Chapter Eight – Converse
"So," Troy began as he leaned against the large sturdy tree he sat in front of. "Do you want to tell me what's on your mind or do you want me to guess?" he asked, trying not to sound intrusive. Phoenix's gentle cuddle wasn't enough to settle Alexa's nerves; even though she agreed to speak of her hesitation during her tag battle and what caused it, Alexa was still fairly reluctant to do so.
"Sorry," Alexa apologised finally. "I-I guess it was my concussion," she guessed. "I think it affected my ability to concentrate." Troy looked at his cousin doubtfully and remembered how focused she was in spite of that one moment of hesitation. He shook his head.
"You're not that great at lying," he said carefully.
"Was it that obvious?" Alexa asked reluctantly.
"To me," Troy answered. "It's about that guy who crashed into you in Nimbasa, right?"
"Keith," Alexa sighed. She didn't feel ready to talk about him yet.
"Yeah, him. He's on your mind, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Alexa confessed. Putting aside all feelings of anger and frustration he continued to harbour for Keith, Troy sat up and looked at her with worry in his emerald eyes.
"How do you feel about him?" he asked softly. Alexa avoided eye contact with Troy as she tried to discover said feelings for the Ranger boy. She began to panic a little as she thought more and more about her real feelings.
"I-I don't know!" she panicked. "H-He and I have been through so much together a-and I grew to really admire him, but...at the same time, I-I don't know if I can trust him..!"
"Rhrrrgh..." Phoenix growled gently as he began to stroke her golden blonde hair delicately. Alexa steadied her breathing.
"S-Sorry...but it's...it's frustrating and confusing for me to think about how I really feel about him..!" she explained, beginning to feel panicky again. "I-I don't know what to think or feel..!"
"Don't worry about it for now," Troy said nicely. "Maybe wait until you've fully recovered from the two knocks on the head before you start thinking about it again."
"I was surprised I was able to concentrate at all," Alexa said quietly. "Well...save for that one moment, at least..."
"All in all, you still have the knack for Pokémon Training," Troy smiled. "I was impressed with Jollie's battling performance if I'm honest."
"I still wonder why I hesitated, though," Alexa sighed. "I know it's because I have a lot on my mind, but-"
"In my opinion? Seeing Mary and Paul's teamwork with Helping Hand and Spark reminded you of something involving Keith," Troy said cautiously. "Considering you yourself said that the two of you went through a lot together, it only makes sense."
"I-I suppose so," Alexa agreed warily. "He and I worked together on numerous missions...my last mission before my leave of absence was a joint mission with him as well...w-which was when..."
"It's okay; I don't need to know the full story," Troy said kindly. He sighed silently, as though he was disinclined to ask his next question. "But if he somehow manages to earn your trust back, would you want to give him another chance?"
"...I-I-I don't know..."
"Sorry; I shouldn't have asked," Troy said shamefully. "And after I said you should wait until the concussion blows over, too..."
"I-It's okay," Alexa said, giving him a feeble smile. "I'll need to talk things over with him anyway. But, yeah, like you said, I'll wait until after my appointment this Sunday to think about talking to him about it."
"But something's bothering me, though," Troy began. "How come you're not mad at him for hospitalising you?" Phoenix looked down at Alexa with intent as he and Troy awaited Alexa to finish considering her lack of anger about the truth behind her accident.
"I don't know," she said simply. "To be honest, the last thing I remember...it had something to do with Halo...that's it."
"Alexa, Halo flew off towards Lostlorn Forest that day," Troy explained. "I don't know what made him so eager to go there, but I guess Lukie was in on it, as he followed Halo without thinking. We followed them, but I tried to caution you about how little you know about Lostlorn Forest, but you told me you wouldn't need to know how to get through the forest. Keith was headed your way at the same time, but by the time I saw him and tried to warn you, you'd already crashed into him and vice versa. You were out cold for about half a minute and you were rather disorientated afterwards; you thought I was moving my hand when I gave you the fingers test." Alexa remained silent as she heard the full story behind her accident, and looked worried. "Halo was wrecked with guilt, believing the accident to be his fault."
"From the sounds of it, I wasn't looking where I was going," Alexa said quietly.
"You looked back at me, so...no, you weren't," Troy said nervously.
"Then it wasn't Halo's fault; it was mine," Alexa said sheepishly. "I'm not sure if Keith's thinking it was his fault, but I'd be willing to meet him half way."
