Chapter 0795: Earth Defense Squad, Mobilize!(Two-in-One)

Hau’oli City, Scenic Beach.

Three masked Team Skull Members stood on the low-tide beach, surrounding a blond young man.

At his side stood a fierce, dark-silver beast clad in battle armor, its head trapped in a heavy mask, eyes deep and wary.

If the Rotom Pokédex were present, it would easily recognize this as the artificial Pokémon—Type: Null.

The Team Skull Members looked tense, maintaining their circle as they whispered to each other:

“What… what kind of Pokémon is that?”

“I’ve never seen one before, and it took down a Garbodor in a single move!”

Gladion’s eyes were icy as he stepped forward, causing the Team Skull trio to quickly retreat. When Gladion stood still, the three immediately reformed the circle.

“You—stay right here!” the leader of the Team Skull trio barked, putting up a tough front. “Boss Guzma will be here soon!”

Type: Null growled with a menacing rumble, prompting the three to jump back in fear until Gladion stopped it with a raised hand.

If I relied only on my Pokémon’s strength to frighten people, I’d be no better than these thugs.

Gladion folded his arms. “I’ll beat Guzma fair and square—with a proper Pokémon battle.”

And then… Gladion’s gaze sharpened, ready to demand answers about Nebby’s whereabouts, and what Aether Foundation and his mother were planning!

The tense air crackling between them, the palm grove suddenly rang with a dramatic voice over the wind.

“No need for you to get involved, kid!”

“The Alola Region is under OUR protection from now on, meow~”

The Team Skull small boss whirled around to see two figures perched atop a tree. He shouted:

“Who’s there?! Show yourselves!”

Shff, shff, shff!

Casting a glance to the corner, a Mimikyu used “Confuse Ray” like a professional stagehand, casting an eerie spotlight as Gladion momentarily stared.

Bathed in light, the man and woman atop the tree stood back to back.

“With grace enough to shame the moon and flowers,” Jessie wore a casual button-up and sun hat.

“Soaring with draconic flair and dashing charm,” James—floral shirt and sunglasses askew, a rose in hand.

“Bound together in bloom and fate’s embrace,” Meowth’s coin gleamed on his brow.

With a dramatic flourish, they tore off their disguises, revealing the classic white “R” uniforms. The trio declared with booming voices:

“Team Rocket—ready for action!”

Wobbuffet saluted smartly, while Mimikyu gave a chilling hiss.

The scene froze in awkward silence. Gladion put a hand to his forehead.

A pink-haired team member whispered to the small boss:

“Boss, their entrance lines… are much cooler than ours…”

“Zip it!” the boss snapped. “They’re just a courier service! As if they could interfere with Alola’s Team Skull!”

“I heard Team Plasma over in Unova was taken down by Team Rocket,” the chubby member said nervously.

“What…what?! That’s news to me!”

With a smooth leap, the trio landed from the treetop, recalling their plan from just half an hour ago.

Can’t let that “melon-head glasses girl” hog all the glory!

According to Team Rocket intel, Executive’s current mission was confronting Team Skull—so why not help out, too?

“Hey! Blondie!” Jessie shouted. “Get out of here—leave these punks to us!”

Gladion stood his ground, frowning slightly.

Rather than act recklessly, better to stay put and wait for Guzma to arrive.

“Didn’t you hear me?!”

Jessie rounded on the Team Skull Members tossing out Poké Balls, shouting, “Mimikyu, get in there!”

Mimikyu’s voice gave a chilling hiss. James, puzzled, muttered, “What’s it saying?”

Meowth paled, “It’s…uh, not language for kids, meow…”

“Never mind…” Jessie massaged her temples, then barked, “Wobbuffet, Counter—now!”

“Wobbuffet!” Wobbuffet stood alone against a trio of Golbat. Air Slash blades flew in, but Wobbuffet’s Mirror Coat gleamed bright—and every attack was sent slamming back!

