Chapter Twenty Four - Nerves
"It was...nice," Alexa replied simply. "We had a lunch date at the restaurant in Nimbasa City – you know, the one we went to after our double battle?"
"Yeah?"
"I-I figured it'd be lunchtime by the time we took the train back to Gear Station, so...I proposed the lunch date. It was Keith's idea to use that time to just get to know each other."
"So you're starting all over again?" Keenan asked with interest.
"Or, rather, starting off where we were supposed to have started," Alexa said coyly. "Being Top Rangers kind of got in the way of dating opportunities."
"Didn't you have dates beforehand?"
"Just once; we spent the day in the Goldenrod Department Store after we got out of the hospital."
"Oh, yeah," Keenan said glumly; he was briefly reminded of why Alexa and Keith were in the hospital to begin with, but he also recalled the heavy feelings of fear and despair he felt in the aftermath of the avalanche that could have killed his biggest inspiration. "S-So, uh...how come you're so confused about the whole thing?"
"It's mostly because of how I feel about it," Alexa replied, unsurprised that Keenan caught whiff of her confusion. "I feel...I dunno, it feels like I have Beautiflies in my stomach whenever Keith's on my mind now..."
"That wasn't the case before?"
"Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy thinking about him before our big fight, but...this time, it feels like I can't without this feeling in my stomach..."
"You sure it's not hunger pangs?"
"No, I don't think so...hunger pangs don't feel as warm and bubbly..." Alexa looked directly into the chocolate brown eyes of her bright Buneary as she moved from her shoulders to her lap. "Is this what it feels like to have a crush on someone?" she asked rhetorically. Jollie just shrugged in response; it was clear from the bemused look on the bunny's face that she was equally as perplexed about this alien feeling as Alexa was. "I've...only felt like this once before." Keenan was slightly alarmed.
"Really?" Alexa nodded.
"There was a moment in Almia when Keith protected me from Kincaid; he...he held my hand to steady my nerves and told me to stay calm. That was when I...I felt like I do now."
"I didn't know that."
"...I-I know..." Keenan noticed how introverted Alexa suddenly became, which worried him; she looked sad and even appeared...guilty?
"...what happened that day, Alex?" he asked carefully. He noticed Alexa subtly wrapping her arms slightly tighter around the Buneary on her lap, which only served to worry him and confuse Jollie.
"...I'd...I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind...it's...not exactly a crowning achievement of mine." Now Keenan was even more concerned, but, choosing to abide by his sister's wishes, decided not to press the matter any further. "The point is that was the last time I had this feeling; it was a while ago and I didn't know what it was back then either."
A light knock at the door interrupted the conversation as Hayden and Lily entered the room; they were mildly surprised to see Alexa sitting on the bed, but happy to see her nonetheless.
"Hi, Lexie! When did you get here?" Lily laughed.
"A-A few minutes ago; I'm sorry I didn't say anything."
"Don't worry about it, we trust you," Hayden winked. "How were things with Keith today?"
"They were good; we spent most of the day getting to know one another over lunch. But...now I have this bubbly feeling in my stomach whenever I think about him...I felt it a while ago, too, but I don't know what it is..."
"Sounds to me like you have a crush on him," Hayden said bluntly. Alexa blinked in complete bewilderment.
"Crush?"
"Aww, you don't know what a crush is? That's so cute!" Lily said endearingly. Alexa wouldn't call her ignorance of the feeling 'cute', but she listened intently as Hayden began to share his interpretation of this mostly undefined sensation.
"I'd describe it as the budding stage of love; to use your case as an example, it basically means you harbour strong feelings of affection for Keith that have the potential of blossoming into true love."
"Think of it as the flower on an Ivysaur's back," Lily added with a smile; she was still relatively amused by Alexa's lack of experience with the emotion. "It's the middle stage between simply liking a person and being in love with them."
"I get it!" Keenan grinned happily. Alexa, however, looked away from her parents, deep in thought about what she just heard.
"...how do you know when the infatuation is real?"
"That, my dear, is something that you need to figure out for yourself," Hayden replied. Alexa smiled happily at her parents.
"That's what I'm hoping to do. Thanks for the advice."
