Chapter Twenty - Deliberation
"Say that again," Keith said firmly, having recovered from his disbelief. Alexa was startled, though she continued to keep her gaze away from Keith as she took her lukewarm mug of cocoa in both hands.
"Why?" she asked before proceeding to sip the chocolatey beverage.
"Humour me," Keith replied cryptically. After returning the mug to the table, Alexa sighed.
"I-"
"No. Look me in the eye and say it again," Keith insisted. Chutney, Jollie and the still teary Ava watched with intrigue as Alexa gradually shifted her line of sight towards Keith's. She took a breath in preparation to speak up, but, as soon as she met with Keith's soft brown eyes, she halted her words before she could even utter a syllable; she simply stared at his eyes with perplexity.
"...uh..."
"You can't say it again, can you?" Keith asked sternly, starting to feel more annoyed than despondent. "Is there a reason why?"
"I-I..." Keith took a drink from his mug as he waited for Alexa to give him a proper response. However, he felt even more annoyed when he placed his mug back onto the table; Alexa had remained silent the entire time.
"Come on, Alexa, it's not rocket science for you, is it?" he questioned interrogatively. "I know you can tell when someone's telling the truth or not, so...why are you being like this over my apology?"
"I, uh..." Alexa looked away from Keith quickly, starting to feel panicky. Keith blinked in disbelief.
"You don't want to believe me, do you?!" he asked accusingly. Alexa faced him in confusion, only to see the frustration in his eyes. "Why else would you not look me in the eye?! You can tell if someone's telling the truth or not by looking at them, yet you've hardly looked at me all morning! Look, I understand I'm not exactly the best person in the world to you right now, but it's not like looking at me will turn you to stone or something!" Alexa looked away from Keith once again, but out of shame. "I've done nothing but tell you the truth since we sat down, but you should have been able to tell that from the start! So why don't you want to believe me?! Is there something you're scared of? ...is it that you're scared to believe me?!" Feeling stressed, Alexa suddenly took hold of her mug and drank the rest of its contents quickly as she stood up, her actions alarming Keith.
"I should have known this was a bad idea," she said breathlessly as she almost slammed her mug back onto the table before striding away. "Chutney, Jollie, we're leaving."
"Bun!" Jollie ran after Alexa frenziedly. Chutney stashed his unfinished cake into his bushy tail before running after his ally. Keith hastily consumed the last of his beverage before giving chase with Ava, who carried her half-eaten cake in her mouth.
"Alexa, wait!"
"What happens now?" Colin asked openly as he, Harvey, Hayden, Lily and Hailey stood near the Nacrene Café. Colin had his arm around the shoulders of his increasingly stressed wife, though his attention was subconsciously fixated on Harvey.
"Hell if I know," Harvey replied, scratching his head. "That woman is such an enigma."
"There was nothing enigmatic about what she was doing, Harvey," Lily said scornfully.
"Lily, calm down, it's-" Lily looked towards her nervous husband angrily.
"Don't finish that sentence! She was like a Malamar playing with its food!"
"Isn't that taking it a little bit too far, Lily?" Colin asked timidly.
"I don't know nor care; I just want to know what she was playing at," Lily said nastily.
"I don't know why she did it either, but if it's making you this frustrated, then that means she's getting to you, and you can't let that happen," Harvey said calmly. Laddy nodded in agreement. Lily sighed and fiddled with a thin strand of her honey brown hair.
"I'm sorry..." Hayden approached Lily and proceeded to give her a hug, which Lily returned all too happily.
"Don't be, I understand your anger."
"Still...it was interesting to see that you can still attract the ladies, eh, bro?" Harvey said teasingly, much to the annoyance of Hayden and Lily alike.
"Not the time, Harvey!" Hayden cautioned. Harvey laughed sheepishly.
"Nah, you're right... Sorry; I was trying to lighten the mood..."
"Perhaps a different joke would have sufficed?" Colin asked rudely. Hailey ran her fingers through her bleach blonde hair anxiously.
"She's definitely lying," Keenan said with complete certainty. "I had my suspicions before, but now I know for sure."
