Connecting Heartstrings | Gladion

>>Chapter 12<<

(Y/N) was walking with Umbreon towards Wela volcano to continue studying Marowak. On her way to the top, she was thinking about Gladion and how she came to like him. She couldn't say it was love that word was way too strong, it was a simple crush, but was it bad she wanted it to become love? She kept thinking about that side of Gladion no one but her got to see. His constant teasing, his smile, the place only they knew about...(Y/N) felt it was wrong to assume her feelings were being reciprocated but she couldn't help but think about why Gladion treated her differently. Come to think of it, (Y/N) had never seen Gladion with friends. He only cared about his Pokémon and his sister, and perhaps about her too. (Y/N) couldn't tell.

(Y/N) shook away all of her thoughts. She though having a crush was a distraction and decided to therefore ignore all her unrequited love and bury it way down where no one would find it. She needed to focus on what she came to Alola for. She had a plan. To infiltrate into Aether Foundation and take back what was rightfully hers. What her father had created. But she still needed a way in, so she was only waiting for now, and having a crush on Gladion would be a huge distraction to her mission.

(Y/N) soon arrived to Wela volcano and started looking for Marowak. Umbreon never left her side. After a few minutes walking around, Umbreon turned around and started growling at a bush. Its blue fur started glowing, signalling it had found something. (Y/N) turned around and saw Marowak jumping out of the bushes, attempting a surprise attack. Did he want to fight? (Y/N) took the hint and told Umbreon to get into a fighting stance.

— "Umbreon, Dark Pulse."

...

The fight went on for what seemed like hours. Umbreon was exhausted and hyperventilating but never giving in. Marowak seemed just as tired.

Marowak used Shadow Bone and Umbreon moved away barely on time, making Marowak's attack miss. Umbreon was too tired to use Wish again to heal himself. The end was near. (Y/N) believed in Umbreon and knew if he made an effort, victory would be theirs, after all, Marowak was just as tired as Umbreon. Marowak seemed like it was getting ready to launch another attack, and so (Y/N) decided to beat him to it.

— "Umbreon, don't give up just yet. Try one more time for me. Last resort!" — (Y/N) cheered for her Pokémon, hoping to win the battle.

Umbreon and Marowak both launched their attacks at the same time, colliding and making a cloud of dust rise from the ground and to the sky. (Y/N) couldn't see what was going on. She didn't know if any of the attacks connected or if they were still standing. She waited for the dust to clear up and saw Umbreon barely standing, its legs shaking and begging for some rest. On the other side of the field, Marowak was laying on the ground unconscious. They had won the battle.

(Y/N) ran up to Marowak and tried to heal him, only to receive a bone flying to her face. Marowak stood up, trembling, and breathing heavily. He stood tall and proud despite his loss. (Y/N) had a newfound admiration for Marowak. Marowak turned to look at (Y/N) and found her smiling.

— "I'm proud of you, Marowak. You did great." — (Y/N)'s words took Marowak by surprise. No one had ever been proud of him. After a few seconds of staring at (Y/N), Marowak grabbed his bone and put it on (Y/N)'s forehead.

(Y/N) looked at him confused. Marowak signalled to her bag, and then put the bone on his own forehead.

(Y/N) got the message instantly and smirked.

...

(Y/N) was sitting in her room, staring at the bouquet of Gladiolus flowers from yesterday. They were all different colours making the bouquet a majestic rainbow of flowers. (Y/N) liked the meaning of the Gladiolus flower, honour, and strength of character. Gladion definitely had strength of character. (Y/N) giggled at the thought of Gladion's intense, edgy personality. She liked that about him.

Tomorrow, they would leave Akala and return to Mele Mele. (Y/N) didn't want to leave, though. This island had given her so much, it felt like a special place for her. Nevertheless, she needed to go back home and continue plotting her revenge.

(Y/N) decided to press a few of the gladiolus flowers into one of her books and left the bouquet on her nightstand. She then drifted off to sleep while thinking about Gladion and the moment they shared on this island. That's what made the trip unforgettable, and that's what (Y/N) would remember forever.

A/N: Super short update! I'm drowning in homework, I apologise! I promise once finals are over I'll update really often! Please vote and comment! I love to see your comments and opinions