"Of course, sweetie!" Lily beamed.
"You know you can talk to us about anything at any time, so feel free to ask if you need any more advice." Hayden looked over at Keenan; the two shared the exact same merry smile. "That goes for you as well, kiddo."
"Right!"
Keith quickly dismounted from the tired Sawsbuck's back as he trotted through the large doors of the Driftveil Star hotel. Keith lifted Ava from Robbie's head and held her in his arms as they proceeded to walk through the main lobby. However, they soon encountered Naomi, who was walking alongside a Gallade carrying a red and cream bundle of fur in his slender green arms.
"Oh, Keith! Hello! How are you?"
"I'm good, thanks," Keith replied optimistically. "I had a lunch date with Alexa and, if I'm honest, I think we've gone off to a good start."
"That's good to hear," Naomi said happily. "I don't know much about what she's like nowadays, but I do recall her being a very kind little girl, so I do hope you work things out with her." Keith recalled Naomi's lack of familiarity with Alexa's character, but he still found it odd, considering that, as far as he knew, her family was a very tight unit.
"Yeah, how come you don't know much about her? I thought the Thorndykes were family oriented."
"Truthfully? I...I haven't spoken to Hayden OR Hailey since Harvey and I divorced nine years ago," Naomi said shamefully. Keith felt bad for practically invading Naomi's privacy.
"I'm...sorry."
"Don't be; it's nobody's fault but mine."
"Guh-lade," the Gallade rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Steven, shush," Naomi said quietly. "Anyway, you needn't worry about me; just worry about your own problems." Reese, Robbie and Ava looked at Keith worriedly as he began to doubt himself, remembering how he almost ruined his relationship with Alexa twice already.
"I just hope I can win her back and not screw anything up again..."
"I don't know the exact circumstances, but I do know this; the best thing you can do is to not betray the trust she has in you, even if it's just a small amount."
"...yeah, I'll give it my best shot," Keith said keenly. "But..."
"Hm?" Naomi was confused when she saw Keith grinning at her.
"You really should talk to your ex." His proposition alarmed Naomi, but Steven nodded in complete agreement, alarming Naomi further. "I'm not as emotionally astute as Alexa, but I can at least see that there's tension between the two of you; talk to him, if only to clear the air. But don't be afraid if you end up falling for him all over again," he winked. Naomi was left stunned by his confidence.
"Uh...duly noted...thank you..." Keenan merely nodded in response as he and Robbie walked passed her, continuing their journey to his hotel room. "Come on, Steven, let's get Jason to the Pokémon Centre."
"Lade," Steven nodded as he followed Naomi out of the hotel. Jason coughed breathlessly in the Gallade's arms.
The Striaton Academy playing fields weren't as hectic as they were previously; there were several students sitting in a crescent formation, Daniel and Daphne being among said students, sitting in front of the teacher sitting on the grass opposite them. Some of the students appeared to be bothered by the light of the afternoon sun shining over their heads, some started to feel cramps in their legs while others were just waiting impatiently for the school day to end. The teacher tightened her caramel brown ponytail as she began to address her students.
"I figured today was a nice day to take today's class outside," she began as she brushed some stray grass stains off of her floral print skirt, which was long enough to cover her ankles. Daniel simply stared at his teacher grumpily; he was malcontent about her incredibly lax attitude. "Now, as I was going to say in the classroom, today's lesson is about the Pokémon League Association's Battle Clauses." Almost everyone in the class murmured amongst themselves in confusion; the only ones who remained silent were Daniel and Daphne. Daniel rolled his eyes, knowing that his final class of the day was something he could easily read for himself in the official Pokémon League Association Pokémon Trainer's handbook, a copy of which he, in fact, possessed, while Daphne simply yawned, covering her mouth politely as she did so.
"What're those? The rules?"
"Kind of," the teacher answered. "They're the little rules the Pokémon League Association has constructed in order to ensure a Pokémon Battle is executed with as much fairness as possible. Can anybody tell me an example of a Pokémon League Association Clause?" Daniel remained silent and willingly paid little attention to the lesson, but Daphne raised her hand.
"Only one Pokémon may be under the effect of paralysis at any time."