"I agree," Daniel nodded. "Her behaviour today certainly brings her credibility into question...why would she deny any form of accusation thrown her way and then proceed to physically flirt with Uncle Hayden?"
"For the heck of it?" Daphne questioned. "You saw how Aunt Lily reacted."
"Yeah, but why would Adelina get such a reaction for the heck of it?" Daniel asked. "She's certainly behaving strangely for someone who continuously proclaims their innocence."
"Exactly, but now I know she isn't," Keenan stated firmly. "But I don't know what she's exactly guilty of..."
"Daphne and I couldn't figure that out either, so don't feel bad about it," Daniel said with slight reassurance. "But I think we can all agree that we should stay alert from now on."
"Seeing how potentially dangerous she can be, I have to agree with Daniel."
"Same," Keenan agreed as he lifted his left arm up and proceeded to contact two different numbers in his contact list. "I'll let Alex and Troy know about what just happened."
"Good idea," Daphne smiled. Daniel nodded in agreement as Keenan waited both Xtransceiver numbers to pick up his pending communication.
Alexa made her way onto the bridge over the single railway track, with Jollie and Chutney following closely behind her. Ava and Keith ran after the three of them, Keith gently grabbing Alexa's hand as soon as he caught up to her.
"Alexa, wait up! I'm sorry I made things worse in there, but I really want to know if you actually believe me or not!"
"This was such a bad idea," Alexa said glumly as she pulled her hand away from Keith's.
"Alexa, I know this is a scary thing for you – I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of this meeting myself – but we can't walk away from it on a bad note! What's the point in trying to work things out between us if you're running away at the first hurdle?"
"You're right...it's just...nerves, I guess..."
"...I understand; that night started off with me being as annoyed as I was in the coffee shop," Keith said sadly. "...I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking that you'd be so skittish... But it's okay, you don't need to be scared; I want to work things out as much as you do...even if it means we call it quits and never see each other again."
"You don't mean that," Alexa said quickly, turning around to face him. "That's not what you want." Keith frowned.
"You're right; it isn't what I want...but I'll understand if it's what you want." Chutney was the only Pokémon smiling merrily at the sombre conversation between the teens while Ava was the only one on the verge of bawling her eyes out. Jollie, however, pulled up a small part of her light cream fleece and clenched it nervously in her paws as she observed the exchange.
"But I-" Before Alexa could fully answer Keith, her Xtransceiver suddenly rang with a calming jazz tune. "Hm?"
"What the heck?" Alexa raised her arm and looked at her Xtransceiver.
"It's Keenan," she replied as she accepted the incoming call. As Keenan's face appeared on the central screen, she was taken slightly aback to see a second screen shooting out of the Xtransceiver's left hand side; Troy's face appeared on the secondary screen milliseconds later. "Troy?!"
"Yo, Alexa!" Troy laughed. "Didn't expect to see you in this chat!"
"Yeah, no kidding," Alexa replied shyly. "Listen, this isn't a good time for me, is this important?"
"I'd say so," Keenan confirmed. "We encountered Adelina."
"What?! In Nacrene?!" Alexa asked in horror. "Why does that woman always go wherever this family ends up?" Keith blinked in confusion as a calmer Ava wolfed her cake down.
"Aside from the obvious fact that Aunt Hailey lives in Nacrene, you mean?" Troy asked jokingly.
"She was at the café next to the museum," Keenan explained.
"So, what, she was having a coffee or something? Sorry, but how does that-"
"That's what I want to tell you both," Keenan said abruptly. "Aunt Hailey tried to get a straight answer from her, but got nothing."
"So Adelina denied everything Aunt Hailey asked her about?" Alexa questioned.
"Yeah, she said she didn't know what Aunt Hailey was talking about," Keenan replied.
"That's hardly surprising; people don't want to get into trouble," Troy said casually. "Yet people commit crimes...weird, huh?"
"Except I now know for sure that Adelina's lying through her teeth," Keenan said firmly.
"You mean her fangs; I've seen how flirtatious she can be," Troy said grumpily.
"What do you mean, Troy?" Alexa asked in confusion.
"I had the "pleasure" of her company for a little while; she cunningly didn't speak up until my vest came off."
