Chapter Sixteen
Heartfelt
Ivy gingerly pushed open the Pokemon Centre doors and looked around the small and rather sparse lobby that she was faced with. She glanced around for a few moments before eventually picking out the tell-tale red head of Sebastian sitting on the tiny sofa that was sat at a jaunty diagonal angle towards the small television set. He was sitting perfectly still and rigid and it made her very nervous. She swallowed, moistoned her dry, chapped lips and summoned what little courage she had, and began making her way towards the sofa, ignoring the curious stares of the other trainers that she passed.
"Sebastian..." She ventured softly as she rounded on him. "Are you alright?"
Sebastian said nothing. His eyes were fixed firmly on the television set and he didn't even seem to as much as even register that there was someone speaking to him. She bit her lip. She wasn't used to seeing the easy-going Sebastian on edge like this. She didn't like it one bit. Unsure what else to do or say, she perched on the edge of the sofa. She glanced up at the television and saw two people standing up on a giant stage, illuminated by a backdrop of sparkling lights, grandeur and glorious spectacle. One, a young man with long shaggy black hair which was pulled back into a loose ponytail, dressed in an almost immaculate black suit, and the other, a teenager that looked no older than Ivy, in a stunning strapless sea green dress. As Ivy watched, the camera panned out to show that the two people were standing in a giant stadium, framed by stands upon stands of people all cheering and clapping, camera flashes sparkling like stars along the crowd. A judge's table was positioned directly across from the stage, where an older, balding man and two women in extravagant dresses and thick makeup were sternly surveying the goings on from the stage.
At that moment, the older man with the shaggy hair pulled out a Pokeball that was white all over with specks of gold. He tossed it forward and with a plume of green, brown and golden leaves, a Bellossom burst out. It landed delicately before pulling off a graceful twirl, its tiny hips shimmying, before twisting its body into a perfectly poised arabesque. The camera zoomed in on the girl's face to show her smirking as she looked at her opponent, before she too pulled out a Pokeball, this one decorated with bold stripes of red, black and white. Her Pokemon was a stunning looking Beautifly that soared from her Pokeball in a cloud of glimmering golden dust that sparkled like precious jewels as the particles were illuminated by the studio lights.
Ivy glanced at Sebastian. He looked totally engrossed in whatever it was that was on the television. "What are you watching?" She asked out of curiosity.
"Contest." Sebastian said blandly.
"Contest?" Ivy was puzzled.
"Yeah. Two co-ordinators instead of two trainers."
"So, this isn't battling?" Ivy said, wrinkling her nose in confusion.
"Not really." Sebastian shook his head. "Co-ordinators participate in contest battles, which are totally different. They battle, yes, in quite a traditional way, but their prime priority isn't battling to hurt the other Pokemon, it's to show off their moves, skills and beauty."
"Kinda like a pageant for Pokemon?"
Sebastian chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that."
"Oh..." Ivy said with a nod. "I think I remember seeing something about it on the television once."
"Mm." Sebastian said slowly, before sitting back and crossing his legs. "I'm quite interested to see this battle. It's the Kanto championship battle. Winner of this goes on to participate and battle in the World Championships. It's a big, big event in the contest battling world. Especially since these guys are really well known celebrities..."
"Celebrities?"
"Yeah. That's Christian Hart and that's Isabella Garcia." He said, pointing them out in turn. "They're some of Kanto's finest co-ordinators. There was a big outrage when these two were drawn to battle each other in the final... Cos the other representative from Kanto that got through to the World's is basically unknown, and took out another really prolific co-ordinator."
"But surely so long as the Kanto representatives are strong and one of them wins at the championships, surely it shouldn't matter?"
"It shouldn't, no." Sebastian said with a shake of his head. "The contest world is different to the battling world, though. It's all dependent on status and celebrity. People think it's all glitz and glamour, and to an extent it is but there's a dark side to it too. It can be quite corrupt... Lots of allegations of match fixing, too."
"I see," Ivy said, even though she didn't really. "Who do you want to win?"
Sebastian considered her question momentarily. "I like Izzy Garcia better, but I think Hart's got the advantage. He's something else..."