"That's correct, Daphne; a very basic clause, but that's one of the most commonly used ones," the teacher praised. "How about another?"
"No Trainer can have more than one Pokémon of the same species; for example, you are not allowed to have two Excadrill in your team," Daphne answered quickly; she was starting to become as annoyed with the seemingly unnecessary lesson as her twin brother.
"That's right! That one's known as the Species Clause; it prevents the Trainer from using an entire team consisting of half a dozen Garchomps, for instance."
"Which, in actuality, would be an easy victory if you have a Fairy type Pokémon," Daniel grumbled. "Or an Ice type attack."
"Or a Fairy type Pokémon with an Ice attack," Daphne added teasingly. Daniel laughed.
"Yeah; that team would lose if they met Alexa's Azumarill."
"That is another reason why Species Clause is in permanent effect; while it may make you look powerful, it provides you with very limited type 'coverage', meaning that you would struggle – and even lose – against Pokémon of certain types," the teacher explained. "And one more?"
"You can't trap a sleeping Pokémon?" asked a random boy sitting next to Daniel.
"That's right; it's illegal to use Mean Look on a sleeping Pokémon or use a Pokémon with Shadow Tag against the sleeping Pokémon," the teacher elaborated. Daniel and Daphne looked bored already; they knew all of this already – their parents are Pokémon Trainers, for goodness' sake! "However," the teacher continued. "A couple of new clauses have been created over the last fifty years or thereabouts, one of which is optional; who knows what the optional clause is?" Daphne raised her hand.
"Mega Evolution."
"Correct! Not all Trainers have access to this special type of evolution – by choice or otherwise – so the Pokémon League Association has decided to make this clause optional. Regardless, the overall rule is still the same; both Trainers must have a Pokémon that can Mega Evolve in their teams and can only have one in battle at any time. If one person has a Mega Evolving Pokémon and the other doesn't, the Mega Evolving Pokémon cannot Mega Evolve in battle."
"Miss, what are the other new clauses?" asked a female student standing behind Daphne's left shoulder.
"For the most part, they're fairly benign. One of them is a Nickname Clause; Pokémon may not have nicknames that contain obscene language or are of another species of Pokémon – for example, you cannot name your Garchomp 'Caterpie'."
"Why would you even want to do that anyway?" Daphne asked in confusion.
"Because some people have a sick sense of humour," Daniel grumbled.
"The most prominent new clause, however, is the Hypnosis Clause," the teacher said seriously.
"Does that mean the move Hypnosis is banned?" asked another boy sitting behind Daniel.
"You'd think so, but, no, the clause has no relation to the move Hypnosis." Somehow, Daniel and Daphne were intrigued; they hadn't heard of this clause. "Following the discovery of Psychic type Pokémon being able to manipulate the minds of their opponents, it has become illegal for a Trainer to have their Pokémon brainwash their opponent's to make them act against their own free will. This clause is in permanent effect for a very good reason; not only does it prevent the possibility of an unfair match – emphatically so in a Double, Triple or Rotation battle – but it also prevents the possibility of the opposing Trainer getting attacked by their own Pokémon." Daniel and Daphne looked at one another fairly anxiously; they were clearly disturbed by this new clause, but they couldn't put their fingers on why that was the case.
Piper, having since been left in Hailey's care while Peggy was finishing her school day, roosted on the plush green cushion resting in the middle of the kitchen table. Hailey stood in front of the recovering Swablu, using a teaspoon to feed her a mixture of crushed painkiller tablets and birdseeds. Colin leaned against the kitchen worktop nearest to the stove and oven with Madison hovering over his shoulder and a tall glass of carbonated water in his hand. Colin's Delcatty, Charlotte, and Hailey's Jolteon, Dexter, stood next to their respective Trainers, their attention focused on Piper's many bandages. Hailey's Altaria and Colin's Salamence were at the table, highly worried for the little Swablu.
"Don't worry, Annabelle, Piper's going to be just fine as long as she gets plenty of rest."
"Ti-ruh..." David nuzzled Piper's cheek lovingly as she ate from Hailey's teaspoon.
"Y'hrrrgh..."
