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The phone rings at three in the morning. Moon is awake reading a book so the phone call doesn't wake her up, but that's not the point. Phone calls at three in the morning are never good. Who calls someone at three in the morning unless it's an emergency? Although to be fair, maybe Moon's friends in Kanto had forgotten about the time difference. But they'd usually text or message, not call. Moon looks nervously at the phone. What if it's someone calling to tell her bad news? What if someone has died? Not answering the phone won't help anything, Moon thinks and picks up the phone nervously.
“Hello?” she croaks. There's silence on the other line and for a moment Moon thinks maybe she'll have to deal with a creepy phone stalker. Although she isn't sure if people actually make creepy phone calls anymore. “Hello?” she says again, trying to sound firmer. More silence and Moon's initial worry is beginning to be replaced with annoyance. She's about to demand that they speak or hang up when a voice says, “Moon?” It's male and for a moment Moon can't place it. Then she recognizes the voice. “Gladion?”
Gladion doesn't say anything for a moment. As a rule, Gladion doesn't talk to her much. She's seen him at the Battle Royale when she goes there to clear her mind and just have battles where the fate of the world isn't in the balance and she isn't battling criminals and nothing bad will happen. Moon remembers one battle where they had teamed up by unspoken agreement and knocked out the other opponents. They'd worked together well and Moon had wanted to mention it, but Gladion had said they weren't friends. And although Moon is pretty sure he doesn't hate her and at least tolerates her, she still doesn't want to force her company on him. She can't think of why he'd be calling her. Maybe something is wrong. Maybe he's hurt. Moon feels alarm building. “Are you okay?” she demands. “Are you hurt?” Her heart begins to race.
“What? No.”
Relief shoots through Moon. Gladion is okay. Then curiosity replaces it. If Gladion isn't calling because someone is hurt, then what would he be calling for? Moon racks her brain for a moment before deciding on a possibility. “Do you need me to bail you out of jail?” she asks.
“Why would I need you to bail me out of jail?” Gladion asks. He sounds confused and annoyed, but not as annoyed as he would have sounded a few months ago. Moon can also detect a hint of curiosity in his voice. She keeps her voice light. “Well, people usually call at three in the morning because there was an emergency or because they're in jail because they did something stupid and need their friend to bail them out.” Moon has a moment of worry when she says the last part. Is she overstepping her bounds by insinuating that she and Gladion are friends? She wants to backtrack, but Moon is worried she'll sound even more ridiculous and it's best to just hope Gladion didn't notice the slip.
“I have my own money to bail myself out of jail,” Gladion's voice is withering.
Moon giggles. “I love that you're taking issue with the fact that I'm insinuating you can't afford your bail, rather than the fact that you're in jail.”
Gladion's voice is light. “Getting arrested wouldn't be the most unlikely thing to happen to me.” Moon wonders if she's supposed to agree. If she says yes, will that mean she's saying that she thinks Gladion is a criminal or would get arrested? Should she say something? Should she just let that last part go? She decides to try and change the subject. “So, if you aren't hurt or in jail, why are you calling? Because no offense, but I don't know if we're on the level of friendship where we can call each other at three in the morning to talk about random shit.”
There's a pause. Moon can hear Gladion breathing through the phone. She isn't quite sure what to do, but takes a wild stab at it. “Are you okay?”she asks. More silence. Moon wonders if she should say something to fill it. She decides to give Gladion a chance to gather his thoughts.
“I can't sleep,” he says eventually. The words sound like they have to be forced out of him.
“I know some teas that can help with that,” she says. “I can bring some tomorrow.”
“I didn't ask you to do that.”
Moon wonders if she should get off the phone now. Instinct tells her that she probably shouldn't. Gladion wouldn't call her at three in the morning just to tell her that he can't sleep. Why would he bother telling her? Part of Moon thinks that maybe Gladion just wanted to talk to someone, but she isn't sure if she's right. “So when you say you can't sleep do you mean you're having trouble falling asleep, that you can't sleep because of nightmares, or....”
“Nightmares,” Gladion says reluctantly. “Of Silvally. And Lillie.” Moon doesn't know what to say to that. She wishes she could help Gladion, that she knew the right words to take away his pain and offer comfort. But all the words she knew sounded cliché and trite. “How long have you been having them?” she asks instead. Gladion doesn't answer for a few moments and when he does he snaps, “Does it matter?” So Moon guesses he's been having nightmares for a little bit. She's not sure if making tea and trying to offer a supportive ear is enough. But Gladion had called her because he needed help and Moon is going to try and do the best she can to help him.
“Anything else you want to tell me?” she asks.
“My thoughts race,” Gladion admits. “I can't get a moment's quiet. Whenever I close my eyes, I think about the nightmares I'm going to have and I don't want to sleep. And then my thoughts start racing and I can't settle down to sleep.”
This is out of Moon's league. What can she do? Moon takes a deep breath. Maybe she can't offer any permanent solutions, but maybe she can give Gladion a brief moment of comfort. A moment of laughter, a moment where the world doesn't seem as bleak. She wants to do for Gladion what her friends had done for her when she was upset- make him laugh for a brief moment, steady him enough so that he can get through whatever is troubling him. “You know what I do when I can't sleep?” Moon asks.
“What makes you think I care?” Gladion asks, but there's no heat in his voice.
Moon chooses to ignore him. “I start out by playing Pokemon ABC. So I go, A for Articuno, then B for Bulbasaur. You try.”
“This is stupid,” Gladion mutters. But then he says, “C-Caterpie,” even though Moon can barely hear him.
“D-Decidueye.”
“E-Eleckid.”
“F-Fearrow.” They keep going until Z for Zoroark. It's actually fun to play this with another person, Moon thinks. It's fun seeing what Pokemon they name.
“That wasn't as dull as I thought it would be,” Gladion says.
“You know, you can just admit you had fun,” Moon tells him. “What's the worst that could happen?”
“That'll you know I had fun and make me do it again and tell people I had fun,” Gladion says dryly.
“The horror. Then I name all the Pokemon I can think of,” Moon continues.
Moon can sense Gladion's incredulous look through the phone. “Do you know how many Pokemon there are? You actually try to list all of them?”
“I don't know how many Pokemon there are. And of course not. Just the ones I remember. I usually start with the starters, then their evolutions, then I have a theme. Like the Eevee evolution line.”
“Umbreon is the superior evolution,” Gladion interrupts.
“Jolteon is better,” Moon insists. This leads them to a debate about the best Eevee evolution and if there would be any other Eevee evolutions discovered, like ground or flying. They debate on what circumstances would lead to that discovery. “It's odd that Umbreon and Espeon weren't discovered sooner,” Gladion muses. “If they evolve due to high friendship in the day or night, you would think people would have discovered it sooner.”
“Well, Eevee's slightly rare,” Moon points out. “But it would make sense for Espeon and Umbreon to be discovered first since they don't require a rock to evolve.” She wants to say more, but she has to stifle a yawn. How long has she been talking to Gladion? Her ear is starting to ache. But Gladion is actually a decent conversationalist. “I should let you go to bed,” Gladion says. “I'm sorry to have kept you up so long.”
“It's fine,” Moon says. “Are you going to be able to sleep? Should I stay on the phone with you?”
“Don't bother. Unless you're planning to sing me to sleep, I doubt you'd be much help.”
“I thought you would have just told me to tell you about my day or random facts and that would put you to sleep. Probably better that I don't sing for you. But are you sure you don't want me to stay?”
“I already told you it's fine.”
Moon feels guilty. Did she really do enough to help him? What if Gladion can't get to sleep? His voice breaks into her thoughts. “You didn't have to stay on the phone with me for so long.”
“It would have been rude to hang up,” Moon says. “But you're welcome.”
She can definitely hear the frown in his voice. “I don't remember saying thank you. I was simply pointing something out.”
Moon smiles. “You know, you can also just say thank you. But I enjoyed talking to you.” Should she have admitted that? Well, why shouldn't she? She did enjoy talking to him and there was no reason not to tell him. Would that sound like she was fishing for him to tell her that he liked talking to her as well? Maybe she was overthinking this. “If you ever get nightmares again or can't sleep, you can always call me.” Was that overstepping her bounds? Just because Gladion called her once didn't mean he would call her again. But Moon wants him to know that option is available.
“Good night, Moon.” Before Moon can reply, Gladion hangs up. Moon counts it as a win that he actually says good bye. She adds his name to her contact list and texts him, “Have a good night.”
