"Mom and Dad are out on a date night," Selene said, skipping up the steps to her and Elio's house. The house was more traditional in style, much like the other homes in Iki Town. "So we get the whole place to ourselves for the night."

"What are we going to have for dinner?" Hau asked, filing into the house with the others.

"I cannot believe you are still hungry," Gladion muttered, shaking his head as he slipped off his shoes in the small foyer that divided the front door from the rest of the house. "We just had more malasadas on the way here."

Hau hesitated as he considered Gladion's words before he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, yeah. I'm still hungry though."

"I got some chips we can eat," Elio piped up, already making his way to the kitchen. "Hope you like jalapeno cheddar."

"Awesome!"

"Ah-ah." Selene stood in front of the boys with her hands on her hips. "First of all, you're going to take a shower. Get the sea salt out of your hair and your clothes in the wash before you get settled in."

"Yes, mother," Guzma and Hau said at the same time.

Selene sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "There are two showers: one upstairs in the bathroom and one outside on the left side of the house. Fight amongst yourselves on who gets the bathroom inside."

As Selene left to stop Elio from eating all the chips, Guzma and Hau glanced at each other. Gladion ignored them; he wasn't one to be competitive over a shower. He could wait his turn, even if his jacket was becoming itchy as it dried.

Gladion made his way to the stairs leading to the second floor. He wasn't going to take the bathroom and instead was going to look at the rest of Selene and Elio's home out of curiosity.

He wasn't normally one to snoop, but he hadn't been in someone else's home that wasn't his own, Team Skull's base, or the motel room. Not that the base in Po Town was anything special with how trashed it was due to the unruly grunts. His motel room was bland, appearance exactly the same as when he had first moved in, with only a bed for Silvally to lay in; it wasn't like he had much time to take things with him when he fled Aether after stealing Type: Null. The emptiness of the room had suited him just fine. His earned money from Team Skull had been put towards more useful things than material goods like healing items and food.

Gladion remembered the mansion he had grown up in with Lillie. It was, of course, thanks to their mother's efforts they were able to live a comfortable life with everything they could ever want. Being on his own had made him realize how much had been done for him. It had been a huge learning curve teaching himself to cook, even if the food was crappy microwavable food, and wash his own clothes without ruining them. Thankfully, Plumeria was the practical mother of all the rowdy teens who composed Team Skull and she was more than willing to teach Gladion the basics without looking down on him. He had a huge debt to repay her for everything she had ever taught him about survival. One he could never pay back.

Being in a small home like Selene's was humbling.

"Race ya!" Guzma said, footsteps already pounding towards the stairs.

"You're on!"

"Hey, watch it!" Gladion snapped when the two burst past him, pushing him against the railing.

Guzma beat Hau to the open bathroom door, slamming the door before Hau could fight him for it.

"Aw, man!" Hau gave a good natured grin at Gladion as he made it onto the landing of the second floor. "Guess I get the outside one."

That had been the most pointless race. Guzma would obviously win due to his larger stature and longer stride.

Gladion stared at Hau as the boy skipped down the steps to the front door. He rolled his eyes then stepped down the hallway. The hallway was wide enough that he couldn't touch either wall with his arms stretched out, a vast difference from the halls he remembered in the mansion. Small and narrow, even for a child.

Pictures were hung on both of the walls. Family photos, shots of Elio and Selene together and shots of them separate. There was even one of when Selene had won the Alola League, holding a trophy above her head and grinning.

Gladion had photos in his office. They were from a time when Lusamine had cared. Perhaps, even in her madness, she had still cared. After all, the photos had remained on the wall where she could look at them and the frames had been kept clean. Gladion kept them on the wall as a reminder of happier and simpler times when he and Lillie had been kids. When they hadn't known what the future would bring and only cared about what was going to be for dinner.

