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'...It's cold.'

You quietly complain to yourself as you wrap the blanket tightly around your body. For being a tropical region, even Alola gets fairly cold in the nighttime. After a small scuffle with the blanket, you eventually tie two ends of the blanket around your neck. It reminds you of those heroes that were always shown on TV back in Kanto.

You scoff at the thought. 'Some hero I was.'

A heavy sigh escapes your lips. You rest your arms on the white, metallic balustrade on the balcony. With the blanket embracing your back, you scan the surrounding area.

Even after visiting this place twice, Aether Paradise still feels foreign to you. The sheer, white color of this place feels...ironic to you now. A color meant symbolize purity is in a place full of dark secrets.

On top of the balcony, you see a small glimpse of the building that Lillie's staying in-the same one you stormed into trying to save her a few hours ago. You replay the events in your head, flinching as you recall the discovery of Lusamine's true nature.

Then you recall her private collection. The battle against her. The intensity of her Pokémon's moves. Her escape into Ultra Space along with Guzma. Had it not been for the small injuries you took protecting your Pokémon and Lillie's pleading, you would've attempted to go after those two.

Lillie.

You wonder if she's doing okay.

Exhaling a breath of frustration, you rest your head against your right hand. You close your eyes for what seemed like hours.

You never heard the sound of footsteps approaching up the stairs.

"...You gonna catch a cold if you sleep there." Upon hearing the voice, your eyes shoot open and your body starts to tense. Whipping your head around to the direction of the voice, you feel the tension on your shoulders wither away.

"Relax, it's just me."

"O-oh, Gladion."

'Thank Arceus it's only him.' You're relieved that it's not one of the Aether employees.

You scratch your cheek, embarrassed that he caught you off-guard like that. "Sorry. Didn't think anyone else was up at this time of night."

A small 'tch' escapes from his mouth. "How annoying. I thought you'd be asleep by now. You do remember that we have to leave early tomorrow?" He cover his face with his hand - am odd habit of his.

'There he goes again' you rationalized. Always undermining his caring nature with insults. You like to think that you have him figured out by now.

"Is...Lillie okay?" The thought that was lingering in your mind formed into words. You tugged the blanket covering you in apprehension.

For some reason, you averted your eyes from his.

Gladion gives you a small 'hmph' in reply. "Still putting others before yourself..." He walks towards you. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I admire that trait of yours." You're taken aback by his blunt compliment.

You backpedaled on that assumption of understanding him.

Ignoring your dumbfounded expression, he continues. "Anyways, Lillie's fine. She was out like a Komala when I checked on her." He rests his arms on the balustrade. "I'm sure this day was draining for her." You hum in agreement with the last sentence.

"The same could be said for all of us." For a brief moment, you wondered if your Pokémon are okay. You're thankful that Wicke offered to watch them for you instead of one of Aether employees. Not all of them are bad, but you're hesitant in trusting them after discovering the foundation's true intentions.

'At least Wicke wasn't part of the looney bin here.' Thankfully, even in the dead of night, some tact remains in you. You can't exactly pinpoint how Gladion would react if you manage to blab that out to him.

The small moment of peace between the two of you broke as he asked the question you were anticipating this whole time.

"So what? You couldn't sleep?" 'For someone who doesn't explain his own actions, Gladion sure demands a multitude of explanations from others' you thought. You attempt to use his own question against him. "I could ask the same to you." Gladion replies with a small huff, causing a few strands of his hair to flutter. You make a mental note to tease him about that later on.

"Are you thinking about...Lusamine?" Unable to hide your hesitance, you cast your eyes towards the ground. You hesitate in calling her "Mother" in front of Gladion - he seldom addresses her as a parental figure. You can't blame him, given the estrangement between them.

An awkward silence ensues and you clutch the blanket. You'll have to apologize for the excess amount of wrinkles on this blanket at some point.

You're not sure how much time has passed, but the eventual sound of Gladion's sigh snaps you out of your nervous daze.

"You know..." he pauses for a second. "Even though she did all of those..shitty things...she's still our mother."

He curls his hand into a fist.

"If only I was able to convince her back then...!" He buries part of his head into his hands in frustration. He looks so torn about this that you can't help but pity him. But you know that's not what he wants.

So you try to reassure him.

"I'll…save her somehow." You try to maintain your composure, but your hands won't stop shaking. You grip the balustrade with such force that your knuckles turn white.

If only you can reassure yourself.

He notices your stiffened pose. "You scared?" He manages to see through you. You loosen your grip on the balustrade and sigh. You begin twirling your hair with your right index finger - a nervous habit that never broke.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." You let out a dry laugh. "I barely defeated Lusamine with my Pokémon, then I let her and Guzma escape. I couldn't do anything against her…" you sigh and cross your arms.

"Hey."

"Wha-? Ah!"

You turn to face Gladion only for him to flick you on the forehead.

