Day 8: Third-Story Victory
Zara woke up the next morning to the sound of her Sceptile snoring. Just once, and not loudly enough to wake anyone else up, but loud enought to wake her up, considering she was sleeping right next to it.
She closed her eyes again and snuggled closer up to Sceptile, drawing her blanket up closer to her chin.
Wait...she didn't go to sleep with a blanket on.
Thinking for a minute, she decided Wally must have woken up sometime in the night and given her blanket back to her because he felt guilty for taking it in the first place. She smiled at the thought, and lazily opened one eye to look at the green haired trainer.
Wally lay in front of his Galade, the both of them still sound asleep. And the both of them covered by Zara's blanket.
Zara opened both eyes and sat up. So this isn't my blanket. That is, unless Wally did get up last night and went and got himself another one, which I doubt that he did. Did Steven see us out here and feel bad for me or something? If he did, you'd think he would have brought me a pillow too. So it probably wasn't-
She had been looking around the field for any signs of someone coming into their camp last night, when her eyes fell on Alain. He and Charizard were still fast asleep, but he had no blanket. And Zara was absolutely sure that he'd had one last night.
He must have given me his at some point last night, she realized. That was really sweet of him, and she gazed at Alain in admiration. For several minutes she just stared, letting thoughts drift lazily throught her head unbidden. He saved my life, he listened to my troubles, and now he covers me up at night. He really is a good friend.
He's actually kind of cute when he's asleep. Him and Charizard both. I guess I understand why Jacklyn pays him so much attention, he is rather good looking, asleep or awake. But there's so much more to him than that. So much more that she will never understand. And so much more that I don't understand. She sighed at the last thought.
I wonder if he-
No, her mind suddenly shouted at her, you cannot think like this. You are trying to become his friend, and that is all. And the only reason you want to be his friend is because Steven told you you have to. Just because he knows your secret does not mean you can drag him into this mess your life has become. Who knows whe you'll have to start running from those maniacs in Team Magma again? He has a life back in Kalos that he needs to live, without any interference from you or them.
Zara bowed her head at the thought, knowing it was the truth, but not wanting to accept it. I know, I can't let him see this. I have to conceal it, just like I conceal all my past from everyone. And I'm forgeting, though this may be nice while it lasts, it will only go on for another week. No matter how what happens here, it will come to an end. Looking back up at Alain, she guitily added, But I can enjoy it while it lasts. Just have to be sure I don't get attached to him. He seems like he has enough worries to deal with as it is. He doesn't need me adding mine to his.
She gazed down at the blanket, and though she tried hard to supress it for practice sake, she couldn't stop the smile that spred slowly across her face. Guess I do like the feeling of having someone know my secrets that can talk back. As long as it's him.
Across the courtyard, a door banged open. Alain jerked awake at the sound, sitting up and looking around sharply. Wally also woke up, a bit less abruptly, and rubbed his eyes. "Morning," he mumbled sleepily to Zara. She only nodded in responce.
Steven strode through the open doors, and up to the three of them. Without so much as a "Good morning" he said, "Zara, what in the world are you doing out here?"
"Um..talking to you?" Zara said as meekly as she could.
Steven's face became more stern. "Not funny, Zara. Now, why are you out here?"
"We wanted to get away from our roommates, so we thought we'd just sleep out here."
"What's wrong with your roommates?"
"Well, mine is a slob, Alain's snores terribly, and Wally's...actually, what is wrong with your roommate, Wally?"
"He's a little pushy some of the time, but mostly I came down here because you invited me," Wally answered.
"Oh. Well, those are the reasons," Zara said, readdressing Steven.
"I don't remember giving you permission to sleep on the battle field."
"You didn't, but I didn't think it mattered, since it isn't against the rules or anything."
"Zara," Steven sighed, "I didn't think their needed to be rules about that. Seemed to me it was rather obvious that the only place you were supposed to sleep was in the room that had been provided for you."
Zara ducked her head. "Sorry, Champion."
"I suppose it's fine, considering you are correct, techinically it isn't against any of that Acadamy's rules. But know that I will be making a new rule about it, so don't try it again, alright?"
"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."
"Good," and with that, Steven walked out of the courtyard, shaking his head.
Zara releaced a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Phew. That was close. Didn't think I as going to get off the hook on that one."
"You mean, y-you didn't think all three of us w-would get off the hook on that-t one," Wally corrected quietly.
