Chapter Five – Time Out
"Okay, time out! A Pokémon egg as a raffle prize?! Is that even legal?!" Keith asked rather angrily. The raffle clerk placed the glass case containing the yellow and black egg on the counter. Despite Keith's anger, the clerk smiled casually at him.
"Relax, buddy, it's common for Pokémon eggs to be distributed as prizes," he explained.
"I didn't ask if it was common; I asked if it was legal," Keith said nastily.
"Take a chill pill, dude, it's legal," the clerk smiled. "Many folks give Pokémon eggs to others for many reasons; gratitude, as prizes, whatever."
"It doesn't feel right, though," Keith said cautiously.
"Look, dude, this egg right here? I found it randomly by the stall one morning; no note, no case, no nothin'. I ain't trying to sell you a sob story, pal, but it was clear to me this egg was abandoned," the clerk explained, losing his smile. "I'd have taken it to the Daycare Centre, but that's all the way on Route 3."
"Doesn't sound too far away if Route 4's south of here," Keith blinked.
"You'd think so, but there's Castelia City, Skyarrow Bridge, Pinwheel Forest and Nacrene City to get through as well," the clerk explained. "So yeah; that is one hell of a walk, buddy. So I figured, since I run the raffle shop, that I'd try and give it to someone who drew its number in a raffle. And you won it, buddy."
"But I don't know the first thing about taking care of an egg!" Keith panicked. The clerk regained his smile.
"First time for everything," he said cheerfully. "But, listen, as a favour to the egg, at least, just take it with ya; you don't have to be the one to keep it yourself, you can give it to someone who knows what to do with a Pokémon egg!" Keith recoiled a little. To him, he only knew of one person with the experience of hatching a Pokémon egg; Alexa. The clerk's smile grew when Keith finally took the egg case into his arms.
"Thanks."
"No problem, mate! And if you still want a bogus lucky charm that doesn't work, visit the craft shop further down the avenue," the clerk winked. Keith gave him an awkward smile before leaving the stall with his new egg. Once Keith and Reese were further down the avenue, the clerk sighed with relief, having finally given that egg to someone.
Aaron quietly entered the hospital recovery room after having knocked politely and approached Alexa. Ryder sat on the bed next to her, Halo sat on the headrest near Alexa's head and Hayden stood up, courteously moving out of Aaron's way as he approached Alexa. Aaron smiled kindly at his patient.
"How do you feel, Alexa?" he asked nicely.
"About the same as before," she replied rather groggily. Aaron momentarily placed his clipboard on the bed and held up both of his hands; he held up three fingers with his left hand, and two fingers and a thumb with his right hand.
"How many fingers do you see?" he asked.
"Five," Alexa replied.
"You mean six?" Ryder asked.
"A thumb doesn't count as a finger," Alexa stated. Aaron smiled.
"Well, it seems you've regained your orientation, at least," he said happily as he picked up his clipboard. He looked at the attached medical notes carefully and ran his fingers down the paper as he read. "And it seems that there's been no deterioration during the observation..." He looked at the sterling silver watch clipped to his scrubs. "And it's been an hour now, so," he continued as he smiled at Alexa. "I think you're ready to be discharged."
"Are you sure?" Alexa asked. "I still feel like..." She suddenly trailed off; she couldn't think of a way to finish her sentence.
"I believe you'll have a headache for a while yet," Aaron stated. "Not to worry, it's common for people with head injuries; if your headaches persist, you can take paracetamol if you need to." Aaron's attention turned towards Hayden. "But if her condition worsens or doesn't improve during her recovery before her appointment, bring her to the nearest hospital."
"I will," Hayden nodded. "Thank you for looking after her."
"Not a problem, Mr Thorndyke," Aaron smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to arrange the paperwork for Alexa's discharge," he said as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Harvey smiled.
"Looks like you were lucky, chick; you don't need to spend all your time in here," he laughed. Troy wasn't as relieved as his father was.