BAM!!

In seconds, three Golbat hit the sand in a heap, eyes spinning.

Gladion’s eyes went wide.

Such a powerful Wobbuffet… Even Type: Null’s offense couldn’t break that Mirror Coat!

“Stop!”

The sudden shout froze the scene.

Guzma, Team Skull’s boss, marched over with a crowd of henchmen. Members blocked the beach entrance, forming a wall to block citizens.

Groups of Hau’oli City locals gathered at the edge of the marketplace, whispering anxiously. An old man rushed into the backyard, dragging out a Tauros as he yelled:

“You punks—get outta here, now!”

Team Skull Members, mostly local kids from single-parent or absentee families, were familiar faces to the shopkeepers and replied with awkward grins:

“No worries, sir, we’re packing up soon!”

Compared to the cold and distant Lumiose City, Hau’oli City shone with Alola’s warmth and camaraderie.

Other Trainers stepped forward to protest Team Skull’s blockade of the beach, warning that Officer Jenny was on her way.

Guzma glanced at the commercial district, making a “tch” sound, then addressed Team Rocket:

“I don’t care whose grunts you are. But here in Alola, we follow Alola’s rules!”

Jessie and James locked eyes.

After all they’d been through with Executive, facing Team Skull roused neither anger nor excitement—just a touch of sympathy.

That mix of isolation, Alolan family bonds, tradition clashing with change and technology—

“Ever think of changing jobs?” James offered kindly. “I mean, the way Team Rocket did—try something new, maybe like… home renovation?”

Guzma paused, offended. “What—are you looking down on me?!”

James hesitated. Guzma reminded him of too many familiar, blurred old shadows.

“Enough talk—let’s settle this with a one-on-one battle!” Guzma gripped his Poké Ball, teeth clenched. “If you win, you can stay. If you lose, that guy’s gonna apologize for hurting my men!”

Gladion strode forward: “One more condition.”

“If I win…”

Guzma stiffened. Gladion’s eyes were sharp as glass.

“You tell me where Cosmog is.”

……

Far overhead, the R-shaped logo of a Team Rocket airship glinted in the sun.

Matori sat at the controls, eyes narrowed as she watched the surveillance footage.

“Those three idiots… they’re confronting Team Skull directly?”

Team Skull was a product of Alola’s unique social background—incomplete education on one hand, culture clash and rapid tech on the other.

Lost boys and girls, unwilling to fit in but with nowhere else to go, found family in Team Skull.

The best way to reintegrate Team Skull wasn’t battling—invest in Alola’s economy, hire Team Skull as staff.

This was Matori’s coldly perfect, flawless plan.

The trio’s impulsive actions forced her to weigh a new course.

Matori lapsed into silence, a flash of her rival Oleana’s cold face running through her mind.

What would Oleana do…?

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

“If that’s the case—help Alola form its own league, break Aether Foundation’s monopoly, and let league matches revitalize Alola’s economy—just like the Galar League!”

If Alola’s economy grew, Team Skull would gradually fade away.

And Rocket Delivery would have a foothold in Alola, too.

Guzma and Kukui were both Hala’s apprentices, but Guzma, disillusioned by “Island Trials” and other outdated traditions, founded Team Skull.

Professor Kukui, by contrast, sought to create an Alola League—to solve Alola’s homegrown ills.

They clashed, yet both had Alola’s future in mind.

Now, Professor Kukui’s vision aligned with Matori’s own plans.

A flicker of self-satisfaction made Matori pat her own shoulder and blush.

Oops… I’m starting to turn into the Executive myself…

‘Matori Matrix’ was Matori’s handpicked elite squad, handling intelligence, PR, battles, and more—earning praise from Boss Giovanni himself.

Matori spoke crisply:

“Don’t worry about those three fools. Matori Matrix—top priority, conduct public support polling for the new league!”

On the monitor, Gladion and Guzma’s battle neared its climax.