"And say you were both to blame for the accident?" Troy asked.
"Yeah," Alexa nodded. Troy smiled.
"Sounds like a plan to me," he said cheerfully. "Anyway, I'd rather talk about a more uplifting subject; how much of that grand do you have left? Y'know, after you bought your Xtransceiver."
"Hey, Lily, have you thought about the spa thing yet?" Hailey asked rather keenly. Lily smiled at her sister-in-law nervously.
"I've actually forgotten about it," she answered.
"I understand; Alexa's accident happened that same day," Hailey said kindly. Lily looked over at Phoenix.
"I'd have to ask Alexa about going to the spa with us," she stated. Hailey's eyes lit up a little.
"Us? Does that mean you...?" Lily smiled back at Hailey.
"Personally, I'd be happy to take you up on your offer, Hailey," she said sweetly. Hailey's grin grew.
"I still don't think spas are Alexa's thing," Hayden said as he scratched his head. "The closest thing Alexa's had to a spa treatment was the hot spring in Lavaridge Town."
"It's about time she had a real one thing, O brother mine," Hailey said playfully.
"I'll ask Alexa when she and Troy have finished their conversation," Lily stated. "There's no sense in disrupting it unnecessarily." Hayden nodded in agreement.
"By the way, little sister," Harvey began teasingly. "What do you have planned for the Pokémon Contest this Saturday?"
"You're going to have to wait and see," Hailey retorted impishly. Harvey laughed.
"She's planning something big, I can tell you that much," Colin smiled.
"A big surprise in a little package," Hailey said cryptically.
"In that case, I'm really looking forward to the Contest," Harvey grinned. Colin glanced over at Phoenix.
"By the way, Hayden, how's Alexa doing?" he asked with interest.
"She doesn't seem to be getting worse, which is a good sign," Hayden answered.
"It's still early days yet, but we'll know for sure once she's been to her appointment," Lily added.
"Personally, I think she's doing rather well," Colin said. "Save for that one moment of hesitation, I think she did very well during the battle."
"Me too," Hailey agreed. Harvey lost his smile as he looked towards his younger brother; the look Harvey gave him gave Hayden cause for concern.
"Hayden...do you think Alexa would consider travelling again?" Harvey asked. Hayden was somewhat shocked to hear such a suggestion.
"You mean another Pokémon journey?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Harvey said seriously. Hayden sighed deeply as he ran his fingers through his brunette hair.
"Honestly, I have absolutely no idea," he said quickly. "Her journey through Sinnoh didn't end so well for her, what with Cynthia hospitalising six of her Pokémon and all."
"Considering that, Harv, why did you even ask?" Hailey asked, looking as annoyed as she felt.
"Because if Alexa's lost her sense of self-worth, then I reckon another journey might help her get it back," Harvey replied.
"What about her work as a Pokémon Ranger?" Colin asked curiously.
"I can't imagine Professor Hastings wanting to give Alexa time off to go soul-searching," Hayden said in a quiet murmur.
"Hayden, Erma's Alexa's boss, not Professor Hastings," Lily whispered.
"Tell that to Professor Hastings," Hayden said with annoyance. "Alexa told me once that he's given her more assignments than Erma has."
"In any case, I'm sure he – and Erma – would be understanding and let Alexa travel once more if indeed she'd like to," Lily said optimistically. "But, ultimately," she continued, losing some of her brightness. "It's for Alexa to decide."
"I think she should at least consider it," Harvey stated. "Of course, she doesn't have to if she doesn't like the idea, but-"
"I get it," Hayden said abruptly. "I'll find the appropriate time to talk to her about it; she's got a lot going on at the moment and, no offence, your proposition would only add to her pressure if I share it with her at the wrong time."
"No offence taken," Harvey said nicely. "I didn't mean to sound so intrusive, it was just a thought."
"I appreciate it, thank you," Hayden smiled.
"Hang on...if Alexa does agree, where would she travel?" Hailey asked in bemusement.
"Again, I would imagine that's for Alexa to decide," Lily stated.
"True," Hailey laughed.
"Kyle fought really well during our battle," Daphne praised as she tossed the large blue and white beach ball towards Keenan. He managed to catch it with both hands, in spite of Jollie and Iara trying to hit it with their heads.
"Thanks! Mary battled well too," Keenan complimented as he tossed the ball towards Peggy. She caught it, but Jollie tripped over her own feet as she tried to pursue the ball.