"I'll get a hold of Daphne over the Xtransceiver; let her know what's going on," Troy said grumpily as he walked out of the room. Alexa looked worried.
"He's still mad," she sighed.
"I would be if someone I didn't know crashed into Jollie like that," Ryder said. "I'd say Keith has another thing to apologise for right now." Alexa sighed silently; Keith was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
Keith sat down at a beautifully crafted metal bench, placing the egg case next to him as he sat down. He was in a surprisingly well developed area of Route 4; the roads were neatly paved, the buildings looked brand new and stood firmly, and even grass and plants grew in the area! There were two identical water fountains near the bench Keith was resting on, as well as another bench nearby. Each lamppost was identical as well; they all had two lights on either side of them, and the posts themselves were all painted in a wine red colour, fitting the red paving on the side of the roads. Keith could still see some elements of a desert environment around Route 4, but the air felt somewhat cooler where he was. Reese hopped onto the bench next to Keith as he held his Fine Styler in front of him and made contact with the Ranger Union. Professor Hastings appeared on the monitor in front of him.
"Is there a problem with your mission, Keith?" Hastings asked.
"No, I completed it about half an hour ago," Keith replied. Hastings smiled.
"Excellent! I take it you weren't hurt?" he asked.
"Not during the mission, no," Keith answered, rubbing his forehead; he began to feel a slight headache. Keith's glum demeanour hadn't escaped the professor's notice, however.
"Then what's put a damper on your day?" he asked.
"I-I..." Keith sighed and leaned back onto the bench. "I bumped into Alexa." Hastings' eyes widened. "Literally," Keith continued, rubbing his forehead again. Professor Hastings literally stared at Keith in shock. "A-after my mission was over with, I found a Watchog and it kinda led me into Nimbasa City a-and I kinda...tripped over it and crashed into Alexa."
"My word...is she all right?!" Hastings asked. "Are YOU all right?!"
"I think I'm okay," Keith began. "But I don't know much about Alexa; all I know is she had concussion when I asked at the hospital; she hit her head as I fell on top of her."
"I-I see..."
"Professor, why didn't you tell me she was in Unova?!" Keith asked, beginning to sound interrogative. "Did she tell you not to tell me?!"
"We had no idea!" Hastings yelled in his defence. "Erma and I knew she'd taken some holiday leave, but we didn't know where she was going to go for her vacation! If that is indeed why she's in Unova to begin with..."
"Sorry..."
"Keith, the pair of you seriously need to sort this dilemma out," Hastings said firmly. "You cannot keep going at each others' throats, it's jeopardising your ability to cooperate." He sighed. "I take it you found the hospital after the crash?"
"No, I didn't take her to the hospital," Keith replied. "Some other guy did."
"Oh?"
"There was someone with her; he turned out to be the Watchog's Trainer," Keith explained, somewhat with dread about his voice.
"Family?" Hastings queried.
"No idea," Keith sighed shakily.
"Keith, calm yourself. Take a break before returning to Almia; you can give me a full report of the mission when you return."
"Right..."
"Was there something else?"
"Yeah...is it really legal for Pokémon eggs to be given out as prizes?" Keith asked.
"Pardon? What's brought this up?" Hastings asked in bemusement.
"The fact that I now have a Pokémon egg that was given to me as a prize in a raffle just a few moments ago," Keith answered truthfully.
"Hmm...I'm not an expert on the legal side of Pokémon care, so I wouldn't know," Hastings replied. "Perhaps Alexa would know?"
"Probably," Keith said reluctantly.
"Regardless, Erma and I will see you when you return," Hastings stated.
"Roger. Thanks, Professor." Hastings nodded before he ended the communication. Keith closed up his styler and sighed. He looked towards his concerned partner before petting him on the head. "I'm okay, buddy."
"Bui," Reese remarked. Keith took the egg case in his arms and walked away from the bench. Reese followed him towards a coffee shop.
