Everything was bright.

Too bright.

Was she dead?

Moon's eyes slowly open and attempt to refocus. All she sees is a blurry immaculate room. Everything looked clean, white, bleak . She turns her head slowly, ignoring the building pressure in her temples, as she her eyes go towards the window, the sunlight.

Immediate regrets as her eyes shut tightly in response to seeing the brightness.

Nope, definitely not dead.

She takes a labored breath in, her lungs no longer struggling like when she was in Ultra Space.

Ultra Space.

The consistent beeping of an EKG now made its way to her ears. The sound tantalizing as her skin becomes hyper aware of the wires leading to it. The needle stuck in her forearm. Moon shoots up, some of the machines connected to her staggering, another falling with a catastrophic crash. Her hands wring the linen placed over her. Tighter and tighter. Her breathing picks up pace. Growing shallow, arrhythmic.

Where was everyone?

She throws the blanket off, swings her legs over. Her eyes growing wide when she catches sight of bandages. Blood, and something purple , had seeped through the coverings. The EKG began beeping louder, reading her increasing heart rate, the panic beginning to take over.

Where was Type: Null? Rotom? Gladion?

She pushes herself up, staggering to door, pulling the monitor with her as more wires continue to tense, pull, and release. No longer was the room in perfect condition as Moon continues to wobble forward. Eventually when her hand grasps at the door frame she releases a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"Prezzident you really shouldn't be out of bed, bzzt," Moon hears the undeniable voice of Rotom speaking on the other side as a murmured "I have to check in on her" responds.

"Rotom has a point, big brother, you're not even discharged yet," Lillie adds desperately but clear is dismissed as Rotom's tsk of disapproval are heard.

The very same way tsks he would give her all those weeks ago.

Was it still weeks ago?

She reaches towards the door handle.

"Moon, like the past week, izz probably still asleep," Rotom's voice fades out when he hears the door slide open to reveal Moon struggling to prop herself up.

"You're-," Moon gasps, "al-" her reuniting words cut short when she collapses forward into Gladion's arms. His own panicked expression growing as he tries to call out to the nearest nurse, doctor, staff, anyone but Moon's smile of relief causes his words to get caught in his throat. Her left hand grasps onto him for dear life, her right now tenderly touching his face, her eyes desperately scanning every detail. He seemed tired, stressed, a bandage surrounded his forehead and Moon knew she was to blame. "I'm so sorry," she chokes out as her hand pushes his bangs aside, a sob softly following as Gladion finds his own hand wiping away her tears. "I'm just happy you're alive," he murmurs into her hair as he brings her in closer, tighter.

Lillie's eyes widen as she looks at Rotom with a mixture of emotions. Shock, happiness, relief, but neither of them say anything as they slip into the room; only to see the destruction that had taken place.

"Arceus, clean up in room 7, bzzt"

"Thank you, for everything Gladion, but" she pauses, "you're still an idiot."

Gladion's head snaps up as he stares up at Moon, her eyes boring into his with the utmost disapproval. An expression she hadn't let go of the last couple of days.

It wasn't until she tried to cross her arms that both of them realized their hands were dangerously close. None of them could tell who pulled away first.

And for the first time Moon's furrowed brow seemed to relax into something much more uncertain, her quickly darting away from his as she returned to the pout that was seemingly glued onto her face.

Gladion, admittedly, found a way to be discharged from the hospital much sooner than recommended. A nudge from Wicke, a plea from Aether. Gladion was a busy man, having to clean up another mess except this time, there was no more secrecy. Just a hurdle his company had to jump over. A simple hit to the head wasn't enough to keep in at the hospital.

Moon, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. Stuck inside the 20x20 room of the hospital as hoards of people would come in an out. An interview here, a checkup there. Gladion was undoubtedly worried, but everytime he visited he couldn't help but to notice Moon's disappointed face.

By now it had been a week, two since the incident, and every single time Moon opened up with the same line.

"I'll say it again," Moon murmurs with a scowl, "you're an idiot."

