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Hello, Pokemon Trainers!
Sigh, I don't usually do these posts. They're normally pretty useless, as they're either a way to let out headcanons or voice criticism that won't be heard and most likely will spark fights in comment sections. Besides, what's done is done, nobody (especially now) will ever come back to anything and adress in any manner.
BUT I decided to make one anyway! At least we'll all get a kick out kicking each other in the comments. Some of us will even find a common ground.
I didn't know how to structure this post, so I'll divide everything into various segments. I'll warn if something is headcanon or comes from a different media.
Today's post is especially unpopular as it's about.... Sun&Moon, or, to be more precise, about the arch of Team Skull.
I've chosen this one mostly because I know the most about these guys and I don't have much criticism about other characters in the S&M series. Or at least I don't have any ideas worthy of presenting. So let's pick the bone with the best after Team Flare TRio evil team in the anime!
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Overall Series Direction

Sun&Moon anime at its core is the perfect version of Ultra Sun&Ultra Moon, a glimpse of official Pokemon Stars if it ever was to be a thing. Which is rare, as the majority of the seasons were anime versions of either of the games (Indigo arch - Yellow, Johto arch - Crystal, Advanced series - Ruby&Sapphire (without Emerlard), D&P - D&P (without Platinum)). Last time we got something like is XYZ. So big props to OLM already on combining all 4 games and giving us a rough idea how Stars could have played out.
With all honesty I think anime almost perfectly balanced out plots of both versions. The original S&M was much more grounded and had arguably better character motivations. More stories had uneven, realistic, morally grey conclusions without making anything edgy or overly cliche.
(meme break)
deepest lore
USUM was light-hearted, closing one plot hole of the original while opening 10 more. And still it was good and served as a perfect template for the anime. As a result we have the following:

• Characters that were evil are now good
• Morally grey characters are bad
• Some characters that were good got additional dark or sad background (Nanu, Mallow)
• Lillie and Gladion are slightly pretentious brats (but slightly)
• The overall mood is cheerful

Of course some events get omitted as well, but it's to be expected from the anime. It sucks at times (TEAM RAINBOW EPISODE NOOOOOO), but not the worst sacrifice we could make for a good plot. And that's great! Considering the glaring plot and character development differences it's the best way to balance out all 4 versions of the games.
There's one problem: Team Skull. They were an integral part of EVERYTHING that was heavily changed or cut. Thus there were only 3 sensible ways to deal with Team Skull in the anime: make them into regular bullies, get rid of them entirely, focus on major Team Skull members (Gladion, Plumeria, Guzma). We, unfortunately, got NEITHER, but an awkward mix of the former and the latter. Aaaaand it doesn't flow too well, in the way we got it, anyway.
BUT it seems like we could have had a smoother version of this hybrid approach....

Plot Holes And Oddities

Saying Pokemon has plot holes is like saying water is wet, but believe me, it's important here.
There are (3,5) 4 major plot holes in regard to Kukui and his ex-rival, the most hated boss around, that beats you down, and beats you down, and beats you down and never lets up - Guzma.
Firstly, Emergency Exit. In The Dealer of Destruction! it was established that Golisopod can activate this ability by will and it's not tied to damaged dealt to him. Nothing wrong with that. However we don't see a different Pokemon ejected out in the battle. Everyone who played the games and shouts "that's because Guzma didn't have the second mon on!" forgets that's only you know it, because you know the in-game mechanics of Emergency Exit. The general public doesn't know it and almost always any new (and even old!) attack or an ability is explained to the audience, almost always accurately to the games. So, yes, we have both Guzma acting like an idiot bringing only one Pokemon to "destroy" Kukui AND a poorly explained ability which makes a bad plot point, while attempting making the story about cowardice. Lol, Emolga 2.0
Secondly, Scisor? When did we get a Scisor in the story? And it's not that we got a new Pokemon without long introduction. We got a new mon as if we should have already seeing it. Seriously, watch Battle Royal 151!\*,* he appears as like we already know how strong and menacing he is. Also I wonder what his relationships with Golisopod are. They're most likely not very good friends.
