The entire eastern side of Alola was drenched with heavy rain late that afternoon. It was no hurricane but the strong winds and booming thunder almost made it seem like both Akala and Ula'Ula island were in such a natural disaster.
Trudging through the thick mud on a beaten route, a man draped a thick silver coat over his head, shielding both himself and a squirming object pressed to his chest. It wailed as the thunder rang in its little ears.
The man carrying the baby grumbled to himself and carried on down the winding path, finally stopping at a massive concrete wall with large metal doors.
The figure let go of the coat and let it rest atop his head, frantically slamming a fist on the doors. It didn't take long for them to slowly open up, allowing the stranger to enter the city in silence.
The mysterious man was intimidated by the abandoned appearance of the town, hesitating to take a step further. Thankfully for him, though, someone was approaching, a woman with long pink hair and yellow highlights.
She crossed her arms and gave him a suspicious glare. "Are ya lost, buddy?" She asked the man, keeping her intimidating stare as she stepped closer.
The woman paused hearing the child in his arms, raising a brow curiously.
"I'm not lost, I'm here to drop this off. Tell your boss or whatever he is now to take it and leave my daughter alone, or I'll deal with him myself!" He shoved the child into the woman's arms, then angrily dropped a letter at her feet before storming off, disappearing into the thick sheets of rain.
The woman blinked in confusion, holding the child in disbelief. She was able to piece two-and-two together, knowing who the man was and scoffed. "Well, good riddance to him. That bastard."
A short man with blue hair ran up, "Big sis! What'cha got there, huh?" He flinched when the object in her arms began to wail, eyes wide in shock; "Yo, is that a BABY?! The heck you doin' with one of those?!"
"Numbskull, did you not just see the man runnin' off?" Plumeria scolded, then pointed to the letter as she began to gently shush the infant. "Could you grab that, Tupper? We're takin' both these to Guzma."
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At the back of Po Town, the shady house stood battered and broken under the storm, just barely strong enough to hold out the nasty weather to protect its occupants. Some holes in the ceiling dripped water into buckets, not even the wood patching up said holes could protect the floors from the powerful rain.
Plumeria carried the child inside, constantly trying to get it to stop crying to no avail.
Tupper, following close behind, held his hands over his ears and groaned, "Shut that thing up, will ya? It's hurtin' my head!" He immediately cowered when she raised a hand in his direction, threatening to smack him.
"It's just a baby, Tupper. It ain't gonna just do whatever ya want, it's probably hungry." She continued up a broken staircase, following a filthy and torn rug to a pair of double-doors. She used her shoulder to push them open with her hands a little occupied at that moment.
Just to the left of the room was a tall, burly man and a couple of others frantically attempting to board up a hole in the ceiling that let the rain come pouring inside. Two of the three smaller figures held buckets all under the hole, while the third helped to try and nail boards into the ceiling.
"This ain't gonna hold all the rain but it'll do for now. Thanks, guys." The man said to his comrades, giving them a thumbs up.
"Guzma, I need to talk with you." Plumeria approached the group, the cold, blank expression on her face softening. "It's important."
"Sure, what's up, Plums?" Guzma chuckled and stepped off an old ladder until hearing the child's cries in her arms. He frowned and looked at the woman puzzled, "Eh, why do ya got a baby with ya? Where did it come from?"
Plumeria pulled away the blanket wrapped around it. "A man came to the doors and said to give it to you. I think it's Emelina's." Her saddened expression worsened when seeing the shocked look on her friend's face.
She stepped aside to gesture to Tupper, who looked just as surprised as Guzma hearing what the woman had said. "He also dropped a letter for you."
Guzma took the letter first, ripping it open and reading it carefully. His eyes danced around the single page of messy handwriting, his large hands gripped the paper before ripping it in half.
He grabbed his head and yelled with rage, "THAT BASTARD'S GONNA BE THE ONE TO GET IT IF HE EVER SHOWS HIS STUPID MUG 'ROUND HERE AGAIN!!" He slammed a fist against the nearest wall.
His outburst caused one of the boards he just nailed into the ceiling to collapse, allowing the rainwater to fill the buckets on the floor again. The loud clattering noises from the wooden boards startled the infant, making its cries grow louder.
Plumeria shook her head as she cradled the child, "Guzma, breakin' things and screamin' ain't gonna change anything. Just forget about Emelina, she ain't worth it. But it's clear this is your kid. Don't tell me your gonna ignore it just because of a grudge. It ain't its fault, y'know."
One of the young ladies near the broken ceiling ran up to Plumeria, looking down at the child and smiling. "It's so cute! Wait- shouldn't we see if it's a li'l guy or gal so we ain't always callin' it an 'it'?" She asked.
"It can be an it if it wants to be!" Another one of the young ladies spat.
Plumeria rolled her eyes, "Well for now-"
"Lemme see it!" Guzma, still angry about the letter he had read, snatched the baby from Plumeria and held it out to examine its face.