Type: Null charged in, blasting Golisopod off its feet. Team Skull Members gasped, as did beachside citizens.

Guzma stared in disbelief.

……

“How… How can this be…” Guzma slumped in defeat.

Even as Hala’s pupil, how could I lose to a mere kid?!

“You fought with Golisopod relying on nothing but experience.”

Gladion folded his arms, elbow to his side. “But Pokémon battles aren’t that simple.”

“Strategy, moves, timing, weaknesses… and bonds.”

Gladion closed his eyes, recalling lessons from Kanto and Natsume. Opening his blue eyes, he added:

“Trusting only experience means clinging to outdated ideas. You’ll lose every time!”

“Tch… Shut up… You don’t know anything!” Guzma shouted hysterically.

Guzma had grown up poor but kind-hearted; his parents’ dream was for him to become an Island Captain. As a boy, he passed the trial, but for his ruthless style, he was removed from the list.

His apprentice brother Kukui returned as Alola’s first Pokémon Professor while Guzma drifted.

“Just imaging life stuck on these four islands gives me chills,” he’d said.

Guzma tried to break with tradition, fought Kukui’s dreams of an Alola League—fearing it led to another dead end.

To change everything, he allied with Faba, believing Ultra Beasts would offer a way out for Alola.

But now, this young yet powerful Gladion brought nothing but boiling jealousy and defeat.

“What do you know? You’re Aether Foundation’s golden boy, born with a silver spoon!” Guzma howled.

His followers looked down, one speaking softly: “Let’s go home, boss.”

“You lost the battle—no reason to stay…”

Under the citizens’ silent stares,

Guzma vented his frustration with one last roar, turned as if to storm away, then paused, honoring his promise, and replied gruffly,

“Cosmog was taken by Faba… Your mother doesn’t know. Go to the Space Research Institute—maybe you’ll catch him there.”

Gladion’s eyes widened. “What is Faba trying to do?!”

Guzma stalked off, hands in pockets. “Who knows.”

Team Skull Members drifted after him.

The Team Rocket trio’s ears perked up, their moods shifting.

Meowth asked, “Should we call the Executive, meow?”

“If we hand Cosmog to the Executive, isn’t that a bigger win than her getting it herself?” James said, rubbing his palms.

Jessie gave a sly chuckle. “Then that ‘melon-head glasses girl’ can’t steal our thunder!”

The trio gazed into the sky, thought bubbles spinning out:

Sylveon, huffing on the sidelines, a shadow in the dark patting Meowth’s head…

The Team Rocket trio steeled themselves. “Let’s get to the Space Research Institute now!”

Forest, inside a tree hollow.

Bewear, arms full of berries, glanced upstairs. Voices drifted down from the Team Rocket’s secret base.

“Bewear~” Satisfied, Bewear smiled, feeding some honey to Stufful.

On the second floor, three plushie versions of James, Jessie, and Meowth, with recorders inside, replayed their voices:

“So that’s how it is…”

“Exactly, meow.”

For half a day, Bewear noticed nothing wrong—a calm before the storm.

……

Dong, dong.

Trainer School. Komala rang the end-of-class bell.

Gengar packed up his “textbook,” realizing he didn’t actually own one, so he just shuffled someone’s notebook and nodded to himself in satisfaction.

During break, students huddled together, worried faces.

“Natsume-sensei’s been gone a whole period and still hasn’t come back,” Mallow said.

“It’s my fault for not watching Nebby better,” Ash sighed.

Lillie comforted, “Nebby’s terribly mischievous. No one could really stop it from teleporting… But Natsume-sensei will definitely bring Nebby back.”

“Hey, check this out!” Sophocles called, his notebook computer displaying Hau’oli City news.

“There’s a video! Someone’s fighting Team Skull!”

He hit play. Lillie watched the screen: a blond young man. Her eyes widened.

“Brother?!”

Thunk!

