Sun & Moon: Rebellion (Sun x Lillie Fanfiction)

Chapter 4 - Alolan Christmas

I stare at Feathers' Poké Ball in thought, as I hold it plainly in my hand.
Lillie really is close to her Pokémon... that's some amazing power.
"Sun? Hellooo?" Lillie giggles, waving her hand to wake me up from my daydreaming.
"Huh? Sorry Lillie, I was out of it just then, wasn't I... did you say something?"
"I asked where do you want to go next, you goof," She jokes.
"Oh, well... The Pokémon Center, before anything else," I mutter, holding up Feathers' Poké Ball to her before putting it back in my backpack.
"Ah yes... that would be a good start... I'm sorry..." she apologises sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. Her random apology confuses me.
"Hm? What for?" I ask, taking her hand as we make our way out of the ruins of conflict.
"You know... About Feathers. I d-didn't mean to hurt him, I... I..." she stutters, her cheeks glowing a little red with guilt. I smile, flashing my neat white teeth. I can't help but fall victim to her cuteness as she shuffles along the stone floor, genuinely apologetic of hurting Feathers by accident with that Z-move. I softly rub her back to reassure her.
"Awww, Lillie, don't worry! Feathers is fine, he'll be okay. In fact, it's really impressive what you managed to show us with that Z-move. It proves that you're really close to your Pokémon, and it shows how diligently you raise them," I explain as we pass back outside into the icy wind.
"Y-you really are impressed? And you're not mad?"
Her adorableness is too much for me, so I stop and give her a hug to stop her from worrying. "Stop being so hard on yourself Lillie, of course I'm not mad at you, how could I be? And yes, I really am impressed with your Z-move power, it took Feathers and I months and months to achieve that sort of power," I laugh, closing my eyes and caressing her back gently as we remain embraced. She just sighs happily, before replying.
"Phew, I'm glad you're not upset, then. I really do hope Feathers isn't in too much pain, though," Lillie says whilst squeezing me a little tighter, nuzzling the side of her head against my cheek.
"Don't worry, I doubt he even felt a thing. One moment he's watching a tiny little Ribombee approach, and the next, he's crashed into a wall. He probably fell into a comfortable sleep before he could even process what had happened,"
"I guess so. Hey, Sun..."
"Hm?"
"D' you think we could go for a walk together through the city for a bit after patching Feathers up? It's a beautiful day after all, and I heard that they were putting up some pretty lights. Maybe we could go and see them together?" She asks hopefully. She removes her arms from around my upper body, and takes my hand instead as we continue on to cross the bridge back over to Mahalo Trail.
"Sounds nice, Lil. Great idea," I agree happily. I couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas Day honestly, strolling around the snow-covered streets with Lillie. She smiles, and nods happily.
"Yay! And we should have plenty of time too, since Mom told us to be back at around 4:30," she chirps.
"That's true,"
For a moment, I consider summoning Tauros to speed things up for us, but I decide that there is no rush. We smile together, as we hold hands and wander through the snow towards the nearest Pokémon Center.

The rush of warm air hits us like a fire blast as we enter the Pokémon Center, the electronic door closing behind us to seal off the cold. For some reason, as we enter, the people in the Pokemon Center immediately start whispering amongst themselves, some of them gesturing towards me subtly. Lillie notices too, and glances sideways at me with a look of question on her face. I simply keep my eyes straight ahead and proceed to the woman behind the counter.
"Merry Christmas, Champion! Would you like us to rest your Pokémon?" She asks almost robotically. I pull Feathers' Poké Ball out of my bag and hand it to her.
"Just this guy, please."
As the nurse restores Feathers, I quickly take another glance at the people behind me. They're not staring, but a couple of kids do look up with hope in their eyes as they see me. What could be going on?
"Uh, excuse me, nurse... is there something going on?" I ask, not really knowing what to say.
"Ah, yes... you see, there have been some widespread reports of mysterious characters wandering about the city. They dress similarly to Team Reskull, but they aren't the same... they're carrying out some kind of suspicious activity, according to citizens," The nurse replies quietly, handing back Feathers' Poké Ball, which I gratefully return to my backpack.
"I see. Thanks for the info. I'll take a look around," I reply cautiously, turning back to Lillie. She already looks a bit fearful.
"What do you think is going on exactly? Did she say suspicious activity?" Lillie asks, her expression turning to a more serious one.
"I don't know, but we'll get to the bottom of this. It's gonna be alright," I say firmly.
"Yeah... After all, they can't be that dangerous if we only just heard about them, right?" She adds.
"Oh! Um, excuse me, Champion!" An elderly man tries to get my attention politely. I smile and approach him.
"Alola, is everything okay?" I smile.
"Oh, thank you for your time, it's very kind. I take it that the nurse there told you about the thugs patrolling the city?" The man asks. I nod.
"Yup, that's right," I reply.
"You see, they're terribly unfriendly towards... well, everyone. Some are worried that they could even be planning something. All I'd like to ask is that you could keep an eye out for them... please?" The man pleads hopefully. I gently close my eyes for a moment, as it all suddenly becomes so clear. It's the look in the people's eyes... the fear, the worry... it reminds me that it's my job to watch over the region. Almost like a Kahuna. I nod confidently.
"Of course I'll be watching out for them, you have nothing to worry about. I assure you, nobody is getting hurt here as long as I'm around,"
A look of hope shines on the gentleman's face, and he proceeds to shake my hand out of gratitude.
"Oh, thank you! We appreciate it more than you know," He smiles. The other people in the room look up with happiness in their eyes, too. I nod, not really knowing what more to say. Lillie glances at me too, smiling confidently. With our Pokémon in tow, we proceed towards the exit.
"Everyone seems terrified, don't they? We'd better keep a look out," Lillie says sternly.
I nod, holding her hand. "For now, let's just enjoy the city lights," I say with a smile. Lillie smiles too. "Good idea."