Because of how he held it, the blanket around the baby fell, revealing it wasn't even wearing a diaper. With a forced grin, Guzma immediately gave the baby back to Plumeria. "Problem solved; it's a boy."
The others in the room all snickered.
Plumeria rolled her eyes while she reached down to grab the blanket and wrap it back around the little boy. "Guzma...do you even care that he's your son?"
Guzma crossed his arms, frowning sadly and looking back at the infant. "'Course I do. Just...I need time to process all this. 'Specially that damn letter. I still can't believe she left..."
"Well, if it helps. She left this li'l guy too, so you got somethin' in common with him. And you ain't gonna be raising him alone either. We're all here."
Guzma thought about it for a moment, hiding the fact that all of what was happening was bringing him to tears. One of the few moments he actually showed vulnerability to his peers.
Quickly turning away to rub his eyes and conceal his face from the others, he let out a bit of a chortle. "Heh, guess you're right then. But don't go thinkin' I was gonna just kick the li'l guy out."
He then turned back around, smirking and holding up a fist. "He's one of us now! Ya hear? And we're gonna raise 'im up to be big and strong!"
"Did that letter there say he had a name?" One woman questioned, pointing to the torn up piece of paper on the floor.
Their boss shook his head, "Nope. But it don't matter anyhow! Cause we're gonna give him a name that'll knock people's socks off just hearin' it! When they see him waltzin' down the street they'll know not to mess with the likes of him!"
"So, what'll be the li'l booger's name then?" Tupper asked before Plumeria elbowed him in the gut.
She noticed the infant finally stopped crying, letting out a sigh of relief.
However, she wasn't too surprised to see that Guzma didn't have an immediate answer to Tupper's question. "I'm sure we can all help find a name for him, Guzma." She mentioned to the man, seeing him struggle to come up with any ideas.
"Ooh! Ooh! Whaddya think 'bout Bruno?" One woman called out, raising her hand.
"Nah, nah, that's a name for lame singers! Think tougher!" The other woman shouted, "Like Turbo! Turbo's a wicked tough name!"
Guzma slapped a hand over his face hearing his friends blurting out random, and quite absurd names.
He approached the former grunts and shook his head. "You're all makin' fools of yourselves here! If anythin', this kid's dad has to be the one to name him! So I say he'll be called- Skips, son of Guzma!"
"What about Koji?"
"Koji, son of Guz- wait..." Guzma looked to Plumeria, who had a pretty smug look on her face, still holding the child.
Her smile grew wider, looking down at the infant. "I vote that his name be Koji. It means 'little'. Since he's so small, it's fitting, don't you think?"
The former grunts all looked at one another, seeming to agree with her.
Guzma put his hands on his hips with confidence, dipping his head with pride. "Alright then! His name shall be Koji, son of Guzma! Or- Koji for short!"
"His full name shouldn't have yours in it too..." Plumeria glared at her friend, who just laughed and shrugged.
"Eh, would be better with it in there, y'know? It'd add toughness to it!"
Plumeria rolled her eyes, "It'd scream to everyone that he's got an egotistical father..."
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The following morning, the storm had subsided, bringing a welcoming warmth to the cloudless sky.
A man, somewhat middle-aged, entered Po Town with an expression that appeared bored, yet content. Following by his side as an Alolan Persian, who observed her surroundings with a sly grin.
Just before entering the shady house, the man could hear arguing and child-like wailing. Mystified by the new sounds melding with more familiar, yet annoying noises coming from inside, he entered the building and traveled up the stairs.
Upon reaching the largest room, he noticed a group of distressed grunts on their knees and plugging their ringing ears. In the center of the room, Guzma and Plumeria were both struggling to quiet down baby Koji, who was red in the face crying so loudly.
Astounded by the sight, the man spoke up over the upset child; "The hell is going on here?!"
"Boss' ex-girlfriend left him this brat and we dunno how to shut the thing up!" One of the young men responded, just barely removing his hands from his ears just to be able to hear himself talk.
Guzma grabbed the old man by the shoulders, bags under his eyes and looking like he was on the verge of going insane, "Help us, Nanu! He's been cryin' since early this morning, we dunno what to do!"
"Have you ever thought of asking Kukui and Burnet for help?" Nanu immediately answered with an unamused glare. "I barely know a thing about raising a kid, so I'd be no help. But they would."
Guzma was silent, clearly not having thought of what Nanu suggested. He looked behind him at Plumeria; "We're goin' to MeleMele Island, NOW!"
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Waves crashed onto the sandy shores, a small house sat on the beach, just far enough away to avoid the rising tides.
Guzma, Plumeria, and Nanu entered the home, being welcomed inside by a muscular man with only a lab coat over his shirtless body.
Koji was still weeping, his cries reverberating against the wooden walls.
"Gee, he's got quite a strong pair of lungs on him. No doubt, he's starving!" Kukui said to Guzma, shaking his head and heading into the little kitchen to the left of the room.
