Chapter Twenty Eight – The Calm Before The Storm
Alexa lay on her bed with the hotel room phone pressed against her ear. She lay with her head against her pillow, fiddling with the Floette ornament Keith purchased for her as she conversed on the phone.
"I'm sorry about all this, Keith...I didn't realise we'd end up meeting in Unova."
"Nah, that's okay," Keith said happily, his voice being heard faintly over the phone. "I didn't realise we'd meet in Unova either."
"Were you glad we did?"
"If the circumstances were better, yeah," Keith said sheepishly. "So, uh...what are you doing today?" Keenan couldn't help but smile as Alexa spoke to Keith on the phone, but he kept one eye on his study materials, ready to hasten to it in case Alexa looked in his direction.
"I'm planning to visit the Celestial Tower."
"The what?"
"It's basically Unova's Lavender Tower; it's a short walk away from Mistralton City. Anyway, Celestial Tower has a bell on the top floor and I want to ring it for Lydia. I've always wanted to ring that bell, too, I think it's a nice idea."
"Oh."
"You sound disappointed."
"I kind of am; I was hoping we could meet up again today, that's all." Alexa chuckled.
"Third day in a row? Ease up a bit, will ya? Dad said we're not going anywhere outside of Unova until Aunt Hailey's problems are sorted out, so we've got plenty of time!"
"Yeah, I guess," Keith laughed nervously. "It's just...I've really missed you during our...time apart before the..."
"It's okay, I understand. But it's okay, we can meet up tomorrow; I just need a little bit of time to myself is all, just to rest a little bit."
"Nah, that's cool, I respect that," Keith said kindly. "Where do you want us to meet up?"
"How about Humilau City?"
"Where's that?"
"Do you know Undella Town?"
"Yep?"
"Take the Marine Tube and you end up in Humilau."
"Ah, nice! So...anything new before I go?"
"Dad's got his business meeting with the CEO of XCommunications, the Xtransceiver store, today," Alexa replied. "He's hoping to gain an outlet for each of his department stores to replace some of his closing down businesses."
"Ah, cool! Hope he gets them!"
"Me, too. Y'know, you should consider getting one."
"I'll take a raincheck on it. Anyway, I should go; I want to take Ava to see Troy."
"He'll love her," Alexa smiled. "Anyhow, I should go, too; that bell won't ring by itself."
"Unless a hurricane's about," Keith teased.
"Shut up... See you tomorrow!"
"See ya, babe!" Alexa hung up the phone and placed the ornament on the bedside table situated between her bed and Keenan's as she stood up. With her conversation over, Keenan looked up at Alexa directly.
"Dad's already gone to his meeting, by the way."
"What? But it's still early yet."
"I know, but Dad wants to get there early."
"Where IS his meeting anyway?"
"I don't know, he didn't say."
"I'll catch him later and let him know about my plans for tomorrow."
"So you're really into getting back together with him?" Keenan asked with interest. Alexa smiled as she picked up her belt bag and clipped it around her waist, keeping her hair out of the way.
"So far, yes. Anyway, I'll see you later on," Alexa smiled as she approached Keenan; the two siblings exchanged quick pecks on the cheek before Alexa made her way out of the room.
"Bye!"
Hayden and Tidus walked side by side as they approached a coffee house built near the runway's wire fencing. The coffee house appeared to be insanely quiet on the outside, but the patrons were all indoors. Standing near the corner of the coffee house was a slightly taller gentleman in a smart grey suit with balding black hair, rimless glasses over his face and a slightly pudgy waistline; he looked as though he was waiting for something. The man smiled as he saw Hayden approaching him with his Typhlosion.
"Sorry to have kept you, Mr Gulliver; have you been waiting for long?"
"Not at all, my plane landed a mere ten minutes ago," Gulliver said politely. "I'm surprised that you didn't fly here yourself."
"That was the plan, but my Farfetch'd sprained his wing." Gulliver chuckled, which confused Hayden and Tidus.
"Good one." Except Hayden wasn't joking. "Anyway, shall we?"
"Lead on," Hayden insisted, allowing Gulliver to enter the coffee house first. Hayden and Tidus soon followed.
Troy and Harvey crouched in front of a fairly Purugly with more of an overbite than usual lying on the grass of Troy's Daycare field. Laddy and Lukie were near the fence, watching the two Breeders inspecting the Tiger Cat Pokémon while occasionally looking at the pathway near the Daycare Centre, curious to see who was passing by. Harvey wore a stethoscope over his ears and held its diaphragm over the Purugly's stomach area.
"What do you think, Dad?"
"Are you genuinely asking me or are you after a second opinion?"
"Second opinion," Troy grinned.