"What happened, sweetie-pie?" Hailey asked worriedly as Piper finished the last of her birdseeds. The red-eyed Swablu looked up at Hailey gloomily.
"Blu, Blu..."
"What do you mean you can't remember?" Colin asked in bewilderment; his confusion came from the fact that Piper bore no head injuries, ruling out concussion as an explanation.
"Blu-blu! Blu...blu...!"
"You just blacked out...? Just like that?"
"Blu," Piper nodded at Hailey. "Blu-blu-blu, blu, blu."
"That's...puzzling...nobody just 'wakes up' with electrical burns," Hailey said sceptically as she placed the used teaspoon in the kitchen sink with the other used cutlery that was soaking in the semi-fresh washing up water. "I don't know why Adelina wasn't as clear about the attack as she could have been..."
"What are you going to do about her anyway?" Colin asked worriedly before drinking some of his sparkling water.
"All I can do is keep trying to reason with her," Hailey said hopefully.
"I'm not convinced that she can be reasoned with," Colin admitted as he placed the glass down on the worktop. Madison approached the glass with curiosity.
"I know you're not, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try! And I know she's proven to be a...less than desirable friend, but, as far as I'm concerned personally, she's still my friend and, if I can get through to her, I'm more than willing to try!" Colin smiled as Madison took the glass in her tiny little arms and sipped some of the fizzy water.
"That's the spirit," he said happily as Madison looked away from the water with complete revulsion.
"Bleeegh...!"
"I'm really happy my Honeybee's buzzing again." Hailey smiled at Colin as she carefully lifted Piper off of the cushion and set her down on Annabelle's back.
"I am, too," Hailey said as Annabelle and David carefully left the room with Piper.
Harvey and Troy sat on the same sofa Alexa and Phoenix sat on during their time in the tidy lounge. Laddy was nearby, having fun with the one-armed Simisage leaning against the wall nearby, watching his Trainer conversing with his father; he seemed to be multi-tasking, as he was also batting his tail against Laddy's, entertaining the Aipom.
"Well, Hailey and Colin were pretty disturbed by the rumour to say the least," Harvey said. "But, at the same time, Hailey wasn't too surprised."
"No?"
"Just because you have type advantage, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed an instant victory; I mean, you can pit a Florges against a Flygon, but the Flygon could still win if he or she uses Iron Tail on the poor Florges."
"Yeah, it's like we say; it's not what you have, it's how you use it," Troy smiled.
"Exactly," Harvey nodded. "Advantages can help, but, in the end, that's all they are; just advantages. Even with them, victory isn't assured. How often do you say that to people anyway?"
"Not too often; I don't usually get the toffee-nosed types around my humble abode," Troy laughed. "But, seriously, though, I don't give folks that kind of lecture that often, but, when I do, it's usually to starting Trainers who are just starting to get used to being a Trainer."
"Better that than the snooty types," Harvey said cheekily. "But that battle...urgh..." Harvey rubbed his eyes as he recalled the painful memories of his battle against Adelina on Driftveil Drawbridge. "Stupid Jellicent..." Troy's eyes widened with terror as he began to panic.
"J-Jell...?!" Harvey, having immediately realised what he just said, quickly faced Troy and quickly placed both hands on his shoulders as he tried to make eye contact with his panicking son. Brent hurried over to Troy and rubbed his back with his hand.
"Troy? Troy! Troy, look at me. Look at me, sport, it's okay!" Harvey said reassuringly. Troy slowly turned his head to look Harvey squarely in his sapphire eyes. "You're okay, do you hear me? You're safe; there's nothing here that will hurt you, all right?" Despite breathing heavily and deeply, Troy nodded slowly as he attempted to calm himself down. Eventually, Troy looked down and hid his eyes in his hand.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Don't be; I was the one who used the J word, it's my fault you nearly had a panic attack."
"A-Again..."
"Eh?"
"Outside the Contest Hall...I-I bumped into one. I-If Alexa hadn't been there..."
"She calmed you down?" Troy nodded in response.
"I owe her one," he said feebly, finally starting to breathe normally again. "Not that she'd let me return the favour, mind."
"Modest to a fault, that one," Harvey laughed. "Just like her old man."