"All of them looked like they were having fun!" Peggy smiled cheerfully as she tossed the ball back to her sister. Iara helped Jollie onto her feet, and the Buneary brushed the dirt off of her fur.
"Well, between Trainers, Pokémon battling is kind of a sport, so it's all and good fun!" Daphne said merrily as she tossed the ball back towards Peggy. Iara managed to hit the ball with her tail, causing it to bounce away from Daphne and Peggy, who both turned to pursue it.
"Until someone gets hurt," Keenan said quietly, lacking all enthusiasm. Daphne looked concerned, having heard Keenan's words, as she followed Peggy as she collected her beach ball. The two girls soon returned to the game, and Peggy tossed the ball to Keenan, who caught it before Jollie could hit it with her ears.
"I wonder how I'll do as a Trainer," Peggy pondered. Daphne grinned happily as she caught the beach ball; Iara and Jollie bumped into one another as they tried to headbutt it simultaneously.
"You'll be great!" she declared. "Besides, you'll have Piper with you!"
"Blu?" Piper looked confused as she continued to fly alongside Peggy.
"Yeah, I'm talking about you, girl!" Daphne winked. "Daniel and Annabelle are her parents, and you know how strong they are!"
"Daphne's right," Keenan agreed as he caught the beach ball Daphne threw towards him. "In a way, I think you already have a head start."
"Huh?" Peggy looked at Keenan in confusion.
"When Alex and I had our starter Pokémon, we were new to the idea of having our own Pokémon while Phoenix and Iara were new to the idea of having a Trainer; you and Piper will have had five years to get to know one another by the time you can apply for a Trainer card of your own!"
"He's right, Pegs," Daphne corroborated as she watched Peggy trying to catch the beach ball with her guard down. Iara and Jollie rubbed their heads before standing on their own feet. "You won't need to worry about building the bridge of trust with your starter Pokémon because you already have Piper!"
"But how would I make a Pokémon I get later to trust me?" Peggy asked with unease as she tossed the ball to Daphne.
"The same way you got Piper to trust you; make friends with them," Daphne replied as she decided to headbutt the ball towards Keenan, which nearly knocked her glasses off of her face in the process. "Let them get to know you and they'll open up to you in return. That's how Troy did it, wasn't it...?"
"I know that's how Alex and I did it," Keenan smiled as he punched the ball towards Peggy. Iara continued to try and hit the ball again, but Jollie started to slow down due to exhaustion.
"And if they can do it, there's no reason to say that you can't either!" Daphne smiled as Peggy caught the beach ball. "You just need to be positive!"
"Thanks, Daphne, thanks, Keenan," Peggy smiled gratefully. Keenan smiled and nodded, though he couldn't quite understand how the little eight year old managed to get his name right and not Alexa's. Peggy kicked the beach ball, which bounced its way over to Daphne. Iara playfully ran around the ball as it bounced, but Jollie began hopping slowly towards Iara. "But I really want to be like Mummy!"
"A Co-ordinator?" Daphne questioned as she picked the beach ball off of the ground. Peggy nodded.
"How come?" Keenan asked curiously.
"The Contests are really pretty to watch," Peggy said blissfully as Keenan caught – and almost dropped – the incoming beach ball. "And the Pokémon all look like they have fun, too!"
"You say that about battling, too, Pegs," Daphne commented as she easily caught the beach ball Keenan threw at her.
"I know; I like Contests more because they're so pretty," Peggy said sweetly. She and Keenna tried not to laugh as the beach ball slipped out of Daphne's grip and started bouncing away from her.
"D'oh..! C'mere, you..!" Daphne caught up with the ball and brought it back to the circle with her. "So you like the Contests more because they can turn power into beauty?"
"Hey, Peggy likes art," Keenan remarked. "I guess she's trying to say she considers Pokémon Contests to be their own art form."
"Yeah!" Peggy nodded merrily.
"Blu, Blu!" Piper chirped cheerfully.
"I knew that," Daphne said unconvincingly as she tossed the ball to her little sister. Peggy caught the ball with ease.
"And I wanna be a great Pokémon Co-ordinator just like Mummy!" Peggy declared as she tossed the ball back to Daphne, who managed to keep it in her grip.
"That's great, Pegs!" she grinned joyfully. "I know Piper's going to be a great Contest Pokémon, too!"
"Blu, Blu, Blu!" Piper tweeted excitedly. Jollie silently walked out of the circle, panting rather heavily, as the ball game continued without her. She suddenly spotted a pair of dark blue-grey paws in front of her and looked up; Ryder was looking down at her with a happy smile.
