Sibling dynamics were a mysterious thing.
Because the girl, presumably Lillie, stood there smugly as Gladion went off. Shouts about her safety, her education, her priorities loudly reverberated in the lab, much to the surprise of the assistants nearby. Professor Burnet stands, capturing Moon and Rotom's attention, as she beckons them to follow her to a cabinet a few feet away. Moon follows suit, understanding that it wasn't their place to get involved in family drama, but also knowing that behind all his harsh words was simply a concerned brother.
And it seemed Lillie not only knew this, but was used to it. Her own responses unapologetic and curt until she decided it was time for her to get her own say.
"Is that really how you welcome me back to Alola, Gladion?"
"It's not safe here!," Gladion emphasizes once more, ignoring the furrow in her brow as she places her hands on her hips in a huff.
"You expect me to sit around in Kalos when all over the news I see destruction and chaos happening in my own home region? And at the fault of our own mother to boot?"
Gladion tries to retort, but he isn't given a chance as Lillie continues her own tirade.
"I've been doing my own research for this very purpose. To be useful to Professor Burnet, to the Kahunas, and for Arceus sakes, for you Gladion!" An exasperated sigh leaves Lillie as she notices her brother freeze up at her statement. "Do you really think I don't know you ? I would be surprised if you haven't already been taking on a burden, thinking you need to fix this because she's our mother!"
How she hit the mark on a subject he's never brought up was astounding.
Gladion opens his mouth to respond, but Moon couldn't hear his incoherent murmur. The air shifting between the blondes almost immediately.
Professor Burnet clears her throat, pulling the focus back to the task at hand, as she places a metal box in Moon's arms. She gestures to the younger girl to open it and when she does she sees a collection of vibrant Z-Crystals. "It's one thing to deal with the Ultra Beasts, it's another to deal with these-" Burnet begins as Moon looks at the crystals in utter awe. Her hand involuntarily reaching inside, and right as Burnet warns her, the contents clatter to the ground.
"AGENT!" Rotom shouts and Lillie whips her head around to see the short haired girl clutching her hand close to her body. Burnet immediately calls for help as several gloved assistants return the crystals to their place, and her brother uncharacteristically bolts to be by her side.
Lillie knew that her brother was impulsive by fault, and ever since they were little he would act upon his emotions even if the emotion was solely anger. But right now, in this moment, Lillie saw something else entirely. She watches curiously as Gladion gently pries the girl's hand away from her clutch to examine the reddening skin on her fingertips. "I'm fine," she declares only to wince when a damp towel is passed to Gladion for him to press against her hand - a small groan escaping her in the process. "What happened to being fine?," he asks with a smirk, much to the girls disdain. She looks away almost immediately, a faint hue of pink visible to anyone close enough- and Lillie sure was close enough.
Burnet quickly scurries back to black haired girl, apologizing profusely, the crystals supposedly were no longer supposed to be exuding toxins. She only shakes her head in response, smiling to not worry anyone, as she notes that if this is how a z-crystal was after weeks of release, it's no wonder so many trainers have gotten injured.
Who was this girl anyway?
"Professor, you said you were working on an antidote, has there been progress?," Lillie asks as she approaches the three, Burnet and the stranger focusing on her, while her brother was clearly focused elsewhere.
The Professor shakes her head hesitantly. "It's in its trial stages right now but," she looks over at the girl, "are you okay with that? You won't need much given it was just your hand for a fraction of a second."
"Anything would be better than this," she jokes half-heartedly as Burnet leads Moon away from the siblings. Gladion's eyes don't leave the her figure until she disappears around the corner and Lillie could swear he released a breath of relief that same moment.
"Don't worry," Lillie places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "your girlfriend will be fine." Gladion nods without a second thought, realization striking him a moment too late as his sister gives him a cheeky look, panic all over his.
"Moon isn't my girlfriend," Gladion says harshly. "I simply have to work with her."
An audible gasp. "You're dating a coworker?"
"Lils, we're not dating!
