Warning! There is quite a bit of overpowering sap in this next chapter-you have been warned! Please read-unless you don't like romance, but then again, you can read with caution.

Get ready for cringe, cheese, sap and some salt!

Chapter Four.

Gladion's POV

Moon and Hau had insisted coming over yet again.

Don't they have other things to do other than annoy me?

I supposed Moon wasn't too bad to have around, but Hau… was just a constantly smiling boy who had no sense of the real, cold, hard world.

Or maybe it was just me, having run away from—

Gladion, it doesn't matter now, you're not going back.

But anyway, they came over. I sat on my bed reading for most of the time, trying to keep my mind off the girl that was in the room.

Hau soon left, however, having been called by Hala to 'come over and finish the chores.'

Growing up in the Kahunas shadow trying to be seen as an equal… even I couldn't do that.

Moon's POV
I was finally alone with Gladion. I sat down on the bed next to him.

"Gladion?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"Can… can I see you as a Silvally?"

Gladion blinked. Rolling his eyes and hiding a smile (and failing) he marked his page in the book and put it on his bedside table.

"Do I really have to?" he asked.

"Please do," I said eagerly.

Slowly, his body began shifting shape. It was intriguing to watch, really, but also a little terrifying.

Soon, he was beyond recognisable, a beast created to take down the most powerful creatures ever. And I loved it.

His eyes were still the same green that they were as a human, so that was reassuring. And his piercings were still sitting on his ear.

I leaned against him, pulling him into a tight hug. His mane had hints of blonde in it, not a complete pure white.

"You're so warm," I found myself saying.

Gladion's POV
If I wasn't a Silvally, I would've been blushing like crazy. Umbreon kept giggling at me and Moon, Lycanroc face-pawed, and Null gave me some weird glances.

But I honestly didn't care.

I closed my eyes and was just there with Moon.

"So," Moon asked casually, releasing me from the hug. "What were you reading before?"

Human Gladion would have scowled and told Moon to mind her own business, but as Silvally, I couldn't even speak.

So, I just picked up the book in my claw-like front feet and passed it awkwardly to her.

"Romeo and Juliet?!" Moon cried, laughing, falling onto me in excitement. "You read Romeo and Juliet?!"

"What's wrong with that?" I snapped even though she couldn't understand a word I was saying.

"I'm sorry," she said after getting her giggles under control. "It just… seems a tad bit out of your character. Don't worry, I'm a fan of Shakespeare too."

Why did that surprise me?

Moon passed the book back to me and I laid it in front of the two of us and flicked to the page I was at.

"Gladion, Gladion, Gladion. I didn't realise you were a romance-junkie!" Moon smiled, leaning against my shoulder to read it with me.

A few pages in, Moon suddenly said, "Wherefore art thou, Gladion?" in a perfect accent for the story.

"Wait, does that mean 'where are you' or 'why are you'?" I asked.

"It means, 'why are you Gladion,' idiot," Umbreon said playfully. "How come I know more Shakspearian than you?"

"Shut up," I said, laughing.

"Is that seriously how you laugh as a Silvally?" Moon asked, exploding into happy tears, she was laughing so hard.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice," I said, doing my best to hug her with my neck.

"You know, Gladion?" Moon said after a little while. "I like seeing this side of you. When you're not human, you seem to be… Gladion. I like it when you're not acting all edgelord. I love… the real you."

I could feel the sides of my face burning from embarrassment, but I knew it wouldn't show.

"Ooh, someone likes you," Umbreon said. I shot it a warning look.

"So, should we keep reading?" Moon asked, looking at the book with her arms around my neck. I nodded in agreement, and so we did.

About half an hour later, Moon was asleep on my back, cuddling close to my neck with the cutest look on her face.

Sighing happily, I closed the book, nudging it across the bed where it wouldn't be in harms way. I stretched out my front arms before resting my head on them, a smile engraved on my face as I closed my eyes.

Moon's POV
I woke from the greatest sleep I've ever gotten on top of a Pokémon.

I could feel the gentle rising and falling of Gladions breath beneath me. My heart swelled happily as I recalled the events of the night before, a large smile plastered across my face. I decided to stay with Gladion for a little while longer, snuggling closer to the warmth radiating off his Silvally form.

I felt so content to just hear his heartbeat that I nearly didn't notice his eye crack open.

Nearly.

"Gladion?" I asked. "You're awake, aren't you?"

Gladion nodded, picking his head up, twisting his neck to look at me.

