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“Are you sure that we are in the correct path? You know, I’m really tired of walking around this freaking desert.” A young man dressed in a leather jacket with a hoodie, black pants and black combat boots spoke with difficulty, struggling to keep the sand away from his eyes.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop complaining? Of course we are in the correct path!” Another man dressed in the same manner answered loudly, making sure that he could be heard among the noise of the sandstorm that surrounded them. “As we both know, nature is capricious. But guess what? We are smarter than that! And once we find him, we will surely have a promotion in our hands!”

“I can’t believe it…” The other boy sighed in exasperation. “If our bosses sent us in this mission it’s because it’s very easy, they don’t think of us too highly, I can tell you that.”

“Nonsense, not everyone can go and slay such an important pokémon! Trust me, it will be awesome. Once they see us appear with that gross beast on our sack, we will become the heroes of Team Alkahest. Plus, shooting that thing in place shouldn’t be too hard, it’s known for being very lazy.”

The companion of that enthusiastic man complained to himself. “Why did they have to saddle me with this dude? He is dumb as a sack of rocks…”

Despite their bickering, the duo kept walking through the Haina Desert, armed with Max Repels to avoid being attacked by the multiple wild pokémon living here. The pair had no time to deal with what they considered “dumb wild pokémon”; they wanted to get the job done as soon as possible and go back to the headquarters of Team Alkahest where they would probably receive a pat on the back if at all. The two of them were among the newest grunts and so, they weren’t too appreciated by the rest of the team. They really hoped this mission would help change that, even if their outlooks about it were very different.

The cold of the night was also being very harsh on them, that was also another of the reasons they had to want to finish with their assignment as soon as possible. But, would it be as easy as they wanted to think? Would their target show no will to fight as they imagined, or would they deeply regret entering the sacred ruins hidden in the desert? That’s something only they could find out, that is if the strange disposition of the natural labyrinth they were trapped in allowed them to do so.

After walking for a while and giving even more rounds to the desert than they already did, the duo finally found something that indicated them of the proximity of their objective.

“Hey, do you see those totems over there?” The older man pointed enthusiastically to a small group of totems that framed an exit that wasn’t too far from them.

“Of course I do, Anakoni. That means we are already there.” With a determined smirk, the youngest grunt started to lead the way.

As they approached that exit, the sandstorm began to gain even more intensity, as if the whole wasteland tried to warn them about the dangers that their actions could entail. Everyone in Ula’Ula Island shows great respect to their guardian and nobody thinks that it’s one you would want to mess with. The whole Alola region knows what happened when a supermarket was built close to his ruins… But these two? These two didn’t care about that, this pair only wanted to show their organization that they are worthy of respect and that they can contribute greatly to their goals. Isn’t that what we all want after all? We all strive to gain recognition from our actions!

“Dude, you better tell them that we found him thanks to me!” Anakoni laughed as they were crossing the exit that would lead them to their destination.

“Look, you are not my boss. I will tell them whatever I want!” The companion answered bluntly.

“Okay calm down Alika, I was just joking! Sorta…”

And then, there they were; only a few meters separated them from entering the Ruins of Abundance. If everything went according to plan, their victim was unknowingly waiting for them there. Lots of vegetation grew around the entrance to the ruins, Anakoni and Alika were aware that this was his doing, but to them a few plants were nothing compared to what they had in store.
“Now it’s time to get our guns ready.” Alika announced with a face that mixed anticipation, aggressiveness and smugness, all at the same time.

And out of their jackets, the two grunts retrieved a heavy pistol, black with light blue accents. They were given these weapons expressly for that mission and they were told to not lose or break them, but Anakoni and Alika trusted themselves. Don’t they say that Fairy is weak to Steel? Then the job should be done soon.

The environment inside the ruins differed greatly from the desert; no more sandstorms were bothering them. Although they hated nature, the two grunts had to recognize that being there gave them a strange sensation of peace… But that was only the calm before the storm. Anakoni and Alika were disappointed as soon as they entered the ruins. Instead of finding the guardian face to face as they expected, there was some sort of puzzle that they had to complete first. In fact, they were informed about that by their bosses, but either they didn’t pay attention or they just forgot about it.