"Then who is she? Cause if she's your coworker it doesn't mean you can't like her. Sure it might get messy but if you two re-"
"She's a member of the International Police," Gladion says under his breath and Lillie shuts up immediately.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Finding out that bit of information was shocking to say the least. How someone, who didn't look any older than her, could be involved with such an organization. They did so much work in the shadows, saw so much suffering, got involved with-
"Is she on mom's case?"
He shrugs, a scowl on his lips forming. He didn't want to explain the situation.
"Does she know where mom is?"
"Lillie, no one knows where mom is-"
"Your mother is located where these crystals are coming from," Burnet says as she comes back with Moon. Her hand seemed fine now, although a little red and splotchy, holding a new Pokeball. "The lab has found that they emit energy and toxins originating from a specific dimension; a specific wormhole if you please."
"Are you suggesting that these crystals are the key to finding Lusamine, Profezzor?" Rotom asks as everyone looks at her expectantly.
Burnet makes a noise of affirmation, handing off the box of Z-Crystals to Gladion this time around. "If it's true that the flutes are located in your home," a glance towards Lillie, "and you have these crystals, you can awaken the Cosmoem from that Pokeball and it can potentially lead you to Lusamine if you head to the Altar."
"Potentially?" Gladion asks, not missing the there could be a chance of failure.
Another nod. "Given that you only have one of the Legendary Beasts-your chances drop by 50%. I wish the odds could be better but-"
Lillie steps forward, her hand fumbling in her pocket as she pulls out a blue Beast ball, "will it be 100% now?"
Everyone stares at her wide-eyed shock.
"How-"
"I asked Wicke to help me steal Nebby before I went off to Kalos," Lillie begins, "just another Pokemon I didn't want to see mistreated. I didn't think he would be involved with any of this until the Professor came onto campus and the news of Alola's crisis got onto the news"
Rotom didn't even need Moon to tell him twice. The information now sent to Anabel, Looker, and Sun as Moon approaches the blonde she had yet to meet. Her hands grasp Lillie's in an overwhelming display of gratitude as tears threatened to fall from her gray eyes.
The key to ending this mission successfully was now in their hands.
"You'll help us?"
"Of course!" Lillie responds swiftly as she looks at Moon and then her brother. A smile pulling at her lips as she could see how this girl would be good for him. "Besides, I can't let my brother have all the glory now could I?"
Burnet bids the group farewell as Gladion and Lillie look towards Moon for directions.
"Please call Rotom right away if you can't find the flutes," Moon begs, fear still hovering in the back of her mind that if these flutes were missing they really would be at a standstill. The siblings nod, as Moon taps Rotom to call a Charizard. "I have to go find Detective Anabel and Looker, but we'll meet at the Altar later tonight if it all works out."
"Understood," Lillie says with a big grin on her face-something about being part of a spy mission filling her with adrenaline, but when she sees Gladion standing there without saying a word she simply jabs an elbow into his side, prompting a scowl and a defensive stance out of her older brother. 'Say something,' she mouths as the Charizard arrives without a seconds delay.
"Moon-"
She stops approaching the Charizard to turn and look at Gladion.
"Be safe."
The simple words cause Moon's to let out a small, "y-yeah...you, both of you, too" before boarding Charizard and flying off into the sky.
"So are you going to tell me when you started to like her-hey come back here!"
Anabel calls out to Moon as soon as she arrives on undisclosed island. Her face although tired looking had traces of hope-something none of them have seen in ages. The information, all of it was explained as the two made it down to the holding, and while it all seemed too good to be true, Burnet was trusted and the Aether siblings had the last piece of the puzzle.
"This is the best shot we got, Detective," Moon declares as Anabel opens the door to Faba's cell. The older man now sat calmly in the corner of his cell, mumbling about how Aether Paradise was finally all his.
Looker triumphantly watched on.
"He confirmed it all."
And that's all they needed to hear in order to launch the last step of the mission. Moon turns to look at both her supervisors with a steadiness none have ever seen before, "Detectives, I'll go into the Wormhole."
"Agent that's a suicide mission," Looker exclaims, but nothing shifts Moon's resolve.
"I started this, I'm going to finish this."