"Does that really even matter?" Alexa asked, raising an eyebrow. "A flirtatious attitude doesn't usually correlate with-"
"She tried to make a move on Dad," Keenan said reluctantly.
"Seriously?! As if her making a move on my Dad wasn't enough already!" Troy exclaimed in disbelief.
"When did that happen?" Alexa asked in shock.
"Just after Vergil battled one of her Pokémon," Troy explained.
"When did that happen?!" Alexa asked with greater shock.
"Yesterday," Troy replied simply.
"What happened?" Keenan asked as he glanced worriedly to his left hand side.
"All I know is my Dad encountered Adelina on Driftveil Drawbridge; Vergil had type advantage, supposedly, but he's still being treated for heavy burns," Troy said sincerely.
"Oh, gosh..."
"I hope he'll be okay," Keenan said worriedly. Alexa and Troy watched in confusion as Daniel suddenly appeared over Keenan's shoulder.
"Vergil's injuries are a clear indicator of how dangerous Adelina can be in battle," he said firmly. "And if you recall Stephan's scars, those are another example, perhaps even the more frightening example."
"How so, Daniel?" Alexa asked. Keith watched Alexa with complete befuddlement; he had absolutely no idea what was even going on.
"Her Delcatty gave them to Stephan. If you think that's nothing, consider this; according to Mum, that Delcatty's the weakest Pokémon in her team."
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"He really isn't," Alexa said timidly. "Considering that, what's her strongest like?"
"Not a clue; Mum doesn't even know what species it is," Daniel said with concern.
"No way..." Troy muttered in disbelief.
"Okay, now it's safe to presume that Adelina's officially dangerous," Alexa concluded. "I think we should shift all – and I mean all - of our focus on helping Aunt Hailey and ignore Adelina; if Uncle Harvey's strongest Pokémon became so severely injured after battling one of her "lesser" Pokémon, battling her strongest is a death wish and, personally, I'd rather not lose another of my Pokémon to death."
"I agree with you, Alexa," Daniel nodded.
"Yep, me too," Keenan added.
"Me three," Troy grinned.
"Right. So, if we're done here, I need to go."
"Me too, I think my class is leaving the museum any minute now."
"We'll see you later, Alex!"
"See you, guys!"
"Bye." With that pessimistic farewell, all communications suddenly ended, prompting Alexa to cut off her end of the call. She sighed as she looked at the dumbfounded Keith. "Sorry about that; family issues." Keith's demeanour softened a little, recalling a recurring name that was uttered during the conversation.
"Your Dad's sister, I take it?"
"Yeah, she's, um...she's not doing so well..."
"The Contest, right?" Alexa nodded. "Listen, Alexa, why don't we go back to the coffee shop? You can explain everything that just happened."
"...yeah, okay," Alexa said quietly. "I'm starting to feel hungry anyway," she added as she and Keith walked off of the bridge, heading back to the coffee shop they raced out of. Chutney, Jollie and Ava followed, all of them satisfied that the teens were back on friendly terms, at least for the present.
"I take it you heard most of that, Xavier?" Troy presumed as he lowered his arm. A wave of magenta light ran down his body from Xavier's head, turning his human form into his usual black-mane Zoroark self.
"That Miss Flirty-pants is considered dangerous now?" he questioned.
"Pretty much, yep," Troy nodded.
"And you're telling me this because..?"
"I think you should rejoin Alexa once you're done here," Troy suggested.
"I don't see the point," Xavier said cautiously. "I mean, she has Ryder with her, and there's no doubt in my mind that Phoenix can totally wreck Adelina if he has to!" Troy faced the Zoroark firmly; even Perri and Michael were thrown off guard with how stern he looked.
"Vergil faced one of her Pokémon yesterday and suffered burns that were so horrific that he's still being treated for them...and the Pokémon who gave him the burns wasn't even her strongest! The same thing – or worse – may happen to Ryder – or Phoenix for that matter – if she has anything to say about it!"
"...and you're suggesting I return to Alex's party?! Dude, why would you even make that suggestion before telling me how this woman could potentially kill me?!"
"Rrrrr...!" Perri snarled furiously in agreement to her son's words.
