When you finally slowly open your eyes, the bright moonlight was lighting up the entire room, shining through the large window above you. After a few seconds, you remembered where you were: Aether Paradise.

Slow and without making a noise, you stand up. Lillie was still laying in bed, her soft breathing hearable from where you were standing. Her small feet were sticking out of the blanket, and her shirt was still laying on the floor. With her arm draped around the blanket, she seemed to be very comfy. Smiling happily, you slowly leave the room and close the door.
"Yesterday didn't exactly go as planned... No one wants to come home to a mess like this." You think to yourself, and that's why you were heading towards the kitchen this early in the morning.

Humming, you turn on the stove to prepare some eggs with bacon. As the delicious smell of the crispy bacon fills the kitchen, an edgy figure walks in, dressed in white pyjamas. Immediately, you recognise Gladion, and smile from ear to ear:
"Morning, sunshine!" You exclaim teasingly, knowing full well it'd wind the man up. Gladion grunts:
"Whatever."
Barely able to contain your laugh, you keep on humming. Gladion sighs and sits down at the large, white table. When the food was ready, you grab a plate, put the eggs and bacon on top, grab some toast and start preparing 2 glasses of Pinap juice. Gladion groans at the sight of the delicious plate:
"Y/n... have you got some more of that bacon?... Please?"
You finally laugh as you hear his stomach grumbling:
"Is this THE Gladion, begging me for food? I'm sorry, I will have to validate if you're not a robot."
"Hah hah, very funny. Now give me some!" He exclaims, quickly grabbing some bacon from the plate.
You quickly slap his hand, but the bacon was already in his mouth. You sigh:
"Hey! That was for your sis-... Nevermind." You reply, smiling, and make some extra for Lillie. While you turn the bacon over by stirring, you continue:
"Hey Gladion, how is Lusamine? Did you check on her yet today?"
He smiles almost unnoticeably by slightly lifting up the corners of his mouth:
"Yes, Karl told me she's doing well. Her heartbeat is still steady, she should wake up soon."
You smile:
"Let's go check on her in a bit, yeah?"
Gladion nods, and you carefully take the sizzling pan off the stove:
"Alright, then I'll take this to your sister for now, let's meet up in Lusamine's room afterwards."