Thirdly, wait, it's a story about cowardice, seriously? The signals are very mixed. Kukui initially blames Guzma for cowardice ("would you run away now like you ran away from the island challenge?"). Plumeria supports it by remembering how Guzma would only engage in battles he could win. At the same time we get a flashback to Guzma being unable to defeat Kukui which means.... what? He isn't an Island Captain in anime either, how did he prevent Guzma from beating Hala or any other island Kahuna? So it must be just perprsonal rivalry. In the same flashback Guzma is having a mental breakdown over alolan traditions, which he continues to oppose in his debute episode.... but forgets for the rest of the series. It all turns into inter-personal conflict between Guzma and Kukui which is confirmed by Guzma's hatred towards Ash ("this brat has the same look on his face as Kukui"). A random gag from a game gets turned into a trait of a character who is known for his recklessness in the games and manga. That's Pokemon anime at its finest
So is Guzma a coward, a cultural outcast or does he has a boner to pick with Kukui specifically? You can have it all. And we did! In games, Guzma hated Alolan traditions because he failed to become a Captain, but he also hates Kukui because he had the balls to take an L and find a different path in life, which meant he was spiritually stronger then Guzma, what scares his away after he loses to you in your first encounter and makes him hate the player. Pretty straightforward, he's a bitter loser! There is a second bottom to it, more here and here. What is he in the anime?
This is what I like about the manga version. They thew away relationships with Kukui and him atempting to become a trial Captain entirely leaving only the social outcast part. It's an elegant way to avoid confusuion and leave only what's important.
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the forced trip to the Ultra Space wasn't fun.... He whacked his face himself, though. It used to look worse
Fourthly, what about the Trials? Kukui DIDN'T participate in Trials and DIDN'T aim to become an Island Captain (because there are no Trial Captains in the anime) and thus wasn't Guzma's parthner in fail (I like calling them like that XD) in the anime (unless I forgot something or missed an episode, which I most probably did). Outside of being Hala's student Kukui had nothing to do with Island challenge. Looks like we have leftovers of the games as well as some additional or alternative scenario created for anime versions of Guzma and Kukui, but neither made it past the cutting floor, leaving us with a mess.
All of that tells me that there used to be more episodes mentioning or featuring either Guzma or Plumeria. Why Plumeria? There are two reasons. The first one is that Plumeria is a lorekeeper of Team Skull both in games and anime. Secondly, it looks like Plums could have appeared much earlier in anime, as early as Necrozma's arch. Take a look at this asset:
it is a meme, but with a point (btw, this post credit The Wisdom Not to Run scene has an animation error where garbadour flashes in and out of existance)
This asset looks suspiciously like the lazy grown-ups assets from the Necrozma episodes.
lazy Kukui
I would call it an overthinking if not the anime didn't tend to reuse assets. This Kukui asset is used for a brief last scene in oone of the episodes when he catches cold (I swear it exists!). Same with other "lazy" assets that either used for a prolonged time within the boundaries of 1-2 eposodes or used later for a different situation. So yeah, this fact and the existance of that Plumeria asset is enough for me to suspect that she could have appeared earlier in the series in earlier versions of the script, but something went wrong down the line and she got cut.
On top of that Plumeria, just like Scisor, appears in That's Some Spicy Island Research! as if Ash and his friends should have at least heard of her. And she shows up for literally several seconds and isn't seeing again for 11 episodes. It would be normal for "important", but one-off chararcters as kahunas or TRio, but it was her FIRST appearance in the anime! It would be also ok, if she was someone like Giovanny or one of his goons, like the Secretary, afterall these are the characters that appear throught many archs and seasons ad have a big multi-episode showdown. But Plums is nothinh but a plot device.... More on her later.
There are other three rare assets, this time of the Shady house which are featured in The Wisdom Not to Run episode: 2 new angles of the "throne" room (there's no throne >__<) and a close-up of that pathetic filthy coach on which Guzma seems to meet hangover regularly... apparently. What's up with both manga and anime portraining him as an alchoholic?! Is it because of those artsy bottles and one stending next to his throne in the games?! Give me a break! That was the whole joke that Guzma does stupid reckless things fully sober! He's crazy and desperate!
Ugh. Basically, I see a lot of unique aasets, most of them shoved into one episode, a very pacxked and slightly chaotic episode (The Wisdom Not to Run) and a bunch of other things that don't add up by my standards. So I say there were severe cuts and this whole cowardice-rivarly premise should have been more spread across several episodes.