Gladion stopped to stare at a group of photos hung on an open section of wall. They were photos through various stages of Elio and Selene's life. One in particular caught his eye. A young Elio and Selene were holding up a rock together, grinning. It was larger than both of their heads combined and contained some kind of ancient plant fossil. Both of them were covered in dirt, indicating they had been digging.

The photo reminded Gladion of the time he and Lillie had been playing in the garden, alternating between helping pull out weeds from the flower beds and throwing dirt at each other. Hobbes had kept a dutiful eye on them while he also worked on clearing the garden, amused at the children's game of dirt chucking. Lusamine had been stuck between being mad at the two for getting dirt tracked into the mansion and laughing at them. She had settled on teasing them about being her little Mudbray and picking both of them up under each arm, carrying them to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

It was one of the few fond memories Gladion had of their mother before she had started to become isolated and withdrawn into her work on Ultra Wormholes.

"Spying doesn't suit you, you know."

Gladion jumped at the voice, whirling around to see Lillie standing nearby.

She was grinning at him, rocking on her heels with her hands behind her back.

"I wasn't...spying..." Gladion mumbled, averting his gaze from his sister. He had been curious about what Selene and Elio's home looked like. From the moment of stepping past the front door, he already knew the smell and the feeling of the home; warm, welcoming, with a faint hint of sandalwood.

Okay, maybe he had been spying a little bit. He at least wasn't snooping through their rooms or anything. For Lillie to come find him, he must have been staring at the photo for quite a bit.

Lillie came to stand beside Gladion before he could further argue his point that he wasn't spying. She stared up at the photos on the walls with a small smile. "These remind me of all the photos Mother has in her office."

"Do you not want to hang around me?"

The words were out of Gladion's mouth before he could stop them. He immediately regretted the lack of filter between his brain and mouth. Clenching his hands at his sides, he avoided looking at Lillie so he wouldn't have to see whatever expression she was wearing.

Lillie laughed at the question, startled by it more than amused. "What are you talking about?"

"I just..." Gladion sighed, relaxing his hands. He couldn't take back what he said, so he might as well tell her the issues that had been plaguing him the entire day. "I figure that you don't actually want to hang out with me today. You're just...doing it to make Selene and Elio happy."

Lillie set a hand on his arm. "If I didn't want to hang out with you, I wouldn't have left Kanto." Lillie pulled Gladion closer to her, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He stiffened slightly at her touch, but quickly relaxed. He leaned against her, careful not to smother her with his full weight, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing. It had been so long since they had last hugged each other.

"I know your relationship with Mother is tense. You don't have to forgive her for what she did. I don't fully forgive her either. What she did was dangerous and wrong with no forethought on how it would affect us. She's still our mom, though, Gladdie. That's why I want to be there with her through her therapy. I don't want her to feel abandoned, like we felt abandoned by her."

All the concern over Lillie secretly hating him was washed away like a wave crashing against the shore by her words. He squeezed her tighter, a lump forming in his throat as hot tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

Gladion quickly pulled away from Lillie, turning his head slightly and furiously rubbing at his eyes to stop the tears. Embarrassing. At least it was just him and Lillie in the hallway. He doubted he could live it down if Guzma caught him crying.

"I-I'm not thirteen anymore. This is stupid..."

"You put too much weight on yourself, taking over Aether and trying to show the Alolan people its true nature. What it's purpose was supposed to be before Mother lost sight of her original vision. You need a day to relax. That's why I agreed to this. I don't want you to-"

"Turn out like Mother." Gladion sniffed, rubbing his left eye with the palm of his hand. "I know."

Lillie shook her head to dismiss his answer. Gladion would never become like their mother. "I don't want you to burn yourself out. You have Wicke there for a reason. You have a lot of drive, but that won't do you any good if you wear yourself out to the point of collapse."

Gladion knew Lillie was right even though a part of him loathed to admit it. He had felt the fringes of burn out creeping in with everything he stacked onto his plate. He was stubborn, though, and it was part of his stubbornness and pride that caused him to not ask for help when he knew he needed it. "Then I suppose I have to go thank Selene and Elio for dragging me out of the office for the day."