“What are we going to do about this?” Anakoni frowned as he stared at the huge stone blocks interposing on their way.

“Did you forget our training or what?” Alika said mockingly just before starting to climb one of the stone blocks. “Now do the same!”

He doubted for a little bit, but Anakoni finally started imitating his partner. They ran and jumped across all the obstacles until they finally found themselves in front of their true destination, the room where the guardian of Ula’Ula rested. They were just a few steps away from something that would luckily bring them some more recognition among the ranks of Team Alkahest.

A deathly silence descended as the two grunts entered that particular area. Two small sets of stairs led to a shrine in which a big totem sat, but there was no sight of what they came for. Alika and Anakoni already had their weapons ready, now they only had to wait until the guardian finally decided to appear, which would hopefully happen soon… Or not.

“Maybe we have to approach the shrine.” Anakoni suggested as he stared in awe at the totem, he almost felt as if he could perceive a presence coming from it.

“We will wait for a bit and if he doesn’t appear, then we will go to the shrine. Maybe he’s just out in the woods.” Alika already had his arm extended, convinced that it was just matter of time.

Only a few minutes went by, but to the duo it felt like an eternity. They were impatiently waiting for their target, who seemingly didn’t want to show up. Maybe he could tell that something was going down at his shrine but, if he was a good guardian, wouldn’t he try to go and see what was wrong? The rumors were probably true then; Ula’Ula had a lazy guardian that would just accomplish his duties if he felt like it. At least that was what our two grunts thought, they were sure that nothing could go wrong if it appeared due to his legendary (and rumored) indolence. But unfortunately for them, their minds were about to change radically.

“Do you hear that?” Anakoni hunched his shoulders all of sudden, almost dropping his gun in the process.

“No, what are you talking about?” In the other hand, Alika didn’t lower his guard at all.

“Just listen closely!”

After putting all their attention, both could hear a faint ringing sound, as if something coming from far away was getting closer and closer. That was more than startling, but they had to remain concentrated. Although…

“Wait Anakoni…” A drop of sweat went across Alika’s cheek. “Remember what the bosses told us?”

“No? Oh, wait…” Anakoni’s eyes widened after realizing what was going on.

“He is coming.” The older grunt got ready to pull the trigger, now knowing that their prey was almost there.

And sure enough, it only took a few more seconds until their target showed up. It was him.

Tapu Bulu.

The guardian bellowed aggressively as his eyes seemed to light up with fury. One thing that the team bosses forgot to tell their grunts was that Tapu Bulu doesn’t receive kindly evildoers that dare to enter his dwelling. Now Anakoni and Alika were in danger, but they refused to acknowledge that. They had a mission to accomplish and they were willing to do it no matter what, even if fear was paralyzing them.

“COME ON, SHOT ALREADY!” Alika hollered as he tried to shot his target down, but for some reason his finger kept failing at pulling the trigger.

“I-I’m trying, du-dude!” Anakoni was having the same problem.

While the grunts struggled with their weapons, Tapu Bulu pierced them with his stare, mentally cursing the intruders on his shrine. As a guardian, he was aware of the kind of people those two were and what their goal was. He was just waiting for the right moment to surprise them. Tapu Bulu was more than willing to give them tit for tat if it was necessary.

“I got it!” Anakoni exclaimed triumphantly as he finally pulled the trigger, but…

…the deity managed to dodge the bullet. How? Wasn’t he supposed to just stand there, lazily, even if that means being an easy target? Unfortunately for them, that’s not how Tapu Bulu works. In no time, Anakoni had Tapu Bulu floating right behind him, scrutinizing him with those eyes of his that looked so terrifying at that moment.

What they didn’t understand is that the pokémon was just doing what he was born for, but that’s not something that can go through Team Alkahest’s brain. To them, nature and everything related to it is vile, ugly and cruel. That’s why Anakoni and Alika are doing this in the first place, to Team Alkahest, the four island guardians are just a bothersome obstacle to their goal.