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Now we enter a more of a variety part of the post. We'll get to the more serious stuff later.
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Le Funny

Firstly.... indeed, why don't we see Skull Trio using any type of vechle again? They look badass!
You have NO right to stop giving us Team Skull riding bikes, OLM. Why didn't you give them a water scooters?!
Headcanon: Zipp should have been with Taurouses and ranch Pokemon in general and being fiends with a Pokemon that helps to looks after the Riding PKM farm (or whatever). So whener Team Skull needs a lot of Riding Pokemon he just goes to it and ask to lend them some, returning happy Mudbrays or what he gets back with his pals, running away in a comical manner by some old ass farmer XD
omg, they're so small
WE HAVE A TEAM THAT CANNONOCALLY DANCES, SINGS AND RAPS ALL THE TIME! HOW WE DON'T HAVE TEAM SKULL SINGING AN ENERGETIC RAP SONG?! would be also cool if the outro with song featured ALL Team Skull pokemon, giving screentime to the established ones and teasing upcoming. Imagine Type Null, Umbreon and Midnight Lycanrock joining in one ep Team Skull mons and dancing with them, but then they wave a goodbye to each other. Wouldn't it be adorable?
especially this guy (let's get high)! fun fact: unlike other Skull Grunts he has an UP sign on his chain. And it's not an animation error. Looks like an obscure Easter Egg
It also blows me away how we didn't get rap/dance fights between Skull Trio and TRio and only this one.(japanese is better, as always, highly recommend)
Also HOW DID WE NOT GET Mitte Mitte remake ft. Skull Girls for vocals, Oracorio all Styles, Plumeria, her Gengar (she has a Gengar in games), Salazzle and Skull Trio Pokemon? They could just make children music videos on their Twitter or YT chanell with Team Skull and occasionally TRio singning and dancing in short music videos. They have them dancing in commercials in live action anyway, why not in animation as well? Come on, Team Skull is supposed to be cute in this version!

Team Skull Pokemon Division!

SKIP IF NOT INTERERSTED
I just want Team Skull to have more plot revelant mons. So I'm going to give Plumaria and your boi their pokemon back! Before that I just say that Garbadour should have evolved from Trubbish and Zubat Should have eventually evolve into Golbat. Would be nice having some character development from the Skull Trio. Also I will throw in hypothetical scenarios for episodes or character traits.
Everyone forgets about the Battle Tree mons!
I'm also gonna mix funny ideas I have about the species in general and specific Pokemon
GOLISOPOD!
Don't show this mon to Tarnished
Friendly murdurous blue lobster, raised from a Wimpod and caught by hand. Just like in games, he's Guzma first Pokemon and he's been brothers with his master for almost 2 decades (or at least more then a decade, because it's a little debatable how old Guzma actually is). Bug type ace.
Being almost a living fossil its (as a species) emotioanl range is alittle scarce. It has three main moods: protect, attack and friendly (and food?). But sometimes it gets confused on how to react to certain situations, so it gets a wird mix of all three.
come up with your idea how a confused Golisopod stuck between three moods would look and act like. Condition: max cuteness
Like all crustaceans it lacks tongue and teeth, but don't be fooled! few things DON't fit into its mouth. And what isn't is teared apart and scliced in piececs with its mouth. The mouth of Golisopod mouth in actuallity an underwater version of a protobeak, its edges are razor sharp (demonstration by giving Golisopod a middle-sized coconaut and it being cut in two efortlessly in one bite. I'm just giving ideas to funny scenes XD). Golisopods sharpen their beaks by biting on large mineral-reach rocks they find in environment, usually keeping one as a "faivorite" (yes, atempts to play fetch with a 10+ kilo rock have been made. Yes, the rock have been dropped on toes. It was loud).
Golisopod is able to lift a target (ridiculous amount of) times its weight. This strength allows them to have a wide range of prey as well as climbing underwater mountains even in string currents. This strenght stays helpful even on the land, allowing it climb various surfaces faster than it runs.
sir, you have a Golisopod on the ceiling.
FEMALE GOLISOPOD!
just a random pick of a female Golisopod. By u/nobleillustrations
Yeah, little kown fact, but you can encounter a female Golisopod on Guzma's team in the Battle Tree! It's virtually identical to her male counterpart except for the moveset. How this WASN'T used for cuteness points in the anime is beyond me. I can almost hear the episode she could have appeared in!
