Guzma/Anime

Guzma debuted in The Dealer of Destruction!, where he watched from Team Skull's base at the Shady House as announced the Alola League on TV. The next day, he; Plumeria; and s Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp arrived on Melemele Island. There, he met and quickly defeated them. Guzma later arrived at the Pokémon School and confronted Professor Kukui, before being challenged to a by, which he accepted.

Guzma battled Ash's Pikachu with his, but the battle ended prematurely after Golisopod returned to its due to. Afterwards, he swore that he would destroy the Alola League himself before leaving with his allies. Later, Guzma went to his room at the Shady House and punched the wall after recalling Professor Kukui asking him if he was running away from a challenge, as he had done in the past with the island challenge and Island Kahunas.

In SM128, Guzma and Plumeria intervened in a confrontation Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp were having with Ash and at Manalo Stadium. He was about to battle Ash's group, but Professor Kukui and Hala arrived. Guzma confronted Professor Kukui and revealed that he had enrolled as a contestant in the Manalo Conference; furthermore, he announced his intention to destroy Professor Kukui's dreams by becoming and then ensuring another Pokémon League would never take place in Alola.

After Guzma and his teammates left, Hala explained that in the past, both Guzma and Kukui were his apprentices, but Guzma grew disillusioned with Hala's teachings and rejected them both, instead resolving to become strong on his own without the need for a Z-Ring or Z-Crystals. Later, Guzma and Plumeria were among the Trainers gathered at the party commemorating the Manalo Conference's opening. He grew angry upon seeing the celebratory mood of Professor Kukui and the other attendees, drawing Plumeria's concern.

In SM129, Guzma competed in the Manalo Conference with his. He was able to progress to the Top 16, although Plumeria and the other participating Team Skull Grunts were defeated. The match-ups revealed that he would be battling Ilima.

In SM130, Guzma went up against Ilima, using his Scizor to battle Ilima's. Despite Ilima Mega Evolving Kangaskhan, Scizor was able to defeat its opponent by positioning itself so that Kangaskhan's baby was always in the middle, endangering its well-being and causing the mother to hesitate often enough to be defeated. This allowed Guzma to advance to the second round.

In SM131, it was revealed that would be Guzma's opponent in the second round. In SM134, Guzma and Lana began their battle, with Guzma using Golisopod against Lana's Primarina. With his ruthless tactics, Guzma was able to defeat Lana with relative ease and advance to the semifinals. The match-ups revealed that he would battling Ash in the semifinals. In SM135, Guzma assured his Grunts that he would destroy the entire League and brushed off Plumeria's concerns about him facing Ash.

Right after, in SM136, Guzma went up against Ash, using his Scizor to battle his. He quickly recalled Scizor in favor of using Golisopod, only for Golisopod to activate Emergency Exit during the match and send Scizor out in its place, resulting in it being quickly defeated by. Angered by Golisopod's cowardice, Guzma sent it out again and berated it on having made Scizor lose.

The battle continued in SM137, during which Guzma finally started to realize his own cowardice through defeating only weak opponents and running away from battles against strong ones. Despite the strength of Ash's Pikachu, Golisopod still wanted to continue battling, but the battle ultimately led to Guzma's loss. The audience applauded for the great battle and Kukui hoped to see Guzma participating next year as well, but Guzma considered his reputation ruined and was ready to disband Team Skull. However, Plumeria and the Team Skull Grunts were so fired up by the battle that they wanted stay by his side and learn to battle as well as he did.