"You don't need one, sport; from the sounds of it, they're both just fine," Harvey smiled as he pulled the stethoscope out of his ears. "That being said, laying time is nigh; I'd say within the next week."
"Same."
"Then why ask me for a second opinion?" Harvey laughed as he helped the Purugly onto her feet.
"Better to be safe than sorry." Harvey grew worried.
"Troy, this isn't the first pregnancy you've dealt with...c'mon, what's eating you? You can tell me."
"A-About that, I-"
"AIPOM!" Laddy said excitedly as he used his tail to wave at Daniel, Daphne and Peggy as they passed the Daycare Centre. Daniel and his sisters approached the scruffy Aipom just as Harvey and Troy walked over to their Pokémon. Troy was the first to notice that only Daniel was out of uniform, but Harvey spotted the large plaster over his eye. A fully healed Piper roosted happily on Peggy's head while Daniel's Umbreon and Daphne's Espeon walked alongside her.
"Hey, guys. You feeling any better?" Harvey asked nicely.
"There have been worse days, but, all things considered, I feel a little better," Daniel said lifelessly.
"That's...that's good to hear," Troy smiled feebly. Daphne noticed Troy's nervousness immediately.
"What's wrong, Troy? You look shaken up."
"Y-Yeah, I...I was about to explain that to my Dad..." Troy sighed shakily, worrying Lukie even further. "There was a...a...J-Jellicent..."
"What, in the Daycare?" Harvey asked in astonishment. Troy merely nodded in silence.
"You don't accept Jellicent in your Daycare, though, do you?" Daniel asked quizzically.
"I-I do, but...I just...don't deal with them; Brent does," Troy explained. "I-I mean...it'd be unfair if I-I didn't... T-The thing is, though...n-nobody dropped off a J-Je-Jellicent r-recently..." Daniel immediately grew suspicious.
"M-Maybe it was wild?" Peggy presumed.
"I strongly doubt that, pet; the nearest natural habitat for Jellicent is Route 17," Harvey said carefully. Armed with this new information, Daniel discreetly wandered away from his sisters, uncle and eldest cousin as he instigated a call through his Xtransceiver, his Umbreon watching his every movement.
Phoenix flew towards a tall stone tower with Alexa riding on his back, slowing down as he approached the large bell at the top of the tower. He landed gently and crouched slightly to let Alexa dismount easily. Once on her feet, Alexa released Ryder, Jollie, Xavier, Chutney and a brown-eyed Wigglytuff from their Poké Balls. Ryder stretched his arms.
"Nice bell."
"Please be serious, Ryder, we're at the top of Celestial Tower," Alexa said quietly.
"Ah, my Mom told me about this place," Xavier commented, looking at his surroundings. "She said this is the final resting place for Unova's Pokémon."
"That's right," Alexa smiled. "I thought it'd be nice to ring the bell as a little tribute to Lydia."
"Wiggly!" Wigglytuff rejoiced, bouncing on the spot. "Wiggly-wiggly, Wigglytuff!" Alexa giggled.
"I knew you'd like the idea, Purukin." Alexa approached the bell and took hold of its rope with both hands. Phoenix walked over to her and grabbed the rope with both hands as well, helping her to pull it and ultimately ring the bell. As the bell rang, Ryder, Xavier, Chutney, Jollie and Purukin lowered their heads in prayer. Alexa and Phoenix walked away from the bell a little bit as they, too, lowered their heads in prayer. Everyone remained silent until the bell ceased its sombre ringing.
"Rhrrrgh."
"Thanks, Phoenix. I just wanted to do something a little different to honour Lydia." Alexa lost the gentle smile she once had. "And Medicham...Salamence...Scrafty...Roserade...Lapras, Stantler...Robbie's Dad... ...Gabby..." The Pokémon became concerned when Alexa buried her eyes in her hand and sighed. "Every time one criminal gets sent down, another one takes their place... Kincaid, Cain, Jordan-"
"Bun?" Alexa chuckled nervously as she looked back at her concerned team.
"Sorry...got a bit carried away there."
"Happens to the best of us, hun," Xavier said nicely.
"Sounds to me, though, like you're not exactly happy being one of the two prides of the Ranger Union," Ryder suspected as he lifted his surrogate sister into his arms.
"Chippa?" Alexa frowned again.
"Yeah, I...guess it is true... ...I need to think about it more; I don't know how much leave I've got left." Phoenix smiled warmly as he placed his clawed hands on her shoulder; she looked up at her loyal Charizard in confusion.
"Rhhhrgh, rrrrgh..." Alexa smiled sweetly.
"Thanks, Phoenix. Anyway...let's change the subject and head to Mistralton; it'll be time for elevenses by the time we get there on foot, I reckon."
"You never used to have elevenses," Xavier teased as Alexa returned Purukin and Chutney to their Poké Balls.