"Wha-what was that for?!" You blurt out incredulously, momentarily forgetting that Hau was sleeping in the residential quarters nearby. 'I hope that didn't leave a mark somehow...' You touched your forehead in annoyance.

Gladion scoffs.

"What's wrong with you? You didn't doubt your abilities before and you're doubting them now? Don't be so stupid." He turns his head to your right, blocking his expressions with that blond hair of his. He releases an exasperated sigh and crosses his arms. You swear you heard him mutter 'how annoying' under his breath.

Then something unexpected happens.

You laugh.

You're not sure why you did. But looking back, it was undoubtedly all of that bottled-up anxiety that caused your laughter.

Gladion looks at you flustered, his face red. "Wh-why are you laughing?!" You nearly crumple to the ground, your hands covering your mouth as you attempt to muffle your laughter. You manage to gasp out an explanation between laughs. "I-I-I'm s-sorry! M-my b-body just r-reacted on i-its own!"

You're not sure how long your laughing fit lasted but eventually you stop. The blanket that was once wrapped oh so tightly around you has fallen to the ground - you did quite a number on that sheet of fabric. Your body lightly shakes as you manage to recover from that odd reaction. You stay bent over though, still fazed and frazzled over what happened.

"Sorry about that. I'm...not exactly why that happened. My body reacted on its own." You apologized once again, though this time was more serious. Gladion simply crosses his arms and scoffs. "If I didn't know you, I would've written you off as some crazy person." You just grin at him. "Maybe I am crazy." He shakes his head in annoyance, but you continue to talk.

"But..you're right." Gladion blinks in surprise upon your agreement. "I'm probably overthinking this. I shouldn't let one failure drag me down like that." You lift up your left arm and gaze at the Z-Ring that Hala gave you before you left Melemele Island. "Like you said, I didn't doubt my abilities, then why should I doubt them now?" You smile at him.

"Thanks. I needed someone like you to set me straight." Gladion merely huffs in response.

"Just go to bed already," he mutters out. You can sense his bashfulness because of your gratitude towards him. You smirk in his flustered state.

"Yea yea, I'll go do that." You walk towards the residential quarters where Hau was sleeping. "You're a good friend, even if you say we aren't."

You close the door behind you.

-----------------------------

Gladion rests his arms on the balustrade and sighs.

"Friends, huh? Hmph."

It'll take a long time before he's able to admit those feelings of companionship to you.

But for now, he's fine being by your side.

Description
'...It's cold.'

You quietly complain to yourself as you wrap the blanket tightly around your body. For being a tropical region, even Alola gets fairly cold in the nighttime. After a small scuffle with the blanket, you eventually tie two ends of the blanket around your neck. It reminds you of those heroes that were always shown on TV back in Kanto.

You scoff at the thought. 'Some hero I was.'

A heavy sigh escapes your lips. You rest your arms on the white, metallic balustrade on the balcony. With the blanket embracing your back, you scan the surrounding area.

Even after visiting this place twice, Aether Paradise still feels foreign to you. The sheer, white color of this place feels...ironic to you now. A color meant symbolize purity is in a place full of dark secrets.

On top of the balcony, you see a small glimpse of the building that Lillie's staying in-the same one you stormed into trying to save her a few hours ago. You replay the events in your head, flinching as you recall the discovery of Lusamine's true nature.

Then you recall her private collection. The battle against her. The intensity of her Pokémon's moves. Her escape into Ultra Space along with Guzma. Had it not been for the small injuries you took protecting your Pokémon and Lillie's pleading, you would've attempted to go after those two.

Lillie.

You wonder if she's doing okay.

Exhaling a breath of frustration, you rest your head against your right hand. You close your eyes for what seemed like hours.

You never heard the sound of footsteps approaching up the stairs.

"...You gonna catch a cold if you sleep there." Upon hearing the voice, your eyes shoot open and your body starts to tense. Whipping your head around to the direction of the voice, you feel the tension on your shoulders wither away.

"Relax, it's just me."

"O-oh, Gladion."

'Thank Arceus it's only him.' You're relieved that it's not one of the Aether employees.

You scratch your cheek, embarrassed that he caught you off-guard like that. "Sorry. Didn't think anyone else was up at this time of night."

A small 'tch' escapes from his mouth. "How annoying. I thought you'd be asleep by now. You do remember that we have to leave early tomorrow?" He cover his face with his hand - am odd habit of his.

'There he goes again' you rationalized. Always undermining his caring nature with insults. You like to think that you have him figured out by now.

"Is...Lillie okay?" The thought that was lingering in your mind formed into words. You tugged the blanket covering you in apprehension.

For some reason, you averted your eyes from his.

Gladion gives you a small 'hmph' in reply. "Still putting others before yourself..." He walks towards you. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I admire that trait of yours." You're taken aback by his blunt compliment.

You backpedaled on that assumption of understanding him.