“Get him NOW!” Alika encouraged his partner, who had Tapu Bulu right in front of him. He only had to aim for the head and pull the trigger once. That was easy, right?

No.

As soon as he aimed, Tapu Bulu disappeared yet again. This time he was on top of the shrine. That was a sight that the grunts will never forget, just like they won’t forget all the things that happened next.

Relieved from having him further from them, Anakoni and Alika started shooting indiscriminately. They never saw Bulu move, not even once, but somehow the bullets didn’t affect him. Maybe they weren’t aiming correctly… And sure enough, the only things with bullet holes were the walls and the floor. The duo was even more nervous now, wasn’t that supposed to be easy breezy? More and more, they realized that they underestimated the power of Tapu Bulu, but that wasn’t enough to prepare them for what he did.

Vines started to grow around them as Tapu Bulu radiated a light green aura. First the plants imprisoned their feet, then their legs and in the blink of an eye, their whole body was tied by the vines. They were tied really tightly around them, to the point they began having difficulty to breathe. Eventually they dropped their guns too, unable to keep them in their hands. The tables turned at that moment. Tapu Bulu still stared at them from his shrine, but suddenly he started to approach them at a slow pace.

”Humans…” A deep voice resonated inside the heads of the two grunts. Was the guardian deity speaking to them?! ”You shame your whole species with your actions. Did you really think I would let myself to be mercilessly exterminated like that? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? My duty is to protect everyone living on this island, human or pokémon, from corrupted beings like you! Get ready to experience the guardian’s wrath…”

They two men would have pleaded for mercy and forgiveness if it wasn’t because they couldn’t speak out of shock from having heard a pokémon talk inside their minds. The duo could only watch as Tapu Bulu’s horns started to change their shape and size, now becoming bigger and sharper. Anakoni and Alika were sure that the outcome of this wouldn’t be good at all for them and now they even started questioning why they joined Team Alkahest. Did they truly hate nature like they were convinced or were they just bored and looked for an easy thrill? No matter what, it was too late for regrets.

Tapu Bulu got ready to charge and lowered his head. The two grunts didn’t know whether to close their eyes or just see how their end approached. At this point all they wanted was to finish with that, no matter what would happen to them. Almost as if he could read their mind, Tapu Bulu charged for them at an incredible speed, he was really going to slam into them. Tapu Bulu’s horns were so big that he could hit them both without a problem. Clearly, that was going to hurt.

But just a little.

Five hours later

The lights hurt. They hurt a lot. They barely can open their eyes, their whole body is damaged. They aren’t even sure of where they are right now but with a bit of courage, they finally open their eyes to find out.

Anakoni and Alika are now in a hospital room, each connected to a monitor that shows their vital signs. Their bodies are covered in bands and casts. They can’t believe they’re here!

“Are we alive?” Anakoni speaks with difficulty, the beating left him very weak.

“That’s what it seems…” Alika sighs as he tries to look at his partner, but his neck brace makes that impossible.

Right now they are alone in the room, but that changes in the bat of an eye as the door opens. A young woman with a tired expression enters the room. Her big, blue eyes look at the two injured men alternatively. She is carrying a bag with her from which she grabs two wads of cash and without saying a word, she throws each one of them to Anakoni and Alika’s beds respectively.

“This is just incredible. We thought you guys could bring Tapu Bulu to us but, not only you failed; you also got beaten up by him! The doctors are wondering how you survived and to be honest, so do I. But that’s not important at the moment.” The girl clears her throat. “I only came to communicate to the both of you that you have been fired from Team Alkahest. As you can see, I had the decency to bring your settlements. Now please, don’t ever come back to our headquarters.” And without saying anything else, the girl leaves.

Now these two will definitely have to find something else to entertain themselves, won’t they? At least they learned a valuable lesson from this.

