Author's Note: The ending to Pokémon Sun and Moon made me feel really sad, especially with Lillie leaving, then there was all the constant post-game references to her that made me even more sad. I thought there was so much more that could have been done with her character. So I decided to go ahead and write a better ending instead!
Part 1 of my Lillie x Moon series
It was a quiet evening in the Alola region. Moon was laying awake in her bed, reminiscing on the events that had happened earlier that day. The Alolan Champion was very tired after the long celebration for her earlier that day.
Oh man, today was a blast. I can't believe that I'm the Pokémon champion of Alola. I traversed four islands, completed all the trials, climbed a snowy mountain, and took down the Elite Four and Kukui himself. I couldn't have done it without the support of my team and my friends though. It was a really difficult battle between Professor Kukui and me, after all.
And then the huge party afterwards. All my friends I met were there, dancing, singing, eating...
But the best part was Lillie...
Lillie is special to me. We became friends fast after we realized how much we had to talk about.
She has always been there for me. At some points during my adventure, I didn't think I could go on. Sometimes I felt sad. Sometimes I just needed someone. And every time, Lillie was there. I'd say that I am closest to her than anyone else I've met in Alola. I think of her as more than just a close friend. I'm pretty sure that she feels the same as I do. When we were on Exeggutor Island together, I felt this feeling. A feeling that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Then, she was about to tell me something important, but she was conveniently interrupted. It's obvious that she likes me, though.
And then, just earlier tonight when we snuck off to the ruins to catch Tapu Koko. I felt closer to her than I ever had before. I could see the spirit of adventure in Lillie's deep emerald eyes.
Her beautiful eyes... and golden blonde hair... and such a delicate voice too... so cute, shy, positive, and perfect.
I'm in love with Lillie. I don't know when I started to love her, but it feels as if I've known her forever.
I wonder if she knows how I feel about her? All this time I've been with her and I couldn't find the right moment or the courage to say the three words to her face.
Maybe I should tell her now? She's probably at Kukui's lab in the loft asleep. I could just go down there and knock on the door. It's not that far of a walk.
Eh, maybe it's not the best idea. Both Lillie and the Professor are probably still tired from the celebration earlier tonight. Then again, Kukui's always energetic and essentially was half naked on the summit of a snowy mountain. I'm sure it wouldn't bother him. I'll just tell Lillie tomorrow, I guess. How difficult can it be to say "I love you"? It's only three words, after all.
I can do this.
With this encouragement in mind to tell Lillie her true feelings, Moon was too tired to think anymore and fell asleep, dreaming of Lillie in her deep slumber. Moon fell asleep with a small smile on her face, hugging a pillow closely.
Saying three words shouldn't be that challenging for Moon to do, right? Just find the right moment, and then say it to Lillie. But this seemingly easy objective isn't as simple as Moon thinks it is, as she will find out tomorrow.
The next day...
"Meow!"
Moon suddenly jolted awake from her slumber, surprised at the sound.
"Oh, it's just you, Meowth. Good morning!" Moon said to her feline Pokémon that was also her alarm clock. Moon jumped out of bed, yawned loudly, and stretched.
"Well, this is it. Today's the day I tell Lillie," Moon said to Meowth, meowing in response. "I think I should call her first, set up a meeting at a restaurant or something like that and tell her then."
Moon walked over to her dresser, put on her red hat that had an uncanny resemblance to a chicken, and started typing in Lillie's number on her phone to call her.
One ring... two rings... three rings... and...
"Alola! Lillie isn't here at the moment. Leave a message for me after the beep!"
Voicemail? Strange, Lillie always picks up her phone. Ah well, I'll just head over to Kukui's and talk to her there. She's probably busy with something. I'll just leave a message for Lillie first...
"Hey Lillie, it's Moon. Call me back when you can, kay?"
...and done!
With the message left and Moon dressed for the day, she left her room and went out onto the porch, where she found her mother, as usual, watching the sunrise.
