Gladion stood in silence, watching Chloe sit on the shore. She gazed out at the sea while her finger absentmindedly drew shapes in the sand. It was clear she was deep in thought. Knowing about her childhood with Team Skull not only explained so much, but also gave him a new understanding of her. She faced the same family troubles he did.

Gladion quietly went over and sat down beside her, waiting a few moments before breaking the silence. "So, what do you want to do?" He looked over at her. "Take a trip back home? Or keep traveling like we've been doing?" She didn't respond. "I don't mind going to Po Town with you-"

"I'm not going home," she interrupted, finally meeting his gaze, a serious look on her face. "I'm not going to go crawling back when Daddy's the one in the wrong. If he wants to see me, he can come look for me himself."

The blond chuckled. "I see you've got his stubbornness. Don't you think you're being a bit harsh on him? He did disband Team Skull, you know, and he's even been training under Kahuna Hala."

Chloe groaned softly, irritated. "I know, but how do I know he's really changed?"

"You don't. Not until you see him for yourself."

The girl sighed softly. "Well..." She looked out at the horizon, thinking. "Maybe I'll go home soon. Maybe. I don't think I'm ready to just yet."

Gladion smiled lightly. "I see. Just don't prolong it too much. It's not good to leave family issues unresolved. Trust me on that."

The redhead smiled too. "Okay. Thanks, Gladion. It's nice having a friend that understands me."

She was about to get up when she felt a wave of panic hit her, followed by a splash in the shallow waters. The pair both turned their attention to the shoreline where a single Finneon was poking up out of the water, frantically calling to them.

"Fin fin finne! Finneon!" the water type cried, waving its fins.

Chloe jumped to her feet. "Something's wrong..."

Before Gladion could question her, she was already throwing her shirt off and dropping her shorts. She set her bag aside just as the boy stood up, seeing her Litten bikini again. "Hold on, Chloe. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to help some pokemon in trouble." She gave him a serious look, kicking off her shoes. "I'm not going to ignore a cry for help."

Gladion smiled. "I know you're not." He suddenly pulled his hoodie and his shirt up over his head. "That's why I'm going with you." He slipped his shoes off and unfastened his bag from his hip before sliding his pants off. Underneath, he wore black swim trunks with a white Lycanroc design on it. "You didn't think you were the only one prepared for a swim, did you?"

The redhead looked him over, blushing a little. He was thin, but he still looked hot. "Nice. Very nice. Now let's go."

They both ran to the water, holding their breaths as they dove in. The Finneon swam ahead of them, leading them down to the reef at the bottom. That's where they saw it. A Bruxish with netting tangled around the protuberance on its head. It was down between some coral, unable to use its psychic power with the protuberance forced closed. Chloe pointed it out to Gladion before they swam up to the surface for air.

"That Bruxish," the blond began, catching his breath. "Those three grunts must not have gotten all the netting."

"Which means we have to clean up their mess," the girl concluded. "Let's be quick. Bruxish are good at keeping dangerous pokemon away from beaches. Without it, who knows what kinds of species will move in."

Diving back under again, the pair went down to where the Finneon was comforting the sad and frightened Bruxish. Chloe carefully swam closer to the fish pokemon, making sure it didn't act aggressive before lightly rubbing its side, letting it know they were there to help. She gave a friendly smile, feeling the sadness and fear of the pokemon. She and Gladion began tugging at the netting, but that's when something slimy wrapped around Chloe's ankle.

Before she knew it, the redhead was yanked backwards through the water. She nearly gasped with surprise, but clamped her mouth shut before she inhaled water. Gladion and the pokemon all looked shocked as Chloe was dragged away from them, and when she finally managed to look down at her foot, she saw seaweed that trailed from a Dhelmise. It had pulled her a short distance from Gladion, who was now swimming frantically to help her. Dhelmise aren't normally in places like this, the girl told herself. It must be invading without Bruxish around.

The seaweed was still around her ankle, but Chloe was free to face the pokemon. She reached out to try and touch the Dhelmise, but it simply wrapped up her whole body in seaweed, keeping her from moving. All she sensed from it was a willingness to claim this new territory. For once, she was actually afraid. She couldn't hold her breath for much longer, and the dual type didn't appear to want to let her go. She had fallen prey to the pokemon.

It was then that a blur of color rushed past her. It was the Bruxish, still tangled in netting, biting down on the wheel of the Dhelmise. Chloe noticed Gladion appear beside her, tugging at the seaweed to try and free her. But the Dhelmise kept a firm hold on her, and it used Shadow Ball to knock the Bruxish off. The Dhelmise then started to pull Chloe even farther from the shore, leaving Gladion with the now injured Bruxish.