*
Moon arrives at Aether Paradise with tea and a CD. She'd had the idea last night and had stopped off at the store to get it. Moon raps on Gladion's office door and pokes her head in. “Hi,” she says. “How are you?”
Gladion scowls at her. “Why are you bothering me?” he demands.
“I brought the tea like I said. And a CD that I think will help.” She crosses the room and hands them to Gladion.
He examines the CD. “You brought a CD of Jigglypuff singing?”
“Yeah. To help you fall asleep.”
“I figured that part out myself. How's that supposed to help with my nightmares, though?” Moon frowns. She hadn't thought about that part. It had just been a delirious late night thought about what if people recorded Jigglypuff songs and used them to sleep? And then she'd gone online and found out that Jigglypuff CDS were a thing. But that wouldn't help Gladion not have nightmares. Get him to sleep, yes. Help with nightmares, no.
Moon changes the subject. “You know, if a criminal wanted to rob a place they could just put ear plugs on, put the CD over the loudspeaker, and then everyone will fall asleep and they could rob a place to their heart's content.”
Gladion smirks. “I didn't realize you were such a little criminal in the making. Should I call security?”
Moon rolls her eyes. “I'm leaving. I just came to drop off the tea and the CD. I'll see you later.” Moon pauses and takes in Gladion's office. It's sparse, which Moon thinks fits Gladion's personality. “What?” he asks.
“I was just thinking if there's anything worth stealing in your office, but I see there isn't. Bye.”
*
When Moon sees that Gladion is calling at one in the morning, she's a little shocked and concerned. She didn't think he would actually take her up on her offer. When she answers the phone, Gladion speaks before Moon can. “I don't want to talk about my nightmares or my sleep schedule or anything like that.”
Moon falters for a moment. “Do you mean now or in general?”
“Now. In general. I don't know. I just know I don't want to talk about it tonight.”
“Okay, so did you want to talk about something else or did you just call to tell me that?” Gladion doesn't answer for a moment. When he does, his voice is low and slightly hesitant. “Can you just talk about something?”
Since Gladion doesn't specify, Moon decides to talk about her current project. “I want to make perfume with Salazzle,” she says. Then she worries about the way she worded that sentence and tries to clarify. “I mean, Salazzle makes a poisonous gas that can be diluted to make perfume. But the gas is full of pherenomes that force male Salandit to serve her.”
“And these pherenomes won't have any effect on humans?” Gladion asks.
“No, it does, but I'm looking for a way around that.”
“And how is the gas poisonous? Do they mean it's poisonous because of the pherenomes forcing the male Salandit to serve her or is it something else?”
Moon takes a moment to think it over. “I'm looking into that,” she says. “It's just so fascinating, you know? All the things Pokemon can do? And people probably don't even know half the things Pokemon are capable of doing. Which is exciting, isn't it? All the new things to discover?” Gladion doesn't say anything for a moment and Moon begins to feel like she's just revealed too much of herself. She tries to change the subject. “Salazzle will make an excellent perfume mascot. I mean, she already has a whole harem of males serving her. And she's sexy.”
She isn't sure, but she thinks she can detect the hint of laughter in Gladion's voice. “I don't know if we've known each other for long enough for you to tell me which Pokemon you think is sexy.” The weight of what he said sinks in and Moon can only splutter in response. Now she's sure Gladion is laughing at her. Meanwhile, Moon is debating suffocating herself with her pillow to end this embarrassment.
“So tell me something,” Gladion says suddenly.
Moon groans. “I swear, if this is a crack about my finding Pokemon sexy...”
“It isn't. I wouldn't waste my time with something like that.” Gladion's voice is impatient. Moon isn't sure whether to feel relieved or irritated. “What do you need to know?” she asks. She's actually a little bit curious to find out what Gladion wants to ask her. Maybe something about Lillie? They've kept in contact via email and maybe Gladion assumes Lillie will tell her things she wouldn't tell him.
“Is it easy to beat the gym leaders in Kanto?” he asks.
Moon is startled by the question. “What?” she asks.
“Is it easy to beat the gym leaders in Kanto?” he repeats impatiently.
“I don't know. I never took up the gym challenge when I was in Kanto.”
“Why?”
Moon doesn't have a reason why, except that she wasn't overly interested. She shrugs, before remembering that Gladion can't see her and replies, “I don't know. I don't have a deeper reason than that.”
Gladion still sounds doubtful. “So you didn't want to do the gym challenge in Kanto but you moved here and decided to take the island challenge? What changed your mind?” It's a reasonable question. Moon likes battling well enough. Her parents are lenient and she didn't have any obligations at home that would prevent her from taking the gym challenge. But she'd never wanted to and her parents had never pressured her and despite the fact that she felt she should be taking the gym challenge, it was a part easier for her to ignore. But then she'd moved to a whole new region and got caught up in an adventure as soon as she got here. Well, maybe not caught up. She didn't have to get involved in anything that happened, but she did.
“Well?” Gladion's voice rings out.
“I don't know. Maybe because I moved to a new region and I wanted an adventure. Maybe because a part of me was like, Let's do what most Pokemon trainers do and travel around battling people. Maybe part of me felt like I should try it at least once. Maybe because it was new and exciting. Maybe because I told myself I'd be open to trying new possibilities. Maybe I was bored. I don't know.”
“Your motivations don't make any sense.”
Moon laughs. “They don't make any sense to me, either.”
Gladion returns to the subject of gym leaders. “ But most gym leaders specialize in one type of Pokemon, right? So what's to stop a trainer from getting a Pokemon that's strong against that type and challenging the gym? It's not like the types of Pokemon they specialize in are a secret.”
“Absolutely nothing. Lots of trainers probably do this. But obviously a gym leader is going to be aware of their Pokemon's weakness and work their way around that. Like if I have primarily grass Pokemon, I obviously know trainers are going to come in here with fire and flying Pokemon and plan accordingly.”
“And how would you do that?”
“Go on the offensive, first. Probably use sleep powder or a move to paralyze.” Something else occurs to Moon. “Oh! So you know about pressure points, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I was reading this article about massage to help heal Pokemon. It's not really my area. I prefer to focus on poisons and antidotes, stuff like that. But then I started thinking about pressure points and how you could probably use the pressure points to make a Pokemon faint or get paralyzed.”
“That sounds interesting. Is that going to be your new area of study?”
“I don't know. You'd have to memorize all the different types of pressure points on every Pokemon.”
“I thought you'd be up to the challenge.” Moon isn't sure how to take that. Is Gladion taunting her or is he just making a statement? It is interesting, but Moon puts the project to the side.
*
Gladion texts Moon in the morning, telling her to meet him at Aether Paradise and not to be late. Moon frowns at the text, curious as to what he wants. When she arrives, she sees him with a Salazzle by his side. Gladion doesn't make eye contact as he says, “Here. You needed a Salazzle. This will save you a trip.”
Moon stares. “Where did you get a Salazzle?” she blurts out. Then she realizes that she sounds ungrateful and hurries to add, “I mean, thank you, of course. I really appreciate this. You didn't have to do this. But where did you get a Salazzle?” Moon hopes her thanks sounds sincere enough. She is grateful, but she isn't sure if she expressed it properly.
Gladion frowns. “She's Lusamine's,” he answers curtly. Moon doesn't say anything. She wonders if she should. Obviously Lusamine is a sensitive subject. Moon isn't sure if she's supposed to say anything about that. Is she supposed to ask Gladion how he feels about his mother? Should she ask how Lusamine is doing? Her mother had said that people asked about people's lives to show that they cared, but there are times when Moon feels that if a person doesn't want to talk, people should allow them that. Besides, she and Gladion aren't close enough to talk about his feelings regarding his mother. Still, the silence is awkward and Moon tries to fill it. “Oh,” she says. She rolls her eyes internally at herself.
“So, you've been keeping an eye on her Pokemon?” she asks. After the battle, Lusamine had been transferred to a facility for treatment. As far as Moon was aware, she'd make a full recovery from the toxins in her system, but she'd have to stand trial. Moon isn't exactly sure how long it takes for a trial to get started. She supposes it makes sense that she wouldn't have her Pokemon.
“Aether was the easiest place. The Pokemon are familiar with it.” Moon can tell by his tone that he doesn't want to elaborate. “Okay,” she says. “Thanks a lot. Are you sure Salazzle doesn't mind being my guinea pig?” she asks.
Gladion studies Moon closely. “Salazzle won't be hurt during this, right?”