"Hmm..." Ivy murmured non-commitally, now eager to move the subject away from contests and co-ordinators and back to what she originally wanted to talk about. "Umm... Sebastian...? Are you...?"
"I'm fine." He said at once.
Ivy winced a little at his sharp tone. "Are you really, though?"
Sebastian was frowning deeply and he seemed to be determined to conduct a stony silence. "...I am annoyed," he eventually relinquished. "I can't believe he'd do that..."
"But it's okay, isn't it?" Ivy asked softly. "It doesn't matter about the Cubone. He said we can get them in Rock Tunnel..."
"That's not the point!" Sebastian snapped, making Ivy visibly jump.
Instantly, his face softened when he saw the look of horror momentarily flash over Ivy's face. He automatically wanted to reach out to Ivy, but he found he couldn't quite do it. "Ivy... I'm sorry..."
"No, it's okay..." She said at once. "Just... I want you to be alright."
Sebastian sighed and ran a hand through his long red hair. "I just can't believe he lied to me..." He said, sounding bitter.
"I know." Ivy said, putting her hand softly on Sebastian's arm. "It was a pretty nasty thing to do."
"Yeah." He said with a deep exhale. "He's my cousin and I'm supposed to get on with him. But he absolutely drives me mad at times!" He said this last bit with a dry laugh.
"No-one's ever said you have to get on with him all the time..."
"I know, but still... He's so moody and angry and... Idiotic at times! I can't believe I'm related to him sometimes."
"You're talking to the girl with two annoying sisters and one pest of a brother. I know how that feels." Ivy joked.
Sebastian only looked at her and sighed once again. Ivy bit her lip, feeling a bit distressed at seeing Sebastian like this. She wished she could just make it better by saying something eloquent and inspired, like a speech the hero of a blockbuster movie would come up with, but she knew that wasn't likely to happen...
At a loss for words, she eventually suggested "Try talking to him?"
"Won't help." Sebastian said bluntly. "He needs some serious sense knocked into him."
"You two should have a Pokemon battle, then!" Ivy cried out exuberantly, grabbing one of her own Pokeballs and thrusting it into the air happily.
Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed together. "I think that would make things worse..."
"Yeah. Maybe." Ivy said despondently, returning the ball to her belt.
Sebastian sighed again, running his hand through the fronds of his red hair. "It'll be alright in the end," he said dismissively. "It always is. I guess I'll talk to him about it later. Right now I just can't face him."
"I can understand that, I guess." Ivy nodded.
Sebastian grunted and said nothing more, refocusing his attention on the contest battle now blaring over the television. Christian Hart's Bellossom was spinning gracefully over the stage, clouds of glittering dust circling around it as it glided back and forth in a manner that reminded her of a professional ice skater. Isabella Garcia was looking frustrated, a fierce frown eroding her pale face as she shouted commands to her Beautifly, which was ensnared in the clouds of dust, now incapable of movement.
Ivy swallowed and bit her lip. It was clear she was getting no further conversation out of Sebastian. She slowly slid herself off the sofa. "I guess I'll leave you to watch your contest, then..."
Sebastian murmured something unintelligible as Ivy left.
She stepped out into the cool evening air of Lavender Town and fought back a shiver. She looked around for any signs of Jack or Robert, but the few people milling around the Pokemon Centre and local mart just down the road were unfamiliar to her. She began walking aimlessly, in any direction she fancied, keeping her eyes peeled for the familiar blonde head of her best friend or the cropped black hair that was synonymous with Robert. She saw neither as she wandered around the sparse and empty surroundings of Lavender.
She had no idea how long or how far she walked for, and she didn't even notice as the village-like area melted away once again into endless grass and greenery, before developing into rocky and stony outcrops. A mountain rose majestically in front of her and as she got closer, she picked out a tiny opening in the rock face.
"I wonder..." She said out loud. "Is that... Rock Tunnel?"
She remembered Robert had mentioned something about finding Cubone in Rock Tunnel, and as this memory returned to her, she delved into her bag and pulled out the remaining two spare Pokeballs she had left. Smiling to herself, she began walking forward towards the mouth of the cave. She was entertaining a childish idea that if she found and caught a Cubone by herself, it would completely fix the horrible situation that had flared up between the two cousins. Reasoning if she could just find a Cubone by herself, she could fix everything and it wouldn't matter that Robert had lied or that Sebastian was angry. If she could just come home with a Cubone, the Rhodes cousins could just bury the hatchet and forget there was ever an issue.
