Moonwatching

As far as curses go, it wasn't that bad.

Sure, Gladion was cursed to turn into a Lillipup every time he so much as glanced at the full moon, but having grown up with the curse since he was five, it had become common sense to just... not look at the moon. And sure, he would never understand what he did that pissed off Tapu Lele and caused him to be cursed in the first place (maybe knocking over some candles? Who knew, he was five) but it was far from an uncontrollable condition. He was always in full control of his senses, just reduced to the small form of a tiny, yapping Lillipup.

In fact, it was more being turned into a Lillipup that annoyed him. Lycanroc was a cool choice, and he wouldn't have minded an Arcanine either. But no, he had to turn into a foot-tall, little yapping nuisance. It seemed like Tapu Lele was out to annoy him more than anything else.

The first time it happened, his parents had been startled when their eldest child and only son took a peek outside the window and suddenly, in a puff of smoke, he was replaced by a little Pokemon yapping wildly at the full moon. Luckily, the curse seemed to come with some sort of time limit, and after six hours of Gladion running in circles chasing his tiny little tail, there was another puff of smoke and he was back to normal; albeit with a greater appreciation for a Lillipup's mindset.

Lillie had been thrilled when she first discovered his curse. Sometimes, he'd accidentally glance out during a full moon and she'd scratch behind his ears and doll him up with ribbons, spending the rest of the night sleeping with her brother-as-a-Lillipup by her side. If nothing else, the curse made his sister smile; especially after their father disappeared and their mother spent more and more nights locked up in the lab.

There were other advantages to it too- he could understand what Pokemon were saying as a Lillipup, and his keen senses made it easy to find all sorts of little treasures that most humans wouldn't be able to find.

But as time went by, Gladion tried actively to avoid triggering his curse. Tried to focus on what needed to be done.

When he escaped with Null by the light of a full moon, he made sure not to glance up. He hid his curse from Team Skull, and ended up keeping his eyes trained on the ground instead of the night sky above.

For two years, nothing untoward happened. And then he met her.

It was the full light of day. Gladion hadn't expected any trouble. He was just going about his usual business, confronting trainers and Pokemon to train Null and himself. He had just finished a battle with Hala's grandson (and was scolding the boy for not taking the battle seriously), when his opponent called out to an approaching figure.

"Hey, Moon!" Hau called.

Later, Gladion would kick himself for his lack of forethought. But honestly, who would have guessed that the curse would work in such a way?

He met her eyes for a split-second. He noticed they were gray, like the color of the moon, framed by black bangs.

And then he felt a familiar shiver go up his spine.

Aw, sh-

There wasn't even time to curse. In less than two seconds since he laid eyes on her, there was a puff of smoke, and suddenly he was a little Lillipup again, yapping angrily at the two trial challengers who were looking at him with their eyes bulging out of their heads.

Hau panicked. Moon just stared. Somewhere along the line, one of them suggested bringing him to a Pokemon center, as if that would have helped. (His parents tried that once, leaving a very confused nurse at the end of that particular trip.) As it was, they pretty much spent 6 hours running around Route 5 until it was dark, with Moon carrying him in one arm while holding on to his Pokeballs with the other. And as things were wont to do with his curse, when the six hours were up he ended up poofing back in Moon's arms. And ended up on the ground. On top of her.

He'd never been this close to a girl other than his sister, and he wasn't sure what to say or do in such a situation.. He hadn't even introduced himself, and there he was, staring into this strange girl's all-too-gray eyes and noticing how pale her skin was. It was almost enough for him to want to poof back to being a Lillipup, but apparently the curse was specific to a 'full' Moon, and staring at her face alone wasn't good enough to trigger it.

With a smirk, she asked, "So, can you get off me?"

He could have died from embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered. Somehow, he managed to maintain some manner of dignity as he got up and took back his Pokeballs, paying special attention to the ground instead of her.

As far as first meetings go, it was pretty much the worst.

He tried to wiggle out of explaining the details of his curse to Hau and Moon, but after what they had seen, it's not like he could lie. Any attempt to appear intimidating was already destroyed by the entire ordeal, and in an attempt to regain some measure of self-respect, Gladion challenged Moon to a battle.