"Oh! Good morning, Moon!" Her mother said. "Another lovely day in Alola!"
"Morning, Mom," Moon replied. "I'm going to head over to the Professor's lab if that's okay."
"Okay, but don't forget to-" Her mom's sentence was interrupted by the doorbell. "Oh, speaking of Kukui, that's probably him! If it is, he'll probably let himself in like he always does. Go and see!"
The visitor did let himself in, and with a slam, too. But it wasn't the Professor. You could tell because the visitor didn't have his shirt off. Or you could tell by his voice, like Moon did.
"Moon! It's an emergency!" The visitor yelled, out of breath.
"Hau?" Moon said confusedly, swiftly walking back into the house. "What happened?"
"It's about Lillie! She's leaving!" Hau replied desperately.
"What!?" Moon screamed in shock.
"Hurry, let's go to the port in Hau'oli City before her ship leaves at nine o'clock!" Hau advised.
"What time is it now?" Moon asked him hastily.
"Umm... 8:51!" Hau said, reading his wristwatch.
"We haven't got nine minutes! Let's go!" Moon said before bolting out the door in a sprint.
"Everyone's so energetic these days..." Moon's mom commented.
Moon ran down to the beach of Melemele Sea faster than a person riding on a Tauros. Nothing would stop her from getting to Lillie.
I'm so stupid for sleeping in so late! But about Lillie leaving... where and why? I thought we were friends! There has to be a reason why she didn't tell me or Hau.
"Go, Sharpedo!" Moon said, holding up her Pokémon ride pager at the coast. "Full speed ahead to the port!" Moon instructed, hopping on the streamline shark ride Pokémon.
Sharpedo swam ahead at an unimaginable speed, circumventing around Ten Carat Hill and the rocks that were in the way of her reaching the port. The thought of Lillie not once left Moon's mind, even though the speed at which Sharpedo was swimming got her clothes a bit wet.
All these rocks won't stop me from reaching Lillie in time. It shouldn't take more than a minute to get into the city by sea route, especially on a Sharpedo. And then another minute or two to run to the port.
As Moon approached the Hau'oli beachfront, she shouted, "Clear the way!" to some people on the beach. It didn't take much time for them to move, considering a Sharpedo was coming at them like a rocket. The Sharpedo stopped just in time as it reached the shoreline, Moon hastily getting off and onto land.
"Thanks, Sharpedo!" Moon said as she sprinted into the city toward the port.
At the port, Lillie was preparing her bags for the long trip to the Kanto region, keeping a mental checklist of items she needed for the journey to Kanto. It was imperative that she had the essentials.
"Let's see... toothbrush, spare clothes, hat, Poké Doll..." Lillie said to herself until her digging led her to a picture of her, Moon, and Hau that Rotom had taken in Hau'oli city early in Moon's journey.
"Hm? What's this... a photo?" She gasped upon further inspection.
"M-Moon..." Lillie stuttered, her delicate hands shaking slightly as she examined the picture. She talked to herself, but not loud enough for Kukui, her escort, to hear her.
"I loved her, but never got the chance to say it to her. She's so funny, cute, and is always so nice to me. And now I have to leave all that behind, I need to go to Kanto to help my mom feel better."
"Moon probably doesn't like girls that way anyway, who am I kidding. When I flirted with her on several occasions, she didn't respond much. I wish I pressed the situation more. W-we could have been together... maybe? Just forget it, Lillie. It's just a fantasy and it's too late now."
Lillie carefully placed the picture back into her bag and zipped it closed. Now if only it was that easy to keep Nebby in the bag, that would really be something.
"Maybe it's best if I just try to forget..." Lillie said, a single tear falling from her face.
"You've got everything you need, yeah?" Kukui called from a short distance away, noticing her strange movements. "You seem sad though, cousin. Are you feelin' alright?"