Alexa, Hayden, Harvey and Troy were all at the hospital's front desk with Aaron. The gum-chewing receptionist was on the phone, twirling a thin strand of her long black hair in her fingers as she talked. Fortunately, nobody needed her attention. Halo sat on Ryder's head and Lukie returned to his Poké Ball moments before Aaron spoke up.
"Just to remind you, Alexa, I'd avoid any and all strenuous physical activity until your appointment at the end of the week," he said politely.
"I'll try," Alexa smiled.
"I'll make sure of it," Hayden added, giving his daughter a wink. Alexa's smile grew a little as Hayden faced Aaron again. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Have a nice day, folks; looks like a good one out there," Aaron smiled as he walked away from the reception desk. Alexa, Hayden, Troy and Harvey also left the hospital, Ryder following behind.
The afternoon sun shone brightly in the sky as Alexa left the hospital with Hayden, Troy and Harvey, and the city streets were busier than before, with many different people walking around, including to and from the fairground. Troy looked at Alexa with slight worry.
"You gonna be able to keep up with us?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," Alexa replied quickly.
"I dunno; Castelia's quite the walk away from Nimbasa," Troy commented.
"I agree; it's too far for you to try and keep up with our pace in your condition," Hayden said gently. "You don't want to push yourself after having suffered from concussion."
"What choice do I have?" Alexa asked rhetorically. Troy took out a Poké Ball and released his Zebstrika from it. The Zebstrika looked at Alexa through the corner of her green eye.
"Ride on Lucy's back," Troy suggested. "It'd only be until we meet with the others at the café."
"How are they doing, by the way?" Harvey asked.
"They were just starting lunch when I called Daphne," Troy replied.
"Hmm. Lucky for us, the sandwich bar in Join Avenue's open now," Harvey mused. "We can have our lunch on the way to meet them."
"Sandwich bar?" Ryder asked in confusion.
"You'll see it when we get there," Harvey smiled.
"What do you think, Alexa?" Troy asked. Alexa didn't really want to take Troy up on his offer, but she knew she'd struggle to keep up with everyone for such a long distance. She sighed.
"Only if it's okay with Lucy; I don't want to impose," she said hesitantly. "Especially since she'd be the one carrying me."
"What say you, Luce?" Troy asked. "Please can you let Alexa ride on your back?" he asked politely. Lucy scraped one hoof along the ground.
"Strika," she snorted as she lowered herself.
"Thanks, Luce," Troy smiled. "That's it, then; on you go!" Alexa still hesitated, but sat side-saddle on Lucy's back. Lucy straightened her legs and stood up properly with Alexa safely on her back.
"Sorry," Alexa said bashfully. Lucy snorted and smiled.
"Zebstrika," she said quietly.
"Okay, let's get lunch," Harvey said rather keenly as everyone finally started making their way to Join Avenue. Troy walked next to Lucy, who was walking behind Harvey and Hayden. Ryder walked almost in front of Lucy, with Halo sitting on Ryder's head the entire time.
Keith sat at one of the many identical white rounded tables outside a quaint coffee shop on Route 4. The chairs were also white and made of metal, but provided little to no comfort for Keith's posterior whatsoever. Reese, however, stood on a box that was placed on the chair opposite Keith just so he could reach the table and, more importantly, the glass of lemonade the little Buizel was drinking through a straw. Keith also had a glass of lemonade next to him, but it had ice in it instead of a straw. Keith's egg case was also on the table, as he didn't want to risk accidentally knocking it over with his foot if he placed it under the table. Keith sighed as he looked at the egg sitting comfortably on the little blue cushion at the bottom of the case while Reese happily sipped some lemonade through his straw.
"What am I going to do, Reese..?" Keith asked suddenly. With the straw still in his mouth, Reese looked over at Keith in confusion.
"Mui?" he asked.
"I don't know anything about taking care of a Pokémon egg! I don't even know what the Pokémon in the egg is! I'm not an expert on these things like Alexa..." Keith sighed. "And seeing her about it now is going to be a bad idea...but what else am I supposed to do? She's the only one I know who knows about these things! Well...apart from Ian, I guess...and Hayden, Lily and Keenan...but I don't think they're going to want to talk to me." Reese pushed the straw out of his mouth with his tongue.
