When The Sun Sets (Moon X Gladion)

Unbreakable Bonds III

It had been days since Lucario's evolution, and he had not left his Pokéball since Po Town. He spent those days sobbing, feeling betrayed and worthless as he studied his new form. He feared abandonment. He could feel it coming.

As the first few hours passed, he felt Moon's anguish as she moved about. Eventually, that anguish turned into a profound mixture of fear and anger, and he could feel her stepping onto a boat. They must've been on this boat for a while, he knew. Moon's aura never shifted apart from an intense spike of fear. He ignored it, just as she seemed to be ignoring him.

There was a storm. Gladion fell overboard and Moon jumped in to save him. Hau rushed to the wheelhouse, desperate to take control of the ship. He wrestled with the controls until, eventually, he realized the boat was on auto-pilot. Flipping it off, he steered them out of the storm as quickly as he could.

Incineroar pulled Gladion and Moon to safety before ushering them inside. Hau grabbed towels for the soaking wet, shivering teens and ran to get them something to eat. There was silence, other than clattering in the kitchen, and Incineroar took advantage of the space between his trainer and the boy she saved so he could sit down. Igniting both of his paws, he hoped to warm them.

Moon sneezed. Gladion hoped she wasn't developing a cold.

Hau returned minutes later with warm bowls of brown rice. It was the quickest thing he could make, and, as he watched Moon eat, his breathing slowed. Releasing an exhausted sigh, he announced he was going to take a short nap and left the room.

After the teens had dried off, Incineroar followed Hau's lead. Except, he wasn't taking a nap. Instead, he stormed into Moon's guest bedroom and rifled through her bag, grabbing Lucario's pokéball and shaking the Pokémon out of it. Lucario fell to the floorboard with a SPLAT, barely finding the time to stand before Incineroar grabbed him by the shoulders and chastised him.

"YOU DID NOTHING," Incineroar hissed furiously, his jaw clenched. "MOON FELL INTO THE OCEAN, AND YOU DID NOTHING. LAPRAS AND I WERE THE ONLY ONES THERE."

Lucario was stunned. "Was I supposed to do something?"

"YES!" Incineroar's eyes bulged before he drew out a hot breath. "Arceus gave you a physic link. You knew what was happening, and yet you didn't do a thing."

"I guess she'll just have to abandon me like my last trainer did–"

Incineroar swiped at Lucario, his claws catching Lucario's cheek and leaving bloodied marks. Lucario growled and took a step back, clutching the fresh wound.

"This won't make me obey her," Lucario said darkly.

"It's not obeying, you ignorant ass," Incineroar spat. "It's fighting alongside them. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, and right now, I couldn't care less. Just fix it."

And with that, Incineroar left the room without another word or even the slightest glance, leaving Lucario alone.