"Says his older brother," Troy jested.
"Ha, touché. But that reminds me; I should check on Vergil. With any luck, he should be discharged later today," Harvey said as he stood up from the sofa. "Laddy, let's go!"
"Aipom!" Laddy ran towards Harvey, up his back and eventually settled on his shoulders.
"Say hi to him for me!"
"Will do, sport," Harvey winked. "And Troy? You make doubly sure to avoid battling Adelina altogether, if only because of the J word. Okay?"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Troy laughed nervously. "Thanks, Dad." Harvey nodded and waved farewell as he left the lounge with his companion. Brent sat next to Troy and faced him apprehensively. Troy looked at his Simisage with a forced smile.
"I'm-I'm okay, Brent, really." Brent wasn't convinced, but patted his Trainer on the back lightly and smiled at him regardless.
"Simi."
Alexa closed the door behind her as she left the hotel room with Ryder and Xavier by her side. Jollie was happily nestled in Alexa's arms as she walked alongside her Lucario and Zoroark, down the dominantly white corridor and across the shiny tiled floor towards the elevator doors at the end of the hallway. The many hotel room doors lined on either side of the hall were all dark oak brown with different numbers engraved on them.
"So, tell us; do you think you'll be able to make things work with Keith again?" Xavier asked curiously.
"I'd drop him if I were you," Ryder said grumpily.
"Ryder, c'mon, man..."
"I'm sorry, but..." Ryder sighed. "Out of all the Pokémon he's met from our clan, I'm the first one; I've known him the longest and, well...I didn't think he was capable of such a thing..."
"To be fair...we were both stressed that day...and he did say he didn't mean what he said."
"Do you believe him?" Ryder asked, almost interrogatively. Jollie looked up at Alexa worriedly as she pressed the button next to the elevator doors.
"Honestly? I almost didn't," she said truthfully.
"What made you change your tune?" Xavier asked with interest as the doors opened; Alexa allowed the elderly couple out of the elevator first before attempting to enter it with her Pokémon, bidding the pair a 'good afternoon' as they passed one another. Alexa waited until the elevator doors closed after pressing the button with the capital G engraved on it before she spoke up again.
"Mostly because I admitted I didn't want to believe him," she replied as the elevator started moving down. "After today, I...I still have some trust issues with him, but...they're not as huge as they were that night."
"Oh, please! I saw the look on your faced when he kissed you!" Xavier said teasingly. "You still like him!"
"He did what?!"
"Yeah, Big Boss wasn't too happy about it either, bro," Xavier laughed.
"It-It just caught me off guard, that's all!" Alexa said shyly. "A-And just because I like him, it doesn't mean I have my full trust in him yet!"
"Oooooh, you admit you like him~!" Xavier said playfully.
"Don't mess with her head, okay?" Ryder said crabbily.
"Ryder, if I wanted the Protective Father figure around, I'd go back upstairs and get Dad," Alexa said wittily. Xavier chortled with amusement as the elevator doors opened, revealing the hotel's main lobby. It very nearly resembled a fusion of a department store and a palace. There was a small water feature at the foot of the two branching staircases that led to the first floor of the hotel, featuring six small fountain statues of a Goldeen, Feebas, Finneon, Luvdisc, Horsea and a Tympole near the front of the pool and a larger fountain statue of a Gorebyss in the centre of the pool. There was also a large statue of a beautiful Florges in the middle of the lobby, cleverly with real flowers making up the bouquet around its head. There was comfortable seating around the eye-catching statue, with the long reception desk not too far away. Alexa and her Pokémon, however, walked across this beautiful hybrid-looking lobby and headed straight for a cornered area with far more seats spread across the tiled flooring; they entered the hotel's coffee bar. All of the seats consisted of plush leather armchairs, all of which circled the same decently sized glass coffee table. Some hotel patrons were already relaxing in the coffee bar; all of them had some kind of hot beverage in front of them, but some were reading the newspaper with their coffees and a small handful were also enjoying some kind of hot snack. The delicious smell that dominated the corner could make anyone want to join the queue to the cash point; while Alexa's appetite failed to respond to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread, she was still keen to get in line.