"That's not strictly true; it's more accurate to say I don't usually have elevenses."
"All right, fair enough," Xavier grinned as he walked towards the edge of the tower. Phoenix lifted Alexa off of her feet and held her in his arms as he gently flew off of the tower and down onto the grass at the bottom of the tall building, Ryder cheekily hopping onto his mentor's back during his descent. Xavier leapt off of the tower as a wave of magenta energy shifted his form from a Zoroark to a happily gliding Emolga; Xavier glided slowly towards the ground and returned to his normal Zoroark self when his feet touched the ground. "Ta-da!"
"Buneary!" Jollie applauded.
"I wonder if every other Zoroark's more humble about their illusion abilities," Alexa wondered jokingly as Phoenix set her down onto the ground. Xavier rushed towards her, his magenta wave shifting his form to Keith's. Xavier lifted Alexa off of the ground and spun her around, much to her alarm.
"Yeah, well, not every Zoroark has had the advantages I've had," he smirked; Xavier's voice sounded so much like Keith's that one would never have guessed that the Keith spinning Alexa around and hugging her was, in reality, a Pokémon! "I have no intention of keeping my abilities to myself...Kitten..."
"Hey, only Keith can call me that...Xavier..." Xavier laughed as he returned to his usual form once more.
"Only pulling your leg, hun," he winked. "C'mon; last one to Mistralton's a mouldy Lucky Egg!"
"Bun!" Jollie leapt out of Ryder's arms and chased the playful Zoroark down the path. Phoenix hurried along after the pair, but not because he wanted to participate in Xavier's challenge. Alexa and Ryder laughed as they watched the Charizard trying to calm the hyperactive fox and rabbit Pokémon down; they found it relatively amusing that, in fact, Xavier and Jollie were more interested in chasing each other than determining who the mouldy Lucky Egg was.
"How were the kids this morning?" Lily asked. She was communing with Hailey through her Xtransceiver whilst sitting on the sofa of her hotel room in Castelite, with a steaming hot mug of tea sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Hailey sighed as she sat down on her kitchen chair.
"Well, the girls are still shaken up about yesterday, but Daniel seems to be recovering pretty well..."
"Is he due to see the principal about his suspension?" Lily enquired.
"Not that we're aware; he's just to serve the suspension and return to school next week as normal," Hailey replied. "In the meantime, he's volunteered to take his sisters to school in our stead."
"They usually take the Unfezant to school, don't they?"
"If the weather's nice or if they're terribly late, yes," Hailey nodded. "But I am worried, Lily...you know how kids at school hear things about what other students are going through-"
"No, I can't say that I do, Hailey."
"Oh! R-Right, sorry," Hailey laughed sheepishly. "But, yeah, kids have a way of hearing things they shouldn't know about...I'm starting to wonder if Daniel's fight was instigated because of my disputes with Colin..."
"Considering he and the girls aren't the only Striaton Academy students living in Nacrene, that wouldn't be too surprising."
"Exactly. I dunno, though...all of this is getting a bit much...I mean, first Adelina starts stabbing me in the back like some kind of pin cushion and now Daniel's getting into fights...Colin and I aren't exactly getting any better either..."
"No?"
"Well...Colin said he'd handle the twins while I deal with Adelina..." Lily grew worried.
"And you say that like it's a bad thing?"
"I don't even know, Lily, I'm losing my mind here..."
"My advice? Let Colin take care of the kids while you get your head around everything regarding Adelina," Lily smiled. "You're piling too much onto yourself and it's stressing you out."
"What's going on?" Keenan asked. He remained lying on his hotel bed with his studying materials and textbooks in front of him, but held his arm in front of him as he spoke to Daniel through his Xtransceiver. Iara hung from Keenan's shoulder to join in the conversation.
"I've just heard some...interesting information. It's Troy."
"Is he all right?"
"Far from it; he had an unwelcome visitor yesterday – a Jellicent." Keenan halted his handwriting as he stared at his cousin in shock.
"What was a Jellicent doing at Troy's Daycare?"
"I don't know, but I do know this; it wasn't a Jellicent that Troy had taken in – it was one that just randomly attacked him for no reason as far as we can establish."
"But why are you relaying this information to me?" Keenan asked. "I'm trying to study."
"I understand that and I apologise for the interruption, but, seeing as you're also following the sabotaged Contest speculation, I thought I'd fill you in." Keenan raised an eyebrow.
"You think that relates to Troy's ambush?"
"What Pokémon did Vergil and Uncle Harvey fight when they battled Adelina?"
"I don't know. What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'm not sure...but I somehow get the feeling that we-know-who's involved..."
