JMJ

Nothing or Nobody

CHAPTER 1: A Miserable Day in Po Town

How could a person have anything but a miserable day in Po Town, anyway? thought Plumeria.

Straight and heavy streams of rain poured down from the clouds. Black as pitch the sky loomed above and all save water striking the pavement was silent. Not a rumble of thunder could be heard. Somehow it seemed to make the scene more ominous and miserable. As though the entire town was only one soggy ghost town. One would hardly know that the town had been newly repopulated by its original inhabitants, but most people who lived in Po Town did not work in Po Town. It did not have a school except one small daycare school nearer to Rout 17. The inhabitants otherwise commuted elsewhere during the day hours. Hardly anyone was every around until about five o'clock. That was one of the reasons why Guzma had originally chosen this place as his base of operations. Atmosphere, no doubt, was the main other reason.

Plumeria lifted her head up to the roof of Shady House, the old mansion that had not been lived in for years save for the now disbanded Team Skull. Yet if the team was disbanded, why was she here? And to say that the place was entirely silent was only true beyond the front walk of Shady House, for she was not alone. The two grunts that had dragged her here now scuffled a little as they wondered why they were lingering outside in the rain, but not as much as Plumeria wanted to know why they were here at all: why Guzma was back at the mansion.

She had already made it clear to her younger guides that she had no interest in rejoining the team, but they had insisted that this had nothing to do with team business. It had to do with Guzma himself. How they had talked her into this she could not now recall.

With a scowl, she marched up the steps and flung open the door with such force that it was as if a wind had taken her short sleeved duster behind her like a cape (she had recently won it in a pokémon battle). It whipped about with more atmosphere than was good for the other supposedly former grunts all waiting inside. There were at least a dozen in all including the ones that brought her. At least most of the other grunts she knew had had the sense to go on with their lives after the team was no more, but even this few seemed far too many to have remained here. … or recently returned.

"Oh, good!" said one. "You found her, yo!"

Then they all started talking at once.

"I couldn't find her anywhere." "That's cuz you were only lookin' at the old haunts." "Now way, I'm not dumb!" "As dumb as a piedove." "Yo! That's uncalled for." "No way!" "She said she'd be at the Battle Tree and all." "Well, that's where we looked." "Yo, but she wasn't there when—"

"Ahem!" Plumeria interrupted. "C'mon, you guys. Cut it out, will ya? Why am I here? What's the scam? You're freaking out."

"No scam, Big Sis," they insisted. "No way, yo!" "It's our boy!" "Something wrong with him." "We don't know what!" "He—"

"Just—" Plumeria held up her hands and only now shut the door behind her. "One at a time, okay? Sid. Tell me what's going on."

She had to choose one to speak, and she knew Sid was good at stating things pretty straightforwardly.

Sid nodded and hunkered over nervously as he glanced up the stairs, as though he thought that the creaks and groans of the mansion above were the sounds of Guzma's ghost.

"Is he up there?" asked Plumeria following his gaze, and she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, he's up there," insisted another grunt.

"Okay, I just want one person to tell me," said Plumeria.

Again Sid nodded as he returned to Plumeria. "It's like this, Sis. He shows up one day. We're minding our own business here, and he seems like he's in a real bad mood, yo."

"His eyes were darker than usual. Kinda scary," said another grunt.

"Just, Sid, first," insisted Plumeria.

"He goes up stairs and slams the door and doesn't come out, yo!" said Sid. "Not to eat, not to do nothin' for days."

"How do you know he didn't just go get something from his room quick and leave out the window on the roof?" asked Plumeria.

"No way, yo!" cried another grunt. "We hear the boss up there a lot."

Plumeria sighed. "He's not your boss anymore."

"Moaning, pacing, grumbling," said Sid; none of the grunts seemed to have heard Plumeria

"When we knock on the door he's like a ursaring growling!" exclaimed another.

Rubbing her temple a moment and trying not to lose her temper even though these former grunts were not supposed to be in this house at all, much less Guzma. When she pulled down her hand she looked around at the grunts once more.

"He's been up there for days?" she demanded.

"Yeah. Three."

"Oh," she growled.

"Whadya you gunna do, Big Sis?" asked Sid.

But Plumeria did not answer. Marching up the stairs, with a face set like stone with determination, she did not stop until she came to the door. She paused and briefly put her ear to it. Nothing could be heard per se, but that did not mean Guzma was not in there. Roughly, she knocked.