"You've been saying that for the last few days Moon, but you never explain why."

An exasperated sigh escapes the bedridden girl as Gladion just waits. It was the first time he had asked her to really put into words and tell him why he was what she claimed him to be.

"Pokemon feed off their trainer's feelings you know?" Her accusatory tone making it obvious what she was insinuating. "In Ultra Space, Silvally jumping in? That only happened cause he sensed something in you," she confirms as Gladion, for the first time, comes to understand what really went down that day. "If you didn't come in you wouldn't have gotten hurt," Moon continues, gentler this time around, as her arms uncross and get placed into her lap. Her eyes down ridden, unable to see the furrow in Gladion's brow as she hears his famed tsk escape him.

"Moon, all you've done is say thank you to me, or to Lillie, or to anyone else in this situation. What would it have taken for you to let one of us thank you? To help you?To save you? "

A beat passes when Moon feels his hand gently pry her head to face him. His serious gaze boring into her eyes as his face shows no sign of hesitation or regret.

"I wanted to help you, Silvally did too just like you saved him," he says as he leans forward, "and if that makes me an idiot then so be it."

Desperate.

He sounded desperate.

Moon swallows thickly, her eyes widening at his plea, at the lack of physical distance separating them. The details in his eyelashes, the color of his eyes, all vibrant as the sun peeking through the blinds brighten them in it's golden glow.

"I have something to tell you," Gladion murmurs, Moon's mind unable to pull away from just observing as they sit in a heavy silence. Words clearly needing to be said. From his end and hers, and as she feels the distance between them growing increasingly smaller a sudden knock at the door pushes them apart. A knowing giggle making itself known as a purple head of hair appears in the doorway. Her scrutinizing stare noticing the red tinge on both of their cheeks. "Are we interrupting something?" Anabel asks as everyone—and that meant everyone —came into view with their own cheeky smiles.

"You may experience some...sensitivities," Anabel announces as everyone but her, Looker, Rotom, and Moon disappear, neither of them missing the glance Gladion throws at Moon before Lillie elbows him in the ribs much to his disdain.

"You don't say?" Moon says sarcastically, a tone she would've never dreamed of taking with the Detective, but Anabel takes no offense.

"Light is the most obvious, headaches secondary, more will follow," Anabel looks down at Moon's leg. "How's your leg doing?"

"Detective, my condition is the least of my concerns, what happened to the case? Lusamine?"

Anabel waves a hand frivolously, not surprised at all by Moon's dedication.

"Your leg. Agent," Looker urges once again as Moon kicks underneath the blanket, almost in a tantrum like way. The poison evidently out of her system.

So they tells Moon what she's been waiting to hear.

"You saved the region, Moon," Looker says with a fondness that makes Moon's stomach flip. "The legendaries brought you all back to safety. You, Gladion, the Pokemon, and of course, Lusamine."

"Lusamine and her staff have been put on trial, z-crystals purified, trainers cured from the samples attached your suit, Alola is back and safe," Looker adds on as Moon lets out a sigh of relief.

"So it's over?" Moon asks, but then she sees the detectives exchange glances. One she had seen too many times. One she had come to understand like second nature.

Her stomach flips.

"Agent, it would be an honor to work with you again, bzzt."

The moment Moon was released she went to Aether and forced Gladion to join her outside. Her face no longer seemed pale and sickly. She was walking just fine, although the scar on her leg served as a reminder of what went down. Moon would spend moments pausing, wincing, only to dismiss it.

Her longer exposure to Ultra Space clearly having different effects on her than on Anabel.

And that's when she drops the bomb.

"So you saved Alola and get assigned to be living bait. Is that what they call a promotion in the International Police?" Gladion asks in disbelief, Moon shrugging in response. Her legs swinging back and forth as they sit next to each other on the dock. The answer clearly not enough for Gladion seemed to be routine for Moon.

