Moonflower (Gladion x Moon Fanfic)

Burn

This is based off the plot of Ultra sun/ultra moon.  In this story, Moon is based off the character with medium brown skin and darker brown hair. 
Takes place a few years after the events of Ultra Moon.  Gladion and Moon are both eighteen. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Moon asked, staring into the mouth of the portal into Ultra Space that shimmered with soft blue light.
I nodded, clearing my throat as I glanced at her.  The champion of Alola was pale, her amber eyes swimming with anxiety.  She bit at her lips; a habit I noticed she did when nervous.  She'd exhibited the same behavior when battling Guzma years ago.
"We don't have a choice," I replied.  "With Ultra Space open like this, we need to document the Ultra Beasts.  If they're as dangerous as my mother says, we need to catch them or at least learn enough about them."
The portal had been open for years, but energy readings said that the beasts that resided there were becoming more powerful.  Over the last few years, research had been going slow.  Moon had captured two of the beasts from space—Nihilego and Pheromosa.  From one of the energy readings, were we able to pinpoint a wormhole that had a particularly powerful beast.
Moon nodded quickly, taking in a sharp breath through her nostrils.  She glanced at me briefly, then looked down at the stone paving of the altar beneath us.
"Thanks for helping me with this, Gladion.  I just don't want you to get hurt...."
I turned my head towards her.  "It's not a problem, Moon.  Besides, I'm the one with the beast killer, remember?"  I tossed Silvally's pokéball up lightly in the air. 
"Okay, just be careful, yeah?"  She gave my elbow a squeeze, sending a bolt of electricity up my spine.  My heart nearly jumped up my throat.  I watched as she stepped into the wormhole.  Within a few seconds, her athletic, slender form disappeared as she and Lunala dove into Ultra Space.
My legs felt like jelly as I felt the place she'd touched.  Since she'd beaten Guzma after I'd lost badly to him, I couldn't stop thinking about her.  The way she stood up for me.  How she made me feel like I was worth something.  And after saving us from Necrozma, I realized that if I wanted to learn real strength, it would be from her. 
I was able to spend time with her, just by being around Hau and Lillie after I returned from Kanto. She was fierce and brave, powerful, beautiful, loyal.  She could be naive and worrisome, only because she cared too much about those around her. And I wondered if she thought I was someone worth worrying over.
Maybe she cared about everyone, but the way I felt about her had more than friendship, especially over the past two years as we worked side by side at the Aether Foundation, studying Ultra Space. But I wasn't even sure if she considered me as a friend. But every time I saw her dazzling smile, her sweep of dark hair, or her eyes that shone like rays of sun, I went just a little crazier.
"Gladion!" Her voice snapped me out of my daydream. She was hovering at the mouth of the portal, grinning through her space helmet. "C'mon, let's go. I wanna be back before Hau eats every Malasada on the island."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but smirk. I stepped into the wormhole, mounting the
Solgaleo from Ultra Megalopolis. The Sunne pokémon radiated warmth and light, and purred loud enough to rattle my bones as I rode his back.
"Follow Lunala, okay?" I told him. The lion gave a soft roar in understanding, and charged after Moon into the wormhole.

~~~~

"Gladion." A hand on my shoulder, shaking me.
My eyes popped open to see Moon hanging over me, a playful grin on her lips. I was on the ground, lying on my back.
"Hey sleepyhead," she whispered. A strand of her chocolate-colored hair fell out from behind her ear. "We're here."
"M-Moon," I stammered, a nervous sweat breaking out on my forehead. She was really close...
"C'mon, get up," she said, yanking me to a sitting position to my wrist.
I turned my head around, looking at the surroundings. My heart pounded as I took in the ruins of a city. Buildings broken down into bricks, shattered glass, litter everywhere. My breath hitched as I read a dusty sign for a Malasada shop.
"It's....it's Hau'oli city," I breathed.
Moon sighed, her eyes scanning over the destroyed area. "I knew other dimensions existed," she said. "I just never thought I'd see something so....close to home."
"Let's go," I said.  "We have a lot of ground to cover."
Moon led the way, and I followed, but not before releasing Silvally.  My heart was pounding in my chest out of fear, as I suspected the destruction around us was the product of an Ultra Beast.