“No, of course not!”
“Then it's fine.”
Moon feels like she should say something else. “Do you want to watch me make the perfume?” she asks. “It's pretty interesting.” It sounds awkward when she says it and Moon can't blame Gladion for saying he has work to do and getting ready to leave. “Thanks again,” she says.
Gladion looks annoyed. “Stop thanking me. I didn't do anything. You needed a Salazzle. We have a Salazzle here. I didn't do anything for you. It was just practical thinking.”
“Still, you remembered what I said about the Salazzle and the perfume,” Moon presses.
“You're happy because I remembered something I said. You have low standards,” Gladion snaps. It occurs to Moon that Gladion might feel uncomfortable with all the thanks. She decides to back off. “You sure you don't want to hang around and have a perfume making lesson? It might come in handy.”
“When would I ever need to learn how to make perfume?”
“Well, in case you got a girlfriend, you could make some for her,” Moon says.
Gladion looks unimpressed. “Why would I make perfume when I can just buy some?” he asks.
“Homemade gifts mean more.” Gladion still looks like he isn't buying what Moon is saying. To be fair, Moon only half believes it herself. But the annoyed look on Gladion's face is cute and Moon's instinct tells her he's not as annoyed as he acts.
*
Moon loses herself in familiar processes. It's been too long since she's been able to be in a lab and have a relaxing project like this. She's been busy with defending her Champion title, although if she's being honest she doesn't think she'd mind too much if she'd lost her title. But her Pokemon had worked too hard for Moon not to give it her all during a battle. And there's a childish part of her that doesn't want to lose the title. Being the Champion makes her feel like she's impersonating someone. The other Champions and members of the Elite Four are strong and powerful. Moon thinks she became Champion by accident. It's a title that doesn't quite fit. Stop it, Moon tells herself. Your Pokemon battled hard. You deserve this.
She's startled when she glances up and sees Gladion. “What are you doing here?” she asks.
“I'm the President of the company,” Gladion replies, giving her a look. “I can go where I want.” Moon rolls her eyes. “I meant, what are you doing by me?” she clarifies. “Don't you have work to do? And other projects that aren't mine to oversee?”
“The paperwork I was reading was giving me a headache,” Gladion answers. That doesn't answer Moon's question about why Gladion is with her. “Do you need me to fix you something for a headache?” she asks.
Gladion shakes his head. “I took a pill. I don't always need your help.” Moon isn't sure if he means that to be insulting or just a statement. She also isn't sure if she insinuated that Gladion always needs her help. But she wants him to know that she's available to help him whenever he asks. “Well, if you need anything for a headache or any other illness, let me know,” she says, and turns back to her project. Then it occurs to her that she's being rude. “Would you like to help me mix the perfumes?” she asks. “I've already extracted what I need from Salazzle.”
Gladion looks at Salazzle. “How's Salazzle doing?” he asks.
Moon frowns in puzzlement at the question. “I mean, I don't see anything wrong with her,” she answers. “Why?”
Gladion looks away. “I thought she might be missing Lusamine.” Moon doesn't quite know what to say to that. Gladion continues before she can respond. “So I've been writing letters to Lusamine, letting her know how her Pokemon are doing.”
“That's nice of you,” Moon says.
Gladion snorts. “I'm not doing it to be nice. Lusamine was decent to her Pokemon and I'd want to know if my Pokemon were safe.” There's a slight bitterness when Gladion says that Lusamine was decent to her Pokemon. She wishes there was something she could do to help him feel better. But she isn't sure what words would comfort him and what words would set him over the edge. “If you ever want to talk about Lusamine-”
“I don't.” Gladion cuts her off abruptly and Moon goes silent. There's an awkward pause before Moon asks, “So,does Lusamine appreciate your letters?”
“She writes to say thank you, but I don't want to talk to her about anything else.” Moon figures it's not her place to tell Gladion how to manage his relationship with his mother. “Show me how to make the perfume,” he demands.
Moon shows him the equipment and explains what to do. She sees a furrow in Gladion's forehead and sees the tenseness in his body. Time for a distraction, Moon thinks. And seeing the look on his face will be hilarious. “Salazzle gas isn't the only Pokemon ingredient that can be used in a perfume,” she tells Gladion. He grunts in acknowledgment. “You can also use the anal secretions in Pokemon. Or the fossilized urine,” she continues. The look of Gladion's face is totally worth it. His eyes bulge and his arms begin to flap.
“Why?” he sputters. “Why would you tell me that? What makes you think I would want to know that? What the hell is wrong with you? How do you know this? What kind of person decides to use anal secretions on their skin?” He pauses with a horrified look. “How did people even discover that? What were they doing?”
Moon doesn't bother trying to hide her giggles. “I don't know. Maybe it was a happy accident. You know, a lot of really cool discoveries happen by accident.”
Gladion still looks disgusted. “I don't want to know what experiments people were doing with anal secretions,” he says. “I'll never be able to look at perfume the same, thanks to you.”
Moon shrugs, unconcerned. “Are you the type to use perfume?” she asks. “Or cologne? Guys use cologne, right? But you don't use cologne, do you?”
Gladion rolls his eyes. “Who would I need to smell nice for?” he demands.
“Significant other, I guess?”
“I'll never be able to buy a girlfriend perfume again,” Gladion grumbles. Moon attempts to raise an eyebrow, but she can only raise both, so the result is that she looks surprised instead of coolly unimpressed like she was intending. “Were you going to buy your girlfriend perfume?” she asks. “What would you get your girlfriend?” Then she wonders if that might be too personal of a question.
Gladion looks flustered and annoyed. “I don't know. Flowers. Chocolate. Whatever movies tell me girls like.” Moon must have remained silent for too long because Gladion asks defensively, “What would you get your boyfriend?”
Moon freezes. She has no idea what the hell boys like and she's pretty sure her answer will be ridiculous. But Gladion is looking at her with a challenge in his eyes so she mumbles, “Watches.”
Gladion just blinks. “You'd give a guy a watch? Really?”
Moon waves her hands around. “I don't know what guys like!” she exclaims. “The movies have women buying their boyfriends watches.”
Moon is pretty sure Gladion is fighting back a smile. “And a watch is the best you can do? Not even a shirt or a pants? Just an accessory?”
Moon sighs. “My backup plan was just to give them some cash. Or a gift card.”
Gladion hums. “I like the idea, but it sounds so impersonal.”
“It's practical,” Moon argues.
Gladion smiles. “I concur.” For a moment Moon is slightly taken aback by how nice Gladion's smile is. She decides to distract in case she gawks for too long and gets put in an awkward position. Although it's not like she walked in on Gladion shirtless, which would be even more awkward. And now she's picturing Gladion shirtless. Great.
“So I usually mix perfumes using flowers,” Moon says. “Come and see. You can totally hit me up if you need perfume and want to be sure it doesn't contain anal secretions.” Gladion comes closer to see what Moon is doing.
*
Gladion texts Moon again at night with a whole plethora of disturbing Pokemon facts. Moon blinks at the screen, wondering if she should respond. She does. “Is this payback for me telling you about the perfume? Can't sleep?”
Her phone chimes with a reply. “Couldn't sleep before making you suffer like I'm suffering.”
“Jokes on you, I think these facts are cool. So for your sleeping problem maybe you should get a Hypno. They eat bad dreams. And Komala saliva helps induce a good night's sleep.”
“Why do you think I'd want to eat saliva?”
“ If you got desperate enough you'd try anything. But you'd be surprised about some cures for things. I suppose I shouldn't tell you.”
“No. I'd never take medicine or consent to treatment again.”
“I mean, I figured you'd do that anyway because you're a stubborn moron.”
Gladion doesn't reply for a moment and Moon begins to wonder if she's offended him. She may have pushed things farther than intended. They might not be in the teasing stage. A moment later her phone rings. Moon picks up. “It's too much of a hassle to text,” Gladion says without preamble. “It's easier to talk on the phone.”
“You could try abbreviations when you text,” Moon suggests. “Or emojis.”
Gladion heaves an exasperated sigh. “I'm not using emojis.”
“Yeah, I can't really see you doing that,” Moon agrees. “So is your sleeping schedule still off the table or no?”
“Yes.”
“So you calling me has nothing to do with you procrastinating going to sleep?” Moon asks.
“That's not your concern.” Gladion's voice is hard and for a minute Moon isn't sure how to respond.
Gladion speaks again, his voice softer. “The tea helped, though.”