"Bui..."
"Okay, I probably exaggerated, but...you know what I mean; I'm not exactly on their good side after what happened recently," Keith said regretfully. He sighed again. "I don't even know if I can even keep this egg."
"Bui?"
"You need a license to train Pokémon, right? I'm a Pokémon Ranger; we can't train Pokémon like a Trainer can," Keith explained. He took the Poké Ball that sat on the very top of the case's lid and held it in his palm. "I don't have a license to train Pokémon like she can. Wouldn't even know where to start anyway. I don't know what to do!" Keith groaned as he ran his hands through his hair and to the back of his head. Reese felt sorry for Keith, but soon spotted something that caught his attention; he saw Harvey, Hayden and Ryder walking along the road with Troy and Lucy following behind. Halo still sat on Ryder's head and Alexa still sat on Lucy's back. Everyone had a baguette-like sandwich in at least one hand, and Troy occasionally held out a second sandwich to his Zebstrika for her to eat. Everyone seemed to be feeling happier than before, possibly because they were finally having lunch. Reese watched as the group headed into Castelia City. As soon as the group disappeared from his sight, Reese turned his head towards Keith.
Harvey led Hayden, Troy and Lucy down an oddly quiet alleyway towards an out of place bright red door. Hayden helped Alexa down off of Lucy's back as Troy recalled his Zebstrika back into her Poké Ball. As everyone made their way through the door, they immediately spotted the rest of the family sitting at a table near the middle of the room. Keenan and Peggy had their own little conversation, but, as usual, Daphne was lost to the music flowing through her headphones and Daniel was reading more of "Night of the Clefairy Dance". Unlike other cafés, this one was, for the most part, relatively dark and even sombre to a certain extent; the carpeting was dark red, the walls were chocolate brown with little to no wall ornaments for decoration and the lighting was rather lacking and surprisingly dim. There were many identical squared mahogany tables around the room, but only three of them – at the most – were in use, including the table Lily and the rest of the family had their lunches at. Harvey, Hayden, Troy and Alexa approached the table, with Ryder lagging behind them, and approached Lily and Colin. Colin was the first to notice them.
"Hey, all!" he greeted. Daphne pulled her headphones down to her neck; the very faint sounds of a gentle melody accompanied by rather quiet loving lyrics sung by various male voices could be heard through the headphones.
"Everyone okay?" Harvey asked. Lily focused her attention on Alexa.
"Are you all right, honey?" she asked.
"I think so," Alexa replied. "I just have a headache right now." Lily looked up at Hayden.
"What happened?" she asked. Hayden sighed and folded his arms.
"That so-called lunatic who crashed into Alexa? Turns out it was Keith," he explained.
"What?!" Lily gasped quietly.
"How?" Keenan asked in shock.
"Apparently, he was here on a mission, so it was most likely a coincidence at best," Hayden continued. "I advised him to stay clear of Alexa while she's recovering, but I'm not sure if he listened to me or not; he seemed to be very sorry for himself."
"It's Alexa he should be apologising to," Troy said firmly. Alexa couldn't help feel awkward about people talking about her while she was standing right next to them.
"I'd be willing to bet that none of this would have happened if Halo and Lukie hadn't decided to act out of character and run away," Daniel said rudely. Troy glared at the book-loving cousin angrily.
"Watch it..!"
"Don't start, please," Alexa groaned.
"I'm just trying to make my point," Daniel stated, keeping his eyes glued to the pages of his novel. Alexa sighed.
"I'll get to the bottom of it later..."
"Hey, bros, you haven't had lunch yet, have you?" Hailey asked. "The food here is fantastic! I swear this café's underrated..."
"We had lunch on the way over," Harvey said, slightly boastfully. Hailey looked at her eldest brother in confusion.
"Oh?"
"We had our lunch from the sandwich bar in Join Avenue," Hayden explained.
"That's nice," Hailey smiled. "I heard good things about that place."