"Worn out?"
"Bun," Jollie nodded breathlessly. Ryder gently picked up the little Buneary and held her in his arms.
"Let's see how Alex's doing, shall we?"
"Bun!" Jollie grinned. Ryder walked a few paces before he caught Daniel through the corner of his eye; the younger twin was up against another large tree at the far end of the forest, eyes fixated on his literature. Jollie looked up at Ryder in confusion as the Lucario walked over to him. Daniel kept his eyes glued to his novel as Ryder began to speak.
"Thank you. For setting Alex's mind at ease about Cynthia, I mean," Ryder said appreciatively.
"Yeah, sure," Daniel muttered plainly. Ryder looked at Daniel with antagonism.
"You know, I'm really getting fed up of your anti-social attitude towards Alex and Keenan; you're their cousin – their family for crying out loud!" he snapped.
"What about Troy?" Daniel asked blandly.
"Not so much; whatever problem the two of you have is your business. But, since they haven't done anything to you, I'm concerned and frustrated about your attitude towards Alex and Keenan," Ryder explained. "If I'm honest, your attitude towards them isn't fair!" Daniel looked up at Ryder with slight irritation.
"If you must know, I find both Alexa and Keenan to be far too emotional for their own good," he explained.
"So you're stoic then?" Ryder questioned, almost jokingly.
"No," Daniel said clearly. Ryder shook his head.
"I don't believe you," he remarked. "When was the last time you cried because you were sad?" he asked hypothetically. "When was the last time you spent quality time with your sisters and felt happy?" he asked, looking at Daphne's ball game through the corner of his eye. "When was the last time you actually felt any sort of emotion for anything? Or anyone?"
"Why is emotion such a big deal?" Daniel asked in confusion. "They just get in the way of what needs to be done." Ryder was extremely offended, having heard a similar opinion before. His glare became more violent, and Jollie was stunned to see a very brief flicker of cyan aura waving across the Aura Pokémon's arm.
"I disagree," Ryder said finally; he sounded almost as if he held back a lot of anger. "They're an indication that you have a heart!" He took a deep breath to calm himself down and sighed contently. "Take a good look at Rhonda if you don't believe me. If emotions get in the way, how is she an Umbreon? Umbreon evolve from Eevee through friendship at night."
"Friendship isn't its own emotion, Ryder," Daniel sighed.
"Maybe not, but it does carry certain emotions, notably happiness," Ryder countered. "Honestly, a lot of Pokémon evolve through friendship; Eevee, Chingling, Budew...Buneary...Riolu..."
"Buneary..?" Jollie looked up at Ryder with concern. Ryder shook his head rapidly and looked down at Daniel again.
"My point is you shouldn't denounce emotions for being a hindrance if you don't bother to look at them with more depth," he concluded. "Maybe you should try and experience some emotions for yourself."
"Ryder, Pokémon Trainers can't afford to dwell on emotions," Daniel retorted. "All they do in battle is make you lose sight of the battle at hand, and, in the worst case scenario, cause you to lose. I refuse to waste my time in something that holds me back." Ryder felt even more offended, and began to bear his teeth in rage.
"That's a load of Bouffalant Poop and you know it," he growled deeply. Jollie became intimidated over Ryder's anger.
"That's your opinion. As for me? I don't see the need to get worked up over every little thing that's going on," Daniel said neutrally.
"Nobody's getting worked up over every little thing!" Ryder snarled. "Alex is dealing with some very personal issues right now, and she needs her family around her to make her feel better!"
"That's her problem; not mine," Daniel said, somewhat rudely.
"She's still your family!" Ryder was beginning to lose patience. "The least you could do is show some support for her and let her know you're on her side! Unless of course you're not..."
"I'm not going to involve myself in Alexa's mess of a love life," Daniel groaned. "Like I said, it's her problem, not mine."
"Yeah, because Keith, being an eighteen year old, TOTALLY loves fifteen year old stoic boys," Ryder said sardonically as he rolled his eyes.
"Shut up," Daniel said grumpily. "And I'm not stoic; I told you this."
"I don't believe you; I told you that," Ryder responded.
"It's true, though; I'm not emotionally deprived as you might think," Daniel said confidently.
