Your Tragic Smile: Gladion x Reader

7 - Are You Okay, (Y/N)?

     "Wait, are you okay? Really?" My brother's face is full of fear and sorrow. He hugs me tighter.

     My voice is so rough and, in fear that I might start crying, I only nod in response. I gulp down some shaky feelings and say, "No offense, Sun, but I don't think that you're strong enough to carry me all the way here." I quietly murmur.

     "Oh, you can thank that punk there," Sun says, casting a glare at someone outside the room.

     Gladion walks in, and Sun releases me from his embrace to stand protectively in front of me. My hands start to shake. I feel so weak, lying in this bed. "Why do you think Gladion is a threat?" I whisper.

     "I don't like him..." Sun doesn't have a good explanation it seems. Oh, well.

     I peek my head out from behind Sun to see Gladion calmly standing in the doorway. Even with Sun crossing his arms and giving Gladion a dirty look, he just glances my way. Maybe Gladion doesn't show much emotion, but he did appear the slightest curious if I was fine after everything that happened. I was, but I had one question.

     "How long was I out?" I say softly.

     The two boys look my way, and Sun even gets choked up about it.

     "It's been several hours long, (Y/N)," Sun says sadly.

     I furrowed my eyebrows determinedly and pulled back the covers. "I can do this," I try to step off the mattress, only to fall onto Sun's back.

     Both Sun and Gladion help me to bed and tell me to simply rest, so I close my eyes and try to sleep. Frankly, the sound of the two arguing outside the door didn't help me to drift into sleep.

-Gladion's POV-

     While I was glad that (Y/N) was okay, her obnoxious brat of a brother continued to get on my nerves. I knew I had to keep it down to save (Y/N) some rest, but Sun was honestly just going over the lines of being an overprotective brother to (Y/N).

     "What did I do to you that is just so bad that you have to guard (Y/N) from my presence?" I frown.

     "Hmph!" Sun crosses his arms and glares disapprovingly at me, "Well, for one, I don't like other guys touching my sister!"

     "You're gonna just have to deal with it," I roll my eyes. "But really, ever heard of a sister complex?"

     "Could you two keep it down?" (Y/N) calls from inside the room. Sun and I both walk out into the Poke Center's lobby and heal our Pokemon teams. Then, all there is to do is wait.

     I don't know why I want to ensure that (Y/N) will be alright. In the end, I just want to make sure that she doesn't get trauma like Lillie has. It's horrible to see (Y/N) shaking in fear of the events that had occurred hours earlier.

     To be honest, there's no reason for me to stay. I grab my Pokemon from Nurse Joy and head and head out the door.

     "Where are you going?" Sun asks suspiciously and stands up.

     "To find the person who did this," I say without looking back.

     "Let me come!" He whines.

     "No, (Y/N) needs you here, while she doesn't need me right now," I mutter.

     Sun hears me and sits back down on the cushioned bench. "Fine, go." He looks down at his lap.

     I knew where I was going next.

     I made it to Ula'ula Island as fast as I could, though it was a bit of a distance away. Soon I was in Po Town, where I headed north. North of Po Town meant the Shady House. And all of those familiar with Team Skull would know that the Shady House is where Team Skull's very own hideout was.

     A while back, a certain wealthy citizen had abandoned this mansion, and soon after, Team Skull had taken it over. Not that anyone really cared for the rundown and beat-up house with broken windows and ripped-up wallpaper.

     And I had a strong suspicion that Team Skull's boss, Guzma, was behind the incident. I was about to find out.

     Not even knocking on the graffitied door before entering, I quickly found Guzma on his sloppy throne in the center of a dimly lit and very messy room on the second floor.

     "It's ya boy, Guzma!" Team Skull's boss announces to no one in particular. Guzma looks about twenty, but who knows his real age? He wears broken yellow glasses over his unbrushed white hair. Guzma always wears the same oversized black jacket for as long as I've known him.

     "Be serious," I growl at Guzma as I approach him, "Were you behind the car that was about to run over (Y/N)?" I find my voice rising.

     "Pfft- of course, duh," A tall, slim teen girl a bit older than me walked in. She had four pigtails that alternated yellow and pink, and she had a smug grin on her tan face that implies pure evil. She's known as Plumeria, the big sis. She put her hands on her hips and faced Guzma. "What now, Boss?" She raises an eyebrow.

     "Why do you want from (Y/N)?" I demand, only to receive laughs from the two leaders of Team Skull.

     "What we want should be what you want, as you work for Team Skull, too, Gladion." Plumeria smirks.

     "Tch. I'm only here to have a job and earn money, not attempt to murder innocent girls!" I'm aware that I'm yelling. I don't care.

     "Team Skull can do what we want," Guzma growls at me, "It's not your job to prevent us from what we want, Enforcer."

     "Yep," Plumeria says lightly, "Remember your place."

     I frown, "No, I don't think that there's not another reason for this. What does (Y/N) have that you don't?"

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Word count: 1678 words