"What do we do now?" Lily asked openly. Hayden and Harvey looked at one another with concern.
"Given what's happened, I think we should call it a day," Hayden said. Despite the mutual disappointment, Harvey nodded.
"Yeah, you're right."
"You don't have to on my account," Alexa said kindly. "I can just stay at the hotel room by myself, it's not a big deal."
"There's no point in having a day out with the family if one of us is absent due to an injury," Hayden said. "And it's a terrible idea to leave you alone so soon after a concussion." Alexa frowned.
"Sorry..."
"It's not your fault." Hayden's smile was extremely short lived. "And I appreciate that you don't want us to stop having a fun day out, but, to be honest, it stopped being fun after Troy told us about the crash."
"I agree, Hayden. If Alexa's feeling better later this evening, we can go out for dinner together," Colin suggested. Hayden smiled rather nervously at him.
"I don't think she'll recover fully by then, but I'll let you know later on." Colin nodded at Hayden. Daphne pouted a little as she pulled her MP3 player out of her pocket.
"That stupid Keith, ruining our fun like some sort of professional party pooper," she grumbled as the music escaping her headphones suddenly stopped. Alexa sighed as Colin took her backpack and began sorting out the souvenirs and prizes stored inside.
After a short while, everyone departed from the café and parted ways, Troy and Harvey leaving Castelia City with Colin, Hailey, Peggy and the twins. Hayden kept a hold of Alexa's somewhat lighter and less bulky backpack as he, Alexa, Lily and Keenan made their way towards their hotel. Ryder and Halo were nowhere to be seen, presumably having returned to their Poké Balls at some point prior to Alexa leaving the café with her family. Keenan sighed.
"I can't believe this is happening..."
"What, my accident or Keith being here?" Alexa asked begrudgingly.
"Both. But I just...I don't know what to make of Keith being here in Unova," Keenan moaned.
"Try not to think about it too much," Hayden said gently. "Let's try to stay positive." Keenan nodded and smiled.
"Okay."
"Keenan, that charity Pokémon tournament that caught your interest is on tomorrow night, isn't it?" Alexa asked spontaneously.
"Yeah, I might watch that," Keenan nodded.
"Maybe we could watch it together," Alexa smiled. Keenan smiled a little more.
"I'd like that!"
"If it's a charity tournament, what exactly is it in aid of?" Lily asked curiously.
"I'm not sure; the TV guide didn't say," Keenan said with slight disappointment.
"In either case, do we know who's going to be participating?" Hayden asked with interest.
"Not yet," Keenan said sheepishly. "But there might be the odd Gym Leader or Regional Champion here and there along with other highly skilled Trainers."
"It sounds like an interesting tournament at any rate," Lily smiled.
"Alexa!" Keith cried loudly. Alexa, Keenan and Lily looked behind them in confusion while Hayden sighed and looked behind him with frustration. Sure enough, they spotted Keith and Reese racing towards them. Once Keith caught up, Alexa kept her gaze away from him and Hayden was furious.
"I thought I told you-" He suddenly stopped when he noticed the egg case Keith held in his arms. "When did you get that egg?" he asked on a more calmer note.
"I won it at the raffle in Join Avenue a little while ago," Keith explained quickly. "But I don't know the first thing about Pokémon Eggs; I don't know what to do with it!"
"Wait for it to hatch," Lily said simply. "If you get stuck on how to take care of the baby Pokémon, let me know."
"..that's it? No real advice?" Keith asked, unintentionally sounding extremely insensitive.
"With all due respect, we've had a bit of a day today, considering Alexa's accident, so you'll have to excuse my wife if she's not exactly in the mood to talk to you," Hayden said rather spitefully. Keith was surprised when he caught Lily nodding in agreement. When he noticed Alexa was avoiding eye contact with him, he felt rotten.