"Prove it," Ryder said firmly. Daniel lifted his book up a little and drew his eyes to the open pages, ignoring Ryder's remark. The Lucario sighed and turned to leave. "Don't kid yourself." He was about to walk away when he suddenly spotted Hailey and Colin approaching Daphne, Keenan and Peggy. He cheered up a little and ran towards Alexa, who was already in a small conversation with Hayden and Lily. Daniel placed a piece of white paper in between the two open pages of his book before closing it. He then held the book in one hand as he stood up and approached his parents.
"What's going on?" Daniel asked. Hailey and Colin looked towards Daniel as he approached them.
"We're moving on," Colin answered.
"Where to?" Daniel asked. The adults suddenly looked relatively uneasy.
"Uh...we haven't thought about that," Hailey admitted nervously. Daniel rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Nimbasa's arguably the closest place," Troy suggested.
"I agree," Harvey nodded. "Route 16 and Route 15 are extremely short areas, and crossing Marvellous Bridge on foot only takes twenty minutes; we'd be in Nimbasa City before lunchtime!"
"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Daniel questioned. "Considering the fact we've already spent a day in Nimbasa-"
"It's only for lunch," Colin laughed. "Besides, we've had lunch at Undella Town before, and that's the only other option; we're fairly limited either way," he added sheepishly.
"We could always fly and teleport to somewhere," Daniel suggested seriously.
"As convenient as that would be, we thought it best to travel together as a family," Colin smiled. Daniel said nothing and observed the interactions between his family members closely, Ryder's words echoing in his mind.
"Are there any good places to eat in Nimbasa?" Daphne asked curiously. "I don't think we ever looked..."
"We didn't," Daniel said quietly.
"I would imagine they'd have a restaurant; it is a city, after all," Hailey laughed. "But we can take a look at the map the city before we enter anyway."
"Good call," Lily complimented.
"What do you guys think?" Troy asked Alexa, Keenan and Peggy.
"Sounds fun!" Peggy smiled gleefully.
"I'm game," Keenan nodded.
"What about you, Lexie?" Hayden asked. He was happy to see Alexa looking a little more upbeat than she was before she spoke with Troy.
"I'm going to agree with Peggy on this one," she beamed.
"So it's settled then!" Hailey declared. "Lunch in Nimbasa!"
"Cool your jets, Hailey, we haven't moved an inch yet," Harvey laughed.
"That doesn't mean I can't be excited to spend more time with my family, Harvey," Hailey said jokingly.
"I agree," Hayden added. Harvey suddenly looked over at Rena, David, Annabelle and Troy's Archeops, all of whom were engrossed in their own conversation.
"Rena!" Harvey called. "C'mere a sec, could you?" The Dragonite flew over to her master quite keenly and smiled at him nicely.
"Drrgh!"
"Can you do me a really big favour?" Harvey asked. "I need you to go back home and check the mail for me."
"Drrgh!" Rena nodded in compliance as she took flight.
"Thanks, Rena. We might still be on Marvellous Bridge when you get back. Oh, if it arrives, can you bring it with you please?"
"Drrgh," Rena complied again.
"Thanks, girl. Have a safe flight!"
"Drrgh!" Rena shot up into the sky and soon disappeared from view.
"What was that all about?" Daphne asked in utter confusion.
"I'm expecting a package; it's due to arrive either today or tomorrow," Harvey explained as he looked down from the sky, having watched his Dragonite flying out of sight. Troy, Colin and Hailey each took a Poké Ball from their pockets and recalled their respective Pokémon; all three of them were enveloped and absorbed into a red stream of light, which retracted back towards the Poké Balls.
"Right, shall we be off?" Lily asked openly.
"Right, let's get going then," Colin said happily. Alexa looked between her three Pokémon.
"Do you guys want to stay out for a while?" she asked courteously.
"Sure," Ryder smiled kindly.
"Buneary!" Jollie rejoiced gaily.
"Rhrrgh," Phoenix growled gently. Alexa nodded.
"Okay, that's fine with me. Phoenix, just be careful of the ocean underneath the bridge, okay?"
"Rhrrgh," Phoenix nodded as he flew away from the forest. Daniel stayed behind as the rest of the family followed Harvey out of White Forest. He took a Poké Ball from his pocket and opened it, releasing a string of white light that formed into his Umbreon. Rhonda looked up at her master with a gleeful smile on her face.
"Umbreon!" she said delightfully. Daniel looked at her for a little while before finally running towards the rest of his family. Rhonda looked both confused and perturbed as she followed Daniel towards Marvellous Bridge.
To be continued...