Never threat a land spirit, they will defend themselves.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

“Are you sure that we are in the correct path? You know, I’m really tired of walking around this freaking desert.” A young man dressed in a leather jacket with a hoodie, black pants and black combat boots spoke with difficulty, struggling to keep the sand away from his eyes.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop complaining? Of course we are in the correct path!” Another man dressed in the same manner answered loudly, making sure that he could be heard among the noise of the sandstorm that surrounded them. “As we both know, nature is capricious. But guess what? We are smarter than that! And once we find him, we will surely have a promotion in our hands!”

“I can’t believe it…” The other boy sighed in exasperation. “If our bosses sent us in this mission it’s because it’s very easy, they don’t think of us too highly, I can tell you that.”

“Nonsense, not everyone can go and slay such an important pokémon! Trust me, it will be awesome. Once they see us appear with that gross beast on our sack, we will become the heroes of Team Alkahest. Plus, shooting that thing in place shouldn’t be too hard, it’s known for being very lazy.”

The companion of that enthusiastic man complained to himself. “Why did they have to saddle me with this dude? He is dumb as a sack of rocks…”

Despite their bickering, the duo kept walking through the Haina Desert, armed with Max Repels to avoid being attacked by the multiple wild pokémon living here. The pair had no time to deal with what they considered “dumb wild pokémon”; they wanted to get the job done as soon as possible and go back to the headquarters of Team Alkahest where they would probably receive a pat on the back if at all. The two of them were among the newest grunts and so, they weren’t too appreciated by the rest of the team. They really hoped this mission would help change that, even if their outlooks about it were very different.

The cold of the night was also being very harsh on them, that was also another of the reasons they had to want to finish with their assignment as soon as possible. But, would it be as easy as they wanted to think? Would their target show no will to fight as they imagined, or would they deeply regret entering the sacred ruins hidden in the desert? That’s something only they could find out, that is if the strange disposition of the natural labyrinth they were trapped in allowed them to do so.

After walking for a while and giving even more rounds to the desert than they already did, the duo finally found something that indicated them of the proximity of their objective.

“Hey, do you see those totems over there?” The older man pointed enthusiastically to a small group of totems that framed an exit that wasn’t too far from them.

“Of course I do, Anakoni. That means we are already there.” With a determined smirk, the youngest grunt started to lead the way.

As they approached that exit, the sandstorm began to gain even more intensity, as if the whole wasteland tried to warn them about the dangers that their actions could entail. Everyone in Ula’Ula Island shows great respect to their guardian and nobody thinks that it’s one you would want to mess with. The whole Alola region knows what happened when a supermarket was built close to his ruins… But these two? These two didn’t care about that, this pair only wanted to show their organization that they are worthy of respect and that they can contribute greatly to their goals. Isn’t that what we all want after all? We all strive to gain recognition from our actions!

“Dude, you better tell them that we found him thanks to me!” Anakoni laughed as they were crossing the exit that would lead them to their destination.

“Look, you are not my boss. I will tell them whatever I want!” The companion answered bluntly.

“Okay calm down Alika, I was just joking! Sorta…”

And then, there they were; only a few meters separated them from entering the Ruins of Abundance. If everything went according to plan, their victim was unknowingly waiting for them there. Lots of vegetation grew around the entrance to the ruins, Anakoni and Alika were aware that this was his doing, but to them a few plants were nothing compared to what they had in store.
“Now it’s time to get our guns ready.” Alika announced with a face that mixed anticipation, aggressiveness and smugness, all at the same time.

And out of their jackets, the two grunts retrieved a heavy pistol, black with light blue accents. They were given these weapons expressly for that mission and they were told to not lose or break them, but Anakoni and Alika trusted themselves. Don’t they say that Fairy is weak to Steel? Then the job should be done soon.

The environment inside the ruins differed greatly from the desert; no more sandstorms were bothering them. Although they hated nature, the two grunts had to recognize that being there gave them a strange sensation of peace… But that was only the calm before the storm. Anakoni and Alika were disappointed as soon as they entered the ruins. Instead of finding the guardian face to face as they expected, there was some sort of puzzle that they had to complete first. In fact, they were informed about that by their bosses, but either they didn’t pay attention or they just forgot about it.