Moon brightens up. “Really? I'm glad.”
“So you don't need to give me a drink with Komala saliva,” Gladion continues.
“Komala saliva is good for you!” Moon protests. “So, how long were you looking up weird Pokemon facts? And were you seriously doing that for revenge?”
“You can't tell me what you told me and expect me not to retaliate,” Gladion replies.
“I was just sharing an interesting factoid,” Moon protests, but the laughter in her voice gives her away.
“Oh, then so was I.”
Moon snorts.
“You know, some of those facts were interesting,” Gladion says after a moment. “In a morbid fascination sort of way. I never really thought about Pokemon that way before. Wait, no, that's not what I meant. I meant-”
“People usually focus on the battling aspect of Pokemon,” Moon interrupts. “There's nothing wrong with that. And the world is such a huge place and has such unlimited potential. I mean, there are obviously things that I wouldn't think of. Like Spinarak webs can be used for fishing nets or if other Pokemon webs can be used for clothes. I'm not a fisherman or fashion person, so it's never occurred to me. I like to focus on the medicinal aspects. Medicine is always advancing. It's great, isn't it? But battle techniques and moves will probably advance, too. I didn't know that Pikachu could learn iron tail.”
“If it has a tail, it should be able to learn iron tail,” Gladion reasons.
“That logic seems kind of simplistic,” Moon argues.
“It is simple,” Gladion counters. “Sometimes things are just that simple and people make them complicated because everything has to be complicated but they're missing the simple solution and they can't see the simple solution because it's too simple.”
Moon laughs softly. “I think I'm rubbing off on you. You're rambling. But yeah. I think people distrust simple solutions because they seem too simple. Like they think it can't be that easy. So I guess if we go on a quest and we see a simple solution, we go for it.”
“Why would I go on a quest with you?”
“I don't know. Circumstances force us together? Besides, I'd make an excellent traveling companion. I'd be able to help with medicine.”
“I guess you would have your uses.” Moon glows at this.
*
Moon doesn't have time to go to Aether Paradise for the next few days. More and more challengers have been arriving and they have her swamped. She considers going to Aether to work on a few experiments, but her mind is always fried and Moon likes to think she's practical enough to know that running experiments in a frazzled state of mind would lead to a bunch of stupid mistakes or injuries. So she doesn't go to Aether for a bit, but at night she writes down a list of new experiments to try.
Today there's a lull in between trainers. Moon is thinking about how becoming the Champion has opened up her eyes to a new way of living. Since she'd never challenged the gyms, she's never been sure about the hours. She'd assumed that the gym leaders always stayed in the gyms, the way she assumed teachers lived at school when she was a child. As Champion, she has designated hours to accept challenges. Moon wonders if gym leaders ever have people approach them outside of the gym and demand a battle. It probably wouldn't be the weirdest thing that happened. Maybe today she'll go to Aether and work on a few projects. She feels a prickle of guilt when she thinks of the projects she's neglected.
Moon's phone begins to ring. She checks the caller ID and sees that it's Gladion. He hasn't called her for the past couple of days and she wonders why he's calling now. Is he having trouble with his nightmares again? “What's up?” she asks.
“Where have you been?” Gladion demands.
Moon is too puzzled to reply right away. “What do you mean?” she asks.
Gladion grunts impatiently. “You haven't been at Aether in a while. When are you coming back?”
“I have Champion stuff to do,” Moon says. “And I'm a volunteer. I come to Aether on my own time.” Gladion doesn't say anything for a moment and Moon wonders if she came across as rude. She tries to backtrack. “I mean, I would like to be at Aether. I miss it. I've just been busy with Champion stuff.”
Still silence. A worrying idea occurs to Moon. “Nothing's wrong, is there?”
Now Gladion talks. “Why do you always assume something has to be wrong for me to talk to you?” he asks incredulously.
“Well, aside from texting me creepy Pokemon facts which you wouldn't have if I hadn't told you about anal secretions, you don't talk to me. Which is fine, you know. You can not talk to me. Or talk to me. But I like talking to you. Or not talking to you. Or....” Moon trails off. She has no idea what she's saying except it sounds ridiculous and she should quit while she's ahead. Maybe she should skip going to Aether Paradise altogether so she can avoid Gladion. Then she remembers that she's too old to avoid someone after saying something stupid and she talked to Gladion after mentioning anal secretions so slight word vomit is a minor detail.
Gladion grumbles something.
“What did you say?” Moon asks.
Gladion speaks a little louder. “I said I missed you. I mean, your company was slightly tolerable. And I wouldn't hate having you around.”
Moon tries to stifle a giggle. She's pretty sure Gladion wouldn't take it well. She knows she hadn't taken it well when people at her when she was being serious. And Gladion isn't the type to ramble or outright admit he missed someone, so Moon doesn't want to get his hackles up by laughing, even if she does think it's cute.
“If you wanted to see me, you could have just called. Which you did. But I mean, say shit like how's it going? What's up with you? That sort of stuff. You don't have to call and ask when I'm coming back to Aether. Although that's something friends or acquaintances or people who just miss people say. But if you wanted to see me, you could have just texted or called earlier.”
“Well, I was enjoying the first few days without you here telling me things I'd rather not know about,” Gladion says dryly.
“And now you miss me,” Moon says. “I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder or you don't know what you got until it's gone. Or you just get used to people's weirdness.”
“I think it was the third option.”
“You hung around with Team Skull,” Moon points out. “And you're calling me weird?”
“I spent most of my time doing errands so I could avoid them,” Gladion replies. “And even they would be the lesser of two evils compared to you.”
Moon can't hold back her laughter any more. “So you're saying you'd rather hang out with public menaces than me and learn something new?”
“Some knowledge isn't meant to be shared.” Gladion hesitates for a moment. “So, if you aren't too tired after Champion Stuff, do you want to come to Aether? We could do something.”
Moon is shocked. Is Gladion actually asking to hang out with her? What's going on with him? Wait, she hasn't answered yet. She should answer. “Sure,” she says. She doesn't really have a reason to say no and she's a bit intrigued to see what Gladion wants to do. “I'll see you then.” Moon feels energized by the conversation and with plans to hang out and throws herself into the Pokemon battles with more enthusiasm.
*
Moon thinks over her lack of a social life as she heads towards Aether. Most of her friends are busy and so is she. Lillie is in Kanto on her Pokemon journey. She writes as often as she can, but sometimes a trainer can be on the road for days without Pokemon centers around. So that means it's a bit difficult to email or call. Hau has Kahuna in training business to take care of and Moon has her Champion duties and Aether to deal with. It's a little hard finding time in the schedules to hang out in person. Moon can't remember the last time she hung out with friends. She gets that its a thing when people have jobs and things like that, so she never really paid it much mind. But it will be nice to hang out and just take a break from being the Champion.
Moon wonders what she and Gladion will do. What is she supposed to say to him? Moon feels a prickle of anxiety. Why is Gladion asking her to hang out now? What do they talk about? Talk about what you usually talk about when you talk to him, Moon tells herself. Talk about your experiments. Ask him about his nightmares. Ask about his day. Tell him about your day. Why are you freaking out? Moon has to admit that she doesn't have a reason to freak out. She's talked to Gladion before. And he's called her at three in the morning so hanging out with him in the evening shouldn't be much of a big deal. It's just-not in character for Gladion. He doesn't ask to hang out with people. He doesn't ask to hang out with her. That was before, Moon thinks. It's not like she's privy to the inner workings of his head. She wouldn't have gone on a Pokemon journey back in Kanto. People can change.
Moon sees Gladion walking towards her, Silvally at his side. “Hi!” she calls, running up. “How have you been?” Moon begins to pet Silvally.
“It's pretty rude to ignore someone after they invited you to hang out,” Gladion says, but there's no heat in his tone.
Moon gives Silvally one last pat. “Yeah, but Silvally is cuter than you are,” she teases. Gladion smiles, unrestrained and genuine. Moon thinks it will be a while before she gets over how nice Gladion looks when he smiles. “They really are,” he admits. “So, do you want to go into the nearest town? We could get food? Or do you want to look around or work on your experiments? Or we could watch movies or something.”
Moon is nonplussed. “Aether Paradise has a TV?” she asks. She supposes they have the money to afford it, but she can't think why they'd need one. Maybe a TV in the reception area when people came for business? But Moon hadn't noticed one there. Or has she just been an unobservant idiot? Gladion gives Moon a look that says she's an idiot. She's missed that look.
