It's quiet on the docks as Moon walks, admiring the boats floating in the Seafolk Village. There are a few she recognizes, a few that are new to her, and a few she remembers are missing. Over the years, she's learned better than to try and think the village ever looks the same on any given week, with so many nomads docking and then setting sail, all on their separate cycles or instincts. It's comforting to know that she isn't the only one who can't stay still.

The sun warms her skin and the waves set a soothing rhythm as they hit the wooden poles of the dock. She can hear a Dhelmise lurking under her feet as she makes her way to the Wailord ship at the center of the dock. When Moon steps inside, she can't help but smile at the familiar smell and the sight of the nearly empty restaurant; it's a relief after being hounded at the door by reporters. The moment brought back bad memories and a bad taste in her mouth – a taste she's more than ready to get rid of with a little comfort food and a friend.

"You going to sit down or what?"

The gruff voice comes from the corner table, where Plumeria frowns at Moon. She sits like she owns the place, slumped and relaxed. Though she's frowning, it soon turns into a lazy smirk as she watches Moon approach her and take a seat. "I ordered for you since you were taking so long to get here," Plumeria says while adjusting the bandana she's using as a headband, "And I figured you'd get whatever seasonal gimmick they're offering anyway."

"You'd be correct." She pulls out a chair, taking a seat and noting the pile of blonde and pink atop Plumeria's head. With a jerk of her chin she notes, "Still not sure what to do with it?"

Plumeria shrugs. "It's a pain to dye it but I've been doing it for so long that it feels wrong any other way." She opens her mouth to say something else, but the waiter delivers two bowls of noodle soup, and the hunger in her eyes is clear as she goes to start in on her dish. Moon laughs, starting on her own late lunch to appease her growling stomach.

She remembers when Plumeria first appeared to challenge her. It was three months into her being the Alolan Champion (and six years before the weight of that title crushed her). She'd nearly fallen over in her chair when Plumeria ascended the stairs, still scowling but something distinctly different about her. There was a new light in her eyes, one that Moon had never seen before, and in that battle, it was clear that though Plumeria was far from fully reformed, there was no denying she was on her way. Beyond that, the ex-criminal was a refreshing break from her usual competition – she was someone who wasn't after the title so much as genuinely wanting to prove herself. Even after she lost, she wanted nothing more than to improve.

And after that first challenge, Plumeria did the very last thing Moon ever expected her to.

She apologized.

Sure, she'd sort of done it before, back when Guzma's life was on the line and the world seemed like it might end. That day in the Champion's room, however, she listed everything she did wrong, and then with her signature shrug insisted that she'd understand if Moon didn't forgive her, but thanked her for the battle.

Before she could turn and leave, Moon went with her gut and told her to come and challenge her again soon.

Plumeria had smiled, honestly smiled, and said that she'd see if she felt up to it.

Several years and title challenge battles later, and the two have become an unlikely pair of friends that still keep in contact when they can.

Not everyone was too pleased with it. Moon still remembers when she first mentioned it to her friends, and the slack-jawed looks they gave her in response. Lillie and Hau could brush it off fairly easily, trusting Moon's decision.

Gladion, on the other hand -

"Hey, you spacing out or something?"

"Hm?" Moon looks up, blinking herself out of her reverie.

Plumeria rolls her eyes good-naturedly, chuckling, "I swear, you're only friends with me because you don't pay attention to half of what I say." She leans her chin into the palm of her hand, taking a break from eating to consider the young woman sitting across from her. "I was asking who you've met up with so far."

She gives her a list of names, from Lillie to Ilima to Hau to Burnet.

She conveniently leaves one out.

"What about good old Gladbag?"

And Plumeria is sure as hell going to give her a hard time about it.

"What about him?" She doesn't mean for it to come out so venomous. Moon sighs, playing around with the noodles left in her bowl, watching them swirl in the broth and losing her appetite. "Not much to say. We saw each other. It was a catastrophe. We met up again to talk. It was...less of a catastrophe." And more of a regretful evening that I can't stop thinking about.