"Yeah, I know; contradictory. I'm sorry," Troy apologised sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was just thinking...actually, hell if I know what I was thinking..."
"Yeah, well, y'know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that you telling me about Madam McSnooty was pointless," Xavier said with frustration. Michael chuckled at Xavier's new nickname for Adelina. "Or, rather, telling me to return to Alex's side in light of Madam McSnooty's danger level was pointless..."
"Yeah, I know." Troy suddenly glanced behind him and, through the corner of his eye, spotted the very docile and social Reese and Robbie laughing amongst themselves. "I have an idea," he said as a smirk grew on his face."
"What now?" Xavier asked, his annoyance wavering.
"Alexa's meeting with Keith t'day...I don't doubt she'll share this revelation with him – nor do I doubt that he was probably around during the conversation..." Troy's attention turned directly to Xavier and his parents. "Would you guys mind helping me train those two?" he requested politely, pointing to the Buizel and Zoroark with his thumb.
"Any particular reason why?" Xavier asked. "I mean...I know Ryder served as Reese's mentor for a little while and I heard a fair bit about Robbie's self-taught battling skills..."
"Think about it; if Keith – for some stupid reason she springs to mind – ends up confronting Adelina, he's gonna need all the help and protection he can get," Troy explained as he retrieved his vest. "Plus, those two are gonna need to defend themselves."
"What about the little one?" Xavier questioned. "I saw that Pichu he was holding!"
"Yeah, well, she's just a baby; I'm not sure if she should be fighting something that can cripple a Serperior," Troy said in a laugh as tossed his vest, stained slightly with dew and stray grass strands, over his shoulder.
"Fair point; the little thing wouldn't last five minutes," Xavier nodded. Perri and Michael all nodded in corroborating agreement.
"So...you in?"
"I don't see what harm a little polishing can do," Xavier said cheerfully. "I don't know what I can offer them in terms of new attacks and the like, but I'll be glad to help!"
"Zor," Perri smiled sweetly.
"Nine," Michael nodded keenly.
"Thanks, guys," Troy grinned. He turned towards Keith's Pokémon properly as he whistled for their attention. "Yo, Robbie, Reese, c'mere a sec!" he called, gesturing the pair to approach him. Despite their confusion, Robbie and Reese began their approach; Reese clung onto Robbie's closest antler as the Sawsbuck stood up from the grass.
"Sawsbuck?" Robbie asked curiously.
Daniel and Daphne waved farewell to Keenan as they walked towards their classmates, who were all leaving the museum with their adult escorts. Keenan walked towards the adults, starting to feel slightly pressurised for reasons he couldn't quite fathom. Iara climbed up onto his shoulders and looked at him with worry.
"So, now what do we do?" Hayden asked softly, noticing his sister's growing anxiety.
"I-I just want to go home," Hailey said in a quiet mutter.
"Straight home?" Harvey asked with concern. "Don't you want to do something to take your mind off of what just happened?"
"Why? What's the point? I'll only remember it all again tomorrow," Hailey said pessimistically. "No, I...I just want to go home..."
"Don't worry, Hailey; none of this is your fault," Hayden said kindly. As he tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, Hailey ever so gently swatted it away with her own. Hailey's action gave Keenan more cause for concern.
"We don't know that for sure..."
"Come on, sis! Do you really think all of this is your fault?" Harvey asked anxiously.
"I don't know anymore..."
"Hailey-"
"I just want to go home," Hailey said abruptly.
"We understand," Lily said sympathetically. "Take it easy, all right?" Hailey nodded.
"Thanks, Lily."
"I'll call you later tonight, okay?" Colin proposed as he subtly secured his grip on his wife's shoulders.
"Y-yeah, if you want," Hayden nodded. "Don't feel obligated to, though."
"Why would I? We're family; we should stick together," Colin smiled. Harvey and Hayden returned his smile.
"That's the way!" Harvey said merrily. "Hailey, for the love of all things good to you, relax! Run a bubble bath and curl up on the sofa with a cocoa or something; all this stress isn't doing you any good."
