Chapter Eighteen – Dramas pt 3
Keith raced into the bustling Nimbasa City, keeping his head lowered. Robbie galloped after him, but was forced to avoid crashing into fellow pedestrians during his pursuit. As he made his way onto the bridge, Keith bumped into someone's back; Robbie stopped as Keith recuperated and the person he crashed into turned around. A Reuniclus hid behind his Trainer, tightly closing his dark navy blue eyes.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Troy complained. "Huh? Hey, Keith! Sorry, man, I didn't know it was you," he said sheepishly. His smile faded when he noticed Keith avoiding eye contact with him, his head hanging almost shamefully. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"Sorry...I wasn't looking where I was going," Keith said quietly.
"That's not a big deal right now. Why're you so glum?" Troy asked worriedly. Keith sighed as he finally raised his head to face Troy, a look of guilt plastered on his face.
"I-I...I've just spoken to Alexa; w-we're going to meet up tomorrow, for a talk," he replied uneasily.
"But that's great, surely?" Troy asked, attempting to smile. Keith tilted his head down as he held onto his arms and tried to hide his anxiety.
"Hm." Troy raised an eyebrow until a realisation came to his mind.
"Oh. I see. Did he say anything to you?" Keith clenched his right arm slightly.
"Alexa's all right...no thanks to me." Though the news of Alexa's recovery was joyous, Troy couldn't help worrying for Keith. "He really hates me..."
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Troy said kindly. "At the very least, he hates what happened that day."
"I don't blame him...I've been such a jackass..."
"I, uh, I was about to grab something to drink at the coffee bar just up ahead; wanna join me? You can have a penny for your thoughts," Troy offered. Keith looked at him with slight surprise before smiling weakly at him.
"Thanks; I appreciate it," he said kindly as he followed Troy across the bridge. Robbie and Reese sighed with relief as the Sawsbuck walked behind the two boys. Reuniclus shivered violently as he hovered alongside Troy.
Naomi stared at Harvey in utter shock as he continued to avoid her gaze. Jason and Laddy exchanged looks of concern.
"...what..? What are you talking about?" she asked quietly.
"What do you think I was talking about?" Harvey asked rhetorically as he returned Jason to his basket; he gave the Flareon one final pet before facing his ex-wife directly. "I made it clear, didn't I?"
"But I...I don't understand..."
"What's to understand?"
"Why you consented to the divorce despite being against it." Harvey's eyes widened slightly.
"I thought you had at least an inkling."
"Harvey...just tell me. Please." Harvey scoffed rudely as he scowled at her.
"I should've known this was a bad idea."
"Harvey-"
"I should go," Harvey said abruptly as he turned to make his way out of the office.
"Harvey, wait!" Harvey held onto the door handle, but refrained from pushing it down as he listened to what Naomi had to say, despite keeping his back to her. "I want to know why you agreed with the proceedings even though it wasn't what you wanted!" Naomi would've sounded a lot more demanding if she wasn't so timid. Harvey's grip on the door handle tightened.
"And here I thought it was obvious."
"Please...why...?" Harvey heaved a silent, yet deep, sigh.
"I still love you." Before Naomi could ask further questions, Harvey finally opened the door and left; he slammed the door behind him, causing Naomi to jump in fright. Naomi was left in utter shock and dismay after hearing those words; she planted her hand over half of her face and tried to withhold her tears.
Harvey sighed heavily as he stepped onto the grand Driftveil Drawbridge. As he walked leisurely, Laddy looked worried.
"Aipom?"
"I'm...I'm fine," Harvey said unconvincingly. "But...I still think it was stupid to try this under these circumstances..."
"Ai..."
"Now two women I love are upset...dammit...I'm so stupid..."
"Aipom..."
"I'll get in touch with Hayden later on; see what he wants to do about Hailey," Harvey said on a slightly more cheerful note; he even cracked a small and warm smile. "The kids go back to Striaton tomorrow, so it'll be a good opportunity for a sibling meeting."
"That sounds just darling, Harvey." Startled, Harvey and Laddy looked ahead of them, only to find Adelina and Huey standing directly in their path; Huey was smiling innocently, but Adelina carried a tiny smirk. Harvey growled angrily as he clenched his fists.