"O-Oh! It's nothing, don't worry," Lillie lied as she started to walk towards the ship, Kukui escorting her and saying their goodbyes.
"...And don't forget, you can stay in my loft indefinitely. You can come visit whenever you want!" Kukui reminded Lillie. She nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Moon came within range of the port and spotted Kukui and Lillie.
Oh no, she's about to go on board! I have to act fast!
Lillie was just about to step foot on the ship to Kanto, when suddenly...
"Lillie! Stop!" Moon shouted while sprinting towards them, nearly out of breath. Lillie immediately turned around to see Moon, who ran up to her and firmly held her by the shoulders.
"Lillie! Where are you going? And why didn't you tell me?" Moon asked desperately.
"M-Moon!" Lillie said with a mixture of emotions.
"Why are you going to Kanto suddenly?" Moon pressed again.
Lillie took a deep breath.
"I-I didn't want it to be like this." Lillie's eyes became watery. "Do you remember when my mom, Lusamine, fused with the Pokémon Nihilego?" Moon nodded her head in response.
"All my mom cared about was the Ultra Beasts, specifically Nihilego. More than her own daughter. She even made me dress like Nihilego, as if I was a doll or something for her amusement. When you defeated her in battle, you fixed these feelings. She changed her evil ways. But fusing with the Pokémon caused her body to absorb toxins, which makes sense being half poison type." Lillie began to cry softly as she went on explaining further, Moon listening intently.
"T-There's a man in Kanto named Bill. One time, he fused with a Pokémon, and then he used a special machine to reverse the fusing. I think if I take my mom to go see Bill and use his machine on her, then the toxins leftover from the fusion can be removed from her body, saving her life. While I'm there in Kanto, I can also become stronger and become a Pokémon trainer."
"B-but why didn't you tell me?" Moon asked, about to cry.
"I-I just thought it would be easier on both you and me if I left quietly. B-b-but now it's even more difficult."
"But what about all your friends?" Moon asked. "T-they'll miss you so much. I'll miss you, Lillie!"
"I-I didn't really think that over," Lillie responded, her emotions making it increasingly difficult to talk. "I just thought leaving quietly would make it easier on everyone's feelings." Lillie paused for a moment to wipe her tears.
"But before I go, I want you to have this. Think of it as something to remember me by," Lillie said, her trembling hands reaching into her bag to reveal a worn-out Poké Doll. It had obviously been well-loved.
Moon couldn't hold back anymore and the floodgates opened as she accepted the doll.
"I'm sorry, Moon. I have to go. I'll call you when I arrive in Kanto," Lillie said as she started walking back towards the ship, crying again.
Moon stood there stiff as a statue, holding the doll tightly. From her perspective, time seemed to freeze. She was fighting the toughest opponent she had ever faced.
Herself.
No no no! I can't let Lillie just leave like that! I've made it this far and I'm not going to let her go! I need to tell her now. But what if I mess up? What if I don't have the courage?
Who are you kidding, this plan isn't going to work! You're going to say that you love Lillie and it will tear her apart even more! Nothing will be solved!
It's the only thing I have left to stop Lillie from leaving though! I'll give it a shot!
After this brief internal battle, Moon took a deep breath and stopped Lillie again. "Lillie, you can't go to Kanto."
It's easy! Just tell her the three words! It's all or nothing.
"Why?" Lillie asked, her face still wet from tears.
"It's because..." Moon started.
Unfortunately, three words was too much of a challenge for Moon to say to Lillie...
"Because I love you!" Moon said, her confidence peaking. Lillie's eyes widened.
...Because she said it in four words.
Moon approached Lillie and held her face delicately. A crimson blush rampaged across both of their cheeks. Moon went ahead and lightly kissed Lillie on the lips, Lillie returning it a moment later with a deeper kiss that lasted a few seconds longer. After the kiss, Moon and Lillie remained face to face. They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a while, breathing heavily, cheeks still on fire.
