Chapter Thirty Seven – Manhunt
Professor Hastings and Erma were mutually horrified at what they heard from Keith. Keith took a deep breath and exhaled quietly to calm himself down.
"And what of the Pokémon Alexa was with?" Hastings asked.
"Surprisingly, she was fine," Keith replied. "Seemed to me like she had things under control until we arrived."
"We?"
"Yeah, Alexa's dad arrived not long after I did," Keith explained.
"Oh my..."
"Cain left afterwards, though; Hayden pointed out that Layla had already weakened his other Pokémon, and the only way he could keep fighting was if Seviper fought."
"I see... I trust Alexa made it back home safely?"
"Yep," Keith nodded. "Hayden said he'd take her back while I reported what happened to you and Erma."
"Well, one can't say he's not a dedicated father," Erma smiled.
"But knowing that Cain's still on the loose is troublesome," Hastings grumbled.
"True... Keith, dear, can you pay Alexa a visit tomorrow morning? Just to see how she's doing, of course."
"I was planning to anyway," Keith said casually. "And I want to know how Ryder's doing as well."
"I'm certain he's recovering just fine," Erma said sweetly. "Now you should rest for the day, Keith; you'll need all the energy you can get after today's adventure."
"I wouldn't call it an adventure, but, yeah, the next time I see him, he won't get away from me again," Keith said with frustration.
"We'll catch him; just don't jump the gun," Hastings cautioned.
"I'll try not to," Keith said quietly.
The next day...
Keith and Buizel casually walked into Chicole Village and looked around for Alexa. The duo spotted a beautiful Persian with a pink pearl gem on her forehead laying down on one of the roofs in the village. As they got closer to the house, they spotted Alexa with four other Pokémon outside the house, one of the Pokémon being Layla. The other three Pokémon were a Golduck with a scar on its tail, a Nidoking with a blue scarf on his right forearm and a brown-necked Dodrio with a different coloured collar around each individual neck. The Persian's ears twitched and spotted Keith and Buizel approaching the house. She jumped down from the roof and intercepted the duo.
"Uh...hello," Keith said nervously. The Persian merely looked up at Keith in silence. The Persian's silence made Keith uneasy and Buizel rather intimidated, despite the Persian's neutral expression. Persian looked back at Alexa.
"Reow." Persian's meow caught Alexa's attention and she spotted Keith.
"Hi Keith," she greeted.
"This Persian yours?" Keith asked. Alexa smiled as she approached the Persian.
"Yeah, this is Kadia," she explained as she stroked the Persian's head. Kadia purred quietly as Alexa's fingers gently swept across her fur. "Sorry if she startled you."
"I wouldn't say startled," Keith laughed nervously.
"So...what brings you here?" Alexa asked. Kadia walked back towards the house. Buizel followed her, but Kadia gracefully leapt back onto the roof and resumed her original position. Alexa's Golduck spotted Buizel and introduced itself to him.
"Oh, uh, I just wanted to check on you, that's all. I-I mean, after yesterday an' all..."
"I'm fine," Alexa smiled. "Dad took care of Layla's injuries, so she's all right too."
"That's good to hear," Keith smiled. His smile was short lived as he sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"There was one thing on my mind all last night; 'what if I hadn't arrived when I did'."
"Oh. I don't know what would've happened, Cain wasn't being totally serious," Alexa shrugged. Keith faced Alexa, wide-eyed.
"What?"
"Cain wasn't being totally serious; he was trying to get my guard down. It was just a scare tactic, that's all," Alexa elaborated. "It disturbed me because he practically barged into my personal space." Keith became concerned.
"Alexa...I'm so sorry..."
"What for? You haven't done anything."
"No, I mean...you've been through so much crap since you became a Ranger, and it's not fair on you," Keith explained.
"So have you," Alexa replied.
"I know, but...n-no offence, but it seems like trouble has a habit of finding you; Kincaid kidnapping you, you getting suspended..."
"Water off a Psyduck's back; Kincaid had a reason for kidnapping me and me getting suspended was my own fault."
"Alexa-"
"Oh, spare me the pity!" Alexa snapped. "Okay, so Rhythmi jumped to conclusions about my necklace, but I was wrong to retaliate like I did," Alexa sighed as she took out her amulet from underneath her sweatshirt. "I am touchy about Lydia, but...I was wrong to take it out on Rhythmi..."
"Hey, come on, that was on the same day we found two dead Pokémon, both of which were killed by Cain's Pokémon, one of which WAS Cain's Pokémon! You had a right to be angry," Keith explained.
"Yes, but I was wrong to take it out on Rhythmi..."
"Hey, come on, stop being so hard on yourself," Keith said quietly.
"I know I'm not exactly on the professor's good side...what with me attacking Heath like I did and all..." Keith sighed.
"Alexa, that was months ago! And it was for my sake!"
"I don't think he cares about why I did it... I-it's just..." Alexa sighed. "I don't know...maybe I'm just too emotional..."
"Hey, better to be too emotional than not emotional at all," Keith smiled.
"I doubt others would agree with that philosophy," Alexa sighed. "I mean, Cyrus pretty much disowned all human emotion as it is..."
"So he's emo?" Keith questioned, almost jokily. Alexa glared at him.
"It's not funny!" she scolded. "It's a ridiculous concept, to disown your feelings, but he meant it!" Keith lost his half-hearted smile.
"Sorry..."
"It's not your fault... I guess I've been drawing the short straw for several years now..."
"How do you mean?"
"Lupin hates me," Alexa replied.
"Lupin being...?"
"My Alakazam. While he follows my instructions without question, he blames me for Lydia's death; he and Lydia were very close."
"Why would he blame you? I mean, you didn't kill her!"
"He thinks I should've stopped her, but I didn't know she was going to intercept Onix's Iron Tail," Alexa sighed. "Phoenix and I agreed he'd intercept it with his Metal Claw, neither of us saw Lydia jumping into the fray, as it were, until it was too late..."
"Man..."
"After the Kanto League, Lupin stopped talking to me, so I left him with my uncle Harvey. His last battle was against Cynthia's Spiritomb, but...he still doesn't talk to me."
"Have you tried communicating with him after the Sinnoh League?"
"I tried to, Keith, but Lupin won't listen to me. Phoenix isn't happy with him, to put it kindly. The only thing that's stopping Lupin from challenging Phoenix is the authority Phoenix has over my other Pokémon, like Ryder or Layla, for example."
"So he's, like, the alpha male?"
"My Chatot, Skywing calls him the 'clan leader', yeah," Alexa nodded. "And that status was secured after Lydia's death."
"Christ..."
"Phoenix refused to let what happened to Lydia happen to anyone else, and became extremely protective of me, hence...hence why he lost all sense of mercy in the Distortion World."
"Huh? You never mentioned that," Keith said in puzzlement.
"That detail wasn't relevant compared to everything else I told you at the time. But, yeah, Phoenix looked at me, put two and two together and saw red. He would've slaughtered Cyrus's Gyarados if I hadn't persuaded him to stop after that final Air Slash that knocked out Gyarados."
"Wow...wasn't too happy at what he pieced together then?"
"To put it extremely kindly, yeah. Phoenix would go so far as to attack another human if it meant my safety would be assured."
"So if it was Phoenix who was around when Cain ambushed you yesterday...then...?"
"Yes, Cain would've felt Phoenix's wrath personally," Alexa nodded. Keith smiled slightly.
"That would've been pretty damn cool."
"He would've gone for Cyrus too if I hadn't returned him to his Poké Ball; between them, Kayla, my Luxray, and Ryder defeated Giratina to calm him down."
"Hang on a sec, you've said his name numerous times now and you haven't quivered in fear once," Keith said suddenly.
"I guess...I guess I'm not scared of him any more," Alexa explained. "That's the only thing I can think of to explain it."
"Oh."
"But that doesn't mean I'm not scared of what actually took place. Besides, hate the sin and not the sinner. Deep down, Cyrus was just lonely and unnoticed. Even though he pretty much made a big song and dance about his plans..."
"I never really understood what compelled you to confront him in the first place," Keith admitted. "No offence, of course."
"None taken. And it wasn't personal."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say that if Sinnoh's police force did what they were actually being paid to do rather than stand around hailing down Pokémon trainers for battles, I wouldn't have gone through what I went through."
"Good grief..."
"Yeah...if my dad found out about that, he'd have gone through the roof; he hates gross incompetence more than anything."
"Why?"
"Too much of it at work," Alexa said nervously. "Mostly in the Solaceon Town store, actually..." Keith smiled sweetly.
"Well...as long as you're on the mend, that's a load off of my mind." Alexa smiled kindly at Keith.
"Yeah, I think the time I'm spending with this suspension will help me to keep a lid on my temper and my other emotions as well."
"But if being emotional is part of who you are, why change it?"
"Uh...never thought of that," Alexa admitted.
"Oh, before I forget, how's Ryder?" Keith asked. Alexa sighed.
"He's inside battling with Mum's Meganium, Chelsea."
"Battling? Should he be battling?"
"Wrong context; Ryder wants to go out and find Cain for what he did to me and Layla, but Chelsea's insisting that he stays put," Alexa explained.
"Oh. Well, I'll look for Cain in his place, so he can rest easy if you run it by him."
"Can I suggest that one of my Pokémon goes with you? The last thing I want is for Buizel to get hurt again, and Ryder's in no state to go on a manhunt."
"Who would you recommend?" Keith asked.
"Whoever's willing to go with you."
Poke.
Alexa turned around and spotted her Dodrio smiling at her. Keith spotted the three-headed Pokémon.
"Who's that?"
"This is Ellie-May-Jan," Alexa said. "Each of her heads has her own name; Ellie, May and Jan," she explained, indicating the three collars around her necks.
"Is she competent?" Keith asked. The head with the blue collar around her neck, Ellie, glared at Keith angrily.
"Ellie..!" Alexa smiled at Keith. "Sorry, she's the angry one. But, yeah, Ellie-May-Jan is an experienced battler and she's good at carrying riders on her back."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I rode on her back a lot before Phoenix evolved into Charizard. By the way, don't mind May so much, she's the worrywart of the three," Alexa said nervously.
"I won't worry. But will she be okay with me?" All three heads smiled and nodded towards Keith.
"She's volunteering, after all," Alexa laughed. Ellie-May-Jan approached Keith from behind, and, using all three of her heads, lifted the startled boy onto her back. Alexa laughed as Buizel struggled to climb onto the Dodrio's back. Jan helped the panicky Buizel up and he managed to reach Keith safely. "And she's pretty eager."
"There's room for one more if you want to come with," Keith smiled. Alexa's smile weakned as she shook her head.
"I'd better not; my emotional health is pretty unstable as it is, Cain would only make it worse. No, you go on ahead and I'll try some yoga or something."
"If you say so," Keith said as he lost his smile. However, he quickly regained his lost smile. "I'll check up on you later, okay?"
"If you want," Alexa smiled. Ellie-May-Jan turned around, ready to run out of the village.
"Laters!" Keith called as the Dodrio sped out of the village. As soon as Keith disappeared from sight, Alexa returned to the house.
Look, I'm fine, okay?! Ryder argued as he struggled with the vines of a red-eyed female Meganium, who seemed frustrated with the recovering Lucario.
"Ganium!"
I don't need to rest!
"Yes you do," Alexa sighed. Ryder and the Meganium looked back at Alexa as she approached them. "Dad's orders, remember? You're still healing. That Hydreigon did a hefty amount of damage to you, and the last thing I want is for you to get worse."
But Alex-
"I know you want to see Cain pay for what he's done, but he will eventually."
I don't want him to pay eventually, I want him to pay now!
"Well we'll need to find him first," Alexa said quietly. "Anyway, you listen to Chelsea, you need bed rest right now."
I guess you're right...
"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my room trying to prevent my sanity from breaking apart," Alexa said as she walked up the stairs.
Keith had spent the entire day riding around Almia on Alexa's athletic Dodrio, on the lookout for any sign of Cain, but to no avail; it had seemed that the cold-hearted Pokémon trainer had disappeared without a trace. The only times when Keith stopped was when he arrived at certain locations; locations where he had encountered the ruthless boy and some of his Pokémon mob. He spent most of his free time reflecting on the Pokémon Cain had slaughtered; Salamence and Medicham. Salamence was a family Pokémon, with a mate and three babies, while Medicham was Cain's own Pokémon. Just thinking about their deaths almost made Keith cry; neither Pokémon deserved their horrific fates.
It was almost sunset when Ellie-May-Jan ran steadily through Puel Town, with a very silent Keith and Buizel riding on her back. Buizel looked depressed, but Keith and Ellie shared the same annoyed demeanour; while Keith was annoyed that he hadn't found a single trace of where Cain was hiding or had been, Ellie was annoyed with May and Jan's 'girly' talk. Ellie thought Keith to be fortunate for not being able to understand May and Jan.
"Okay, stop here," Keith said quietly. All three heads responded and Ellie-May-Jan stopped in her tracks; they found themselves just outside Puel Town, near the Vien Forest. Keith and Buizel dismounted from Ellie-May-Jan's back. "Take a rest, girl, you've earned it." Ellie-May-Jan smiled at Keith with gratitude as she approached the nearby river to take a well-earned drink. Buizel lay down on the river bank and took a little nap. Keith leaned against the nearest tree and breathed deeply to clear his head.
"Hey, Keith!" Keith looked over at Barlow, who was approaching him with Makuhita at his side. Keith smiled a little.
"S'up, Barlow? How're you doing?" he asked. Barlow groaned under his breath while Makuhita walked over to the river.
"No sign of him anywhere."
"Snap," Keith sighed. "I must've checked anywhere and everywhere about three times each, and still no sign of Cain each time." Barlow noticed Ellie-May-Jan by the river.
"Hey, where did you get the Dodrio?"
"Oh, she's one of Alexa's Pokémon," Keith explained. "She's how I've been here, there and everywhere three times today. She's accompanying me in Ryder's absence."
"How are they?" Barlow asked.
"Alexa says Ryder's fine, despite arguing with her mom's Meganium. But there's something she said that has me concerned."
"What's that then?" Barlow asked with interest.
"She said something about her emotional health being unstable," Keith explained.
"Ah, I guess she's referring to her mental health," Barlow said quietly.
"Huh?!"
"No need to panic, Keith. Did she say anything along with that?"
"Uh...only that Cain would only make it worse and she'd try...yoga or something."
"Ah, well, at least she's on top of it," Barlow smiled.
"I should've known she'd have an episode...if I noticed it sooner, I could've stopped her from hurting Rhythmi," Keith sighed.
"Hey, she said she could handle the investigation, and we believed her," Barlow said, with a look of concern on his face. "If her mental health was becoming unbalanced, it wasn't obvious."
"But now she's suspended from her duties because of-"
"Keith, don't blame yourself for this!" Barlow said abruptly.
"...I was going to say Cain," Keith said quietly.
"Oh. Well, can't say I'm surprised that you blame him; it wasn't right for her to see what she saw that day," Barlow stated. Keith nodded in whole-hearted agreement.
"I take it you know why Alexa was suspended?"
"Something about a necklace, yeah," Barlow answered.
"I think Rhythmi was unintentionally adding salt into the wound; I really don't think she meant what she said, but I'm not entirely sure. But I just hope Alexa's gonna be okay..."
"We've established that she's on top of her unstable mental health, so I'm sure she'll be her normal self again once she's done something to stabilise it again."
"Yeah..."
"Besides, she's got a lot of support around her, so she'll recover in no time," Barlow smiled. Keith returned the smile.
"Yeah." Barlow looked up at the sky; the sun was close to setting, giving the sky a beautiful orange-red glow.
"It's getting late." He looked back at Keith. "I'm on my way to the Ranger Union to report today's findings. Or lack thereof anyway. I think you should stay with Alexa again tonight."
"I-I was going to check up on her tonight, but I don't know about staying over," Keith said nervously.
"You need to return her Dodrio anyway, so why not?" Barlow asked teasingly. Keith laughed nervously.
"That's true, I guess...I just don't want to make a habit out of bunking at her place, that's all," he explained.
"Don't worry, I'll put in a good word for you to the Professor."
"Speaking of which," Keith said suddenly. "Alexa said she doesn't think she's on his good side. Can you ask him if that's the case?" Barlow looked at Keith in confusion.
"Uh...yeah, okay, I don't see the harm in it," he agreed. "I'll get back to you on that tomorrow."
"Thanks, Barlow," Keith smiled. "I don't know whether he's giving her tough love or whether he just plain doesn't like her like he used to."
"Yeah, that line's pretty fine," Barlow agreed. "Now you'd best be going; I have a hunch that Cain's become nocturnal for the sake of not being caught."
"I don't even know if he sleeps," Keith muttered as he walked over to Ellie-May-Jan, who had finished her drink and was ready for Keith to mount her again. Buizel hopped onto Keith's shoulder before he made his way onto Ellie-May-Jan's back.
"Wouldn't surprise me if he's an insomniac," Barlow chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I'll be patrolling tonight, and my guard needs to be up."
"Can't the professor get Sven or Wendy to help?" Keith asked in frustration.
"I volunteered; the last thing I want is for Crawford's Budew to suffer like Luana's Buneary had," Barlow clarified. "And don't worry; I won't be alone," he added, winking at Keith. "Now get goin', kiddo."
"See ya, Barlow," Keith said as Ellie-May-Jan began to jog into the forest. Barlow and Makuhita made their way into Puel Town, jogging as they went.
Barlow arrived at the Ranger Union fairly quickly. Despite their large builds, neither Barlow nor Makuhita were exhausted from the jogging they did en route. They walked over to Professor Hastings, who was keeping an eye on things on the ground floor of the union. Hastings spotted Barlow as he approached.
"Hello, Barlow. What can I do for you?" he asked politely.
"Just thought you should know; I started patrolling and keeping an eye on any sign of Cain. Not a trace," Barlow explained. "Keith spent the entire day looking for the boy, but he found nothing either."
"Hmmm...Cain's proving himself to be very elusive," Hastings muttered to himself. "Are you sure you're comfortable in patrolling tonight? Chances are Cain's just waiting for nightfall to come out of hiding."
"I'm good; I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," Barlow said confidently.
"True."
"Before I forget, Professor, Keith wanted me to ask you something."
"Oh?"
"He said Alexa told him she doesn't think she's on your good side. Keith wants to know if that's true or not." Hastings let out a deep sigh as he began to slowly pace around.
"He doesn't think I like her, does he?"
"That's what he assumed anyway," Barlow answered.
"Barlow, I'm an old man; I find it rather difficult understanding the minds of the youth. But, I'll be honest, I don't believe Alexa's performance hasn't exactly been sublime as of late."
"But that's not exactly a good reason to hate her."
"I never said anything of the sort, Barlow. I just think she needs to pull her act together. Hopefully she'll learn to do just that during her suspension."
"Keith's kind of blaming himself for not noticing Alexa's fragile state of mind since she came back from Oblivia," Barlow added. "He believes that if he had, he could've stopped her from attackin' Rythmi. I take it nobody else here noticed it either?"
"Alexa has become fairly distracted as of late, and I certainly can't fathom where she got her recklessness from. If that girl's not careful, she could get hurt again, or worse still; end up dead."
"Oh come on, Professor, Alexa knows better than that!"
"Let's hope that's the case. Alexa's a good Top Ranger, but recent events have seriously hindered her skills."
"And her mental health, from what Keith told me." Barlow added. Hastings raised an eyebrow with intrigue.
Ellie-May-Jan slowed down as she approached Alexa's Chicole residence and allowed Keith to dismount her. Keith and Ellie-May-Jan walked to the front door, only for Chelsea, the red-eyed Meganium to answer it before Keith could even knock.
"Ganium!" Chelsea greeted, moving away from the door to allow Keith and Ellie-May-Jan to enter. Keith spotted Ryder on the sofa; while he looked extremely comfortable with a pillow behind his head and a blanket keeping him warm, Ryder was pouting.
"Hey, Ryder."
She's upstairs, Ryder said plainly.
"What's gotten your tail in a knot?" Keith asked.
Chelsea's vines, almost, Ryder huffed.
"It was a rhetorical question," Keith sighed.
"Reow." Keith spotted a familiar Persian at the foot of the staircase, smiling sweetly at him.
