A/N: Happy 1 year birthday to Pokemon Waxing Moon. Thank you to everyone for your lovely support this past year. It's meant more than you can possibly imagine. Chapter title from Just One Step by Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young. Chapter edits posted 2/14/2023
After Sun had finished explaining things Team Sun split up. Hau and Gladion stayed behind to finish their battle, while Sun and Lillie continued onward to Brooklet Hill, where the next trial awaited. "Any idea who you're going to be using in this Trial?" Lillie asked her boyfriend.
"Well considering it's called Brooklet Hill, I'm guessing it's going to be a water-type Trial," Sun mused. "None of my team have a particular advantage against water types, so it comes down to the moves we use, and what the Totem Pokémon is. We'll have to play it by ear, right guys?"
Sun's pokémon all gave their cries of agreement and Nebby floated up to cuddle against its trainer. "Pew!" Nebby cried excitedly. "Pew pew!"
Lillie smiled fondly at the little pokémon's excitement. "I think Nebby wants you to use it in the Trial, Sun," she noted.
"Pew! Pew!" Nebby squeaked in agreement, bouncing up and down in the air.
Sun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We can try, little one," he said carefully. "But you don't know any attacks yet, and I don't want you getting hurt if you can't defend yourself."
Nebby pouted and looked over at Lillie for support. "Don't look at me, you little troublemaker," she chided playfully. "Sun's your trainer now, it's up to him if you're allowed to battle."
"I'm not saying I won't let you take part in the Trials," Sun clarified, giving Nebby a gentle pat. "I'm just not sure if you'll get to be in this one. Once you learn some more moves, or we come up with some ways to fight with the ones you have now, it won't be as big a deal."
This made Nebby happy to hear, and the little nebula cloud was all smiles again.
Eventually they reached Brooklet Hill, and found a short girl with blue hair waiting for them. "I suppose you're here for the Trial?" she asked politely, noting Sun's Island Challenge Amulet. "I'm Lana, and I am the Trial Captain for Brooklet Hill."
"It's good to meet you. I'm Sun," Sun said. "And yes, my team and I are here to challenge your Trial."
"And you are?" Lana asked, now turned to look at Lillie. "I don't see an amulet on you, but you do appear to be the right age to undergo the trials…"
"Oh, I'm not an Island Challenger," Lillie explained. "Sun and I are travelling together, though, and I'd hoped to be able to witness his trial."
Lana nodded thoughtfully. "I see," she said. "Well, he'll have to undergo the trial with just his pokémon, but I'll be following him to monitor his progress. If you want, you could walk with me?"
"That would be delightful," Lillie said, pleased. "Thank you very much."
"It's no trouble. Now then, Trial Goer," Lana said more seriously. "For my trial I'll need you to guide the pokémon splashing about downstream to the Den of the Totem Pokémon. That will draw out the Totem for you to battle. For now, I request that you only battle with one pokémon at a time, though you will be permitted to ride my Lapras to traverse the water."
"I understand," Sun said, returning his pokémon to their pokéballs. "This is going to be our second Trial. We'll give it our all."
"I'll be cheering for you!" Lillie said brightly, and with that the Trial began.
Lillie watched with Lana as Sun tended to the latest Wishiwashi he'd defeated, healing it up with a super potion and gently urging it downstream. "Does your boyfriend heal every pokémon he's defeated?" Lana asked out of the blue, slightly startling Lillie.
The pale girl looked away from her boyfriend's attempts to herd more of the little fish pokémon. "H-How did you know he was my boyfriend?" Lillie asked, surprised. "We never mentioned it."
Lana chuckled. "With the way you look at him? Either he's your boyfriend, or you're the most tragic maiden in love Alola's ever seen," the Trial Captain said. "But seriously, does he normally heal every pokémon he's defeated?"