"Actually, I think he would have only punished me, since it was my idea in the first place. At least, I'm almost positive he wouldn't have punished you." She stood up and dusted herself off. "Whatever would have happened, let's just get our stuff out of here before anyone else coming down to breakfast sees it, and asks what we were doing."
"Right," Alain said.
"Okay," Wally agreed.
They cleaned up their things, recalled their Pokemon, and dumping the former in their respective rooms, went down to breakfast. Wally whistled a cheery tune as they went down the stairs that reflected Zara's mood perfectly. She was truly happy, unlike she had been in a long time. She was at peace, something she hadn't fully experienced in eight years.
They were some of the first people in line when the reached the cafeteria. Going through the line took almost time at all, and the three of them chose an empty table near the front ofthe room. The place was oddly empty compared to most mornings. At least, it was for a little while.
And then Jacklyn came in.
She, as always, came over to the table Alain sat at as soon as she went through the line. Zara just turned a blind eye to the red-clad trainer. Don't jump on her yet, she hasn't done anything worth getting angry about. Who knows, maybe she's had a change of heart and just wants to apologize. Zara almost snorted at the thought. Yeah, sure, when Swinub fly.
"What happened to you last night?" Jacklyn asked Alain in a sickly sweet voice. "Gordon told me you weren't in your room last night. And Brittney said that she wasn't either. Is there something going on I should know about?"
"No," Alain said bluntly. Zara took a look at his face and thought he was gritting his teeth.
"So what were you doing that took all night, that involved her? Can't you tell me? I thought you cared about me!" Jacklyn nearly cried. Without giving him a chance to respond, she went on, "I care about you, and I think you ought to acknowledge it! So what do you have to say for yourself?" and she leaned in closer to him. Alain only turned away and stared at the far wall.
He's fine, he's fine, don't get up, don't make a scene, Zara thought over and over to herself.
"You jerk!" Jacklyn yelled at him, "I'll get you to show me you care, one way or another!" And with that she grabbed Alain's face by the chin, forcing him to face her, and leaned in even closer than she already was.
By that time Zara's thoughts were going haywire, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She stood up and grabbed Jacklyn by her hair. "Leave him alone!"
Jacklyn just stared at her, dumbfounded for a few seconds. In those few seconds, the cafeteria became dead slient, and Zara was suddenly painfully aware of everyone in the room staring at them.
"What's wrong with you?" Jacklyn hissed at her. "You trying to steal him again? I know what you're up to. You're jealous."
Zara realized with a jolt that she was doing exactly what she had told herself she would not do this morning. Letting her emotions get out of control. She released Jacklyn's hair, but instead grabbed her by her shirt and hauled her out of her chair. Leaning in as close as she dared, she whispered, putting as much venom behind her words as she could muster, "Stay away from him, or your going to have more than a sore scalp to deal with, and not only from me. It he wanted to be with you, he's had ample opportunity to say it, and I know we both haven't heard it. So do me a favor and get lost before one of us does something she regrets. Alright?"
Jacklyn didn't answer, only shoved Zara hard in the chest. Zara stumbled backward, and without a word, Jacklyn picked up her tray and left their table, mouthing the words You'll pay for that back at Zara as she left.
Zara sat back down, her head swimming at what she had done. She barely registered Wally congratualting her on getting Jacklyn to leave, or Alain quietly thanking her for the same thing. She couldn't stop thinking about what Jacklyn had said. Was she jealous? Did she really, truely, honestly have feelings for him?
She turned to look at him, and finally admitted it to herself. Yes, maybe she did, even if they were only extremely superficial. Maybe I just think too much of him as a savior, she critizised herself, since he did save my life and all. But it doesn't matter, for all the reasons I already told myself. Not to mention there's the matter of his strange, unexplainable reasons for coming here in the first place.
"Attention students!" a familiar voice called out. Zara didn't even have to look to know it was Steven. "Would you please head out to the battle field. We are ready to begin today's challenge."
The room quickly emptied and all the students gathered in the courtyard. Outside, pillars had been erected on the battlefield and around it, many of them falling outside of the whitle lines. They were similar to the ones Glacia had used, but their heights varied more, the tallest coming just shy of the roof, the lowest being just shy of the first floor windows. Also, there were no holes dug between them.
"Now," Steven began, "all of you already know who I am, so I won't go into that. My strategy when battling is really a combination of all the Elite Four's methods they have been showing you, but that's not very specific. To put it in a sentence, 'Strike enemies where they're weakest.' And that's what I want you to do today. My challenge will bring out all of your weaknesses, and hopefully all of you strengths as well."