You return to Lillie's room with the breakfast for your person, using a little tray to carry the two plates as well as the two beverages.
"I'm sure the chef won't mind me borrowing one of his trays... For now." You whisper to the walls. Soon, you arrive at a familiar door. You take a deep breath, and open the door as silently as possible. Tiptoeing up to Lillie's bed with the cart, you slowly release your breath.
"Thank Arceus the door didn't crea-"
Suddenly, your Rotom dex's ringtone goes off loudly! Grunting, you run up to your backpack and pull out the machine:
"Hello?"
Soon, a familiar, excited voice could be heard:
"Y/n? It's Hau! Where are you? I went to your house but you weren't there, then, then I ran to your mum's house, but she said you didn't go back to her place either, so... Where are you??" He exclaims, clearly panting.
You sigh, trying your best not to make too much noise:
"I'm at Aether Paradise. Lillie let me sleep here tonight. What's wrong?"
Hau chuckles over the phone:
"Heheh, my man Y/n, first night that your crush is in her homeland and you're already staying at her place, I-"
Suddenly, a soft, girly voice echoes throughout the room:
"Y/n...?"
You groan in frustration:
"Shhh! No, it's not like that, I slept on a separate mattress... What did you even need me for?" You whisper fast.
"Well," Hau says, a bit more quietly now, "I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice, I... I've been feeling a bit lonely lately."
You nod, ruffling your hand through your hair:
"I see. Come to Aether Paradise, Hau, we'll keep you company. See you in a bit." You say, quickly quitting the call and turning to Lillie, who was slowly awakening:
"Hey Lil! Good morning!" You say quietly, sitting down on the side of her bed.
Lillie moans:
"Good morning Y/n. Wh-... What time is it?" She asks, rubbing the sleepy sand out of her eyelids.
You look up at the dark night sky, still full of stars:
"It's... quite early in the morning, still. Did you sleep well?"
She slowly nods, yawning:
"Could have been better if it would have lasted longer, but I do want to see mother as soon as possible..." She says, frowning, and turns to you, looking into your y/c eyes:
"It was nice to have you here, Y/n. I couldn't see you, but... I already felt a lot safer throughout the night, just knowing you were laying somewhere in that darkness. As if nothing could ever happen to me."
Blushing slightly, you get back up and walk over to the tray which you had put on Lillie's white desk:
"I... I made some breakfast for you! I hope you'll like it, Arceus knows my cooking skills aren't the greatest." You exclaim, handing her her glass of Pinap juice. Lillie blushes:
"Awww Y/n... You didn't have to do this. That's really sweet!" She chirps happily. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she takes a short sip of the juice:
"Pinap juice, huh? Just what I needed to start the day off well," she says, satisfied, "but Y/n, if I could ask you something..." She softly adds. You nod immediately:
"What is it, Lillie?"
Lillie's cheeks are blushing heavily now:
"I, uh... Could you please turn around for a bit? I might have removed my bra during the night... It's hard to sleep with one on, you know?"
Clearly embarrassed and heated at the same time, you quickly turned around and closed your eyes, which made Lillie giggle:
"Thanks, Y/n. You know, you're cute when you're embarrassed!" She exclaims, which makes you even more red than you already were. After a while of listening to the sound of ruffling clothes and opening wardrobes, Lillie suddenly taps you on your shoulder:
"You can open your eyes now, Y/n." She softly says, and you turn back around to where she was standing. The beautiful girl had exchanged her Z-outfit for a more Aether-like, blue/white dress with some pink accents while still keeping her signature ponytail, which made her look very fancy and even more adorable. You smile:
"Wow, you look like an Aether princess!"

Lillie grins:
"Thanks, Y/n," she says quietly, "and thanks for not peeking." She adds, whispering in your ear, and teasingly pecks your cheek with her soft lips before pulling back, "now let's try out the Champion's breakfast!" She shouts, before running over to the tray. Suddenly, she halts in her steps and quickly turns around, slightly bending her head:
"What I just said reminds me so much of the TV program I saw back in Kanto, of this Champion in some faraway region that keeps shouting 'let's have a champion time!!' every. Single. Episode."
You smile, flashing your white teeth:
"You mean Leon? I saw him a few days ago over a video call, actually. Nice guy."
"Yes! That's him!" Lillie coos, grabbing the cutlery:
"Let's dig in and have a champion time!"

After finishing the food, which was surprisingly delicious, you both ready up and head to Lusamine's room. Doctor Karl, Gladion, Wicke and Jason were already waiting inside the room, together with a few Aether grunts.
"She'll wake up very, very soon, yes!" The doctor says, nodding slowly and rubbing his hands together. Lillie smiles:
"I'm glad. Thanks for all the help, doctor, we'll take it from here."

After a few minutes of waiting and staring through the window, the sudden arrival of a Charizard-ride on the courtyard pulled you out of your thoughts:
"It's Hau!" You say, looking at Lillie. She smiles:
"We should go there and greet him! But my mum..."
Wicke smiles kindly at the girl she's known ever since she was a child:
"Don't worry, Miss Aether. I'll watch over Miss Lusamine while you're out."
Grateful, Lillie quickly grabs your hand and pulls you out of your chair:
"Then let's go see Hau!"
Before you could even blink, you were up and running out of the room and down the stairs, the girl's soft hand in yours.

