Your Tragic Smile: Gladion x Reader

12 - Captives in the Shady House

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-Your POV-

I watched as Gladion pushed through the thicket, with me trailing behind. Constantly checking my items, I organized and then reorganized my medical supplies and Poke balls around my bag twice before a run-down building finally came into view.

Gladion marched in as if he'd been here many, many times before. And I suppose he had.

I followed close behind as grunts cowered and Gladion pushed past the teens. A few demanded a battle, only to be swiftly defeated with a few blows from his Type: Null.

Around a corner of the second-floor hall a skinny girl poses, pink and yellow pigtails swaying like whips, "Guzma told me you guys would be coming around the old place. Wonder why."

"Like you don't know why, Plumeria. You of all people should know everything that happens in the Team Skull. Isn't that right, high-and-mighty second-in-command?" Gladion snarls.

He tosses a Poke ball, and his Umbreon pops out. I throw out Leafeon, "Please let me battle too, Gladion."

"Who's that chick?" Laughs Plumeria as she reveals her Alolan Muk with her hands on her hips, "Got a girlfriend there?"

"Quick attack!"

Both Eevee evolutions sprint at top speed at Muk at their trainers' abrupt synchronized commands. They collided with the Muk and promptly jumped back.

"Toxic!" Plumeria grins.

"Shoot!" Gladion visibly grits his teeth.

He's right. The attack Toxic poisons the target, which happens to be Umbreon. The poison gets immensely worse each turn until the Pokemon loses all health and immediately faints.

"Gladion," I hesitantly tapped his shoulder.

"What do you want, (Y/N)?" He stares straight ahead, intently focused on the fight with clenched fists.

"Um, well, I have a Pecha berry for your Umbreon. That's all."

"Oh,"

I drop the fruit into his hand, and then he tosses it to his Pokemon, who eats it happily before too much damage is done.

"Leafeon!" I shout, "Please, use your Razor Leaf!"

Muk's health points very quickly deplete to zero, and Plumeria is forced to call out her last Pokemon, Salazzle.

"Return, Leafeon! Come on out, Poplio!" I put an arm out in front of Gladion, "Let me handle this."

I take a deep breath and call to Poplio, "Bubble Beam!"

"Super effective," Grumbles Gladion as he returns his Umbreon.

The force of the beam sends Salazzle flying before it can land a single attack. "Yes!" I pump my hands in the air and throw my arms around Gladion, who stiffens, "I one shot 'em!" I cry in happiness.

"Hey, (Y/N)."

"Oh! My Arceus, I'm so sorry." I step back in shame.

"No, it's just that Plumeria is attempting to leave."

I whip around to confirm, and Plumeria freezes mid-step.

Gladion crosses his arms and says, "So, as I said, Plumeria... You of all people should know what I'm here for."

"What? To hug your girl?" She giggles.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, Plumeria. Tell us where Lillie is."

She groans and slumps against a nearby wall, popping open a soda can. "Just upstairs."

"(Y/N). If you're ready, he's head up."

"...alright, let's go," I say, trying to cool my blushing face. I shouldn't have gotten carried away, but Gladion shrugged it off like it didn't happen at all.

We cautiously climb up a shadowy staircase and Gladion notes, "Everything looks the same. Though I suppose it's only been a little bit since I left." He turns to me, "Okay, let's focus. I'm sure Plumeria has told the whole building that we're here. There are only two possible rooms Lillie could be in."

"Are you suggesting we split ways?" I ask.

"Yeah." He huffs, "I'll go in the first one. Can you take the other?"

"Sure," I say, though I feel uneasy about going separate ways, even if it's just down the hall.

"Okay then." He marches one way, and I head the other way.

A sudden feeling of loneliness overcomes me, and I glance back to see Gladion opening one door, only ten to twenty feet away. "I can do this," I tell myself and reach for the handle.

I carefully open the door to a dark room, and I stumble to find the light switch. I never find them.

A pair of hands pins my arms to the wall behind me, and another person kicks the door shut. "This won't hurt," A voice from the person who trapped me says.

"Unhand me!" I sob, but a sharp pain in my head stops me as I collapse to the hard floor in agony.

-Gladion's POV-

I open the door to several grunts who I easily defeat, but other than that, the room is empty. That means (Y/N) has the right room. Racing out the door, I pause when I hear a recognizable cry. (Y/N)!

The second I slam the door open, Pokeball in hand, I'm met with a glaring light. Once my eyes adjust I gasp, horror etching its way to my face.

The two girls I care about most are chained to the walls of cages, completely unconscious with pain-stricken faces. I'm about to run over to them, but then a large figure blocks my way.

"Hold it right there, punk." Guzma frowns.

"No!" I scream, pushing past them. I'm unsure who to go to first, "Lillie! (Y/N)!"

"Are you sure about that?" Asks the leader of Team Skull.

I quickly turn around to see Guzma with a Pokeball in one hand, and (Y/N)'s trial captain necklace in the other. He sends forth a glowering Golisopod.

"Go! Null!" I shout, rage consuming my thoughts, "You're a dead man, Guzma!!"

-Your POV-

Waking to the sounds of a ragged battle, I groan as the pain in my wrist burns like fire. I groggily lift my head to see Gladion shrieking threats as he knocks out Pokémon after Pokémon that the leader of Team Skull sends out. The man of my nightmare is fighting Gladion with my pendant in his clutch.

In desperation, I pull at my chains, only enlarging the torture, "Gladion!" I gasped, tears running down my cheeks.

Gladion's next demand is for his Pokémon falter as he whips around to me, everything from relief to fear reflecting on his pale face. "(Y/N)!" He scrambles to reach me, but Guzma's next Pokemon, Pinser, yanks him to the floor.

"Yer battling me right now, brat." Guzma growls.

"Silvaly, blast burn!" Gladion demands, still trying to get to me. Did it evolve when I was unconscious?

"Dang it!" I hear Guzma shout through my hazy senses, "That was my last one!"

I hear Guzma scramble out the door, dropping my necklace in the process, and I try not to drift into an uncomfortable sleep as Gladion commands his newly evolved Pokemon to use Heat Wave on the bars of the cage and the chains trapping me.

I start to droop as the daze clouds my thoughts. Slowly, I close my eyes and fall into Gladion's waiting arms.

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Word count: 1179 words