"NO!" Lillie screamed, and she and Megan lunged towards the boy as the menacing purple light faded from around him. He looked almost exactly identical to Mother Beast Lusamine. Midnight blue hair, murderous saffron eyes... Psychopath grin. His upper body was encased inside the beasts head, just like his mother, and eight large black tentacles dangled below him. He hovered above the ground, still laughing maniacally as he watched his 'sister' and 'girlfriend' run towards him.

"Lillie stop!" Hau yelled, pulling the girl back into him. Sun did the same with Megan "It's no use, he's possessed! The only way to bring him back is if we fight him!"

"HA! Good luck with that!" Gladion mocked. He lifted his tentacles, ready for battle "After all, I'm way stronger than my mother!"

Megan let out a cry which was filled with both anger and sadness, but she proceeded to pull out two Pokeballs "So be it! Edge, Silvally, time to assist!"

The two Pokemon appeared in front of the beast, their faces filled with a mixture of emotions. Gladion stared down at them, scoffing with an eyebrow raised.

"So you brought the Beast Killers have you? Smart girl. That won't do shit, though. I know everything about these two; how they move, how they think, how they fight... I gotta say, all of you have a major disadvantage against me."

"Guess we'll have to wing it, then!" Sun yelled "Setsuko, Ice Shard!"

"Silvally, Multi Attack!" Megan commanded, throwing a Fire type disk towards her boyfriend's Pokemon.

The two creatures sent the attacks towards Gladion, which collided with each other and reduced to water before drenching one of the beast's tentacles. Gladion pulled it back, hissing in pain and anger.

"Now!" Lillie yelled. Both she and Hau had been waiting for an opening, and as soon as there was one they shot Gladion with their vinegar guns. The beast frilled about, clearly annoyed.

"You little shits!" Gladion snarled.

"Prince use Flash!" Megan commanded, ignoring the pain she was feeling from injuring Gladion "Blind him!"

"Not so fast!" Gladion yelled, enraged. With a swipe of a tentacle he smashed all of their Pokemon into a wall, stunning them for a moment. While the four trainers stared at their partners in shock, he took the opportunity to strike again.

Megan screamed, feeling a tentacle coil around and violently tighten around her before pulling her away from the ground. She faintly heard her friends screaming her name, before she came face to face with her apprehender. Gladion grinned darkly, his murderous eyes scanning her shaking body as he held her in his violent grasp.

"Still think they were just dreams, babe?" He spat, one of his tentacles roughly lifting her chin so she would look at him. She had been avoiding his gaze until now; she didn't want to see him in such a state. But now, with the pressure under her jaw she couldn't look anywhere but him. It made her clench her teeth, holding back any more cries.

"Put her down!" Sun ordered. He, Hau and Lillie were pointing their vinegar guns at him with angry expressions. Gladion sighed, moving the tentacle holding Megan beside him so he could see them clearly.

"You know, I don't think I will," He grinned evilly as one of his tentacles reached up to ruffle her hair. It was much harsher and colder than usual, making her wince. "I believe I have the right to embrace my girlfriend, don't I?"

"That's different," Lillie shrieked "You're hurting her!"

He shrugged "Don't care."

Sun reached for the trigger "You have three seconds to put her down."

"Oh I'm so scared..."

"Three." Sun began.

"Two..." Hau continued, slightly hesitant.

"One--" Lillie tried to add.

Gladion squeezed Megan's torso, making her gasp sharply followed by a few coughs. Her friends gasped, their guns dropping to their sides at her sudden distress.

"Ha!" The boy scoffed "You see? I know you guys, therefore I know you'd do anything for your friends. That means, you can't bear to see this little sweetie hurt. Making her the perfect hostage."

Lillie gasped. She couldn't believe this this was coming from her brother.

"So here's the deal; You don't attack, and I won't hurt her. However, if you make any attempts to stop me-" He squeezed her again "-She gets it."

"Stop you?" Sun's eyes narrowed "Stop you from doing what?"

Gladion laughed as he floated towards the group "From starting the Ultra revolution of course. With my help, beasts will rule Alola and beyond!"