"Hau! It's good to see you!"
You shout, giving him a short hug when you reach him. Hau smiles heartily:
"Same for me, Y/n! And you too, Lillie!" He exclaims, embracing Lillie short after.
Lillie smiles shyly, a bit overwhelmed by Hau's immediate hug:
"Being with the two of you all day again will really need some time to get used to..." She sighs happily.
Hau pulls out of the hug and takes a moment to look at the girl's new dress:
"Wow, you look amazing! Where did you get this?"
Lillie blushes:
"My mum had this made for me back in Kanto, as a way of thanking me for staying by her side through all the years she was ill." She says, and twirls around to show you both the back of the dress:
"Y/n even said I looked like a princess!" She teases, quickly winking your way.
After you receive a fat wink from Hau, the three of you head over to a white bench with a view over the entire courtyard.
You look over to your friend:
"So, uh, Hau... What's the matter? You sounded a bit sad over the phone earlier."
Hau sighs, something that you don't see him do very often:
"Well... Remember that girl at the beach that broke up with me? I... Ever since then, I've been feeling a bit... Lonely. Or upset. Everyone around me is so happy with someone else. Tutu has gran gran, my father has my mum, the two of you have each-"
Hau suddenly stops in his sentence, realising both you and Lillie had started blushing intensely. He coughs and goes on, embarrassed:
"Well, uh, either way... I'm twenty years old, and I still haven't found anyone yet, ever. You're both my best friends, but I've never found someone that... that gave me something more. Sometimes I feel like it's my fault."
Lillie sighs, still embarrassed from what the man almost said a moment ago:
"Hau, don't think like that! Here, let me give you some advice," she says, smiling, and Hau swiftly nods, excited to get help:
"The first rule of getting a girlfriend is... Stop trying to get a girlfriend! Go into every interaction you have with a woman you like, expecting nothing in return. Women want a challenge, you know? They want someone who speaks his mind, someone who dares to disagree."
Smiling, you listen attentively to Lillie's tips. She continues, blushing slightly:
"Make her notice you! And don't you dare to make excuses like 'she's out of my league' or 'she won't be interested in me'! You're worth the world and any smart girl would love to hang out with you! Also, be confident, instead of beating yourself down. Compliment her, but not too much. Tease her, but not too much, and above all else, listen to her! Girls like guys who actually listen to them, instead of just pretending that they are."
Hau nods, already feeling a lot better:
"Thanks, Lillie... This helps me quite a bit... I'll try to remember those," he says excitedly, "do you have more of those... Wait, who's that?" He asks, looking at the other side of the courtyard. You quickly turn your head, and see Jason heading your way. Lillie smiles:
"Oh, it's Jason! Jason is a good friend of mine, he helped me a lot in Kanto and he's our guest!" She tells Hau, before standing up and waving at the man:
"Hi Jason! Is everything alright?" She shouts at him.
Jason comes to a halt a few metres in front of you, shrugging:
"Yeah, everything's fine, just needed some fresh air, is all. Sitting in the same room for hours got boring, you know?"
Lillie frowns:
"Where's my brother, actually?"
"Oh, he called on all the Aether Employees to gather in the great hall. I think he will inspect them and see if he can find the culprit for the murder on Faba."
Suddenly, he turns on his heels, and takes a step forward in your direction:
"Y/n. Sitting inside for so long bored me to death. How about a battle? I've been longing to see how strong you really are."
You stand up, nodding:
"Sure, let's see what you got!"
Lillie suddenly calls out to you:
"Wait! Jason, is it wise to do this? I've seen Y/n fighting lots of times, he wipes the floor with almost anyone! I don't know if this is a good idea..."
Jason grunts, barely able to hide his annoyance before covering it back up with a smile:
"I saved you from those Team Aqua grunts, remember? I can hold my own, don't worry, Lillie."

