"Y/n! There you are! I lost you after our battle... Hey, remember the girl at the beach? Well, we broke up, I- LILLIE??" Hau shouts as he runs up to you, leaping at Lillie to wrap her into a hug.

Lillie chuckles and warmly hugs Hau back:
"I missed you too, Hau!" She giggles and continues:
"Wow, you really do have a goatee! Oddly enough it... suits you! Keep it!"
Hau blushes:
"Thanks! Lillie, holy Arceus... when did you get here? Y/n has practically been looking for you every day!"
Lillie quickly looks at you with a corner of her eye:
"Has he?" She asks, slightly blushing, "I arrived not too long ago, I'd say a few hours... We didn't take the regular ferry, it would have arrived during the night. Misty, the Gym Leader of the city we stayed at, lent us a ship! But... you were saying something about a girl?" Lillie winks, leaning in closer to Hau. Hau blushes and stutters:
"U-uh yes, well uh... There was this girl that I liked, but... well, she... She said I was too hyperactive for her."

Chuckling, you put an arm around Hau's shoulder:
"Don't worry man, we've got your back! Lillie and I will find you someone who deserves to have someone like you as her boyfriend."
"We will?" Lillie asks questioningly, giving you the side-eye.
"Daughter, there you are! Let's go home now, I'm tired from the journey." Lusamine says while approaching your group, her arms wide open to wrap Lillie into a hug. Lillie quickly ducks to dodge the incoming embarrassment that is getting hugged by your mother in public:
"No... I'd like to stay here, mum."
Lusamine crosses her arms:
"Young lady, we're going home! I said I'm tired."
Lillie sighs, and takes a step towards her mother... then takes a deep breath and takes a steps back until she's next to you:
"... And I said I want to stay here. Mum, we haven't been here in 5 years. I haven't seen the people I like nor the places I grew up in for 5 long years. You can go home with Jason and the others, I will stay here with Y/n and Hau until Í decide when it's time to go home. I'm 20 years old, mum, I'm no kid anymore. I'm not the scared little girl I once was. I can take care of myself."
Lusamine sighs, looking upset:
"Take care of yourself? How will you even get home? You don't have a Pokémon that flies as far as I know..."
You take a step forward, nodding confidently:
"I will take her home. You can trust me to bring her home, Miss Aether."
Lusamine smiles now:
"You can call me Lusamine, Y/n, I think we already know eachother well enough for that, no?" She says softly, turning to her daughter next:
"Fine, then. Just stay safe, okay?" She asks, and Lillie nods, finally giving her mother a quick hug.
"I will. I'll be back soon, mum. I promise."

Waving out Lusamine, Jason and her grunts, you finally turn to Lillie:
"Lil, that was amazing!"
Hau nods, jumping a hole in the air:
"Yeah, you totally put her in her place! I didn't know you could do things like that, Lillie!"
Lillie giggles, as adorable as always:
"I learnt a lot with Y/n on our journey together... especially in the Ultra Wormhole and in Kanto. Living in the same house with her for five years definitely tested our bond together, but... It also strengthened it, weirdly enough. It wasn't all bad..." She shrugs, smiling warmly, and continues:
"Now, where are we going?"
"I know a place," you exclaim, "with someone who'd very much love to see you!"

"Lillie! Holy Helix... It's really you!!" Mom shouts, running up to the shy girl, only to pull her into a tight hug that squeezed the air out of her lungs.
Lillie smiles, reaching for air:
"I-it's nice t-to see you too... Ugh," she sighs as she's finally released, "I missed you a lot! It's good to see this place again... really nothing here has changed, huh?"
You quickly whisper "she didn't even move the boxes still" into the girl's ear, which made her chuckle, before Mom continues:
"Y/n and I missed you too, Lillie, more than you could imagine! Meowth and I have been patiently awaiting your arrival since the day you left. It's been way too long..."
"Awww..." is all Lillie could say, clearly flustered by the attention she's getting.
"Hi Mom," Hau exclaims, barging in behind you and immediately running to the fridge, "are there any malasadas by any chance?"
Mom sighs:
"Ah, Hau... In this case, it hasn't been too long." She says laughingly, "but yes, there are some in the fridge. Please do leave some for Meowth though, you know how annoying he gets if he doesn't get his daily sweets... Son! It's so nice of you to visit again!" Your mother says, wrapping you into another tight hug.
You warmly return the embrace:
"Of course, mother, I'll always come and visit no matter what. Family is everything, even when I live on my own."
"You live on your own??" Lillie exclaims, putting her hands on her hips and pouting in her own adorably way.
"I do," you smile, "I'll show you around some other time! I'm sure you'll like it! Hi Meowth!" You say as your mum's Kantonian Pokémon cries at you and puts its nails into your trousers. You chuckle and give him some scratches behind the ears, before heading to the couch with Lillie. She moans, sitting down on the soft couch:
"Haaah... I never knew this couch was so comfy, Y/n! I think we should stay the night here, on this couch, what do you think?"
"Sounds good!" You say chuckling. Lillie pulls up the blanket, beckoning you to come sit next to her, and lets it go when you're sat down. Together, you watch the daily Natuto episode, but you only had eyes for her. The feeling of sitting so close to her already made you slighty blush. Her sweet smell, her golden ponytail brushing against your shoulder, her soft breathing. Feelings you never thought you'd experience again, feelings you missed for so long, and in the space of a few hours, all of those five years of waiting have seemed to wash away. It's as if she'd never left.
By the end of the episode, Lillie's head was softly resting on your shoulder, her breathing now being a lot deeper: she fell asleep halfway through the episode! You didn't mind, experiencing moments with her was all you had missed and more.