“You do know my house is on the island, right?” Gladion demands.
Moon freezes. She actually had forgotten. Should she just admit that to Gladion? No, she doesn't want to look like an idiot. But Gladion can see the look on her face. “You literally spent the night here,” he presses on.
“I was distracted by all the bullshit going on at the time!” Moon protests.
“Whatever you say, Moon.” Moon makes a face at his condescending tone, but follows him.
Moon has forgotten how large Gladion's house is. Well, mansion would be a more accurate word. Moon looks at the grounds. “This place reminds me of an airport,” she says. Gladion looks at Moon with his brow furrowed. “All this open gray space,” she says, waving a hands at the ground. “It remnids me of a runway for an airport.” Gladion just looks at Moon and shakes his head. Moon hurries after him as he walks towards the mansion. “That's not the weirdest thing I've said,” she protests. “You don't have a reason to do the exasperated head shake.”
“Everything you do exasperates me, Moon.” Moon can see Gladion smirking.
“I'm not special. Everything annoys, exasperates, irritates, or angers you,” Moon tells him. Gladion inclines his head in acknowledgment.
*
A few minutes later, Moon is seated on a couch in the living room. Seated is too strong of a word. She's perched on the edge of the couch. The couch, the entire room, is pristine white with gold accents and Moon is paranoid about getting dirt on the couch and messing something up. Gladioin on the other hand, sprawls on the couch. Moon doesn't know if it's because it's his house or because he doesn't care. “Your mansion is huge,” Moon says. “Do you just stay here now?”
Gladion nods. “Since I'm doing work at Aether, yeah. It's easier that way.”
Moon wonders if she should bring it up. Gladion doesn't seem bothered living at the house even though she's vaguely aware that he had a bad childhood here. “It does save trouble getting to work,” she agrees, chickening out. Then she decides to go for it. “Is it weird, being back home after everything?”
Gladion doesn't answer for a moment. Moon wonders if she's overstepped her bounds and is about to change the subject when Gladion answers. “Are you asking if it's difficult for me to be back home after what happened?”
“Yeah. I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”
“I know I don't.” Gladion leans back against the couch and takes a deep breath, a thoughtful look on his face. Moon scoots closer, waiting to see what he would say. After a moment, he speaks. “It's true, I hated this house. And Aether Paradise. I spent most of my time wanting to get away.”
“And you did. And now you're back. But I suppose it's different now. You're making it different.”
Gladion nods. “I probably would have been more angry if I'd been forced back. But it was my choice to rebuild Aether. And you know what's odd?”
“No, tell me.”
“I thought I'd hate being back here. That I'd spend time relieving every shitty thing that happened in this place. And I still remember them and I still feel angry, but it's a muted sort of anger. Does that makes sense?”
“Sure it does. Negative feelings fade or at least stop being overwhelming after a while. But if the negative feelings do become overwhelming-”
“I can talk to you,” Gladion breaks in. There's a tiny smile on his face. “I know.” They fall into comfortable silence for a moment before Gladion breaks it. “So, what do you want to watch?” he asks.
Moon shrugs. “It doesn't matter.”
An annoyed look crosses Gladion's face. “Why do people always say that?” he demands. “Why don't they ever just say what they want?”
Moon wrinkles her forehead. “What are you talking about?” she asks.
Gladion waves his hand in an exasperated gesture. “I mean, someone asks something what movie they want to see, or what they want for dinner, and they answer it doesn't matter instead of just saying what they want.”
Moon can't keep up with Gladion's logic. “That doesn't make any sense,” she argues.
Gladion doesn't let up. “What movies do you like?” he asks.
Moon answers without thinking. “Fantasy, mystery, that sort of thing.”
Gladion makes another gesture and rolls his eyes. “There you go. You could have just said, “Put on a mystery and say what you want, instead of saying it doesn't matter. Why don't people ever just say what they want?”
Moon isn't sure if this is general exasperation or something deeper, but she answers anyway. She'd never really thought about why she didn't say what she wanted, but Gladion has a point. If her mom had asked her what she wanted for dinner, Moon would say it didn't matter, even though she actually had a type of food in mind. Why had she done that? “Maybe people are afraid to say what they want,” Moon suggests.
“They shouldn't be,” Gladion says. “It's a waste of time not telling people what you want. People don't have time to guess what you want. And then they get mad when you don't magically know what they want even though they didn't tell you that.”
Moon inches closer and places a hand on Gladion's arm. “Is this about something else or just general annoyance?” she asks. To Moon's surprise, Gladion doesn't move away from her touch. But he does hunch in on himself. “I'm sorry,” he mumbles. Moon furrows her brow as she tries to figure out what Gladion is apologizing for. “What are you sorry about?”
“For ranting. And yelling at you.”
“You didn't rant or yell at me. You just slightly raised your voice. In my presence.” Gladion snorts and his body relaxes. “Next time I get accused of yelling at someone, I'm going to say that.” Moon takes a moment to picture it and laughs. “That would be pretty funny. So, can you put on a mystery movie?” Gladion shoots Moon a look. “Was that so hard?” he asks. Moon rolls her eyes at his tone. She has to admit, she was slightly surprised about Gladion going on a tangent about people not saying what they wanted. She still wonders if there's a deeper meaning behind it, or if it's just annoyance. It makes sense that Gladion wouldn't have patience with people who beat around the bush. And it's nice to see Gladion being more open about trivial matters. A thought occurs to Moon. “Next time we're going to watch a romance,” she announces.
Gladion raises an eyebrow at Moon. “Are you saying I won't like it because I'm a guy?” he asks.
“Of course not. I just want to see your reaction when the couple has their Big Fight and then there's a bunch of angst and the problem could be solved if they just spoke to each other but we have to have angst first. And it's like, they don't even give each other the chance to explain, they just jump to the worst case scenario. Like, where's the faith in each other? Okay, I can understand a knee jerk reaction, but after you calm down you could at least go to the person and be like, Okay, I'll let you explain.”
“What do you mean, big fight? Couples fight in movies, don't they?”
“Yes, but those are foreplay fights.” Moon knows she's not explaining this as well as she can, but it's partially on purpose because Gladion's confused and exasperated look is still really cute. Gladion pinches the bridge of his nose. “I'm going to regret asking about foreplay fights, aren't I?” he asks.
“I've said worse to you,” Moon points out.
Gladion sighs. “You have a point. Let's hear it, then.”
Moon takes a moment to gather her thoughts into something that makes sense. “So I don't know how many romance movies you've watched, but in certain movies, the couple meets and they get off on the wrong foot and hate each other. And they spend like maybe the first half of the movie bickering, but underneath that there's attraction.”
Gladion interrupts. “If that were the case, do you know how many people I'd be dating right now?”
Moon huffs. “Quiet! This is movie logic, not real life logic. Movie logic dictates that if two people fight, it means they like each other and there's a hidden attraction. Personally, I don't always think that's the case. I can like couples that bicker, but I don't like the assumption that just because they argue it means there's a hidden attraction. But yeah, the couple will be forced to work together for reasons, like I don't know, a school project. Or they're neighbors. Or they have mutual friends. And then eventually they'll get to know each other and be a couple. And then everything is good and then they have a big fight that might spell the end of the relationship but it won't. And it's usually about something stupid. Or something that should have been brought up before. Or a misunderstanding. And it's like, I get that people say things in the heat of the moment and you'd need a moment to cool off, but then after that just go and talk to the person.”
Gladion chuckles.
Moon eyes him suspiciously. “What?” she asks.
“I didn't know you had such strong opinions about romance movies,” Gladion answers. Moon doesn't say anything. It's one thing to talk about anal secretions and Pokemon experiments and things like that. Gladion is used to stuff like that from her. But telling him stuff she doesn't like in romance movies, that makes her feel seen. She isn't quite sure if she likes it. “So, do you want to take bets on the movie?” she asks. “I feel like we got off on quite a tangent, didn't we?”
Gladion nods and turns on the movie. “I feel like you'd be just as annoyed if you watched a romance movie,” he tell her.
Moon has to clear something up. “It's not romance movies I don't like. It's romance movies that use miscommunication as a plot device I don't like.”
“So you like some romance movies.”
“Some. Romance isn't my go to genre, but there have been a few I like. And I'm blanking on the names right now.”
Gladion makes a skeptical noise. “So what were you saying about a bet?” he asks.
“Let's bet on who did it or what the big twist is,” Moon suggests. “Loser has to-I don't know. We'll work something out.”