Silvally and Edge jumped up, biting down on one of his tentacles while he wasn't paying attention. He growled and threw them off him, only to hiss as Dana hit him with another ice shard. Setsuko jabbed a Metal claw into another tentacle, causing him to nearly shriek. He only just managed to block a Thunderbolt attack from Raichu before letting out an infuriated yell.

"Bastards!" He snapped, batting every single one of them away. He grinned at their weak attempts to get back on feet, only to scream in pain as soon as he felt a stinging burning on his beast's side. He turned his head, his scowl deepening when he found Megan pointing her vinegar gun directly at him. Her face was serious, eyebrows knitted together and nose crinkled. However despite that her eyes were filled with unfallen tears, showing how badly hurting him upset her.

Gladion continued to glare at her, bringing up a tentacle to hit her with "You're gonna regret that."

She lowered her gun, shaking her head "No, I won't..."

He growled, bringing his tentacle down to smash into her. She closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek to her jaw, dropping off her chin before splashing onto his tentacle.

She expected to feel the pain after a second, but it never came...

She opened her eyes, only to notice Gladion's tentacle had halted right above her. Her eyes slowly traveled to Gladion. He was frozen, his eyes wide and his lips parted, his brows pulled downwards. She felt his grip soften to the point of it seeming he was cradling her like a baby, confusing her further.

What she didn't realize, was the tear she had shed had triggered thousands of Gladion's memories at once, halting Nihilego's hold on his mind.

Flashback

(Gladion POV)

"W-What the hell?!" I yelled in shock as I stood up. We had just watched Null battle against herself, and fall unconscious after she... she changed form. I ran over to the motionless figure and knelt by her side. It was a girl. A human girl. "This is impossible, how can Null have turned into a human?!"

---

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" I asked Megan.

"I didn't want to lose our partnership... We can't be partners if I'm human... It'll never work. Besides, I'm sure you hate me now..." She murmured, staring down at her knees.

"Why would I hate you?"

She sighed, explaining how she knew how I never liked associating with humans and how I hated being lied to. And since she had basically lied about not being human she thought I wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore. After she finished I groaned, rubbing my temple in irritation.

"You're an idiot..."

"W-What?"

"I said you're an idiot."

I grabbed both of her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace "An idiot that you'd ever think I'd hate you. You've always been there for me, no matter what the situation. You are my partner no matter what... and I don't care if you're human, or a Pokemon... So don't you dare think otherwise..." I whispered, running a hand through her hair.

---

The girl took a deep breath, and let it out in a huge sigh. "Laura and I... We didn't have the best relationship... She used to treat me like a slave, and lock me in the closet when I disobeyed her... Not to mention all the fighting we had..."

"Did your parents know about this? Did you tell them?"

She clenched her jaw, and a shadow cast over her eyes "My parents... They died in a car crash when I was six..."

My heart skipped a beat when those words escaped her mouth, she had lost her parents at a very young age... Like how I lost dad.

"Cor?" Corsola stared at Megan with sad eyes, before jumping into her arms and snuggling into her chest. "Laura was so nice before that, but when Mom and Dad died... she became cruel and selfish... Forcing me to do her work, and beating me up for the fun of it. Of course Luke stopped her when he could, but she usually picked on me when he was out. And because she was three years older than me, I was too weak to defend myself..."

Megan began to tear up. She held Corsola close to her and cried softly. "I don't know why she changed... I don't know why she acted like it was my fault... But she did, and she even had the nerve to lock me outside, in the snow... overnight... If Luke hadn't found me, I'd be... I--!' She choked, unable to finish."

I stared at her, tearing up myself. This poor girl, lost her parents and was abused by her own family. The thought was so unbearable I just automatically wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest.

---

"We won... WE REALLY WON, NULL!" I grinned like an idiot and Megan turned to me with a weak smile, until she began to collapse too from exhaustion. Gasping, I ran to her and caught her, helping her to her feet and supporting her weight. "You were awesome... I'm so proud of you..." I beamed, while hugging her tightly.

"Heh, thanks..." She whispered, before closing her tired eyes. Then, the unbelievable happened...

Megan began to glow, and her body shape began to shift. My eyes widened as I backed away slowly. "O-Oh my God... It's-"

"It's evolving!" L muttered, she had the same expression as me as she picked up her Lycanroc and stood beside me.