Feeling a small wave of jealousy flow through your body, you grab one of your Pokéballs and clench it in your fist, as you walk over to the opposite side of the courtyard. While throwing it in the air and catching it a few times, you look over to Lillie, who's cheering you on together with Hau:
"Good luck, Y/n!" They both shout, but you weren't even focusing on them anymore. Your mind was on the upcoming battle.
"Ready, Champ?" Jason shouts at you. You nod, and take a deep breath before throwing your first Pokéball:
"Lycanroc, I choose you!" You shout, releasing your trusted partner onto the soft grass of the courtyard. Jason smirks:
"An interesting choice. Toxicroak, go get 'em!"
The Toxicroak laughed its eerie laugh, hopping from one leg onto the other and constantly moving around, almost like a real boxer. You nod:
"Alright Lycanroc. Time to set up some rocks."
Listening to your words without losing focus of its target for a single second, Lycanroc roared and shot a few pointy stones all over the courtyard, making the terrain impassable for opposing Pokémon without seriously hurting themselves.

"Go for Brick Break to take him out, now!" You hear from Jason's side of the battlefield. You smile:
"You know what to do, buddy!"
Lycanroc unnoticeably nods, and quickly jumps backwards. Toxicroak leaps towards Lycanroc, letting his punches rain down, but the wolf dodged the incoming fists without much trouble.
"More!" Jason shouts, seemingly angered. Smiling now, you reach out to Lycanroc:
"Alright buddy, you're doing well, keep going!"
Growling in agreement, the Lycanroc started running around the courtyard almost carelessly, constantly jumping out of the way of the frustrated Toxicroak's punches. You nod:
"Now, Psychic Fangs!"
Jason's eyes widen:
"Dodge, jump out of the way, quick!"
It was too late. The wolf turned around in a wink, lept at its prey and put its sharp teeth into the frog's skin. With a loud screech, the Toxicroak fell down, fainted in an instant.
"Alright! Well done, buddy!" You exclaim, quickly patting Lycanroc before looking back at your opponent. Jason's dark eyes light up in frustration, as he grabs his next Pokéball:
"Oh, you're good, Y/n, you're very, very good..." He says softly, as he releases his next Pokémon.
"What is that?!" Hau gasps in excitement.
Lillie puts her hand in front of her mouth to contain the gasp:
"It's a blue... Nidoking."
Laughing, Jason looks at you:
"What do you think, Y/n? Are you going to dodge this one too?"
You smile:
"Very beautiful shiny! Where did you get it?"
Jason shrugs:
"As a gift."
Nodding, you return Lycanroc to its Pokéball:
"You did well, you can rest for now," you whisper, as you release your next Pokémon:
"Nebby, let's show them what we've got!" You shout, releasing the Legendary lion.
When Solgaleo roared, even the shiny Nidoking looked a bit anxious to battle the Steel Pokémon. You smile, and this time it was wholeheartedly:
"What do you think, Jason? The emissary of the sun!"
Lillie quickly stands up when she sees your Pokémon, originally hers:
"C'mon Nebby! Woooo!" She shouts, laughing. Nebby quickly nods at Lillie, releasing the floppy tongue from its mouth, only to return to battle mode fast, looking intimidating once again.

"Don't be scared, Nidoking! We can take this boy on with an Earthquake, please!"
Nidoking obeys and takes a few steps forward, but cries out as it steps on some pointy stones along the way.

When it soon regained its posture, the Nidoking slammed its huge fists into the ground, causing a gigantic shockwave.
"Sunsteel Strike, Nebby!" You quickly shout to your friend who had been by your side through many dangers. The surprisingly agile Pokémon immediately jumped into the air, hereby also dodging the incoming Earthquake in the process.
Nebby's signature move made it form a giant sphere of pure light around it, only to then crash into the opposing Nidoking. It only barely managed to take the hit, breathing heavily and leaning on one arm to pull itself back up.
Solgaleo lands back on the ground in front of you, purring happily.
"Good job, Nebby!" You say, happy from the Pokémon's brilliant effort.
Jason grunts, very annoyed at what he just witnessed:
"Alright, try Stone Edge!"
You knew you didn't have to say anything to Solgaleo for it to do exactly as you wanted. The incoming spikes of rocks were immediately shattered by Nebby's steel skin, the pieces flying in all directions.

