Hey everyone! I'm back at it with another Shiningsunshipping fic! I apologize for the small hiatus; I've been busy with Ultra Moon and coming up with ideas on Lillie's ideal Pokémon team.
Ok, I want to make this very clear. I'm not accepting requests/commissions at the moment. It says so on my profile, as well. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
As always, please enjoy! ^_^
It was a simple evening at Malie City with tourism as bustling as ever, mainly thanks to the city's highly popular garden. 17-year-old Sun was waiting by the apparel shop for his girlfriend Lillie as they planned out a date that consisted of strolling around the city. The Alola Champion had a head start because he was not occupied with League duties, though Lillie was assisting her mother and father at Aether Paradise with Pokémon conservation efforts but she said that she had a surprise for him once they'd meet up.
And so, Sun was wondering as to what the surprised had entailed to. Then, he saw a girl with short blonde hair walking towards him from a considerable distance, though he couldn't recognize her at first until she greeted him.
"Hey, Sun! Sorry that I'm late!" the girl said as she flashed Sun a smile, her face blushing slightly.
"L-Lillie?!" Sun stammered in surprise. From what he saw, Lillie's hair was cut short to her neck, with a complex braid around the back of her head, and she wore a dress along with a semi-short sweater. Her appearance had Sun in awe as a result.
"Do you like it?" she asked as she felt a bit nervous.
"Of course, I do! You look amazing, Lillie!" he answered in a flash in order to avoid a misunderstanding.
"Thank you. You cousin helped me out with the hairstyle, but mother was the one who had done it." Lillie explained. Selene had offered to help her friend out, and so the Kanto native opted to lay out a new hairstyle for Lillie through a picture that she found online.
"Well then, I gotta give my thanks to her the next time we talk." he replied as he was still entranced by his girlfriend's hair. The new approach to Lillie's hair was cute in Sun's mind.
"So, shall we get going? I'm looking forward to spend time with you, Sun." the blonde suggested as she held his hand.
With a nod from her boyfriend, the two strolled off to Malie Garden. As they entered the gardens, the architecture was still the same as ever. If it was looked through an aerial view, the Malie Garden would resemble to that of a Gyarados, especially since the design was heavily influenced by Ecruteak City in the Johto region.
"Coming back here brings back some memories of our time in Johto, huh." Sun brought as they crossed the bridge.
"Yep. I can still remember the festival they had there, too," Lillie remarked, reminiscing of the time when she and Sun had worn yukatas for a special festival in Ecruteak City a few months back. Back then, there were numerous activities to do such as games, trying out the food, fireworks, and so forth.
Once they made their way to the deepest parts of the Malie Garden, they found a couple who were spending time feeding the Pokémon that inhabited the waters, and a few children were marveling at the various structures, including a mini tower that was an homage to the Bell Tower in Johto.
From what Sun and Lillie remembered, the Bell Tower was said to be where the Legendary Pokémon Ho-oh resided in. At one point, they could've sworn that they caught a glimpse of a gigantic bird Pokémon hovering around the top of the tower.
"Do you think we'll ever meet Ho-oh, Lillie?" Sun asked as he gazed at the replica.
"If we were able to meet Nebby, then one day we'll be able to encounter Ho-oh," Lillie answered, a confident grin formed on her face. From what her travels had taught her, meeting mythical Pokémon wasn't exactly a hard task to do, especially on how they could just traverse through the Ultra Wormhole.
"Ahh, it is Sun and Lillie." a voice said as two figures made their way towards the couple.
"Oh, Dulse, Soliera!" Sun exclaimed.
"We almost forgot the proper greeting. Alola to you both." Soliera reminded herself as she and Dulse did the Alola greeting but in their own way, and then Sun and Lillie waved at them as well.
"Wow, you two took up a whole new look, too!" Lillie remarked, noticing that Dulse and Soliera decided to wear clothes that were suitable for Alola's climate, though they still wore sunglasses due to their sensitive eyesight.
"I can say the same for you, Miss Lillie," Dulse replied as he adjusted his hair a bit, "your new hairdo looks exquisite, to say the least."
"T-thank you." the blonde noted, blushing a bit from the compliment.
