Lillie wondered how the usually short trek through Mahalo Trail suddenly felt like an eternity. Maybe it was because of the marching footsteps digging on the soil and wooden planks or the eerie silence that hung over their group under the bright Alolan sun. The tension was palpable, even more so around her older brother. Gladion sent an urgent message to Hau last night, in which he explicitly told Champion to keep between him and the Kahuna of Melemele Island. Lillie was only informed earlier that morning and she has to persuade Gladion to let her join them. After a short discussion, the three of them agreed to check on the situation, while Hala notifies the other Kahunas regarding the matter. Should things turn for the worse, they will have people to back them up.
"Hey, Glads." Hau's voice pierced through the silence. "Are you sure we should trust Sun? I mean, he is Sun. You know, your probably-not-archnemesis and someone-not-planning-something-evil?"
There was an annoyed sigh in front of Lillie. "I don't know," Gladion answered. "I know we can't trust him, but we can't ignore his message either. There's a reason why we're going. If it is a trap, then we'll fight back."
And it isn't the first time. Lillie could almost tell Gladion's thoughts at this time. The Aether siblings have yet to tell the Champion about what happened the night before her match against Sun. It was Lillie who insisted first not to tell. She did not want to worry Hau any further; the Champion has a lot in his plate right now behind that easygoing façade. The higher-ups are all spread thinly – with the League searching high and low for Guzma, the Kahunas leading the frontlines of the Ultra Beast crisis together with the Aether Foundation, and the Trial Captains taking over some of their Kahunas' duties to manage their respective islands. All of those while cleaning after Team Skull's mess, holding the Island Trials, keeping a vigilant eye on any Ultra Beast or Team Skull sighting, and juggling their lives outside their Island duties.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Hau muttered. He tried to sound light, but Lillie could see his hand resting already on the Pokéballs latched on his waist. "Anyway, I got some news from Olivia-san. They already interrogated the Team Skull members they arrested. Plumeria-san said that Guzma-san never told them to wreck the stadium yesterday. She and the grunts were on their way out when it happened. They're apparently following Guzma-san who was chasing Sun after the match."
Gladion paused and glanced over his shoulder. A frown creasing his features. "What? Is she saying that it wasn't them who did it but someone else?"
"Weird thing is that," Hau said. "Plumeria-san might be telling the truth. The cameras might be broken but the recordings were still intact. They checked the video feed and it matched with her statement. They were already out of the stadium when 'Team Skull' appeared, and they got caught in it. As if-"
"As if, they were used as a scapegoat." Gladion pinched the bridge of his nose. "But that isn't enough. They have to prove it wasn't them."
"Imagine if there were actually two versions of them. That would be crazy!" Hau meant it to be a joke, but Gladion has a strange expression on his face when he said it. The blond did not say anything and continued moving forward. Lillie and Hau exchanged worried looks as they catch up to the long strides of the older Trainer. If there is anything they learned about Gladion for the past five years, is that he tends to be really quiet and keeps things to himself if there's something bothering him. Usually, they would start egging him to spill, but it seemed now would not be a good time for that.
"Uhh...so," Hau started again after a minute of awkward silence. "I'm surprised you want Aether Foundation out of this? You usually inform Miss Wicke first about things like this. Did something happen?"
"...Nothing." Gladion answered after a beat of silence. "Just a small family spat."
That made Lillie more worried. Shiron seemed to share her thoughts and bumped her head against her arm. "Did you and Mother fight? I know you don't always agree with Mother but-"
YOU ARE READING
The Guardian of Alola
Fiksi PenggemarShe was the First Champion and Hau is the next. She was her protector and now Lillie is the one who protects. She was once at his reach but now Gladion can only chase after her phantoms. Two years they spent growing together and five years spent mou...