She's male Golisopod's wife (they've been past lovers phase for a long time). Female Golisopod lives in the flooded part of Ula'Ula, not too far away from po Town, making the very heart of a salty swamp her breeding ground and home. Each breeding season the male leaves his master to breed with her. This means that Guzma may spend several MONTHS without his ace before he comes back with his fience, carring essentially runts of his sevral DOZENS strong brood with them, partially passing the parenting of the most difficult and the weakest kids to Team Skull.
The reason they are kept seperatly is because Golisopods, being solitary creatures, don't like their own species around (headcanon, obviously). A careless Golisopod, regadless of gender, risks becoming meal for the other if confronted. The only time when this chnace is a little smaller is during breeding season. But this chance is never zero! They choose mate by beating each other almost to death! If one survives - it's a mate, if not - it's a lunch.
Hey, at least they're good parents. Poor blue lobster race have extremely strong parental insticnt and no way to tell apaprt their own eggs from eggs of someone else! They become victims of brood parasites, at times even other Golisopods who lost the territory game. Also they purr, or a sound that's funtionally similar to purring. Its use is not fully understood, as it's pretty quiet, but it's so rythmic and repetative it's capable to put to sleep even the most hated boss around withing minus. Or a 100 unit brood, idk. Works either way.
Male Golisopod's wife is s Woman with a capital W! Neither of her attacks, unlike her husband, has a secondary effect, aside from Pursuit. Her moveset is dedicated to just dealing damage, with overpowered attacks like Hydro Pump, Dig (or Dive. I believe it can learn both) and always reliable First Impression. Do not fuck with her (unless you're the male Golisopod), as she will eat you alive. She's obviously half-wild and not very trained, but she is caught in a Loveball!!! Pokeball, but she's not ill behaved either. She knows some basics of professional Pokemon battling and will obey to her master. But she's far from being an ace despite strong moveset. After all, she was caught because she was a love from first sight... or First Impression. Whichever it was.
also a concept of a human child is beyond her. Suggest your ideas of what it means XD
LIEPARD!
bad stats, mediocre desing - saved by animation. 10/10 mon
Hehe, didn't know your boi doubled as a dark type specialist? Now you do! When male Golisopod leaves with his wife he takes the spotlight. The second oldest Pokemon on Guzma's team. Originally a gift-house cat male Purrlion this fabulous feline is all about being... fabulous. I thought it would be funny to have such a brute as Guzma to have such a femboy-ish, elegant Pokemon. He's not often seeing in the show, as he's a cat that walk by himself, but he playes two important roles: he helps out on spying operations (I SHALL EXPLAIN) and during Battle Royle. Other times he's seeing around TRio occasionally, as he finds them fabulous (especcialy Jessie), just hanging around or desrupting their evil plots or Ash and the gang attempting to fend off TRio. He's a mischievious leopard. That's a trait all Team Skull Pokemon share!
Love fluffy bonds and other Pokemon accessories. He actully functions as a reveal that Guzma nd Plumeria are into Contests . I SHALL EXPLAIN EVRYTHING. Maybe they even know Jesselina. I know OLM would never bring her up, but we could dream.
these thingies are Liepard's faivorite! I know this one specifically is a jabot, but similar looking ribbons exist. has lots of them, both as present by his master and... stolen from unattentive merchants.
Hates water and dirt, slightly hate Golisopod as he likes precisely those two things. And he spits undigested contetns of his stomach when annoyed. And he smells like ocean. Yacky creature.
HONCHKROW!
cool to see its prevalution being useful in competitive!
THE oldest mon on Guzma's team. Dark type ace. Tragic backstory: was caught by the tail and put on a short leash as a Murkrow by Guzma's dad to essentially to mock superstition that these birds bring bad luck. Was laughted at and bullied by other Murkrows, led by an old Honchkrow he wished to challenge. A tiny, cold birdhouse was everything that protected him (yep, another male) from strong tropical downpours and balzing hot sun. His feahters withered, wings started weakening. If not the son of his prisoner, who played and comforted the poor crow as he got older, Murkrow would loose an ability to fly.