The students looked up, surprised as Professor Kukui entered, his face unusually serious.

“Lillie, come with me.”

He frowned, caught up by news from his wife, Professor Burnet, at the Space Research Institute.

Lillie’s mother—Lusamine, President of Aether Paradise—had faced a major Ultra Beast breakout, causing chaos.

This involved Lillie’s family; there was no hiding it from her.

Lillie stood stunned, flustered. “Then… what should I do, Professor?”

Kukui composed himself, smiled, and put his hands on his hips. “Afternoon classes are canceled.”

“Lillie, let’s invite everyone to Aether Paradise for a visit, and see all the Pokémon there!”

Though Ultra Beasts were on the loose, Kukui trusted his students’ strength; they were Alola’s rising core.

Kiawe, the youngest to clear an Island Trial; Ash, Lumiose Conference Champion.

Sophocles’ hacking skills made him a valuable asset, and with Mallow and Lana’s company, Lillie would stay calm.

Besides, Kukui and Natsume-sensei would be present.

Kukui’s gaze became grave.

He hoped Aether Paradise, the Space Research Institute, and Lillie herself would all pull through this crisis safely!

……

International Police, UB Countermeasures Division.

In the round table meeting room, “Handsome” Detective arranged his evidence: photos, gene samples, audio files comparing Nihilego’s cry.

“So you think that, without Lusamine’s knowledge, Faba’s itching to act—releasing Nihilego to cause a distraction, while using Nebby to open Ultra Wormholes?”

Natsume glanced at Anabel, clad in black suit and gloves, seated across from him.

“With the Ultra Defense Team cutting into Faba’s old authority—and now the International Police involved—he’s desperate,” Anabel said.

“Gaining control of Ultra Beasts by opening the Ultra Wormhole is Faba’s last throw of the dice.”

“Why is he so confident?” Natsume asked.

“According to the UB Countermeasures Division scientists, under Nihilego’s aura, Nebby will open a path to the ‘Ultra Deep Sea’.”

“And the Ultra Deep Sea is swarming with Nihilego—a species most susceptible to control by frequency and aura.”

Natsume nodded, then asked, “Why have I never met this scientist?”

Handsome Detective looked slightly awkward. “Because that scientist… is still doing time in prison.”

Natsume stiffened, picturing a certain mad scientist.

Even as they were dragged away, he’d shouted, “Next time, I’ll research Pokémon from outer space!”

Natsume’s tone was complex. “Don’t tell me I was the one who caught him…”

“That’s the one.”

Anabel nodded. “Team Plasma’s former chief scientist—the one who controlled Kyurem—Colress.”

“He’s working off his sentence. His passion and expertise with Ultra Beast research impressed superiors, so now he’s providing remote technical support.”

“He’s quite content with his work,” Anabel added calmly. “With enough research papers, he claims, he can eat three bowls of rice per meal.”

Images of Colress commanding Kyurem, crashing the Plasma Frigate, flashed through Natsume’s mind.

“He didn’t even get peanuts,” Natsume muttered. “Jail really is a breeding ground for talent...”

“It’s time, Chief.”

Handsome, coat flapping, eyes sharp:

“The mastermind’s about to emerge—let’s give him a surprise!”

Natsume steepled his fingers in front of his nose, a glint in his eye.

The innocent are blameless. Lusamine here is a “good mother” in the anime; her only fault was trusting the wrong people, searching for her lost husband.

Faba could frame the Nihilego release as Lusamine’s “collection habits,” then use Nebby to reach the Ultra Deep Sea and control a legion of Nihilego.

With International Police and the Aether Foundation collaborating, he was forced to accelerate his plan.

“Anabel, Handsome, come with me to the Space Research Institute—we’re arresting Faba—”

Natsume’s eyes flashed, his voice ringing with command:

“Earth Defense Squad, mobilize!”

“It’s called the Ultra Defense Team,” Anabel whispered quietly.

“Same thing!”