"Actually, it was my idea," Lillie said, wrapping one of her hands around her bangs with a sheepish smile. "I figured today would be as good of a day as any to drag you out of the office."

Gladion blinked, rubbing his eyes once more to make sure all the tears were gone. He hoped he didn't look like a mess. "Is...is today special, or...?"

Had he missed something? Forgotten an important date? Gladion racked his brain, trying to remember exactly what today was.

It wasn't Lillie's birthday. It wasn't his. Was it Selene or Elio's birthday?

Lillie laughed softly at her brother's expression. It wasn't a surprise to her that he had forgotten since it wasn't entirely a special day, at least to the Alolan people. "It's the anniversary of the Ultra Wormhole Fiasco."

"Oh."

"I thought it'd be a good time to get the old gang back together. Not to celebrate it or anything, but just to be together. After all, it was through everyone's efforts that we saved Alola from collapse."

In hindsight, that made sense. The Fiasco had brought all of them together to take on a singular enemy. Even Guzma, though he had been one of the victims of Lusamine's insanity. Gladion's drive to save his mother from the Nihilego had been strengthened when he and the others had discovered Guzma within one of the Ultra Spaces, sitting alone. It was one of the few times Gladion had seen Guzma actually afraid and that hadn't sat well with him who had been used to Guzma's aggressive and confident personality. After that, Gladion suspected Guzma hung around Selene and Elio as a way of apology to how he had treated them before. Guzma had changed a lot in the past year, all for the better. Even if he sometimes didn't act any different from before.

"Aw, lookit you two getting all emotional over your little family reunion."

Lillie and Gladion both turned to see Guzma leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom, arms over his chest as he grinned at them smugly. The tips of his hair were dripping water on the front of his black tank top.

"You know eavesdropping is rude," Lillie huffed, setting her hands on her hips and giving Guzma her best Selene stare. "We were having a private sibling moment."

"And it's very cute," Guzma said with a nod. "You even got Gladdie to cry."

"I'm going to kill you," Gladion hissed, taking a step towards Guzma.

It was an empty threat that Guzma didn't take seriously as he cackled, running to the stairs and sliding down the banister. The moment his feet touched the floor, he shouted, "Gladdie and Lillie are bonding!"

"Fucking finally!" Elio responded as Hau whooped.

Gladion sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He's even more annoying now that he's not running Team Skull."

Lillie smiled fondly with a small shake of her head. She made her way to the stairs, stopping at the landing and looking back at Gladion. "You should take your shower now if you want to have any hot water left."

"Hey," Gladion said as Lillie started to descend.

Lillie stopped on the steps, turning to look at him.

"I love you."

Lillie beamed. "Love you, too, bro."

Gladion watched her go, his shoulders and chest feeling lighter than he ever remembered them being, like he had shrugged off an invisible weight. He breathed in then made his way into the bathroom to get the sea salt out of his scalp.

"Stop fucking hitting me with a blue Shellder, you asshole!"

"You're the one who keeps lobbing Nanab berries! I'm only defending myself!"

Gladion raised an eyebrow at Elio and Guzma's shouting as he stepped onto the front entrance floor, continuing to dry his hair with a towel. He was refreshed after the shower; less sticky and the itchy feeling in his scalp was gone.

Lillie had thrown some clothes into the bathroom while Gladion had been in the shower.

Gladion barely heard what she said over the shower's noise, but he got the gist. They were clothes for him to wear while his jacket was getting cleaned. Gladion had forgotten that his jacket had gotten wet when Guzma had thrown him into the ocean, so he was grateful for the change of clothes.

Upon getting out of the shower to see what Lillie had gotten him, Gladion spotted a pair of black cargo shorts and a black tank top with the words Spikemuth Smashers on the front in blue and yellow. Two smirking Toxtricity stood back to back, sandwiching the words between them.