"Why didn't you get up?" I asked, aware he wouldn't be able to answer me.

"SilVAL," he protested hilariously. I could practically hear him saying, 'well, it's not like I had a choice.'

But I still couldn't connect the edgy teenage boy with this absolute sweetheart Silvally. I knew they were the same person, but Silvally had been so open to me, even if he couldn't communicate with me. And Gladion… was so closed, it was hard to recognise him as a friend sometimes. Human Gladion always hid his emotions from me and everyone else, but Silvally Gladion? An absolute darling.

If only he was a Silvally all the time.

I knew he would tear me to shreds if I ever said that aloud, but I couldn't help but think about it.

But I still loved him.

Wow. I love him, I thought, surprised but happy.

"Gladion," I said.

"Val?"

"I… I love you."

Gladion froze, blinking in shock. Slowly, a smile formed on his face.

"This is where you say, 'I love you too,'" I said in a mock whisper, waiting cheekily for his response.

"SILvalLY!" he groaned, and I guessed that meant something like, 'You KNOW I can't, why do you have to pull THAT card on me?'

"Don't worry, I'm only teasing you!" I said, laughing at his attempted explanation.

Then I kneeled, reaching up to kiss him. I felt something weird against my lips, and then he was kissing me back. When I opened my eyes, Gladion was right there.

"I love you too," he whispered, turning a dark crimson.

I smiled and hugged him.

Gladion's POV
"Awww…" I heard Umbreon murmur.

As I hugged Moon back, I felt myself smiling ridiculously.

And for the first time since I'd left home, I let myself be flooded with happiness in my human form.

Moon's POV
The next day, I was staying at Gladion's place. Why? Because my brother was having his friend over at home, so I wanted to get away from their video game frenzy.

I pushed open the door to Gladions room.

"Hey Moon," Gladion called from his bed. He was reading, as per usual. I dumped my stuff at the door and jumped onto the bed next to him.

"Whatcha reading?" I asked.

"Um…" he trailed off, blushing.

"Oh, come on! It can't be more embarrassing than Romeo and Juliet," I told him.

"Yeah, okay, fair point. I'm reading A Midsummer Nights' Dream."

"Oh my Arceus, Gladion, are you a romantic soul," I laughed.

"It's my favourite genre."

"Oh my Arceus, no. Are you serious? I guess it's alright once in a while—with certain characters—but a favourite? Yeah, nah, pass. I'm more into the action then the… sappy… blech, kissy bits," I said, sticking out my tongue and scrunching my face up.

"Romance is beautiful!" Gladion protested.

"Wow. You know, that sentence is the one I least expected to come out of your mouth when we first met."

"Ah, well."

There was a moment of silence in which I watched Gladion read with an amused expression.

"Can you turn into a Silvally again?" I pleaded him.

"Can I ask if you enjoy watching me try to explain something to you when I can't speak?" he said, but within seconds he was a Pokémon again.

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning into his soft mane. "And, yes, it's pretty cute watching you yell 'Silvally' at me a bunch of times when I know you mean something else."

Gladion laughed oddly, not being able to do anything about it, being a Silvally. "Silvally, silvally, silvally," he said.

"Okay, now you're doing it on purpose!" I giggled, pushing him onto his back and lying on top of him.

"Val!" he yelped, pretending to be having trouble wrestling me.

I eventually fell limp on top of him, unable to keep up with him while laughing my head off. Gladion gently pushed me off him so he could roll back onto his stomach before nuzzling my face.

"Stop it!" I shrieked. "You're tickling me!"

Gladion eventually did back off, and so I lay there, outstretched and panting, my stomach and cheeks aching while he continued to read.

When I was able to breath normally again, I picked up Gladions book and sat on his front legs, his head resting on mine. I held up A Midsummer Nights' Dream so that we could both read it, me, of course, talking the whole way through the two chapters we read.

Gladion didn't mind, though, probably absorbed in his reading (or just couldn't tell me to shut up because of his current form).

"What are we going to do now?" I asked, bored. "It's not that I don't like the book, I've just read Shakespeare too much, so I'm bored."

Gladion rolled his eyes and shrugged—well, attempted to, since he was A) a Pokémon, and B) I was sitting on his legs.

I got up off the bed briefly so I could release the Pokémon I had on me from their Pokéballs.

Primarina, Eevee, Morelull, Ladyba, and Shiinotic all came out and immediately.