"Well, yes," Lillie said, fighting down her embarrassment that even to a complete stranger her feelings for Sun were glaringly obvious. "Sometimes I do it, but he'll generally supply healing items to his opponents after winning a fight. It's his way of making up for the fact his fights can sometimes get a bit… brutal." Lillie had come to accept the decidedly ferocious style her boyfriend and his pokémon preferred, but that didn't mean she didn't also appreciate the mercy he tried to show to his defeated opponents. It had paid off for them so far, if their recent alliance with Team Skull was any indication.
To Lillie's surprise, this made Lana laugh. "That should make things interesting when he reaches the Totem's Den, then," the blue-haired girl giggled. "All of my Wishiwashi will be in fighting shape… That hasn't happened too many times before."
Oh dear… Lillie thought wryly. It would seem that Sun has made this trial far harder than it needed to be.
"It's a Totem School Form Wishiwashi, I suppose?" Lillie asked in a low voice, to make doubly certain Sun wouldn't be able to hear them.
Lana's answer was a mischievous grin, and a finger to her lips. "Shhh…"
Thunder crackled in the sky as Sun finally reached the shores of the Totem's Den. The previously sunny day had gotten cloudier and cloudier as he advanced through the streams of Brooklet Hill, and now the clouds had grown together into a full-on storm.
"Looks like the Totem Pokémon is going to have an advantage," Sun reflected, but then he grinned. "Well, I like a challenge."
"Indeed," Lana said, stepping in from somewhere out of sight with Lillie following behind her. She pointed out to the waters beyond the shore. "See where all the waters are getting churned up?" Sun nodded. "That's the Totem Pokémon. Strike against it with all the strength you and your pokémon can muster and seize victory."
"Alright," Sun agreed, once more mounting Lapras. His team was in good shape, so he didn't need to heal them up now. Honestly the Wishiwashi had been pushovers, but he supposed that had been the point.
As he neared the mass of churning water, he noticed Wishiwashi swimming along with him. Were they the Ally Pokémon for the Totem, perhaps? The pokéballs at his waist rattled excitedly, his pokémon looking forward to the upcoming brawl as much as he did. As Lapras carried him nearer to the mass though, he realized that the Wishiwashi were swimming faster than Lapras.
Suddenly a massive blue behemoth of a fish leapt out of the water, glowing with the orange aura of a Totem Pokémon. "Wishiwashi," it roared in a chorus of countless voices.
"Totem Pokémon recognized," Dexter chirped from his pocket. "Totem Zchool Form Wishiwashi."
It took Sun a moment, but he realized what Dexter was saying. This wasn't one giant Wishiwashi, it was a bunch of them grouped together. Kinda like Magneton, Sun mused as he grabbed a pokéball from his belt. If we're gonna be fighting multiple pokémon at once… "Emperor, let's topple this Totem!" Sun shouted as he threw his Grimer's pokéball into the air, releasing the Sludge Pokémon directly atop Totem Wishiwashi.
"GRIME!" Emperor declared as he materialized atop the mass of fish pokémon. The Totem Wishiwashi rapidly shook back and forth in an attempt to dislodge him, but Sun's gooey pokémon would not be removed.
"Okay, Emperor make the biggest cloud of Poison Gas ever!" Sun directed. "We need to poison every last Wishiwashi that makes up this Totem."
"MERRRR!" belched Emperor as he hacked up an impressively large cloud of purple gas. The Totem Wishiwashi gained a purple sheen as the countless small fish making it up were poisoned. Sun and Emperor exchanged ferocious grins. Their plan was working out quite well.
"Okay, Emperor," Sun said, raising the poison and dark type's pokéball. "You did really good work, but now we need to mix it up." The Alolan Grimer saluted and retreated to his pokéball with a toothy grin. "Poison Gas will weaken them all, and if I stalled long enough it would take them out by itself," Sun mused as he grabbed another pokéball from his belt. "But that's not my way. That's not our way. We're going to conquer our opponents with our strength. Right, Prince?" Sun said as he unleashed the Classy Cat on a cropping of rocks close to the Totem Wishiwashi.