"You guys want anything specific?" Alexa asked finally.
"Nah, surprise me," Xavier grinned.
"I second that," Ryder nodded.
"Bun-bun!" Jollie added. Alexa handed Jollie over to Xavier.
"Xavier, can you and Jollie save us a table, please? I'll need Ryder's help getting everything over here."
"Sure thing," Xavier nodded as he and Alexa parted ways; Alexa kept an eye on Xavier until he found a table in a quiet area of the coffee bar. She took a mental note of his location as she joined the relatively small queue with Ryder.
"Why's Xavier so upbeat about you and Keith anyway?" Ryder asked in confusion, taking advantage of the Zoroark's absence.
"Seems Troy was able to give him a change of heart," Alexa replied. "What about you, Ryder? I can tell you're still angry at Keith, but-"
"I just...I just want you to be happy," Ryder said glumly as he and Alexa moved along the queue. Alexa smiled as she faced the barista in front of her.
"Hi, can I get the Poké Puff platter and a small cocoa, please?" she asked politely. The barista nodded as she processed Alexa's request through the cash register. She looked down at Ryder as she handed the barista the random twenty dollar bill she pulled out of her koban shaped wallet, completely ignoring the actual cost of her purchases, which, fortunately for her, didn't even come close to twenty dollars – or even ten dollars! "So, as long as I'm happy, you're happy?"
"Yep," Ryder nodded as Alexa accepted her change from the barista, slipping it into her wallet in a heartbeat. The pair moved along the queue as they waited for their goods. "That's what we all want; not just the clan, but your family, too. I mean, after all of the Tauros crap you've been through this past year...you deserve to be happy, even if Keith's not a part of it." Alexa had a hard time imagining her life without Keith; she spent so much time with his company, she'd pretty much forgotten what it was like before the two of them met in Ranger School. After accepting the cocoa and Poké Puff platter from a different barista, she smiled at Ryder as he began to levitate the three-tier cake stand with his cyan aura.
"Thanks, Ryder; I appreciate that," she said gratefully as she and Ryder approached Xavier's table. Ryder carefully placed the Poké Puff platter in the very middle of the table, where Xavier and Jollie immediately helped themselves to one of the Poké Puffs. Alexa sat down and took a sip from her creamy cocoa.
"Just a small one?" Xavier asked teasingly.
"Hey, give me a break, I already had one of these today," Alexa said defensively as she placed the porcelain mug down on the nearest coaster. "Anyway, Keith and I have another meeting tomorrow morning at the Route 4 coffee shop; anyone want to join me?"
"I'll tag along, but I'll chill in my Poké Ball; three's a crowd," Xavier winked.
"Yeah, well...I'll join and I want to stay out; I want to see the interaction between the two of you for myself," Ryder said distrustingly.
"You'd have plenty of company; Keith's taking all three of his partner Pokémon around with him, so you'll be able to meet Ava," Alexa smiled.
"Bun, bun, buneary!" Jollie said keenly, with her mouth full of cake. Alexa laughed.
"Yeah, I know; you want to join as well. And of course you'll stay out of your Poké Ball; I still want to help you evolve, you know that." Jollie finally swallowed her food.
"BUN!"
"Hey, here's a wild idea; why doesn't Jollie train the new kid?" Xavier proposed.
"I dunno," Alexa said with uncertainty. "Personally, I don't mind the idea, since I know with absolute certain that a baby Pokémon can battle incredibly well," she continued, smiling warmly at her Lucario as he licked the icing from his pink Poké Puff. "Keith, on the other hand, might not be as keen on the idea."
"I'm sure you can twist his arm," Xavier smirked.
"Besides, it's good for a Pokémon to train when they're young; I should know that better than any Pokémon," Ryder said as he wolfed his icing-free cake down in one bite, effectively swallowing it whole. "Hey, Alex, why don't you try one of these?" he suggested, handing her a small brown Poké Puff. Xavier was surprised when he saw Alexa taking the little macaroon in her hand. She compared the Poké Puff in her fingers to a lighter brown one on the cake stand and sniffed the one she held; it smelled like chocolate.