The door flying open suddenly rips you out of your thoughts! Soon, a familiar voice filled the room:
"Alolaaa, cuz! Mahina, good to see you, yeah!" He calls out to Mom.
All the noise made Lillie slowly wake up:
"Y/n...? Where am I? Wha- Professor?" She asks, gradually opening her sandy eyes. Kukui smiles:
"There's my favourite assistant, woo! I missed you, oh yeah! Burnet will be so pleased you're here, yeah!"
Lillie gets up sleepily, and embraces Kukui:
"I missed you too Professor, and Burnet, too. I can't wait to see her again!"
Kukui gladly returns the hug:
"You should come visit us, yeah? By the way, if you ever need a place to run to, if you'd get annoyed of these two cousins," Kukui says, eyeing you and Hau, "your loft is still free, oh yeah!"
That made her giggle:
"I'll definitely remember that! Thanks, Professor! But... don't you have an assistant?"
The unofficial ex-Champion shrugs:
"Well, Hau here helps me from time to time with researching moves! He's all the assistant I could wish for!"
Hau nods, smiling from ear to ear. Kukui continues:
"Anyways, I just heard the news that you were here, so I came to pay a quick visit! I just had to see my assistant, woo! It's already getting late though, so I should be going back, yeah? It was really nice to see you, Lillie! Next time will be with Burnet!" He shouts, running back onto the dark, moonlit path of Hau'oli City. Waving, you all shout goodbye, before turning back to Lillie:
"We should also get going, right Lil? Flying in the dark isn't always ideal."
Lillie agrees, and after saying goodbye to Mom, you, Hau and Lillie also head outside. You all walk until you reach Iki Town, where you say goodbye to Hau:
"We'll see you soon, Hau!" You say, and Lillie nods:
"Yeah, let's meet up soon! It was lovely to see you again, Hau, truly!" She coos, hugging him one more time before taking a step back.
Summoning your Charizard Glide, you grab Lillie's hand to pull her onto the back of the Pokémon, and slightly blushing she takes a seat in front of you. Slowly, you put your arms around Lillie's slim body to reach for the reins, feeling your heart beat in your chest. Lillie looks around, into your eyes, and smiles shily. The moonlight made Lillie's eyes sparkle like gems, giving you butterflies in your stomach.
"Yip yip!" You say to Charizard, and you fly away into the night, full of stars...

Lusamine's POV

"Haaah... It feels good to be back home." I moan, finally sitting down in my own chair at the head of the table. It was already late in the evening and my eyes were almost closing naturally, but since my stomach started hurting from hunger, Faba decided we'd hold a quick feast to celebrate my return. The grand hall of the Aether Foundation was filled with grunts, and the sound of their chatter was making my head hurt.
"I'm also glad you're back, Mom." Gladion says, clearly deep in thought.
"Being the Aether President is harder than I thought it'd be... I'll need your help to manage all of it." He continues. I nod:
"Of course I'll help, love. You know you don't have to be the President anymore, right? I could carry that burden for you."

"Your fried Torchicken, my lady." The chef says, putting the delicious schnitzel in front of me. I nod to thank him, and wave him away, before turning back to my son, who was scratching his forehead:
"I know, but you see, mother, the Foundation has been reaching new heights since I took over, people all over the region have been telling me how great I'm doing... I don't want to let them down. I want to keep rescuing Pokémon, it... it feels like it's always been my destiny, ever since I rescued Type Null."
I smile, though conflicted with myself on the inside. What will I do with myself if I'm not the Aether President? Taking a small bite of the chicken, I look back at Gladion:
"I'm glad you've been doing so well, son... However, I-"
Faba interrupts my sentence, raising his glass:
"A toast, to the homecoming of our beloved leader... to Lady Aether!"
All the grunts shout "TO LADY AETHER!" in unison. Suddenly, Faba approaches from behind me:
"My lady." He says softly, and takes a bow while handing me my wineglass. Surprised, I take the glass:
"Thank you, Faba... That's very sweet of you." I nod, and take a sip of the incredibly sweet wine.
Jason, who was sitting on my right, joins in:
"If you'd like, I could help you with that task, Mr. Aether."
Gladion scoffs:
"Pff... I don't even know you well yet, Jason. How do I know if you're up for the task?"
Jason's eyes light up for a second, and his fists seem to clench, before slowly releasing the tension in his body again, only to start smiling sinisterly:
"I understand. You'll find out soon." He says, standing up from his chair:
"Now, if you'll excuse me... I'd like to go use the loo."
Faba smiles:
"I'll show you the way." He eagerly says, and escorts him out of the room. I sigh:
"Gladion, Jason has been a valuable member of our household in Kanto. He helped us through many dangers during our last few months there. He protected Bill's house while he was doing his procedures on me... once he even defeated a few Team Aqua grunts who came to ambush us on the way to our house there! If not for him, your sister and I wouldn't even be here now. So the least you could do is give him some silly task he could perform, instead of sitting here doing nothing all day. He's a very capable trainer."
Gladion sighs:
"You're right... Still... Something about him feels off, doesn't it? His mouth says one thing, but his eyes tell a different story... mum?" He asks hesitantly. I wasn't even paying attention anymore. My hand started shaking, and slowly, my vision started to fade away:
"Son...?" I ask, dropping the fork I was holding. The last thing I could hear was Gladion shouting for help, while the grunts rush up to check my pulse...