"So, what brings you two to Alola? Does your world need any more assistance?" Sun asked with a smile on his face. The Alola Champion was glad to see his otherworldly companions again, especial since they entrusted him with Poipole, then became Naganadel.
"Not quite," Soliera revealed to Sun, her hands interlocking Dulse's, "we're here out of pleasure, as you can tell."
Dulse's cheeks reddened in the procress, a stark contrast from his pale blue skin. A year after the incident with Necrozma, Dulse had confessed his feeling to Soliera in the most elaborate form of speech. Of course, she reciprocated his feelings in the end, and they've been happy ever since.
"But we must take our leave now. We hope that our paths cross again." Dulse mentioned as he fixed his sunglasses' position.
"Sure thing. Stay safe out there!" Lillie said as she and Sun waved them a good-bye.
"Don't have too much fun. An alola to you both!" the blue-haired woman responded as she and Dulse did their signature wave, and then proceeded to make their way out of Malie Garden.
"It was to see them again." Lillie commented as she took out a bit of food from her pouch, and threw it at the pond for the Pokémon to eat. It wasn't forbidden to feed the Pokémon in the city's garden, as long as it wasn't in excess.
"Yeah, though it seems that Dulse still needs to get used to being affectionate." Sun noted, but he also remembered that he was always flustered whenever he tried to hold Lillie's hand when they first started dating.
The blonde laughed at her boyfriend's comment, but reminded herself that they needed to get something to eat. She was inhibiting her appetite for her date with Sun, though she did have a light meal beforehand. "Let's spend a few minutes before we head on over to Sushi High Roller."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Sun replied as he joined in the activity of feeding the Pokémon.
Afterwards, the two headed off to Sushi High Roller, where Sun had ordered the Z-Kaiseki while Lillie had the Ronin Set. His girlfriend's meal brought back some memories of when he had ordered the same meal, and Nanu happened to pay for his food.
Sun was still mesmerized by Lillie's new hairstyle, often catching a glimpse of it as he ate.
"So, how many times are you going to stare at my hair?" Lillie broke the silence between the two, a smirk forming on her face as her boyfriend proceeded to laugh sheepishly.
"Hey, it's just that you look way too cute, truly." Sun reasoned, though he stammered just a bit in the end."
"Oh, so I was never cute to begin with?" she replied teasingly, but Sun didn't catch on and assumed that she was being serious.
"W-wait, that's not what I-I meant." The Alola Champion pleaded in a hurry.
"I'm sorry. It was just too good to pass up on." Lillie reassured as she stifled a laugh.
Sun proceeded to sigh in relief, it seemed that a bit of Gladion had rubbed off on Lillie because her brother would try to tease Sun whenever there was an open window of opportunity. "Geez, I'm wondering if Gladion is having such an influence on you now."
"Ah don't worry, Sun," she insisted as she placed her hands on top of his, "besides, I still thank you for the compliment."
"Much obliged," the Alola Champion thanked as well, "so how long are you going to keep it?"
Lillie removed her hands from his as she began to ponder. "Hmm, I was thinking of letting it grow back, but if I still continue to like my hair the way it is, then I may leave it be for a bit."
"Regardless, I'll still love you the way you are." he said.
"Honestly, Sun. Flattery is not going to get you anywhere, but thank you though." she retorted playfully.
Lillie was grateful that she decided to cut her hair short. In the past, she has had it in a ponytail when she had adopted a new look in which she dubbed as her 'Z-Powered Form', but as she grew, she had pondered on the thought of trying out new hairstyles. Lillie was still considering if she'd call her new look something like 'Z-Powered form 2.0' but she'd have time to make up her mind.
"I see you kids are enjoying yourselves, huh." A voice spoke from a distance as they walked towards Sun and Lillie.
"Ah, Officer Nanu." Sun replied as Nanu stood by their table, a dull look on the latter's face.
"Nanu is fine, too. No need to be formal, boy." Nanu affirmed.
"How have you been?" Lillie happily asked.
"Good, just good," Nanu responded, his usual smirk forming on his face, "things have been fine since that Guzma took over my position."