"There are a lot of rules to this challenge, so please be patient untill I finish. First, when you battle, the trainers will stand on the designated pillars. There will be no attacking any trainers or the pillars they're standing on." Zara looked around to see if she could spot the designated pillars. Sure enough, she saw them marked off with different colors of paint, but to her surprise their were four instead of two.
"Each trainer's Pokemon must stay on the pillars when they battle. They may not climb to where they are lower than they are tall or fall off the pillars, or they lose. So in order to move around the field, your Pokemon must jump from pillar to pillar. Or fly from pillar to pillar. Also, even though it is allowed, we would appreciate it if you wouldn't break the pillars."
"In order to attack, the Pokemon must be on a pillar. You cannot attack while jumping to another pillar, but you can dodge. We have this rule so Flying types are forced to use the pillars as well, and furthermore, flying Pokemon are not permitted to fly any higher than the average Pokemon can jump. Lastly, you must Mega Evolve at some point during the battle. Any questions?"
Mary raised her hand. "Um, isn't the field a bit...square?" She was right. Now that Zara looked more closely at it, she saw the pillars had been arranged in a perfect square, save for the designated pillars, which rested one on each side of the square. What are you thinking Steven?
"It is square if you're fighting a regular battle, but I thought we'd try something else today," Steven answered. "Someone from the Alola region intruduced me to this style of battling, and now I'm introducing it here. We are going to have a battle royale."
"No way!" Wally burst out, then quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.
Steven just smiled at him and said, "Way." Wally, Zara, and several of the others burst out laughing.
"We planned," Steven began again when the laughter had died down, "to start with the Pokemon that can get the highest, and take the taller pillars down as we go. So the first groups of four will be the ones that can battle on the tallest pillars. And they are: Jacklyn, Flash, Alain, and Carl."
The four said trainers stepped out of the crowd, and Steven directed them over to Drake and his Salamance. The Dragon type Master flew all four of them up to their designated pillar, then had Salamance land on the roof. "Do any of you need me to repeat the rules?" he shouted across to the them.
"No!" They all shouted back.
"Then are you ready?" Drake asked.
Some of them said, "Yes!", others just nodded.
"Then battle begin!"
Zara, being on the ground, had to crane her neck to see anything that was going on above her. She saw the trainers send out their Pokemon and give a few inteligible commands before she gave up trying to watch. Then an idea struck her. Running up to Steven, she asked, "Are we allowed to go up on the roof an watch?" When Steven gave his concent, she releaced Sceptile, and the two of them climbed the wall to the roof. Now she could see, and hear, the battle clearly.
All four trainers had their Pokemon directly in front of them. The field was quiet, each trainer waiting for their opponent to make the first move.
Then Carl shouted, "Lucario, use Aura Sphere on Ampharos!"
"Intercept with Electro Ball!" Flash ordered.
The Fighting type move connected with the Electric type one, and they exploded, sending sparks flying across the field. Charizard and Blaziken jumped to different pillars to dodge them.
"Now Charizard, use Flamethrower on Lucario!" Charizard let loose a stream of fire at the Fighting and Steel type.
"Blaziken, use Overheat on Lucario!" Jacklyn ordered. Blaziken shot a blast of molten lava after Charizard's Flamethrower.
"Dodge them!" Carl shouted. Lucario jumped to another pillar to dodge the Flamethrower, but couldn't get out of the Overheat's path. Carl threw his head back, causing his dark brown hair to fall back from his face, and yelled, "Use Dragon Pulse!"
Lucario braced itself, and putting its hands out in front of it, releaced the multicolored attack. It connected with the Overheat, but couldn't overpower it, leaving the two Fighting types locked in combat.
Now strike them while they're struggling with each other! Zara thought.
Alain must have been thinking the same thing, because he immediatly shouted, "Charizard, Flamethrower on Lucario!"
"No!" Carl cried, but Lucario could do nothing to stop the attack from connecting. The Flamethrower struck it, and it was thrown back, hitting a pillar behind it. Lucario quickly grappled for a hand hold to keep itself from falling.
"Ampharos, Mega Evolve!" Flash shouted. "Now use Discharge!" Zara realized in the confusion she'd forgotten the Electric type. She evidently wasn't the only one. Charizard and Blaziken both were struck by the powerful Discharge, and Charizard lost its balance and started to fall. It flared its wings at the last moment, and brought itself back up to the pillar it had been on.
"Blaziken, Overheat on Ampharos!" Jacklyn ordered.
