Chapter Forty Eight – A Moment's Peace pt III

Keenan and Keith returned to the plaza, Keith carrying three different coloured drinks bottles in his arms and Keenan carrying a small plastic bag in addition to his pink and white milkshake bottle. While Keenan instantly sat near Robbie at the plaza's central pond and distributed the chocolate from the carrier bag between each of the present Pokémon, Keith made his way over to the more relaxed Hayden and Lily, where he offered them two of the bottles in his arms.

"Here; we got these for you," Keith said kindly as he held the cola bottle in front of Hayden. Hayden accepted the bottle from Keith, allowing him to present Lily with the lemonade bottle.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," Lily said sweetly.

"You really didn't have to, though, but, yes, thank you," Hayden smiled nervously.

"It was Keenan's idea," Keith said as he carefully opened his orangeade bottle. "So, what'd we miss?" he asked as he took his original place in front of the palm tree opposite Hayden and Lily.

"Nothing much, really; I've not long since spoken to my brother and sister – y'know, just to let them know about Lexie."

"Are they okay?" Keith wondered.

"Oh, yeah, they're perfectly fine," Hayden said happily. "Harvey's been spending quite a lot of time with his ex-wife, though...still don't know what instigated that..." Keith smiled rather smugly. "Meanwhile, Hailey said she was in the middle of something she calls the Contest conundrum." Keenan suddenly looked back at his parents.

"So Aunt Hailey's going to re-enter the Nimbasa Contest?" he asked. As Hayden, Lily and Keith faced Keenan, Keith chuckled to himself as he saw Ava nibbling on her chocolate; she was sitting on Reese's belly as she consumed her treat, which allowed the Buizel to eat his own chocolate.

"I would imagine so," Hayden shrugged as Lily finally opened her lemonade bottle. "Though I don't know what the conundrum itself was; I didn't think to ask... It's probably who she'll use in the Contest again..." Keith looked back at Hayden and Lily.

"About the Naomi thing..."

"Hm?" Hayden was confused.

"I know what instigated it; I did," Keith said shamelessly. Hayden and Lily looked at one another in confusion, while Keenan was surprised.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I just told Naomi to talk to Harvey, that's all; whatever followed was down to her," Keith said casually as he took a drink from his bottle. Lily was equally as surprised as Keenan, but Hayden laughed quietly.

"And you told her that without thinking about it?"

"Yeah, kinda; she gave me some advice a little while ago and, in return, I told her to talk to her ex. I told her not to be afraid if she ended up falling for him all over again, but I didn't think it'd actually happen!" Keith laughed bashfully.

"I don't think Harvey or Naomi thought it would either," Hayden sniggered as he eventually opened his cola bottle. Keenan turned around to watch Iara as she swam gracefully in the pond.

"It is nice that they're spending more time together, though," Lily commented as Keith looked back at Ava. "Naomi's really nice...makes me wonder why she didn't decide to keep herself included with the family after the divorce..."

"Wouldn't that be just a little awkward, though?" Hayden wondered as Lily sipped some of her lemonade. "I know neither one hated the other's guts afterwards, but they were awkward around one another for quite a while..."

"Good point," Lily sighed. "Hm? Keith, what's the matter?"

"Huh?" Keith looked back at Lily in confusion; he was surprised to see her slightly worried about him. "No, I'm fine; I was just wondering something, that's all."

"What's on your mind?" Hayden asked as, through the corner of his eye, he saw Keenan accidentally dropping his unopened milkshake bottle in the pond; Iara swiftly recovered it and the pair had a light laugh about the incident – at least the milkshake was slightly colder than it was before!

"Do you think Alexa would be able to-...or, rather, willing...to help get Ava trained up a bit?" Keith asked tensely. "Troy gave Robbie and Reese some battle training some time ago and...I was wondering if Alexa would do the same for Ava." Keenan looked back at Keith as he pulled his red T-shirt off, revealing his brown long-sleeved shirt underneath, and used it to dry his milkshake bottle.

"Ryder trained Reese first, right? I don't see why Alex wouldn't help you with Ava's training," he said as he finally opened his milkshake.

"But, to be perfectly honest, you're far better off asking Lexie yourself," Hayden stated. "Though I do agree with Keenan; I don't see why she wouldn't either."

Colin walked out of the house and into the back garden, only to find Hailey looking between four of her six Pokémon; though her back was turned against him, he could tell that Hailey was struggling with whatever decision she was hoping to try and make. He chuckled as he approached her.

"What's the trouble this time, Honeybee?" Hailey spun around and confronted Colin, looking just as conflicted as before.

"I don't know who to use for my next appearance," she explained as calmly as she could. Dexter couldn't help but snigger at Hailey, though she took very little notice of her laughing Jolteon. "I have too much choice!"

"Better that than no choice at all, surely?" Colin smiled as he handed Hailey a bottle of Lime Cola; her eyes seemed to sparkle as she accepted the drink from her generous husband. "But, if you want my advice, do what you always do."

"Sleep on it?" Hailey wondered as she opened her bottle.

"That's not what I was thinking, but I guess that can work as well," Colin laughed nervously as he watched Hailey guzzling down almost half of her favourite soda in one fell swoop. "No, I was thinking you could consider what kind of performance you want to give."

"That helps," Hailey sighed sardonically. "I still have a lot of choice! I mean, all six of my Pokémon have their own styles, which makes it hard for me to choose which one to use!"

"Well, what kind of performance do you feel like giving?" Colin asked rationally.

"What kind of performance do I feel like giving...?" Hailey repeated Colin's question to herself as she looked over at her Pokémon again. "Hmmm...I want to leave a powerful impression, but I don't want it to be predictable..." she said quietly as she took another drink from her cola bottle.

"How would it be predictable?" Colin wondered.

"Some Pokémon are as powerful as they look," Hailey explained. "Y'know, like Joshie."

"Swam-pert...!" Josh rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he blushed, flattered by Hailey's ever-so-subtle compliment.

"So you want to make a powerful impression, but you don't want others to know that's what you're going for?" Colin guessed. "You want to mislead your audience?"

"That's it!" Hailey exclaimed with glee, throwing Colin and the Pokémon off guard. "I can use Brie – just like Dexter said!"

"Jolt!" Dexter smirked proudly. Eric rolled his eyes at his compadre's smug attitude.

"Brie? You're not going to try her Aqua Tail/Shock Wave combination again, are you?" Colin wondered as he briefly scratched the base of his neck. "Or do you plan to master that Seed Bomb/Tail Slap combo that became the Aqua Tail/Shock Wave mix?"

"No, I have something less circus act-ish in mind," Hailey said casually as she took the green and black Poké Ball from her pocket. She looked at the Dusk Ball as a cunning grin made its way onto her face. "I do, however, plan on raising a storm..." Colin laughed nervously, Hailey's smirk giving him the creeps.

"If-if you say so, Honeybee...good to see you're being so enthusiastic about the Contest again, though."

"Thanks, Colin!" Hailey said merrily as she opened the Dusk Ball. The dazzling white light shot out of the capsule and formed into a completely grey Cinccino wearing a gold head chain with a cute little sapphire heart in the very centre of the accessory.

"Cinno?" Hailey smiled at her Cinccino.

"Okay, Brie...I know you haven't been in a Contest for almost a year, but now it's your time to shine!" Brie huffed and folded her tiny little arms as she pouted.

"Cin-cinno-cin-cin!"

"No, we're not trying to make you juggle Seed Bombs again," Hailey laughed. "That'll never work anyway..."

"Cin," Brie nodded in agreement.

"But...I have bigger plans," Hailey smirked. Brie looked up at Hailey with intrigue, the same smirk making its way onto her own face.

"Cinno..."

As Keith lifted Ava off of Reese's belly, allowing the Buizel to vacate the pond safely, a white light flashed briefly as Cheryl and Alexa returned to the plaza. As all attention was drawn to the arrivals, everyone immediately noticed the pair of Gracidea hair clips on either side of Alexa's head; trying not to let their stares get the better of her, Alexa walked over to her mother's chair and handed a Poké Ball to her.

"H-Here's Cheryl's Poké Ball...thank you for letting me borrow her," Alexa said quietly before looking over at Cheryl with a slightly more relaxed smile. "Thanks for taking me to Mistralton, Cheryl."

"Gardevoir," Cheryl said kindly as she gave Alexa a sweet smile.

"Is Xavier doing all right?" Lily asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah, he's okay. He's struggling to move and talk normally like the nurse said, but, other than that, he seems to be his usual self."

"That's good to hear," Lily said sweetly.

"In other news, when and where did you get those?" Hayden asked in a small chuckle. "They look beautiful on you!"

"Yeah, a-about that..." Alexa looked over at Keith, almost staring at her in awe, and smirked towards him. "You put them in my bag behind my back, didn't you?" Keith scoffed as he matched Alexa's smirk.

"It was an opportune moment, Alexa!" Mildly surprised, Hayden and Lily looked over at Keith. Keenan, however, walked over to Alexa, who crouched down to his level to allow him to get a better look at her hair clips.

"You gave them to her?" Hayden asked.

"Yeah...actually, I bought them for her yesterday, but I only slipped the box into her pack this morning," Keith said nervously.

"Where did you get them from?" Lily asked curiously as she watched Alexa walking over to the pond; when Alexa saw her reflection, she seemed to smile with a little more delight as she saw for herself how her clips looked on her.

"Driftveil Market," Keith answered earnestly. All of a sudden, Keith felt Alexa clinging to him from behind.

"Aw, Keith, they're wonderful! Thank you!"

"Glad you like them so much. The stall owner didn't have anything Flabébé related, but-"

"No, it's okay; I love these," Alexa said graciously. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hayden and Lily couldn't help but smile at the healthy – and heart-warming – interaction between the teens.

"Hey, Alex?"

"Hm?" Alexa looked down at Keenan curiously; he seemed to carry his usual sunny smile, making her even more curious.

"Keith wants to get Ava trained up."

"Makes sense," Alexa said as she released her grip on Keith. Ava hopped onto Keith's shoulder and watched Alexa with interest. "I mean, Reese was trained by Ryder and let's not forget Troy's contribution to Robbie's...it only makes sense for Ava to get a bit of training done, too."

"Does the Ranger Union allow Partner Pokémon to be able to battle?" Lily wondered.

"It should at the very least, all things considered," Hayden said sternly. "I don't think anyone needs to be reminded of a certain...uh...Trainer we all met in Almia."

"Oh, right...him," Keith said nastily. He took a quick breath to calm himself down before looking at Alexa with slight anxiety. "A-Anyway, I was wondering if you'd help me train up Ava; I really wouldn't know where to start..."

"If Troy gave Robbie and Reese some battle training, why don't you consider asking him to train Ava as well?" Lily proposed.

"Or is it that you want the extra time with Lexie?" Hayden asked teasingly. Keith recoiled slightly as he blushed a little.

"Kind of..." Alexa giggled at Keith's shyness.

"Well, I do have Kayla with me," she said as she searched her pack for the Poké Ball that, once opened, released her Luxray. Keith, Reese and Robbie watched as Kayla walked in front of Keith and looked at the Pichu on his shoulder; Ava quivered as she slightly hid behind Keith's neck, intimidated by the Luxray's appearance. "I would have Chutney instead, but he's still in need of rest after yesterday's bout of...uh...just yesterday... But Kayla's just as good of a candidate! Not to mention Jollie; she still wants to evolve, so maybe contributing to Ava's training might help her out as well!" Keith looked at Alexa with a hopeful smile.

"So, is that a yes?"

"In spades," Alexa nodded cheerfully. "Let me have your Xtransceiver number; we can talk tomorrow to reiterate our plans before we meet up!"

"Great!" Keith watched as Alexa held her Xtransceiver near Keith's to allow an infared communication between the two devices. "Where should we meet up anyway?"