They go back to eating for a moment, the silence slightly tenser as Plumeria debates with whether to prod further. Their friendship has never been based too much on their private lives, instead existing just outside of their daily routines. But Plumeria has never been one to beat around the bush, and so she asks, "You still have feelings for him?"

It's enough to make her choke on broth, pounding against her chest until she can breathe again. "What?"

"Okay, so you do. Which is complicated since -"

"I don't have 'feelings' for him," Moon argues, scowling and air-quoting for good measure. Really, she doesn't have any romantic feelings left (so long as she doesn't think about it). Still, Plumeria raises a brow; she's always been able to sniff out a lie like a Houndoom. "I mean, I have complicated feelings about him, sure. Our relationship meant a lot, and it ended awfully, and now I'm helping plan a wedding with him." She rubs her temples, feeling something coiling in her mind and waiting to snap. "It doesn't help that it's the first question on everyone's mind."

"Yeah, must be annoying." They eat in silence for another few minutes, as Moon recovers and Plumeria thinks. The ex-Team Skull member finishes up the last of her broth and chews the inside of her cheek. She shrugs, sitting back in her chair as she mutters, "Not sure why I bothered to ask anyway, considering he hates me."

When Moon opens her mouth to argue, Plumeria silences her with a pointed look, and Moon closes her mouth, because it's not far from the truth.

From the beginning, Plumeria and Gladion never got along. According to Plumeria, she did her best to be a big sister to him but grew annoyed at his dismissive behavior, and according to Gladion, Team Skull was just a job and Plumeria had no morals or direction in life.

Safe to say the sentiment never got better between the two of them. Even years later, when Moon tried to mention that she was helping Plumeria train and occasionally catching up with her, Gladion nearly had a heart attack. He spent at least half an hour outlining exactly why that was a horrible idea, and another twenty minutes on why Plumeria specifically was nothing but bad news.

Moon tries not to scowl when she remembers the silent treatment he gave her for nearly a week when she refused to break off contact with Plumeria. Now that she thinks about it, her and Gladion had never actually talked about it again, much less apologize for how they treated each other over it; one day they were fighting about it, and then one day they weren't.

And then one day we broke it all off. Not liking where her internal monologue is taking her, Moon instead tries to find any way to derail the conversation and settles on asking, "So how's the league been treating you?"

Plumeria sighs. "Same old, same old. Still doing odd jobs for the Elite 4. They've been having trouble holding down a Champion since you left."

"No one's willing to stay?"

"No one's good enough." Plumeria shakes her head, leaning forward and a fire growing in her as she explains, "We have great battlers, but none of them are champion material, you know? They don't connect with Alola, not like -"

"I'm not reclaiming the title." And here Moon draws the line in the sand, face now a stone and voice as strong and cold as iron. "Six years is more than enough."

There's a tense silence, but Plumeria backs down and leans back in her chair, giving up the fight. It's an argument they've been having on and off since Moon left, and it intensified once Plumeria picked up a side job at the Elite 4 and gained a direct insight into what was happening at the league. In her mind, few challengers could measure up to Alola's first champion, and those who did could never accept the title full-time. Moon always responds with the same firm rejection of the idea, insisting that she was never the champion the region needed.

She was never the champion she knew everyone wanted.

Feeling herself begin to fidget from the silence, Plumeria decides to break it the only way she knows how: cynicism. "Can't blame ya. I've been thinking it's past time for me to get out of Alola."

"Where are you thinking of going?"

"Wherever will take me." A rare flash of melancholy takes over Plumeria's eyes before she blinks it away, looking out a nearby window rather than give away her weakness to Moon. "It's not realistic. Still have to finish rebuilding Po Town, still..."

She lets the thought drift to Moon's ears, and she can translate the worry in the other woman's face with ease. "Still no word from him?"