"You guys go play outside," I prompted my Pokémon, Gladion seemingly saying the same to his. Shiinotic and Primarina, being the oldest, looked a little alarmed at the Silvally giving orders to other Pokémon. "I'll explain later," I told the pair. They soon were both outside and I shut the door with a sigh of relief.

"Did you see their faces?" I asked Gladion in a hiss. "Absolutely hilarious!"

Gladion snorted in amusement at my enthusiasm, morphing quickly back into a human and walking over to me.

"Puh-leez, you didn't even hear what they were saying!" he laughed.

"What?" I asked, curiosity taking over me.

He grinned at me. "Gotcha!"

I dived at him and he was instantly back into his Silvally form, easily taking on my weight as I knocked into him.

But we both ended up collapsed on the floor, our legs giving way as we laughed. Since I was leaning into him, I was now lying on top of Gladions side, one of the spikes on his front leg sticking into my leg.

After we both recovered, I said, "I wish I could understand Pokémon like you."

I felt his body shift underneath me so he could speak. "Most of the time they only say their name. I think unless a Pokémon is trained, or they hang around people often, they can only say what is heard to everyone else's ear."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"I dunno, but if I recall correctly, I might've heard you say—"

"Shut up."

I laughed, still on top of him.

"Can you get off me now?" he asked.

"But whyyyyyy?" I complained.

"Because I can't breeeeeaaaaaath," Gladion told me mockingly.

"But you can just turn back into a Silvallyyyyyyy!"

He sighed—probably rolling his eyes—and said, "Fine." And so, he did.

For the rest of the afternoon, we just lay there together. At one point I ended up on Gladions back and he stood up and dumped me on the bed.

"Aah! Gladion!" I protested as I landed on the blankets, him pretending to land on top of me—keeping all his weight on his legs so he didn't crush me.

Still Moon's POV
Our Pokémon pawed at the door to come in shortly after nightfall.

"In you come," I told them, opening the door. Umbreon was the first to come in, bounding up to Gladion immediately. The others came in more slowly, making their way to the most comfortable spot possible that wasn't already taken.

When I closed the door and turned around, Gladion was a human once again and was taking some Pokébeans and berries out of one of the cupboards. He set them down and his Pokémon started eating straight away. I encouraged mine to do the same.

And soon, me and Gladion we back on the bed.

"Can you turn back into Silvally?" I wheedled.

"Fine."

"You love it," I whispered once he was the Pokémon again. Even though he might roll his eyes every time I ask him, I know he enjoys it as much as I do.

Hau's POV
I couldn't do anything.

It was the following day, and Team Skull had shown up again, threatening Lillie.

Moon hadn't gotten to the park yet, so it was just me and Lillie.

And I could do nothing.

"Not gonna disappear this time, huh?" asked the multi-coloured haired woman from Team Skull. "Seems like maybe tall tales we heard about you were wrong."

"That was different… Nebby and I were both in trouble…" Lillie said shyly, glancing at the little nebula-creature beside her. "That was the only reason why it used its power. So we both could escape with our lives…"

Lillie looked at Team Skulls admin and the blue-haired grunt with as much bravery as she could muster. "I know that I'm not capable of much myself, but I will not make it use that power again! I'm determined not to let that happen. That's why… this time I'll do whatever I can on my own, even if I do find myself in trouble again."

"Yo, girl," the grunt said. "You know you're in trouble right now, right? Dumb spoiled little princess!"

The woman shot a glare at the grunt. "That's fine," she said. "There's nothing more for us to take from you. Which reminds me… Maybe we're not the only ones around here who could be called Pokémon thieves.

"Is that what you are, huh? A thief?"

"Please…" Lillie said, taking a step away from the admin. "There is no need to hurt anyone else here. I will go with you willingly. Wherever you want."

And they were gone, just like that.

I told Moon this as soon as she got there.

"I'm supposed to be a trainer," I said. "But when it cam down to it, Lillie had to protect me… Lillie, who's not even a trainer to begin with!"

"Hau, it's not your fault," Moon tried. "I should—"

"Did I hear that right?!" a voice said. I turned to see Gladion glaring at me. "Plumeria took Lillie?!"

I nodded sadly.

"And now you all are so useless and weak that now Cosmog is… Lillie is…" Gladion trailed off, his hands tight fists. "I told you both! Cosmog can bring disaster to all of Alola! I have to get it back from them!"

Thank you for reading! (Especially since the sap was overpowering!)
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