It did not end well. To add insult to injury, the Skull Grunts Guzma sent to check on him showed up just in time to see her Rowlet land the finishing blow on Null, and Gladion just wanted to melt into the ground.

The worst part? He'd probably run into Moon again. Lillie had talked about her- how she was one of the few trusted friends she had made ever since she escaped from Aether Paradise. He wasn't sure what to make of Moon. She was a decent trainer, with a level-headedness that he admired. Yet, there was something about her that put him on edge. Maybe it was the way he couldn't get a read on her. Or maybe it was because whenever he thought of her, he could only recall the scent of her when she held him in her arms- the fragrance of oran berry jam.

It was aggravating. The duo turned up again, in Royal Avenue, just as perky as ever. Luckily, he spotted her Rowlet before they noticed him, and managed to look away just in the nick of time when she called out his name.

"Hoy, Gladion!"

He almost turned around to snap at her for being so familiar before his brain reminded him that it was a very bad idea. He half turned- almost losing his balance in the process- only to hear her giggle.

She was doing this on purpose. No doubt if he glanced over, she'd be watching him with that coy smirk. He glowered angrily into the sky.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

A Battle Royale, they said. Normally, Gladion would have jumped at the opportunity to join one. But Moon and Hau irritated him, and it was increasingly difficult to fight without being able to look your opponent in the eye.

Especially because, for some reason, he wanted to look her in the eye.

Tapu Lele must have been having a laugh.

But, unfortunately for Gladion, things only got worse. It got to a point where Moon ended up carrying him through the Aether Foundation as he yapped orders to Null during the dramatic take down of his mother. (It was only a miracle he managed to poof back before actually confronting his mother, one that he sorely thanked Arceus for). And then there was the motel room incident... Gladion shuddered to think of it, even now.

All things said, it was only after meeting Moon that the curse started to feel like an actual curse. His newfound friends easily took it in stride, as if it was normal for the Tapus to randomly curse people in Alola. But for Gladion, life would never be the same ever again.

Moon enjoyed triggering his curse, he was sure of it. She'd show up in his office at Aether Paradise unannounced in the morning. She was often the first thing he saw, sitting in his chair, when he came in to work. (He made Wicke buy new locks for his doors; and when he realized Moon had learnt how to pick locks, he got electronic ones which shuffled their passwords every night.) She'd randomly drag him out on some pretext or another, only to do everything in her power to catch him unawares. (He'd had Pyukumuku thrown at his face, accidentally had Figy Berries slipped into his lunch, and was pretty sure Moon bribed a local Gastly population once to scare him; they told him as much when he asked them.)

Gladion should have hated it. He was the President of the Aether Foundation, a former member of Team Skull, and a trainer who easily faced down Ultra Beasts without a flinch. Being a Lillipup was demeaning, especially when Moon took great joy in brushing his fur and carrying him around like he was some sort of baby.

But being a Lillipup was the only time he could look at Moon fully. When he didn't have to flinch away from the sight of her big gray eyes, and could take the time to appreciate the fullness of her smile. When maybe the sheer cuteness of being a Lillipup seemed to lower her guard, and the joy and enthusiasm in her manner and laugh were so genuine it always left him feeling warm inside; even hours after he went back to normal.

And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he did like the way she scratched his ears.

Moon was wicked, but she wasn't cruel. Sure, she went out of her way to torment him, but she never overstepped her boundaries. She always made sure he got home safely; always watched out for him when he was small and easily stepped on. She never pulled her pranks when something important was coming up, and she always told him whenever she heard of possible cures for his curse.

(Of course, judging by how ridiculous some of those cures were, Gladion was inclined to think some of them were her pranks as well.)

"I don't think she pays as much attention to any other guy as she does you," Hau told him once. "Must be the mystique of being cursed."

"Don't be ridiculous," had been his reply. "I get cursed to turn into a Lillipup."

His friend rolled his eyes and bit into his malasada. "Lilliipup are cute!" Hau said in between bites. "They're much more adorable than you usually are! Must be why she keeps visiting." He grinned. "It's not like you don't like her visiting, right?"