"Well...they ARE safe for human consumption..." Despite her hesitation, Alexa took a small bite from the cake; she took her time in eating the cake, trying to get a feel of its taste and texture before swallowing it. "...mm! I should learn how to bake these!" She offered the leftover Poké Puff to Ryder. "Wanna try it?"
"Yuck, no thanks; chocolate's not my thing," Ryder said with disgust. Xavier laughed.
"Here I thought chocolate was one of Lucario's favourite treats!"
"Not for THIS Lucario!" Ryder huffed, folding his arms. Alexa chuckled as she looked at the Poké Puff in her hand; she was tempted to finish it off, and she did admit she needed to eat more.
Harvey made his way into the Driftveil Pokémon Centre and headed to the front desk, passing the many other visitors scattered around the lobby; most were just resting from a long journey over the drawbridge, but there were a few who were waiting for news regarding their wounded Pokémon. Laddy took a keen interest in the many different Pokémon he saw among the Trainers; he was particularly in awe at the long red and gold lock of hair flowing from the Pyroar's head. Before he could make it to the front desk, however, Harvey almost bumped into another Trainer with a Gallade.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to-...Naomi?!" Naomi looked up at Harvey in shock.
"Harvey! I-I, uh...I'm sorry!"
"No, it's my fault; I didn't see you," Harvey replied awkwardly. Laddy and Steven waved happily to one another. "S-So, uh...what's up?"
"I just left Jason with the doctor; I don't know what's wrong with him, he's been sick since this morning. D-Don't get me wrong, I noticed it earlier on and gave him some medicine, but it didn't work." Harvey nodded.
"He'll be fine; Jason's a trooper," he said optimistically. "I'm just here to check on Vergil; he got into a pretty intense fight with Adelina's Jellicent."
"Adelina...?"
"Cross; from the Nimbasa Contest?"
"Oh, I see. Is Vergil...?"
"Heavy burns, but fine otherwise," Harvey said reassuringly. He sighed as his smile waned. "I'm, uh...I'm sorry about our last meeting..."
"No...I'm sorry for being so hard on myself about...well, everything..."
"C'mon, your confidence was shattered because of that jerk of an ex-boss; if anything, it's his fault that you're being hard on yourself."
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Take him out of the equation and everything would've been perfectly fine between us. But the less said about him, the better for both of our self-esteems." Naomi smiled.
"Yes, you're right." Steven noticed how coy Naomi had become, but spotted her smile. "I...I think we should talk." Harvey was curious.
"Hm?"
"Colin, I'm off to get some groceries!" Hailey declared as she picked up the brown leather tote bag that hung from the banister near the front door. Colin left his office as Hailey placed the bag strap over her head and across her body. "Do we need anything?"
"Do we still need some more of Peggy's juice boxes?"
"No, we still have a case left," Hailey answered. "But I kind of meant along the lines of food items for dinner tonight."
"Lasagne, right? No, I don't think we need anything for tonight," Colin said, shaking his head.
"All right, then, I'm-" Knocking at the door suddenly interrupted Hailey's conversation with her husband. Confused, she opened the door and, to her surprise, Adelina stood in front of her with Huey. Huey spotted Charlotte as she approached the hallway and smiled suavely at her; the female Delcatty stuck her nose up at the flirtatious male as she walked away, but her rejection didn't bother Huey in the slightest. "Adelina!"
"Hello, Hailey," she greeted kindly. Colin was instantly suspicious of her kind demeanour.
"This is a bad time," he said bluntly.
"No, really, it's not," Hailey said to the cautious Colin. "We can nip this in the bud right now," she added as she almost dragged Adelina inside the house; Adelina was legitimately confused with Hailey's change of attitude, but looked down at Huey and winked at him regardless. Nobody noticed Huey returning said wink as Hailey closed the door and dumped her tote bag back on the banister as she led Adelina into the kitchen. "What do you want?"
"First of all, how is the darling Swablu? Is she all right?"
"She's with her parents now-"
"Her Altaria and my Salamence, by the way."
"Colin, shush," Hailey snapped quietly. "She's fine, Adelina."
"Oh, dear...what's ruffled your feathers?"
"You, Adelina," Hailey said nastily.