Spikemuth Smashers was a relatively new band, cropping up in Galar a few months ago. They had been practical nobodies, playing small gigs in an alley of all places. Someone had caught wind of their music along with their penchant for using the Amped and Low Key forms of Toxtricity as guitarists. Gladion had listened to one of their songs on the radio while working one day and had been hooked after that.

For a moment, Gladion wondered when he had told Lillie about his love of the Smashers' music then he remembered he had spoken of it in the last letter he had sent her, replying to the one she had sent him.

Typically, he wasn't one to wear tank tops or short sleeved shirts. Since he had no other clothes, however, he supposed one night of wearing a tank top couldn't hurt.

Gladion owed Lillie. She had gotten him clothes; even if he knew the reason for getting the clothes was so he didn't go back to his old, torn sweater or wear his Aether clothes. Still, it was the thought that counted. Gladion would have to buy her something to repay her before she returned to Kanto. Maybe something that could be useful on her journey.

Guzma and Elio were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, aggressively shoving their arms against each other in an attempt to distract the other. Sitting on the couch were Hau, Lillie, and Selene. Hau and Selene each held a controller, playing the game as well, though less aggressively. Lillie was watching the entire thing, smiling at the interaction. Gladion did not fail to notice how Lillie was leaning against Selene casually. He said nothing on that, but kept it filed away to be used at a later date, especially if the contact was what he thought it was.

Gladion didn't consider himself quick on the uptake when it came to other people's feelings, especially romance. After all, he still didn't know the exact relationship between Guzma and Plumeria who went from talking and leaning against each other to trading insults. This, however, Gladion could see clearly: his sister had a crush on Selene.

Lillie had never told him about her crush. Then again, he imagined the reason why: she knew he'd blackmail her in return. Clever girl.

The television screen was split into four boxes, one for each of the players. It was hard to tell which screen held which of the teen's avatars.

With his hair sufficiently dry, Gladion pulled it back into a Ponyta-tail so it would stay out of his way. He tossed the towel into the hamper in the laundry room right next to the kitchen before returning to the living room.

"What are you guys playing?" Gladion asked, staring at one of the boxes on the screen as two Cyclizar zoomed along a stretch of desert road, bumping into each other several times. There were two avatars on the Pokémon's backs. At the back of his mind, Gladion had a feeling that he had seen the game somewhere before. Had it been a pastime of the grunts to play on their shitty old television found in the trash?

"We're playing Cyclizar Racing!" Hau replied cheerfully, turning to look at Gladion with a grin. When he noticed that Gladion was wearing a tank top, a faint blush coated his tan cheeks.

Was it a blush? No, it had to be a trick of the light. Hau turned back to the screen too quickly for Gladion to be sure. He brushed it off as he stepped closer to watch the competition.

The moment Gladion moved to one of the couch's arms, Lillie sat up straighter, hands clenched on the top of her legs. Selene appeared momentarily disappointed before turning her attention back to the race in front of her.

Ah, now Gladion remembered the game. It had been a favorite pastime of the Team Skull grunts. It was a max four player game in which players created their own racing avatars then chose a Cyclizar as their racing companion. Cyclizar were apparently customizable as well. One Pokémon partner to aid in the race could be chosen; depending on which one chosen, they could be used as an offensive advantage, a defensive guard, or even aid in a burst of speed. Gladion wasn't one for racing video games, so he had mostly ignored it.

Guzma and Elio were currently vying for first place, slamming their Cyclizar against each other in an effort to knock the other back. Hau and Selene weren't in much of a hurry, both of them in fourth and third place respectively. Gladion could see their strategy clearly: slow and steady won the race.

Guzma abruptly broke off from Elio, getting ahead and pressing a button on his controller.

An Octillery hovered on the top left section of the screen before squirting ink, blinding Elio's field of vision.

"Fuck you, Guzma!"

Gladion had never heard such a colorful language from laidback Elio of all people. Guzma, sure. He was a cursing machine. Elio rarely cursed. Perhaps the heat of competition was making his mouth filter loose.