"Charizard, Flamethrower on Lucario!" Alain shouted.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere on Charizard!" Carl commanded.
"Intercept Blaziken with Electro Ball!" Flash yelled.
The four attacks met their marks in the middle of the field, and exploded. Smoke blew outward from the field and into Zara's eyes, making them smart.
She heard Jacklyn cough a couple times, then heard the sound of a Pokemon Mega Evolving. The smoke cleared and she could see both Mega Charizard and Mega Lucario. Blaziken had yet to Mega Evolve, and it stood with its arms raised in defence.
"Blaziken, Mega Evolve!" Jacklyn shouted, and touching her keystone in her choker, it reacted with Blaziken's Mega Stone. Blaziken roared as it Mega Evolved. "Now jump to Charizard's pillar and use Sky Uppercut!"
Quick as a whip, Blaziken leaped to Charizard's pillar and punched its jaw with a Sky Uppercut attack. Zara heard Alain call out for Charizard to attack with Dragon Claw, but by that time Blaziken was back in front of Jacklyn.
How did it-Oh, that's right, when Blaziken Mega Evolves, its ability becomes Speed Boost, Zara thought.
"Use Blaze Kick on Ampharos!" Jacklyn shouted.
"Use Discharge!" Flash ordered.
Ampharos let loose with a wild Discharge attack. Charizard and Lucario managed to avoid the blast of electricity, but Blaziken took it full on. When Ampharos was through, it fell to its knees in pain, clutching the pillar it stood on for support.
"Now Dragon Pulse!" Flash commanded.
"Lucario, Bone Rush!" Carl ordered.
Ampharos releaced the Dragon type attack, and though Jacklyn shouted at ther Pokemon with all she had in her, Blaziken was too exhausted to move very far. In a last ditch attempt to save itself, it flung itself onto the nearest pillar, sllipped, and tried to hall itself back on top. It was no use. Lucario charged forward, and landing on the pillar Blaziken was struggling to regain, struck the Fire type again and again with its Bone Rush. Blaziken cried out, but didn't let go, instead grabbing Lucario by the leg and dragging it closer to the edge.
And all this time, Zara thought, Charizard hasn't moved. Glancing back at Alain, she did a double take. Charizard wasn't there!
"Use Dragon Claw!" Alain shouted.
Charizard tillted in the air above the pillars and swooped toward Ampharos, landing on the Light Pokemon's pillar, and sliced at it with glowing green claws. Ampharos roared and staggered back from the hit, teetering dangerously close to the edge of its pillar.
"Ampharos!" Flash cried. "Alright, Dragon Pulse!"
"Flamethrower!" Alain countered.
The attacks connected with each other, and the explosion sent them both reeling. Both lost their balance on the small pillar and fell. Charizard flared its wings and barrel rolled to save itself. Ampharos wasn't so lucky. It dangled above the three story drop, held up only bitting down on a chunk of rock that protruded from the nearest pillar.
Guess one of Ampharos's weaknesses is that it isn't nearly as moblie as the other three, Zara thought.
"Ampharos!" Flash shouted.
"Finish this, Charizard!" Alain said, "Dragon Claw!"
Charizard landed on the pillar Ampharos daggled from, and leaned down to swipe at the Electric and Dragon type.
"Use Overheat!"
Zara's attention snapped back to Blaziken and Lucario. Somehow the Fire type had managed to strike the Steel type, because now Lucario was struggling to rise on a pillar in front of Carl. And Blaziken was back in front of Jacklyn, firing an Overheat straight for Charizard. The Fire and Dragon type had no time to attack Ampharos, but instead lanched itself into the air and received only minor damage.
That's a weakness Alain, Zara thought, getting overconfident. Its never over till it's over. I've got to remeber that for when I battle him.
Flash raised a fist and shouted, "Either we win, or we go down trying! Discharge!"
Ampharos releaced the most powerful Discharge yet, and it struck all three of its opponents. All three Pokemon cried out in pain.
Carl didn't wait for the attack to end to move. "Lucario, Dragon Pulse on Ampharos!"
Lucario struggled against the surge of electricity, then launched a Dragon Pulse. Evidently it couldn't see very well, because the attack didn't hit Ampharos. Instead it hit the pillar Ampharos was clinging to, causing the whole top half of it to break apart. Ampharos plummeted, hit the ground so hard it left a crater behind, and fainted.
Having been liberated of the Discharge, Blaziken moved swiftly over to Lucario's side of the field.
"Lucario, be ready with Bone Rush," Carl cautioned.