Unable to hold her breath anymore, Chloe choked on water before passing out. Gladion went up for air before going down to the seabed, frantically looking for something to use. He managed to find a shell and sawed off the netting, finally freeing the Bruxish. He then held onto the fish pokemon as it raced toward the Dhelmise again, its protuberance opening up this time. It used Psychic to force the Dhelmise to release the captive girl. With her free, Gladion wrapped an arm around her waist and swam for the surface, leaving the fight to Bruxish.

The Bruxish circled its opponent, dodging its attacks while delivering Bite attacks one after the other. It then used Psychic again on the now weakened Dhelmise, flinging it far out of the reef area where it fled as fast as it could. The Finneon swam happily around its friend before they both looked up to where the two humans were at the surface. The boy was having trouble swimming to shore while also keeping Chloe from sinking. The Bruxish swam right up there to lend a fin.

Gladion struggled to swim with Chloe in his hold. "I've got you...don't worry, Chloe..." He was panting between his words, grunting as he pushed himself to stay up and keep going. "The one time...I wish...I had a...water type..."

He was taken by surprise when something came up under Chloe. It was the Bruxish, and it easily held the girl up above the water, carrying her on its back. Gladion swam alongside the fish pokemon all the way to the shallows where he pulled Chloe to the shore, laying her down on the sand where the waves lapped her feet.

Salazzle popped out of her pokeball at that moment, rushing to her trainer's side. "Salazz lazz!"

Gladion glanced at the pokemon, on his knees beside the redhead. "She inhaled water, and it doesn't look like she's breathing..." He was already acting, pinching her nose shut. "I've never had to do this before, but I kinda know what to do."

He took a deep breath, then leaned down to connect their lips. He'd never given mouth-to-mouth before, but he knew it couldn't be that difficult. He just had to get some oxygen in her lungs. He pulled away to take another deep breath before reconnecting their lips. After a few tries, Chloe came to, coughing up water. She immediately sat up, choking on the water coming up while the blond rubbed her back.

"Take it easy," he told her. "You okay, Chloe?"

The girl gasped as fresh air replaced the water she'd inhaled, managing to find her voice as she met his gaze. "Yeah...but what happened? That Dhelmise wouldn't let go... I couldn't breathe, then everything went black."

Gladion glanced toward the water where the Bruxish was. "Well, first of all, I managed to free that Bruxish. It was the one who saved you and chased off that Dhelmise. It even helped me get you to shore."

"Really?" Chloe slowly got up, wading into the shallows, just far enough to meet the Bruxish. "Thank you. I'm glad that you're all right." She smiled, reaching out to rub the pokemon's head.

"Brux, bruxish." The fish pokemon leaned into her touch. She could feel its joy, and watched it happily swim in circles. "Ish bruxish!" It waved its fin before submerging and swimming away.

Chloe stepped back until she was out of the water, smiling. Her eyes were fixated on the sparkling blue ocean, at least until Salazzle hugged her side. She looked down at her partner, rubbing her head. "Everything's fine, Salazzle. No need to worry."

Gladion only just realized something. When he gave her mouth-to-mouth...it was almost like a kiss. The way their lips pressed together had given him Butterfree in his stomach. At the time, he was so focused on saving her that he didn't think much of it, but now his mind was wandering a bit. How am I ever going to tell her...about the way I feel? I've never felt this way about anyone other than family...

"Gladion." The boy was snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that Chloe was looking at him in confusion. "Why's your face all red?"

The blond's mind raced for a response, and he rested a hand on his hip and turned his head away. "Because I..." An idea came to mind, and he remembered something Aether had been researching lately. "I have something to ask you."

Chloe tilted her head to the side slightly. "What is it?"

"Would you like to go to Mount Hokulani? There have been frequent Minior showers lately, nearly every night. Aether Foundation has been studying this phenomenon for quite some time, but I've never experienced it myself."

Chloe blushed a little. Is he asking me on a date? "Um...sure, but...why bring that up so suddenly? What about our mission?"

"There's been no news on Nihilego," he replied, his face still flushed. "Minior showers are usually rare, so the next few nights are a big opportunity. Besides, these little outings with you have been...fun."

Chloe couldn't keep from grinning. "I...have to agree with you there. It sounds like a great experience."

Though they kept their composure, both trainers were looking forward to it. After how much they were crushing on one another, it was about time for a real date. It would be good for them, not just the experience, but the time together. Their mission had been put on hold for the moment in favor of their growing relationship.