However, as she ventured into the cave, she became aware of one major problem. The place was completely dark. She could see nothing; not even a hand in front of her face. The evening light from outside barely even impacted on the sea of blackness and she made her way cautiously through the inky dark. But she had barely manoeuvred herself a few paces in before her foot came into sharp contact with something on the ground, she felt her whole body jerk off balance and she went flying forwards. She shrieked, threw her hands forward and slammed straight onto the gravely dirt. Her hands stung and she wiped them impatiently on her dress before staggering to her feet again.
"Where's Sebastian's Exeggutor when you need it...?" She groaned, burying her stinging hands in her armpits in an attempt to lessen the pain.
She took another few steps forward, this time feeling around a lot more carefully in case of any further accidents. Everything was still pitch black, and when she turned around experimentally, she could no longer see the mouth of the cave. She swore.
All common sense told her that it was a bad idea to keep going. The place was totally dark and she couldn't even see the way out any longer. But still, every time she thought of this, she remembered how angry Sebastian had been because of Robert's lies. She felt oddly responsible for what had happened between the cousins and now felt it was up to her to remedy all the trouble she had caused.
"Come on, Ivy." She told herself firmly. "Get a grip."
She moved forward again and walked in the empty abyss for a further five minutes before a noise coming from behind her caught her off guard and startling her. She whipped around immediately, groping uselessly in the blackness. She then froze as the noise came again. After a few moments of intense panic, she finally realised it was nothing more than the noise of rocks harmlessly crumbling to the ground. She let out a sigh of relief, turned around and continued walking.
Until she collided with something tall and impossibly bulky.
And the thing was breathing.
She froze as soon as her body came into contact with the hard, bulky silhouette. For one mad, panicked moment, she thought if she remained still and silent that it would somehow be okay, that she wouldn't even be noticed. But all of a sudden, the thing in front of her let out a bellowing roar so strong she felt like she was being buffeted in the face with a powerful gale force wind. She let out a scream that likely could have shattered glass, turned on her heel and began to run.
She had hoped that she would be able to get away without any problems, but it became scarily evident that whatever that thing was, it was following her. Loud, booming footfalls were echoing and reverberating all around her as she ran, pushing her body and limbs until they screamed with pain. Panic had made her blind and she simply ran, completely unsure as to where she was going, her instinct simply to get away and get to safety. Eventually she noticed a tiny pinprick of light in the distance, and trying to keep herself calm, pushed herself further. Another vicious roar sounded out behind her, and she fought back another scream as she eventually tore out of the cave and emerged back into the comforting orange and red hue of the evening sun. She glanced back only momentarily at the mouth of the cave, her heart beating so furiously in her chest she thought it could beat right out, before turning around and sprinting back to the Pokemon Centre.
Still in the clutches of panic, she glanced around the more-or-less empty lobby, desperate to see someone she knew, some familiar, comforting face. Thankfully it was at that moment that the door to the dorms suddenly opened and the familiar blonde head of Jack came out. He was already in his pyjamas and was clutching some coins, evidently heading to the vending machine for some late night snacks. His rather glazed eyes suddenly became alert as he looked at his panicked friend who was panting heavily and looking suspiciously like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards.
"Ivy, what are you-?"
"Don't ever go in Rock Tunnel!" She screeched.
"What? Why?" Jack said in astonishment. "Why were you even IN Rock Tunnel in the first place?"
"I wanted to go in to find a Cubone!" She cried, her words crashing into each other almost like an unintelligible babble. "I thought if I went looking for one and got one then it would put an end to all the problems between Robert and Sebastian!"
Jack blinked. "But...?"
"But there's a monster in Rock Tunnel!"
"What?" Sebastian said, looking weary.
"A monster!" She exclaimed hysterically. "It was huge! Right there in Rock Tunnel! I bumped straight into it!"
"Alright..." Jack said slowly. "Ever thought it could just be a Pokemon?"
"Well, yeah!" She said, resisting the urge to reach out and throttle her best friend. "That's obvious! But whatever it was, it was huge! It was bigger than me! And it was roaring! It chased me too!"
