Author's note: As you may be able to guess, this update is incomplete. The reason for this is that after an anxiety attack last night, I'm getting off the 'net for a while at the request of my parents. This all being said, this attack is ALSO leading to me being put back on my medication, and I'm hoping nothing but good things will come of this.

Thank you so much for reading and being patient with me. 3 I'll try to update again ASAP!

The first thing that had struck Moon about the boat was how few people had actually been on it in the first place-While it wasn't just her and Grimsley, she could only count a handful of others on it, crew aside. Were they all with Interpol in some way?

Fog kissed the vast ocean, the only thing in sight after it'd been so long since Moon had left Alola. Night had fallen, leaving the young trainer shivering in the bitter chill. She'd been told, of course, that Unova was going to be cold. In fact, Moon considered it a welcome break, in a way, from Alola's tropical climate. Much as she'd fallen in love with the islands, it was always good, in her eyes, to take a break from anywhere.

Even if that break meant being dropped into an unfamiliar region for business with Interpol.

Behind her, the doors to the ship's interior seemed to beckon her back in, even if, to Moon, being inside made her feel like she was suffocating. They needed her, Moon told herself as she looked out over the edge of the small boat. They needed her more than ever at that point. Even if the fight meant that she'd have to give her life…

Would she? Exhaustion had finally taken hold of her, and she could barely find the energy to express any more emotion. Her talk with Hau had been enough for her to get the last of her tears out regarding the situation. It was time to fight back. She wasn't a child. Sun was allowed to be one, but her? She was a Champion, standing tall with the strongest trainers in the world. Not only that, but she'd be meeting a fellow Champion! It had to happen eventually, and the thought that she'd be meeting Iris first…

At a time when Moon didn't have many comforts, the thought of this was all too comforting. She'd heard it all, that Iris had not only taken the position while she was young but that she'd been tasked with rebuilding Unova from the ground up after the region had been hit by disaster for a second time. That was definitely someone Moon could learn from. Someone who had been given such a job when she was only a year older than Moon.

At least Iris would understand.

The sound of footsteps behind her nearly caused Moon to leap back, snapping her out of the trance she'd been in.

"…I'm terribly sorry." Grimsley's voice came out soft, the strain that traveling had put on them finally beginning to show. "I didn't realize you were out so late. Does this happen…Regularly?"

Moon turned around, shaking as she tilted her head to the side.

"Does what happened?" she inquired, "D-Do you mean…N-No, I don't stay up this late much. I mean, n-not anymore."

A lie. There was no doubt Grimsley would pick up on that. Moon felt most at home beneath the canopy of the night sky. It was a reminder of a lot of things, most notably Nebby. Maybe that was the reason she loved the night-It always felt like Nebby was watching her.

Grimsley stepped over to her side, still allowing Moon a good amount of space to herself as they let out a hum of acknowledgment.

"I…I think the last time I did this," Moon admitted, "Was after I became Champion. Um…Uncle Grimsley? Do you have someone that…Um…I h-had this friend. Her name was Lillie, and I…really admired her. She was really strong, a-and I keep thinking about her now that she's out of Alola…Do you h-have anyone like that?"

This caught Grimsley's attention. Immediately, they looked to Moon with slightly wider eyes, their icy blue gaze turning softer, almost innocent for a moment. The answer was as clear as the day that seemed like it'd passed in seconds-They did have someone.

There was a pause before Grimsley answered, their mouth curving upwards into a smile.

"Moon," Grimsley chuckled, shaking their head, "You're quite the nosy one. I do have a person I'm looking forward to seeing…You'll get to meet him soon, I'm sure. His name is Marshal. I won't go on about him now, not when it's so late…Though if we have time in the morning, I'd be happy to tell you more."

Moon stepped closer to Grimsley, a look of intent on her face. Clearly she wasn't planning on heading anywhere that night.

"B-But…" Moon protested, "I'm not gonna go anywhere. I'm n-not…"

Unfortunately for Moon, she found herself letting out a yawn, the determination to hear more fading from her entire being as Grimsley gestured to the door to the ship's interior.

"Please get some rest," Grimsley sighed before turning their attention to the sky, "You need it more than I ever have."

"Um…But…" Moon replied, "You're working with Interpol too, aren't you?"

"I'm merely your escort," they reminded her, "Once my duty is done, I'll be able to rest as much as I'd like. You, on the other hand, have much more ahead of you. I'll be fine."

Moon gave a short bow to Grimsley before turning away.

"…Okay…I'll go to bed," she sighed, "Are you sure you're gonna be okay, though?"

Grimsley nodded, letting out a soft hum. Then, they waited. They waited for the fading sounds of Moon's footsteps, they waited for her to return to the ship's interior, to the most bare-bones room anyone could provide for the child, before turning their attention back to the railing around the edges of the ship, and with it, the open ocean below.

It had been a long time since they'd been home.