It's all getting too sentimental, too vulnerable for Plumeria, and so with a shake of her head and a scrunching of her brow she snaps, "Guzma can handle himself. He's probably trying to take a spiritual journey or some Taurus shit like that. Knowing him, he's yelling at some tree he doesn't like the look of."

Moon can't help the laugh that escapes. "I can't imagine he'd make anything other than a bad nomad." Plumeria smirks, but stays silent, prompting Moon to soften. "He'll be back soon enough."

Plumeria doesn't seem as hopeful but keeps it to a shrug. "Maybe. Maybe not. Honestly, I couldn't care less."

And they both move on to the next topic of conversation, content to keep pretending that they don't care.

Even when, as the years have proven, they will always care the most of anyone.


As the sun beats down her back, Moon feels herself beginning to sweat on the trail through Vast Poni Canyon. She pauses, tying up her hair and fanning the back of her neck, glad that she's wearing appropriate clothing for the impromptu hike she's taking.

After lunch with Plumeria, Moon was planning to head back to her apartment and finish unpacking. However, her Decidueye had other plans, as he seemed to sense their presence on Poni Island and escaped from his Pokéball, stretching his wings and making it clear he wanted the chance to fly through the wilds and the canyon. Moon has never been one to say no to her first Pokémon, and so she bought a water bottle from the PMC café and set off, following her Decidueye and smiling at his long caws of bliss.

They reach an overlook of Vast Poni Canyon that nearly slaps Moon in the face with how beautiful the Alola region is – gold and red stone reveal centuries of history, while the gloriously blue sky stretches as far as the eye can see. Her Decidueye seems more than ready to stop and take in the sight as well as he rests on a nearby tree and watches the canyon, a breeze ruffling his feathers.

Moon closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of fresh air, feeling at peace once more.

"Whoa, so you're really back."

And she nearly falls off the cliff at the voice behind her, heart hammering through her chest as she regains her balance, a pair of arms reaching out to help keep her stable.

She looks behind her with wild eyes and lets out a shaky laugh. "Arceus, Mina, you can't sneak up on people when they're standing on a cliff."

"Huh, thought I was being super loud." Mina gives her a lazy smile, removing her hands from Moon's shoulders when it's clear the young woman has regained her balance and the two of them move another foot away from the edge. "Well, good thing I didn't like, accidentally murder you before we could talk. That'd be a bummer."

"A real bummer." Out of the corner of her eye, Moon can see her Decidueye leave the branches of the tree he's settled in, and after a quick circle, he lands next to her, allowing Moon to give his chest a pat.

Mina lets out a low whistle, and Moon can practically see the artistic vision forming in her mind. "Talk about a muse, he'd look perfect in this one composition I have in mind."

Her backpack slouches off of one shoulder, a pencil tucked behind her ear. Moon jerks her chin towards the supplies. "Sketching?"

The trial captain nods. "Hiking?"

"Wasn't going to, but this guy missed flying around the canyon." Her Decidueye ruffles his feathers before beginning to preen. She notices Mina's intense gaze on the creature, and says, "I've been needing a break, though, and I suspect Decidueye does, too. You're free to join if you want to try and sketch him."

A corner of Mina's mouth lifts into something halfway between a smirk and a smile. "Dope." She sets down her things and takes out a sketchpad, sitting on the dirt path and leaning her back against the smooth wall of rock behind her. Moon joins her on the ground, watching as her Decidueye decides to settle back in the tree a few yards away, keeping watch as his protective instincts take over.

"You've been gone a while." Moon looks over at the trial captain, but Mina's eyes are flitting between her sketchpad and Decidueye. As her pencil sketches the rough outline of the Pokémon, her voice is languid and lethargic to reach Moon's ears. "Must be nice to get to travel nonstop."

Without meaning to, Moon bursts into an incredulous laugh, Mina pausing in her sketch and raising a brow. "That's definitely the exact opposite of the responses I've gotten."