“What are we going to do about this?” Anakoni frowned as he stared at the huge stone blocks interposing on their way.

“Did you forget our training or what?” Alika said mockingly just before starting to climb one of the stone blocks. “Now do the same!”

He doubted for a little bit, but Anakoni finally started imitating his partner. They ran and jumped across all the obstacles until they finally found themselves in front of their true destination, the room where the guardian of Ula’Ula rested. They were just a few steps away from something that would luckily bring them some more recognition among the ranks of Team Alkahest.

A deathly silence descended as the two grunts entered that particular area. Two small sets of stairs led to a shrine in which a big totem sat, but there was no sight of what they came for. Alika and Anakoni already had their weapons ready, now they only had to wait until the guardian finally decided to appear, which would hopefully happen soon… Or not.

“Maybe we have to approach the shrine.” Anakoni suggested as he stared in awe at the totem, he almost felt as if he could perceive a presence coming from it.

“We will wait for a bit and if he doesn’t appear, then we will go to the shrine. Maybe he’s just out in the woods.” Alika already had his arm extended, convinced that it was just matter of time.

Only a few minutes went by, but to the duo it felt like an eternity. They were impatiently waiting for their target, who seemingly didn’t want to show up. Maybe he could tell that something was going down at his shrine but, if he was a good guardian, wouldn’t he try to go and see what was wrong? The rumors were probably true then; Ula’Ula had a lazy guardian that would just accomplish his duties if he felt like it. At least that was what our two grunts thought, they were sure that nothing could go wrong if it appeared due to his legendary (and rumored) indolence. But unfortunately for them, their minds were about to change radically.

“Do you hear that?” Anakoni hunched his shoulders all of sudden, almost dropping his gun in the process.

“No, what are you talking about?” In the other hand, Alika didn’t lower his guard at all.

“Just listen closely!”

After putting all their attention, both could hear a faint ringing sound, as if something coming from far away was getting closer and closer. That was more than startling, but they had to remain concentrated. Although…

“Wait Anakoni…” A drop of sweat went across Alika’s cheek. “Remember what the bosses told us?”

“No? Oh, wait…” Anakoni’s eyes widened after realizing what was going on.

“He is coming.” The older grunt got ready to pull the trigger, now knowing that their prey was almost there.

And sure enough, it only took a few more seconds until their target showed up. It was him.

Tapu Bulu.

The guardian bellowed aggressively as his eyes seemed to light up with fury. One thing that the team bosses forgot to tell their grunts was that Tapu Bulu doesn’t receive kindly evildoers that dare to enter his dwelling. Now Anakoni and Alika were in danger, but they refused to acknowledge that. They had a mission to accomplish and they were willing to do it no matter what, even if fear was paralyzing them.

“COME ON, SHOT ALREADY!” Alika hollered as he tried to shot his target down, but for some reason his finger kept failing at pulling the trigger.

“I-I’m trying, du-dude!” Anakoni was having the same problem.

While the grunts struggled with their weapons, Tapu Bulu pierced them with his stare, mentally cursing the intruders on his shrine. As a guardian, he was aware of the kind of people those two were and what their goal was. He was just waiting for the right moment to surprise them. Tapu Bulu was more than willing to give them tit for tat if it was necessary.

“I got it!” Anakoni exclaimed triumphantly as he finally pulled the trigger, but…

…the deity managed to dodge the bullet. How? Wasn’t he supposed to just stand there, lazily, even if that means being an easy target? Unfortunately for them, that’s not how Tapu Bulu works. In no time, Anakoni had Tapu Bulu floating right behind him, scrutinizing him with those eyes of his that looked so terrifying at that moment.

What they didn’t understand is that the pokémon was just doing what he was born for, but that’s not something that can go through Team Alkahest’s brain. To them, nature and everything related to it is vile, ugly and cruel. That’s why Anakoni and Alika are doing this in the first place, to Team Alkahest, the four island guardians are just a bothersome obstacle to their goal.