"Adelina...!"
"We're back!" Alexa announced happily as she and Hayden returned to their hotel room. There, they saw Keenan and Lily playing what appeared to be an RPG game on the PlayBox; as usual, Lily appeared to be struggling with the controller in her hands. Hayden seemed to find Lily's struggles highly amusing, while Alexa was bemused as to why she was playing on the PlayBox – and how Keenan talked her into it to begin with.
"Having fun, Lily?"
"Don't you start, Hayden," Lily said grumpily. "I can't make sense of this thing!"
"I did say you didn't have to play with me," Keenan laughed. Lily sighed.
"I thought I'd at least try and make sense of it..."
"So, is home still in one piece?" Hayden asked playfully. Lily smiled happily at her husband and daughter.
"Yes, we've managed to get everything we need to start the tutoring tomorrow," she said with satisfaction.
"Are you sure you should be going back to your studies right now, Keenan?" Alexa asked in confusion. Keenan nodded at her.
"Besides, Peggy and the twins are going back to Striaton Academy tomorrow; seemed like a good time to get my studies back on track." Alexa raised an eyebrow.
"I wonder about that..."
"His studies, his rules," Hayden said simply. "Besides, you should be more focused on what you'll be doing tomorrow."
"That being..?" Lily asked as she stood up from the floor. She suddenly rubbed the back of her calf rather rapidly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, leg's asleep, leg's asleep...!" Keenan laughed.
"I arranged to meet with Keith tomorrow," Alexa replied nervously. Keenan and Lily looked stunned as they faced her.
"When did that happen?" Keenan asked.
"Not too long ago, in Join Avenue," Hayden explained. "Not that long after we left the hospital, actually." Lily smiled sweetly.
"I'm happy things are starting to go right, sweetheart," she said kindly. "Hayden? May I have a word, in private?" Hayden shrugged with indifference.
"Yeah, sure." He smiled at Alexa. "Why don't you take the helm until we get back? I'm kinda looking forward to seeing your mother playing another video game."
"Wha—Hayden!" Lily blushed from embarrassment as she and the laughing Hayden walked into their hotel bedroom. Alexa laughed quietly to herself as she sat next to Keenan on the floor.
"So...what am I doing here?"
"You're nervous," Keenan said with concern. Alexa's smile died as she looked at her brother.
"Of course I am; wouldn't you be if you were meeting with someone who hurt your feelings?"
"Y-Yeah...sorry." Alexa smiled sweetly.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. Just let me deal with it, yeah?" Keenan still felt uneasy, but smiled all the same.
"Okay!" Alexa shuffled a little closer to Keenan and planted a quick, yet soft, kiss on his head.
"At least try not to worry about it," she said sheepishly.
Peggy, Daniel and Daphne sat at the kitchen table, facing one another; Piper roosted next to Peggy, while Rhonda and Daphne's Espeon had their front paws on the table. Peggy and the twins each had a different drink glass sitting on a wooden coaster nearby, but all three of them appeared to be contemplating.
"First the blind accusations in the locker room...now this..? This doesn't bode well for Mum's self-esteem," Daniel said quietly. Rhonda looked up at him with concern, her ears drooping slightly.
"I know what you mean," Daphne agreed reluctantly. "I can't believe a friend would behave so deplorably..." Peggy constantly appeared perplexed with the strange words her brother and sister used.
"A true friend wouldn't be so mean," she sighed.
"Blu, Blu," Piper sang downheartedly.
"My thoughts exactly," Daphne nodded. "I mean, you heard Dad; they exchanged their favourite bracelets!"
"That was back then," Daniel stated.
"I know, but it still counts...ish."
"But...if they did that, why would Aderlie start being so mean just like that?" Peggy asked sadly.
"Adelina," Daniel corrected. "And who knows why she started this mean streak? As far as I can tell, Mum didn't give her any grounds to be treated so nastily."
"As far as I remember, all Mum ever did was defeat her in Pokémon Contests," Daphne blinked. "Is that right, Roland?"
"Espeon," Roland nodded.
"I suppose that could be the reason," Daniel began, carefully pushing his glasses up his face. "I mean, losing to the same opponent over and over again? It's almost guaranteed to lead to resentment."