"What? Just because I've been telling you the truth this whole time?"
"Muk spit!"
"Colin, please; let me handle this," Hailey said insistently. "I don't understand you, Adelina; Eric's appeal did NOT backfire on purpose, yet you've constantly blamed me for what happened and then tried to deny it!"
"I would like to put it on record that I have not accused you of making your Bellossom's appeal backfire deliberately; all I said was that Eric's appalling display was the reason the Nimbasa Contest has been cancelled," Adelina explained calmly. "Honestly, dear, I strongly doubt it was a good idea for a Grass type to utilise Fire attacks anyway. You probably should have used your darling Altaria instead; she has such graceful moves, unlike your little weed of a Bellossom."
"I don't know what you're trying to do, but-" The nearby phone suddenly began to ring, attracting Hailey's attention. She excused herself as she left the room to pick the phone up from its base, which was left on the single oak table near the stairs. "Hello?" Hailey walked into Colin's office as she took the call, closing the door behind her. Taking advantage of the situation, Adelina walked over to Colin.
"Thank Arceus...I thought she'd never leave." Dexter wandered into the kitchen and kept a sceptic eye on Adelina's interaction with his Trainer's husband.
"What are you up to, Adelina?" Colin asked suspiciously. He became surprised when Adelina opened one of the buttons on her blouse, but felt his stomach plummeting when he saw the lustful smile on her face. "Adelina...?"
"What's wrong, Colin? Are you not interested in Figure Drawing?" she asked seductively as she approached the highly perturbed man.
"I'm-I'm not, uh, th-that kind of artist," Colin mumbled nervously. "I-I could never get the human anatomy right anyway..." He became even more flustered when Adelina leaned her body against his; Colin tried his hardest to maintain eye contact with her.
"How about I teach you?"
"I-" Before Colin could argue, Adelina pressed her lips against his. In that exact moment, Hailey returned to the kitchen after having returned the phone to its base; she was horrified to see her husband entangled with another woman – or, rather, the other way around.
"YOU!" Hailey grabbed a clump of Adelina's hair and dragged her away from the heavily alarmed Colin and, ultimately out of the kitchen.
Daniel, Daphne and Peggy were walking towards their home when they suddenly saw the front door opening; they were even more perplexed when they saw Hailey pretty much throwing Adelina out of the house.
"You come anywhere NEAR him again and I'll have no problems replacing your tongue with a forked one!" Hailey threatened before she slammed the door. Confused and concerned, Peggy and the twins raced inside the house and entered quietly, passing the leaving Adelina and Huey; however, once the kids were inside the house, Adelina and Huey walked back towards the house and listened carefully between the kitchen window and the front door.
"H-Hailey, I-"
"What the Muk was that all about?!" Hailey screamed angrily. "What did you say to her?!"
"What makes you think I led her on?!" Colin asked in horror.
"I didn't see you putting up a fight!"
"YOU try prying someone off of you when they're jamming their tongue down your throat!"
"URGH, Colin! I don't need that imagery! Arceus!" Distressed by the noise, Peggy fled the kitchen and stood near the front door, trying to get away from the argument.
"I'm sorry, Hailey, but she was the one who came onto me!"
"Stop fighting, for goodness' sake!" Daniel shouted. The parents suddenly looked at the twins in confusion; Daniel was infuriated, but Daphne looked anxious.
"Don't talk to us like that, Daniel!" Colin scolded.
"Let him be, he was trying to help!" Hailey yelled furiously. Daniel slapped his forehead in his palm as his parents continued to bicker.
"That doesn't mean he can talk to us like that!"
"This isn't about him, this is about Adelina!"
"YOU were the one who brought her into the house in the first place!"
Adelina chuckled as she overheard Colin arguing with Hailey and Daniel constantly attempting to break up the fight. She looked down at Huey as she walked passed the front door.
"That's another raw nerve touched," she said proudly. "Hopefully," she continued, looking towards the kitchen window. "I can break the whole family." Huey sniggered as he followed Adelina out of Nacrene City via Pinwheel Forest.
Inside the house, Peggy was left incredibly disturbed and distressed; she heard everything Adelina just said!
To be continued...