"Moon… I-I am going t-"

The words hadn't left Moon's head since she first heard them. The fireworks lit up the sky, her friends were celebrating, Tapu Koko was watching from the skies above, all of it should have been enough to quell the worry in her mind. But it wasn't.

"It looks like Chandra had a lot of fun, too." Lillie giggled as she stroked the Mimikyu cradled in her girlfriend's arms.

"I didn't know ghosts could sleep," Moon said. "It was all that attention. She's not used to it."

"That's what being the Champion's Pokemon will get her; all the love she could hope for." Lillie stepped into Moon's bedroom and flicked on the light. "So...now it's my turn to see your room." She smiled as she took in the room.

Some devices were neatly tucked beneath the television, the desk was bar but for a globe and a Pikachu figurine, and the bookshelf stuffed with all kinds of books on Pokemon. Even the bed was made, perfect for Moon to lay her Pokemon on the pillow.

"It's like nothing's ever been out of place." Lillie traced her fingers along the wall.

"Is that bad?" Moon glanced over at Lillie and caught a reflection of herself in her mirror.

"I don't think so. It's just like you to have everything in the right places." Lillie padded over to the other girl, who had suddenly become fascinated by her own reflection. "Is something wrong?"

"My hair." Moon frowned at herself and tugged at some of her inky black locks. She held it up, let it catch the light, and saw the shock of white. "My hair is white. That's...that's not meant to happen."

"Maybe it's from...that place."

"Ultra Space." Moon breathed.

"Y-Yeah." Lillie nodded. "Wicke said there might be side effects from people going in there, right? You're too young to be going gray."

Moon stared at the hair in her hand. It was as white as any snow she'd ever seen.

"What if my whole hair turns white? People will think I'm dying it. To get attention. Or that...I'm weird." Moon felt a hand on her shoulder. It turned her to face Lillie, then up into her beautiful green eyes. Champion or not, she couldn't help but blush. "What?"

"Y-You're pretty." Lillie lifted her slender fingers to stroke through Moon's hair. "You're pretty with black hair and with white hair and no hair, probably! Even if it goes all white, that's not a bad thing. It's..." Her eyes lit up. "Your very own z-powered form!"

"You think so?" Moon laughed softly. A part of her wanted to call the idea lame, but she knew how much Lillie's transformation had helped her. "I guess...I can try it."

"And you'll be an even better champion if you look cool." Lillie nodded. "That's a fact."

"Yeah." Moon's stomach twisted at the thought. "As long as you're with me, I can be Champion of anywhere."

Lillie's smile fell. Moon saw it just before she was kissed, a little peck on the lips that made her heart soar and her knees weak. The taste of coconut lip balm lingered when it ended.

"C-Can we sit down?" Lillie asked.

"Okay." Moon sat down on the bed, softly so as not to disturb Chandra and Lillie sat right beside her. Their shoulders bumped with the shifting weight and she wanted to cuddle her right then and there. She didn't want to speak. She knew what a nervous Lillie looked like, from how she touched her toes together, how she tugged at her ear, and she had to be strong for her.

"I'm going to Kanto!" Lillie blurted out. Silence hung between them and Moon had to take a moment just to be sure of what she'd heard.

"Wh-"

"I want to be strong! Like you, and like Hau, and like Gladion...and everyone else." Lillie's lip quivered as her resolve faded. "There are trainers and Pokemon there so that I can be brave...a-and like you...and make my mom better..." There were tears in the corners of her eyes. They mirrored Moon's own. "I-I've already got the tickets and I'm going tomorrow and I want to tell you so you're not hurt but you're going to be sad a-anyway but I've got to..."

Moon felt like her heart was going to burst. Her journey had been spent building bonds with her Pokemon, with the people she'd met, and most importantly of all, Lillie. She wouldn't even be able to talk to people if it weren't for Lillie, with her soft words and her kindness and all of the bravery she already had. They'd gone through everything together, from Iki Town to Ultra Space, and the idea of her leaving hurt worse than anything she could think of.

But that was the thing, Moon thought, as she took Lillie's hand in hers and laced their fingers together. If it was going to hurt her, it was already hurting Lillie. Maybe even worse, because it was her choice to go. She lifted up Lillie's chin with her other hand, saw the tears streaming down her face and the breaths coming out ragged. And she'd be scared, facing a whole new world. The last thing she needed was her girlfriend to judge her as well.

It was going to hurt, Moon knew that. But before Alola, she'd gotten used to that. Her days were spent reading, her nights dreaming of Pokemon, without even a single friend to her name. If she had to bury her hurt to make sure Lillie would be happy...she'd gladly take up the shovel.

Moon blinked away her tears and used her thumb to wipe away Lillie's, then kissed away what few tears remained. Finally, she pecked Lillie's lips and looked her in the eye.

"I will be okay." Moon lied. "I promise. We can call each other. And talk. And I can give Pokemon advice. It's what I'm best at. And we can go on all the dates we want when you get back." The smile that broke out on Lillie's face was brighter than any sunrise Moon had ever seen.

"R-Really?" Lillie whispered. Moon squeezed her hand.

"Really."

"I...th-thank you, Moon." There were still tears in Lillie's eyes, but they didn't seem to matter. "We will do that. H-Hundreds of them! A-And we'll get married!"

"I'm not wearing a dress." Moon said, stubbornly. "No way, no how."

"I know…" Lillie brushed her thumb across the back of Moon's hand. It left a trail of tingles in its wake. "You said that last time. So...we'll get you a suit, like a boy. And I'll wear a dress. Deal?"

"...deal." Moon nodded, and they shared a little giggle. "But...pajamas first."

"Right!" Lillie said, glancing around. "Your mom brought up my bag." She said, as she pulled the backpack onto her lap.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Moon offered.

"Wh-What? No way!" Lillie shook her head. "We can't cuddle if you're on the floor." A pale blush spread across her cheeks.

"But I'll feel like a little girl if I'm cuddled in bed." Moon complained. "I'm the Champion of Alola!"

"I'm not your mom and you're not mine, so it's not like that at all." Lillie put a hand on her hip while the other pulled out her Clefairy pajama bottoms. "Couples cuddle, so get in the bed, Moon!"

Moon knew not to argue. She'd heard that tone before.