After plenty of distractions from a group of preschool trainers, I finally take off to Mohn's island.

Charizard snorts in excitement when it realizes our destination. Charizard in particular really seem to love this small chain of pelago islands. There are usually lots of them there when I stop by.

Remembering the first time I encountered Mohn makes me chuckle to myself. I happened to page a very naughty Charizard one day. Not only did it fly as if nobody was on it, but it also gave zero shits about where I wanted to go!

At the time, it was very frightening, being carried off into the open ocean. I was scared it had plans on bringing me back to Kanto! When it landed, I was even more frightened to see a raft hut and a weird guy in a grass skirt.

Nobody would hear me screaming.

Turns out we would both have the same reaction. Pure terror. It was almost as if he had never seen another human being before.

Finally, one of us gathered the strength to do something other than stare. He wanted to know how I found him. After a few tense moments of explaining myself, he offered me a large amount of Pokebeans in exchange for a set of clothing from the main island.

Against my better judgment I agreed to the deal, even though it seemed very suspicious at the time. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The man seemed to be honest, and frankly, very confused.

We built a relationship over time and became friendly with each other. Soon I was making regular trips out to see him, exchanging supplies for beans. He even agreed to raise my extra Pokemon for me, if he could use them to help develop his island home.

Every time I visit, there seems to be some kind of new installation! For someone with very limited resources, he sure knows how to put things together. He even has me picking up electrical supplies, as he is adding power to the island.

Lucky for him, Pokebeans make excellent currency here in Alola. They are a prized treat for Pokemon and humans alike! He has selectively bred the bean stalks that grew wild on his island to be breath takingly massive, producing more beans than we know what to do with!

I still wonder why a man so genius is living on a pelago island, but he never seems to have a good answer when I question him about his past. I finally gave up asking, he becomes very frustrated with me when it comes up.

I've offered several times to bring him to the main land, but he seems to have no desire to go there. If anything, he seems frightened at the thought of leaving his tiny paradise. I can't imagine living so completely alone like that. I try to make an effort to see him as much as I can.

________________

Charizard drops me off near his raft hut. I peek my head in real quick, just to make sure he's not in there. He rarely is. I get to work unloading my large pack, it's stuffed full of parts from the list he sent back with me last time.

Now for the fun part. Finding him.

After a bit of searching, I spot him in the garden with the Pokemon harvesting Pinap berries. His golden, suntanned skin glistens with sweat. He takes a break for a minute to wipe his brow.

"Harvesting these Pinap berries is hard work! You should go capture a Machamp for me!" he chuckles, "Oh well, maybe I should call it a day."

"I got those parts you were asking for."

"Thanks, my girl!" he says, giving me a one armed squeeze of a hug, "Follow me back to the raft hut! I've got a big pot of Pokebean soup waiting for us."

We chat for a bit, talking about the progress he's made developing the islands with my Pokemon. I give him all the highlights from my recent battles, and tell him about my two best friends who are falling in love with each other.

"That's just wonderful," he says in reply to my story about Lillie and Hau.

"Yes, it's super adorable, but they sure are spending a lot of time alone lately...sometimes when I hang out with them I feel a bit like a third wheel."

"I bet you have all kinds of boyfriends!" he says, teasing me a bit.

"Well, not exactly..."

"Not exactly, isn't a no," he chuckles, "What's his name?"

"His name is Gladion, we aren't really boyfriend/girlfriend. Not even really friends I would say either, but I do find myself thinking about him quite a bit lately."

"Gladion..." he says, pausing for a minute. He almost seems to look a little confused, frightened even.

"That's a very cool name!" he exclaims suddenly, knocking over his glass of juice.

I tell him about all of the times I've ran into him, I even told him about the night I spent with him.

Mohn is so easy going! For someone who spends 99.9% of his time with Pokemon, he sure seems to be interested in the affairs of people. He really is fascinating to me sometimes.

He chuckles at my story. I really hope he doesn't think less of me for telling him these things! I can't believe I did that myself. Luckily he seems pretty understanding about the situation, amused even.

"Well, maybe you just need to give him a big, wet smooch the next time you see him!"

I blush at the thought of kissing Gladion. I know it's ridiculous, but maybe the guy has a point. What exactly do I have to lose with him anyway? He's not really my friend, so if he flat out rejects me, I'm not exactly out much. It would be rather embarrassing, but it's not like I see him too often.

"Hello?" Mohn laughs, as he waves his hand, "He must be pretty dreamy if the thought of kissing him makes you glaze over like that!"

"Yeah, well it doesn't really matter, I don't even have his phone number."

"Yeah, but you know where he lives though, don't you?"

"I guess...that morning is kinda foggy. I can't remember where exactly. And even if I did, I thought he lived on a different island. He just showed up out of nowhere!"

"Are you sure he's really somebody you want to get involved with?" Mohn asks, he seems a bit concerned at my lack of knowledge about Gladion.

I sit there for a moment, trying to let it all sink in.

"Probably not, but..."

"But what?" he snickers, "Now I have to know."

"I don't know. He just seems, kind I guess...and gentle. When I spend time with him he seems to be genuine, that's a hard thing to find sometimes. I get a good feeling when I'm around him."

"Well he sounds perfect," he says, leaning back in his chair.

"But he's not. In fact, he is far from perfect. He works for a gang, but only when he really needs the money. He doesn't seem to have much-"

"Oh Arceus! Not a bad boy! Moon, you're too smart for that."

"Would a bad person stand up for me? Or help me out when I'm at my most vulnerable? Would a bad boy be concerned about my safety? Worry about my opinion of him? It should be obvious, but it's not with him. Regardless, I can't stop thinking about him."

"Hmp. I don't know what to tell you...I'm probably not the best person to answer these questions anyway!" Mohn chuckles heartily.

Despite the warmth of his laughter I catch a bit of sadness in his eyes.

Part of me wonders if Mohn has a past that he wants to forget.

O