An Ultra Past Forgotten (Pokemon Sun & Moon)

Chapter 8

Gladion sighed softly, watching the pokemon while Chloe enjoyed her swim. Salazzle, Lycanroc, and Zoroark appeared to be carrying on a conversation under the shade of an umbrella nearby. Espeon, Umbreon, and Ninetales enjoyed a stroll along the beach together, letting the shallow waves splash against their feet. Tyrantrum practically buried himself in the warm sand to nap, and Braviary raced through the air with Silvally persistently chasing him, trying to outrun him.

The blond finally leaned back in his chair, setting aside the half-melted ice pack. The ice had reduced the swelling of his bruised arm, so he rolled down his sleeve to cover the dark marks that were left. He decided to relax like Chloe had advised, but that moment of peace only lasted for a few moments, as Gladion felt three pairs of eyes on him. He turned his head, meeting the gazes of the trio under the umbrella.

"What?" he questioned. "Why are you three looking at me like that?"

Salazzle snickered, whispering something to Zoroark, earning a smile from the dark type. Zoroark used his power of illusions to create a mirage of the previous events, namely Chloe undressing and Gladion's bright red face in response.

The boy blinked at the event as it replayed. "You three are concerned with that? It was nothing...it just surprised me..."

Zoroark looked at the other two, seeing Salazzle smirk and nod. The dark type stood and began walking toward his trainer, and at the same time, made an illusion to change his appearance to that of the red-haired girl dressed in her bikini. Gladion started blushing at the sight, but frowned at his pokemon.

"Zoroark, cut that out!" His tone was almost desperate.

The pokemon disguised as Cloe kept coming closer, stopping to stand by him. Gladion stared up at the fake girl, unable to keep from scanning her appearance despite knowing she wasn't real. The fake Chloe twirled and smirk, giving him a full view of her bathing suit.

The blond gulped nervously. "Seriously, s-stop it. Chloe's going to see you."

The fake did quite the opposite, boldly climbing onto the chair with him. Gladion's blush darkened and he became a flustered mess. His legs were trapped between hers as she sat there on her knees, leaning closer with a flirty smile. It wasn't until they heard a splash from the water that the fake Chloe turned her head. In an instant, Zoroark got up, changing back to normal. That's when the boy caught sight of the redhead out in the water, surrounded by friendly water types. He sighed in relief that she hadn't seen, but at the same time, he figured out what that sneaky plan was. The pokemon were trying to convince him to stop hiding his feelings and accept them. He had a crush on Chloe.

With an exasperated sigh, he looked at the trio. "Okay, so you got me. I guess I...like...Chloe. I admit it, all right? Just don't go doing that in front of her."

Salazzle dragged Lycanroc over with her, snuggling up to him and pointing out toward Chloe. "Salazzle lazz lazzle."

Gladion blushed lightly. "What? You want me to...spend time with her?" He shook his head. "I'm sure she wouldn't agree to a date if that's what you mean. But I suppose there are a few things she might like to do..." He hummed, thinking.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud splash. He looked to see a group of Tentacool tossing Chloe up into the air, and she was laughing as she splashed back down into the water. The boy couldn't keep from smiling at the sight of her having a good time. Pokemon really do love her. After a short while, Chloe got out of the water. She walked across the warm sand with her bare feet, her skin shining from the droplets of water.

She wrung the excess water from her hair, approaching Gladion with a small smile. "Hey, how's your arm?"

"A lot better thanks to the ice," he replied, giving a slight smile of his own. "You seemed to be having a lot of fun out there."