Elio shuffled his items before his avatar threw out a Poké ball. From within the ball, a Morpeko emerged. It blasted Guzma's Cyclizar with a Bullet Seed, stunning Guzma's Cylizar and allowing Elio to speed past him.

"You little shit..." Guzma hissed, flipping through some of his items before coming across his Pokémon companion: a Galvantula.

The Galvantula released a Thunderbolt, electrocuting Elio's Cyclizar, causing it to spin to the side, slamming into the track's railing.

While the two were fighting, Hau and Selene slipped past the two, both of them advancing to first place.

Hau put on a burst of speed to get ahead of Selene, maneuvering his Cyclizar in front of hers. Moments later, a blue Shellder was released, smacking right into Selene.

"Wha-hey!" Selene protested, startled at the sudden attack as her Cyclizar skidded to a halt, allowing Hau to get even further ahead.

With his substantial lead, Hau was able to pass the finish line. His avatar started to pump a fist in celebration as a Victini appeared on the screen, flashing a victory sign.

"Yeah!" Hau cheered, leaping off the couch and throwing his hands in the air.

"No fair," Elio mumbled, his character coming into third place with Guzma bringing in fourth.

"Let's go another round!" Guzma said. "I'll beat you this time!"

Elio grinned at the challenge. "You're on!"

Gladion rolled his eyes, pushing off the side of the couch where he had rested his hip against to watch the tournament. He was not going to watch another round.

Instead he went to where Elio's backpack was thrown against the wall by the front door, crouching down and opening it. He took out the papers Lillie had given to Elio to be shoved in with a mess of other things, like digging tools and Elio's Z-Ring. The papers were a bit crumpled and dotted in spots of dirt, but otherwise readable.

Smoothing down the pages, Gladion returned to the couch where he plopped down in the seat Selene and Lillie had vacated. The two were in the kitchen, speaking to each other in soft voices as if they were sharing a conspiracy, just between them. They appeared to be grabbing some drinks from the fridge to tide everyone over until dinner was decided.

Apparently, Selene and Lillie weren't wanting to go another round of racing either. Hau was watching the tournament, legs curled up under him, resting his cheek in his right hand.

Settling back, Gladion tuned out Guzma and Elio's shouting, starting to scan the top paper full of his notes and mathematical notations. He was so close to crafting the early alarm system. The only problem was rigging the device to go off when the cracks formed in the sky and not when the Ultra Wormholes split open. He wanted as much warning as possible for Alolan citizens so they could evacuate while more capable trainers handled any emerging Ultra Beasts.

Perhaps if I just remove this equation and add in a different one...? Gladion wondered, leaning his elbow on top of the couch arm, supporting his chin in the palm of his hand, deep in thought.

Gladion barely registered the weight dropping next to him until the papers were snatched out of his hand.

"Hey!" Gladion protested. He scowled at the offender and was met with a grinning Hau, holding the papers above his head.

When Gladion made a grab at the papers, Hau leaned just out of reach. He wagged a finger at Gladion like scolding a naughty child. "Uh-uh, you're not supposed to be working."

Gladion was not in the mood to deal with Hau's streak of childishness. He hadn't looked at the papers the entire day. What could it hurt to look at them while Elio and Guzma were busy playing a game and they were waiting for dinner?

"Hau, come on, give them back." Gladion made another grab for the papers. "I'm not going to look at them for long."

Hau hopped off the sofa to avoid Gladion since their space was limited. He kept the papers above his head, still grinning. "You want them, come and get them."

Gladion growled under his breath, gritting his teeth. He was not interested in playing a game in order to get his paperwork back. He doubted Hau would fight over the papers enough to rip them, but he still didn't want to risk it.

Standing, Gladion strode closer to Hau, once again reaching for the papers.

Instead of holding them above his head again, Hau danced out of Gladion's reach with a small laugh. "You have to try harder than that!"