"You mean Adelina's angry because Mummy keeps beating her?" Peggy asked as she took her glass of lemonade in one hand.
"Hey, you got her name right, good going!" Daphne praised as her little sister drank from the glass. "But that's basically what you're presuming, right, Daniel?" she inquired. Daniel nodded.
"To be perfectly honest, it's the only thing that makes sense at this point," he explained. "Peggy has no prior recollection of Adelina – hence her previous inability to remember her name, I would imagine – and neither of us can account for a single moment that could trigger such a violent streak. I mean, I know Adelina and Mum have a one-sided rivalry going, but, still..."
"One-sided?" Peggy asked, returning her lemonade to its coaster.
"Yep, Adelina was the one who started the rivalry between her and Mum; but Mum doesn't see the rivalry as...well, a rivalry. As far as Mum's concerned, Adelina's still her friend."
"But it's like Peggy said," Daniel mused. "A true friend wouldn't be so mean. And she lost plenty of Pokémon Contests to Mum before yesterday...so why strike something up now..?"
"Maybe she thought she could beat Mummy this time?" Peggy asked as Daphne drank from her cola glass.
"If that were true, that doesn't explain why she'd make things worse today," Daniel counter-argued. "If she legitimately thought she had a chance this time around, why would she rub salt into the wound after pointing the blame in Mum's direction...?"
"This is so confusing..!" Peggy sighed.
"Blu, Blu!"
"It would be far less confusing if we knew what the motivation was," Daphne said calmly. "Like, why she'd go out of her way to hurt Mum's feelings so brutally."
"That woman is proving to be such an enigma..."
"A what?"
"It basically means she's a puzzle, Peggy," Daniel explained, giving his little sister a warm smile. "A puzzle to which we have no clues."
"Considering we don't have any idea what made her tick when she pointed the finger, that's an accurate description right now. But do you think she was angry because she missed an opportunity to battle Mum?"
"Technically speaking, Adelina could have easily challenged her to a battle while she was here," Daniel began, taking his cola glass in hand. "But it's not like Adelina doesn't have any battling skills anyway, so that would possibly be a trivial concern at best," he added before drinking from the glass.
"You mean you remember how Adelina battles?" Daphne asked with interest.
"Is she really good?" Peggy asked curiously as Daniel returned his glass to the coaster.
"Let me put it this way; Adelina's skills, from what I recall, are nothing to laugh about."
"What's the matter, Harvey? You don't look too pleased to see me," Adelina observed as she folded her arms. Laddy glared at the woman viciously.
"Don't feign ignorance; I know what you did to Hailey," Harvey said spitefully.
"Me?" Adelina asked, pointing at herself innocently. "I don't know what you mean, darling; all I was doing was merely calling in on a dear friend."
"Do your other friends end up distressed after you visit them!?" Harvey yelled interrogatively.
"Aipom, Aipom!" Laddy shook his fist angrily in agreement; his tail hand imitated the action.
"Oh, dear...what happened to Mr Calm?" Adelina questioned tauntingly.
"I'm not in the mood to hear any of your crap!" Harvey snapped. "But...tell me why you're demolishing my sister's confidence!"
"I'm doing nothing of the sort," Adelina shrugged nonchalantly. Harvey scoffed.
"Between you and my sister's husband, I know who I trust the most. And I'm sure Hayden would agree with me; we don't take kindly to anyone who hurts our family!"
"Hmm..." Adelina began fiddling with a lock of hair on the left hand side of her head. "They do say blood is thicker than water, after all. And Hayden would agree? That doesn't surprise me; he strikes me as the kind of man who does exactly as he's told." Harvey's stance relaxed slightly.
"There's nothing wrong with that; it shows discipline."
"Discipline?" Adelina giggled. "I can't imagine others seeing it that way."
"What are you implying about my brother anyway?" Harvey asked suspiciously. Adelina's incredibly slight smirk grew a tiny bit as she giggled again.
"I'm saying I know who wears the pants in his marriage. Or did nobody inform you how dominant sweet little Lily was after you raced after your baby sister?"
"You pissed her off!" Harvey yelled furiously. "And believe me when I say that Lily doesn't get pissed off that easily!"
"That doesn't surprise me; she doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve like the rest of you Thorndykes."