Gladion shot him a withering stare, and Hau shrugged his shoulders, licking the sugar off his fingers. "I'm just saying- if I got cursed to turn into a Pokemon, I'd hope it's a cute one."

To which Gladion went on a rant about how it was ridiculous that being cursed to become a Pokemon was even a thing, and Hau had to drag him home before he stormed Tapu Lele's shrine.

Still, Hau was right. He did become closer to Moon because of his curse. More by process of osmosis, he had learned what were her favorite things to do (battle), her favorite foods (oran berries), her favorite Pokemon type (Poison)- even her favorite Tapu (it was not Lele, thankfully).

She had become a common, if somewhat unconventional, fixture in his life; visiting at least once a week. (Thankfully he didn't turn into a Lillipup all the time.) He almost expected her to pop out whenever he was taking a rest, or to throw open his door just as he was about to read a book. It was an annoyance to be sure, but one that, inexplicably, he looked forward to.

"Why do you do it?" he asked her soon after his conversation with Hau, as they strolled down the wild beaches on Poni Island.

"Do what?" she teased, her voice brushing close to his ear as he adamantly kept his gaze forward.

"Torment me like this."

He expected some taunting answer, some manner of misdirection. But instead, he heard her sigh. "I don't know," she admitted. "It was funny at first! But after a while it was just..." She paused, and he imagined her tapping her fingers on her lower lip, like she did when she was nervous. "Sometimes, I think you're more honest with yourself when you're a Lillipup. Like I see the real Gladion when you're... not Gladion."

Gladion wanted to look at her. To see what hidden meaning there was written on her face. Instead, all he could do was ask, "How so?"

She giggled then. "Well, you don't pretend you don't like me."

He spluttered. Turned to face her. "It's not that I don't like you-" he began, before he realized his mistake. He caught the surprise in her wide gray eyes and felt the tingle down his spine once more.

A puff of smoke later and he was at her knees, a tiny Lillipup once more.

"Oh, Gladion." She smiled, and with a sigh, she picked him up. Her body was warm and she held him gently, like she always did. "I wasn't even trying this time, I swear."

But her smile didn't reach her eyes, and something about her voice and posture seemed... off. Human Gladion would have stammered and tried to say something to defuse the situation; but as a Lillipup he couldn't even speak.

So he did what any Lilliipup would have done. He leaned towards her and licked her on her face.

Her laughter was full of a silly joy, and she tried to hold him off as she begged him to stop. Eventually, she settled down with him by a copse of trees overlooking the ocean. Watching the setting sun, with him resting on her lap, he could sense her contentment. Her happiness.

It wasn't until then that Gladion realized he had never seen Moon sad before, until that day. Her coy half-smiles, her snide remarks- it was so rare to see Moon honest, telling him what it was she actually felt. Telling him that she thought he was hiding himself from her. Maybe he wasn't the only one hiding from the truth.

Generally, when he was a Lillipup, he was content to simply be with her. To be away from his human problems for a while; and being stuck with Moon was more fun than he'd care to admit. After all this time, he'd grown quite used to the scent of oran berry jam.

But this time, waiting was a struggle. The minutes ticked by so slowly. As he sat in Moon's arms, there was a strange, aching loneliness within him.

The time neared the six hour mark. Quietly, Moon said, "It's almost time for you to turn back."

Normally this was when she'd let him down and give him time and space to get himself in order. But as she tried to lift him, he let out a low growl.

"G-Gladion?"

He shook his head, stared at her as intensely as a Lillipup could. She had on her usual half smirk, but her brows were furrowed.

"Something wrong, Gladion?" she asked.

He barked at her.

"Oh come on, you know I don't understand what you're saying-" She tried to put him down, but then he bounded back into her arms once more.

"Hey, Gladion!"

But he wouldn't be dissuaded. He stared at her, and finally, she sighed.

"You know this is going to end badly, right?" Her voice sounded irritated and in control, but there was a confused look in her eyes.

He didn't have a chance to respond. Before he could say anything more, there was a puff of smoke and suddenly... suddenly-

Moon's gray eyes were wide. Her face was so close- their noses almost touching. He could hear the softness of her breath, feel the tremble of her body under his. He'd only been this close to her once before- and back then he'd been so flustered that he hadn't been able to appreciate how beautiful she actually was.

