When The Sun Sets (Moon X Gladion)

Family Reunion

"Woah! You live HERE?" Hau gaped at the beautiful riverside building.

"USED to live," Moon corrected him, a nostalgic twinkle in her grey eyes.

The house was quite charming; the wooded walls had recently been given a fresh coat of dark paint and the windows were shielded by black shutters. White lanterns hung from the front porch and although the place was only one story, it was decently sized.

Gladion felt bad for Moon's father, who now shared this three-bedroomed place with no one, not even his own family. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered how alone his mother must've felt after he and Lillie ran away. He swallowed his guilt before anyone could question his solemn expression.

They followed Green towards the back of the house. As they neared the corner, Moon noticed that white lanterns were also strung up on the back patio and she could smell the aroma of food. They turned the corner and discovered a crowd of people waiting for them. In that crowd, she heard a voice shout her name, along with a bunch of excited cheers.

"Moonpie?" A average-heightened man in a sweater vest stepped out of the crowd. He had short black hair and grey eyes that were hiding behind small, square-framed glasses. He looked smart, which he was, and happy. So incredibly happy.

"Dad!" Moon went to greet the man and he pulled her into a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"I've missed you too," Moon's dad smiled as he let go of his child. "Look at how much you've grown!"

Gladion found himself smiling as they conversed. He'd always enjoy seeing Moon so happy because she deserved to be. And now that Gladion knew of her past and what had happened to her brother, he wanted nothing more than to shower her with the love that she was entitled to. But in the current moment, when he glanced at Green and saw the way he was looking at Moon, he doubted to he could do that.

Moon's father looked past Moon and at her three friends. "Ah, hello! I'm Apollo Orion, Moon's father."

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Hau put his hands on the back of his neck and grinned.

Dr. Orion smiled back and turned towards the crowd. "Friends! My daughter has returned to us! Therefore, on this starlit night, we shall celebrate!" His voiced boomed, although a second later, it was drowned out by the guests' cheers.

The night was running smoothly, just as Dr. Orion and company had planned. The weather was cool and the sky was clear, there was plenty of food to go around, and everyone, including Moon, was having a great time.

Around halfway into the night, Moon left her father's side and met up with Green. From there, they began discussing the Pokémon that they had encountered during their journeys.

"Venusuar and I have been together since the very beginning, ya know? And Hypno is a big help too, especially when my insomnia starts acting up." Green grinned as he shuffled through his satchel. He went on some more, talking about his team, which consisted of Vensusuar, Hypno, Nidoqueen, Jolteon, Rapidash, and Golduck. "How about you? Who did you meet?"

Moon looked around the patio, which was still bustling with people. "Come with me."

Confusion shown in Green's caramel eyes. "Where are we going?"

"My Pokémon are a tad too... enormous to release in this crowd," Moon replied. They both stood up and left towards the river.

Meanwhile, Gladion and Hau were talking with Dr. Orion.

"So, tell me about yourselves, boys." Dr. Orion said as he took a sip from what Gladion guessed was a bottle of cream soda. He would've asked for one but in the moment, he was sort of craving tea. He silently chuckled, for the notion that he liked tea even surprised himself. In fact, he and Lillie both preferred tea. He guessed they had just grown used to it during their childhood, considering their mother always drank it.