“Why not?” Gladion puts on the movie.
*
In the end, Moon is right. The cute, innocent girl is the werewolf and is the one killing people. She hasn't thought about what the conditions of the bet were, still. She turns to Gladion as she gets ready to leave. “Thanks for inviting me over,” she says. “I had fun. Next time we should watch a movie you like.”
Gladion nods. “Thanks for coming over. I had fun, too. Come over again tomorrow.” He pauses for a moment. “Please. I'll be better.”
Moon tries to figure out what Gladion is talking about. Then she figures asking him is faster. “What do you mean?”
Gladion lets out a frustrated breath. “I mean I didn't offer you anything to eat and I snapped at you when you said it didn't matter what movies we watched.” It's sweet, and a little sad how upset Gladion is for not being a proper host. Moon touches his arm. “I don't mind that you didn't offer me anything to eat. I would have forgotten as well. And I'm not just saying that to make you feel better. And you were right. I could just tell you what genre of movies I liked. It would save time.”
Gladion looks hesitant. “Are you sure?” he asks.
“Yeah. But if you want to order takeout for movie night tomorrow.... “ her voice trails off playfully. Gladion's usual expression returns to his face. He gestures to the door. “Good night, Moon.” Moon waves and gets ready to call a ride Pokemon. Those are so convenient. Why is Alola the only region that employs them?
*
The phone startles Moon awake. She gropes for it. “Hello?” she answers groggily.
“I want to talk about my nightmares,” Gladion says shortly.
“Sure. Did you have a nightmare just now? What was it about?”
“Silvally.”
There's so much emotion packed into that word. “You dreamed something happened to them?”
Gladion takes a moment to respond. “I have Silvally in the bed with me now. Stupid, isn't it? I knew after I woke up they were fine, but I just had to have Silvally near me.”
“It's not stupid. You and Silvally went through a lot. Besides, there's nothing wrong with seeking reassurance. Do you want to tell me what the nightmare was about?”
“Stuff that happened at Aether Paradise. When they were doing the experiments. But I didn't manage to save Silvally.”
Moon figures the phrases it's just a dream, you saved Silvally, would be cliché and not reassuring. “Are you aware that you're dreaming?” she asks. “Because I read a book where the guy was having a reoccuring nightmare and the therapist told him to watch out for these triggers. I don't remember all of them, but I remember one was that if his brother was alive, he was dreaming, since his brother was dead. And something about the smell. They were prisoners in cell, so there was a smell.”
“And what sort of triggers would you suggest I look out for?”
“I don't know. I don't know how to lucid dream. I'm just saying maybe recognize that you're in a dream. Or if not, get a Hypno. But if that doesn't work, you can talk to me. You can always talk to me.”
Gladion's voice is soft. “I know I can.”
Warmth rushes through Moon. “Do you want to talk about the nightmare some more?”
“No. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you.”
“I don't care about that. I'm happy you called. Do you want to stay on the phone with me for a bit?”
“I said you could go back to sleep. Stop making me repeat myself.” Gladion hangs up the phone. Moon stares at the phone for a moment. She isn't shocked. First Gladion had invited her over to watch movies, he'd spoken more than usual, and now he was calling her to discuss nightmares. It's no wonder he feels the need to back off for a bit. Moon texts him good night and puts her phone down.
*
Moon strides forward angrily. Her heart is still thumping and there's still a flush on the back of her neck. If she were calmer, she'd think about this and talk herself out of it. Indignation is still washing over her, and that washes away her good sense. She calls Gladion. “What do you want, Moon?” he asks.
“People are such idiots,” she blurts out.
“I think that all the time. What's got you thinking that?”
Moon can feel her anger receding slightly. She's suddenly reluctant to tell Gladion. What happened was just a minor annoyance. Gladion has had real problems. He wouldn't care about something like this. Gladion speaks impatiently. “You can't call me, say people are idiots, and then not talk. Why are you bothering me?”
Moon frowns. What if Gladion says she's stupid for being upset? It really isn't a big deal. “It's stupid,” she hedges.
Gladion snorts. “You're allowed to get upset over stupid things. I get upset over stupid things on a daily basis. People are stupid. You can get upset at them.”
“Shouldn't you have a high tolerance for stupidity after spending time with Team Skull?”
“No.” Gladion's reply comes swiftly. “Being with Team Skull stripped me of any tolerance for stupidity. Stop stalling and tell me what happened.”
Moon's mood lightens at the tone in Gladion's voice. He sounds so put out at the thought of Team Skull. “I'm on break and I went out to get food and take a walk. So this one person challenges me. And I said no.”
“Obviously. You're on break. Who wants to be bothered while on their break?”
“I know. So I said I was on my break. But I'd be heading back to the League and he was more than welcome to challenge me then. But he starts causing a fuss and yelling. So I walk away. But then he keeps following me, so I eventually snapped. And now I feel bad for snapping.”
“Why?”
“I should have kept my temper.”
“Forget that. Reason clearly didn't work. Did he leave you alone after that?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. You shouldn't feel bad about yelling. I would have yelled sooner.”
“I'd give you ten seconds before you started yelling.”
“Seriously, don't waste your time getting upset. You're only obligated to take challenges when the League is open. You're not obligated to accept every challenge when you're walking on the street.” Moon feels like a slight weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She knows she wasn't obligated to accept the challenge, but hearing Gladion say it so bluntly causes her mood to lighten. “Thanks,” Moon tells him. “Sorry for bothering you.”
Gladion makes an impatient noise. “When did I say you were bothering me? If you were bothering me, don't you think I would have told you so?”
It's not the most sensitive reassurance, but Moon is reassured all the same. “I feel bad getting upset over someone being an idiot and complaining to you.”
“Isn't that what people do? Something stupid happens, they call their friends and vent?”
Moon makes a noise of agreement. “Well, thanks for listening. I'll see you later.”
“I like zombie movies. Come over tonight.” Moon smiles at the order. She debates arguing with Gladion, but the truth is she wants to watch movies with him and she doesn't feel like pretending she doesn't. “Sure,” she says. “I've never actually seen a zombie movie before. I'll see you later.”
*
Gladion greets Moon by demanding, “How the hell have you never seen a zombie movie before?”
Moon shrugs. “I never watched them before.”
“Well, you're going to watch one today. I still can't believe you haven't seen a zombie movie.”
“I can't believe you're so pressed about it.”
Gladion ignores the comment and leads her into the kitchen. Moon feels a pang of guilt when she sees the takeout boxes. “You didn't have to order takeout,” she says. “It was just a joke.”
Gladion gives Moon a look. “I didn't order take out for you. I just didn't feel like cooking tonight.” Moon doesn't say anything. Gladion's reasoning makes sense. And Moon knows she can't push him into admitting that he may have done something for someone else, so she grabs a plate of food. “So, you ready to watch zombie movies?”
Later when the movie is over, Gladion turns to Moon with an expectant look. “What did you think?”
“It was surprisingly good. I might have been missing something not watching zombie movies.” Gladion studies Moon's face for a moment before nodding. “Glad you liked it.” He hesitates for a moment. “You can tell me about stupid stuff.”
“What?”
Gladion pauses. “Earlier. You didn't want to bother me. You can bother me about stupid stuff.” It's sweet and Moon doesn't want to say anything to ruin the mood. “Thanks. So I can talk to you about stupid trainers, but not uses for bodily functions in Pokemon?”
Gladion's answer comes swiftly. “You know very well what my answer will be.” But she can see the gleam of amusement in his eyes.
*
Moon is half expecting Gladion's call that night. Gladion greets her without preamble. “Guess what I did?”
“I'm having trouble believing you want me to play guessing games.”
“You know what you said about recognizing that something was a dream? Well, I was dreaming about Aether again and I recognized that I was dreaming.”
Moon listens in fascination. “How did you know you were dreaming?” she asks.
“One of the areas in Aether. It had been repurposed. That's how I knew. It just hit me out of nowhere. I knew it was a dream.”
A wave of optimism washes over Moon. “That's great! That's a sign you can use to recognize that you're dreaming.”
Gladion doesn't answer for a minute and Moon wonders if he heard her. “Did you ever recognize you were in a dream?” he asks.
“Once or twice. But it wasn't anything specific in the dream. The knowledge just came to me. The first time I'd eaten poison berries and I was like, Shit, I'm gonna die. Then I was like, wait, I'm dreaming. So
I decided to go along with it.”