"Adelina? That's a shot in the dark, isn't it? I mean, she'd have to have known about Troy's incident and have a Jellicent of her own; what are the odds of her using her Jellicent – if indeed she has one – to attack Troy's Daycare Centre without knowing of his fear for the species? More to the point, WHY would Adelina arrange that assault in the first place?" Keenan's hypothetical questions gave Daniel more food for thought.
"Yes...I see your point... I'll keep my nose to the ground and get back to you if any new information surfaces."
"I'd appreciate it. Hey, Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"What should we do if...?"
"If Troy's assault was down to Adelina? ...I haven't thought that far ahead. Nonetheless, I still consider her a suspect and I'll try and tell my parents about it."
"I'll do the same once my Dad's back from his meeting," Keenan nodded.
Alexa and Ryder walked slowly down the rural pathway towards Mistralton City. Xavier and Jollie were further ahead, randomly skipping merrily while Phoenix walked alongside them slowly, keeping an eye on the playful pair.
"I saw how you and Keith got on yesterday," Ryder began. Alexa turned her attention to her smiling Lucario. "I'm happy for you."
"Slow down, Ryder, we're just rebuilding out foundation of trust right now," Alexa chuckled.
"You already trusted him with our Team Galactic story, what else do you need?" Ryder asked innocently. Alexa was surprised; she'd forgotten about how she confided in Keith about her deepest of emotional scars.
"...I...hadn't thought of that..." Ryder was bemused when Alexa sighed heavily and shakily. "I trusted him enough to tell him above my own parents...what does that say about someone from a close-knit family?"
"To be fair, though, it IS difficult to tell your parents about how you were kidnapped by a guy with a team bent on universal recreation."
"Thanks for the reminder," Alexa said grumpily.
"Sorry...but my point is...that telling Keith about it is proof of how much you trusted him," Ryder said kindly. Alexa smiled wishfully as she recalled the gentle embrace Keith gave to her after she regaled him of her grim tale of unwanted heroism; she remembered his soft touch even more than the sadness she felt as she told him her story and felt warm inside.
"You're right." Alexa stopped Ryder and gently pulled him into a loving hug; Ryder wagged his tail as he wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks, Ryder."
"Pleasure; I just wanted to-" Ryder suddenly spotted something that made him snarl angrily. "GET OUTTA HERE, STALKER-BUG!" he roared. Alexa instantly released her embrace and looked at the frightened Beautifly Ryder was so angry at; she watched as the Beautifly flew towards one of the trees behind Alexa and Ryder. Xavier, Jollie and Phoenix hurried over to Alexa following Ryder's outcry.
"Yo, Ryder, what's all the commotion?"
"THAT!" Ryder pointed to the fleeing Beautifly as it hid behind the tree. Alexa and the Pokémon were surprised when the Beautifly came out of hiding...as it hung from Adelina's forearm. Adelina's sleeveless dress was slate grey with an odd black upside down crescent insignia underneath an oval opening that exposed her well-rounded cleavage, and her open-toed heeled shoes looked highly inappropriate for every terrain other than a dance floor.
"Hello, dear."
"Adelina?! What're you doing here?!" Alexa asked in horror. Ryder and Phoenix subtly stepped in front of her protectively as Adelina recalled her Beautifly back into its Poké Ball.
"Why, I'm here to see you, sweetheart."
"I take it your Beautifly is how you knew I'd be here?"
"Silvia has been keeping an eye on things, yes," Adelina said as she stroked her faithful Delcatty's head. Alexa raised an eyebrow.
"Things?"
"This is the third time I saw that stupid Beautifly, Alex!" Ryder snarled viciously. "Once on Route 4, once in Castelia and now here!" Adelina chuckled.
"I didn't realise Silvia blew her cover...I'll need to have a word with her about that..."
"You're bilingual, too?" Alexa asked in genuine shock.
"Dear Daddy's Furfrou kept me company, yes, but that's another story entirely."
"What do you want?" Alexa asked suspiciously. "If you're looking to battle me, I'm not interested."
"Oh? But I saw your battle with those darling twins of Hailey's; your little Buneary was just spectacular!"
"You can stop the false compliments, Adelina, I can see right through them," Alexa said nastily. "Much like I can see through whatever lies you have in store for Aunt Hailey!"
"Lies?" Adelina smirked and giggled when she saw how stern Alexa looked. "I don't recall telling any lies."
"You just told another one," Alexa growled.
"Alex, c'mon, we're wasting our time here," Xavier said quietly.
"Yeah, you're right," Alexa sighed. "She's not even our problem anyway."
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Alexa looked at Adelina in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked cautiously. Adelina smirked.
"I know your secret." Phoenix, Jollie and Xavier were lost, but Alexa felt her heart beating heavily as her stomach plummeted, overwhelmed with intense fear and horror; there was only one secret Adelina was potentially referring to...
To be continued...