"I- I hope you have a good reason for this." There was an uncharacteristic quiver in her voice.

He managed a nod. He licked his lips. His throat felt dry. "I wanted to tell you something."

"On my lap?" She tried to sound serious, but her voice was a high squeak.

She looked so vulnerable. Instead of the strong, overpowering trainer, the irreverent prankster he was used to, she seemed subdued. As a Lillipup, she had seemed so big and tall- but now she seemed so small, so... fragile.

Hesitantly, he cupped her cheek with his hand. She didn't move, her eyes fixed solely on him. And before he lost his nerve, Gladion kissed her.

Moon didn't resist. She was so soft- so warm. For a moment, he was lost in the dizzy euphoria of holding her in his arms, her lips against his. And then the full weight of what he was doing hit him, and he pulled back immediately, well-aware of how his cheeks were burning. But even then, he couldn't look away from her eyes.

"Gladion..." It was her voice that broke through the tension, prompted him to speak.

"You're right, you know," he said. "I don't... not like you. And I didn't want to tell you that... without being able to look at you."

She stared at him, her mouth agape. He registered the flicker of shock on her face, the way she seemed to have trouble figuring out what to say.

"If I misjudged-"

"No!" Now her cheeks were flushed. But gone was her surprise, replaced by a hesitant smile.

She touched him, her fingers tracing a line from his cheekbone to his jaw, before resting at the back of his neck. She looked so radiant, he thought, illuminated only by the moonlight.

Then, with a small, sly smirk, she whispered, "You didn't tell me."

He chuckled, found himself matching her expression. Leaning closer towards her, he murmured, "Maybe you just weren't listening properly."

She laughed, her gray eyes crinkling with their usual, wicked light. "You could try again."

So he did.

As far as confessions went, it wasn't that bad, Gladion thought. But it was what happened after that changed his life forever.

They had been walking along the beach, back towards Seafolk Village. Then, innocuously, Moon paused and remarked, "The moon's full tonight, huh?"

Perhaps it was because Gladion had been feeling slightly lightheaded from the events of the day. Perhaps it was also because he had recently become so used to avoiding looking at one moon that he forgot there was another he shouldn't look at. Perhaps he just responded on instinct rather than putting any actual thought to what Moon was saying.

Whatever the case, he turned his head skyward- and just as he realized what he had done he began to brace himself-

But nothing happened.

He blinked.

"Moon," he said.

"Hmm?" She leaned against him.

"I'm not a Lillipup."

There was a confused pause. Then-

"Wait, so-"

He stared at her. She stared at him. Cautiously, she pulled away from him- took a step back, then two. Then three.

Nothing happened.

Moon frowned. "You don't really think... that just because we kissed..."

Gladion shrugged. Who knew what whimsies went through Tapu Lele's head.

He held out a hand to her, and she took it. Gratefully, he pulled her towards him, buried himself in her hair and held her close in his arms.

"All things considered?" Moon quipped. "It wasn't that bad a curse."

And helplessly, Gladion laughed.

Tapu Lele sighed. It did so love happy endings.

It hadn't cursed Gladion out of malice or anything like that; the boy had just happened to catch its fancy all those years ago. It had a feeling about the boy, like he was destined for great things. Wonderful things.

It did so love making those destined for greatness suffer a bit. Just a teensy bit. Maybe the size of a Lillipup.

Sure, it hadn't guessed that he'd fall in love with a girl named Moon. It hadn't expected its curse to even work out the way it did. But all in all, it was an entertaining watch; the best it had over the past few centuries.

When Gladion had confessed his feelings and kissed Moon, Tapu Lele had let out a joyous cry and lifted the curse. It was a good repayment for all the years of entertainment, and quite honestly, Tapu Lele was sure that now that their unresolved sexual tension was finally resolved, there were probably more interesting things to watch.

So now here it was, dancing over Akala Island, trying to find a brand new source of entertainment when it caught sight of a boy and a Raichu, seated on a bench.

"Boy, I love malasadas!"

"Rai rai!"

And Tapu Lele giggled in anticipation.