Remember the part from games where Guzma had a Dusk Stone lucky charm and runs away from home? That's still present here, but he gives the charm to Murkrow instead of the player (Ash in this case), evolving him into a Honchkrow. He beats the older Honchkrow and takes over the flock.
He's very diffenrent from most Honchkrows, as others often mistreat their flocks. Guzma's Honchkrow, learning what it's like to be pecked and bullied, treats his flock with love, although at times tought love. He often begs for food to feed his Murkrows, spoiling them terribly. Honchkrow always carries various berries in his goiter, mimicing his master, who also has all types of berries, Pokemon treats and whatnot in his plentiful and deep pockets. Few Pokemon, except for Murkrow and Golisopod, though, accept berries from him as they're often partially digested.
As all Honchkrows, he doesn't want a potential challanger to take away the status of the strongest trainer around (wether anyone in Alola outside of Team Skull thinks so or not) from his master, whom he sees as a head of the flock (that includes Team Skull and Hocnhkrow's flock), so he flies around, looking for anyone who catches his interest as a good trainer. He watches days and even weeks non-stop, like a predator its prey, before assulting an unsuspecting trainer, trying to either scare them, or lead them to Po Town, or leading his master to them. For the second option he usually steals Z-crystals, hoarding them (a reference to an a collection of stolen Buginium-Zs from the games). Here's where a feature from games is shown, that you can make your Pokemon Totem sized. Similar happens to Honchkrow but here it's explanied by overexposure to Z-aura, emitted by crystals.
guess who spends many episode as a background gag character but later robs Ash and Kiawe (we're still in the first 20 eps, btw) and awaits them in Po Town?
Also if you talk nice enough to Honchkrow he'll puff up and start peforming a mating dance for you.
SCISOR!
https://preview.redd.it/fmozgaoil5xa1.jpg?width=1045&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef2de0a2d6fa05d63fea2ed17df7bedd3a8acf64
I don't have much to say about him outside of him previously belonging to Plumeria as a Scyther. A tought guy, true warrior, loyal, sometimes goes under Plumeria's command. RIP during Manalo Conference, that was painful to watch. Encapsulases major charater traits of adult (or current) Guzma and Plumeria.
idk, come up with a joke where he has difficult relatiops with Golisopod due to Emergency Exit. Fan of female Golisopod because of Pursuit, I guess
MASQUERAIN!
I love animation errors!
The only mon I'd change a gender from what it is in games because an idea of a small princess of Po Town is too precious! The latest catch, or rather hatch. She was found as an egg, abandond due to unknown circumstances (I have ideas, though) less than 6 months prior to Ash's arrival (timeframe for Gladion). She's still a baby, despite being a fully evolved Pokemon, as she got so inspired by watching Guzma and Golisopod fight, first living creatures she ever saw, she evolved prematurely (basically we get a Masquerain at level 3, lol). As a result she has a hidden ability instead of a regular Intimidate, it takes her THE WHOLE SERIES to learn all 4 moves (spider web upon hatching, Helping Hand closer to midpoint Moonlight Greatsword combo of HH and Liquidation, Waterpulse at a point of your choice, but Hurrican upon evolving. I know her learning order is out of whack, shut up, competitive players).
She's compassionate and naive, serving as an insight of naivity (and cope) of Skull Grunts. She finds her rightful place a support, both in battle and emotional. Pulls pranks on Ash and his schoolmates and always threaten Kukui to get him... bug bitten. She also appears as an episodic more of a background character at first, introducing Skull Trio (who fail to babysit her. We'll GET THERE).
Her funtion is also to show that Guzma is exceptionally good with baby Pokemon and prevolutions.
SALLAZLE!
isn't Adventures manga beautiful?
Plumeria's Poison ace. Yass Queen, likes to dance, always smacks away Tupp's Salandit 3rd wave feminist, lol. She together with Scyther and the next Pokemon won Plumeria her Z-ring and Poison Z-crystal from the ejected kahuna of Ula'Ula Island...
She might be a little cold and easily annoyed (like her mistress), but ultimately she can warm the coldest of hearts and supports the ones in need wholeheartly. Besties with Golisopod.
could you teach me that exies of yours, love? No?