Guzma watched him in surprise, "We've only been here for 5 seconds! How the hell did ya know that just by lookin' at him?!"
"Guzma, I've already been through this with Rei and Luana, I know how to tell when a baby is hungry." Kukui laughed at his oblivious friend, he dug through cabinets for an empty bottle and then the refrigerator for some other things. "When we get this little guy fed and settled down, I'll give you some of Luana's extra baby stuff for him to last you a few days, then you need to get more yourself."
While Kukui was preparing what couldn't be anything else than a bottle of formula for Koji, a little girl ran up from the staircase hidden behind an aquarium, followed by a playful Lycanroc and throwing a ball across the room.
The girl paused seeing the three guests, brushing her bright silver hair back away from her yellow eyes. When hearing the baby crying she looked behind at the staircase, "Mommy! Mr. Guzma's crying again! He's getting better at sounding like a real baby!"
"What?! I ain't cryin'! Do ya see tears rolling down my face?!" Guzma leaned down to show the girl his eyes, holding Koji while doing so.
Luana ran up to Guzma, ignoring him completely and looking at the baby in his arms. "Oh." She looked at the stairs again, seeing her mother was already walking up to see what the commotion was about, followed by a young boy. "Nevermind, mommy! It's an actual baby!"
"What?" Burnet rushed toward the group, seeing the infant in Guzma's arms. Without hesitation, she grabbed the baby from his arms and began to rock it, pacing around the room with Koji.
Nanu chuckled and shook his head; "Funny to see Burnet go into 'mom-mode' the moment she sees a baby." He made himself comfortable and sat on the couch, soon being joined by the little girl. "How are you doing, Luana?" He asked with a smile.
"I ate a bug today!" She replied almost immediately, crawling up to him and grabbing the z-crystal tied around his neck to have a better look at it.
Nanu's smile shifted into concern, looking down at Luana with a raised brow. "Oh..?"
"They were Grubbin Gummies, not real bugs." Kukui glanced over to clear up what his youngest said to the kahuna, leaving the kitchen to hand a baby bottle to his wife.
Burnet took the bottle and held it to little Koji's face. The infant was quick to take the nipple of the bottle and drink up the formula hungrily, quieting down now.
A sigh of relief filled the room, Guzma hit his knees and groaned, "Thank Arceus..."
"So, where did he come from?" Burnet asked Guzma, looking at him worriedly. "He doesn't even look older than a few weeks. Poor thing..."
Plumeria stepped forward, crossing her arms and sadly shaking her head. "Guzma's ex-girlfriend, Emelina...last night, her father brought Koji to Po Town and only left a letter with him. The letter didn't say much about the baby but it sure said nasty things to Guzma. Emelina must've wanted nothing to do with him and left the kid for Guzma to care for instead of being a real mom."
Kukui removed his hat to scratch his head, frowning deeply and exhaling sharply. "I don't understand why someone would go through all that trouble to abandon their child...it's not their fault that something bad happened in their life."
"My best guess is that dad of Emelina's could be the real one behind all this mess. I never thought of her as the type to do something like this. Even if she did leave Guzma on such a sour note." Nanu added, rubbing his forehead and briefly taking a look out the window to his left.
Plumeria seemed to agree, nodding her head slowly. "It was that old fart that brought Koji to us last night, and he even left threatening Guzma to never be seen in the same place as Emelina. It would make sense if he were the one who forced her to abandon Koji."
Kukui and Burnet watched the infant with guilt in their eyes, then looked to Guzma.
"Guzma..." Burnet spoke up first, "What if you stayed here with us for a few days so we can show you how to take care of Koji? I hope you don't plan on giving him away-"
"Course I ain't, do I look like the kind of chump to just abandon my own kid because I ain't with his mom anymore?" Guzma stood up off the floor, turning to face his back toward the group and resting an arm against the wall. "You guys already know I never had a great father, I wanna be different than him. With your help or not, I'm gonna try to be the best dad this kid's ever seen."
Kukui smiled, "I'm really glad to hear that, Guzma. Does that mean you'll stay with us? You don't have to stay long if you don't want to."
Guzma dipped his head slowly, turning back to face his friends again. "As long as you guys don't mind helping me learn HOW to be a dad, then I'll stay for however long it takes."
"Yay!" Luana jumped off the couch and ran around Guzma happily; "Sleepover with Mr. Guzma!" She ran up to her older brother next to their mom and tugged at his arm; "Aren't you excited, Rei?!"
"Eh, I suppose..?" The young boy looked to his mom with concern, not feeling any better seeing her laugh.
"Guess I'm helping Plumeria hold down the fort at Po Town until you're back, I suppose?" Nanu asked Guzma with a grin, "Someone's gotta make sure that place doesn't actually collapse."
"Whatever ya wanna do. I don't care." Guzma looked over to Nanu with a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders.