Chapter Thirty One – Consternation
Hayden sighed heavily as he and Tidus walked down the corridor leading to the Pokémon Centre's main foyer, where they spotted Keith cradling Alexa in his arms; her sobbing ceased, but her breathing was still shaky. Hayden and Tidus approached the pair slowly.
"Keith?" Keith looked over at Hayden, who appeared to be both surprised and relieved to see him. "Good to see you."
"Y-Yeah..." Alexa looked up at Hayden from Keith's embrace; it was evident that her stress and anxiety were finally taking their toll on her, as she looked exhausted. Seeing the tiredness in her sore eyes concerned Hayden.
"Hey..." Hayden gently stroked the part of her hair that Keith's hand wasn't holding onto. "It's going to be all right..."
"...no, it won't..." Alexa sounded as exhausted as she looked; her voice was reduced to nothing more than a relatively breathless whisper. Hayden pitied her.
"Yes, it will," Keith said gently, ever so slightly tightening his grip on her. "Have faith."
"Miss?" Keith loosened his embrace to allow Alexa to face the nurse who took her Pokémon into care; Phoenix was virtually covered in bandages and Ryder had a few plasters over his own bumps, whereas Jollie was perfectly healthy. "Your Pokémon are all going to be fine, but I wouldn't recommend your Charizard to fly for a couple of days."
"Phoenix, why is it you let yourself get crippled like that so easily all the time?" Ryder growled.
"Rrrr...!" Phoenix wasn't happy about his temporary inability to fly either, but he was less than happy about Ryder's crass remark. Alexa took Phoenix's Poké Ball from her belt bag and quickly returned her Charizard to its sanctuary.
"T-Thank you..."
"I've taken the liberty of examining your Wigglytuff and Pachirisu for myself," the nurse added, handing Alexa the Moon and Friend balls. "They're both fine; they just need to rest for a few days." Alexa placed both Poké Balls into her belt bag.
"Thank you..."
"Nurse? How's Xavier? He's my daughter's Zoroark," Hayden enquired.
"I honestly have no idea, I wasn't part of the team taking care of him... I'll find out for you," the nurse said generously as she made her way down one of the two corridors behind her. Alexa began to feel anxious again.
"I wasn't the one taking all of this news personally!" Harvey said angrily, still talking with Hailey through his Xtransceiver. Daniel rolled his eyes as the argument between the two continued, but the Pokémon were becoming distressed, Perri and Michael in particular.
"I wasn't the one calling BS on the whole thing, though, Harvey!" Hailey retorted violently.
"Oh, yeah, let's all go pointing fingers, that'll solve EVERYTHING!"
"Dad, shut up!"
"Don't be sarcastic, Harvey! And Adelina's MY problem, not Alexa's, so excuse me if I can't understand why this happened!"
"Then find Adelina – or Alexa – and get to the bottom of it!" Harvey argued back, ignoring Troy entirely.
"I don't know where they are, smartass!"
"Hailey, I swear to Arceus I'll-"
"Alexa has this wonderful invention called the Xtransceiver; try using it!" Harvey shouted nastily, cutting Colin off completely.
"Dad, stop it, you're behaving like a child!" Troy exclaimed forcefully.
"How else are we talking right now, genius?!" Hailey snapped viciously. Troy groaned, realising that his aunt and father weren't going to listen to him, and walked away from the debate. He tried to drown out the juvenile banter, but without success. However, he soon spotted Daniel running down the path towards Striaton City; he hopped over the fence and intercepted his hurrying cousin.
"Whoa, what's rattled your cage this time?"
"Nothing you don't know about already, but I was actually on my way to Striaton Academy," Daniel explained quickly.
"Ah; letting the girls know about what's going on?" Troy presumed.
"Of course."
"I'll, uh...tag along; our parents are still fighting like Meowths and Growlithes," Troy said, hinting at the elder Breeder arguing at his Xtransceiver.
"Oh, for goodness' sake... The sooner we can nip this in the bud, the better..."
"No kidding," Troy groaned as he followed Daniel as he sped towards Striaton City. Lukie scrambled over the fence and hurried along after his Trainer. Nobody noticed the Beautifly fluttering away from the roof of Troy's Daycare Centre.
"Your Pokémon are all fit and healthy now, Ms Cross," the nurse said politely as she handed five Poké Balls to Adelina over the main reception desk. She accepted her Poké Balls without so much as a smile, but the nurse didn't seem to be bothered by her lack of manners. "Take care of yourself now!"
"You, too, thank you," Adelina grumbled as she made her way out of the Pokémon Centre, Huey limping alongside her; his front left leg was wrapped in nice and clean bandages, but the Delcatty flinched when he tried putting even the smallest amount of weight on it.
Outside the Icirrus City Pokémon Centre, Adelina sighed heavily out of frustration as she began to make her way to the large coffee shop not too far from the entrance to the towering Dragonspiral Tower in the distance.
"That could have gone so much better," she complained. "Honest to Arceus, it is SO fortunate the Unovan Government issued that straightforward path through Twist Mountain..."
"Reow...!"
"I know, baby, and I'm sorry I made you go into your Poké Ball when we arrived there, but I didn't want you hurting yourself even further," Adelina said endearingly. "But don't you worry; the ball's still in our court," she winked.
"Beau!" Adelina and Huey looked up as Silvia flew over to them. She then whispered something in Adelina's ear; whatever it was Silvia was saying alarmed Adelina.
"They're arguing already?! But I haven't said anything about Alexa's little bombshell yet."
"Reow?"
"No, honey, I don't think Alexa's said anything herself...but...maybe they just found out about Carter's handiwork on her Zoroark," Adelina guessed.
"Beautifly?" Adelina shook her head.
"I'm not concerned in the slightest, darling; I just didn't anticipate the family falling apart at the seams this early on, that's all. Oh, well, not to worry; just keep an eye on Hailey for me, darling – and stay inconspicuous this time."
"Beautifly!" Silvia flew away quickly and eventually left the city entirely. Huey spotted the coffee shop looming closer to him and Adelina with each step they took and looked up at Adelina hopefully.
"R-Reow?"
"We are indeed, my pet. We are in DIRE need of cake."
The sunny nurse returned to the main foyer and walked over to Alexa, who had finally left the comfort of Keith's arms entirely, but still appeared anxious and exhausted, much to the concern of Hayden, Jollie, Ryder and Keith.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, miss," the nurse apologised courteously. "Your Zoroark's still in surgery and he won't be out for at least four hours."
"Four hours...?!" Alexa panicked.
"But there's no way she can wait that long!" Keith argued in protest. The nurse's smile finally waned.
"I apologise, but Zoroark – Xavier, was it? - is undergoing a procedure called a craniotomy." The nurse looked at Alexa and immediately noticed her stress. "I don't think it's wise for me to explain the procedure in your current emotional state, miss, but it's one that usually takes four to six hours to perform; if you're wanting to wait for him, you'll most likely be here until the evening hours."
"M-Mmhmm," Alexa nodded timidly.
"Lexie, no, you can't wait here for that long; you're too worked up as it is, waiting here will only tire you out even more," Hayden said worriedly.
"I-I need to know if he's going to make it," Alexa said quietly.
"You're not obligated to wait HERE for him, miss," the nurse said comfortingly. "You're free to wait wherever you feel most comfortable; we can contact you when your Zoroark's out of surgery."
"Yeah, go with that, Alexa," Keith said encouragingly. "You can go back to your hotel room and get some rest while-"
"N-No..." Alexa's immediate refusal worried Keith further.
"Alexa, come on...!"
"I-I need to be here...!"
"Xavier's going to be unconscious during the surgery, he won't notice either way," Hayden said carefully. "I can call your mother and ask her to send Cheryl to pick us up-"
"No." Keith had an inkling as to why Alexa was adamant to remain in the Pokémon Centre and sighed.
"Lexie, it hasn't even been an hour since the surgery began and look at what the anxiety's done to you! Look, Xavier's in the best possible hands right now, there's nothing more you can do for him."
"But, Dad, I-"
"Listen to him, Alexa," Keith said gently. He moved slightly closer to her to speak softly in her ear. "The last thing you want is a repeat of Keenan's surgery."
"...b-but...!" Alexa eventually sighed shakily. "...okay..." Hayden sighed with relief.
"That's my girl... I'll go ahead and call your mother. Keith, can you-?" A simple nod from Keith answered Hayden's plea to look after Alexa before he could even finish his question. Hayden smiled at Keith before walking away from him and Alexa with Tidus as he contacted Lily through his Xtransceiver.
"Would you like us to contact you once your Zoroark's out of surgery, miss?" Alexa nodded in response to the nurse's question. "How would you like to be contacted?"
"...m-my Xtransceiver," Alexa replied quietly. "...my number's 036484..." The nurse nodded as she quickly jotted the number down on the back of her hand with the ballpoint pen she flushed out from her front pocket.
"I'll contact you personally as soon as I hear anything," she said kindly. "Try not to worry, though, miss; your Zoroark is in good hands."
"...thank you..."
"You're most welcome," the nurse said courteously just before she returned to the reception desk at the far end of the foyer. With a little more privacy between them, Keith confronted Alexa.
"Were you trying to stall for time?" he asked quietly.
"N-No, I- ...partly..."
"I know you need to tell your Mom and Dad, but do you really have to tell them now?" Alexa appeared more hesitant than ever.
"I don't have a choice...it'll be slightly better if-if they hear it from me..." Ryder and Jollie observed the conversation sadly.
"Are you absolutely sure that I can't do anything to help?" Keith asked anxiously. "I mean, I...I can help you explain what happened if-"
"No. ...I appreciate the offer, but...it'll be bad enough for Mum and Dad to hear what Ryder and I went through...without...without knowing that you knew the whole time..." Keith felt helpless, but nodded respectfully.
"I'll be heading back to my hotel room once you're gone; if you need me, that's where I'll be."
"What about Robbie and Reese?" Ryder asked.
"Uh..."
"You can ask Steven to pick them up," Alexa suggested quietly.
"Hm?"
"My Aunt Naomi's Gallade? S-Surely you've met him by now..."
"Oh, yeah, I have! What can he do?"
"H-He knows Teleport; h-he can pick up the boys a-and drop them off with you..." Alexa was startled when Keith suddenly planted a kiss on her forehead; Jollie in particular was smiling when she saw Alexa blushing rather heavily.
"You are amazing, you know that? I wouldn't even have thought of that myself, thank you so much!"
Uh...y-you're welcome...?" From over Keith's shoulder, Alexa spotted Cheryl suddenly appearing in the Pokémon Centre through a brief white flash and sighed. "I guess it's time..."
"Just remember that I'm here for you if you need me." Alexa looked conflicted; was she really ready to confide in Keith like she used to? And about something so traumatic to her, no less? She did feel safe in Keith's embrace, but she still harboured a small amount of doubt after he'd crushed her feelings not too long ago. However, she also knew that, if things turned sour, she'd need all the support she could get, and Keith was offering his to her without a speck of hesitation.
"...thank you, Keith..."
"Of course." Hayden approached Alexa.
"Lexie? You ready?" Alexa nodded and was about to walk over to Cheryl.
"I'll see you later, Kitten," Keith whispered. Alexa felt warm and fuzzy; she hadn't heard him use his special pet name for her in what felt like a long time. Ryder looked up at Keith worriedly, but Keith gave Ryder the same look. "Look after her."
"I plan to," Ryder said confidently as he followed Alexa. Keith watched as Cheryl quickly disappeared from the Pokémon Centre with Hayden, Alexa and their respective Pokémon in the blink of an eye. He then gently stroked his Pichu's head to ease her worries; in return, Ava nuzzled Keith's hand affectionately.
"No way! Our parents were arguing!?" Daphne asked in shock. She and Peggy were on Striaton Academy's playing field, talking to Daniel and Troy over the fence while the rest of the students behind them were playing around. "But they've never argued as far as I can remember!"
"They haven't," Troy confirmed. "At least, until this afternoon..."
"Were they fighting about Adelina?" Peggy asked nervously.
"Close; Adelina is involved...but so was Alexa."
"Huh?! What happened?!" Daphne asked insistently.
"Xavier got hurt really badly and Adelina's name came up; Keenan and I worked out that Adelina somehow got Alexa to battle her, and we presume it was by force, considering how Alexa was keen to stay away from her in light of her own problems," Daniel explained.
"Oh, no...! Please tell me Xavier's okay!"
"I heard Uncle Hayden mentioning surgery for head trauma."
"Oh, my days...!" Daphne felt distressed. "And I thought Vergil's injuries were horrific...!"
"Do you think Xavier would be okay if I said something to Mummy about Adelina wanting to break the whole family?"
"She what?" This was news to Troy, but Daniel smiled kindly at his youngest sister.
"It's okay, Peggy; we can make sure that they don't fall apart."
"If we pull together, it'll be a piece of cake," Daphne added, her optimism swiftly returning to her. "Adelina is NOT going to get away with anything she's done, and I'm NOT going to let her win!"
"I'll second that," Troy agreed. Lukie nodded in agreement.
"If we can make sure our parents don't argue any more than they already have, we'll be able to stop Adelina's little game," Daniel said confidently.
"Right; we'll show her that this is ONE family tree that's IMPOSSIBLE to uproot!" Troy smiled eagerly. Peggy and the twins nodded in complete agreement.
"You really shouldn't have taken your frustration out on your brothers!" Colin scolded as Hailey hung up on Harvey. "I know you're angry, but-"
"Our niece could potentially lose a second Pokémon to death at the hands of a woman who is supposed to be my friend-"
"Would anyone attack their friend's niece out of the blue like that?! Hailey, I think we can establish that the Adelina we thought we knew is long gone at this point in time!"
"I'm sorry, okay?! I'm..." Hailey was finally calming down. "I'm sorry...I did take what happened to Alexa personally and I shouldn't have..." Colin smiled gently.
"Adelina was involved somehow; I should have realised it would be hard for you not to have taken it personally."
"Even so, I shouldn't have... And I'm sorry I disturbed you, Colin...I didn't mean to."
"It's okay, Hailey, I forgive you. But I'm not the one who needs an apology for your behaviour...I don't think."
"You're right... Hayden's got a lot on his plate at the moment, so I'll apologise to him in a few hours... I'll apologise to Harvey once I've apologised to Daniel as well..."
"Attagirl, Honeybee."
Cheryl suddenly appeared in Hayden's hotel room with Hayden, Alexa and the other Pokémon faster than anyone could even blink. Hayden returned Tidus to his Poké Ball as Keenan sprung up from the sofa and flung his arms around his emotionally exhausted sister. Lily returned Cheryl to her Poké Ball as she approached her husband.
"Is everything okay?" she asked quietly.
"He's still in surgery; it's going to take at least four hours," Hayden explained in a quiet murmur.
"Oh, gosh..." Lily smiled at Alexa, who was virtually clinging to her little brother. "Alexa, sweetie, why don't you get some rest?"
"You have had a trying day, after all-"
"No," Alexa said hastily as she suddenly faced her parents; Keenan looked up at her in confusion. "N-No, I n-need to tell you something."
"I'm sure what you want to tell us-"
"I said NEED, not WANT," Alexa snapped fearfully. Hayden and Lily looked at one another in bewilderment.
"Even so," Lily began. "I'm sure whatever it is can wait until-"
"No! I-I need to tell you now!"
"Does it HAVE to be now, though?" Ryder asked nervously.
"Yes, Ryder, it does!" Alexa said adamantly.
"Alex, why are you so scared of something you're keen to tell us?" Keenan asked with concern. Alexa's silence, however, worried him further. "Alex?"
"Alex, honestly, it can wait," Ryder said comfortingly.
"NO, IT CAN'T!" Alexa cried desperately. Hayden started to feel scared for Alexa; whatever it was she 'needed' to tell him, it was clear that it was also upsetting her.
"Alexa, what's wrong? Surely what you wa-need to tell us can't be THAT frightening," Hayden said nervously. Alexa faced her father with tears lying dormant in her eyes.
"...wanna bet...?" Hayden and Lily were perplexed, Keenan was worried sick, but Ryder had a bad feeling about what Alexa was going to say.
To be continued...