“Get him NOW!” Alika encouraged his partner, who had Tapu Bulu right in front of him. He only had to aim for the head and pull the trigger once. That was easy, right?

No.

As soon as he aimed, Tapu Bulu disappeared yet again. This time he was on top of the shrine. That was a sight that the grunts will never forget, just like they won’t forget all the things that happened next.

Relieved from having him further from them, Anakoni and Alika started shooting indiscriminately. They never saw Bulu move, not even once, but somehow the bullets didn’t affect him. Maybe they weren’t aiming correctly… And sure enough, the only things with bullet holes were the walls and the floor. The duo was even more nervous now, wasn’t that supposed to be easy breezy? More and more, they realized that they underestimated the power of Tapu Bulu, but that wasn’t enough to prepare them for what he did.

Vines started to grow around them as Tapu Bulu radiated a light green aura. First the plants imprisoned their feet, then their legs and in the blink of an eye, their whole body was tied by the vines. They were tied really tightly around them, to the point they began having difficulty to breathe. Eventually they dropped their guns too, unable to keep them in their hands. The tables turned at that moment. Tapu Bulu still stared at them from his shrine, but suddenly he started to approach them at a slow pace.

”Humans…” A deep voice resonated inside the heads of the two grunts. Was the guardian deity speaking to them?! ”You shame your whole species with your actions. Did you really think I would let myself to be mercilessly exterminated like that? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? My duty is to protect everyone living on this island, human or pokémon, from corrupted beings like you! Get ready to experience the guardian’s wrath…”

They two men would have pleaded for mercy and forgiveness if it wasn’t because they couldn’t speak out of shock from having heard a pokémon talk inside their minds. The duo could only watch as Tapu Bulu’s horns started to change their shape and size, now becoming bigger and sharper. Anakoni and Alika were sure that the outcome of this wouldn’t be good at all for them and now they even started questioning why they joined Team Alkahest. Did they truly hate nature like they were convinced or were they just bored and looked for an easy thrill? No matter what, it was too late for regrets.

Tapu Bulu got ready to charge and lowered his head. The two grunts didn’t know whether to close their eyes or just see how their end approached. At this point all they wanted was to finish with that, no matter what would happen to them. Almost as if he could read their mind, Tapu Bulu charged for them at an incredible speed, he was really going to slam into them. Tapu Bulu’s horns were so big that he could hit them both without a problem. Clearly, that was going to hurt.

But just a little.

Five hours later

The lights hurt. They hurt a lot. They barely can open their eyes, their whole body is damaged. They aren’t even sure of where they are right now but with a bit of courage, they finally open their eyes to find out.

Anakoni and Alika are now in a hospital room, each connected to a monitor that shows their vital signs. Their bodies are covered in bands and casts. They can’t believe they’re here!

“Are we alive?” Anakoni speaks with difficulty, the beating left him very weak.

“That’s what it seems…” Alika sighs as he tries to look at his partner, but his neck brace makes that impossible.

Right now they are alone in the room, but that changes in the bat of an eye as the door opens. A young woman with a tired expression enters the room. Her big, blue eyes look at the two injured men alternatively. She is carrying a bag with her from which she grabs two wads of cash and without saying a word, she throws each one of them to Anakoni and Alika’s beds respectively.

“This is just incredible. We thought you guys could bring Tapu Bulu to us but, not only you failed; you also got beaten up by him! The doctors are wondering how you survived and to be honest, so do I. But that’s not important at the moment.” The girl clears her throat. “I only came to communicate to the both of you that you have been fired from Team Alkahest. As you can see, I had the decency to bring your settlements. Now please, don’t ever come back to our headquarters.” And without saying anything else, the girl leaves.

Now these two will definitely have to find something else to entertain themselves, won’t they? At least they learned a valuable lesson from this.

Never threat a land spirit, they will defend themselves.