CROBAT!
that's the best crobat drawing aside from Conquest
She's more here to balance out abundance of Pokemon some other characters have, mainly Ash, Gladion, Kiawe and Guzma. The fact that she Crobat should tell her everything Plumeria as a person. She is seeing teaching Rupp's Zubat and helping it evolve into Golbat. Very strong and brave. Is saddended by a particular Plumeria's problem (tip: in the games Plumeria doesn't fight you with even half her force and prefers to postpone a fight).
GENGAR!
spooked yet? you better be!
Plumeria's Ghost type ace! Used to be Guzma's Haunter. Hyperactive ghost buddy, who either gives you free hugs or t̸̤̊ ̸͈̾ç̸̂ ̴̞͌K̷͍̒l̴̗͒e̷̳̅. Came with a key stone, knows many antient rituals (as he's actually pretty old, still acts like a child), never backs down and never lets up! Also likes dancing and prancking. Besties with Scisor, has a battle to finish with him. Embodies major character traits of young Guzma nd Plumeria. Knows Fire Punch, Psychic, Phantom Force and Acid Spray.
His existance would clash with Greedy Lapoo, whom I, honestly, don't want to throw away. Guess there are just two Gengars in the show. Again, funny Totem isze vs normal size difference.
Now we are moving to a serious part of the post

Plumeria

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she's amazing, trust me
Ah, Plumeria, my dear. Every media hates you. You are nothing but a plot device in anime, barely have any screentime in the games and an absolute XY arch level of a mess in Adventures manga. You're saved entirely by environmental storytelling and the fact that you keep the keys to the deepest lore of S&M and USUM.
I hope what I said before is enough to understand how badly written she is in the anime. Making her a flashback device was agonizing to watch. So let me tell her what she should have been like.
I've linked a post above that explains it in greater detail, but the only thing you need to know for the purposes of this post is that she had a strong connection master-student connction with the ejected kahuna of Ula'Ula, a person, who could not be around anymore. That kahuna was essentially publically condamned by a tapu, most likely Tapu Bulu, by being ejected from his position, which killed him spirtually and destroyed his legacy, most importantly, a society formed around, memebers of which were Plumeria and Guzma. It isn't known if he survived the event, but it was acompanied by that tapu destroying Tapu Village, Po Town, Mega Markt and flooding of good portion of Ula'Ula. Basically, it was a local doomsday. Their Master, their spiritual guide was denounced a sinner by practically a god and punished in the most violent way possible. We don't know if either were present on the Isalnd that day, but they definitely saw the consequences. It WAS traumatizing. Dozens if not hundreds of lives were destroyed at the very least figuratively. Doesn't help that, as evidenced by Guzma, the kids were quickly relocated to be students of other kahunas.
The biggest quetion that would naturally rise for both - why? I believe this quetion eventually poisons both, cultivating doubt and fear. Plumeria and Guzma should be realistically fearful of tapus, as they only saw one as a destructive force. There isn't any commentary on that in the games, but Guzma does indeed keep his distance away from all Ruins (not in manga, that that plot point is cut there).
But Plumeria doesn't! this and a certain level of discrance and overseening she holds over the team and NANU and MOLAYNE reaching out to her to take part in the Alolan League in the games makes me think she could have been a renegade in public eyes and thus almost unredeemable.
Why do I think so? We learn in postame that Plumeria in actuallity is a very strong E4 level trainer that distance herself from public and was apparently close to the ejected kahuna. I imagine she could have stayed loyal to him, continuing as his student if he wasn't killed (also he's confirmed to be a man). The fact that she overcomes her supposed fear of tapus and waits for us right next to Ruins of Life (symbolic name...) may imply that she has a spiritual training and probably some kind of a satisfying answer to why her Master was ejected. She's ready to move forward, but is held back by Alolan traditions (as she's a student of a sinner). Thus she uses her energy to save from falling into the darkest pits of hell most vulnerable - Team Skull.
Plumeria's arch as a person, who faced social ostracism and rejection should have been the focal point. Everything naturally centers around her: problems of Skull Grunts (most should have been stated to be troubled but not evil or bullish kids), the Alolan traditions, the story of Po Town, Scisor and Gengar, Guzma's family drama. Speaking about...