Before you knew it, one of the rocks hit your head, making you lose consciousness almost immediately. Lillie's scream and the sounds of running footsteps didn't even reach your ears before your sight faded away into nothing...

Viridian Forest was beautiful during the evening. Butterfree were flying all over the forest and Pidgey were chirping in the trees above you. You loved listening to their sounds. It was such a simple thing, but one of life's aspects you enjoyed more and more each day.
"Hold out your hand, Y/n." Dad says, his y/c hair blowing in the wind.
Doing as he says, you hold out your hand, and soon, one of the flying Pidgey lands on your arm, pecking at the food you're holding in your palm. Chuckling from excitement, you slowly start stroking Pidgey's folded wings, and it cries out happily.
"Very good, Y/n! Pokémon love you, you see? It's something about you... A certain gift, I'd say. I'm sure you'll make it far as a Trainer, someday!"
You look up to the tall man next to you:
"You really think so, dad?"
He shakes his head, and you look back down, saddened. Suddenly, he puts a hand on your shoulder:
"No. I know so."
Your eyes light up upon hearing his confirmation:
"Thanks, father! I love Pokémon, they're the best friends I have. I want them to love me, too."
Dad nods:
"They already do, son. And we do too, your parents. Your mum and I love you very much, even if I haven't been able to show it much to you..." He sighs.
"It's okay, dad," you smile sadly, "I know you have a lot of work to do."
He chuckles:
"I do, sadly... Although I'm sure you'll love the end result! Me and the other scientists are very close to discover the location of a Mythical Pokémon! Chances are, we might be able to encounter it pretty soon! It might still take years, but even an entire lifetime of researching would be worth to make this discovery!"
You frown, intrigued:
"I'm very happy for you, father! What's this Mythical Pokémon you're talking about?"
Dad frowns sadly, looking up to the sky:
"You'll see, boy, you'll see. I-... Hold on." He suddenly exclaims silently, looking around him in all directions.
Out of the bushes, a dark figure bearing a yellow 'R' on his chest slowly approaches us. Dad gasps:
"Son, run back to Pewter City, to your mum, now!"
"No, I want to help you, dad, I-" You think to yourself, before a sudden hit in the back of your head blackens your vision...

"Is this me... 6 years ago? What..." You suddenly think to yourself, realising you're inside of a dream.
"Or is it a flashback?" Your subconscious self echoes in the darkness.
"Y/n?! Y/n, can you hear me?" Lillie's voice suddenly echoes through the nothingness. Focusing on her voice, you see a small area of light appear in the dark depths that keeps getting bigger and bigger, until...

Mom's POV

A sudden ring of the doorbell brings me out of my cleaning rhythm. Making sure the house was neatly organised, doing the dishes, cleaning and everything alike are what brings me peace. You could say I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to cleanness. And I don't like it... at all when something disturbs me while cleaning!
"Are they home so soon already? They only just left!" I think to myself, as I race to the door.
"What if I open the door and the neighbours see this dirty house?! The boxes are still everywhere, Y/n and his father even left their dirty plates on the table, I... Ugh!" I think, but soon forcefully remove the thoughts from my head. I take a deep breath, put on the best smile I can, and open the door to...