"...when the hell did you become such a malicious bully?!" Harvey quietly asked meanly. "Hailey trusts you! Why would you put her down like that?!"
"Aipom!" Laddy snarled viciously.
"No need to use profanities, Laddy," Harvey whispered. "Not yet, at least." Adelina giggled a little louder.
"Oh, I keep forgetting about that; I'm actually surprised none of you have been picked on for that," she said mean-spiritedly. "So it's okay for a person to talk to a Pokémon like Pokémon Whisperers, but it isn't for one person to have two eye colours?"
"Don't change the subject!" Harvey yelled violently. "Why are you being so cruel to someone who would trust you with her life?!"
The coffee bar was pleasantly quiet with an atmosphere to match; other patrons sat at the many tables, talking amongst themselves over a nice hot beverage, some even with a sandwich or a muffin on the side. The baristas were all busy preparing customer's drinks, but they were all friendly and wearing a smile that could raise anyone's spirits. Keith and Troy sat across one another on one of the tables at the back end of the coffee shop, both with a cup of freshly brewed coffee next to them. Robbie, Reese, the now conscious and alert Ava and Troy's Reuniclus sat near the table, each of them eating some small cake-like confections, each with different flavours. Keith briefly looked down at Troy's Reuniclus.
"Is he always so nervous?" he asked.
"Kind of; Nate's squeamish around new people," Troy smiled. "It takes him a little while to get into the swing of a battle every time he participates, but he's actually quite a powerful guy once he's over his fright."
"I'm impressed; I thought Alexa's immediate family were the only ones who know their Pokémon inside and out," Keith said with a nervous smile.
"To be fair, though, you haven't met the rest of us, so that's not completely surprising," Troy said kindly. "But I can assure you we're all cut from the same cloth."
"Hm," Keith lowered his head and looked down at the little Pichu with a gentle smile; the cake she was eating left her with a dab of dark brown frosting on her nose and crumbs around her moth. "It's always good to know people treat their Pokémon kindly."
"You feeling all right?" Troy asked carefully. Keith sighed as he faced Troy, his smile having faded when their eyes met.
"Yeah, I think so."
"And, yet, you frown," Troy observed. Keith lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the dark cream liquid inside the white porcelain cup.
"Sorry."
"Hey, come on, you were within shouting distance of an annoyed father; that can't have been easy for you," Troy said gently. Keith's frown grew as he held onto his hot cup with both hands.
"It wasn't Hayden that bothered me."
"Uh?" Troy was confused.
"It was Alexa," Keith continued glumly. "Seeing that look on her face when I tried to embrace her like old times... I know I really crushed her that night...but I...I've never seen her make that face before...it was disheartening to say the least; to think I could've done that to someone I care about..." Troy smiled reassuringly.
"She arranged to meet you despite all of that; if anything, that says to me that she wants to at least try and work things out with you." Keith sighed lightly, causing Reese to look up at him, despite his mouth being stuffed with half of a minty green cake.
"...to be honest...it's making me nervous... The last time we had a proper conversation was...that night. I'm...a little on edge."
"I'm not surprised," Troy said quietly. "I'd bet Alexa's feeling the same way, even if she hides it from anyone that isn't Keenan or a Gardevoir." He smiled. "But try to stay positive; keep a cool head and you should be fine." Keith looked up at Troy with a cheerful grin. However, his grin suddenly turned into a frown after a brief flash of realisation.
"...I hope so..." Troy blinked in confusion. Reese frowned as he resumed eating his cake slowly, ignoring Ava and Robbie's laughter.
Lily was the first to walk into the bedroom, appearing a little hesitant, as Hayden quietly closed the door behind him.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"I was wondering...when do you plan on telling Alexa?" Lily asked reluctantly. Hayden looked at his wife in confusion.
"You mean about Harvey's proposition?" he questioned. A nod from Lily startled him. "Are you kidding me?! It's still too soon!" he snapped quietly, preventing Alexa and Keenan from overhearing. "Besides, this will be the first time she and Keith will be communicating properly since their fight," he continued, putting both hands on his hips. "Don't you think it can wait until they've conversed at least two or three times?"
"Why two or three?" Lily asked in confusion.