Even Jack couldn't fail to be alarmed at this revelation. "Are you alright?" He asked at once.
"Well, I'm here aren't I?"
"Not what I asked," he said, reaching out and flicking her nose with his long fingers. "I asked if you were okay."
"My heart's going a mile a minute, but I think I'm okay," she said with a nod. "But I am never going back in Rock Tunnel again. Never! Who knows what could be in there?"
"Oh, Ivy..." Jack said, shaking his head. "Go to bed, girl, okay?"
"But what about Sebastian and Robert?" Ivy protested at once.
"They'll be fine." Jack said firmly. "You, go to bed. We're in room 21A. Here's the key," he added, pressing the small key into Ivy's palm.
'But-!'
"Bed!" Jack barked one last time.
Ivy glared, but Jack, who was used to all manner of glares and filthy looks seemed practically immune to what she was trying to do. Eventually, she let out an exasperated sigh, knowing she wouldn't be getting her own way. "Alright, fine..." She relented. "I'll go to bed."
"Good girl," Jack nodded, patting her on the head. He paused only momentarily. "Don't worry, okay? Things will be fine."
"Easy for you to say," Ivy said with a sigh, but all the time, she did as she was told and reluctantly made her way up to bed.
The night passed slowly for Ivy, who was plagued by constant nightmares over her encounter with the thing in Rock Tunnel. As she awoke that morning, feeling like she'd barely had a minute of sleep, she wanted nothing more than to cuddle under the duvet and never come out again. Jack eventually persuaded her to get up, and the two of them made their way down to breakfast. As they entered the rather quiet communal canteen, both young adults were surprised to see the two Rhodes cousins sitting at a table waiting for them. They were both wearing identical stony looks and were sitting diagonally across from each other, refusing to make eye contact. Jack and Icy exchanged nervous looks before sitting down, Ivy perching next to Robert and Jack sliding in next to Sebastian.
"Good morning," Jack said cheerfully, almost like he was greeting a class full of children.
"Good morning." Sebastian said bluntly.
Robert merely grunted.
With both cousins seeming disinterested in conversation, Jack gathered toast and cereal as normal for his breakfast and began to eat, also pretending to be inherently fascinated by the label on the jam jar. Ivy on the other hand was far more agitated, incapable of eating or even sitting still. The tension around the table lay heavy in the air, slowly driving her mad. She bit her lip nervously, desperately searching for a topic of conversation, growing more and more agitated by the second. She eventually snapped and cried "I almost got attacked in Rock Tunnel last night!"
At that point, Jack choked and almost spat out the glass of orange juice he was drinking. Sebastian turned a shocked face to Ivy, but it was Robert that spoke first.
"Ivy! You went into Rock Tunnel? Alone?!"
Ivy looked astonished. "Umm... Yeah?"
"You shouldn't have done that!" Robert barked at once. "It's dangerous to go in there alone!"
"I found that out the hard way..." Ivy murmured. "There was something in that Rock Tunnel..."
"What?"
"I don't know..." Ivy admitted. "But it was huge! And it chased after me..."
"It chased you?!" Robert looked unusually alarmed, his eyes wide.
"Y-yeah..."
"And you got away okay?"
"Well obviously Robert, else she wouldn't be here, would she?" Sebastian said darkly.
"This is serious, Sebastian." Robert said firmly. "Rock Tunnel is dangerous. Ivy shouldn't have gone in there alone. What on earth possessed you to go in there?"
Ivy looked quite ashamed. "I... I wanted to get a Cubone..."
"A Cubone...?" Sebastian said slowly.
"Y... Yeah..." Ivy murmured. "Robert said you could get Cubone in Rock Tunnel, so... I wanted to try and get one. Cos I didn't want you to fight anymore."
Both Robert and Sebastian frowned.
"I thought if I could get a Cubone, it would stop you two from fighting..." Ivy murmured, looking sheepishly at the ground.
Sebastian looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "You thought if you got a Cubone it would stop us fighting?"
"Yeah, I did." Ivy said, looking down at the floor. "I hated seeing you guys fighting like that..."
"Ivy, we weren't really fighting..."