Meanwhile, Hau had finally made it to the port, and collapsed on the ground out of breath. He had obviously sprinted the whole way there and didn't consider using a Ride Pokémon.
"Lillie, you can't go to-" Hau said weakly before he realized what was going on. "What did I miss?" He asked Kukui, who was standing nearby.
"Well, you sure missed a lot, yeah," Kukui replied. "See, Lillie and Moon secretly loved each other, but neither of them knew – that is, until now!"
"Ohh," Hau replied. "This makes more sense now."
After about a minute's time, Moon backed away slightly from Lillie and spoke again.
"Ever since I arrived in Alola, we were great friends. The way you look. Your personality. How you're always there for me, encouraging me. I like it all and slowly fell in love with you. And I don't want to lose you. That's why you can't go to Kanto. I'd miss you so much."
Lillie tried her best to keep her emotions under control, and then took her turn for speaking.
"Moon. I've always liked you. It started that day when you saved Nebby from the Spearow on the bridge. I was a complete stranger to you then, but you risked everything to help me. I thought you were part of the Aether Foundation and had finally found me. But I was wrong, and you continued to help me through all my problems and issues. I was too much of a coward to tell you how I really felt, though. Now I don't want to go to Kanto at all because I love you, but if my mom doesn't get better, she'll probably die from the toxins throughout her body. I don't know what to do," Lillie said, starting to cry again. It must have taken a lot of her willpower to say that.
Both of the girls held each other close in an affectionate hug, Moon lightly stroking Lillie's hair to comfort her. Lillie's crying slowly ceased.
Then Moon had a great idea.
"What if... you have your brother Gladion go with your mom to Kanto?" Moon suggested. "There's another ship tonight leaving for Kanto, you could have him take that one instead."
"That... could actually work!" Lillie replied, being filled with happiness once again. "But how am I going to get stronger if I'm not going to Kanto?" She questioned.
"Hmm... well, you already know Professor Kukui very well, and he knows a lot. There's the island trials here to help you gain strength. And don't forget that your new girlfriend is the Alolan Champion! It would make me happier than anything to teach you all about battling with Pokémon," Moon answered with a playful wink.
"And if you're wondering where you'll get a Pokémon," Moon added, "I want you to have this." Moon reached into her bag, and after digging for a while, she extracted an incubator with a Pokémon egg inside.
Lillie gasped curiously and accepted the gift from Moon, carefully holding the incubator in her hands.
"That egg will hatch into an Alolan Vulpix. I know how obsessed you were when I caught mine, and when the egg hatches, you'll have one too!" Moon exclaimed.
"M-Moon..." Lillie replied, starting to cry in happiness. "I don't know what to say," she said, hugging Moon tightly. "Thank you for everything."
"Thank you, Lillie," Moon responded. "I don't know what I would do without you."
After a short moment of hugging, Lillie and Moon walked back over to Kukui and Hau, egg and Poké Doll in hand.
"You're not leaving?" Hau asked. "Yaaaaay!"
"So, you decided to stay, yeah?" Kukui said. Lillie nodded her head in response.
"We should get something to eat, though," Moon suggested. "I haven't eaten yet today."
"I heard that a new malasada restaurant opened! We should check it out!" Hau said, running off into the city.
"Hey, wait for us!" Lillie shouted, holding Moon's hand.
"As soon as that Pokémon egg hatches, be prepared for your lessons!" Moon told Lillie, both of them smiling. "You'll be a great trainer with the help of me and your friends. Maybe even stronger than me!" Moon added, giving Lillie a quick kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush and giggle.
And so Lillie, Kukui, Hau, and Moon walked off into the city to visit the new restaurant, the morning sun already high. The ship going to Kanto left, with no Lillie on board. Gladion would go with Lusamine to Kanto on the second ship later that day to ask Bill about his fusion machine.. Moon and Lillie were together now after many weeks of secretly loving each other and rising tension throughout their experiences in Alola. In the end, everything went better than expected.
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