"Because telling her after the first time would still be premature," Hayden answered.
"And you're presuming they'll meet more than once..?"
"A problem like theirs isn't going to be resolved in one day, Lily," Hayden said, looking peculiarly annoyed. "I do plan to tell her about it, but now's not the time." Lily sighed silently, confusing Hayden.
"I'm sorry, Hayden. It's just..."
"Hm?"
"It's going to be hard to find the right time to tell her under these circumstances."
"You think I don't know that?!" Hayden exclaimed, startling Lily. She looked away from him sadly.
"...I'm not doubting you, Hayden...I'm...I'm just worried." Hayden took a deep breath and faced Lily remorsefully.
"...I know. I'm sorry, Lily; this current situation isn't easy for me either."
"I understand. I'm sorry, sweetheart...I shouldn't have asked," Lily apologised. Hayden smiled as he gently took hold of her hands, prompting her to face him in confusion.
"Hey, if you hadn't, I'd probably have forgotten by the time the best opportunity comes by." He carefully pulled Lily closer to him and gently placed his forehead against hers. "Thanks, Petal," he whispered lovingly. A monotonous ringing tone coming from Hayden's pocket ruined the tender atmosphere, annoying Hayden as he picked his mobile phone out of his pocket; Lily moved a little closer to Hayden as he wrapped his arm around his wife's waist while looking at the phone number ringing him.
"Who's that?" Lily asked as she placed both hands gently on Hayden's chest.
"Not a clue," he replied as he accepted the call and held the phone to his ear. "Thorndyke speaking."
Hailey and Colin quietly entered the kitchen, but Daniel spotted his parents straight away, alerting Daphne and Peggy of their presence at the same time.
"Mummy!"
"Feeling any better?" Daphne asked worriedly. Hailey wiped her already sore eyes gently as she smiled feebly at her.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, babies," she apologised; her voice sounded rather hoarse and dry.
"Don't apologise, it's not your fault," Daphne said comfortingly.
"Yeah, even grown ups can cry sometimes," Peggy added nicely.
"Blu, Blu!" Piper chirped in agreement.
"I think you should get some rest; you look drained," Daniel observed.
"That's what I said," Colin said gently. "But she wanted to come down and see you first, to see if you were all okay."
"We're okay, Mummy; just talking about Adelina."
"Blu..."
"I-I see," Hailey said shakily. "I bet you really hate her now..."
"Actually, we've established no such opinion," Daniel said casually. "We were debating what her motivation might have been."
"I don't think you kids should be worrying about it," Colin chuckled nervously. "It's a more complicated issue than you think."
"I'll say; if Daniel hadn't brought up Adelina's battling skills, I think my head would've started spinning faster than a Klinklang!" Daphne pouted.
"You opened up the floor for that subject, Daphne," Daniel chuckled. "But, seriously, I do recall Adelina being a strong battler."
"You're not far off," Hailey said gloomily. Daniel, Daphne and Peggy looked up at her in confusion. "Except...you've never seen her battle outside Pokémon Contests."
"What difference does that make?" Daphne asked in confusion.
"Well...it's almost like she's a completely different person when she battles outside a Contest," Hailey replied hesitantly.
"Different how?" Peggy asked with interest.
"Let's just say she's how Stephan got his scars," Colin answered pessimistically. "And that was because of Huey, the Pokémon she rarely calls upon for battle."
"If you face her strongest Pokémon... Actually, I've never seen her strongest Pokémon," Hailey said shamefully. "But I can only guess that facing him or her would be suicide; a Pokémon team – or any team, for that matter – is only as strong as its weakest link, and if Huey, being Adelina's weakest link, was strong enough to leave permanent scars on Stephan...I don't want to think about how much damage her strongest Pokémon can give..."
Harvery and Laddy glared at Adelina and Huey with mutual anger, while Adelina bit her lip in frustration as the orange-eyed Serperior and the pink Jellicent bounced off of one another and stared at one another angrily, panting heavily. Both Serperior and Jellicent were covered in various cuts and bruises, but Serperior was glowing in a light red hue and appeared to be in greater pain. Occasionally, a green aura would flicker around him in conjunction with the red aura.
"Hang in there, Vergil!" Harvey yelled encouragingly.