Guzma

With this background as a confused kid who got thrown between different kahunas, lacking some crusuial education level as a trainer and complicated relatioships with his family makes everything pretty straightforward. He's been taught different things in different ways, he was raised differently as someone who works with Pokemon in some way prior to be given to Hala who focuses mainly on fighting, he lacks training and knowledge in some aspect that he doesn't understand (and maybe Hala doesn't either), his parents (that could have had poor spiritual education themselves) are getting more and more disappointed with him (maybe to the point of getting violent golfclubs), Guzma gets frustrated with Alolan traditions, probably finds other activities along the way in which he's objectively better, but doesn't have an opportunity to fully explore them, has a friend that outgrows him, gets angry at him for that. DONE. That's the whole story. NOW it makes sense.
Guzma literally runs away from something that lost all meaning to him, driven by moral confusion, fear of tapus, jealousy and by simply missing his friends from Ula'Ula. He wants to come back, he runs away (you can throw in abuse, if you like), he gathers his friends back together.
I know you could say (and some of you do, I asked!) that maybe that disaster thing is a bit too heavy. I ask you to count all dead Pokemon and people as well as counting how much of them died ON SCREEN in S&M alone. You will be surpised (Totem Trevenant, Minior, Stoutland, Ultra Necrozma I guess?, Mallow's mom. I believe there's more). So you don't have to focus on a disaster. Focus on people, on how the kahuna is no the master anymore, how everyone is sad and scared, what hardships everyone go through as they grow. Less physical violance on screen, more emotions and moral choices.
PLEASE SOMEONE CONFIRM OR DISPROVE IF THE JAPANESE LINE IN GUZMA'S DAD'S INNITIAL DIALOGUE INDEED IMPLIES HOME VIOLANCE, OR IF IT'S JUST A POPULAR HEADCANON
With it comes the bigger picture that many kids lost their ways with kahuna ejection, that therer are also many kids that are outcastst for other reasons. Plumeria, seeing a bunch of misguided teens, takes a task on her to prevent them from becoming evil. TEAM SKULL AS WE KNOW IS FORMED. BOOM.
This works perfectly with a couple of other things. First of them is those other talents Guzma could have (and has for our rewritten version anime) and how she got to know Lusamine. Yes, I'm restioring this part from the games.
Get this: both in games and anime Guzma took part in many competitions but never made past 2nd place (parents are getting tired of it + Bug type specialization). Lusamine as a respected member of the society prpbably served as a referee or a sponsor of some of these competitions. She notices Guzma, admires his strenght ("she was the only adult who recognized his strenght")? What do you do with a promising kid? Right, you offer him a summer job! Gives them different tasks, observes from time to time (remmeber, Mohn should have been around still, so Lusamine would have time for her children and an extra), make conclusions. Easy! Guzma and Lusamine arch restored!
What his other talents is to your choice, but i put my money on pokemon taming, something that he canonnically did in agmes (catching Pokemons with bear hands) and consequently being very knowedgable of various Pokemon, an ability to measure correctly the strenght of your opponent and yourself, being disciplined, patient and determined. Guzma does have all of these positive traights, he fails to turn them into a habit. That's EXACTLY what Lusamine is doing! She gives him task on Pokemon taming and interacting with Pokemon in general: daycare, first aid, you name it.
She can realistically continue doing it by the time Ash arrives, but the idiot has aleady earned himself a reputation of a cruel and merciless trainer (and a bully, thanks, Honchkrow). That doesn't prevent Guzma from feeling both greatfull and guilty before Lusamine, so he secures his identity as an Aether employee. BAM! We have anime Guzma working at Aether! Complete with a lazy ass funny sort of Aether uniform but not really disguise and LOADS of FUNNY and ADORABLENESS potential!
The second is having a connective tissue of sorts between different characters and different archs. And it works for everything! Let's take Gladion.