"Persss…" Prince hissed in fierce agreement, King's Rock atop his head and tail already gleaming silver. The Totem Wishiwashi refused to be outdone and lashed at Sun's Persian with an Aqua Tail. Iron and Aqua Tails slammed into each other, shockwaves causing the waters around them to ripple, but despite the move not being very effective, Totem Wishiwashi was the only one pushed back.
"Now," Sun said, punching the air towards Totem Wishiwashi, "blast them with Power Gem!"
"Persssiaaaannn…" snarled Prince as he materialized countless energy gems and blasted them towards the Totem Wishiwashi. They struck home, and as they did several of the Wishiwashi that made it up dropped down into the water.
Lillie and Lana watched Sun's battle from the shoreline. While they could see the battle just fine, they couldn't hear what was being said between the pouring waves and roar of battle. "I've never seen him switch out a pokémon that hasn't even been attacked before," Lillie noted with interest. "He must've been worried about Emperor's chances of winning."
"Oh, I doubt that," the Trial Captain said, shaking her head. "Judging by the attacks he's been using, he has a plan in mind for fighting all of the Wishiwashi at once, and Emperor was just the first step. You're sure he's never fought a School Form Wishiwashi before?"
Lillie shook her head. "I can't say for certain," she acknowledged, "but I doubt it. They aren't native to Kanto, and that's where he grew up."
As they watched the battle Sun called for another barrage of Power Gems, but this time the Totem Wishiwashi launched them back with Aqua Tail. Lana smirked. "I hope he doesn't think he's won, just because he's realized he needs to attack the Wishiwashi together," the short girl noted, pleased by the fight her Totem was putting in. "It's not wise to underestimate my Wishiwashi."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Lillie assured the Trial Captain. Sun's posture and tone suggested he was shouting a command to his Classy Cat, but it still didn't reach them over the roar of battle and the heavy patter of the rain. But Prince apparently could, once more using Iron Tail and launching the shimmering gems back with even more force than he'd initially sent them knocking even more Wishiwashi out of the Totem Pokémon's horde. Lana gasped at the power of Prince's strike. "But," Lillie continued, enjoying the surprise on Lana's face, "it's not wise to underestimate my Sun and his pokémon, either."
The Totem Wishiwashi had lost a lot of its members at this point and the poison was wearing the remainder down, but Prince had begun wearing down from the continuous battle even though he'd been dominating it. Still, Sun was pretty sure if he didn't pull Prince out soon, his dark type feline was going to get knocked out. "You've worked real hard, Prince," Sun told his regal dark type. "Get some rest, okay? You've earned it."
"Perss," his Classy Cat agreed with a nod, getting sucked back into his pokéball. It rattled in Sun's hand; a firm demand he not lose this.
"Don't worry, Prince," Sun assured him as he swapped his pokéball for another on his belt. "Me and Baron have got it from here!"
Sun's bird pokémon exploded out of his pokéball with a fearsome screech. "TRUMBEAK!"
"Alright, Baron," Sun said, pointing at what remained of the Totem Wishiwashi. "Let's smash it! Use Brick Break!"
Baron's beak glowed with the orange aura of the fighting type move and smashed hard into the Totem. The Wishiwashi that remained tried to blast the bird back with Water Gun, but for all of their power Baron was stronger. That same feral energy that he'd worked to control with Sun's help fed him power that the Wishiwashi could not match, and at long last all of the Wishiwashi fell back into the water.
"Trumbeak! Trumbeaaa-eeeaaa-eeaa-eaaak!" Baron screeched in triumph. The Bugle Beak Pokémon flew celebratory circles around Sun's head.
"That's right, Baron!" Sun shouted; his hands raised high in the air. "We conquered another Trial! Thank you all for the fight!"