The light finally faded, revealing a large majestic creature that stood in Null's place.

"Silvally..." I whispered as I slowly walked towards the newly evolved Pokemon, who was looking at herself in confusion. I lifted my hand and gently placed it on top of her head, signalling her to look up at me. "You look incredible..."

She smiled, and so did I, before each of us rested our foreheads on each other's. I was just so happy Megan trusted me enough to allow this to happen.

"Ahem!" L coughed, signalling us to face her. "Congrats on winning, dorks. But you won't get so lucky next time."

I smirked. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

She let out another 'tch', before turning on her heels and walking away with Lycanroc in her arms. Megan and I turned to face each other and smiled.

"Now," I started, resting my head against hers yet again. "Let's get you healed up partner..."

---

I was shaking, my fists and teeth clenched. I had seen her scars before, but....

Her eyebrows pulled downwards, her lips changing from a scowl to a saddened frown as I walked towards her. When I stopped we were only inches apart. I reached up and cupped her cheek, caressing it with my thumb as we stared into each other's eyes.

"Gladion?"

"...It was your sister..."

Her eyes widened.

"I... I knew she abused you in the past but... I didn't think it was this bad... I can't even begin to imagine the pain you went through..."

Her tears finally gushed out, and she covered her mouth to muffle her loud sobs. I gasped as she collapsed into my chest and wrapped her arms around my frame, hiding her face in my shoulder. However, I soon recovered from being stunned and wrapped my arms tightly around her, rubbing her back while resting my chin on the top of her head. We sunk to the ground, not pulling away from each other's embrace.

---

"Megan I feel like there's something I need to tell you..." I told her, lowering our hands till they rested on the chairs.

"Huh? Yea what is it?" She asked, tilting tilting head.

"We'll the truth is... umm... okay I'm really not sure how I should put this... you know how bad I am with explaining my feelings..."

She nodded. Obviously she was trying not to smirk "Yep. I'm aware."

"Well... Arceus this is hard." I pulled down the collar of my shirt, trying to reduce my nervous sweat. "Well... ever since that night where I finally found out about the real you, I've had this feeling unlike any feeling I've had before. It makes me feel all strange inside whenever I'm near you. My heart always beats faster and...Well... the truth is although I don't show it I'm always happy when I'm with you... even in situations like this. I think what I'm trying to say is... I like you... a lot"

She stared at me, mouth agape and absolutely speechless. I sighed

"I guess that wasn't clear enough..." I muttered, as I placed both of my hands on her shoulders. I leaned in, before pressing my lips against hers. I felt her body stiffen as she let out a tiny squeak, making me resist the urge to smirk. As I pulled away I stared directly into her beautiful aqua blue eyes.

"Now do you understand?" I asked softly, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Megan suddenly groaned and fell backwards, making me gasp. Luckily though, I was able to catch her and hold her up by her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." She squeaked.

I smiled, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. She happily returned it, and we stayed there for a good few minutes, until she came out with a sudden question.

"But why? Why do you like me?" her question was muffled by my chest. I held her closer.

"Hmm... let's see, you're strong, smart, kind, brave, beautiful, a tad sarcastic, and you have the biggest heart I've ever known. I think that's an instant win in my book."

"Biggest heart? Me? Nah..." she smirked, before cupping my cheek with her hand "That's you, Gladion..."

"Really?" I grinned as I held her hand, lacing my fingers with hers "Well then... I guess the only question now is... do you feel the same--"

I was cut of by her lips against mine, to which I immediately kissed back. I weaved my free hand through her hair to deepen the kiss, while she placed her free hand on my chest. Our lips danced in perfect sync, as we were pulled deeper into the moment. But of course, we had to pull away for air.

"I forgot that I kinda need air to live. She giggled slightly. "But does that answer your question?"

I chuckled and nodded, before resting my forehead on hers. "Definitely..."

---

'I'm proud of you, you know that?' I told Megan, looking down at the floor. "You've come so far from the Type:Null I found in that jail cell. You've even come out of your shell as a person. I've watched you grow, despite your past still haunting you. I've seen you let down your walls, that you built to prevent yourself from getting hurt, to allow the people that care about you to help you. You protected your friends in their time of need, despite your own injuries. You even regained your personality, which was clouded from the time you spent alone. Sure you still make sarcastic remarks, but your childish quirks and giddy actions have increased since you first came into my life. And for that, I'm happy that we became Partners. You are an inspiration to me." I rested my forehead on hers, closing my eyes.

She let out a content sigh "You literally took those words out of my mouth... Except when I was going to say them, they would've been aimed at you."

My eyebrows furrowed "What do you mean?"

She chuckled. "You've changed too, you know. From the longest time I've known you, you never wanted to get yourself involved with others. You thought all you needed was your Pokemon and yourself. Even as Team Skull's enforcer, you never got involved with the grunts. Nor did you accept help from Plumeria when she offered. I watched you build up your walls so you would never get hurt again, scared of what your mother did. But, when you met Sun and Hau, and you asked them to protect Cosmog, that was the first time you accepted you couldn't do things alone. You began to start relying on others, and even battled alongside them. You opened up to people around you, even if they weren't your family. And just now, what you said to Sun...' I let out a breath, and giggled. 'It wasn't the best, but I know you had your heart in the right place. I'm proud of you, Gladion..."

---

Megan gritted her teeth, her tears had been falling for a while now and were leaving marks on the floor. Then... She spoke words that nearly shattered my heart.

"...Maybe everyone was right...' her voice got colder with every word. 'Maybe we shouldn't have gotten together..."

---

the light in her chest soon faded. She let out a large breath, finally able to breathe properly again. She opened her eyes, finding my watery ones staring directly at them.

"You did it..." I whispered, pulling away to cup her face with my hands "Oh my God you did it! You're alive!"

She laughed as more tears slipped down her face, and she reached up to clutch one of my hands. "Thank you, Gladion."

"What for?"

"For bringing me out of the dark... It's thanks to you I was able to do it."

I smiled, shaking my head and running a thumb under her eye "That was all you, I just gave you motivation." He then sighed, his voice cracking awkwardly as he spoke again "But... Next time you need saving, please don't be in the middle of near death when I find you."

She laughed "No promises, babe..."

She squeezed my hand softly, kissing the inside of my palm before falling into my embrace and letting me clutch her tightly.

"I love you..."

"I love you too..."

---

Megan wrapped her arms securely around my neck while my arms locked around her waist. She buried her face into my neck and sobbed into my shoulder as I held her tightly, not letting go for anyone or anything as I peppered the side of her face with kisses. Cheek, jaw, neck, ear. Anywhere I could reach was met with my lips at least once.

"It's over..." Megan whispered, her voice shaky from crying "It's really over!"

"It's over..." I agreed, voice cracking. Iran one hand up and down her back, enjoying the warmth I had missed far too much. I pulled away only slightly, still keeping ahold of her as I gazed into her tearfilled eyes. I reached up and cupped her cheek, wiping away her happy tears "... I'm sorry, I was such a prick to you..."

Megan shook her head, placing her hand on top of mine "It was my fault, I pushed you too hard, I was just--"

"Hurting." I finished, pressing my forehead against hers and closing my eyes "We both were, sweetie..."

She let out a sniffle "...We both said some things we regret, huh?"

I nodded "Been beating myself over it every single day..."

"So have I..."

"I'm so sorry..."

"...Me too... Arceus I'm sorry..."

We brought our lips forward, pressing them together into a long passionate, deeply wanted kiss. Megan reached up to run her fingers through my hair, while I lifted her up by her waist until only her toes were on the ground. I recalled how damn light she was.

End of Flashback

(3rd POV)

Gladion stared at Megan, eyes full of guilt and sorrow. She stared back, confused at his hesitation, only to gasp when his eyes returned to their normal emerald colour and his hair back to platinum blonde. A single tear rolled down his face as he spoke in a strangled whisper.

"I'm so sorry..."

Instantly, his body separated from Nihilego's, causing both him and Megan to start falling to the ground. Luckily Edge was quick to take action as she jumped up, catching both of them on her back and landing gracefully on all fours. Gladion had fallen unconscious, meaning Megan had to hold him close to her while climbing off Edge's back. Then, she collapsed to her knees, hugging the boy close as she cried into his shoulder.

"Thank God... I thought I lost you..."