"Ser," Vergil panted.
"You're quite tenacious, aren't you, Harvey?" Adelina asked spitefully. "If I had known this was going to take so long, I wouldn't have accepted your challenge, darling," she sighed, flicking a lock of her hair from her face.
"You don't surrender, Adelina, I at least know that much about you," Harvey began. "What I don't understand is why you'd betray your best friend!"
"Normally, my retort would be it's nothing to do with you...but that would imply I've forgotten the family values you Thorndykes possess," Adelina said calmly, petting her beloved Delcatty. "Dolores, be a dear and finish this off quickly."
"Jelli!" Dolores nodded obediantly.
"That's what you said when the battle started," Harvey groaned. "Both of you. Vergil, stay alert!"
"Ser!" Vergil nodded compliantly.
"Dolores! Use Bind and toss that devilish serpent off of the bridge!" Adelina insisted firmly.
"Jell!" Dolores dashed towards Vergil and wrapped her lower tentacles around his neck. Using her main tentacles, Dolores spun around on the spot and tossed Vergil towards the ocean. Laddy panicked, but Harvey kept calm as Vergil wrapped his tail around the nearest pillar, saving him from diving into the ocean, which horrified Adelina and Dolores equally. The Serperior started to spin around the pillar, his slender body starting to wrap around it.
"Energy Ball!" Harvey shouted. Vergil opened his mouth, allowing green particles of light to gather and form a bright sphere that he then fired as soon as he met the Jellicent's gaze.
"LIII!" The sphere of energy crashed straight into Dolores, knocking her down in the process. Adelina was left in utter disbelief as her Jellicent fell in defeat. Vergil slithered off of the pillar and flopped onto the ground; he breathed heavily with his forked tongue sticking out of his mouth. Harvey ran over to his ally and knelt in front of him on one knee.
"Vergil, are you all right?!" he asked worriedly. Without moving his head, Vergil looked up at Harvey and smiled weakly.
"Perii..."
"Thank Arceus," Harvey smiled with relief. "But your injuries...she doesn't mess around," he said quietly, glancing back at Adelina, who had just returned her Jellicent to her Poké Ball.
"Aipom..." Harvey looked back at Vergil, holding his Poké Ball.
"You did great, buddy; I'll get you to a Pokémon Centre as soon as I can, okay?"
"Ser," Vergil nodded. "Ser...perior," he sighed with relief as the Poké Ball's light absorbed him into its sanctuary. Adelina approached Harvey as he stood up.
"My, my...I didn't expect your Serperior to pull off a stunt like that on his own," she said with bemusement. Harvey glanced back at her without facing her directly.
"Do you seriously think he's stupid enough to wait for me to tell him to save his skin?" Harvey asked rudely. "I don't know much about how other Trainers train their Pokémon, but the Thorndykes train theirs to utilise their own initiatives; they can dodge without us telling them to, as they should."
"Why, do you have a problem with Pokémon dodging attacks?" Adelina asked playfully.
"No; just the 'command' to dodge as a whole. Every time I hear a Trainer telling their Pokémon to dodge, I hear numerous variations of 'no shit' from the Pokémon. I know commanding your Pokémon to dodge really bothered my father at least."
"Oh, there's a pity...different strokes for different blokes, I suppose," Adelina grinned.
"Hm." Harvey turned around and faced Adelina directly. "In any case, are you going to tell me why you're harassing my little sister now?"
"Oh, Harvey, darling! You make me sound like a criminal!" Adelina complained, feigning her despair. She soon smirked and gently gripped Harvey's lower jaw, startling the man and his Aipom greatly. "Well...I guess I can let you in on a little secret," she said lustfully.
"What secret?" Harvey asked; he sounded as though part of him didn't want to find out. Adelina giggled as she moved her face closer to Harvey's, having to stand on her toes to reach it.
"If there's something I want...I get it," Adelina whispered seductively. Harvey stood perfectly still as she moved even closer to his ear; he didn't even dare to blink during the invasion of his personal space. "No. Matter. What." Adelina giggled again as she released her grip on Harvey's jaw and walked away from him, Huey following her faithfully. Laddy looked at the shaken up Harvey worriedly until he began to relax.
"T-That...doesn't really answer my question."
To be continued...