Deception - Gladion x Reader. [UNDER CO.]

Helped Home

Reader's POV

After the battle I spent some time with Hau, and when it started getting late he said he had to go and asked if I'd like him to walk me home. It was very sweet of him, which was no surprise as that was him all over, but I said no. He seemed a little unsure about leaving me alone in the dark, however, I assured him that I simply wanted to spend some time alone and look around the town, and that I'd make sure I was home before ten o'clock (which was always the very latest my mom allowed me to stay out). Besides, if anything went wrong I had my Pokémon with me; being reminded of that seemed to make him feel a bit better, and he gave me a smile and a hug before making his way back home.

Sighing, I walked past some shops until I came to the ramp which led to the beach, and at that point I decided to do some stargazing. I'd noticed the Alolan sky was particularly beautiful but still hadn't had the chance to properly check it out, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The moonlight shone down perfectly on the sand as I made my way along the beach, looking for the perfect place to sit; I wanted to make sure I was in a good position so I could truly enjoy the view. It was peaceful... for a short moment.

"Hey there, little trainer." A strange male voice spoke from behind me, causing me to jump and stop suddenly.

"Huh?" I spun around and rolled my lips together when I saw a man, much taller and larger than me, standing only a few feet away. His face was mostly shadowed, but he looked rather... creepy in the moonlight.

"What are you doing out here?" He paused to look me up and down. "Out in the dark... all by yourself..."

The man took a step towards me, causing me to swallow hard. I felt frozen in place as he continued to move forward and just as he reached a hand out to me, I heard another voice from some distance away, in the direction of the ramp. The growing anxiety stopped me from looking towards it, but there was no denying it sounded familiar...

There was some mumbling and sounds of movement which made me close my eyes as I inhaled deeply. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" They soon snapped open again when the voice sounded closer, and I glanced beside me to see none other than Gladion. I didn't understand why he was here, but I was glad he was.

"What does it look like? I'm talking to this sweet lil' lady." The man smirked at me and I felt a strong feeling of nausea rise up from my stomach.

"Yeah, well I don't think she wants to be talking to you, so how about you leave her alone?"

He gritted his teeth and glared at Gladion. "How about you butt out and let us get on with our conversation?"

All of a sudden, Gladion stepped toward the guy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer so they were only inches apart. "Get out of here. Leave her alone and never bother her again." To my surprise, the guy actually looked rather afraid and I couldn't blame him; Gladion wasn't exactly the most friendly person, but this was the most intimidating I'd ever seen him. "You'll see what happens if you don't." As the last word was spoken, the guy quickly wriggled out of his grip and hurried away into the darkness, allowing me to let out the breath I'd unknowingly been holding in. My eyes were locked on the blonde as he brushed himself off and sighed before turning to face me, his expression some mix of annoyance and relief. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just walking around."

"In the dark?" I nodded. "Don't you think that's a little dangerous... and stupid?"

That comment was irritating enough to make me groan. "There you go again."

"What?"

"Calling me stupid and just insulting me in general. You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say one nice thing to me." I took a step closer to him, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I said you were a good battler the first time we met," he said, smiling innocently.

My arms folded over my chest as I stepped closer again. "You said I was pretty good for a newbie. I don't think that's much of a compliment."

"Pretty picky, aren't ya?" I frowned, which only made him smile more. "Whatever. Look, why don't I walk you home?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Don't read anything into it, I just hate people like that and I don't want him following you home or anything." As soon as he finished his sentence, I glanced around with paranoia, though Gladion just shook his head. "Plus, I know Lillie would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

I frowned at the mention of Lillie from nowhere, but there was barely time to question him about it before he grabbed my wrist and began pulling up the ramp and past the shops in the direction of my house. Although I had to give him directions once we'd gotten out of that district, I was less focused on that and more so on the comforting fact that I had a guardian to accompany me home.

No matter how grumpy he may be.