When The Sun Sets (Moon X Gladion)

Hunted

After securing Hau in Incineroar's arms, the teens trudged back up the hill the Jeep had previously toppled from. Then, locating the path, they made their way back towards the direction from which they came. They seemed to have been walking forever, passing the same breeds of familiar looking brushes and stepping over muddied puddles that lay in the center of the path. They grew more and more tired with each step, all the while praying that they'd find the mother kangaskhan close by.

Moon lingered towards the back of the group, sticking close beside Hau and Incineroar as she surveyed the fields. In the distance, she spotted a large herd of tauruses, all huddled together so that they looked like little freckles in the tall grass. In the opposite direction, her eyes met a large pond of water that glistened gently in the autumn sun. Almost immediately after gazing upon its crystalline surface, a dratini breached into the air, reaching at least fifteen feet before nose-diving back into the waters. Overhead, clouds passed over the sun, shading the land in subtle darkness.

"Talk to me, Moon." Hau's voice strained in the space beside her. When she looked at his disheveled form and saw that his eyes were closed, the knot in her stomach tightened.

"Do you need anything, Hau?" Moon inquired gently.

"No, not like that." Hau shook his head. "Talk to me about something happy. Anything."

"Sure thing." Moon fell silent, taking the time to search for the right words. When none came she just said, "The sky is pretty today, huh?"

Hau opened his eyes to the chasm above. It was completely cloudy now; every ounce of blue had been replaced by white, fluffy clouds, all rolling and swirling like frothing waves. It reminded him of the way Lillie's favorite summer dress folded around her on windy days and, within seconds, he found himself smiling. "No, it's beautiful." Upon saying it, he took a deep breath and a shooting pain erupted in his chest, forcing him to close his eyes again. Incineroar noticed and looked down at him with concerned eyes. Of course, Hau didn't perceive this.

In front of them, Green stumbled forward, catching himself just before he toppled over. Gladion reached out to steady his rival while the rest of the group stopped behind them.

"Are you okay?" Gladion asked.

"I'm fine," Green assured him and the others. Then, looking down at the baby kangaskhan, he made a decision. "You take her. Please."

Gladion accepted Green's offer, taking the Pokémon into his own arms. The teens trudged on like plagued rattatas scrounging for food, their tattered forms searching around wearily for anything resembling a kangaskhan. An hour passed. Nothing. Eventually, Gladion had enough.

"Alright, new plan." His voice wasn't even angry anymore, just a void of tired annoyance that seeped into the atmosphere like fog. "At least half of us need medical attention. If we don't get it, we're going to regret it. I say we find our way out of here, tell the authorities about Hikaru, and then pass Kangashkan to someone who's a little more... able to help her."

Moon glanced at Hau once more. His shaking hand clenched his tattered shirt as the wind tousled his tangled, green hair. Biting her lip, she agreed. "Gladion's right. Let's get out of here." She opened her backpack in search of Necrozma's masterball. Since it could fly, she reckoned the Pokémon would be able to carry all (if not most) of them out of the field. Before she could lay her hands upon the masterball's sleek surface, however, she heard a low growl behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck rising, she slung her backpack back over her shoulder and turned.

"GLADION!" Moon screamed suddenly as a brown figure rushed out of the bushes, surging towards the dreary teen. In a flash, Incineroar jumped into the fray. Revving his arm, he uppercutted the threat, sending it back only by a couple feet. As it steadied itself, everyone realized exactly what they were dealing with: the mother kangashkan had arrived... and she was furious.