“You decided to go along with a dream about being poisoned? You know what-that doesn't surprise me.”
“Bite me. The next dream was about a forgotten mountain god. And I think there might have been something about yellow flowers. And something about a wish. Or a quest. I'm not sure. I may just be filling in gaps.”
“And let me guess. You decided to passively go along with the dream instead of taking charge or waking yourself up?”
“Don't tell me how to dream. I'm happy that you figured something out about waking up from the nightmares.
“Thanks for suggesting it. It was surprisingly useful. You're coming over tomorrow, aren't you?”
“Yeah. I might be there a little earlier to do some work, so you can drop by and see me. Just don't touch anything unless I tell you.”
“Do you think I'm an idiot?”
“Good night, Gladion!” Moon says cheerfully.
*
It becomes a pattern. Moon goes to work at the League and faces her challengers. During her breaks she texts Gladion, mostly just to tell him about really awesome moves she's seen. “It was so badass!” she gushes. “You should have seen it!” Unfortunately, videotaping the battles is prohibited. After the battles, she goes to Aether Paradise to work on a few projects. Gladion joins her sometimes, but other times he has his own work to be doing. Moon doesn't like to disturb him in the middle of his work (and sometimes she gets so engrossed in her work that she forgets to bother Gladion, anyway) but she makes a note of the interesting things she's learned so she can tell him during movie night. They switch off on who gets to choose the movie.
The only thing is, Moon feels drained these days. She wonders if maybe she's suffering burnout. She toys with the idea of quitting the Pokemon League and focusing on research full time, but she can't help but feel that she'll be letting people down. There's also the fact she actually gets paid for her Pokemon Champion duties while her work at Aether is strictly volunteer. But that's a minor detail. Moon is pretty sure she could find a job in research. Her volunteer work should count as experience and Kukui might be able to help her. But she hasn't been Champion for long and it just seems like an act of cowardice to throw it away right now.
Moon tries to keep her eyes open. It's her turn to pick a movie, and it's a movie she's already seen, so it's fine that her eyes drift shut. Then again, it's probably rude to fall asleep at someone's house, so she forces her eyes open. Then they close again. If Gladion asks, she'll say that she's closing her eyes to enhance the experience of the movie. Yeah. That makes perfect sense. She's just closing her eyes. She's still paying attention to the movie and she's still aware of what's going on around her.
As it turns out, she may have fallen asleep. Moon opens her eyes groggily to see that she's lying on the couch and her head is in Gladion's lap. She supposes she should feel embarrassed if she could manage any feeling other than exhaustion. She yawns. “Did I fall asleep on you? Sorry.” She should probably move, but Gladion's lap is actually really comfortable. But this might be making him uncomfortable, so she tries to shift her position. Gladion's hand on her shoulder stops her. “I don't mind. Probably more comfortable than the position you were in on the couch. I was getting a crick in my neck just watching you.”
“It's not my fault you don't have any couch pillows, you heathen,” Moon mumbles, but now that she has permission, Moon snuggles into Gladion's lap. “Why are you so tired?” he asks.
Moon hopes she mumbles an answer that makes sense. “You don't have to come over here,” Gladion says.
“I like hanging out with you,” Moon says. “I'm just tired.”
“Isn't there some gross medicine you can use to make you feel more awake or something? Or maybe you can just drink coffee like normal people who need to wake up instead of Pokemon spit.” Moon is going to remember that so she could think of a comeback. For now she closes her eyes.
*
Gladion doesn't call Moon that night. Moon isn't sure if it's because he didn't have any nightmares or because he feels guilty for calling her. Moon can't believe she fell asleep on Gladion's lap. She hopes she didn't do anything overly embarrassing like snore or drool. Okay, those wouldn't be the most embarrassing things to have happened. She hopes she didn't mumble anything stupid in her sleep. She sees Gladion the next day when she goes into Aether Paradise. She's already babbling before Gladion can say a word. “Did you know that Musharna can bring a person's nightmare to life?”
“Are you on a dream research thing now? I thought you were interested in Pokemon pressure points.”
“I can be interested in more than one thing at the same time. Like did you know Ampharous has dragon blood?”
“I don't want to talk about that.”
Moon falls silent. “Do you want to talk about anything in particular? Or not want to talk?”
Gladion crosses the room and studies Moon intently. Moon averts her gaze. “You look tired,” he says. “Why aren't you sleeping?”
“I already told you I was busy,” Moon replies.
“I said that you didn't have to come to Aether Paradise. Or watch movies with me.”
“And I said I liked coming here.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
For a moment Moon thinks Gladion will leave it at that. Maybe now he'll want to hear interesting Pokemon facts. But before she can tell him any and discuss theories about evolution, Gladion is speaking. “You suck at hiding things.”
Moon falters for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell Gladion is talking about. As far as she's aware, she isn't hiding anything from him. What would she even need to hide from him, anyway? The only things she can think of is that Lillie told her something she doesn't want to tell Gladion or that she's trying to plan a surprise party for Gladion. “What are you talking about?” she asks.'
Gladion gestures. “You just seem not yourself. Distracted. Worried.”
Moon isn't sure how to identify the feeling inside her. “You noticed?” she asks.
“How could I not? I said you weren't very subtle.”
“It wasn't like I was trying to hide it. I mean, I wasn't going around with I'm miserable vibes, was I?” Moon feels panic at the thought. But Gladion shakes his head. “No. I just notice when you're upset.” Gladion says the word matter of factly, but they still send a rush of warmth through Moon. Gladion had noticed that she was out of sorts. She thinks over confiding in him. “I've just been thinking things over,” she says. Moon tries to work up the courage to confide in him more. Gladion had said she could talk to him. But he said she could talk to him about stupid stuff. She doesn't know if this counts.
Gladion exhales and shakes his head. “I think you might be just as bad as confiding people as I am.” Moon automatically goes to protest that she isn't, that she does confide in people, but she hasn't actually told anyone about wanting to quit being the Champion. Gladion's voice is soft. “You can tell me things, Moon. I told you you could tell me things. I tell you things.”
“It's not as important as nightmares.”
Gladion groans. “Would you stop that?” he yells.
Moon blinks, startled. “Stop what?” she asks.
“That! That thing when you downplay when you're upset and act like just because it isn't some sort of tragic backstory or nightmares you can't get worried or upset over it. People get worried and upset over stupid things all the time. That doesn't mean you aren't allowed to talk about them, even if they are stupid.”
Moon can't think of anything to say. She never expected Gladion to get so worked up about her not confiding in him. She'd never really thought of it as downplaying when she was upset, but maybe Gladion does have a point. Maybe she can tell people things. She decides to take the leap. “I want to quit being the Champion,” she blurts out.
Gladion doesn't show any reaction, but he asks, “Any reason why? Are you having trouble with pushy challengers again? Do you want me to come glare at them?”
A laugh bursts out of Moon at the suggestion and her mood lightens. She shakes her head and Gladion sighs. “You know you're denying me my fun, right?”
The whole story spills out of Moon, about how she feels like quitting is the coward's way out and how she feels like she's letting people down. Gladion doesn't say anything and allows Moon to finish her story. Moon immediately feels guilty and whiny when she finishes. What is she complaining about-that she's a Champion? She's about to deflect, to say that it's just normal job frustration and she'll get over it when Gladion speaks.
“Moon,” he says bluntly, “you aren't special.” Moon's first instinct is anger. After telling her that she could confide in him, Gladion is going to invalidate her feelings. She knew confiding in him was a mistake. But then she takes a step back and thinks it over. Gladion isn't the most tactful person, but he's not unkind. Gladion continues speaking. “You really think you're the first trainer to give up battling to focus on something else? Don't be ridiculous. And I doubt you're the first Champion or member of the Elite Four or gym leader or famous coordinator who quit their field or retired.”
Gladion's words strike Moon. He has a way of cutting through the bullshit, straight to the heart of the matter. Gladion is still speaking. “There was that one trainer in Kanto. He quit Pokemon battling to do research. And the world didn't end.”
A feeling is rising in Moon, like a closed door that's suddenly opened. She speaks the words out loud. “I can quit,” she says, testing the words out.
“Yes. What's stopping you? Aside from the stupid notion that you'll be letting people down and quitting a job you don't like is a coward's option.”
Moon tries to think of logical reasons why she can't quit. “I get paid for Champion stuff. And I don't want to quit without notice. And I don't know how my quitting will affect everything.”