"Blaziken, Blaze Kick!" Jacklyn ordered.
Both Pokemon charged each other. Blaziken lashed out with firey kicks, but Lucario countered everyone of them with the bone it balanced on its back. The two Fighting types jumped from pillar to pillar, concentrating completely on their opponent.
And there's another weakness, one Steven taught me about. Concentrating too much on what's right in front of you and not looking out for traps. Easily made mistake, but these two should know better, especially since this isn't the first time it happened, Zara critizised.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Both Fighting types froze, but it was too late for either of them to dodge. The Flamethrower knocked Blaziken backward and it leaped to the next pillar behind it, but it sent Lucario flying off the field and into the wall of the school. It landed next to a window and fainted.
That left only Charizard and Blaziken. The two Fire types were both evidently weak, both panting heavily. They locked eyes, and slowly began to circle the field, jumping from pillar to pillar, waiting for the other one to move. The circling stretched on for ten minutes before Jacklyn growled in frustration and shouted, "Use Sky Uppercut!"
Blaziken dashed forward, using its superior speed to get halfway to Charizard before Alain could say anything.
"Blast Burn, lets go!" Alain ordered when he caught up with Blaziken.
Charizard roared and punched the ground with a firey claw. Blaziken skidded to a halt, unsure of what to do now, but Jacklyn just urged it on. "Intercept it with Blaze Kick!" she commanded.
Blaziken went back into action, and jumping into the air, covered the last several yards in one leap, and came down to connect with Charizard's Blast Burn. The two Fire types struggled, and Blaziken held its ground for several seconds before Charizard overpowered it. It flew backward, struck the wall, and fainted.
"No!" Jacklyn screamed.
"Lucario, Ampharos, and Blaziken are unable to battle, so Charizard is the winner. Therefore the victory goes to Alain," Drake announced.
Zara smiled broadly. When I get to fight him, that'll be a battle to remember, I just know it.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Alain stood on his pillar and waited as Drake and his Salamence collected the trainers from their pillars. His mind swam with images of Charizard attacking, defending, and dodging. All three of these trainers had been good opponents, but he was still the strongest.
Salamence flew over and he stepped onto the Dragon and Flying type. They soared to the ground and he dismounted behind Jacklyn. He caught her eye as they climbed off, but all she did was "hmph" and look away.
What a relief that's over, he thought gratefully. Now she won't follow me around anymore for sure. He couldn't have cared less as to why she disliked him all of a sudden; he was just glad she was gone.
Steven's voice rang out over the courtyard, bringing Alain back to reality. "The next set of four trainers will be Luke, Penny, Abby, and Zara."
The four trainers rushed out form the crowd, and in Zara's case, the back wall, and toward Salamence, and once on it's back, the Dragon Pokemon flapped its wings and lifted them up to the pillars. Then, its job completed, it landed on the roof with Drake.
"Are you all ready?" Drake called.
"Yes!" they all answered in unison.
"Then challenge begin!"
Alain tried his best to watch the battle for the better part of ten minutes, but in the end he gave up. The battlers were just too high and too far away for him to make out for sure what they were doing. He eventually shrugged it off and went inside.
He searched several of the rooms on the first floor to entertain himself, and found, entirely by accident, a training room. Upon futher investigation, he decided to train for a while. Sending out his Metang, the two of them trained for the rest of the morning, untill the whistle blew for lunch.
Alain recalled Metang and stepped out into the hall at the sound of the whistle. He was rounding the corner to the cafeteria, when he ran into Steven, and Glacia.
"Hello, Alain," Steven greeted. Glacia only nodded to him.
"Hello," he returned, to both of them.
"Going to lunch?" Steven asked, tilting his head toward the cafeteria.
Alain nodded.
"Well then, I won't stop you. Enjoy yourself,"
"Thank-"
"Hey, Champion!" Zara's voice revibrated off the walls of the long hallway, as did the sound of her and Wally's approching footsteps. She stopped just behind Steven and he turned to face her. "Drake said he wanted to know how many of the taller pillars you wanted knocked down before he knocked down too many."
"Tell him to knock down any that come above the second story windows."
"I-I-I'll d-do it," Wally offered quickly, and before Zara could protest, he turned and ran back the way they'd come.
Zara stared after him for a few moments. "Strange, he never wants to talk to Drake. Guess he's starting to stick up for himself." Turning to Alain, she said, "You missed my battle, didn't you?"
"I guess I did. How did you do?"