Ignoring your dumbfounded expression, he continues. "Anyways, Lillie's fine. She was out like a Komala when I checked on her." He rests his arms on the balustrade. "I'm sure this day was draining for her." You hum in agreement with the last sentence.

"The same could be said for all of us." For a brief moment, you wondered if your Pokémon are okay. You're thankful that Wicke offered to watch them for you instead of one of Aether employees. Not all of them are bad, but you're hesitant in trusting them after discovering the foundation's true intentions.

'At least Wicke wasn't part of the looney bin here.' Thankfully, even in the dead of night, some tact remains in you. You can't exactly pinpoint how Gladion would react if you manage to blab that out to him.

The small moment of peace between the two of you broke as he asked the question you were anticipating this whole time.

"So what? You couldn't sleep?" 'For someone who doesn't explain his own actions, Gladion sure demands a multitude of explanations from others' you thought. You attempt to use his own question against him. "I could ask the same to you." Gladion replies with a small huff, causing a few strands of his hair to flutter. You make a mental note to tease him about that later on.

"Are you thinking about...Lusamine?" Unable to hide your hesitance, you cast your eyes towards the ground. You hesitate in calling her "Mother" in front of Gladion - he seldom addresses her as a parental figure. You can't blame him, given the estrangement between them.

An awkward silence ensues and you clutch the blanket. You'll have to apologize for the excess amount of wrinkles on this blanket at some point.

You're not sure how much time has passed, but the eventual sound of Gladion's sigh snaps you out of your nervous daze.

"You know..." he pauses for a second. "Even though she did all of those..shitty things...she's still our mother."

He curls his hand into a fist.

"If only I was able to convince her back then...!" He buries part of his head into his hands in frustration. He looks so torn about this that you can't help but pity him. But you know that's not what he wants.

So you try to reassure him.

"I'll…save her somehow." You try to maintain your composure, but your hands won't stop shaking. You grip the balustrade with such force that your knuckles turn white.

If only you can reassure yourself.

He notices your stiffened pose. "You scared?" He manages to see through you. You loosen your grip on the balustrade and sigh. You begin twirling your hair with your right index finger - a nervous habit that never broke.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." You let out a dry laugh. "I barely defeated Lusamine with my Pokémon, then I let her and Guzma escape. I couldn't do anything against her…" you sigh and cross your arms.

"Hey."

"Wha-? Ah!"

You turn to face Gladion only for him to flick you on the forehead.

"Wha-what was that for?!" You blurt out incredulously, momentarily forgetting that Hau was sleeping in the residential quarters nearby. 'I hope that didn't leave a mark somehow...' You touched your forehead in annoyance.

Gladion scoffs.

"What's wrong with you? You didn't doubt your abilities before and you're doubting them now? Don't be so stupid." He turns his head to your right, blocking his expressions with that blond hair of his. He releases an exasperated sigh and crosses his arms. You swear you heard him mutter 'how annoying' under his breath.

Then something unexpected happens.

You laugh.

You're not sure why you did. But looking back, it was undoubtedly all of that bottled-up anxiety that caused your laughter.

Gladion looks at you flustered, his face red. "Wh-why are you laughing?!" You nearly crumple to the ground, your hands covering your mouth as you attempt to muffle your laughter. You manage to gasp out an explanation between laughs. "I-I-I'm s-sorry! M-my b-body just r-reacted on i-its own!"

You're not sure how long your laughing fit lasted but eventually you stop. The blanket that was once wrapped oh so tightly around you has fallen to the ground - you did quite a number on that sheet of fabric. Your body lightly shakes as you manage to recover from that odd reaction. You stay bent over though, still fazed and frazzled over what happened.

"Sorry about that. I'm...not exactly why that happened. My body reacted on its own." You apologized once again, though this time was more serious. Gladion simply crosses his arms and scoffs. "If I didn't know you, I would've written you off as some crazy person." You just grin at him. "Maybe I am crazy." He shakes his head in annoyance, but you continue to talk.

"But..you're right." Gladion blinks in surprise upon your agreement. "I'm probably overthinking this. I shouldn't let one failure drag me down like that." You lift up your left arm and gaze at the Z-Ring that Hala gave you before you left Melemele Island. "Like you said, I didn't doubt my abilities, then why should I doubt them now?" You smile at him.

"Thanks. I needed someone like you to set me straight." Gladion merely huffs in response.

"Just go to bed already," he mutters out. You can sense his bashfulness because of your gratitude towards him. You smirk in his flustered state.

"Yea yea, I'll go do that." You walk towards the residential quarters where Hau was sleeping. "You're a good friend, even if you say we aren't."

You close the door behind you.

-----------------------------

Gladion rests his arms on the balustrade and sighs.

"Friends, huh? Hmph."

It'll take a long time before he's able to admit those feelings of companionship to you.

But for now, he's fine being by your side.