"Mahina, I... It's Y/n, he..." Dad whispers, in tears.
"Y/n!!!" I scream, feeling the tears already rolling down my face as Gillan quickly runs to the living room and puts Y/n down on the couch.
"Is he...?" I whisper, but Gillan shakes his head:
"No, love, he's not! Bas blocked a Rock Blast from a Rhydon, but one of the pieces of rock hit Y/n on his head! He's unconscious, but I'm sure he'll wake up soon!"
Crying, I frown, my sadness slowly turning into bitter anger:
"Wait, what Rhydon? How did our son end up anywhere near a fucking Rhydon?!" I shout angrily, clenching my fists. Bas, Gillan's Bastiodon, lets out a sad noise, as if it's sorry for the harm caused to Y/n. Gillan sighs:
"Look, honey, I... I need to tell you something. We don't have a lot of time. Remember Team Rocket, the one that Champion Red disbanded years ago?"
I slowly nod, sniffing, and wipe the tears away with my hand. My husband continues:
"I think they've reunited with their old Leader, Giovanni. One of the grunts approached us earlier, I don't know where he is now, I think I shook him off in the forest... But he'll find us, and if they can't, they'll come looking for us, which is much, much worse."
I sigh:
"But Gillan, why are they after us?"
He shakes his handsome head:
"I... I don't know, love. What I do know is that I need to go. I have to find this grunt and... Do what I have to do. For us and our boy. If I... If I don't come back, do what I told you, okay? Flee to Alola, you and him will be safe there. You'll be able to start a new life, he'll be able to live his teenage life without any troubles. He's already very talented, he'll be able to protect you in no time."

I wince:
"But Gillan... Come with us," I say, pulling his arm, "you can't leave your son and your wife alone like this!"
Gillan gives me one of his signature smiles, a carefree, comforting one:
"I can't, darling. It's too dangerous. Besides, trust me, I'll be fine. I'll be back soon."
Trying to hold back my tears was a task too heavy for me.
"Promise me?" I ask softly. He nods:
"I promise. And you promise me that, if I can't fulfill my promise, you'll take him to Alola."
I sigh deeply as the tears start flowing out of my eyes again. Gillan was clearly stressed. He never acted like this before, so nervous, so hasted and scared. He shakes my shoulders to bring me back to the present:
"Prómise me!!!" He shouts, and I nod:
"I promise."
Sighing, he lets go of me:
"I'm sorry, this is... I... I have to take care of you and him, okay? I might be a coward, a science freak, if you want,... but I'm still a man. A man has to take care of his family, Mahina. I hope you kn-."
Crying, I pull him into a tight hug, squeezing his slim body until my arms give out:
"I know."
After hugging me back softly, Gillan takes a step back, only to lean in and kiss me one last time:
"I love you. Please remember that."
The tears wouldn't stop rolling down my face, but deep down, I knew I'd never forget that he loves me. So I nod:
"I love you too, husband. Always."
With a nod and a slight bow, Gillan summons his Archeops, mounts it, and flies up high into the air, probably to look for the grunt. I wasn't even looking anymore. My hands and knees were on the floor, and my tears were flowing freely. My heartbeat feelable in my head, my mind feelable in my heart,... Feelings I never imagined to feel.
"Ughhh..." I suddenly hear Y/n moan. I quickly run up to him and hug him tightly, overjoyed.
"Did I fall asleep? Wh... What happened?" He whispers, barely able to speak. I shake my head, wiping the tears away as I start laughing softly:
"Nothing, Y/n. Now rest. I'll do the packing."
Slowly closing his eyes, Y/n frowns:
"Packing...?"
I nod, staring out of the window:
"Yes... we might be going to Alola."

And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed chapter 6 of Moon of My Life!

Did you see the Lillie art? I got it from the internet, it's not mine by any means. I thought the art was very beautiful, but I had to cut Gladion out. By doing that, Lillie's right half was kinda destroyed, since she was half-behind Gladion. So, I tried to restore her as much as possible with Photoshop! I like to think I did a decent job restoring her right side, I hope you like it too!

Anyways, let me know what you think of the chapter!

Also, I was thinking: since I'm not a native speaker, I know my vocabulary is pretty limited. I like to think that my plot is nice, and I'm pretty sure my grammar is correct most of the time, but again, I don't have enough vocabulary to make my story sound beautiful, or vary lots of sentences in all possible ways. So please tell me if you see something that I could get better at! I'd appreciate the advice.

Now, this chapter was way longer than I intended it to be, so now I'll take a break. Writing this was a lot of fun, though.

Take care, and I'll see you in the next chapter, where Y/n will wake up again from his unconsciousness!
~Golf