"I dominated them!" Zara exclaimed, punching the air with her fist. "They were all plenty strong, but they were no match for Sceptile! I guess that means all our hard work is paying off," Zara addressed the last sentence to Steven. "So I have to ask, if I win the tourament at the end of the Seminar, can I challenge you to become Champion?"
Steven smiled. "You can challenge me anytime you want. Only," and here his smile became crafty, "you'll need to tell Cynthia tonight that she'll have a new Champion to comunicate with very soon."
"Oh, I'm sure she won't-" Suddenly Zara stopped talking and her eyes widened. "Champion Cynthia is coming here! Tonight!"
Steven nodded, the crafty smile still on his lips.
"Why didn't you tell me before now?" Zara cried. "You know I've been looking forward to her next visit for weeks!" Steven only chuckled, and Zara gave him a perturbed look. "Why is she coming now?" she asked instead.
"Partly because she wanted to see how the seminar was going, and partly to see how her assistant is progressing here."
"Her assistant?" Alain interrupted.
"Yeah, Carl. The guy you faced today with the Mega Lucario," Zara clarified.
"She'll be here this evening, after the battles are finished," Steven went on, "and I'm going to announce it after lunch. Untill then, please don't tell anyone about this, alright?" And he looked at both Zara and Alain as he said it.
Both trainers gave their affirmation and left Steven and Sidney for the cafeteria. Alain glanced back at the Ice type master as they left, and thought he saw her staring at Zara with a cold, correctional look on her face, but it was gone so quickly Alain easily could have been mistaken. Still, it unnerved him, and made him want to put an arm around Zara and pull her closer, to keep her safe.
No, you can't do that!
Right, he thought, and shook off his uneasiness.
Lunch passed completely uneventfully. Jacklyn sat on the opposite side of the cafeteria and refused to even look in his direction the whole meal, much to his relief. Zara gave him a play-by-play of her battle, pointing out as she went lots of mistakes both she and her opponents had made. After they finished, Alain invited her and Wally to come train with him, thinking he might be able to get her to battle him as training. Zara refused, however, saying she had jobs that needed to be done, and thus Alain was stuck training with Wally for the whole afternoon. It wasn't so much that he minded the young trainer, after all, he was much quieter and more sensible than Mairin, but he had been hoping to spend some more time with Zara.
No you weren't! his mind chastised him, and the whole afternoon, he found he was training his thoughts more than his Pokemon.
When evening rolled around, and Champion Cynthia arrived, Alain was mentally exhuasted. Constantly, he had to get on to himself for thinking something, ususally involving Zara, that he knew was distracting him from his goals and from serving Lysander. He had managed to clear his mind of every unwanted thought, but the effort it took had been so large he wondered if he would be able to greet the Champion or not. He would try.
He and Wally had left the training room and were headed out to the courtyard when Glacia passed them. She took one good look at the both of them and cried, "What do you think you're doing? Don't you know Sinnoh's Champion is about to arrive?"
Alain and Wally both looked at each other, then at Glacia. "Yes," Alain answered slowly.
"Then why haven't you gotten changed? Didn't you hear my announcement?"
The two boys once again exchanged glances, then Wally answered, "Um, no?"
Glacia let out a frustrated sigh, and said in an equally frustrated tone, "I announced about thirty minutes ago, would everyone who wishes to meet Champion Cynthia please put on nicer clothes for when she arrives. We do want the academy to get a good reputation in other regions, and who better to judge it than the Champion of that region herself? Now go find something better to wear!"
Wally tore off down the hall for the staircase, leaving Alain by himself as he climbed the stairs. He went to his room and donded a pair of black jeans and a black button-up, which he wouldn't have packed in the first place if Lysander hadn't insisted. Dressing up always seemed like a waste of time to him; if you were going somewhere, what did it matter what you wore, so long as it wasn't full of holes or covered in dirt?
He went back to the staircase, and met Steven at the doorway. "Did you happen to bring a tie?" the Champion inquired as they met.
Alain groaned inwardly, and shook his head.
"I thought not. Wouldn't want Glacia to jump on you for that, so I'll let you borrow one of mine." And with that, he disappeared back into his room, returning a moment later with a azure blue tie. He handed it to Alain and said, "I don't know why Glacia is so worried about Cynthia not giving this place a good reputation. I'm sure she'll like it. But, you'd better wear this anyway so she doesn't have a panic attack." He smiled at his own joke, and Alain's expression softened as he took the tie.
