The Guardian of Alola

Chapter 15: To Offer and Tempt

For those who are wondering, I don't have a beta reader for any of my stories. That's why it takes some time for me to publish a chapter.

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Hau is not the jealous type, yet her girlfriend's match against Sun left quite an impression to him. He was focused on cheering for Lillie but not too focused to miss how that Sun guy acted around her. He asked her if she can fight prior the battle, gave her a bit of battle tips, and even showed sportsmanship after the match that he did not do during his match with Plumeria. Soft. That's right. That's how Hau would describe Sun around Lillie. Though he did not hold back in the battle, he was definitely considerate of her like a brother would to his little sister. Is that how it is or...?

The memory of Lillie blushing when Sun held her hand came rushing back to him. The guy must have seen his face when he was staring at them. Hau swore he saw Sun smirked when he turned away from Lillie. Oh, Tapu Koko no! Don't tell me he's flirting with her?

Hau's reaction was instantaneous. He hit his knee against underside of the coffee table and almost spilled his cup of Tapu Cocoa from the Pokémon Center Café. The pile of investigative reports from Molayne might have escaped the hot chocolate, but it did not dodge his flailing arm. It got knocked off, scattering individual documents across the table and the floor. Hau held back the scream at the back of his throat and simply slammed his head against the tabletop.

The door opened and Gladion stepped inside his office, only to pause at the seemingly lifeless body of the Champion. He stared for a moment before deciding not to get involved with the 'murder'. He brushed past him, picked a few of the scattered papers, and settled down on his desk. The quarterfinals ended hours ago, but he could not take a break yet. He has still work to do – reviewing the daily accounts from the Aether employees, scheduling meetings with their advocacy partners, and most importantly, investigating Sun.

He had asked Molayne last night to give him all he has found so far about Sun. Most of them were records of his movement across the region – at least, what were witnessed by credible sources. There is also the unusual flight months ago that the Steel-type Elite Four member told them about and some information submitted officially by the police. He has yet to ask Lillie about what she saw last night, but does not want to distress her any further. She needs a bit more time but Gladion wonders if they have that luxury....

Hau shifted – his head turning toward the direction of the blond – and called out in a whining voice. "Gladioooonnn..."

"Oh, wow." Gladion's voice drawled sarcastically over his cup of Komala Coffee that Wicke brought him earlier. "Who stole your malasada? And here you said I am the grump of the group."

"Uggghhh!" Hau threw himself across the sofa. His arms draping across the arm of the sofa nearest to Gladion's desk. "This is serious!"

Gladion gave himself a second to prepare for the incoming migraine. "What did you do this time, Hau?"

"I didn't!" Hau looked offended. "It was Sun! Sun did something!'"

That seemed to get a reaction from the older Aether sibling as the Champion expected. Gladion promptly placed down the papers on the desk and frowned. "What?"

"Didn't you see? When their match ended, Sun helped Lillie." There was an accusatory tone in Hau's voice. "I think he's flirting with her!"

Gladion almost spewed out his coffee. He placed the cup down and looked at Hau like he has grown two more heads. "Did you hit your head? What in the Tapus' name made you think that?"

"Hey!" Hau rose from his sprawled position. "My head's fine, but I'm sure of what I saw. Sun was holding Lillie's hand!"

"He was helping her. You said it yourself!"