Gladion managed to snatch Hau's left wrist, pulling the boy closer and reaching for the papers.

Hau was still laughing as if this was the funniest thing on the planet. Instead of continuing to keep the papers out of Gladion's reach, Hau allowed Gladion to yank him closer until their chests collided. He hooked one of his ankles around Gladion's, pulling his leg back and causing Gladion to become unbalanced.

Gladion kept a tight hold on Hau's wrist as he fell on the ground, bringing Hau down with him.

The two collapsed on the floor in a tangle of limbs with Hau on top of Gladion.

Gladion hissed, grateful he hadn't hit his head on the floor. He froze as his nose brushed against Hau's, realizing how close they were to each other.

Hau pulled back and grinned infuriatingly, not at all seeming to grasp the situation and implication of their position. Stupid Hau.

Frustrated and mildly embarrassed at their position, Gladion shoved Hau off him, turning the tables so he was on top with the advantage.

"Give me them back!" Gladion growled, grabbing the papers.

Instead of keeping them out of reach, Hau let Gladion grab them. He kept his grip on them, however, causing a tug of war to break out between them.

"Hau!"

"You're not supposed to be working!" Hau's words were less effective with his giggling and flushed face.

Someone cleared their throat. Both boys looked up sharply, remembering that they weren't alone and there were four others who were bound to be annoyed by their play fighting.

Lillie stared down at them with her hands on her hips. Selene peered over her shoulder with an amused smile before moving past Lillie and the boys to return to the living room.

Even Elio and Guzma had stopped their game to watch the scene playing out before them. Guzma had taken up residence on the free space of the couch, leaning against one of the arms with the rest of his body stretched out. Elio leaned against the couch cushions, grinning.

"He took my paperwork?" Gladion tried, still trying to pull the stack of papers out of Hau's grasp.

Hau held on tightly, crinkling the papers between them.

"As he should." Lillie snatched the papers from the both of them, stomping back to the kitchen. "You're banned from even looking at paperwork until tomorrow."

"B-banned?!" Gladion spluttered, scrambling off Hau and ignoring Hau''s protests as he followed Lillie into the kitchen. "You can't ban me from-"

Lillie shoved the paperwork into a drawer then turned to poke a finger in her brother's chest. Her expression gave him no more room for argument. "Banned, Gladdie."

From his spot on the couch, Guzma snickered. "She told you, Gladdie."

Gladion shot him a death stare. He only received a shit eating grin in response as Guzma dropped his legs to the ground when Selene smacked his feet so she could sit on the couch. "Lillie, come on. I just–"

"If you continue to try and work on your day off, Gladdie, I'll tell Hau about that."

"You wouldn't," Gladion hissed, the back of his neck prickling at the implication of Hau hearing about his crush on him through a third person, much less his own sister.

Lillie raised an eyebrow, planting her hands on her hips, challenging her brother. When she didn't get the immediate response she was looking for, Lillie turned towards Hau and called, "Hey, Hau, Gladion wants to tell you something!"

"Hey, shh, shh, okay, all right!" Gladion growled as Hau glanced towards them with a questioning expression. "I won't touch the damn paperwork until you return to Kanto! Happy?!"

Lillie gave her brother a smug smile.

Hau trotted into the kitchen, looking between Gladion and Lillie. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on between the two, but it didn't seem like a sibling spat. "What's up?"

"U-uh…" Gladion shot his sister a look that pleaded at her to save him from further embarrassment.

"He was just thinking it's about time we order some pizza!" Lillie said with an innocent smile, clasping her hands behind her back.

Elio cheered, throwing his hands in the air. "Pizza!"

"Let's get stuffed crust!" Guzma said.

Gladion released a sigh as Hau returned to the living room to discuss with the others what kind of pizza they should order. He shot Lillie a baleful stare when she patted his arm, making her way into the living room as well. "I hate you."

"Love you, too."

