When The Sun Sets (Moon X Gladion)

Four Stars

Gladion awoke the next morning with a massive crick in his neck. He groaned and stretched, looking about the small clearing. Three pairs of lungs breathed in his vicinity, their exhales out of tune. Somewhere between the anxiety and exhaustion of the previous night, they had all comfortably fallen asleep beside one another. To his surprise, Moon had chosen his side. Rather characteristically, his heart raced with an urgency that made him want to pull away. Deep down, he did not want her to know how terrified he was of the predicament they were in, or how scared he was to lose her.

He rubbed at his eyes and stood up, careful not to step on any fingers. He shivered, their fire no more than smoldering embers. He did not know where he was going, only that he needed to walk before the others woke with the rising sun. He looked towards the sky, his retinas burning. The moon still hung in the chasm above, teasing him. He wished he could go back to his Moon's side and scoop her up into his arms, holding her there until dawn. Or, better yet, until the stormy seas left her grey eyes.

He heavily cursed himself for not making a move on her before all of this "mass destruction of Kanto" bullshinx.

He walked through the grass, leaves splitting beneath his feet. He just wanted to sit by the beach, he realized. Though, it seemed he was not the first of them to have this realization. Down by the water, his paws in the sand, Lucario sat with his head touching his knees.

"Hey, Luc," Gladion said as he approached. "Are you feeling better?"

The pokémon let out a soft grunt.

Originally, Lucario had been a part of Moon's rescue team. However, as he stepped foot in the cave, he suddenly dropped to his knees. Hau theorized that it was because of Moon, and her reaction to seeing "Sun." After all, Lucario had a powerful link to his trainer. It would make sense that, sometimes, even her emotions would become too much for his senses.

"Moon is okay," Gladion assured, settling beside him in the sand. "She's going to be fine."

Lucario looked up at Gladion, a soft glint in his eyes. His expression looked oddly human, the pain sifting through his twitching mouth and stabbing Gladion in the chest. Lucario grunted again, this time with more vigor.

"Today, we're heading to Cordovan Forest to face the beast once and for all," Gladion informed him, his gazing shifting towards the glistening waves. The tide rushed towards him like a child playing chicken, just narrowly missing his shoes before retreating into the depths. "I'm scared."

Lucario looked at the teen suddenly, his jaw slacked. Gladion continued. "When I met Moon and Hau, I hated them. Well, I didn't actually hate them, but I hated being around them. Hau was too friendly, too... loud. And Moon? She didn't feel real. I remember her bubbly laughs while she stood beside Hau, but when she was alone... it's like she was an entirely different person. She was quiet, always looking at the ground while she walked. At times, I wondered if I was staring at a ghost. She was a mystery, something I couldn't understand, and it bothered me, even though I never asked her what was wrong!" He sighed heavily, his chest deflating like an old balloon. "Then, I fell for her. I fell for her, and I wasn't sure how to cope with it. I just kept running and running and running, just like I always do." He looked at Lucario, a steely gleam in his emerald eyes. "I'm not running anymore. I could lose her today or tomorrow or the next day, but I just can't let that happen. Am I making sense?"

Lucario sat like a statue for a moment before nodding. Then, hopping up from the sand, he grabbed Gladion's sleeve before tugging him back towards the camp. They both had the same thought: there was no time for brooding. The sun was beginning to rise, which only meant it was time to leave.

When they returned to wake the others, they found the three remaining bodies already stirring in the morning light. They all packed their individual things, with Moon stomping on their campfire to calm the last smoldering embers. When she saw Gladion and Lucario, she smiled gingerly. "G'morning."