They could only hope their comrades would forgive them for the long absence.

A relieved smile crossed Sun's face as he looked back to the rocks he'd just scaled. Finally, the roof of the nearby lab was just barely visible between the rocks, a sight that only told Sun one thing: He'd made it. He'd made it past everyone who could potentially dare to stop him, and he was standing at the entrance to Ten-Carat Hill. His breaths came out harsh, and already, the pain had started to form in his side from how hard he'd been exerting himself, but he was at his destination.

He knew he'd seen something going towards the hill, late at night when others would swear their minds were playing tricks on them, Sun had seen the creature, and not only that, he'd seen Moon come back home shortly after he'd seen it.

She'd known about it, definitely, but she'd never learned about what Sun knew.

His heart was pounding, but the sweat on his palms kept him from scaling the rocks again. There was no turning back by that point.

He had to see if there was any evidence of the creature.

Swallowing hard, Sun stepped forward into the cave, taking in the sights as the sound of ocean waves faded away. No wonder Moon had liked the place so much-Amidst the rocky ground and walls, the tunnel of hardened earth that surrounded Sun like the maw of a great beast, the darkness that beckoned the young boy forward towards the greatest mystery of his life, there was light. Hordes, practically, of glittering, gem-like Pokémon that seemed to keep him moving onward. These…These were Carbink, weren't they? Glittering, chiming fairies that paid little heed to the presence of someone without a single Pokémon on him.

Sun was mesmerized at the sight. His pace quickened through the tunnel, but he found himself stopping midway through and kneeling against a short ledge, simply watching the small Pokémon that had shown themselves to him. They weren't attacking him like he thought the wild Pokémon would, and he barely thought about why that might have been the case.

The sight of the Carbink in such a dark tunnel…It was like a sea of stars had descended to the ground.

Why hadn't Moon said a word about it? Why hadn't she ever bothered to show him more of the sights Alola had to offer? There she was, outside, crossing the islands and seeing things like this, becoming the Champion, and all that time, where had he been? Occupying himself with whatever he could do in Iki Town and Hau'oli City, hoping that he'd be able to adjust to not having her around all the time.

He never did learn to adjust. He missed Moon, and now what was she doing? Going off to Unova for some so-called "special" and "important" training. He didn't want to blame his sister. He didn't want to tell her that there was a part of him that hated her for what she was doing, for never once bothering to head home after all that time spent working towards becoming the strongest.

At the same time, the position…Hadn't it been sprung on her? Maybe not sprung, but she'd never intended to be the Champion of any League. She'd just wanted to be strong.

Sun clenched his fists, trying to chase the thoughts out of his head that Moon was just being selfish. She wasn't, he told himself. She wasn't being selfish, she just had a job now, an important job of representing all of Alola. Sometimes, this was going to mean that yes, she'd have to leave the region for a time.

Two Carbink rested near him. Not quite close enough for him to touch them but close enough that Sun felt like, at some point, he'd be able to call them friends.

Suddenly, however, the faint clicking of claws against stone nearby prompted a squeak out of one of the Carbink, and Sun leapt up, glancing around and trying to find the source of the sound as the Carbink stopped glowing and scattered in an instant. Immediately, he stepped away-Was he stepping away? Sun couldn't tell left from right anymore as he moved on, his hands kept close to cave walls as he tried to navigate out.

Anything could have scared off the Carbink, even a trainer's Pokémon.

The hiss that echoed through the cave, however, indicated that it was far from tame. Even worse, Sun could hear the creature's claws against the cave still. Louder and louder, the sound carried over towards him, and he could do nothing but run further through the tunnel.

It seemed to go on endlessly, though. Sun felt his steps growing unsteady, his breaths becoming heavier with each one.

Then, the end was in sight. Moonlight filtered in from nearby, giving way to a grassy clearing. A breeze hit Sun's face-This was it! He'd be able to escape from whatever had decided to chase him! All at once, Sun's feet began to move faster and faster, slamming against the ground with greater force than ever.

The sound of the wild Pokémon, however, grew closer.

The violent hissing of a wild ghost.

The claws of a beast scraping against the cave's walls-No, that was the roof of the cave, wasn't it?

Two gleaming eyes above him, eyes that caused Sun to stop and look up.

Upwards towards what could have been the last thing he'd ever seen. Upwards towards the wild Sableye that'd found an intruder in its territory, an intruder in the form of a young, foolish human.

Upwards towards the Pokémon that descended down, leaving Sun with little room to dodge. Even as he jerked back, Sun felt a white-hot pain searing through the side of his face as he was practically torn to the ground by the Sableye, which immediately leapt off and stood in a fighting stance.

Sun couldn't see it. He couldn't tell if the Sableye was planning on continuing its attack. He lay, tears streaming down his face, choked sobs escaping him as he tried to stand again, tried to keep himself alive for just another moment.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and Sun couldn't tell who or what they were from.