Lillie and Lana waited patiently as Lapras transported Sun and his team back to the shore. Sun's smile was mile wide as he stepped off Lapras and onto the sandy shore. There was a triumphant grin on Sun's face, and she could understand why, he hadn't had a single knockout in that clash.
"I must say Sun, that was very impressive," Lana said before Lillie had the chance to speak. "You and your team did excellently against the Wishiwashi I'd trained to such a powerful state."
Sun nodded with a grin. "Those Wishiwashi put up a pretty good fight," he said. "Not too many pokémon can withstand that many attacks from Prince's combos, or hold out that long against Emperor's poisoning."
"Trum!" Baron agreed on Prince and Emperor's behalf. "Trumbeak!"
"I knew you could do it," Lillie told them proudly. "You and your pokémon make an unbeatable team, Sun."
Her boyfriend blushed a little. "Thanks Lillie."
"Beak!" Baron squawked appreciatively, dropping an Oran Berry into her palm.
"As symbol of your triumph over my Trial, please take this," Lana said, offering Sun a blue Z-Crystal. "The water type Z-Crystal, Waterium-Z." The short, blue-haired Trial Captain then showed Sun how to do the appropriate motions for the water type Z-Move, known as Hydro Vortex.
"Thank you," Sun said appreciatively as he tucked the Z-Crystal into his backpack.
"I imagine you'll be wanting to head for the next Trial, correct?" Lana asked. "If so, I'm sorry to say you'll need to wait a week or so. Royal Plaza is between here and Wela Volcano Park, where your next trial will be. At the moment Royal Avenue is shut down for construction."
"That's too bad," Lillie said. "Are they still working on the new Battle Royal Dome?"
"What's the Battle Royal Dome?" Sun asked, eyes full of interest and excitement despite the delay in the progression of his Island Challenge.
"Ah right, you're from Kanto, aren't you?" Lana said. "Well, the Battle Royal Dome is where we have Battle Royal competitions, and those are matches with four trainers with one pokémon each, with every trainer and their pokémon out for themselves. The group who knocks out the most opponents win."
"Apparently they started as a way of remembering the way the Tapu of the four main Alolan islands used to fight among themselves to determine who was strongest," Lillie explained. "While Battle Royals are allowed anywhere in Alola, the officially sanctioned ones are held here on Akala Island in the Battle Royal Dome. The professor had mentioned they were building a new Dome, but I guess they're not finished yet."
A little bit of the excitement left Sun's eyes, but not much. "Too bad it's not running right now," Lillie's boyfriend said. "Sounds like something my pokémon and I could have a lot of fun with."
"Beak!" Baron squawked appreciatively from his perch on Sun's shoulder.
"Then you don't want to miss the grand reopening in a few days," Lana told him. "There's supposed to be a big competition in a battle royale style, and the three strongest trainers get to face off against the champions of the Battle Royal Dome… The Masked Royal and his Incineroar."
Lillie had to fight the urge to giggle. The Masked Royal was just Professor Kukui in a mask and without his lab coat, but so few people ever noticed. She was looking forward to finding out if Sun did.
Baron squawked excitedly, and the pokéballs at Sun's belt rattled with equal excitement. "It looks like my team is interested in the competition," the Island Challenger noted. "We should tell Hau and Gladion about it, I bet they'd be interested in joining. Lillie, would you-"
"I appreciate the offer Sun," Lillie told him, and she did, truly. "But no thank you." As much as she'd come to understand that battles weren't the cruelty that she'd once believed them to be, they weren't something she was interested in unless necessary. "But I'll be cheering you all on!"
She's slightly worried he'll be disappointed that she doesn't plan to participate, but those worries are allayed by his smile. "I-" Sun started to say, only to be cut off by the ringing of his phone. "Hau? Hey man-" Sun said cheerfully, but the smile vanished from his face to be replaced with deep concern. "Dude, slow down, I can't understand what you're saying." Muffled words. "Hau, calm down man. You won't be able to help him if you're panicking like this." Muffled words. "Get him to the pokémon center, ASAP. Gladion's gonna be fine. Lillie and I will be over there as soon as we can, okay?"