Everyone else is having a little rest, so try not to be too loud if you can help it, Ryder added.
"Speaking of which, get some yourself, mister," Keith laughed as he followed Kadia up the stairs. Ryder silently mimicked Keith's somewhat patronising words to himself in frustration. Ryder huffed as he lay on the sofa. Chelsea turned off the lights and lay down in her basket, next to the sleeping Tidus, comfortable in his own basket. Chelsea sighed contently as she drifted off to sleep. After Ellie-May-Jan happily returned to the solitude of her Poké Ball, Ryder grinned sinisterly.
Keith quietly entered Alexa's bedroom. He found her sitting in the middle of the floor in her lilac pyjamas, with the soles of her feet touching one another and her hands gently placed in front of her. Alexa had one eye open and was smiling at him, as if she'd anticipated his arrival.
"Hi, Keith."
"What're you doing now?" he asked as Alexa stood up.
"I thought I'd try a bit of meditation before bed. Good thing you arrived when you did; I almost fell asleep," she laughed sheepishly. Keith smiled as he walked over to her. He gently placed his hand on her cheek.
"How're you feeling?" he asked softly. Kadia's ears twitched and she exited the room curiously.
"Better. For now, at least," Alexa replied quietly.
Kadia walked silently down the stairs and looked around the ground floor of the house. When she spotted the sofa where Ryder was resting, she was horrified to discover the significant lack of recovering Lucario. She noticed that the front door of the house wasn't quite closed; she came to the immediate conclusion that the faint sound she picked up was Ryder sneaking out of the house!
"So Barlow said you should stay the night again, huh?" Alexa asked as she held Keith's hands softly.
"It's not that I didn't like the idea; I just don't really want to make crashing here a bad habit."
"Don't be silly, my parents adore you," Alexa smiled. "As do I." Keith smiled sweetly, though he was blushing from nervousness.
"After what I saw from your dad yesterday, I wasn't sure if he'd be happy about me staying here."
"He trusts you, Keith."
Kadia returned to the bedroom and jumped up on Alexa, resting her paws on her arms. Alexa immediately noticed how panicky she looked.
"What's wrong?"
"Reow! Re~ow!"
"Oh no...!" Alexa released Keith's hands and followed Kadia down the stairs. Keith, confused, followed her.
By the time Keith arrived on the ground floor, he instantly understood why Kadia and Alexa were panicky and followed them outside.
Alexa and Kadia looked around the village, but they couldn't see Ryder anywhere. Keith and Buizel caught up to the girls.
"He must've gone after Cain! Urgh, that pup's gonna get himself killed at this rate!" Alexa said frantically. She began to run off, but Keith managed to hold onto her hand and stop her before she got too far. She looked back at him in shock.
"Alexa-"
"But I-" Keith raised an eyebrow. Alexa sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I said I should stay away from Cain, so I should. It's for my own good."
"...well, that and you're still in your PJ's."
"Huh?!" Alexa looked at her nighttime attire. "Oh..." She looked at Keith, smiling and blushing sheepishly. "Whoops."
"Don't worry, I'll look for him."
"B-but what about-"
"I know about Cain. But if I can find Barlow and explain the situation, he and I can look for Ryder together," Keith explained. Alexa appeared hesitant, but, after a small pause, she sighed.
"Okay...on one condition."
"Anything."
"Take Kadia with you; she knows Flash, so she can help you see in the dark, and her hearing is extremely sharp. She can hear things we couldn't, so she might also help you find Barlow and even Ryder."
"Okay, deal," Keith smiled.
"I trust her battling skills too, but...please be careful..." Alexa looked down at Kadia. "Both of you."
"Reow," Kadia nodded with compliance. Keith looked at Buizel.
"You stay here, buddy, okay?"
"Bui!" Buizel nodded as he leapt towards Alexa. She caught him and held him in her arms, almost like a teddy bear being cuddled by a little kid.
"I'll be careful. I promise," Keith said sincerely. He quickly, yet gently, pecked a kiss on Alexa's lips before he and Kadia sped off out of the village, beginning the search for Ryder. Preferably before Cain finds him.
To be continued...