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“Gladion, hurry up!” Selene was already a giggling mess, yelling to him from the very edge of the cliff. Her wetsuit was green and purple, a bit of a contrast against the cerulean sky.
Out of his element in a slick wetsuit of his own, Gladion rolled his eyes but followed along behind her. “I’m coming; I’m coming.” He stopped right at the edge of the cliff, one of the most popular cliff diving spots in all of Alola. One glance downward sent his stomach spiraling, although he’d never admit that to his girlfriend aloud.
Bouncing on her toes with excitement, Selene looked up at him. “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Gladion replied with a sigh. He didn't want to back out now.
Selene’s expression turned serious as she examined him. “You know, you don’t have to jump if you don’t want to. I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do.” She reached for his hands, rubbing soft circles into his palms with her thumbs.
Though grateful for her concern, Gladion shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, Selene. I’m jumping because I want to.” He wouldn’t deny the fact that he’d never have thought to cliff dive if it hadn’t been for her, but he still wanted to go. It could be fun. Maybe. He supposed.
“If you say so,” Selene smiled. Then, she began jogging in place again, moving her arms up and down. “I’ll go first if that’s okay with you.”
Gladion shrugged. “Do whatever you want to do.” There was no way he’d be able to stop her either way. “I’ll wait until you’re clear of the area before jumping.”
With a nod of her head, Selene beamed, “Cool.” Then, they both backed up as she prepared for a running start. “See you soon!” Her legs carried her to the edge of the cliff before she went flying into the air.
Gladion watched as she fell, streamlining her body so that she’d have a smooth landing in the water below. Once her head finally popped up, breaking the surface of the water, he breathed a sigh of relief. She headed back to the shore toward the east side of the cliff before waving her hand in the air.
Well. Gladion supposed it was his turn to jump.
Though he was slightly nervous, Gladion desperately wanted to jump. He knew that his dive likely wouldn’t be as graceful as his girlfriend’s, but he was prepared to give it his best shot. As he ran to the very edge of the cliff and flung himself off it, he tried to mimic Selene’s diving form as best he could before reaching the surface of the water. The wind was strong, and each second he spent in the air felt like an eternity.
When he finally hit the water, Gladion forced himself to breathe outward. The water was cold and salty, and it was hard to see as he kicked his legs and tried to navigate through the churning ocean.
His eyes screwed shut, he nearly hissed in surprise when a jagged piece of rock dug into his flailing arm. Blood billowed at the site of his wound, and he fought all the harder to get back to the surface.
When he finally breached the waves and pulled himself onto the rocky shore, Selene was there to meet him. A sharp gasp escaped her lips at the deep cut on his arm.
“Gladion!” She helped him stand, looping an arm around his waist. “Oh, Gladion… I think you need stitches.” She examined the gash, wincing lightly.
“Sorry I got hurt.” Gladion shook his hair free of the salt water, leaning against his girlfriend just a touch more than before. “Let's go now.” His words were slurred.
Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Selene helped him limp across the shore. “Don't worry, Gladion. We’ll get you all fixed up soon.”
“Thanks, Selene.” Gladion grimaced. “I bet that was the quickest cliff diving session you've ever had.”
“If you hadn't gotten hurt, it would've been the best cliff diving experience I've ever had,” Selene reassured him. “Because it was with you.”