I can't believe it. How could she? The yelling matches with Mother had become more frequent, more intense, but this time it felt different. My frustration reached its boiling point. I couldn't stand by and watch her prioritize her obsession with Ultra Beasts over our family's safety.
"Why did you release Faba?!" I shouted, my voice carrying the weight of years of resentment and anger.
Lusamine, because I will never call her mom again after this betrayal, remained unfazed by my outburst, looked at me with an unsettling calmness. "I need Faba for the Ultra Wormhole. He has the knowledge I require."
The audacity of her response fueled the fire within me. How could she prioritize her experiments over her own daughter's safety? Over all of our safety? I clenched my fists, struggling to contain the torrent of emotions threatening to consume me.
"You're willing to put us all at risk for your ambition?" I accused, my voice trembling with a mix of rage and disappointment.
Lusamine's expression remained stoic, her determination unyielding. "This is bigger than just us, Gladion. It's about understanding and controlling the Ultra Beasts."
Her words were like a slap in the face. Understanding and controlling? At what cost? I shook my head in disbelief. This wasn't the mother I remembered. The woman before me seemed like a stranger, consumed by her own ambitions.
"Why can't you see that you're tearing this family apart?" I pleaded, desperation lacing my words. "Lillie can't handle this, and you're risking everything for your research!"
Lusamine's response was a cold, calculating gaze. "You don't understand, Gladion. This is necessary for the future, for progress."
The dismissive tone in her voice fueled the flames of my frustration. The mother I once admired for her strength and compassion had become a shadow of herself, lost in the pursuit of her own desires.
"You've already lost dad to your obsession. Are you willing to lose us all?" I shot back, the words dripping with bitterness. "It seems that getting dad back was all you needed to forget about consequences and fall back into old vices."
The silence that followed hung heavy in the air. The tension between us was suffocating, Lusamine's gaze remained unwavering, and I couldn't fathom the depths of her determination. My father's entrance was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. His face carved from stone, surveyed the scene with a chilling intensity. Even Lusamine, in all her determination, visibly recoiled under his cold gaze.
Dad's voice, when he finally spoke, was a low growl, a thunderous undercurrent beneath the storm brewing in the room. "Get rid of Faba, or we leave. You can choose between your research and your family."
Lusamine's eyes widened, a hint of desperation creeping into her expression. She pleaded with dad, her voice a fragile echo in the tense space. "Moh, please, you don't understand. The Ultra Beasts—"
But dad cut her off with a sharp gesture, his patience worn thin. "This is your choice, Lusamine. Family or your obsession."
The ultimatum hung in the air, a heavy weight that pressed down on all of us. I exchanged a glance with dad, his eyes reflecting a mixture of disappointment and determination. The choice was clear, and it pained him as much as it did me.
Lusamine, now on the defensive, clutched at the threads of her crumbling reality. "I can't give up on the Ultra Beasts. They're the key to understanding our world!"
Dad's response was unwavering. "Then you'll have to understand it without us."
As my dad turned to leave, I followed suit, casting a final glance at the woman who had once been the center of our family. Lusamine's pleas chased us down the corridor, a haunting melody of desperation that lingered in the air like a bitter aftertaste. The journey to find Lillie was a silent one. Dad's clenched jaw spoke volumes of the internal turmoil he struggled with. We walked through the corridors of the Aether Mansion, a once-familiar place now tainted with the bitter residue of shattered familial bonds.
Outside, the sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape. Dad's voice, when he finally spoke, carried a heaviness that mirrored the weight on my chest. "We're leaving, Gladion. Your sister needs us, and she needs a family that won't sacrifice her for an obsession."
I nodded in agreement, a knot of conflicting emotions tightening in my gut. The realization that we were abandoning the woman who had once been our mother clawed at the edges of my consciousness. But my loyalty to Lillie, to the family we were determined to protect, outweighed the guilt that threatened to consume me. We left the Aether Mansion behind and made it to our new home.
The gym's entrance greeted us with the familiar scent of sweat and determination, a stark contrast to the sterile environment of the Aether Mansion. Dad's gym on Akala Island became an unexpected refuge for our fractured family. As we entered, the weight of the recent events hung heavy on our shoulders. Dad's face, though stoic, betrayed a hidden sorrow as he observed us struggling with the fallout of a broken family.
Lillie, her usually vibrant spirit dampened by the recent turmoil, walked silently beside us. Her eyes reflected a mixture of hurt and disappointment, the aftermath of a mother's betrayal still fresh in her mind. I couldn't help but feel a surge of protective anger for my sister, a determination to shield her from any more pain.
Dad, the pillar of strength that held us together, spoke with a voice softened by empathy. "We'll only be staying here temporarily, just until I find a more suitable place for us. Your safety and well-being are my top priorities."
Lillie nodded silently, her gaze fixed on the ground. It was evident that the wounds inflicted by Lusamine's choices ran deep. As we made our way through the gym, I stole a glance at dad, recognizing the weight he carried as a father who could not shield his children from every hardship. Dad and I exchanged a knowing look as Lillie entered her new room, her shoulders slouched under the weight of the emotional baggage she now carried. Dad's hand rested on my shoulder in a silent reassurance that we would weather this storm together.
Dad's gaze, heavy with regret, met mine as the door closed behind Lillie. The silence that settled in the room spoke volumes about the fractured state of our family. A father, grappling with the consequences of his wife's choices, now faced a son burdened by the weight of conflicting emotions.
He placed a hand on my shoulder, an unspoken apology etched in the lines of his face. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, Gladion. It's not fair to you."
I shook my head, dispelling any notion of blame. "It's not your fault, Dad. You came back for us, and I appreciate that. It's her choices that brought us to this point."
My frustration simmered beneath the surface, a potent mix of anger and disappointment directed at Lusamine. The very essence of family, a bond that should have been unbreakable, had been shattered by her obsession with the Ultra Beasts.
"I can't believe she chose her research over us," I muttered, the words laced with disbelief. "First, she got you lost in the middle of nowhere, because of the lab accident caused by her obsession. Now, with you back, she's willing to risk everything for those Ultra Beasts. I hate them, Dad. I hate what they've done to us."
Dad's eyes mirrored my sentiments, a shared understanding of the pain caused by Lusamine's choices. "I never wanted you and Lillie to be caught up in all of this. You both deserve a mother who puts her family first."
His words resonated with a universal truth that transcended our personal struggles. Family, an anchor in the storm of life, should never be sacrificed for the pursuit of personal ambitions. The emotions that surged within me were a chaotic mix of anger, sorrow, and a fierce determination to protect what remained of our familial bonds.
"By the way, congratulations on completing the islands challenge," my dad's attempt to shift the atmosphere brought a small smile to my face, a fleeting moment of respite during our family turmoil. His words carried a genuine pride that warmed the edges of my conflicted heart.
"Your congratulations mean a lot to me." I admitted genuine gratitude in my tone.
"You've come a long way, Gladion. I'm proud of the trainer you've become." Dad's eyes softened, his words, laced with sincerity, penetrated the layers of my stoic exterior.
"Thanks, Dad," I replied, a rare warmth touching my words. "I'm ready for whatever challenges come our way, both in battles and beyond."
Dad's smirk returned, a mixture of pride and playful challenge. "Speaking of battles, don't think I'll take it easy on you, now that you will start with the gym challenge. You'll need to earn that badge, just like any other trainer."
I met his gaze with determination. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to earn it, fair and square."
"Good," he chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a blend of paternal pride and competitive spirit. "Show me what you're made of, Gladion. I know you'll do great."