Alain waited untill Steven had gone down the stairs before he attempted to tie the blue tie under his collar. He didn't want to have to admit he hadn't the faintest idea of how to do this, but if Steven had stuck around he wouldn't have needed to. After two tries it became very apparent.
After the two tries he gave up, deciding he might be able to find Glacia and ask her to tie it instead. After all, it was her idea in the first place. With that thought, he headed downstairs, tie in hand.
Once downstairs, he looked for Glacia, but couldn't find her anywhere. Although the other Elite Four member, Steven, and Lysander were all in the courtyard, Alain's pride refused to alow him to ask any of them. Not knowing where Glacia would be other than the courtyard, he chose to wait and see if he could spot her. Five minutes passed, and she didn't appear. Then ten. Then fifteen.
Alain was more than ready to forget the tie when he spotted Wally coming into the courtyard, his own tie clutched in his right hand. The green haired trainer spotted him almost immediately, and stepping closer said, "Guess y-you can't help me either."
Alain only shook his head.
"W-w-well then Zara c-can help me. She knows how to tie one of these really w-well. D-do you know where sh-she is?"
Alain prepared to shake his head again, when he chanced to look up at the doorway. Zara was there, or at least he thought it was Zara. Her appearence had changed so much since he'd seen her a few hours ago, she looked almost unrecognizable. Instead of her normal attire, she wore a pale green dress that had short sleeves and fell to the middle of her calves. Her hair was down and had a slight wave to it as it fell around her face. On her face, Alain thought he could see eyeshadow and blush, and he was sure she wore lipstick of some kind.
He couldn't help but stare at her. He tried to convince himself it was only because of the huge change that had taken place, but deep inside, he knew better. As Zara made her way toward him, all the thoughts that he had worked so hard to bury that afternoon came creeping back up to the surface of his conscienceness. He watched her as she bent down to talk to Wally, and finally admitted it to himself. He cared about her. He truly cared about her, and wanted to protect her. Perhaps even more than that...
"Do you want me to help you with that?" Zara asked, bringing him back to reality. She pointed at the tie he held, and he handed it to her. "How do you want me to tie it?" she asked as she folded up his collar. Alain's heart involuntarily skipped a beat as her hands brushed his neck and shoulders.
"However you can," he replied, fighting to keep his voice steady. Her hands looped the tie around his neck, and after securing it in place, she gave a quick nod of satisfaction and backed away. "There! Now you both look ready for the Champion."
"As do you," Alain commented politely.
At his words, Zara's face reddened slightly, and she held out her arms and spun around. "Like it? A friend made it for me."
"You're friend-" His words were lost as a Garchomp flew overhead, and everyone around them rushed toward the main door. Steven opened it a moment later, and none other than Champion Cynthia herself walked into courtyard.
"If you'll excuse me," Zara said politely and followed the rest of the students to greet Cynthia. Alain watched her go, but didn't follow. He was content to let the crowd die down before he tried to greet the Sinnoh Champion.
Across the courtyard, Lysander beckoned to him to join him. Alain crossed the field and stood next to his boss, waiting patiently for Lysander to speak, but he was unsure why he wanted to talk with him.
"You seem to be spending a lot of time around the Champion's assistant," Lysander said, finally breaking the silence.
"Yes, sir."
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, Alain?"
"About keeping my guard up?"
"Yes."
"I do, sir."
Lysander's face hardened as he said, "But I don't see you following my advice."
Alain looked up at him, a response on the tip of his tongue, but it died on his lips. Lysander was right, he really hadn't been keeping his guard up like he should have been. All the thoughts he'd been having just a few moments ago proved it. He lowered his eyes to the ground and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I will do better."
"You have to. Which is why I needed to speak to you. You must stop spending time with Zara." Alain looked back up at Lysander, truly surprised by this. He started to respond, but Lysander wasn't finished. "These are your new orders, Alain. It is imparitive that you do not reveal anything to her, and in turn, the Champion. Doing so could destroy our mission."
Alain stared straight ahead without seeing anything. Stop spending time with Zara? She wasn't a threat, and she never would be, he could not stress that point more within himself. But, at the same time, he knew Lysander was right, that she could repeat anything he said to Steven and completely unententionally cause trouble. But did that really call for never being around her anymore? The two sides of the argument began to struggle against each other in his mind.
"I hope that you are still loyal to our cause, Alain," Lysander said softly, so softly that Alain only barely understood his words.
Lysander's doubt stung Alain. Of course he was still loyal to Lysander and to his promise to become stronger!