Gladion? What happened to Gladion?! Lillie thought frantically. She'd just gotten her brother back, and while she'd been angry to see him at first, she hadn't wanted anything untoward to happen to him either.
Sun turned to face her, eyes full of worry. "We need to get back to Paniola Town," Sun said seriously. "The Hypno and Drowzee got Gladion."
And Lillie felt her heart go cold.
Sun's mind was a blur as they rushed back to Paniola Town on Hala's Tauros. When the Drowzee had attacked him and Lillie, he hadn't had time to feel angry. With the strangeness of the situation, he'd been more worried than angry. But now? Not so much. Lillie had explained to him about Faba, and this meant the bastard had gone after his friends again. Sure, he hadn't even known Gladion a day, but he was Lillie's big brother, and just as importantly, a member of Team Sun.
Once they reached the door of Paniola's pokémon center, Lillie and Sun rushed in and headed for the human care ward. They found Hau as he paced back and forth anxiously. Sun cleared his throat and Hau turned to look at them, worry clouding his usually sunny face.
"Guys!" Hau said. "Gladion's still passed out; he's not waking up. The Hypno and Drowzee-"
"He'll be fine dude," Sun reassured his best friend. "The same thing happened to me. He'll have some bad dreams, and be out for a while, but he's going to be fine."
"I… I need to go check on my brother," Lillie said, and Hau points her to the appropriate room which she enters without another word.
Once it's just them, Sun rests a hand on his buddy's shoulder. "Okay," he said, forcing his voice to stay steady. "Tell me exactly what happened, Hau."
Sun's rival took a deep breath and began his explanation. "After we grabbed some lunch, we restarted the battle from earlier. Gladion's a really good trainer, and all of his pokémon were super strong. We'd been fighting for a while, so our pokémon were all pretty worn out," Hau told him. "We were about to declare the match a draw and get our pokémon healed up, when I heard a strange buzzing sound."
Something flickered in Sun's memory at the mention of the buzzing, but he couldn't place it. "And then what happened?" he pressed, body trembling with barely suppressed emotions. Anger and worry wouldn't do himself or Hau any good right now. Not when he needed to support Hau. Like a good leader, and far more importantly a good friend, would. There would be time to get back at Faba later.
"Those Drowzee and Hypno showed up. Ten Drowzee and two Hypno. It was weird man. They didn't try and use any normal attacks on us. Just Hypnosis, over and over. Until Gladion passed out, anyway. Then they were all using moves that made weird lights appear or extracted purple smoke from Gladion."
Sun shuddered. "Nightmare and Dream Eater," he told Hau. "They were using Nightmare and Dream Eater once they had him unconscious."
"But why?" Hau asked. "Why would they do that?"
Sun shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But whatever it was doesn't spell good things for Gladion, or the rest of us."
Here I am again, Lillie thought as she looked at her big brother sleeping fitfully in a hospital bed. Another person I care about attacked by Faba's pokémon. Who's next? Hau? Sun's parents? Professor Kukui? Professor Burnet? Sun, again? When I get my hands on Faba, I'll tear him apart.
"We'll help you," she heard a dark voice growl, and she belatedly realized she'd said that last part aloud. Looking up she saw that Sun and Hau had joined her in Gladion's waiting room.
"That's twice now he's come after us," Sun said seriously. "And that's two times too many. Once we find him…"
"Lillie, Sun, cool it," Hau said. "I'm as mad as you are, but we have to keep our heads on straight about this. Do you really want to fall to the level of this Faba creep?"
Lillie and Sun took deep breaths. Hau was right, and they both knew it. They couldn't lose themselves in their anger. So, Hau and Sun pulled up chairs and the trio sat next to each other as they waited for Gladion to awaken in silence.