"Shouldn't you be returning to Almia by now?" Keenan asked rather rudely. Keith was startled to see that Keenan had even turned against him. Before Keith could speak up again, Hayden and Lily walked into the hotel with Alexa and Keenan. Reese looked disappointed at how things turned out. Keith looked up at the name of the hotel for a few moments before walking away from the hotel. Reese ran along after him.
At the hotel room, Hayden carefully placed Alexa's backpack on the coffee table and began taking items out of it, including Alexa's Darkrai sculpture and what looked like a shell on a string. Alexa claimed her Darkrai sculpture, dreamcatcher and a small Nidoqueen plush doll. She was about to head into her hotel bedroom when Hayden looked towards her.
"Alexa? Are you feeling all right?" he asked worriedly.
"It's just a headache," she replied as she smiled at her father. "That's all."
"Do you need any painkillers or something?" Hayden queried.
"No, thanks. I'm going to try and sleep it off," Alexa said politely.
"Okay, Lexie. Let us know if you need anything," Hayden said nicely. Alexa nodded before entering the bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Oh, boy..."
"Are you all right, honey?" Lily asked with concern.
"Y-yeah, I'm all right." Hayden sighed as he sat down. "Today's just been a bit...much. That's all."
"What happened at the hospital, Dad?" Keenan asked worriedly. Hayden leaned back and sighed again.
"We established that Keith was the one who crashed into her just before he arrived a few moments later, 'needing' to know if she was all right," he explained. "After Ryder was done being rude to him, I told him to wait for Alexa to recover before he even tries to talk to her."
"Do you think he will wait?" Lily asked.
"Who knows? I told him to wait for Alexa to recover before talking to her, but he didn't seem to take it into account when he just left without saying a word, and he had the deceit to catch up with us at the hotel after that," Hayden replied, with mild frustration. "I don't know what he's going to do now, but I want the remainder this holiday to be free from stress as much as possible, despite the circumstances."
"I'm sure it will," Lily smiled.
"Dad?"
"What's up, kiddo?" Hayden asked.
"Do you think the arguing and disputing could have been avoided?" Keenan asked.
"What makes you say that, sweetie?" Lily asked as she sat next to her husband.
"W-well..." Keenan rubbed the back of his neck together. "When we were trapped in the Union Cave, Alex and Keith were fine until he just started blaming her for not stopping Jordan sooner."
"How did that come about?" Hayden asked curiously.
"It just...came out of nowhere," Keenan replied as he continued to rub the back of his neck. "She asked me if I had Mason, Logan or Kyle with me; I didn't have them with me, and that was when Keith suddenly started pointing the finger at her." Hayden and Lily were astounded; this was the first time they heard about how the bickering started in the first place.
"Just like that? He just started accusing her out of the blue?" Hayden questioned.
"Pretty much," Keenan nodded. Hayden sighed and buried his face in his palm.
"So Keith started it?" Lily asked. Keenan nodded in response.
"Is there something we can do?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm afraid it's up to Keith and Alexa to work things out for themselves," Lily replied. "In the meantime, we can at least make certain Alexa gets plenty of rest during her recovery." Hayden raised his head and sighed.
"You're right. Let's just focus on helping Alexa get better for now," he said with a smile. Keenan smiled and nodded.
Meanwhile, in the Ranger Union's Operations Room, Operators Rhythmi, Linda and Marcus were all sitting in front of separate black keyboards built into one long rail-like desk, which was in front of three incredibly large monitors, each depicting the Almia region, but with different readings on each screen. Behind the Operators was another rail-like desk with a smaller monitor and two keyboards on either side. There was a gateway of sorts towards the Operator's desks on either side of the smaller computer monitor. In front of this monitor were Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings, both of whom were speaking with Keith, Reese standing next to him the entire time.
"And that's all I have to report about the mission," Keith stated.
"Excellent work, Keith; mission clear indeed," Hastings nodded. "That is all, you may leave now."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something," Keith said quickly.
"What is it, dear?" Erma asked kindly.
"I was wondering if I might be eligible for some holiday time?" Keith queried.
"Let me guess; now that you know where Alexa is, you wish to reason with her," Hastings quickly assumed.
