack couldn't break that Mirror Coat just now!

"Stop!"

A shout rang out unexpectedly.

Team Skull's leader, Guzma, arrived with a large number of henchmen. The members formed a human wall at the Scenic Beach entrance, shoulder to shoulder, blocking off the civilians.

Hau'oli City citizens stood on the shopping street watching the beach, chattering. An old man rushed into the backyard, pulled out his Tauros, and bellowed:

"You rotten kids, get off my land!"

The Team Skull members, many of whom came from island households or single-parent families and knew Hau'oli's shopkeepers, laughed and tried to ease things off:

"No, sir, we'll be done soon."

Compared to Lumiose City's elegant indifference, Hau'oli City had Alolan warmth and righteousness.

Trainers stepped forward to negotiate, protesting Team Skull's beach blockade, and warned Officer Jenny to come immediately.

Guzma glanced back at the commercial district, clicked his tongue, and said to Team Rocket:

"I don't care who you take orders from, but in Alola, Alolan rules apply!"

Musashi and James exchanged glances.

Having been through so much with their cadres, they didn't feel anger at meeting Team Skull;

instead, they felt a bit of pity.

The locked-in rural mindset, Alolan camaraderie, the clash between conservative tradition and rising technology…

"Ever thought of changing careers?" James asked kindly. "Like the old Rocket Team did, trying out a new job… like renovation?"

Guzma stiffened and reddened with anger. "Are you looking down on me!?"

James fell silent, and Guzma reminded him of many familiar but vague shadows.

"Cut the nonsense. Let's do a one-on-one duel." Guzma clenched a Poké Ball in his hand and bit out, "If you win, you leave. If you lose, that kid's gotta apologize to my injured men!"

Gladion stepped forward. "I'll add one more condition."

"If I win—"

Guzma's face went hard, and Gladion's gaze sharpened:

"You will tell me the whereabouts of Cosmog."

…

Over the Alola seas, the R insignia on the aircraft glinted in the sunlight.

Matori sat at the control console, staring at the surveillance feed with a slight frown.

"Those three idiots… directly confronting Team Skull?"

Team Skull was a product of Alola's unique background: inadequate basic education and the disruptive impact of modern technology on tradition.

Confused youths, unwilling to follow rules yet lacking direction, joined Team Skull.

The best way to rehabilitate Team Skull wasn't through fighting, but by investing in Alolan industries and absorbing Team Skull as employees.

This was Matori's cold, flawless operational plan.

Because the trio acted rashly, Matori had to weigh a new strategy.

She fell silent for a long moment, the face of her rival Olivia flashing through her mind.

If it were Olivia, what would she do…

Suddenly, inspiration struck Matori.

"If that's the case, help Alola establish a league to break the Aether Foundation's monopoly, letting league events bring economic benefits — like the Galar League!"

If Team Skull arose from local economic stagnation, it would naturally fade away as the local economy improved.

Rocket Delivery could also seize precious development opportunities in Alola.

Guzma and Kukui were both Hala's disciples. Guzma, disgusted with anachronistic island trials and traditions, founded Team Skull.

Professor Kukui wanted to establish an Alolan league to solve local problems.

Their conflict was irreconcilable, but both were, at heart, concerned for Alola.

At this moment, Matori and Professor Kukui's ideas coincided.

Matori couldn't help patting her own shoulder;

coming to, her face flushed.

Oh no… I'm slowly turning into cadre material…

The "Matori Matrix" was an elite team she founded that handled intelligence, public opinion, and battles, earning Boss Giovanni's praise.

Matori ordered:

"Ignore those three idiots. Matori Matrix… primary task: conduct a public opinion poll on support for establishing a league!"

On the surveillance feed, Gladion and Guzma's battle was reaching its end.

Type: Null had violently knocked down the armored warrior;

Team Skull members and onlookers gasped.

Guzma wore a face of disbelief.

…

"How could this be…" Guzma staggered, distraught.

I've at least been a student of the Island Kahuna, how could I lose to a trainer who isn't even an adult!

"You and that armored warrior only fight by experience." Gladion pressed his hand to his chest, elbow bracing his arm. "Pokémon battles are far from that simple."

"Tactics, moves, timing, weaknesses, and bonds…"

Gladion closed his eyes, recalling his time studying under Lu Ye in Kanto, and opened his cyan eyes:

"Blindly trusting experience will only lead you to cling to outdated, broken ideals and lose!"

"Tch… shut up… you know nothing!" Guzma shrieked.

Guzma had been born into a poor but kind Alolan family. His parents' greatest wish was for Guzma to become an Island Kahuna. Young Guzma fulfilled expectations and passed the island trials, but his brutal, anything-goes style got him kicked off the captain roster.

His junior Kukui returned from study at Ula'ula University and became Alola's first Pokémon Professor, while Guzma remained aimless.

"Just imagining spending the rest of my days on these four islands gives me goosebumps." Guzma spat.

Guzma tried to overturn Alolan tradition and opposed Kukui's dream of founding a league, fearing it would lead Alola into another dead end.

To change everything, Guzma cooperated with Faba, believing Ultra Beasts would be Alola's path forward.

But now, the strong young Gladion had completely ignited Guzma's jealousy and inferiority.

"What do you know? The Aether Foundation's rich kid, born with a silver spoon!" Guzma roared.

His men lowered their eyes and tried to dissuade him. "Let's go back, boss."

"Having lost the battle, there's no reason to stay…"

Under the citizens' strange stares, Guzma let out a venting yell, took a large stride away, then stopped and kept his promise, turning back to rasp:

"Cosmog was taken by Faba… Your mother doesn't know. Go to the Space Center now, maybe you can still see Faba."

Gladion's gaze trembled. "What is Faba planning!"

Guzma shoved his hands in his pockets and left. "Who knows."

Team Skull members dispersed thinly.

The trio perked up, ears elongating, their hearts stirred.

Meowth looked up. "Shall we contact the cadres meow?"

"It'd be better to hand Cosmog to the cadres than have them do it themselves, right?" James rubbed his hands together.

Musashi chuckled. "Then the watermelon-glasses girl's credit won't be bigger than ours!"

The trio looked up at the sky, bubbles of imagined scenes forming.

Sylveon puffed and sat nearby, annoyed;

a shadowy figure reached out to pat Meowth's head…

Energized, the trio declared, "Let's head to the Space Center right now!"

The forest, in a tree hollow.

Bewear held a bellyful of tree fruits, looking up toward the second floor. Voices of the trio chattered nonstop above.

"Woo~" Bewear relaxed and offered Sweet Honey to feed the Stufful.

Upstairs, three dolls of James, Musashi, and Meowth with built-in radios sat at a round table;

the radio kept replaying:

"So that's how it is…"

"Exactly meow."

Half a day passed without Bewear noticing, an eerie calm before the storm.

Ding, ding.

At the Trainer School, Komala struck the end-of-class bell.

Haunter packed up the textbooks and, realizing he had none, grabbed a notebook and flipped it a couple times, nodding in satisfaction.

During break, the students gathered, faces anxious.

"Teacher Lu went out for one class and hasn't come back." Mallow said.

"It's my fault for not watching Little Nebula." Ash sighed.

Lillie said loudly, "Little Nebula is mischievous;

no one can stop a Teleport. But Teacher Lu will surely bring it back."

"Come see!" Sophocles opened his laptop and the screen showed the recent Hau'oli news.

"There's video — someone fought Team Skull!"

He clicked the video, and Lillie stared at the blond boy on screen;

her eyes glinted and she cried out:

"Brother?!"

Bang!

The students looked up in surprise as Professor Kukui pushed through the door, his face unusually serious.

"Lillie, come with me."

Professor Kukui's brows tightened.

According to messages from his wife, Dr. Burnet at the Space Center, there had been an Ultra Beast escape incident at Lusamine's Aether Paradise, causing massive commotion.

Because this involved Lillie's family, it was a grave matter, so there was no reason to hide it from her.

Lillie froze and, nervous and uneasy, asked:

"What should I do now… Professor?"

Professor Kukui composed himself, smiled, put his hands on his hips and said, "Afternoon classes are canceled."

"Lillie, classmates, let's visit Aether Paradise and observe the Pokémon there!"

Despite the Ultra Beast incident, Kukui trusted his students' strength;

they were the backbone of Alola.

Kiawe was the youngest to complete the island trials, and Ash was the Lumiose Conference champion.

Sophocles' hacker talent could help;

with Mallow and Lana accompanying, Lillie could keep calm.

Besides, Teacher Lu and I will be there.

Professor Kukui's expression remained grave.

He hoped Aether Paradise, the Space Center, and Lillie would all get through this crisis safely!

…

Interpol, UB Response Unit.

On the round conference table lay evidence collected by Handsome Guy: photos, genetic samples, and audio comparisons of Nihilego's cries.

"You're saying that without Lusamine's knowledge, Faba couldn't resist releasing Nihilego to draw attention, using Cosmog to open an Ultra Wormhole?"

Lu Ye looked at Chief of Staff Lila in her black suit and white shirt, black gloves.

"The creation of the Ultra Defense Team reduced Faba's former jurisdiction. With Interpol's involvement, his research on Ultra Beasts will become even harder."

Lila said seriously, "Therefore, opening an Ultra Wormhole and seizing control of Ultra Beasts is Faba's last desperate move."

"Why is he so confident?"

"According to the UB Response Unit scientists, Nihilego's aura will cause Cosmog to open a portal to the Ultra Deep Sea."

"And the Ultra Deep Sea is home to the Nihilego horde… they are the Ultra Beasts most susceptible to control by electromagnetic waves and auras."

Lu Ye nodded slightly and asked, "Why haven't I met the Response Unit's scientists?"

Handsome Guy looked a little embarrassed. "Because that scientist is currently serving time."

Lu Ye was mildly stunned, an image of a mad scientist flashing through his mind.

When taken away, the scientist still ranted, "My next project will study extraterrestrial Pokémon!"

Lu Ye's expression grew complex. "Could it be that I was the one who sent him in…"

"That is the one." Lila nodded. "The former chief scientist of Team Plasma who once controlled Kyurem, Acerola."

"He's currently working to reduce his sentence and has shown astonishing passion and talent for Ultra Beast research. Superiors decided to assign him to provide remote technical assistance."

"He's very pleased with the ongoing research," Lila said calmly. "He can eat three bowls of rice over the scientific papers."

An image appeared: Acerola controlling Kyurem and forcibly crashing the Plasma Destroyer.

"He didn't even eat peanuts." Lu Ye murmured. "Prison really does produce talents…"

"It's time, sir." Handsome Guy, draped in a brown coat with messy hair and sharp eyes, said, "The mastermind is surfacing. We should give him a 'surprise'!"

Lu Ye steepled his hands beneath his nose, a slight light flickering in his eyes.

It seemed Lusamine was the "animated-version" of a good mother, her judgment clouded while searching for her husband.

Faba could pin Nihilego on Lusamine's collecting habits and use Cosmog to access the Ultra Deep Sea and control a Nihilego army.

Because Interpol and the Aether Foundation were cooperating, the plan had to be implemented earlier than expected.

"Lila, Handsome Guy, come with me to the Space Center to arrest Faba—"

Lu Ye's gaze hardened and he snorted:

"Earth Defense Team, deploy!"

"It's the Ultra Defense Team." Lila murmured a correction.

"Same thing!"