It took hours longer for Gladion to awaken than it had for Sun. According to the Nurse Joy serving in Paniola's pokémon center, this likely had to do with having been drained by Dream Eater and having his energy sapped, in addition to a mere forced sleep. Still, eventually he awoke to their stares, and he jolted backwards. "Who? Where?" Lillie's big brother grunted, eyes wide and wild.
"You're at the pokémon center, dude," Hau said looking almost as relieved as Lillie felt. "Those Hypno and Drowzee got you good, how are you feeling?"
"Tired…" Gladion admitted blearily. "Why're… you all here?"
"You're one of us now," Sun said warmly. "We look after our own. Besides, you're Lillie's big brother."
Gladion took a deep breath, and his eyes were less clouded when he spoke again. "So," the enforcer of Team Sun said, some of his typical sternness back in his tone, "this was Faba?"
"It had to be," Lillie said before Sun or Hau could speak. "But it doesn't make any sense. Mother had reason to send him after me because I have Nebby. I'd just assumed Sun was in the wrong place at the wrong time and gotten mixed up in it. But Mother wouldn't have had any reason to go after you. You don't have anything she wants."
Gladion flinched slightly, and Lillie belatedly realized her words sounded slightly cruel, though that certainly hadn't been her intention. "You're right," he acknowledged. "That doesn't add up. Unless it's not Mother whose been ordering the attacks on us."
Lillie and Sun looked at Gladion like he'd grown two more heads. "What are you saying?" Lillie asked incredulously. "Faba works for Mother, why else would he be attacking us?"
Gladion frowned thoughtfully. "Because with what you've told me about how Mother's been acting these past few years it doesn't make sense," he said, and then noticing her expression hastily added, "Not that I don't believe you, it's just something seems off." He turned to look at Sun. "What did the Nightmare make you see?" Gladion asked seriously.
"My past, mostly," Sun said. "Some of my worst memories, but a bit… warped. Probably because it was a dream."
Gladion nodded. "It was the same with me…" he said. "That doesn't sound like something they'd do if they just wanted to capture us."
Lillie nodded in understanding. "You're saying Mother, or perhaps just Faba, has some other goal in mind?" she asked. "But what?"
"I don't know," Gladion admitted with a shake of his head. "But I ran away two years ago, and you've been out in Alola proper for three months. Why are they doing it? And why now?"
Silence fell between the four members of Team Sun. Lillie hadn't thought about it until now, but Gladion was right. None of it added up. Frankly, if Mother had wanted them dragged back to Aether she could've gotten in contact with the Jennies. While the professors would have been able to help Lillie argue her case, Lusamine still could've made a big deal of her "theft" of Nebby. The attempt to hire Team Skull to bring them in… Faba's Drowzee and Hypno's continued attacks…
"Lillie, Gladion, whatever's going on… I don't think your mother is behind it," Sun said, giving voice to what they'd all been thinking. "But what do we do with that information?"
"For now, Boss, we do nothing," Gladion said. "We need to focus on getting stronger and you need to focus on expanding our group. I can get you in contact with Plumeria, Team Skull's sole admin. If you're serious about getting Team Skull to work with us, you'll need her support."
"I'm going to need more cash," Sun noted. But for the first time since Hau had called, Lillie's boyfriend was grinning. "Fortunately, there's a tournament coming up. We could crack some skulls to train and earn some cash while we're at it." Hau and Gladion looked confused, so the boss of Team Sun elaborated. "There's going to be a massive battle royale at the new Battle Royal Dome in a week. The top three finishers get to face off with the Masked Royal in a Battle Royal. Team Sun is going to dominate the battle royale and be the ones to face off with the Masked Royal."