"I...y-yes... I just...I want to make things right," Keith admitted.
"Sounds to me like you're making things worse," Rhythmi muttered.
"Rhythmi..! Please don't eavesdrop on our conversation," Hastings said rather nastily. Rhythmi practically ignored him as she resumed her work. Keith sighed.
"She has a point...I DID land Alexa in hospital today...and now Hayden wants me to stay away from her while she's recovering. Well...he didn't put it like THAT, but, yeah, that's kind of what he meant..."
"Keith, this whole dispute thing must end," Hastings said firmly. "I don't care which of you is to blame – or even if the both of you are to blame – just work it out and stop fighting."
"I WOULD work things out with her if Hayden would let me!" Keith yelled.
"He told you to wait until Alexa has recovered, did he not?" Erma asked calmly. "Then await her recovery before trying to reconcile with her." Keith sighed.
"Keith, how on Earth did the two of you even start bickering in the first place?" Hastings asked spontaneously.
"I don't know. That's part of what I want to work out with Alexa," Keith replied. "And...I want to apologise for hurting her." Erma and Hastings looked at one another before they looked back at Keith.
"Keith, Erma and I have spoken after our conversation," Hastings began. "We've decided to give you a leave of absence."
"How come?" Keith asked with curiosity.
"Aside from the fact that you suffered from a head injury-"
"But I'm fine!" Keith argued. "I'm completely orientated!"
"The last mission you and Alexa embarked on has proven to us that neither of you were ready to return to your duties so soon after the avalanche," Hastings continued. Keith frowned. "Therefore, Erma and I have decided that you shall not resume your duties until you and Alexa have resolved your problems."
"This is for your own benefit, dear," Erma said sincerely. "Alexa was given the exact same lecture when we informed her mother of our decision to give her a leave of absence."
"...thank you," Keith said quietly. Hastings nodded.
"You are dismissed," he said simply. Keith nodded and walked out of the Operations Room with Reese walking along beside him. Hastings sighed and shook his head once Keith left the room entirely. "And to think they were once an inseparable pair...what in the world could have driven them apart like this?"
"That's for them to work out," Erma said solemnly. "I just pray they actually do work things out." Hastings nodded in agreement.
Keith entered his Union dormitory with Reese and closed the door behind him. For the most part, the room looked as though it was rarely used; the double bed with the white bedclothes looked neat and completely untouched, whereas the the double bed with the navy blue bedclothes was extremely messy, with the duvet almost falling onto the floor, a white vest and black pyjama pants sprawled over the messy duvet and three of the four pillows were scattered across the mattress. Keith looked towards the small wooden desk opposite the beds, where he'd placed his egg case, and approached it. He looked down at the desk, and looked at various leaflets depicting Unova's main tourist attractions, such as the Nimbasa City fairground, a luxury liner in Castelia City and PokéStar Studios. Keith eventually picked up a leaflet for what looked like a hotel and looked at the phone number on the very back of the leaflet. Reese climbed up onto the desk as Keith took his mobile phone and dialled the number on the leaflet. As he held the phone to his ear, he glanced over at a photo frame that lay face down in the corner of the desk. Hesitantly to begin with, Keith used his free hand to pull the frame back into its intended position, revealing the photograph inside the frame. It was a photograph of Keith and Alexa; the pair were in casual clothing, with Keith wearing a simple white shirt and blue jeans combo, while Alexa wore her light brown sleeveless turtleneck and bootcut leggings. They were happy and seemed to be sitting at a rather splendid-looking water fountain. Keith stared at the photo with guilt until he heard a voice over his mobile.
"Uh, y-yes, I'd like to book a room please?" he asked rather shakily. "One person and potentially three Pokémon?" He waited for a few seconds before looking rather embarrassed. "Oh, right...just one person then, please." He took a closer look at the leaflet as he waited for another response; he apparently hadn't noticed the "Pokémon accompanied by humans stay for free" statement. "Oh, uh, the name's Keith...Clarke."
To be continued...