Faba's POV

"Here it is!" I tell Jason. Nodding, he thanks me, locking the door behind him. Suddenly, shouting and the sound of people running filled the hallway. Smiling, I quickly head downstairs to the docks. Looking at my watch, I check the time: 11:59 in the evening. The perfect time. With nearly all the grunts and the stupid twerp Gladion worrying about Lusamine, I'd have free reigns to do what I have to do. They'd worry for a good while.

Only one grunt was standing guard at the docks, making sure no one entered without Gladion's permission. I quickly grab my Pokéball, open it and head up to the guard. Upon hearing my footsteps, he quickly turns around:
"Faba," he says without a grain of intonation or respect, "what are you doing here? You know you can't come here past 10 PM."
I grin:
"Oh c'mon, Nate... first of all, it's Mr. Faba for you, and secondly-" I continue, but the man quickly interrupts me:
"No, it's not, Faba. You've been demoted, remember? If anything, you should be the one calling me Mr. Nathan."
I sigh:
"Yes, people always lóve to remind me of that, don't they? Either way, gently open the gates. Friends of mine are arriving, and they need to be let in."
The grunt slowly grabs a Pokéball:
"Orders are orders, Faba. As long as Mr. Aether doesn't tell me to open the gates, I will not."
"Very well," I say softly, looking over the man's shoulder at my Hypno, that was moving very quietly around his back. A second later, I nod.
"Wha-" The man exclaims, before falling unconscious on the floor. Hypno's Hypnosis had been executed perfectly, as always.
"Well done, friend. Goodbye, Mr. Nathan..." I whisper, before returning the Pokémon to its Pokéball.

I quickly run towards the control panel, and after pressing some buttons, the gates slowly open. A blue submarine in the shape of a Sharpedo quickly enters the waters, and comes to a halt right in front of me. Soon after, a tall, muscular figure with a dark beard and a blue bandana approaches me: Archie, Leader of the notorious Team Aqua.
"Har har har... Finally, Faba, I thought we'd wait forever."
I sigh:
"I'm sorry, master... There were some complications. But I took care of it. Here." I exclaim, throwing him the clothes of the grunt I put to sleep. The grunt, stripped from all his clothes but his underwear, was thrown in the submarine, most likely never to be seen again.

Archie quickly strips down, and puts on the white Aether clothes. Stretching his legs, he moans:
"Hey Faba... you did well. Remind me, what was your reward again?"
I smile, already dreaming of all the things I could do with the new earnings:
"One million Pokédollars, plus the Aether Foundation once your work is finished."
Archie smiles, and quickly beckons one of the grunts in his submarine to fetch the reward. Soon, the grunt returned, carrying a heavy wooden pirate chest. Archie quickly runs up to the struggling grunt, and easily lifts the heavy chest:
"Here you are," Archie grunts while he walks up to me, "now tell me, Faba, can you swim?"
I hesitate, surprised by the strange question:
"Swim, master? No, I never learnt how to, which is a bit odd considering how I'm from Alola and here in Alola there is water almost everywh- Huh?" I exclaim as Archie slowly opens the chest: it was filled with stones!
"Good." Archie whispers.
Suddenly, the Leader throws the heavy object at me, and faster than I could wink, the chest hit me like a sledgehammer blow in the chest. As the air gets knocked out of my lungs, I fall backward, into the deep, dark blue water. Gasping for air, my throat gets squeezed tight by the water I inhale. The last thing I could hear was Archie's loud laughter fill the room, as I keep sinking, the heavy chest still in my arms, deeper and deeper...

And there we have it! As mentioned in my random story, it took me a while to write this. I wasn't too happy about some parts, but I think the end result is pretty good now! I hope you all enjoy it!

I was wondering, is this a good length for a chapter? Or do you think it should be shorter or longer?

Either way, thanks for reading! Take care!
~Golf