"The Ultra Beasts may have stopped coming to Alola, but they're still prevalent. There's research to be conducted, but we need to send someone who has been there,"Moon recalls the conversation from two weeks ago, the detectives giving Moon some time to breathe, to rest, to think.

"Upward mobility isn't easy in Interpol, President. Especially given all the risks I took," Moon jokes as her nose crinkles, before pausing.

Words still unsaid between them.

"Gladion, I'm sorry about your mother."

The trial came and went. Many of Lusamine's followers arrested for their crimes, Aether being put in more than a negative light until Gladion and Lillie were put on blast-the children who went against their mother-Aether's last saving grace. Lusamine, although not sent to prison instead went to a doctor. Her exposure to poisons, space, the works, damaging more than just her mentality. It was a topic he and Lillie had had before she went back to Kalos, and a topic that wasn't going to disappear any time soon. But one thing was for sure, Moon and the force saved their mother from ultimately dying.

"She's getting the treatment needed, in time, Lillie and I can figure out how to confront her, how to get past things."

Moon doesn't know what to add as the sounds of the region seemed to be far more compelling than any words she could muster up. But besides the injuries, the hero complexes, the guilt-there was one more thing on both of their minds.

Gladion breaks the silence.

"Congratulations, Moon."

"Hmmm, for what?"

"For your successes? Your semi-promotion?" He adds lamely, but that's when she shakes her head.

"No need for all that, I didn't take the mission, yet ," she says with a directed smile. "Figured I needed a break," she adds as he tried ignoring the tightening in his chest. His face clearly shocked. Moon had given her life to be an agent and yet here she was considering a break of all things. He looks at her carefully, Moon's gray eyes reflecting the horizon of the ocean. The distant sound of waves hitting the shore bringing a sense of comfort and relief.

But what does one say in response to a passed up promotion? Especially to someone who never really was rooted in Alola anyways.

"So is this goodbye then?"

Gladion's voice didn't sound sad per say, maybe more despondent, desperate. Moon blinks once, then twice, her mind reeling, her thoughts trying to read into the connotation behind his words. The silence grows long as the waves that brought comfort earlier now only grew louder and louder, drowning out her thoughts, her feelings.

"Nothing has really held me down before," Moon says sadly. "Who's to say something will now?"

"But what about me-I mean-" Gladion coughs. "I mean what about Aether. Aether needs people like you," he awkwardly spits out as his hand rubs the back of his neck. Silently betraying himself at his quick backtrack as he avoiding the shocked stare that was now on him.

They both could save the world and still be utterly useless when it came to their own feelings.

"Unless you're offering me a permanent position," Moon laughs carefreely, "I don't think I can stay, I'm still technically part of force."

"That's fine," Gladion murmurs as he looks at their hands, just centimeters apart from one another. Just the small bit of space he needed to cross. "The President did mention something about an opening. Aether's most talented vet had an emergency, never called off, got fired on the premise of bad tact."

And that's when Moon catches on and peers up to see Gladion smiling genuinely at her, his eyes expectant, hopeful. Moon would have never assumed that this same person was the one who gave her issues all those months ago. The very person she started to harbor feelings for. "I—-I think I could arrange something, as long as hours are flexible," Moon responds as she feels her cheeks flushing under his scrutinizing stare. The emerald color pulling her in as their hands now come into complete contact with one another.

"That could be arranged"

"And!" Moon calls out nervously, hoping Gladion couldn't hear her clamoring heart. "The President also has to tell me what he promised to share."

Gladion chuckles, his unpreoccupied hand reaching forward to gently tilt Moon's chin up. Her breath hitching as he slowly comes closer, the pink on her face rapidly growing, her eyes nervously jumping around his face as she whispers a quiet, "deal?"

A smirk appears on his face at the word choice, both recalling their first less than mutual arrangement. His lips hover over hers, murmuring a low "deal," before sealing it with a kiss.

Moon couldn't help the giggle that escapes her when they part, half embarrassed, half content. Maybe her emotions weren't all bad.

"To more missions?"

"To more missions, together."