"How so?"

Moon unscrews the cap of the water bottle, taking a long sip as she stews on her thoughts, trying not to roll her eyes as she remembers concerned faces and loaded questions that have been thrown her way for years. She laments, "Everyone can't seem to wait for me to settle down. They're three steps away from putting a ball and chain on my leg to keep me in one place."

Mina nods, her pencil traveling across the sketchpad. Moon watches, growing calm at the soothing motion and soft sound of lead against paper. It's always amazed her how people like Mina can seem to so effortlessly create art out of the world around them. As she stares, Mina slowly says, "I feel that. My parents act like me wandering around is the end of the world sometimes. I get that they're worried, but I just want them to relax and let me do my thing."

"You'd think that once you're twenty-seven people would stop trying to control you."

If he could just stop trying to control me.

Moon frowns at the thought. She really hates how her mind so easily wanders to Gladion, even miles away from where he is and hours after she's last seen him. Being in Alola always brings back the memories, though, and the first few days are the worst; she can only imagine what staying in the region for more than a week will do to her. Moon figures the nostalgia and regret will fade and tries to stop the nagging thought at the back of her mind that threatens to drown her.

(And if they don't, well, she still has half a bottle of gin left.)

As the sketch begins to take shape, Mina pauses in her work, examining it, eyes traveling between paper and subject with deep focus. Seemingly satisfied enough to take a break, she tucks her pencil behind her ear and turns her head to Moon with an understanding smile. "Feeling smothered is the worst. Like suffocating, but on like, kindness."

"Kindness," Moon repeats in a whisper. That's never the word she applied to others' worrying, but the nauseating roll her stomach does reveals that Mina's hit the nail on the head. She nods, turning her eyes back to the breathtaking scenery to try and keep from getting lost in her own thoughts again. "That's what makes me feel guilty complaining about it."

They sit in silence for a moment. Moon wonders what's going on in the trial captain's mind, especially since she's never been especially close to Mina; then again, this conversation is more or less how all of their talks go. Without meaning to, they divulge to each other, and with her easygoing nature, Mina makes it especially easy to ramble about whatever's troubling her.

With a nod Mina says, "Doesn't mean you can't still complain. People are understanding."

"Some."

"Most."

Moon hums. "You're more optimistic than me."

"I think I'm more realistic." Mina smiles good-naturedly when Moon laughs, because the trial captain is the first to admit that it's an odd way to describe herself. Still, she doesn't back down from her words, instead digging her heels in as she goes back to work on her sketch. "I try to take life as it comes and see what's really happening. You kind of live in your head. I feel like you psych yourself out of a lot of things."

It's startling, to say the least, and Moon frowns, fidgeting from being read so easily. I psyched myself out of every relationship I've ever been in.

Mina laughs. "Sorry, was that harsh?"

"No, just...disturbingly accurate, I guess." Moon takes a sip from her water bottle, taking a moment to collect herself; she forgets that people remember her, can figure her out no matter how much she runs. There are a handful of other people who can read her so well (and one of them she would never dare to name), and she tells Mina, "Actually, it kind of reminded me of Mallow. She'll just drop these kinds of insights on me out of the blue."

She doesn't miss the way Mina tightens the hold on her pencil, or the pink blush that colors her cheeks under the line of pink paint. "Really?"

With a knowing grin, Moon tests the waters. "I feel like you two would get along really well. If you ever wanted to come back from wandering Poni Island, that is."

Mina smiles to herself, musing, "It's always nice to have someone to come back to."

Yeah, Moon thinks, sitting back with her own bittersweet smile, I guess it is.

And they sit in silence for a few minutes, letting the words ground them to the canyon, the vast sky suddenly making them small in a world in which they can only wander for so long.


A/N: Apologies for the delay, I was on vacation but we're back with the last of the Moon-centric chapters for now (because who doesn't love a lonashipping fic where Gladion and Moon have limited interaction ayyyyyy)