"Weren't you?" Ivy demanded of the cousins at once. "It looked that way to me! And I don't want to see you fighting..."
"Oh, Ivy..." Sebastian reached out and patted her a little awkwardly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see us fight. Robert was a bit of an idiot..." He chuckled.
"Hey!" Robert said indignantly.
"...but I shouldn't have overreacted." Sebastian added, looking back at Robert pointedly. He caught Ivy's gaze and firmly held it. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah..." Robert said gruffly. "I'm...sorry too,"
"You are?" Ivy looked up, eyes wide.
Robert grunted. "Yeah..." He said, looking uncomfortable.
"Not to rain on your parade here," Jack intercepted. "But shouldn't you guys be apologising to each other rather than Ivy?"
Sebastian looked a little perplexed, like that whole concept had just occurred to him, while Robert merely chuckled. "I don't really do apologies. At least not twice in one day; I think it might make me ill." He stated, but he was smiling, a feat in itself which made Sebastian think he was worthy of forgiveness.
"Oh..." Jack said, looking a little disappointed.
"It's alright, Jack." Sebastian cut in with a smile.
"If you say so," Jack shrugged, going back to his breakfast. While his face portrayed no emotion as it normally did, he was secretly very glad to see the tension between the two cousins simply evaporate before his eyes.
With a far more comfortable atmosphere around them, they continued breakfast in silence for a few moments, before Robert spoke again. "Ivy?"
Ivy looked up in sheer astonishment at being addressed by Robert. "Yeah?"
"You still want to go looking for Cubone?"
"Of course!" Ivy said at once. "But..." She murmured, looking uncomfortable. "I'm kinda a bit scared about going in there again..."
"Yeah, didn't you say you never wanted to go back in there again?" Jack asked.
"Y...yeah." She nodded, looking away, biting her lip.
"That's alright." Robert said at once. "I'll go with you."
There was a stunned silence around the breakfast table. Instantly, Sebastian reached out and slapped his hand on his cousin's forehead.
"The hell are you doing?" Robert asked irately, flapping his cousin away.
"Checking to see you haven't got a temperature!" Sebastian joked. "You feeling alright, there?"
"I'm feeling fine, thank you." Robert said primly.
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"So why are you all of a sudden volunteering to take Ivy to Rock Tunnel?"
"Never you mind," Robert said firmly.
"Aww," Jack, seeing an opportunity for teasing, jumped right in. "Looks like Robert has a heart instead of that old brick I thought he carried around."
"Robert has a heart! Robert has a heart!" Sebastian said in a sing-song voice, before he and Jack collapsed into girly giggles around the table.
Ivy sat there, completely overwhelmed at the madness that had just descended and cast a helpless look in Robert's direction. Robert said nothing, shook his head and continued eating the little breakfast he had left.
But while Jack and Sebastian roared with laughter and Ivy sat there dumbfounded, hidden by the piece of toast he raised to his mouth, Robert smiled.
Author's Note
And here's a Master's Degree update :D
Well, I know not too much has been happening lately, but next chapter will be good as Robert and Ivy go Cubone hunting and we'll start to get the first inkling of a little subplot, hopefully :P
Thanks to everyone who picked up on my little reference last chapter :) there was another one here I hope you all got :D
Special thanks to all my reviewers!
MidsummerMoonlight99, yes, I'm having a lot of fun with expanding on Robert's character this chapter and last :) He needs some screen time :)
MasterFreezeman, yay, you reviewed again! *hugs* And of course that's a Jungle Book reference, you know how much I love Disney *shot* Also, I love how you go off on such tangents on your reviews, they're so funny to read :) Thanks for the review, love :P
Japaneserockergirl, there will be some more insight into Jack's past eventually :) thanks for reviewing!
Following Padfoot's Pawprints, no problem! Aww, I'm so happy you're enjoying the story :D
Shadow Serenity 57, I'd almost forgotten about it too until one of my friends pointed it out! Thank God, otherwise I'd have had a very large plothole! Cubone-hunting will commence next chapter :)
The Neverending Meep, nope, couldn't resist :P and yeah, I am delving into the characters more, as always. I need to get some action going! :P
So, thanks everyone for reviewing! See you next time :D
