When We Were Younger. |Gladion X Moon|Pokemon Romance Novel|

- 43 -

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Mohn's eyes narrow as he watches Gladion pace at the end of the hallway, taking an unscheduled conference call.

"Are you sure this is the kind of life you want?" he whispers to me, "I think it could get very lonely after a while."

"I've always needed more alone time than most people, I think it suits me quite well, actually."

"We'll be in touch," Gladion says before hanging up the phone.

"Sorry! I have good news though. Dream Therapy has been approved for human trials, are you interested?"

The thin, weathered skin around Mohn's eyes crinkles as he thinks, "Let's see how tonight goes, I should probably discuss it with my family first."

"Of course! Take all the time you need to consider," Gladion replies, beaming with happiness.

"Sorry we're late!" Lillie shouts as her and Hau turn the corner.

"Shit! What's up with your hands?" Hau gasps as he notices the bulky bandages wrapped around Gladion's hands.

"It's a long story," Gladion sighs, wrapping his arm around me.

A handsome smile grows on Hau's face as he beams at Gladion and I. Seeing his approval brings me great comfort, his opinion means everything to me.

"Congratulations on completing your trials by the way," Hau says politely to Gladion.

"Thanks, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to participate," Gladion replies quietly.

The tension between Gladion and Hau is killing me. If I can sense it, it must be strong!

"Looks like Hau is going to be your brother after all!" I chuckle awkwardly.

Laughter booms brightly from Hau's chest as he places his hand on Gladion's shoulder.

"I hope the thought of having me as a brother in law doesn't turn you into Mad-ion!"

Gladion's eye brow raises as he shakes his head, "You used to be funny! What happened?"

"Come here! I know you hate human contact, but you know I'm a hugger!"

Hau's eyes widen as Gladion fully embraces him, I don't think he expected such a warm reception.

"I should have said something sooner, but I am more than happy about the engagement," Gladion says softly, "Please, forgive my absence, I had some very personal things to deal with."

"Well, I hate to interrupt, but maybe I should get ready," Mohn says, pointing to the watch on his wrist.

"Hmph. Since we are all together, and we are talking about family, I'd like to take just a moment to introduce you to my mother," Gladion says, leading Mohn up the white marble staircase.

We all gather around Lusamine. Her once, cutting edge style, has been replaced with something more comforting. Dressed in pastel pink and white, her blank eyes stare at the wall behind us.

Mohn looks sympathetically down at the woman in front of him. He knows what happened to her, everyone does. But he feels as though there must be more to her, other than how they paint her in the media.

"This is Lillie and I's mother, Lusamine. Obviously, she is in a vegetative state now, but she used to be quite alive. She has always been passionate about Pokemon. She and my father built this company with the vision of making the world a better place for them. In the beginning, The Aether Foundation focused on designing medical equipment, to improve the lives of Pokemon. My father, designed countless machines and facilities, including this very island. Their dedication to this cause is part of the reason why Pokemon have such state of the art care today."