So a kid 6 months prior to ash's arrival leaves home with Type Null to become stronger, wants to gain a power to tame the Crescent Beast (I believe that's how Gladion also calls him in japanese), learns about an unbeatable, merciless trainer, a leader of a scary gang, decides to test how cool he actually is, gets rekt, asks to become Guzma's student, Team Skull Boss agrees but under conditions. BAM! Gladion the Team Skull Enforcer restored in the anime. Though this we learn a backstory of Masquerain, how she helped Gladion to evolve his Eveee and Rockruff, Guzma teaches Gladion to deal with rage of his two Pokemon: Midnight Lycanrock and Type Null (actually spits out helpful stuff and redpills the kid about realities of being a Pokemon Trainer). Gladion eventually defeats Guzma, he wirdly to himself doesn't get frustrated, tatstes what it's like to respect a human opponent. Everyone learned some lesson. You can easily through in Emergency Exit true mechanics in it, won't be out place.
the thing about EE is that's not acitivated by will, but turns on by itself. But you can postpone it by keeping an eye on your Golisopod's endurance and stamina. You need to be really in synch to evalute it accuratly, be fairly experienced and confident. Guzma at times fails on the last, which he needs to work on
You can curcle it BACK to Guzma being an undercover Aether employee and even to Faba's conpiracy. So Guzma is tasked with importatnt missions that he must cary all by himself as a big group of people would attract Pokemon hunters. He interacts with rare and often dangerous Pokemon. On one of his Speciality Aether Expedition (highly confidential enterprise) he finds out about poachers. The pouchers lead him to Faba, Faba to Hunter D and Hunter D leads to Team Rcoket with their Blinding one plans WHICH LEADS TO NANU, an EX-TEAM ROCKET EXECUTIVE. Oh, this is where Liepard is helpful.
We can go even further and dive into this Nanu topic! It is based on a popular speculation that Nanu in agmes was a part of something that is sometimes called Old Team Skull (which anime partially confirms with Rocket ties!), which were appparently so bad Nanu, an ex-Interpol agent, he should know really bad guys when he sees them) formed his Police Task Force. So let's roll with it!
As Nanu was part of the group there was a moral fallout, which coud be connected to the image of the ejected kahuna and how he was good his teachings sacred and the baddies now spoil his picture. Perheps Team Rocket agents took over or influenced the Team in other way, which turned them really nasty. Nanu saw it as a way out of Team Rocket. Guess whom he catches by hand who's not happy about the direction the team has chosen? Yep, the tall lousy Grunt with Golisopod, who ran away from home to find his childhood place in ruins. An angry angsty teen with ideologically charged friends and a girl known to be a witch and a renegade, but strong and selfless. PERFECT TO TAKE ON THE BADDIES. AND NOW THESE BADDIES ARE BACK. Yo!
You don't even need to write that much of the existing series. I mean, there still is going to be plenty. But it sounds eciting enough to me to do it! But what do you think?
You can circle EVERYTHING like that. And that's exactly wjat team Skull was desinged to do: they are a swinging point of the story, introducing scenaros and giving counter arguements to some points and themes.

Kukui

I started my criticism of the anime with ancertain role of Kukui in this story. But what we establiched so after I think he fianlly has a puzzle to fit. An ex-rival, exceeding his past pathner in fail, unreachable through the web of doubt and confusion about... everything. Neither the games, nor the anime are cleary about kind of rivarly it was: a Red vs Green (Ash vs Gary) like, or a friendlier one, like Hau and us. It's ok the games left it to our imagination. The anime was indeed free to make it obscure, but it wouldn't be wrong to give it more shape.
Here's one problem: if we leave the Trial part in Kukui's story in its entirety, at least the beating the trial Challnge part, as there are no Captains in the anime, it means something prevented him from completeing them. we know everything about Guzma, but what about Kukui? I made a seperate post about, also linked above. But my guess is that we have to make one flaw in Kukui that serves as a social commentary on how contagious rumors and public prejudice are. Kukui partially buys into the worst assumptions and even rumours about Team Skull and Guzma and he doesn't even fully understand that. This leads to the betrayal of these boundaries which spoils the relationships between Guzma and Kukui bad enough the former wants to destroy him and the League. I don't want any "betrayal" type of soap opera, but nothing really comes to mind either. So I leave it to you, what mistake Kukui makes and regrets it?
Before this point the two could have one off exchanges to buid their characters and set some jokes, like, idk, Guzma calling Kukui a bad teach, but it comes back to him as Lusamine orders to set a school trip for Ash and his classmates and sicne her daughter is going to be there the trip is better to be informative and SAFE, or else.....
which else would you make it? XD
what's your faivorite Lusamine's yandere face?
That's the perfect part to come up with running gags and fun fillers AND to end this post. You're a hero if you made it all the way here. Thank you!