Notes: Figured, because it took so long and this chapter was so short, I'd just do them both in one day.
If the silences she had with Holtz were warm and comfortable, then the one that Lillie had with Gladion at the dock was the opposite.
"That kid sure likes to keep people waiting." Gladion muttered after enough time had passed. Lillie gave her best comforting smile.
"He's probably exploring the Paradise for any loose items. He's a bit of a pack rat."
"Hmm. Sounds like you know him well."
Lillie's smile grew as she considered it. "Yeah...I think I do."
"Well, you sure know how to pick 'em..."
Lillie giggled, not sure how to tell her brother that Holtz hadn't been "picked" so much as he had kicked down the door of her life and rearranged everything in it. Soaking in the moment of levity as long as she could, she turned to Gladion.
"It's...it's so good to see you, Gladion." She confessed. "I just wanted to say that. It's good to see you."
Gladion found himself shielding his eyes with his typical pose, before cracking the very first smile (however small) that Lillie had seen on her face in a long time. He pulled her into a hug and kept her there.
"It's good to see you too, sis."
"...you...you left me alone with mother. When you took Null. That was two years ago."
"I know..."
"If I hadn't had Wicke with me..."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. All I could think about back then was finding a way to save Null. That was the battle I was fighting."
"...what are we going to do if Holtz is right?" Lillie asked after a moment. "What if our mother's mind can't be saved?"
"Then...she'll still be our mother. Holtz doesn't have to accept that. He shouldn't have to. None of this is his responsibility, or Hau's or Wicke's. It's on us."
Lillie pulled away from the embrace and nodded, the two grinning reassuringly at each other. The sound of a familiar voice then alerted the siblings to Holtz presence as he approached them. His wardrobe had made a few changes, with his hat the same as before, but a new striped tee in place of the old one. More important to Lillie however was that his sunglasses were nowhere to be found.
"No way..." he said. "Glad, is that you? I didn't recognize you, your face is...it's doing this thing...smiling? No way, not possible."
Gladion rolled his eyes and scowled as his sister threw a fit of giggles. "I take it you're good to go."
"What, on the field trip to awaken a legendary creature and stop a madwoman from breaking the universe? Oh, yeah."
"Poni Island, here we come!" shouted Rotom Dex, floating out of Holtz' pocket and following him onto the boat. "Bzzt Bzzt!"
"Is it strange that I'm kind of excited?" questioned Lillie, following after Holtz without waiting for an answer.
Gladion just sighed, following in last. How was this his life?