They of the Sun
Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Have A Bone to Pick With You

     "... How can you say that about her?!" We could hear Sen holler as we entered the one-story house.  

     "No! That's not what I meant!" 

     Gladion sat with his back to us. His arms were waving around as if trying to stop the miscommunication from spreading. Green eyes turned to look at me through an off-guard face. I could've laughed seeing Gladion so nervous. 

     While I paused, Lillie was but a blur pushing past me. Her arms flung around her brother, who seemed more annoyed than surprised. "You saw me not even a day ago. Knock it off."

     Lillie laughed, a somewhat nervous laugh, "I guess I still miss you a lot after two years... I have to make up for it, somehow." 

     He huffed, shaking his sister off, but his demeanor had softened. Lillie sat close to him and he allowed it. I wiggled my way next to him and Sen, looking around the table. How did I explain the Cosmog that was sitting in my bag? We all saw Tapu Fini hand off the position of Kahuna, so maybe it wasn't a crazy thing to announce. 

    "Pew!" 

   Nova couldn't keep quiet any longer. Everyone's head whipped around to stare me down with looks of interest. Delcatty out of the bag. I felt the sweat form on my brow from the heat of their eyes as I reached for my bag, unlatching the flap to reveal a galaxy-themed cloud blinking up at us in confusion. Hau and Hapu both stood fast to get a closer look of Nova, Gladion nudging into my shoulder as he also tried to peer at the creature. 

      "Did you turn Nebby... back?" Sen asked, skeptical about what his eyes were perceiving.

      "No!" Lillie interjected, swinging her bag around to show us a still Cosmoem- Nebby with eyes still closed.

    "No way," Hau gasped, "Does that mean we can reach them?! We can do what they did!" 

    "No." Gladion said sternly, placing his hand on the table. His eyes were narrowed. "While that was Giovanni and Lusamine's method, it won't be ours. We won't use lives at our expense." 

     Hapu nodded, "I think there's a place that can help you." 

     She stood, rummaging in a drawer of her nearby desk. Spinning around, she slapped down a worn map and jabbed at  a location northeast of where we were. A symbol of the sun sat atop the hill. "The Alter of the Sunne." 

     ***

      The silence of the night was as peaceful as it was dreadful. Being in an unfamiliar place with familiar people. It was almost like a sleepover. Lillie's breathing across the room was calm and even from within her lump of blankets. Nova snored softly, floating like a cloud over my pillow.  I never liked sleeping in the Pokemon Centers... I could always hear the late night patients and guests come and go down the halls. I rolled around to face the wall with an ominously cheery "Don't do Drugs!" poster; a kid high-fiving a Pikachu's tail. It wore a cute little detective hat. I sat up then. Thoughts were filling my head quicker than dreams, so I got up and shuffled around to change. There was no room to breathe indoors. 

     Even at night, the Alolan air was warm and a little sticky from the moisture. It was pleasant in comparison to the day. I wandered down to the beach, shoes in hand, letting the waves and sand lap over my toes. I was trying not to think too hard on it, but the thought hit me like a truck: What if I fail? 

      What was I expecting at the Alter?

      My team hasn't developed far,  I am a half-assed Trainer. There was no way I could get near Giovanni. And what could the others do? I could see the world begin to get bigger while I shrunk down to the size of a Cutiefly. A familiar figure walking towards me near the hazy ocean line kept me grounded. The moon casting soft hues of lavender across everything, adding to the feeling of vastness and loneliness. Please don't be anyone I know. 

       "Isn't it too dangerous for little girls to be on the beach past midnight?" 

       Gladion towered over me with green eyes glowing in the pale moonlight. He looked delicate... He quickly flicked something away, out of his fingers and cocked his head. 

     There was the moment of déjà vu as I tugged my hand away with a scoff. His head turned to hide a chuckle before his whole body followed the motion and then sat in the sand to watch the ocean. "Listen, Cyra..."

     "I really hope you didn't come out here because you have a bone to pick with me... Wh-what I said back at Hapu's... I didn't mean it like that." 

      I scrunched my face at him in confusion. I decided to poke,"Didn't mean what?"

     He glowered at me, catching on in an instant that I just wanted to hear him tell on himself. He realized I hadn't heard a damn thing. Placing my hand on his face, I pushed him away as I sat down next to him. To my surprise, he laughed awkwardly before falling into silence. I began to bury my feet into the sand, wiggling them as if they were little Diglett worming their way through the earth. Impending thoughts floated around in the air. Unspoken. 

     "Are you scared?" he finally asked. 

    "Of what?" I retorted. Ugh. Arceus, why so personal?

    "Of... if we fail?" 

     Right on target. I huffed, leaning back to look at the stars. "I don't know... The world becomes as rotten as we are on the inside..." 

      Maybe a while ago... that would've been great to see the world be angry with me, but how bored would I have gotten? It really wasn't a reality I wanted dwell in. And if what Dulse said about Necrozma was true and Giovanni's plan... Hah. Gladion pulled his knees up against his chest, his green eyes reflecting the deep blue of the ocean; lost in the depths of his thoughts. His graveled voice sounded soft, tired, "I refuse to lose the things I care about the most again."

      "First Dad."

      First Dad.

      "Then Mom."

      Then my sense of stability.

      "And finally, Lillie."

      And finally, myself.

      "I feel so stupid."

      I could relate to the feelings of loss, of your life being thrown into a spiral you had never asked for. What a weird thing to relate over... 

      And how fitting, everyone coming to me with their feelings... I said nothing, letting the silence hang out in solace. What if I see Cyrus again? Would I get answers? Maybe, I would just be disappointed like I have been since forever. I felt myself tense as his head fell to my shoulder, resting there for comfort. I moved no muscle, trying to ignore the softness of his hair. Time seemed to make its own slow, sweet pace. An eternity passed by before he stood up, looking at me before inhaling deeply to gather the words in his thoughts; "Back at Hapu's! I told Sen and Hau..."

    He paused for a moment, second guessing his choice, before mumbling.

    "If Lillie's a flower, you're a weed."

     What else had I expected?

     Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.

***

      "I have a bone to pick with you," Plumeria stated, emerging from a wall of former teammates. She rested her hands on her hips, her Salazzle snaking its way through her legs and it was for sure giving me the stink-eye. I stuck my tongue out at it quickly, earning me an annoyed hiss as I turned my head away. I raised my eyes to Plumeria, who had watched the whole interaction with a raised brow. 

     "What do you want?" I said stiffly, watching her with careful eyes. Next to me, Gladion was also on edge, nearly turning his back to keep from facing her. The last meeting we all had wasn't the most pleasant if memory serves me right. But I've slept since then. She wasn't much taller than me, but her demeanor made it seem like she was towering over me. With a flick of her wrist, Salazzle took a stance further away. I widened my eyes with realization that she wanted to battle. 

     "I told you back in Po Town," she growled loudly, "I'm not letting Guzma fail! You're not failing Guzma! As a member of Team Skull, I want to see your worth!"  

      Acro popped out of his PokeBall, eyes turning to me in question. I nodded with forced enthusiasm, taking steps back to create enough space between us for a skirmish. The Bagon trusted my signals.

    "You got this!" Hau hollered from further behind me, I could envision his smile with no issue. It was something plastered to my memory. 

      "Are you bright, burning like the sun? Or are you practical, calm like the moon?" Plumeria hollered across the field. Her arm raised, extending out to direct her partner. "Salazzle! Fire away!" 

     The creature slithered towards us, wasting no time to engage us in battle. Bagon whipped her away with a barrage of Dragon Claw, aiming for her eyes. She retreated, glaring back at her trainer for a command. Plumeria seemed surprised that my Pokemon had attacked back, rather than defending, waiting for an opening that would not come from such a quick creature. "Try to poison them! Toxic!" 

     Purple and green oozed from the Pokemon's slick skin, creating a pool of gunk at its feet. Sludge didn't slow the Salazzle, slapping Bagon aside with a slimy tail. Shoot. Acro grew pale at the contact, swiping at his opponent to no avail. One more solid strike and Acro was toast. I wasn't sure if a Pokemon could learn a move on... suggestion. I really don't have another choice. 

    "Acro! Protect yourself!"

    It was almost innate the way he looked back at me with trust, curling his body into a burst of light. Acro burned bright, his body melting and reforming into a spherical form, now cushioned by heavy bones. His eyes and four legs peeked out from his shell. The mysterious energy of his evolution repelled Salazzle's Flamethrower away in a shock wave. The newly formed Shelgon awaited instructions, shifting from one set of feet to the other. Plumeria wasted no time launching another attack on me. There was no more time to waste. 

     "You're not failing Guzma! Do you understand?!" Plumeria hollered, "No matter what, you're one of us!" 

      Acro didn't flinch as Salazzle landed a strike on his strong exterior; she continued to strike at my Pokemon with her flaming tail. I wanted to get angry at another expectation being placed on my shoulders, but... the way should looked at me with belief and Salazzle also kept her eyes on me while landing strikes made me realize that this was her way of cheering me on. Whether she admitted it or not. My enthusiasm became more realistic, because I had a long way to go to prove my worth.