Sun's feral grin was slowly matched by one on Hau's face and even Gladion's typically stoic expression had the hint of a smirk. "Team Sun is on the rise," Hau said. "Whether it's Gladion and Lillie's mother, or Faba, or Team Rocket and Cipher who stand against us… It doesn't matter." He put his hand between them all.
Lillie placed her hand over Hau's. "We'll defeat everyone who stands against us," she agreed. "They'll be no match for us once we reach the pinnacle of our power."
"Everything that was taken from us," Gladion added as he placed his hand atop Lillie's. "Father. Mother's sanity. Our home. All of it. We're going to take all of it back with our own hands."
Sun placed his hand over Gladion's. "There's a bright future ahead. It doesn't matter if people try to drag us down into the dark," Sun said. "We'll become who we want to be."
"GO TEAM SUN!" all four of them shouted, raising their hands in the air.
In a guest room in Hano Grand Resort, a certain scientist fumed as he rewatched the video his drone had recorded, of a dark-haired young man carrying the son of Aether's President into a pokémon center. He'd even waited for the two to complete their battle before unleashing his psychic hit squad. He'd even made sure they focused on targeting Gladion. But now… Now Gladion had gotten away, and with that being the case the chances of the Aether family healing had increased. His goals, goals he'd been working towards for almost a decade, were in danger of being compromised.
"I didn't sabotage Mohn and manipulate Lusamine just for their children to get in the way of my plans," Faba growled. "I will take control of the Aether Foundation, and I don't care what I have to do to get it."
If those children managed to heal, it was possible they'd be able to get through to their mother. Oh, it was unlikely, that much was certain. But if they managed to realize what happened to her and got her the appropriate psychic therapy… The real Lusamine Aether buried under the neurotoxins and months and years of Hypnosis was still in there, and if she came back and realized what he'd done… All of his efforts would be for naught. That was why he'd gotten her so fixated on the Ultra Beasts. If she entered an Ultra Wormhole to try and find Mohn… How likely was it that she'd be able to return, let alone find Mohn on the other side? Then he would be rid of her, and the Aether Foundation would be his to control. All of its money and resources at his fingertips.
One way or another he would rid himself of Lusamine's children and their protectors. He'd smash any happiness they found so that they stood no chance of opposing him.
Let it not be said that Faba was a stupid man. He was crafty and knew how to manipulate a situation when he's in a position to do so. But he was also a very arrogant man, and that leads to mistakes all on its own. He was so convinced that the recovery of the heirs to Aether could make them a threat, that he gave them reason to be suspicious of him. Lillie may have wished things could go back to how they once were with her mother, but Lusamine's cruelty under Faba's manipulations had left her willing to settle for separation. Gladion hadn't even known about the darkness within the Aether Foundation. It was only after his reunion with his sister that he started to realize there was a problem to solve. Faba's attack on him only further drove that point home. Hau and Sun have no stake in Faba's desire to take over the Aether Foundation. If those they cherish hadn't been targeted, they wouldn't have known to care.
Sun stared at the ceiling as Lillie and Hau slept peacefully, unable to sleep despite his wishes to the contrary. Gladion would still be under medical supervision for the rest of the night, but they'd been assured that he was doing fine and would be discharged in the morning. That wasn't what was bothering him, though. Team Sun had started as a joke with Lillie. A way he could laugh about his baggage and make light of it in a way he'd never been able to in Kanto. But now… Now it was real. He'd somehow started a small group, and by all reports that was how his uncle had started as well. A small gang that no one cared about. But they'd been ambitious, just like Sun and his friends were, and they'd slowly gotten the other gangs working for them until they became the sole criminal syndicate in Kanto and practically ran some of the towns.