"I don't—"
"Believe me, Hailey, it's better for me to be saying this stuff than Dad," Harvey said, bearing a smirk on his face. "Come on, relax! For one night at least, live like someone who isn't depressed."
"...I'll try," Hailey said submissively.
"I'll make sure of it," Colin smiled as he began to escort his wife back home. As soon as Colin and Hailey were out of sight, Keenan stepped forward, finally capturing Hayden's attention.
"What's up, kiddo?" he asked curiously.
"She's lying," Keenan said bluntly.
"Who? Adelina?" Harvey asked with interest. Keenan nodded.
"Gardevoir," Cheryl said in agreement. Lily looked between her Gardevoir and son before she took a light breath and sighed silently.
"I believe you."
"You're not so sure about it?" Keenan questioned. Lily smiled warmly at her son.
"Not for the reasons you're thinking of, sweetheart; if anything, it raises further questions."
"Like why she's lying?" Harvey asked.
"More to the point, what's she trying to cover up?" Hayden questioned. "Yes, I can see what you mean, Lily."
"Me too; we don't know what, if anything, she's hiding, why she's hiding it and her reasons for doing whatever it is she's hiding," Harvey mused. "Keenan, are you absolutely sure Adelina's lying?"
"Through her teeth," Keenan confirmed insistently.
"Does Alexa know about this?" Harvey asked.
"I spoke to her and told her – and Troy – about it, but...neither of them said for sure. I think Alex does at least, considering Adelina to be dangerous now, but I really don't know if Troy does or not," Keenan explained.
"So she knows about Vergil?" Harvey asked. Keenan nodded in response. "You didn't say what Pokémon he was fighting, did you?"
"I didn't say anything; Troy brought it up. I don't think Troy knows what Pokémon Vergil battled; he wasn't specific," Keenan replied with a raised eyebrow. Harvey sighed silently with relief.
"In any case," Hayden began, sharing his son's suspicion. "Knowing that Adelina's lying makes this whole situation even more puzzling."
"Yes, you're right; like Harvey said, we don't know what she did, if indeed she did anything, why she did it or why she's covering it up," Lily agreed. "If anything, it makes it impossible to connect her to anything; there's no evidence to actually make such a link."
"Arceus...with that in mind, that woman could get away with murder!" Harvey said with disgust.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Hayden said quietly. "We don't need that all over again." Keenan petted Iara gently on the top of her head as the pair looked towards Hayden and Lily miserably.
The coffee shop was slightly busier than the first time Keith and Alexa arrived, but the pair miraculously ended up sitting at the exact same table they were at previously. Jollie, Ava and Chutney each had a bottle of cola next to them, but Chutney consumed his leftover cake before even breaking into his bottle. Alexa returned to the table with a muffin in each hand; she placed the cream and blue muffin in front of her seat and handed the dark brown muffin over to Keith, who took it gracefully in both hands.
"Thanks," he said politely. "Are you sure this won't spoil your lunch?"
"I'm sure; we're not getting together for lunch this time," Alexa replied as she sat down. "Three of my cousins are back in school right now, so we're not going to be able to get together for lunch until this coming weekend at the very least."
"I see. But, still...are you sure you won't-"
"No, it's fine," Alexa laughed. "If anything, I need to eat more; I'm underweight." Keith's eyes widened slightly; he learned something new about Alexa, and it was something he hadn't expected to learn.
"Under-?"
"Anyway, the woman Keenan was talking about. Her name's Adelina, as you more than likely gathered; she was a fellow contestant at this year's Nimbasa Pokémon Contest along with my Aunt Hailey. She's the one with the Gothitelle, by the way."
"Adelina Cross?" Keith questioned. "Yeah, didn't Gothitelle make a shape with her telekinesis or something?"
"She moulded her Psyshock attack into a Togekiss, yeah," Alexa nodded. "Anyway, after my Aunt's Bellossom's appeal backfired, Adelina started accusing her of causing the Contest's cancellation."
"What? Why would your Aunt deliberately sabotage something she clearly loves doing?" Keith asked in disbelief.
"Well, Adelina didn't use the word sabotage, but she did hold my Aunt responsible, since it was her Bellossom's appeal that caused the Contest to be cancelled," Alexa explained as she picked up her muffin. "The next day, she paid my Aunt a visit."