Gladion gives her an exasperated look. “Talk to the other members or Kukui. They'd help you. Besides, you really think I believe you'll just go up to them and say, I quit, and leave?” Again, Gladion has used logic to get through all her arguments. Moon doesn't even know why she hesitated. Talking with Gladion had made everything seem so clear, so that she can't figure out why she was even worrying in the first place.
“Thanks.” She wishes she had more words to thank Gladion, words to properly explain how much he's helped her, but she can't find them, so an insufficient thanks will have to do. “You're actually pretty good at this whole advice giving thing, aren't you?”
As she expected, Gladion tries to downplay it. “It's just common sense. You were being stupid.” Moon decides to let the stupid comment slide. “Well, I appreciated you telling me I was stupid. Thanks for listening.”
“You've been listening to my problems for longer. It was time for me to repay the debt.”
Moon opens her mouth to say that isn't a matter of repaying a debt, that she listened to Gladion's nightmares because she cared about him and listening to people's problems isn't about repaying a debt, but Gladion holds up a hand to forestall her. “Yes, I know you'll say that it's not about repaying a debt. That's not what I mean.”
“So what did you mean?” She waits for Gladion to gather his thoughts. His voice is hesitant when he speaks. “You remember when I called you that first night?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why I called you?” Moon can't remember if she'd seriously wondered why Gladion had called her. She probably had. She can't remember if Gladion had ever given her a straight answer. She shakes her head.
Gladion takes a moment to reply. “I knew you'd answer the phone. I knew you'd help me.”
Moon is sure the shock is showing on her face. She and Gladion were nothing more than acquaintances when he called the first time. “So you just decided to call me up because of....what?”
Gladion's answer is blunt. “The fact that you got involved in my family's bullshit after only knowing Lillie for a little bit. You're a good person, Moon. That wasn't hard to see.”
Moon opens her mouth to say something, that she's not a good person (even though she likes to think she is) and she was just doing what any decent person would do by helping Lillie and listening to Gladion about his nightmares. Gladion interrupts her before she can though. “Learn to take a damn compliment, Moon!” he snaps. “And start telling me when something is bothering you!” With those orders he strides from the room. But later when they're watching a movie, Moon's head in Gladion's lap, he looks down at her and says, “So tell me about Mushurna.”
“You're a good person, too,” Moon tells him. She pokes Gladion before he can respond. “Learn to take a damn compliment, Gladion,” she says, smirking. Gladion smirks back at her.
*
It turns out Gladion is right and it's easy enough to quit. Moon wonders why she ever hesitated in going to Kukui when he's never anything but supportive. He'd gone to a total stranger to welcome her to a new region and give her a Pokemon because he thought she'd be lonely moving to a new place. Why had she thought she couldn't go to him? He listens as Moon explains that she'd like to step down from being the Champion. Before Kukui can say anything, Moon immediately apologizes. Kukui laughs.
“Why are you apologizing? You should follow your passions.”
“But I'm letting you guys down,” Moon protests.
Kukui waves a hand. “Don't be ridiculous. We can handle the League without you. Not that you weren't a great Champion, but you think I'm going to be the one to stand in the way of someone going on a scientific journey?” Relief sweeps through Moon. Then she has the urge to say that other trainers could follow scientific pursuits and battle. Then she thinks about what Gladion would say. He'd give her that impatient look and say that just because they do that doesn't mean she's under any obligation to do so as well. Then he'd probably say that Kukui is allowing her to quit without much fuss and she's been ungrateful. Kukui is allowing her to quit without any fuss. He's saying that they could handle things without her. Everything is working out. She shouldn't protest.
“If you're sure,” Moon says hesitantly.
“Of course I'm sure,” Kukui says cheerfully. “Really, don't worry about it. But you have to allow us to throw you a going away party.”
“You don't have to do that,” Moon insists. Really, Kukui is being too nice. She knows retirement parties are a thing, but those are for people who have been at the job for twenty five years, not little over a year.
“Don't be silly. Our first Champion deserves a first rate send off.” The words send a rush of warmth and pride throughout Moon. She was the first Champion of Alola. She had done that. She'd gone to a new region, survived world ending events, and won the first Pokemon League in the region. She feels like she's allowed a moment or so of pride.
“So, how is this going work?” she asks, trying to return to more practical matters. “Last time I had to face the others to become the Champion. So are the other challengers just going to face them like I did?”
“That sounds like a reasonable idea. Unless you have another one. This whole Pokemon League is a work in progress, but that's the fun part, working things out.”
Moon had never really paid enough attention to the Champions in other regions to know what the protocol was. She shakes her head. Kukui shrugs. “No matter. We can take care of it.” Moon waits for the doubt and guilt to creep in, but it doesn't. Instead it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She tells as much to Gladion during movie night.
“See. You were worrying about nothing, like I said. I told you Kukui would be fine with you retiring. So what are you going to do now? Jobwise.”
“I'm job hunting at the moment. Kukui said he'd help me.”
“Any particular place you'd like to work? Because you know Aether is an option.”
Moon immediately goes to protest. She and Gladion might be friends, but she doesn't want to be the girl who uses her friends and connections to get a job. She says as much to Gladion. He gives her an exasperated look. “I never said I'd help you get a job,” he points out. Moon immediately flushes. Oh. Right. She'd been entitled, immediately assuming Gladion would get her a job in Aether Paradise. She tries to think of a joke or a funny observation about the movie she and Gladion are only half watching, but Gladion speaks before she can. He tugs her towards him. “Obviously, if I thought you really needed it, I'd help you find a job. And even if I did, you really think you'd be the first person who used connections to help find a job? Sometimes you need someone to put in a good word for you.”
Moon feels herself relaxing under Gladion's calm logic. Gladion continues speaking. “But I'm sure you'd be able to find a job without my help.”
Everything seems so much simpler with Gladion. When he talks Moon wonders why she bothered worrying about whatever she was worrying about. “Thanks,” Moon says, resting her head on his lap. Gladion's hands immediately go to Moon's hair. For a moment they sit in peaceful silence. Moon watches idly as the heroine struggles to open the door while running from the killer. “Doors always jam in horror movies,” Moon comments. “I wonder how many doors jam in real life. I think I'd like to have teleportation powers just so I can get away from killers. Or if not that, at least walk through wall powers so I don't waste time trying to open a door and I can just run.”
“Go out with me.” Gladion speaks abruptly. For a moment Moon doesn't register the words. Then they start to sink in. Gladion had asked her out. Has she been asked out on a date? Moon speaks hesitantly. “Do you mean that? You want to go out with me? Like on a date?”
Gladion lets out a noise of frustration. “Yes. I want to go out on a date with you. Do you think I waste time saying things I don't mean?” But Moon can see the hesitation in his eyes. Now reality is starting to set in. Gladion has asked her out. Like on a date. A smile begins to unfurl and she feels like she's filled with bubbles. “Yes!” she squeaks. Great. So much for making a dignified response. She tries to make her voice calmer. “I mean, yes, I'd love to go out with you. On a date.”
Gladion's posture relaxes and he smiles. “Good. Just so you know, I'm not making perfume for you.” There's a gleam in his eye as he says it. Moon huffs. “Can I at least get flowers?” she teases. “Like actual flowers you buy in a store, not pick out of someone's yard.”
Gladion gives Moon a mock affronted look. “Do you really think I'd be that bad of a boyfriend?” he asks.
Moon tries to keep a straight face, but she can't help herself and bursts into giggles. She feels giddy and hyper, and she feels like she can't sit still. She's been asked out on a date. “What made you decide to ask me out?” she asks.
“Because I like you,” Gladion answers. “Why else would you ask someone out?” Of course. With Gladion it is just that simple. Moon smiles, replaying the words because I like you over and over. She thinks about what Gladion says about saying what you want and admits that he might be on to something. So she turns to Gladion and says, “So I know that we're going out...actually, when do you want to go out? You never said. Never mind. But yeah, I know the thing is to kiss at the end of the date. But I'd like you to kiss me now.” Moon's heart hammers as she says this. She's never asked for a kiss before.
“You want me to kiss you.” Gladion's voice is neutral, but Moon can see an intense look in his eyes. She nods. Gladion bends towards her, pressing her back against the couch. He kisses her like he battles, wild and fierce, and Moon is panting and breathless by the time he finishes. “Was that okay?” he asks, a shy note creeping into his voice.
“Kiss me again,” Moon orders, grabbing the back of his neck and dragging him down to her. Gladion complies.