As Lillie joined the others in discussing what toppings the pizza should have, Gladion hesitated in the kitchen. For a moment, he looked at the drawer Lillie had shoved the papers into, considering the chance of taking them out while her back was turned. He shook that thought out of his head, not wanting to risk her actually blabbing to Hau about his crush.

Gladion stepped back into the living room in time to hear that everyone seemed to have agreed on what kind of pizza they were going to order. Half of the pizza would be pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, and sausage while the other half would be pineapple, black olives, and Paldean ham. Those were just fine by Gladion, who wasn't picky about what went on his pizza.

The group had also decided on breadsticks with a mix of sauces for dipping and three two liters of soda. Between the six of them, the food was bound to go fast with little chance of leftovers.

"I got it," Selene said, pushing off the couch to place the pizza order. "You guys keep having fun and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"While we're waiting, let's go another round!" Guzma said, sliding from the couch back to the floor, picking up his controller.

Elio flapped a hand, slumped against the couch. "Nah, I'm kinda pooped."

"Aw, come on, man. Don't be a buzzkill."

"You should play a round, Gladion!" Hau suggested, flashing a grin at Gladion as he plopped down into Selene's empty spot on the couch.

Gladion fidgeted when Lillie, Elio and Guzma all focused their attention on him. "I don't really like racing games."

"Come on, Gladdie," Lillie whined, grabbing his arm and dragging him over to where Elio and Guzma were sitting.

Elio moved off the floor and onto the couch, letting Lillie shove Gladion right next to Guzma.

"Yeah, don't be a wuss!" Guzma agreed, smirking at Gladion as he held out the second controller.

Sighing, Gladion took the controller held out to him. "Fine, just one round."

One round turned into five. The first time Gladion played, he had lost only due to the fact he wasn't sure what buttons did what. After that, he figured out a strategy and demanded another round which turned into more rounds. Despite his earlier reluctance to play, it seemed Gladion also had a competitive streak like Elio. He got into the game, trying to beat Guzma who kept coming into first place. Gladion's constant Pokémon companion was Zoroark whose special power acted as Octillery Ink, blinding opponents.

"I got it!" Selene said when there was a knock at the front door.

Lillie pushed off the couch from where she had been curled against Selene, trotting after her. "Let me help."

Elio, Hau, Guzma, and Gladion didn't seem to notice the girls leaving, too focused on the game in front of them.

This race was tight with Gladion and Guzma neck and neck.

Gladion used a blue Shellder to cause Guzma's Cyclizar to spin out, allowing him to run ahead and cross the finish line in first place. He cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "Hah! I beat you!"

Guzma chuckled, holding up his hands in defeat. "Yeah, you beat me, kid. Good job."

"Come get some pizza, guys!" Selene called as she and Lillie went into the kitchen. Selene was carrying two boxes of pizza with the package of breadsticks on top while Lillie carried the soda.

Everyone got up from their seats, following Lillie and Selene into the kitchen. Glasses for the soda and plates for the pizza were pulled out and divided among them.

"You got a deck of cards here?" Guzma asked, grabbing two slices of the pineapple pizza.

Elio hummed, taking several bites of the pizza slice he held in his hand. He received a smack on the back of the head by Selene in response followed by her chastising, 'get a plate, dumbass!'. "Mm, probably? I think there's one in a drawer here."

"Sweet. I'll teach ya guys how to play Blackjack."

"I don't know how I feel about learning a casino game," Hau muttered, frowning as he finished pouring himself a glass of soda.

"Hey, no betting involved. Just a fun game to pass the time."

"Does mom approve of the card game?" Elio teased, grinning at Selene.

Selene rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time she had been teased about acting like the mom of the group. Someone had to, though. "I suppose it's fine, as long as there's no betting."

Guzma grinned. "It's real simple. You guys will enjoy it."

While everyone ate, Guzma showed them the rules of Blackjack. He acted as the dealer, shuffling the cards and cutting them between the four. All they had to do was beat his hand by getting as close to twenty-one as possible. Any higher and they were out of the game.