"To apologise?" Keith asked with a mouthful of chocolate muffin. Alexa scoffed scornfully.
"No, to make things worse for her." Keith swallowed his confection as he faced Alexa with apprehension.
"How so?"
"Well, my Aunt's self-confidence was knocked down a few pegs after the appeal backfired...it's only been getting worse since Adelina made her visit. Dad and my Uncle Harvey have been trying to reason with her, but they're not really getting anywhere with her." Keith lowered his muffin as he clearly saw foreboding Alexa appeared to be. "My Aunt's always so lively; to be honest, it's distressing to see her so gloomy."
"Do you think she'll call it quits?" Keith asked apprehensively.
"She made that "threat" once before, but I don't really know for sure at this point," Alexa answered sadly. "I mean, she doesn't know what to believe; part of her thinks she's responsible because of Adelina's finger pointing, but part of her thinks she's not because her family knows how much Contests mean to her. She's conflicted between the two sides, so if she doesn't know what to think, how are the rest of us supposed to know?"
"I-I'm sorry," Keith apologised cordially as Alexa took a small bite from her muffin. "I...I wish there was something I could do..." Alexa politely waited until she swallowed before speaking up again.
"That's how I feel, but, unfortunately, it's Aunt Hailey's battle to fight; it's her self-esteem on the line, not mine."
"...although yours is no better, I would imagine," Keith said regretfully. Alexa gave him a gentle smile.
"I'm sure we'll both get better in time; you and I just need to work things out between us and Aunt Hailey just needs to know the truth about what happened at the Contest."
"The truth?" Keith asked sceptically.
"Well, you heard Keenan; Adelina's lying through her teeth," Alexa stated, losing her smile. "If that's the case, then she has something to hide," she continued before taking another bite from her muffin.
"Is there a reason to suggest why she'd lie?" Keith asked curiously, taking a bite from his muffin just as Alexa swallowed.
"At the moment, we can't think of a motive," she replied. "My twin cousins and eight-year-old cousin tried to think of one, but they came up with absolutely nothing."
"Maybe the Ranger Union could look into it," Keith suggested. "I don't know if they have that jurisdiction, but-"
"I appreciate the idea, but it won't be possible," Alexa declined gently. "Despite Keenan and I harbouring our suspicions, there's no physical evidence to connect Adelina to any form of...well, anything, really."
"I understand," Keith said courteously. "I still wish I could do something, though; anything."
"It's better if you stay away from this problem," Alexa said as she tore the remainder of the muffin's top away from its base and quite literally tossed it into her mouth.
"Is it a family matter or-?" Keith suddenly halted mid-sentence with Alexa's quick hand gesture indicating him to wait; Alexa swallowed before speaking up once more.
"You heard the reason why you should stay away from Adelina." Keith took a few moments to think of a reason before he remembered the conversation he witnessed.
"Okay, I'll just focus on us," he said cooperatively. "I...I really am sorry I messed things up again," he said as he consumed the last of his muffin. Alexa chuckled as she looked at the blue parts of her muffin.
"You were right about one thing, though."
"Hm?"
"I didn't want to believe your apology was sincere..." Alexa lost her smile. "And I'm sorry." Keith gulped silently and smiled reassuringly at her.
"It's okay, I don't blame you; I was an asshole to you. But..." Keith lost his smile as he felt dread behind his next question. "Do you believe me?" Alexa exhaled as she looked directly at him; she wasn't smiling, much to Keith's disappointment.
"Yeah, I do. But...it'll take a while for me to fully trust you again." Keith smiled warmly; though he was disheartened regarding Alexa's lacking trust in him, he was euphoric to know she truly did believe his sincere apology.
"I-I understand," he said gleefully as Alexa took the final bite of her muffin. "I promise you, Alexa, that I'll prove you can trust me again." Alexa looked at him curiously; she was satisfied to see him smiling at the very least. "I swear on my Mom's name," Keith concluded, subtly looking towards Ava; the little Pichu drank from her soda bottle while Chutney and Jollie laughed joyfully.
To be continued...