Sun and Lillie reminded themselves that Guzma, under Tapu Bulu's decision, had succeeded Nanu as Ula'ula Island's kahuna. Originally, Guzma wanted to be a Trial Captain, but the tapu had other plans. Nanu had simply told Guzma to 'not screw up or you'll face the wrath of the tapu' all in a bored expression.
"I see," Sun said as he lightly chuckled at the former kahuna's remark, "but I'm sure there have been interesting events in the In-"
"You're talking too much." Nanu had quickly interrupted because of his role in the International Police, and most of the public weren't aware about his involvement in the organization.
"Oh, sorry about that." Sun apologized for almost revealing Nanu's secret.
Nanu simply shrugged and then proceeded to comment about Lillie's new hairdo. "Say, young miss, when did you decide to change the look on your hair? Not saying that it's horrid, don't get me wrong."
"Sun's cousin recommended it to me, and I simply adored it," Lillie confessed with a sense of pride, "it's like an upgrade to my Z-Powered form."
"Still going on about that, huh," Nanu remarked as he proceeded to nod afterwards, "well then, that's good for you. Your partner didn't mind at all?"
"O-oh, he loves it. At first, I was worried if he disliked it, but I was wrong." Lillie squeaked in embarrassment due to Nanu's teasing. For someone as stoic as Nanu, he would show a bit of his humorous side.
"Very well. Oh, before you ask, yes, I did see those folks from the Ultra Recon Squad. Looks like those two are having a good time." Nanu mentioned before the couple could beat him to it. He then pulled out a check, and set it on the table. "That's to pay off your food. Think of it as a bit of nostalgia."
"Thank you but you don't have to do that, Mr. Nanu." Lillie countered.
"My mind is made up, and again, Nanu will suffice," Nanu then turned his back away from them as he made way to the door, "see you who knows where."
After waving good-bye to Sun and Lillie, Nanu had exited Sushi High Roller. As time passed by, the two had finished their food, and left a tip before they had departed from the restaurant.
"Where are we off to now?" Lillie questioned as she laid her head on Sun's shoulders as they strolled around Malie City, their hands intertwined to each other.
"I was thinking if we could star gaze at Mount Hokulani." Sun had offered to Lillie. It was the last thing to cross his mind since it was starting to get a bit late.
"Sounds ideal and romantic, to say the least." Lillie agreed, her cheeks blushing afterwards.
The two had star-gazed before in the past. When they were kids, Sun had taken Lillie to Ten Carat Hill during the night. They and Nebby would watch the stars pass by the night sky. Since then, she has been enamored by the stars and other astral objects.
"Y-yeah, it sure it." he replied though he stammered quite a bit due to Lillie acting mushy. He didn't mind in the slightest, but he would be flustered by it. "Anyway, let's head on over to the bus stop."
"Lead the way, love." she suggested teasingly, which caused her boyfriend to stutter more than ever.
"H-hey, you acting l-like that and your hair makes you even more cute." Sun tried to counter as he stuttered, though it did have an effect on his girlfriend as they both stopped their movement.
"Please, you're m-making me feel embarrassed, but happy at the same time." Lillie admitted as she was jovial and flustered.
"Alright, I think the both of us had enough time to tease the other so," he said as he grabbed her hand with his, "let's head on over."
With a nod, Lillie and Sun made their way to the bus stop. As the bus drove near its stop, Lillie decided to say something to Sun.
"One last thing, though." Lillie brought up as she faced Sun.
"What's that?" Sun asked out of curiosity.
Caught off guard, Lillie had kissed him on the lips. The moment lasted for a bit until Lillie departed her lips from Sun's. Sun was wide-eyed as a result, but he did truly enjoy it. He then smiled at her, the blush on his cheeks perpetuating.
"May I ask why I was rewarded with such an awesome gift." Sun asked.
Lightly laughing at Sun for trying to act calm and collected, Lillie happily answered his question.
"That was a way of me saying thank you for this night, and for complimenting on my hair."
And then, the bus had stopped by two, allowing them to enter it. Then, Sun and Lillie would finish off the night by watching the stars gleam the dusk skies, free of any interference from hindering their beauty. Again, Sun would glance at Lillie's hair, and she'd notice, but she wouldn't mind at all.