Due to the high number of Skull members who never completed their Island Trials, there remains a pervasive perception among the Alolan public that a core tenet of the gang’s purpose is to lash out at the system in which they were unable to succeed, leading many to frame them, explicitly or otherwise, as a band of bitter losers. In fact, this perception is partially true.

     Among other things, Skull provides a sanctuary for those unwilling or unable to complete or even to begin their trials. Prior to its formation, such individuals often found solace and like minds within the radical LGBT community, anarcho-communists and native liberationalists, groups which often intersected and shared a strong presence in Alola's punk scene. Though most members of these groups were young people, many of held up as a mentor and local hero the then-Kahuna of Ula'ula Island, a woman of tremendous moral strength who valued native tradition, community and equality and who called for the radical reformation of the Island Challenge system, citing it as an example of how colonial influence and governmental controls had turned one of Alola's sacred traditions into something that contributed to the indigenous people of the islands.

     Though many of Skull's oldest members were among those who gathered around her, training, discussing and forming community with one another, Guzma and Plumeria were chief among her supporters. Plumeria in particular grew close to the Kahuna and her fellow followers alike, gaining a reputation among them as a powerful uniting presence that stood for love and respect among what she called her 'chosen family'. Likewise, Guzma found himself assuming a leadership role within the community, drawing others with his intense charisma and ideas which appealed to the radical values of his found brethren.

   The Po Town Takeover came from Guzma's plan.

     Over a century back, the land on the northwest corner of Ula'ula had been a bustling Unovan sugar cane plantation, raising a fortune on the backs of immigrants from Johto, Kanto and Orre. Such people were brought overseas on the promise of a rich life spent in a land lush with resources and found their labour horribly exploited, reduced to working long hours in the hot sun for compensation that left them unable to seek other opportunities. Though the plantation remained for decades, locals say that its owners' next attempt to expand was viewed as the final straw by Tapu Bulu, who sent devastating monsoons to destroy the plantation and wipe the land clean of everything ( and everyone ) who had corrupted it.

     For many years the land stood barren, the soil washed of its nutrients by the torrential storms. Rumours circulated that it was cursed grounds, driving away potential settlers and investors before it was purchased from the government at a low price by an Unovan land developer who used it to erect a neighbourhood of timeshare condominiums to be marketed at upper-middle class Unovans who desired to experience the exotic pleasures of Alola in a secure environment free from the risks associated with mingling with the local community. A twenty-foot storm wall was built for additional security and sold as a feature. Over time, the area became associated with a constant rotation of affluent tourists with a certain pervasive disdain for Alolan culture.