As it turned out, Elio was a card Sharpedo. He picked up on the rules faster and seemed to win more often than not. A few times he had busted due to sheer bad luck.

Hau was a little more nervous, rarely taking the chance to ask for another card for fear of busting.

Gladion won a few times, but only because he got used to the rules and mechanics of the game. It was probability and if there was one thing he could do, it was use his brain to his advantage and predict whether he had a chance of busting or not.

Lillie was the same way, always frowning at her cards before becoming distracted when Selene would lean close to her and the two would strategize with their cards. Guzma didn't have the heart to break them up, so he let them work together to decide whether asking for more cards was worth the risk.

After all, there was no gambling involved. It didn't matter if they teamed up.

Selene called it once midnight came around. Everyone was starting to get tired and the only ones still playing Blackjack were Guzma, Elio, and Gladion. The other three had quit playing, watching the remaining rounds as they ate their dinner.

Lillie suggested everyone sleep in the living room in one big sleep over. She had come prepared with her own sleeping bag.

Elio found two extra sleeping bags in the storage closet. Guzma offered to sleep directly on the floor since they were lacking one sleeping bag, muttering about how he was used to sleeping on a shitty couch at the hideout.

With the five sleeping bags spread out on the living room floor, the group got ready for bed. If Gladion had any doubts about his sister's relationship with Selene, they were gone now as he watched the two pull their sleeping bags right next to each other, obnoxiously close.

Gladion found himself between Hau and Guzma, which didn't bother him. Well, he was lying. One thing bothered him as everyone else started to fall asleep, exhaustion creeping in, and he was still wide awake.

Guzma snored. They weren't loud snores, but they were still loud enough that it made it difficult for Gladion to readily fall asleep. If there was a pillow within his reach, Gladion would have smacked it over Guzma's face to silence the snores.

With a glower in Guzma's direction, Gladion almost considered shoving him onto his side to muffle the snores. He ultimately decided against it. Seemed like too much trouble when he could just burrow into the sleeping bag to block out the noise.

Gladion went back to staring at the ceiling, supporting his head on his hands. Exhaustion was laying over him like a blanket, yet he didn't feel like sleeping. Was it because he was used to pulling all nighters?

"Hey."

Gladion startled, turning his head to see Hau staring at him.

Hau was rolled onto his side with one arm under his head as a pillow.

Gladion had thought Hau was already asleep like everyone else, but it turned out he was wrong.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Hau asked in a soft voice with a grin and a small nod in Guzma's direction.

"He's not that bothersome," Gladion muttered. "I guess I'm used to my sleep schedule being out of whack."

Hau hummed in response, closing his eyes for a few seconds before staring back at Gladion. "Did you have a good time today?"

Gladion turned his eyes back to the ceiling, considering the question. It had been a long time since he had just been a regular teen with no pressure put on him. A heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders, one he hadn't noticed was there until it was gone. Gladion smiled, turning his head to look at Hau. "Yeah. I had a good time."

"That's good," Hau said, his words punctuated with a yawn. He rolled onto his back and stretched his arms above his head. "I'm glad."

Gladion watched as Hau's eyes slipped closed and his breathing slowed. Without thinking, Gladion reached out his hand. He hesitated a moment, then brushed his fingers against Hau's bangs.

If it meant never ruining whatever they had, Gladion would stay silent on his feelings for Hau. Even if that meant he would pine for the rest of his life.

Dropping his hand by his side, Gladion went back to staring at the ceiling and waiting for his body to adjust to the fact that it was time to sleep and not think.

Hanging out with Selene and the others that day had been one of the best days of Gladion's life. His sister truly knew how to get him out of his shell, even if it was by force. He was grateful, though. Never would he have realized on his own that he desperately needed a break from work and Aether itself.

Closing his eyes when the exhaustion finally crept into the edges of his vision, Gladion wondered if what he was feeling was true friendship.