And… wasn't that exactly what he was trying to do with Team Skull? He hadn't even been thinking about what Uncle Gio had done, just that Team Sun needed more members if the Rocket Syndicate and Cipher were coming for Alola. He'd known what Skull wanted, and he had been perfectly willing to leverage it if that meant they worked for him. The importance of understanding. Just like Uncle Giovanni had taught him all those years ago. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't really thought about it, but Sun had begun the same path his uncle had. It bothers the boss of Team Sun greatly how easily and thoughtlessly he falls back on those lessons. So many of them had seemed harmless at the time, but now…
Sun climbed down from the bunk bed he'd been resting in. It was late, but his mind had been running in circles like this for hours now and he needed some air. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice he didn't leave the pokémon center alone.
Caligula and Nebby watched as Papa Sun took deep breaths and then started to cry, tears streaking down the young man's face. Nebby made to move towards its papa to comfort him, but Caligula shook his head. When the little nebula cloud looked at the Puppy Pokémon in confusion, Caligula gave a low yip. They'd followed to ensure their trainer stayed safe, but he needed this moment to himself.
"You were the strongest gym leader in Kanto! I thought you were amazing!" Sun shouted suddenly and his voice was thick with emotion. "So, I tried to learn as much as I could from you. And I remember all of it. Every single lesson. Every word. Every attack. Every scratch, bruise, and scar I walked away with from our brutal training sessions. You'd been subtly coaching me to follow your path, and now after insisting for years that I'm nothing like you, that's exactly what I'm doing. And that's fine! Maybe my teachers and classmates were right, and this is who I was born to be. But now I've put Lillie and Hau and even Gladion on this path."
"You didn't put us on any path," a soft voice corrected gently, and Nebby and the others whirled around to see Lillie standing behind them. "I asked you for help, and you gave it. Hau challenged you and you rose to meet his challenge. Gladion asked to repay you and Nebby for getting rid of Silvally's mask, and Hau offered him a way to do it. We've made our own choices, Sun, and we've all chosen you."
"Lillie… I…" Papa trailed off, clearly not sure what to say. "I just…"
"Hush," the pale young woman said, stepping closer and wrapping him in a tight hug. "Calm down, Sun. Everything's fine."
Papa Sun rested his head on Mama Lillie's shoulder and soaked in her affection. "I'm sorry," the young man said.
"You don't need to be," Lillie assured him. "I understand why it bothers you, using the things he taught you. But it doesn't need to, Sun. You're a good person. You've proven that over and over, and if people couldn't see that when you lived in Kanto, that's their loss."
"Not that. Well, not just that," Sun said, pulling back a little and looking at the ground. "I shouldn't have said things like I was putting you guys on this path. I know you guys make your own decisions and that was a really arrogant thing to say and-"
Sun's rambling was cut off when Lillie raised a hand to his cheek causing him to look her in the eyes. "You were just blowing off steam," she reassured him. "You didn't do anything wrong. And I said similar things after you were under Faba's Nightmare, remember?"
Sun nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's true. I just… It means a lot that you guys trust me, honest. But when it comes time to use the things he taught me, I don't think, I just act. What if… What if I go too far? I don't want to become like him, but I fight like he taught me and now I'm gaining influence like he taught me, even if his methods were more subtle in that regard."
Lillie shook her head. "Sun, when the opportunity came to work with Team Skull the first thing you did was look to my brother to see if their offer could be trusted," she reminded him. "And once he confirmed it could; you checked to see if I was okay with working with them, remember?"
Sun nodded. "I wouldn't have made a decision like that without you being okay with it," he said sincerely. "We're a team."
"Exactly," Lillie agreed. "You're trying to make sure we're okay with the decisions you make. You're doing fine, but we wouldn't let you go down the wrong path in the first place. I wouldn't let you do that. You mean too much to me for me to let you lose yourself like that." There was something intense in her green eyes when she said this, but Sun didn't look away.
"Thank you," was all Sun could manage to say. But Lillie must've been reading his mind because she pulled him close again and kissed him deeply. Sun kissed her back, and for a few moments everything else disappeared. Sun wasn't worried about Team Sun or his uncle or anything else. He only thought of Lillie and how good it felt to be pressed together like this.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed.