Chapter 13 – Coming of Age
Liepard swiped her large claws down – hard – across Iara's face and shoulder. The force of the attack was strong enough to knock the little Vaporeon down to the ground, landing on her other shoulder. Blood poured out of the wounds Liepard's attack left behind, some was even splattered all over the dark cat's face. Liepard looked down at her victim with a cruel smirk as Iara lay on the grass, her blood beginning to stain the area beneath her. Reese wasn't doing much better; his attacks and Scrafty's kept missing one another, and both Pokémon were growing exhausted and frustrated. Robbie cowered behind Keith, quivering where he crouched, not daring to look at the bloodbath of a battle. Keith was becoming frustrated himself, but Keenan couldn't help worrying for Iara's safety.
"At least you're getting somewhere, Gabs," Andy sighed, steadily growing impatient with the stand off between his Scrafty and Keith's Buizel.
"Liepard, finish the job!" Gabby commanded with sickening delight. Obeying her master with pleasure, the Cruel Pokémon set one paw on the Vaporeon's head as she raised her other paw, her claws growing and glowing in an eerie dark purple light. Iara looked up helplessly as her opponent was ready for the kill. Iara feared the worst, and began to cry softly; in a few moments, her life would be extinguished. Reese wanted to help Iara so badly, but he knew he couldn't, knowing that the gum chewing Hoodlum Pokémon was on his case. He looked back at his cowering Deerling comrade with so much anger; Iara was about to be killed, Robbie could not afford to be a little crybaby.
"Whuh?!" Keenan was taken by surprise as one of his Pokémon released itself from its Poké Ball and watched as the light headed straight for Iara. The light quickly formed into a very pissed off Riolu that countered Liepard's killer attack before the feline could even lower her claws, sending her flying towards Gabby's feet with a burst of green energy released from the Riolu's paws. Keith was extremely surprised.
"Kyle?!"
"Grrrrr...!" The little Riolu snarled at the Liepard, anticipating her next attack. The cat Pokémon managed to scramble back onto her feet and hissed angrily at the Emanation Pokémon. Andy spotted the newcomer.
"A Riolu? Heh, that thing won't stand a chance!"
"L-leave him alone! Alex gave him to me!" Keenan yelled defensively.
"Cute. Is it the son of her Lucario or summut?" Gabby assumed rudely. Keith raised an eyebrow.
"No. Ryder's only three, what made you think he fathered an offspring of any description? Honestly."
Reese and Scrafty were at their wits end; they could not stand the fact that they couldn't hit one another. They decided to go all out with their next attacks, lunging at each other with Reese's fist freezing over and Scrafty's giving off static electricity.
Skywing sat in the middle of the kitchen table, with a small plate of blue poffins next to him. He refused to touch the poffins, despite them being his favourite. Lily sat in front of him with Ian and Hayden standing on either side of the slightly anxious woman. The Chatot huffed as he avoided all eye contact with Lily.
"I am sorry, m'lady, but I will not, nor will I ever, speak ill of my Trainer behind her back," he said adamantly.
"She's my daughter!" Lily exclaimed.,
"Then it is her you must speak to," Skywing insisted as he looked at Lily again. "I refuse to say anything against her." Ian laughed.
"Well you can't say her Pokémon aren't loyal to her, Lily."
"There will be a heatwave in Snowpoint City before I turn against my dear Alexa," the Chatot stated. "Lupin cannot say the same, though, unfortunately."
"He'll come around eventually," Ian smiled.
"My good sir, it has been seven years since the darling Lydia was brutally taken away from him; I happen to be one of several Pokémon who believe that the chances of that Alakazam's heart changing now are slim to none," Skywing said regretfully.
"But there's still a chance," Hayden said, sounding only somewhat optimistic.
"That there is, but most of the clan believe he'll never change, period. But, if he is to change, then it is Lupin himself that must make the change, nobody else can influence him otherwise."
"That's true, but it's impossible to hold a grudge forever," Ian stated. Skywing folded his wings.
"I don't think Kincaid would agree," he muttered inaudibly to himself.
"What was that?" Lily asked politely.
"Nothing at all. Now, if we are done with this brutish interrogation-"
"I'm sorry; I just wanted to know what happened while we were gone is all," Lily sighed.
"If anything," Ian added quietly. "Seriously, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
A bright flash momentarily blinded the residents as the disgruntled Alakazam made his appearance. The adults looked at one another in confusion as Lupin sat down on the sofa nearest to him.
"Nice to see you as well," Skywing sighed sarcastically. "What are you doing back here, I assumed Alexa and Mavis went off to search for you."
"Kazam," Lupin huffed. "Alakazam."
"Well that was rude of you!" Lily snapped.
"So, come on, Lupin, what 'awful truth' did she say to you to make you leave in such a grumpy fit?" Skywing asked.
"Kazam," Lupin replied, shaking his head. "Alakazam, kazam, kazam."
"WHAT!?" Skywing squawked out of sheer horror. "You left her at Lydia's grave?!"
"Again, that was rude of you!" Lily exclaimed. Lupin scoffed.
"Kazam. Alakazam..."
"And you just abandoned her?!" Skywing shouted furiously. Lily tried to calm her panicking husband as the little bird flew over to Lupin and hovered in front of him. "You've gone too far this time, if Lydia were here to hear about this, she-"
Ryder and Layla looked towards the house in astonishment; the argument between Lupin and Skywing even reached their ears. The weather was still as clear as crystal, but the temperature had dropped a little since Keith and Keenan left for Goldenrod City. The shining Zangoose lay on the beach towel, on her belly, next to the fluffy Lucario sitting on it with her.
"Lupin seriously deserted Alex?!"
"Nyah?!" Layla gasped in horror. Ryder sighed.
"He's lucky she still has Mavis with her; otherwise he'd be joining Lydia in the afterlife." Layla looked up at Ryder angrily.
"Hsss!"
"Yeah; too harsh, you're right. Sorry." He sighed as Layla calmed herself. "It's just...I've never heard of a Pokémon abandoning their Trainer before. Trainers abandoning Pokémon, sure, but Pokémon abandoning Trainers?"
"Nyah..."
"Anyway, as I was saying," Ryder said as he began to smile at the Zangoose. "I never really thanked you."
"Nyah?" Layla tilted her head in confusion.
"For sticking by Alex. A-and for being a really, really, really awesome friend," Ryder continued, blushing a little. Layla smiled happily at the Lucario. "But...how did you stand up to five of Cain's Pokémon?"
"Nah-yah," Layla replied. Ryder chuckled.
"Should've known. I AM talking to the dancing queen, after all."
"Ni-yah..!" Layla blushed from the compliment as she playfully – and lightly – slapped her fist on Ryder's arm.
"No, I'm serious! Out of everyone who knows how to dance – and/or how to use Swords Dance – you're the best of them all. I've not known a Pokémon to incorporate dancing into their battling style. You're amazing."
"Nyaaaah..." Grateful for the kind words, Layla nuzzled Ryder's cheek. Their eyes met spontaneously, and they both felt the air around them warming up; was it the weather increasing its temperature or was it...?
A huge explosion erupted before the pair could understand the tender air around them, which quickly blew away as the explosion echoed loudly all around them. They looked up at the towering smoke, wide-eyed from the abruptness of the explosion. Skywing, Hayden, Lily and Ian left the house and spotted the black smoke almost instantly. They were horrified.
"What was that?!" Lily cried.
"The smoke's too thin to be a fire," Ian observed. Ryder soon noticed other residents leaving their houses to look up at the smoke in awe and confusion. He grew annoyed as he heard gossiping. "It was probably a clash of sorts."
"But what if Keenan's involved somehow?!" Hayden panicked. Ian pondered the location of the clash and compared it to the Goldenrod Radio Tower, which could be seen from Violet City; it was possible that Keenan was involved, due to the fact that Keenan wasn't home and that the smoke came from the route between Violet City and the upper exit of the National Park.
"We'll find out. Come on!" Ian and Hayden raced out of the city, headed straight for the source of the explosion.
Xavier was in the previously quiet woodlands when he heard the explosion. Wild Pokémon were running past him in fear. Xavier didn't think about who or what caused the explosion; instead, he raced towards it, as fast as his legs could take him.
Reese and Scrafty crashed onto their backs as a result of their colliding attacks. Keith lifted the winded Buizel into his arms while Keenan recalled Iara back into her Poké Ball, away from Liepard. He then released the Vaporeon almost immediately afterwards and took his T-shirt off. Tearing it up, he tried his best to cover Iara's injuries with it, but there was more blood than there was T-shirt.
"Oh dear me, looks like the runt's going to die after all," Gabby taunted. "A slow death is always the worst kind. And I love it!"
"What kind of twisted monster are you?!" Keith yelled furiously.
"Believe me, pal, I'm as worried for her sanity as you are," Andy said casually. "It's like I'm working with a female Jekyll and Hyde." Keenan took out another Poké Ball from his pocket and opened it.
"Mason, Kyle needs help!" he cried as the Hitmontop burst forth from the Poké Ball's light. Mason landed next to the Riolu and readied himself for combat.
"Hitmontop!"
"Oh, please! It's just as dead as Vaporeon will be! Liepard, Aerial Ace!"
"Scrafty, Zen Headbutt!" Andy instructed. Kyle and Mason braced themselves as Scrafty lunged at the pair, mohawk shining in a purple glow. Liepard leapt at the two Fighting types, leaving streams of light behind her.
Before the two Pokémon could hit their targets, Xavier rushed in between them and swept his leg across both heads of Scrafty and Liepard. He knocked them away from the startled Riolu and Hitmontop, who hadn't expected his appearance in the fight. Standing up straight, Xavier glared at Gabby and Andy.
"Figures you'd be behind that explosion! So, what's the deal, where's the Head Honchkrow?" he asked.
"Um, excuse me, who gave you the right to barge in on this fight?" Gabby asked rudely.
"You did when you scared nearly all of Route 42!" Xavier roared.
Valerie awoke with a moan as she slowly sat up on the floor behind the reception counter of the Lavender Tower. She rubbed her head lightly as she looked around at her surroundings.
"Oh, dear me...I must have passed out..." She held onto the desk as she pulled herself up onto her feet. "Oof..! Now...what was I doing..?" She spotted the padlock on the main doors of the tower. "Oh, my! Did I not open the tower? No wonder nobody's come in," she laughed to herself as she took a set of keys casually placed near the bronze Arceus statue and slowly walked over to the padlock. "Silly me." She removed the padlock from the doors after unlocking it with her keys. Taking the padlock with her, she returned to the reception desk. "I could have sworn I opened the doors this morning," she muttered as she placed the keys where she found them. She placed the padlock next to them and sighed. "I know; I need a nice cup of tea." She walked towards the back office and flicked a switch on the black kettle in the back office.
Jordan crouched over Alexa, still pressing his dagger lightly against her cheek, and looked all over her, wondering where to harm her first. Alexa watched helplessly as he scanned her body for an ideal starting point for her impending suffering. He looked at her legs for a while; they were exposed as she was wearing her denim shorts, so her legs could be an ideal place to start. But his blade was already on her cheek, so there would be the obvious place to start. He looked at Alexa straight in the face again.
"Well this is difficult. I don't know where the first incision should be," he said casually. Alexa felt even more terrified. Incision? That's a term surgeons use when describing surgical procedures! She was clueless about how she could possibly escape from this sick individual examining her like nothing more than a piece of meat. "Tell me, Alexa. Where would it hurt you the most? Your hip...or your thigh?"
From absolute spontaneity, Alexa spat at Jordan, straight in his eye. He staggered back as he recoiled, allowing Alexa ample time to shoot off of the floor and to race down the tower. Jordan saw her escaping after wiping his eye. He snarled furiously as he ran after her.
Alexa burst through the tower doors and headed west, towards Saffron City. Jordan left the tower, but saw Alexa leaving his line of vision. He took a Poké Ball and released his Skarmory from inside. Skarmory bent his knees, expecting Jordan to climb onto his back. Jordan climbed onto Skarmory's back.
"Aerial pursuit," Jordan said quietly. With a roar, Skarmory took flight and followed the fleeing Alexa from the air.
"You can't stop us," Gabby huffed. "Vaporeon's as good as dead and our Pokémon are clearly superior."
"How do you know?! You've never actually had a proper fight against Keenan OR Alexa!" Keith shouted. "All you are is cheap tactics!"
"Okay, I'd like to introduce your face to the dirt now!" Andy said with withheld anger. "Scrafty, kick Zoroark's ass!"
"You too, Liepard!"
"Pfft, please! I can kick their backsides in my sleep!" Xavier laughed mockingly. Irate, the two Dark types leapt towards the Illusion Fox, only for a red-spined Sandslash to burst from the earth and slash the two enemy Pokémon in their faces. Xavier blinked. "Didn't see that one comin'."
"Urgh, stupid Sandslash!" Gabby complained. "Okay, that thing's dead too!"
"Keenan!" Keenan felt a wave of relief as he heard his father calling his name. He and Keith watched as an Arcanine raced onto the scene and slapped Scrafty and Liepard with her abnormally large tail, brimming in a metallic grey light. The pair crashed into their trainers, knocking them down. Andy was the first to sit up, but he looked dazed. Hayden and Ian approached Keenan and Keith, and Andy observed the gathering, his vision momentarily disoriented.
"Urgh...I'm seein' triple here," he groaned, having seen three individuals with almost the exact same hairstyle talking to one another.
"Ow...!" Gabby sat up, rubbing her head. "Andy, let's get out of here..."
"Y-yeah." The poachers recalled their fatigued Pokémon back into their respective Poké Balls and made their way to the Jeep. Xavier spotted their attempt to flee.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" he shouted demandingly. Gabby and Andy jumped into the vehicle, Andy taking his usual place in the driver's seat, and smirked at their opponents.
"Enjoy this victory while you can! Just remember Alexa's not so fortunate!" Andy retorted, starting the engine of the Jeep. Hayden's eyes widened; there was more to Lupin's story than he let on.
"What did you say?!" he asked firmly.
"Buh-bye!" Andy cackled, driving off. The Jeep sprayed a little dirt at Xavier, but the dirt missed him entirely. Everyone watched the Jeep driving off quickly, Andy and Gabby laughing almost maniacally in spite of their trouncing.
"Why you..!" Xavier sprinted off to give chase, but was immediately intercepted by the concerned Arcanine, who proceeded to whimper at him. Xavier stopped and shrugged. "I have no idea, toots, I'm just as clueless as you are."
"Jordan's gone after Alex!" Keenan exclaimed, trying his hardest to keep his sky-rocketing emotions under as much control as he could. Ian and Hayden looked towards him, Ian in confusion and Hayden in horror.
"What?!" they asked in unison. Xavier and Arcanine approached the adults.
"I don't even know if it was a coincidence or what," Keith continued. "But Jordan's somehow probably battling Alexa in Lavender Town as we speak!"
"Jordan...this is the guy who caused all of the havoc in the Safari Zone, isn't it?" Hayden asked.
"The leading dude, yep," Xavier nodded. "He's proving to be extremely deadly, and we haven't seen the fullest extent of his power. Well, I haven't anyway, I dunno if you three have," he added quietly, looking towards Keith.
"I don't think we have, no," Keith replied, with a hint of uncertainty about him. "At the very least we know he's capable of murder..."
"So this Jordan character's gone after Alexa?! And Lupin just left her with him?!" Hayden exclaimed in an attempt to comprehend the situation. Keenan, Keith and the Pokémon were all equally horrified.
"He what?!" Keith shouted. Xavier growled intensely as a faint glimmer of dark aura sparked around his entire being.
"Wait until I get my claws on that guy!" Ian stepped forward and took charge of the situation.
"Never mind him, Alexa has to be found before she gets hurt or worse!"
"So let's go!" Keith yelled keenly. Keenan wasn't so sure; his confidence was shaken up after Liepard's critical attack on Iara. He looked down at the bleeding Vaporeon with tears in his eyes. There was so much blood stained on her that the natural shade of blue on her body was almost a dirty brown, she was barely breathing at all and she could hardly comprehend anything going on around her. While inaudible, she was crying in pain, and the stinging sensation of her tears seeping into her cheek wound didn't help the pain.
"B-but Iara..." Ian took note of Iara's significant lack of health, even noticing that his grandson sacrificed his T-shirt, even though he was an old one anyway, to provide makeshift bandaging for his dearest ally. He gave Keenan a warm smile.
"Keith and I can handle it just fine."
"I'll go, too," Hayden insisted.
"No, Hayden." Ian looked towards Hayden sincerely. "I know you want to, but I think you should stay with your son. Get Iara to the Pokémon Centre quickly," he advised as he took out a Fast Ball and a Timer Ball from a pocket on his backpack. "Brandy, return," he said quietly as the Arcanine retired to the safety of the Fast Ball, through the staple stream of red light.
"Okay," Hayden said quietly. He was reluctant, but, deep down, he knew Ian was right; he had a son to think about as well as his daughter. As Ian released his yellow toed Braviary from the Timer Ball, Hayden mentally prayed for Alexa'sa safety.
"And Hayden? Try not to worry," Ian smiled. "Keith and I will do everything we can to bring Alexa back safely."
"Just be careful. Both of you," Hayden said worriedly.
"I'll make sure of it," Ian said reassuringly. "Ready Keith?" he asked, climbing onto AJ's back.
"Try to stop me!" Keith replied confidently, setting himself behind Ian on AJ's back. Reese staggered over to the critically wounded Vaporeon while Xavier noticed Robbie lying on the ground, hooves on his head, shivering wildly. The Zoroark sighed and suddenly lifted the scared Deerling off of the ground. Robbie was caught off guard and flailed his legs wildly.
"Listen, Buster, Reese needs medical treatment, too, so you're going with Keith and Ian, and that's the end of it."
"LIIING! LIING!" Robbie cried desperately, tears seeping through the corners of his tightly closed eyes. It wasn't the fear of flying that Robbie was objecting to, and Keith knew it.
"You can't get over your fears if you don't face them," Xavier said on a kinder note, gently setting Robbie down on Keith's lap. "You need to believe in your own strength; you're stronger than you think, especially since you escaped them." Robbie stared at Xavier with tears in his eyes. Xavier gave him a soft smile.
"AJ, let's go! To Kanto!"
"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" AJ screeched in compliance with his Trainer's request and shot up into the sky, Keith and Robbie very nearly falling upon take-off.
"Xavier, Michaela, you go on ahead and let the Centre know about Iara!" Hayden insisted.
"We'll tell them an emergency's headed their way!" Xavier nodded as the Sandslash saluted her Trainer. The pair sped off ahead as Hayden carefully took Iara from Keenan. The pair then ran off after the Pokémon, Keenan remembering to pick up his purchases before running alongside his father.
Alexa ran desperately through Pewter City without thinking. The citizens she passed along the way watched her in confusion, wondering what her hurry was. None of them noticed the airborne Skarmory stalking her from the sky. She eventually ran into the Viridian Forest, but she was rapidly losing her energy; she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep running, especially with the possibility of a poacher on her tail. She was in such a hurry she hadn't taken the time to appreciate the tranquillity of the forest, nor did she notice the almost perfect Kanto weather; the sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, but there was a slight and cooling breeze flowing through the air. She tripped up on a small rock on the ground and fell head first into the ground, a Poké Ball falling out of her pocket as she fell. She sat up, rubbing her head and noticed her grazed – and muddy – knees. She also noticed the Poké Ball near where she fell and finally realised she could have flown back to Johto rather than almost running an unofficial Kanto marathon. She smacked herself purposely on the head as she scrambled onto her feet and picked up the Poké Ball. She opened the Poké Ball and released her Staraptor from inside. Mavis was immediately confused, noticing the small bleeding laceration on one side of Alexa's forehead and the traces of mud and grass on her once blue vest.
"N-no time...t-to e-explain," Alexa panted heavily. Mavis became even more confused and concerned after hearing how out of breath Alexa really was. Jordan and Skarmory touched down in the forest just behind the trees near Alexa without detection. Skarmory's eyes were fixated on the blue-crested Staraptor while Jordan took out his dagger once again.
"Star..?"
"N-need to leave, n-now..!" Alexa added breathlessly. Mavis, despite not understanding Alexa's eagerness to leave Kanto, nodded at her, smiling kindly.
Alexa was taken by great surprise when what appeared to be a silver blur struck Mavis like a drill and pushed her to one side, blood splattering over the Skarmory's face.
"Ma-!" Alexa's cry was cut off as soon as she felt someone gripping her hair tightly and holding something sharp and metallic against her neck. She didn't even need to guess who it was silently threatening to slit her throat. Jordan whispered snidely in her ear as she watched as her Staraptor wrestled against the Armour Bird Pokémon.
"You really have a death wish, don't you, sweetheart?" Jordan sneered. Alexa wasn't sure if the choking sensation she felt was because she was trying to hold back the temptation to scream...or if it was because Jordan's breath stank of tobacco and whiskey. "I'll have to make sure you suffer for that little stunt as well." Alexa stomped on his foot, making him release his grip on her. She tried to flee, but Jordan, completely unaffected by Alexa's second cheap tactic of escape, grabbed her almost instantly by the back of her neck. He dragged her and pushed her against the large tree nearest to him. Before Alexa had time to recover from the pain of her back slamming against the thick tree trunk, she felt Jordan pressing his hand against her throat, effectively pinning her to the tree trunk. He looked straight at her as she struggled – and to no avail – to loosen the forced grip on her throat; she found it difficult to breathe.
"You're really full of it today, aren't you? From that stomp, I can tell you're severely lacking in the strength department. That's understandable; you did run through about a third of the Kanto region non-stop."
"I-I didn't t-think...!" Alexa wheezed.
"That's right; you didn't," Jordan said nastily. Alexa could see Mavis's struggle over Jordan's shoulder; Skarmory was pecking at Mavis's chest wildly, creating lacerations all over her and causing the tip of Skarmory's beak to be stained with blood. Mavis managed to create a little gust of eerie purple wind strong enough to make Skarmory stagger back and off of her. Mavis tried to fly towards Jordan, but she was instantly intercepted by another drilling peck attack from Skarmory.
"Mavis..!"
"Never mind the birds," Jordan said sternly, holding the tip of the dagger underneath her chin. "You need to worry about yourself."
Skarmory and Mavis stared at each other; Skarmory appeared to be smirking while Mavis was furious at the Armour Bird's unprovoked attack, glaring at him while breathing heavily. Both birds looked up at the clear blue sky and faced one another. Skarmory nodded and shot straight up. Mavis followed him as quickly as she could.
AJ flew through the sky with his riders safely on his back. The Braviary stopped as soon as he saw Skarmory and Mavis flying up to his current altitude; he and the riders then watched as the pair began their aerial battle.
"That's Jordan's Skarmory!" Keith exclaimed.
"We're over the Viridian Forest...AJ, descend, quickly!"
"BEEEEEEEEEEEH!"
Jordan and Alexa heard the screeching Braviary and saw AJ flying down towards the ground. Jordan sighed as Ian, Keith and Robbie climbed off of AJ's back.
"Do you mind, this is a private occasion." Keith and Ian noticed Alexa's head injury and grazed knees. Upon seeing how dirty she was, and the small skid marks on the ground in front of him, Ian was calm; he had deduced she fell over. Keith, however, was livid.
"I DO mind, Jordan! Let her go!" he demanded angrily,
"Oh, no, she almost got away from me a second time, I am not giving her up that easily." Ian was nowhere near as angry as Keith was, but he wasn't going to take the danger his granddaughter was in lightly either.
"At least let the girl breathe, you're choking her!" Jordan scoffed.
"That's what you think; she ran a marathon to get here. Yet she had a Staraptor the whole time," he said calmly, tilting his head up to indicate the brawling birds. "Ironic." Keith looked at Alexa in complete bewilderment.
"Alexa..? You RAN here?!"
"I-I wasn't thinking...!" Alexa whimpered.
"It's okay, sweetie, we're here for you," Ian said calmly.
"I take it that's because Andy and Gabby lost to you?" Jordan asked. Keith sighed.
"They ran away, they got outnumbered!"
"I see. I might be outnumbered, but I won't flee. I'm stronger than the pair of them combined."
"Prove it!"
"Settle down, Keith," Ian said quietly.
"My Skarmory is my weakest battler. But watch and observe the damage it can deliver." Everyone waited silently for something to happen. For a good minute and a half, nothing did...until Mavis fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, loose feathers falling everywhere as she hit the ground with a hard thud and a quick squawk of pain. Alexa was horrified to see so much blood staining her feathers. Jordan was the only one who wasn't startled by Mavis's sudden appearance. Skarmory landed on top of her, blood stained talons sticking into her neck. Skarmory was almost covered with Mavis's blood, some of which dried in the sunlight, and one of Mavis's loose feathers was stuck to Skarmory's beak. Jordan temporarily returned his dagger into its holster in order for him to return his Skarmory back into his Poké Ball. Keith was the first to speak up.
"Y-you're a monster!"
"Think about it; that Staraptor faced my weakest Pokémon, and it's barely hanging by a thread," Jordan explained as he reclaimed his blade. "If it were against Haxorus, it'd be dead long before you arrived."
"Mavis..!" Alexa felt Jordan's grip on her throat tightening a little as he glared at her.
"Quiet, you." Keith mustered up everything he had to resist the overwhelming temptation to run straight for Jordan and sock him straight in the jaw. The only thing that secured his refusal to answer the temptation was the fact that Jordan had his dagger held under Alexa's chin, just like when he and Ian arrived. Jordan looked at him and Ian again. "So, still prepared to fight?" he asked. Keith looked down at Robbie, but he had since ran off to the nearest bush to cower and hide. There was a small gap under the bush, and Keith saw Robbie shivering with fright, hooves over his eyes. He sighed; it would be completely down to Ian to battle for Alexa's safety if Robbie couldn't summon the courage to contribute.
"We want Alexa back safely; did you honestly think you could scare us away from that?" Ian asked rhetorically. Jordan seemed to be impressed with Ian's bravado and, once again, returned his dagger to its holster in order for him to take out a different Poké Ball from his pocket.
"So be it. But if your Pokémon die, it's your own fault," he cautioned, releasing the titanic Aggron from the Poké Ball.
"My Pokémon won't die; I've been training Pokémon since before you were born," Ian said nastily as Jordan released his Conkeldurr from another Poké Ball.
"That I'll believe when I see it," Jordan jeered, reclaiming his dagger for a third time. Ian took two Poké Balls from his pack and held one in each hand.
"Believe me. You will." Ian opened both Poké Balls, releasing the housing Pokémon from inside. One of the lights formed into a large, and relatively old-aged, Feraligatr with a large scar on its nose. The other released an Armaldo with completely white lobes on its neck. Jordan raised an eyebrow at the Armaldo.
"Armaldo? How did you come by such a rare Pokémon?" Ian sighed; he was not interested in casual banter in the slightest. At least not at the current moment.
"I found his fossil when I was Alexa's age and revived him ten years later, happy?"
"A little envious, but Armaldo isn't the strongest of the fossil Pokémon, so I'm not too concerned."
"Merton, Rodney, I need the pair of you to be absolutely careful, those Pokémon could try anything to emerge victorious, understand?" Ian said to his Feraligatr and Armaldo.
"Tor," Merton nodded.
"Maldo," Rodney complied.
Hayden and Keenan returned home safely, Keenan holding a bandaged Iara in his arms. Keenan lay her down on the sofa, being careful to not hurt her, and knelt in front of her. Layla jumped down from the kitchen chair and approached the injured Vaporeon, horrified to see the state she was in. She lay on the sofa just behind her, keeping her company. Reese walked into the house before Hayden closed the front door, and hobbled over to the nearest sofa. However, he flopped down and sat in front of it rather than on it. He appeared to be fully recovered from his battle against Scrafty; there wasn't a single bandage on him. Lily saw the state Iara was in and became concerned.
"What happened, is she all right?"
"The doctor said she was lucky to keep her eyesight," Hayden said quietly. "She won't be battling for a while, though."
"But how did-"
"We were battling two of the poachers, a-and she got hurt really badly," Keenan said sadly. Guilt was written all over his face; he felt he should have tried harder to ensure her safety. He felt worse when he saw the gentle smile on Iara's half-bandaged face.
"Wait...two of them?" Lily questioned. "Isn't there three of them?" Hayden sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.
"The third one's gone after Alexa," he replied. Lily held a hand close to her mouth in disbelief. She was completely shocked at the news; Xavier had arrived long before Hayden and Keenan did, yet he never mentioned anything about why he came home in such a grumpy and irate mood. "Dad went to find her with Keith."
"I hope she'll be okay..!" Keenan said sadly. Hayden looked at his son worriedly.
"Yeah. Me too."
"We'll have to wait until she comes back," Lily said quietly. A loud thump from another room caught Keenan and Hayden's attention.
"What was that?!" Keenan asked. Lily sighed.
"Xavier, Ryder and Skywing are picking bones with Lupin," she explained. They heard another thump followed by Skywing's angry yelling.
"For how long?" Hayden asked. As Lily looked up at the clock, everyone heard Ryder expressing a strong desire to attack Lupin, but, of course, Skywing denied his wish.
"Almost an hour now. Is Iara going back to the Pokémon Centre?" Lily asked.
"Not unless we have concerns, no," Hayden replied. "He said her injuries were fairly standard and should recover in at least a week. But he doesn't recommend that she battle for at least two weeks."
"I see." Lily noticed Hayden's concern and gave him a gentle cuddle. Hayden held onto his wife, but couldn't help but worry for his daughter.
Merton and Aggron were locked in a grapple, neither one giving an inch to the other, and Rodney deflected Conkeldurr's concrete pillars with his claws. Given their ages, however, Merton and Rodney appeared to be struggling to keep up with the intensity of their battles, Merton even more so. Mavis lay almost motionlessly on the grass, wheezing slightly as she breathed, her blood slowly staining the grass beneath her. Robbie occasionally looked at the battle Merton and Rodney were struggling to cope with, but he always looked away quickly, whimpering fearfully. Keith spotted Jordan whispering to Alexa, trying to intimidate her further, and looked towards Ian, who was observing the battle intently.
"We need to help her now..!" he exclaimed quietly. Ian glanced at him.
"If you want to die trying, be my guest," he said sarcastically. He looked over at Mavis as she struggled to keep herself conscious. "Merton! Get Mavis over here if you have a chance!" he yelled.
"Tor!" Merton replied.
"So you want me to sit back and watch him threatening her?!" Keith yelled angrily.
"No, I want you to not die, thank you very much," Ian moaned.
"Then we need to get him unarmed and fast!" Keith shouted. While he observed the battles, Ian noticed the gap between him and Jordan; it was quite a big gap. There was also a gap between Merton's grapple and Rodney's struggle, which was more than wide enough for Alexa to run through. Keith watched with curiosity as Ian took out a Nest Ball from his backpack, releasing the Leafeon from inside it. The Leafeon stroked the black scarf around his neck as Ian temporarily placed the Nest Ball in his pocket. Ian then crouched to Leafeon's level, and Leafeon listened intently to what his Trainer had to say.
"Hudson, I need you to..." Ian whispered something in the Leafeon's ear. Keith was confused; he couldn't hear anything Ian was saying. But he did notice the smile growing on the Leafeon's face, which slowly grew into something of a mischievous grin; it was clear that whatever it was Ian was saying to him, he loved it. "Okay?"
"Leaf!" Hudson saluted Ian and quickly burrowed into the ground, making as little mess as possible. Ian kicked the excess dirt back into the hole casually.
"What was all that about?" Keith asked.
"You'll see. But let's just say if we can't go over to Alexa, then an alternate route has to be taken," he said casually with a wink.
"There may be an audience, but it will serve to make your suffering all the more humiliating for you," Jordan whispered deeply. Alexa was becoming increasingly stressed, but only because she saw her Staraptor lying on the floor, left for dead, and she couldn't do a single thing to help her. Jordan took aim at her shoulder. "And believe me...I'll make you suffer." Jordan raised his dagger above his head, ready to strike down. Keith tried to run to Alexa's aid, but Ian stopped him, noticing the earth near Jordan to be bulging. Hudson burst forth from the earth and leapt up at Jordan, landing his front feet on the man's shoulder. Hudson then took the dagger in his teeth and leapt off of his shoulder. Jordan watched the Leafeon in confusion before chasing him for his weapon. "Get back here!" he shouted angrily. With Jordan no longer tormenting her, Alexa ran over to Ian as fast as she could, in spite of her grazed knees and lacking energy, flinging herself straight into his arms. Ian held onto her while Keith stroked her hair.
"Are you okay?" Ian asked quietly. Alexa nodded slowly.
"I-I think so..."
"I'd have killed him if he killed you," Keith said quietly.
"H-he didn't want to kill me, j-just to hurt me," Alexa explained, trying to catch her breath at the same time. "Keith, w-where's Reese? Or Robbie?"
"Robbie. In the bushes, why?" Keith asked.
"Talk to him. Please. He needs to know he's going to be okay." Keith smiled at Alexa.
"Okay."
"Okay, you, you're cornered. Drop it," Jordan instructed. Hudson sat in front of Jordan with the dagger in his mouth, looking up at him with false confusion. "Drop it!" he shouted. Hudson approached Jordan and placed the dagger in front of his feet. Jordan picked up the dagger and watched the Leafeon in confusion. "Huh? Just like that?" He suddenly noticed Alexa was with Ian when he saw where the Leafeon was going. "What..?!" Jordan looked at the tree he held Alexa against, and then back at Alexa herself. He snarled as he looked angrily at the Leafeon smiling nonchalantly at him. "You motherfucker!" Hudson stuck his tongue out at Jordan and blew a raspberry at him. Jordan glared at Ian. "You! You planned that, didn't you?!"
"I wouldn't have had to if you didn't let yourself get so worked up over a couple of kids," Ian sighed as he recalled his Leafeon back into his Nest Ball. "You're a grown man, behave like one!" Jordan suddenly recalled his Aggron and Conkeldurr back into their Poké Balls, consequently making Merton fall flat on his belly. Jordan took out another Poké Ball from his pocket.
"You, sir, are going to regret those words," he warned, with refrained anger. "Haxorus!" he yelled as he opened the Poké Ball. The shining Axe Jaw Pokémon burst forth from the Poké Ball's light and immediately struck both Merton and Rodney with his claws glimmering in a brilliant blue light. Ian growled as he recalled his injured Feraligatr and Armaldo back into their Poké Balls. He returned them to his backpack as Haxorus made his way to the weakened Staraptor, kicking her with his foot.
"Leave her alone!" Alexa cried. Keith turned his attention from Robbie to Haxorus, having heard Alexa's plea.
"Haxorus won't listen to you," Jordan said nastily. "Haxorus. Kill it with Dragon Claw." Haxorus loomed over Mavis, claws ready to strike.
"NO!" Alexa screamed. Ian held her back, as she tried to rush to her Staraptor's aid. He then took a calmer approach to the situation.
"Attacking a weak Pokémon is a waste of Haxorus' energy. Just let us have Mavis back and we'll have another battle," Ian negotiated. Jordan looked at the Staraptor, then at Ian and Alexa, finally at Haxorus.
"Hmmm. You heard the man, Haxorus; let him have it." Ian was confused as Haxorus began to lift Mavis off the ground.
"What?"
Before they could react, Ian and Alexa were knocked down after Haxorus literally threw Mavis at them. Ian and Alexa were almost crushed under Mavis's weight, and were almost knocked unconscious. Keith was horrified.
"Ian! Alexa!" Keith ran towards them, but Haxorus intercepted him and slammed him with his tail. Keith coughed up blood as soon as Haxorus slammed his tail into Keith's stomach. Keith was sent flying towards a tree near where Robbie was hiding. Keith's back crashed into the tree and he then fell onto the ground in front of him, almost flat on his face. Alexa managed to return Mavis to her Poké Ball, allowing her and Ian to sit up. They were both winded from the improvised attack. Both Ian and Alexa's clothes were stained with Mavis's blood.
"E-either that w-was some throw, o-or Mavis is heavier than I thought...!" Ian coughed as he struggled onto his feet. Alexa spotted Keith straining to lift his head from the ground as Ian helped her onto her feet.
"Keith..!"
"I-I'm okay..!" he coughed. Ian held Alexa's arm over his shoulders, but the pair couldn't help but notice Keith coughing up a little more blood.
"Not for long. Haxorus." The black Haxorus looked back at his master with anticipation. "Kill him."
"No!" Alexa winced, holding onto her stomach; she used up more air than she had. Haxorus grinned evilly towards the wounded Keith, claws briefly shining white before fading to a more gentle blue glow. Jordan watched with satisfaction as Haxorus walked over to Keith, attack at the ready. Robbie saw Haxorus approaching Keith, and felt a sudden urge deep inside him. He leapt out of the bush and stepped in front of Keith, putting on a brave face. Haxorus looked down at the Deerling, the glow on his claws negating. Robbie stood his ground, scraping his hoof on the grass. Keith, Alexa and Ian were horrified.
"R-Robbie..?!"
"Robbie, no..!"
"You'll be killed, you silly foal..!" Jordan laughed.
"Well, this is entertaining. Little baby Deerling finally grew a spine. Hah! Too little too late!" Jordan chortled. "The alpha Sawsbuck fought valiantly for your sake, Deerling, but we ended up with capturing the both of you, and Sawsbuck died for its troubles." Robbie's breathing increased dramatically as he heard Jordan's harsh words. He felt tears running down his face. Regardless, he stood firmly in his place; Keith saved his life, he felt obligated to try and return the favour. "How sad; the mighty leader dies for a sappy and pathetic reason. Pathetic. Just. Like. You."
"Robbie.." Keith looked up at the Deerling with concern. Robbie struggled to keep his emotions to himself, but it was painfully obvious to everyone that Jordan's words stung the Deerling's little heart. A faint white glow flickered from Robbie's coat. The one flicker turned into a small cluster, and then to several little clusters.
"D-Deer...LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"
A blinding flash of heavenly light overwhelmed Robbie's entire being, cutting his cry short. Even Jordan was surprised at the sudden turn of events. Everyone watched as the little Deerling silhouette slowly grew larger. The glow finally faded, revealing Robbie's new form; he evolved into a large brown and white stag Pokémon with white antlers, rhombus shaped ears, a light orange marking down his eyes and around his underbelly, a white chin, black nose, a white tuft of fur under his neck, white tufts below his knees, precisely three white spots on his back and a small brown tail pointing down. Robbie maintained his emerald green eyes and the small yellow spot on his neck from when he was a Deerling.
"R-Robbie..?"
"I...I don't believe it..." Alexa was breath-taken. "Robbie was strong enough to evolve?"
"No, Alexa. It was his determination to stand up to Haxorus and to defend Keith that triggered his evolution," Ian said quietly. Alexa felt an immediate sensation of deja vu; Ian had described exactly how Ryder evolved, albeit under different circumstances. Her heart sank a little.
"Robbie..."
"Impossible..!"
"SAWS!" Robbie immediately lunged at the unprepared Haxorus and tried to knock him down with a head on collision, but Haxorus grabbed Robbie's antlers, attempting to fight against the newly evolved Sawsbuck. Robbie cleverly flung his head to one side, thereby throwing Haxorus down onto the ground as a result. Haxorus recovered quickly and slashed Robbie's neck with his sharp claws. Robbie staggered back, but a quick slam from Haxorus' tail knocked the Sawsbuck down to the ground.
"Heh; I don't know why I was so worried," Jordan remarked. "Evolved or not, it's pathetic." Keith glared at Jordan, but noticed Robbie returning to his feet quicker than Haxorus thought he would, especially considering the bleeding wound he left on Robbie's neck. Robbie glared at Haxorus before closing his eyes softly. His antlers shone in a beautiful white glow as a yellow glow coursed all over his body. Jordan was horrified to see the deep lacerations on Robbie's neck disappearing completely. The glows faded and Robbie looked as good as new. Ian smiled.
"Clever boy! Today's weather is perfect for utilising Synthesis's full benefits! All of the damage Haxorus has done to Robbie have effectively been cancelled out!"
"No..! I can't believe this!" Jordan yelled.
"I think Robbie's ability is Chlorophyll as well. And given that today is a particularly sunny day, that means Robbie will be a lot faster than Haxorus," Ian added.
"No!" Jordan cried. But there was very little he could do; Robbie slammed his head straight into Haxorus' chest, with his antlers brimming in a silver aura. Haxorus fell flat on his back and gurgled, having had the wind knocked out of him. Robbie looked down angrily at the dragon who tried to kill his partner and snorted. Haxorus' chest was heavily bruised with a small laceration as a result of Robbie's antler having scratched him on impact. Reluctantly, Jordan returned his injured Haxorus back into his Poké Ball. He snarled furiously.
"Looks like I'll have to call it a day," he sighed as he released his blood stained Skarmory from his Poké Ball. "Alexa, Keith, I'll let you go this time. But mark my words; you will both suffer!" he vowed as he sat on Skarmory's back. With his master on his back, Skarmory flew out of the forest. Robbie watched the pair leaving and snorted again.
"Saws," he grunted deeply. Alexa carefully moved herself away from Ian and approached Keith. She helped him onto his feet.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Keith nodded, but his attention was drawn to the Sawsbuck in front of him.
"Robbie..?" he asked nervously. Robbie turned around and walked over to Keith with a gentle smile. Keith smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Robbie's neck. "Robbie! You were amazing, I-I still can't believe you defeated Haxorus! Y-you really saved my life, thank you so much!" Ian was happy to see a strong bond between a human and a Pokémon, but Alexa wasn't so thrilled.
"Saved my life..." She repeated Keith's words to herself, as they reminded her of Ryder's evolution like Robbie's evolution had. A baby Riolu, furious at the man behind the abduction of his young Trainer, cried out at the top of his voice, triggering his premature evolution moments before the sun disappeared from the horizon; with the exception for the somewhat different circumstance, the time of day and the location, Robbie's evolution very much reminded her of Ryder's evolution. Ian spotted how sad Alexa looked and approached her.
"Are you all right, Lexie?" he asked softly. Alexa snapped out of her train of thought and looked up at her concerned grandfather.
"Uh, y-yeah! But Mavis...she needs medical help asap!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, that's right..." Keith and Robbie faced Ian.
"Which way should we go?" Keith asked. Ian looked around at where they were in the forest.
"Back the way Alexa came; Pewter City's closer than Viridian City," he replied, quickly releasing his Arcanine from her Fast Ball. "Brandy, we need to get to Pewter City, stat!"
"Arf," Brandy nodded, crouching enough for Ian and Alexa to climb onto her back. Keith was about to follow suit, but Robbie stopped him with his nose, lowering himself enough for Keith to climb onto his back. Keith was confused.
"Really?" he asked. Robbie smiled and nodded. With no time to lose, Keith quickly hopped onto Robbie's back. Robbie galloped after Brandy, who sped off towards Pewter City.
The Pewter City Pokémon Centre was extremely quiet. The receptionist sat at the reception desk, which was in front of the wall opposite the automatic doors, was quietly working on some paperwork, taking care to not disturb Alexa, who sat at a bench with Ian and Keith either side of her, anxiously waiting for news – any news – on her Staraptor's condition. Her elbows were on her knees and her hands were on her forehead. Robbie lay on the tiled floor near Keith and looked at her worriedly. The bench they sat on was fastened to the wall near several lines of identical chairs, all of which were dark grey in colour. There were several different seats on the far end of the room, which served as a cafeteria. The round analogue clock above the reception desk showed the time 04:35, and its ticking was the only sound echoing in the entire foyer. There were a few video phones built into the walls near the bench Alexa, Keith and Ian sat on, and there were a pair of vending machines – one for snacks, the other for bottled drinks – in one corner of the waiting area. There was a directory mounted to the wall behind the video phones, and showed directions for different areas of the centre, including the Emergency Room, the dormitories, the lavatories and X-ray. The sound of footsteps caught everyone's attention as one of the centre's male doctors approached the group. He looked like a stereotypical doctor, dressed in a white coat, armed with a clipboard, presumably with a Pokémon's obs clipped to it, pen in the front pocket and stethoscope around his neck. He had bleached blonde hair, tied back in a quaint ponytail, and his garnet coloured eyes appeared to be soft and gentle. He approached Alexa, and his sincere look was enough for Alexa to fear the worst for her Staraptor.
"Alexa? We've managed to stabilise your Staraptor, but her condition is still relatively critical," he explained earnestly. His voice was gentle and reassuring, an ideal voice for any doctor to possess.
"Relatively?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She's lost a lot of blood," the doctor continued bluntly as he looked through the notes secured onto the clipboard. "Her CT scan came back clear, but her X-ray has shown that she has fractured her left wing." The doctor lowered his clipboard and looked worriedly at Alexa. "She's in no fit state to be transferred right now, so-"
"Wait, you're going to keep her here!? Alexa lives in Johto, how can you-" Frustrated with Keith butting in, the doctor glared at him.
"I appreciate you're trying to help, but, please; I'd rather hear what Alexa has to say," he insisted.
"But you can't keep her here if her Trainer lives in an entirely different region!" Keith argued, standing up to the doctor. Ian groaned.
"Settle down, Keith, this isn't helping," he said firmly. "The Pokémon Centres are all connected to one another – even to the ones stationed in the Unova region, so there's very little reason for why Mavis shouldn't be kept here." Keith sighed and sat back down.
"I'm sorry."
"...can I see her?" Alexa asked quietly.
"Of course," the doctor smiled. "I'll take you through to her, she's just been transferred to one of the recovery rooms." Alexa stood up and followed the doctor down the corridor. Keith and Ian followed her, but Robbie trailed behind them, unsure as to whether or not he should be present at all.
The doctor led Alexa down the generic-looking corridor that seemed to branch off into several more corridors, each with its own little directory mounted to the walls. Despite the directories, all of the corridors looked the same to Alexa until the doctor finally led her through a dark brown door with a silver plated number 12 mounted to it. Inside the room was a large bed, upon which lay the wounded Staraptor, Mavis. There was an assortment of nearby hospital equipment that Alexa couldn't identify if she tried to, with a nurse making a quick check on Mavis's bandages. The nurse saw the doctor and silently excused herself from the room. Alexa approached Mavis while Ian spoke with the doctor in the doorway.
"There's more to it than you let on, isn't there?" he asked quietly. The doctor sighed silently as he watched Alexa talking with her Staraptor worriedly.
"Like I said, she's lost a lot of blood. We have stabilised her for now, but I've requested ten minute obs; I'm not entirely confident that she's out of the woods."
"What are her chances?" Ian asked. Keith looked up at Ian in shock.
"Well.." The doctor sighed, still keeping his voice down. "She has a lot of trauma, but... if she has an internal bleed, there's a chance she could deteriorate."
"And then..?" Ian questioned.
"If that were to happen, there would be a chance that...that she will die," the doctor replied in a low whisper, not wanting Alexa to hear, especially as he had just seen her and Mavis lightly touching foreheads.
Evening was drawing close by the time Ryder, Xavier and Skywing finally gave up on Lupin; all three of them looked completely frustrated and angry with the Alakazam. Xavier and Ryder both sat on the floor while Skywing roosted on the armrest of the sofa nearest to the television. Iara and Layla had since fallen asleep, with a soft blanket over their bodies to keep them warm. Hayden sat at the kitchen table, trying not to worry or panic. Lily left the kitchen sink and walked towards the three seater sofa, her glance set on the disgruntled trio. The analogue clock on the kitchen wall showed the time 05:55.
"Finally gave up, hm?" Lily asked politely.
"There's no reasoning with that Pokémon," Skywing complained quietly, recognising the two sleeping Pokémon near Lily. "I doubt he even regrets what he's done."
"Or hasn't done," Ryder growled. "I swear, if I were the one in Lupin's position, I'd have sent Jordan down every flight of stairs until he reaches the bottom floor of that tower!"
"Lupin's a disgrace to Pokémon kind," Xavier said heartlessly. "No Pokémon should abandon their Trainer, whatever their opinion of them may be." Nobody was aware that Lupin was standing quietly just inside the lounge, and he could hear the conversation perfectly. His cold demeanour seemed to be warming up because of a guilty conscience. He sighed. He heard what sounded like Keenan running down the stairs.
"They're back!" he stated quietly. Soon enough, Ian opened the front door and entered the house with Keith and Alexa. Reese was puzzled about Robbie's absence, but he was glad to see Keith and Alexa made it home safely. Alexa ran over to Hayden, who was more than prepared to accept his daughter's embrace.
"Oh, Lexie...please tell me you're all right," he said quietly.
"I-I think so," Alexa replied shakily. Ryder, Xavier and Skywing looked at one another; they knew she wasn't as fine as she claimed.
"It was a lucky escape," Ian said truthfully. Lily approached Alexa and stroked her hair as she looked at Ian.
"How do you mean?" she asked.
"He had a knife," Ian replied quietly.
"I was afraid of that," Hayden sighed.
"It's all right, Hudson dealt with the situation," Ian explained. Lily became confused when she saw the blood on Ian's shirt. She also noticed, when Hayden and Alexa broke their embrace, that Alexa also had blood on her shirt, but both she and Ian were standing as though they hadn't suffered from a stab wound to the stomach.
"Neither of you are harmed..? Then whose-"
"Mavis," Alexa said abruptly, understanding her mother's confusion. "She got hurt critically...she's...she's at Pewter City right now...they'll let me know when she's better." The English speaking trio looked at one another in horror and shock, but Ian and Keith were worried about her; she doesn't know the true extent of Mavis's wounds. Keith wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure if he should; it appeared to him that something other than Mavis's condition was troubling her.
"Oh, Lexie... I'm just glad you're safe," Hayden said, trying to smile reassuringly. Alexa's frown grew a little.
"...but at what cost..?"
"Alexa..." Keith watched as her father held onto her. Keith was astonished to see the tender side of Hayden. He was even surprised to see any kind of tenderness from Hayden at all; he had expected Lily to express such feelings, not Hayden. He became concerned, especially when he saw something in the corner of Hayden's eye; he could have sworn...that was a tear!
"Alexa, why don't you get yourself into the shower? You look like you need it," Ian suggested, carefully breaking the silence.
"There's plenty of time before I start cooking dinner," Lily added.
"It's pasta bake tonight, isn't it?" Ian asked.
"Yes, with salad," Lily replied. Ian's smile grew.
"Brilliant." Hayden noticed how silent Alexa was, and he faced her with concern.
"Alexa? Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she replied quietly, walking up the stairs without another word. She passed Keenan along the way, and the fact that she didn't even look at anyone else concerned him, Keith and the rest of her family. Ryder's ears dropped; he had a hunch about what was troubling her.
"She's definitely troubled," Keith said.
"I think she feels bad about Mavis," Lily assumed. Keith shook his head.
"No, she's been quiet since Robbie evolved," he explained.
"Oh, really, he evolved?" Hayden asked. Noticing Robbie not being in the house, Keith headed to the front door and poked his head outside. He signalled Robbie to enter, and moved to one side to allow the nervous Sawsbuck inside the house. He kept his head down, but wore a timid smile on his face. Xavier and Skywing smiled, but Ryder was focused on how he could make Alexa feel better.
"Hey, hey, hey, who's that Sawsbuck, hm? Lookin' good there, Robbie!" Xavier praised.
"I must say, my boy, you look dashingly regal as a Sawsbuck. You should be proud, not nervous," Skywing laughed.
"Congratulations, Robbie, Keith," Lily smiled. Robbie smiled at Lily, but couldn't help but notice Ryder looking distracted. As soon as Keith struck up a conversation with Keenan, Hayden, Lily and Ian, Robbie approached Ryder, Xavier and Skywing.
"Sawsbuck."
"Hm? What seems to be the problem, Robbie?" Skywing asked. Robbie looked up at the stairs.
"Sawsbuck..."
Alexa stood underneath the steaming hot shower, with one arm on the tiled wall in front of her. The sensation of the hot water raining down on her would have felt extremely pleasant had it not been for the day's events plaguing her mind. She looked down at the water circling into the drain sadly as she recalled the events of her day; Lupin's refusal to let her help him, Jordan almost spilling her blood in front of Lydia's grave, exhausting herself needlessly, Mavis's fatal injuries from battling a bloodthirsty Skarmory, Keith almost getting killed...Robbie's evolution reminding her of Ryder's. She held her other hand over her face as she choked back her sobs; she was scared for her own safety, afraid for Keith's life, terrified for Mavis's condition, and guilty for her own deceit regarding Ryder's evolution. Tears ran down her already wet face as she thought about why she was so sad. She collapsed onto the base of the shower cubical, on her knees, and began to cry.
To be continued...