In a golden blur too fast for the human eye to track, Arcanine collided with the airborne Salazzle. The impact sent the lizard Pokemon flying backward, crashing directly into its trainer before both slammed into the town gate with a resounding BOOM!
The entire gate structure shuddered from the impact.
As both Salazzle and trainer slid down the stone wall, an amusing contrast presented itself, while the Pokemon's eyes swirled in unconsciousness, its trainer was foaming at the mouth.
Dapa, Zipp, and Rapp stared at John with naked fear in their eyes.
Then, like any self-respecting Team Skull members, they turned and ran.
"Intruder at the base! Everyone come quick!" they shouted while fleeing, inadvertently doing John a favor by forcing open the previously closed gate.
John calmly stepped forward, umbrella in one hand to shield him from the downpour. He bent down and plucked a Totem Sticker from the unconscious gatekeeper's pocket.
"Definitely not a coincidence," John thought with satisfaction as he added the sticker to his growing collection.
Walking through the gate, John got his first full view of Po Town.
Broken glass littered the rain-soaked streets, with last year's newspapers occasionally tumbling by on gusts of wind. Crooked streetlamps flickered ominously, casting eerie shadows. Abandoned cars sat at odd angles, while bizarre graffiti covered nearly every surface. The scene resembled a post-apocalyptic movie set more than a town in the typically cheerful Alola region.
Most surprising were the buildings themselves, each of the roughly 30 structures was actually a luxury villa. This had clearly once been Ula'ula Island's wealthiest neighborhood before Team Skull moved in.
Team Skull members poked their heads out from various villas to investigate the commotion. Several ventured into the street, releasing their Pokemon and glaring at John, poised to attack at any moment.
"Thirteen of them," John noted, quickly assessing the assembled grunts and their Pokemon.
A quick scan with his Gameboy revealed their levels:
John almost laughed. These weren't threats, they were walking Totem Stickers! In his mind, Team Skull members had been reclassified from "Trainers" to "Sticker Dispensers."
"That's thirteen more stickers," John calculated eagerly. "Add those to my 72, and I'll have 85. Just 15 more and I can claim that Totem Kommo-o!"
With newfound purpose, John tossed a Pokeball into the air.
The ninja frog Pokemon materialized with graceful precision, immediately slamming both webbed hands against the ground.
From nowhere, a massive ten-meter wave rose behind Greninja, towering higher than many of the villas and nearly reaching the top of Po Town's surrounding walls.
The Team Skull members panicked.
"Attack! Block the waves with ice-type Pokemon!" "Run and get the boss! We can't handle this!"
Some foolishly thought they could freeze the oncoming tidal wave. Others, showing rare good judgment for Team Skull, turned to flee.
Neither approach made any difference.
The unstoppable wall of water crashed through Po Town, demolishing dilapidated villas as it swept forward with devastating force. Those who tried to escape quickly learned whether their speed could outpace the rushing torrent.
As the wave surged forward, John's Gameboy lit up with battle notifications:
[Defeat Salazzle LV54, Greninja gains 2712 EXP, Arcanine with Exp. Share gains 2811 EXP]
[Defeat Muk LV55, Greninja gains 2834 EXP, Arcanine with Exp. Share gains 3007 EXP]
[Arcanine leveled up! Current level: 57]
When the waters finally receded, the destruction was impressive. For nearly 300 meters ahead of John, not a single villa remained standing—all had collapsed into sodden ruins. Only a Pokemon Center at the far end of town had somehow survived the deluge. John guessed it must be an unofficial center serving only Team Skull members.
His single Surf attack had defeated at least thirty Pokemon.
"Now that's efficient grinding," John thought with satisfaction. "Much faster than individual battles!"
"Gardevoir, retrieve those Totem Stickers," John commanded, releasing another Pokeball.
The elegant psychic Pokemon emerged and immediately used Confusion to scan the flooded area, focusing especially on the waterlogged Team Skull members who had been knocked unconscious by the wave.
Like metallic butterflies, more than a dozen Totem Stickers floated out from various pockets and bags, flying gracefully through the air before landing in John's outstretched hand.
"One, two, three..." John counted methodically.
When the final sticker was secured, his total had reached exactly 85.
"So each Team Skull member definitely drops one sticker," John concluded, confirming his theory.
Perfect! Now, where were the rest of them?
Looking ahead, he spotted the three original grunts—Dapa, Zipp, and Rapp—sprinting toward the last standing building at the far end of Po Town.
"Number 88," John muttered to himself.
The fleeing grunts suddenly found themselves lifted by an invisible force, floating helplessly in the air as they were pulled back toward John.
Gardevoir's Confusion at work.
A dark blade of energy cut through the psychic connection, dropping the grunts back to the ground.
A Bisharp stood protectively before them, its blades gleaming even in the dim rainy light.
Beside it stood a woman with half-purple, half-bright yellow hair. She glared at John with remarkable disdain, actually tilting her head back to look down her nose at him despite being shorter.
"Just because these numbskulls are idiots doesn't mean anyone gets to push them around," she declared.
"Big Sis Plumeria!" The three rescued grunts looked at her with teary admiration, as if witnessing their salvation.
"Go get the boss," she ordered impatiently.
"Yes, ma'am!" All three scurried away with remarkable speed.
John didn't pursue. He was too busy considering an exciting possibility—if this was an Executive of Team Skull, would she drop multiple Totem Stickers?
The woman before him was Plumeria, the sole Admin of Team Skull and the big sister figure to all the grunts.
John quickly checked her Bisharp's level: [LV65]
Not overwhelming, but a worthy opponent for his Arcanine.
Without hesitation, John pointed at the blade Pokemon. "Arcanine, Flare Blitz!"
"WOOF!" Even in the pouring rain, Arcanine's spirit was undiminished. Golden flames erupted across its entire body, with barely perceptible electrical sparks dancing along its fur.
The fire-type's massive paws pressed into the muddy ground, muscles tensing as it prepared to launch forward like a living comet.
The sun was about to rise in Po Town, even in the middle of a rainstorm.