"Guzma, you in there?" she demanded.

Unintelligible growling returned to her, but it was definitely Guzma growling.

"Aren't you gunna come out?" Plumeria snapped back throwing her hands on her hips. "You know what the police might think if they find you in here again. And your poor little punks are worried sick about you."

She could not bring herself to call them grunts anymore. Though, she had to admit, she was almost as angry with them as she was with Guzma at this point as they slowly crept up the stairs after her and were now standing behind her wringing their hands anxiously.

"I told them and I tell you: beat it!" growled Guzma through the door. He was so upset that his voice cracked.

"You can't stay in there forever."

This time Guzma did not answer and the grunts muttered and whispered amongst themselves even more anxiously than before.

Plumeria groaned and closed her eyes. Reaching for her pocket she pulled out a pokéball.

"All right, that's it."

As her salazzle emerged in the flash from the pokéball she threw out her other arm towards the door and ordered, "Salazzle, flame thrower the door in!"

The grunts gasped behind her wide eyed as the door was blasted inward in a burst of flame. Perhaps her muk's brick break might have been safer for the job, but salazzle was the most skilled of her pokémon. Although some sparks flew out nothing but the door caught on fire, and the door was only a black sheet of charred wood where it landed on the floor as though falling flat on its face before Guzma's throne, but no one sat upon the throne.

Plumeria stepped inside in surprise to find Guzma bolted upright on the bed to one side of the singed doorframe. With eyes blazing and swollen red, he snarled, "You whacked or somethin'?!"

Plumeria returned her pokémon and crossed her arms after putting the pokéball back in her pocket.

"Not as whacked as you," she muttered.

"Get out of here, you freak!" snapped Guzma. "You just blasted down my door! What's the matter with you!? I say get lost, I mean get lost! So beat it! Before I make you! Mind your own business!"

"But you're not supposed to be here, Guzma. I thought you were gunna challenge at the Battle Tree, and yet here you are sulking and feeling sorry for yourself about how your stupid team failed!"

"Feeling sorry for myself!" snarled Guzma beginning to pant heavily and Plumeria now noticed how the sweat began to appear on his brow and how pale that brow was besides that wild mess of bed-head hair. "You think that's what I'm doing in here? I came to be alone where no one would bother me! If you thought it was so stupid anyway, why did you come with me?"

"Cuz I didn't know how stupid it was then! I thought you knew that too! I should've known better! You're more stubborn than a mudbray."

"Oh shut up and go away!"

The dark circles around his eyes were not just mascara. In fact most of the mascara seemed to have come off. His face contorted painfully as though he was fighting to keep up his tough façade. The fact that he had not gotten to his feet suddenly disturbed Plumeria, and she wondered if he had truly gone three or four days without food or water, but as she glanced around she saw that there were laying about wrappers and paper plates and bottles of beer and soda. Well, maybe he had gone a few days without water, but he was not exactly starving.

"Are you drunk?" she asked

"No!" growled Guzma. "Ran out of beer and sake a day ago."

She turned back to him looking worse than before as he pulled himself to the edge of his bed and leered like some monster at its last breath.

"You gunna leave or what?" growled Guzma.

Plumeria frowned and she felt annoyed somehow that she suddenly felt so sorry for him.

"You look terrible," she said, "you should go home, Guzma. You can't run a team now even without the warning from the police."

"I'm not here to restart the team!" cried Guzma, and he moaned.

"Then go home!" cried Plumeria.

Collapsing purposefully back onto his bed Guzma growled.

"I would've gone back," he muttered almost unintelligibly.

"What's the matter with you?" Plumeria wanted to know, and she drew close enough to reach out her hand to his trembling back, but just as her finger graced the slick surface of the duct tape on his hoodie he leapt up again.

"Go away!" he growled.

"Fine," Plumeria snapped back, "but I'm calling a doctor."

"What?!" demanded Guzma. "You can't do that."

"Well, you're sick aren't you?" demanded Plumeria. "You're such a big baby. You should've just stayed at home in bed and had soup or whatever instead of hiding here. You probably just made yourself worse! If you're sick, you should get help."

"I …!"

Guzma stopped and dropped his head downwards in reluctant defeat. He was too ill even to come up with a good comeback anymore. At least he was aware of himself enough to know that anything he would say in argument would only make him look more foolish.

"Then do it," grumbled Guzma. "There's a doctor in town I think."

"If he's in, there is," muttered Plumeria. She paused. "Just don't strain yourself anymore, will you? I'll be back with the doctor, and eat something decent."

Guzma did not answer but allowed himself to collapse a second time onto his bed and grabbing his arms against his chest he turned to face the wall.

Plumeria sighed once more as she turned to see the teen faces staring like a school of magikarp in the doorway.

"Tessa," she said.

"Yeah, Sis?" asked one of those faces timidly.

"You know how to cook, right?"

"The best, Sis."

"Get him some soup, 'kay?"

"You bet. I can make up some miso soup right now. Saved the stock and all."

"Good," said Plumeria, who knew very little about cooking.

As she came out of the room, the grunts stepped back for her, and she descended down the stairs and out the door back into the rain. She could not help her groan as she sloshed through a puddle. At least the rain had lessened somewhat, she noticed. It was little wonder that the whole place did not flood, but it seemed the trees which enclosed Po Town soaked up any water that might cause too much of a problem. But one could be certain that few people felt there to be any use in a cellar here.

And speaking of the inhabitants, they began to arrive as she came to the doctor's office. The secretary told her that the doctor was out on a house call and it might be a few moments before he arrived. This meant, naturally, that he would be gone for a good hour at least, if Plumeria knew anything about doctors— not that she had had much personal experience with one. In fact there were few institutions that did not make her feel uncomfortable. She sat on an hard chair facing a large painting on the wall that seemed to have been made larger than it was supposed to be, for had it been the size of a notebook one would have been able to see the non-detailed tree and fence from across the room, but the view of the simple tree was far better than watching stupid shows where talking heads tried to figure out psychological meanings behind the latest news stories. Some of those news stories were too fresh and personal to want to hear about on the news.

She sighed.

She did not like being in such a pouty mood, but she felt she could not help it. When those silly grunts had come to get her she had already been in a sort of funk. After Team Skull had first disbanded she had never felt so pumped for a new life as a pokémon trainer. She had even managed to reach the Battle Tree, but once that goal had been met, she never got it far there. Not more than one or two battles could she beat, and she felt that no matter how hard she loved her pokémon they would not get any stronger. Certainly the time had still been very short since the Ultra Worm Hole thing and President Lusamine being taken out of the region somewhere, but Plumeria was already beginning to second guess herself.

Maybe Guzma was too, not that she had ever known him to second guess anything that he had ever decided, but he still must feel somewhat at a loss as to what to do next with his life. Duct taping the Team Skull logo on his back might have been a form of rebellion, but to Plumeria it was also a sign that he did not know how to move on anymore than those few grunts that still insisted on hanging around him after his return to Po Town. Maybe he just got sick in Shady House when he had gone there to think. It was not exactly the healthiest place to hang out in the world, especially in a slump.

On top of all her thoughts too, Plumeria wondered why she had to feel sorry for the jerk anyway. He could easily go home if he wanted to.

She crossed her arms and slumped back in her seat.

When the doctor finally arrived about an hour and a half later, he still seemed to be taking his time to follow her to Shady House. She could not tell for certain, because of his very calm façade, but she though she perceived that he was reluctant to go, especially when he heard who it was he was to go see and how Plumeria urged him to come quickly.

"I thought there were only a few punks in there lurking about," said the doctor. "We've been chasing them out on off since it disbanded. I had no idea the Team Skull boss had returned."

"He's hardly a threat at this point," said Plumeria as if the doctor had not already decided to come, which he had and was getting some equipment ready and packed as they spoke.

"We should probably tell Officer Nanu about it too."

Plumeria could not help the sinking feeling inside her. It was not as if Guzma did not deserve to get into trouble.

"Please," said Plumeria, "not until after you've seen him. I don't think he means any harm at this point. He's just acting like a wounded lyconroc that just found what he thinks is the best place not to be bothered. Stupid, I know, but I know he's not doing anything wrong other than actually being here."

Why am I standing up for the idiot? she thought angrily, beside herself even while she spoke. A wounded lyconroc? Guzma, what's the matter with you? Forget that. What's the matter with me?

But she spoke no more as she followed the doctor to Shady House. The only thing that she felt grateful for was that the rain had actually decided to stop for a change. The warm reds and oranges of the setting sun even filtered through the town giving it a tint of calm beauty mostly unknown to it. Yet she did not see it so much as beauty as a breath of relief before another storm. Dark clouds were coming from the southwest.

"Big Sis!" exclaimed the grunt as she opened the door.

The grunts had been pacing and fidgeting almost as though Guzma was already on his death bed, but they jumped in alarm to see the doctor with Plumeria. A couple of them even tried to hide from him, but the doctor did not turn to them, though he did mutter something about it would be better for them to find a better place to spend the night.

Guzma could be found in his room still. He looked little better than the last time Plumeria saw him, but he had eaten his bowl of soup and leapt with a sort of angry start at the sound of someone moving his door which he had had his grunts set up again as best they could against the doorway to block the view of the room inside.

Although his expressions proved horrible to behold, Guzma too said very little, but answered the doctor's questions without any trouble after a short check.

"I dunno," he muttered, "a few days ago." "No, it started before I got here, I think. I felt a little weird, kinda worn out but nothing that I thought about hard." "Yeah, I went out that day, but it started that morning when I got up." "Thought I could shake it. I kinda forgot about it during the course of the day. I battled some dumb kid. Did some stuff." "I feel… right now…" Guzma hesitated exceedingly, and he leered dangerously at Plumeria, "worn out. My whole body doesn't want to do anything like it wants to go into hibernation or something stupid like that."

The doctor mused. "Hmm … do you think you can come down to the clinic with me?"

"Why?" Guzma demanded.

"Well, it's inconclusive yet exactly what, but there is something wrong with you," said the doctor. "I think it's beyond being tired or drinking or drugs."

"I'm not on drugs, doc," grumbled Guzma darkly.

"No you're not," said the doctor, "but I want our clinic audino to have a look at you."

"Why?" asked Plumeria suddenly who had up to this point been watching quietly and patiently from behind. "What do you think's wrong with him?"

Guzma glowered.

"I'm not going to say anything until I have something concrete to say," said the doctor, "I'll bring her here, if that would make you more comfortable, but after that you have to go home."

"Fine," said Guzma.

"I'll be back very soon," said the doctor then as he picked up his things. "Don't move until I return."

"Tch."

It was the only response Guzma gave, and as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling in complete and utter disgust he leered as though to burn through the roof with X-ray vision.

Plumeria paused after the doctor left the room, and hugging her arms she released a sort of pout. She wanted to say something encouraging, but even had she thought of something she knew that Guzma would not appreciate it right now.

"My girl," said the doctor softly then from the hall.

Still looking at the unresponsive Guzma, she stepped out into the hall until the doorframe blocked her view of him and then turning to the doctor she muttered, "Yeah."

"Make him this tea," said the doctor handing her a packet of dried plant. "It should make him feel a little better. If it's a weakness, that's troubling him, this should rejuvenate him enough for a fitful sleep. At this point I think that sleep is the best thing for him, and maybe when we return he won't even know we've come, Addie and I."

"Sure, doc," said Plumeria taking the tea.

She followed him down the stairs and to the door with the anxious grunts.

"Give it to us straight, doc!" cried Sid suddenly.

"Yeah," agreed the others rushing the doctor.

"Is he gunna die?" "Will he ever recover?" "Is it catchable?" "What's wrong with him, doc?"

"Nothing's certain yet," the doctor replied having a little difficulty hiding his annoyance, "but you children know better than to be here. He might have caught it from this old dilapidated place. I always thought it should be torn down. You should go with Nanu and he'll find a place for you to spend the night."

He pointed to the fallen chandelier in the middle of one of the landings of the stairs. "This place is a disaster waiting to happen in more ways than one in such a wet place with no one taking care of it since the eighties. Not even pokémon make their homes here. Think about that."

"Oh, that chandelier didn't fall cuz of being dilipated," said a grunt.

"Yeah, that was Zach having a battle out with Hiro," said Tessa.

"They're both gone, yo," said Sid.

"And good riddance," muttered another grunt.

Plumeria sighed. "We'll be gone after you have your audino check him over," she promised.

The doctor nodded and left the house.

"Aw, c'mon, Big Sis," said Sid. "This place is cool."

"Not if that's how Guzma got sick," muttered Plumeria; though somehow she doubted that was the reason. She thought the doctor doubted it too.