His Onyx ~ Gladion X Reader

Chapter 12: (Y/N) ~ A Group Discussion

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to @AnaFeitosa818.

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The next time (Y/N) met Gladion, their encounter was not very sweet. But it sure was eventful.

Something had changed during their last encounter outside Acerola's trial (which she'd later aced) between them. The main way to sum it up was that (Y/N) blushed whenever she thought of him.

They ran into each other outside Aether Paradise—Lusamine's Playhouse, as Gladion called it, his face radiating pure disdain.

Lillie, who (Y/N) had met multiple times before during her Island Challenge, was there as well. So was Hau. They'd all met here by coincidence.

Lillie and Hau, who hadn't seen her since it had been done, each did double takes at (Y/N)'s changed appearance and gave compliments.

"Wow! You look awesome, (Y/N). Real nice."

"You look very pretty. I love that skirt! Where did you get it from?"

"Your eyes are brilliant. The color change was an amazing choice. These new ones are just indescribable."

(Y/N) beamed. She'd been receiving comments on her new black eyes with depth every time she passed someone new, but she still appreciated them.

"Gladion!" Lillie squealed to her brother afterward. "It's been so long!" She threw her arms around her brother and exclaimed excitedly, "And I can touch Pokémon, see? I haven't shown you Nebby yet, so..."

(Y/N) marveled at how Gladion's face lit up at the sight of his sister and hearing her words, but it darkened when he saw Nebby. "Cosmog? Holy Arceus..." He gave Nebby a vicious glare. "Lillie, it's not safe for you to cart him around with you everywhere! He's dangerous!"

Lillie upped her chin defiantly. "He's not! He just needs someone to take care of him. I thought you'd be more happy for me for overcoming my fear! Everything else is dangerous, not him! Nebby's so sweet. Cosmog... is that his name? I think I'll just call him Nebby. You know he evolved?"

Gladion shook his head vehemently. "Lillie..." he pleaded. "Please! A lot of bad people want Nebby. Mother being one of them. And I am happy for you. It evolved... its first evolution was Cosmoem, then. But the point is Nebby's bad!"

Lillie's eyes swam with tears. Her sibling reunion had taken a drastic turn. "No! I won't let Nebby go! He's the first Pokémon that I... and why do people want him anyway? And who? The only bad thing he does is get into trouble, but—"

(Y/N), feeling very detached from this argument, interrupted by typing on her Rotom Phone: "I remember." She'd helped Nebby and Lillie out of quite a few scrapes, a few with Team Skull thugs. Speaking of Team Skull... She was hesitant to ask the question, but she needed to know the answer. She tapped out: "Gladion... are you still with Team Skull?"

Gladion didn't seem to like answering this question, but did anyway, both his mint green eyes visible for once as he tossed his blond bangs from in front of his face. "I quit a week ago. Being their Enforcer is not... rewarding. But they want Nebby. And I think... so does Mother."

(Y/N) was surprised at this news, and relieved that Gladion had quit Team Skull. Those people were evil, and Gladion didn't belong with them. Lillie seemed to agree.

(Y/N)'s heart broke at Lillie's stricken, wistful expression following Gladion's words. "Mother?" she whispered. "What does Mother... why...?"

Gladion turned to (Y/N). "Please!" he begged. (Y/N) had never heard him beg before. She was stunned. "Make her understand!"

(Y/N) didn't know how to reply, so she changed the subject. "Why are you here at Aether Paradise, Gladion? I was under the impression that you... disliked your mother." Well, that was an understatement. Gladion had admitted flat-out that he flat-out hated his mother.

(Y/N) could see a fleeting glimpse of pain in Gladion's countenance. "Oh. Yeah. That," he stammered, stumbling over the words. "Uh... you know my Pokémon, Type: Null, right?" he asked. (Y/N) and Lillie nodded. As if (Y/N) would forget such an obviously powerful and unique Pokémon! Gladion went on. "Well, I can't break it free from the mask it's trapped in. It's like a prison for Type: Null. And I think Mother is the only person who can break it free. So I'm going to ask her to help... no matter what the price she asks."

Gladion filled them in on Type: Null's history, and (Y/N) and Lillie were left aghast. "But you can't!" Lillie blurted out. "Mother is ruthless... it's not worth it!"

"For Null?" Gladion exploded. "Of course it is!" His expression became serious. "Null and I have to make it on our own. And I don't ever want to forget that."

Nobody said anything for a while.

Then Hau shrieked from behind them. "Ahhh!" he yowled. "I'm sick of being quiet for so long! Did you forget I was even here? Ouch! My foot hurts! I stubbed my toe! Did you hear that my Brionne evolved into Primarina? Gladion, you should do it. I agree with you. (Y/N) and I can help you, I think... we've been to Aether Paradise and met Lusamine before... OW!"

Lillie flushed at Hau.

Huh? What's up with that?

Gladion looked astounded as the torrent of words issued from Hau's mouth. "Is this true?" he questioned (Y/N), evidently not trusting Hau's words. "You've—"

"I've met Lusamine and been to Aether Paradise before, yes. So has Hau." (Y/N) interrupted— at least, her Rotom Phone did. Sometimes, even while arguing with her friends—yes, she considered Gladion, Hau, and Lillie friends now!— she forgot she was mute and why. Lillie was totally sweet about it. The only other person who didn't treat her as though she was bizarre just because she couldn't—wouldn't—speak was Hau. He'd treated her just the same as a normal person all these years. She supposed Gladion did too, but then again he was hostile to everyone. But... not to her. Not anymore. Not after that day before Acerola's trial, which she now realized had changed so much between them. (Y/N) hadn't felt guilty about daydreaming about being Alola's Champion once since that day. What had happened that day that was so monumental?

Lillie and Gladion were arguing again. Their names were both flowers, but they were still so different. Lillie was always wearing white, a fragile flower whose petals were crushed long ago but still carried on. Gladion was always wearing black, had never been a flower, and would keep on fighting till he won. So different. But the love the brother and sister shared, even as they fought now, was apparent and obvious. Even their fight was caused by how much Gladion cared about Lillie's safety with Nebby. It was like how (Y/N) and Ryota had been.

Ryota...

(Y/N)'s father... wait, why had he come up in her thoughts?

Wait! It wasn't her father who had.

It was Gladion's.

A familiar mop of blond hair on a person who took care of all her Pokémon that weren't in her party... a person whose son thought he was dead...

"Gladion." (Y/N) interrupted for the third time that day. "It's important. I need to know your father's name."

Gladion looked dazed at the very mention of his father, as though (Y/N) had tackled him to the ground and actually used her real voice to ask the question. Hau looked surprised at the question, since he didn't know that Gladion and Lillie had a father. Well, of course he knew they did, everybody had a father, but he didn't know they had one that was 'important.' But he was. Important, and important to the story. Lillie stared at the floor, her mint green eyes so like Gladion and Lusamine's tearing up, her blonde hair, so like her brother and mother's, rising and falling above her head, her pale skin becoming pasty and perspiring, her white skirt flaring up and twirling. Mint green eyes, blonde hair, pale skin. Like Gladion and Lusamine's, yes, but also like those of...

"Mohn," Gladion choked, his voice cracking. "My father's name was Mohn."

The final piece to the puzzle. And it fit.

(Y/N) slowly slid and tapped her fingers over her Rotom Phone's cool screen, replying: "Gladion and Lillie, I know your father. And he isn't dead."

Hau facepalmed.