And then breaking through his jumbled thoughts like a wrecking ball, was the thought of his promise to Mairin. His promise to heal Chespin and to see her smile again. He'd sworn it. He wouldn't, no, he couldn't go back on that now. He would see it through, whatever that took.
A small lump formed in his throat, but he forced his words around it. "I understand, sir."
"Good," Lysander said, then he fell silent. Alain too fell silent, but the lump in his throat grew steadily larger. He had lost all interest in the Champion by now, and stood vigilant by Lysander the rest of the evening. Thoughts of his goals and Zara clashed in his mind the whole time.
As the evening came to a close, Alain decided within himself that he did still want to protect Zara, for he still cared about her, but his duty to Lysander-and Mairin-came first. She couldn't get involved in it no matter what, not even by accident, for doing so could, and probably would, but her in danger. And she had enough danger in her life as it was. And that was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to protect her. And the best way to do that was for her to stay as far away from him as she possibly could.
Thus, when the evening was over, he mounted the stairs with a determined mind.
He went to his room, changed out of his nicer clothes and donded his normal attire, then climbed to the roof. Zara was there, in her normal clothing, standing and gazing out at the forests of Hoenn. Sceptile stood beside her, its head resting on hers, and crooning to its trainer every now and then.
Alain took a step forward, and when she didn't acknowledge him, he released Charizard. He kept advancing untill he stood next to her. Still she remained unmoving and silent.
She retained her position for a full minute before she blinked several times and asked, "Did you have a good talk with your boss?"
Alain hesitated for only a moment before answering curtly, "You ask too many questions."
Zara turned to face him, and he saw surprise on her face. "I was just asking. Not trying to intrude on somthing personal." More quietly, she added, "Sorry."
"You should mind your own buisness," he snapped, hating himself as the words came out, but unwilling to stop them from coming.
"Is everthing alright? Did I do something to upset you?"
"No, you didn't"
"Then what is it?"
Alain refused to answer. I cannot go back on my promises...She'll be safe this way...hang on Mairin...
Zara shook her head in apparent confusion. "You know what? I don't understand you at all. Who shoves away the people he wants to protect? Who works for someone when he doesn't even know the goals he's working toward? Who trains without a purpose he can clearly define? And now this, snapping at me and having no reason for it? Why won't you explain!" Sceptile growled here, as if to emphasize her point.
"Well, maybe I don't understand you either!" Alain burst out. "Who lies to the people who she claims she's closest to? Who would rather live with Pokemon than people, because they can't talk about the secrets they're told? Who wants to live their life in fear?"
Zara stepped back, her eyes shinning with tears in the starlight. "I don't want to live in fear; I'm forced to," she whispered.
"Then why don't you do something about it? Something that doesn't involve me protecting you. I'm not your guardian. This is your problem. Stop relying on others."
Zara could only stare at him dumbly.
"Leave me alone. I don't want to have anything to do with you ever again." When she didn't move he shouted, "Just go!"
His words hung in the air between them as if, just by speaking them, he had put an unbreakable barrier between them.
Finally, Zara whispered in a choked voice, "Fine. If that's the way you want it." And with out another word she ran to the edge of the roof, and grabbing the edge, swung herself over. Alain heard the window slam below him.
Charizard raised its head and glared at him. "You have something to say?" Alain snapped. Charizard simply let out a negative growl, then turned away from its trainer.
Left to himself, Alain whispered, "It's for the best." Without another word, he returned Charizard to its pokeball and climbed down the fire escape. He went to his room and lay down to sleep, but sleep was a long time in coming. After hours of tossing and turning, his last thought before falling into a restless sleep was of Mairin crying into Lysander's coat.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Zara lay on her bed, crying softly into a pillow. All the happiness she'd had this morning was gone, dashed in pieces. And here she thought she'd found a friend.
What did I do to make him so angry? Was it just asking about his conversation with his boss that set him off? Or was it something else? Can I fix this tomorrow? Or is it hopeless?
She turned over and let the tears run down her cheeks. Will he still keep his promise about my secret? Or will he tell Team Magma about it to spite me?
These and many other thoughts raced through her brain. Finally, exhaustion took over, and Zara gave in to it, welcoming the relief from her troubled thoughts. As darkness filled her mind, she wondered, What could possible happen tomorrow? Courtney again?
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, that's the end of that. Alain shoving Zara away only just after he decides he cares about her, and Zara crying at the loss of the only person she truly trusts. Can this get any worse for either of them?
I'm afraid this chapter isn't all it should have been, but I hope it's good, and that you all enjoyed it.
As always, please review!