"What about Entree Forest?" Keenan suggested.

"Interesting choice," Hayden commented. "There aren't any wild Pokémon in Entree Forest; there's just a little pool of water surrounding Unova's oldest tree."

"If nothing else, that tree would be a good recess point," Lily added.

"And, depending on where we are in the forest, we can either head to Nimbasa City or Opelucid City," Alexa continued with a smile. "Good idea, bro!"

"Thanks!" Alexa pulled her Xtransceiver away from Keith's and looked at it.

"Yep, that's our contacts registered."

"Thanks, Alexa. But...when should we meet up?" Keith asked timidly. Though he couldn't quite understand why he was so anxious all of a sudden; the only conclusion he could come to was that he was attempting to arrange another meeting with Alexa in Hayden's presence, and he felt the same anxiety the last time he made such an arrangement in front of him.

"I have no idea...maybe I can call you on the day? It'll give you a chance to get a few supplies for the Pokémon before we actually meet up."

"Yeah, sure, I'm cool with that!" Keith said cheerfully. Alexa nodded before she shifted her attention to Keenan.

"Wanna tag along?"

"Uh..." Uncertain, Keenan turned to Lily, who gave him a nod of approval. He grinned as he looked up at his sister. "Sure, I'd like that a lot!"

"You should; training at the Entree Forest was your idea," Alexa smirked. Her grin softened as she looked back at her father. "What's going on now?"

"The café?" Hayden shrugged as he grinned sheepishly; it was evident that he had absolutely no idea what the family should do for the rest of the day.

"That's as good a plan as any," Lily chuckled.

"Sounds good to me," Alexa agreed as she returned her Luxray to her Poké Ball. As Lily returned Cheryl to her own Poké Ball, Keith somehow found himself feeling more at ease around Alexa's parents. "I wonder what the café has..."

Adelina lay on the royal purple chaise lounge in her living room, looking severely down-trodden. The walls of her lounge were all painted in a pale lilac colour to partly match the royal purple armchairs on either side of the chaise lounge, which was opposite a flat screen television mounted to the wall, hanging above a wall-mounted DVD player shelf. On the wall behind Adelina were numerous Pokémon Contest photographs, each depicting Adelina herself, wearing different dresses, holding a gold trophy in her arm and one Pokémon wearing a ribbon; the Pokémon vary from photo to photo – a couple of them depicted her Delcatty, some showed her Beautifly, her Vileplume was in a few of them and her Gothitelle was in some of them. In one corner of the room was a grand trophy case, housing each of the trophies shown in the photographs, with their corresponding ribbons all fastened to the bottom of them, just above the base. Huey sat on the fluffy violet carpet and looked at Adelina with dismay as she refused to touch the tall glass of mocha latte, even with the whipped cream topping, chocolate dusting and four wafer sticks on top!

"...stupid Hailey..."

"Reow..."

"...stupid Hawkstones...stupid...Alexa...stupid family...!" She sighed as she lay on her back properly and looked up at her plain white ceiling. "Always getting the better of me..."

"R-Reow...?"

"I'm fine," Adelina grumbled. Huey wasn't so sure that she was, especially as she scowled viciously. "But Hailey...Hailey...that fucking bitch..." She pulled out one of the wafers from her latte glass, taking a small amount of the chocolate dusted whipped cream along with it. "She always gets the better of us...! No matter what we do, that slut always knocks us down...she always finds some way to break us...!" Adelina crushed the wafer stick as she squeezed it in her hand; the plain half fell near the back of the chaise lounge, but Huey caught the creamy end of the wafer in his mouth before it could fall onto the carpet – he seemed to enjoy his accidental treat as he ingested it. "I'll show her...!"

"Reow?"

"And that Alexa...fuck...I wanted to drop that little bombshell of hers!" she complained. "I was looking forward to demolishing what little sense of self-esteem she had left, but she had to ruin it! That fucking bimbo!" Adelina groaned loudly as she placed her free hand on her forehead. "But what else can I do?"

"Row?" Huey was confused.

"I think I'm done; I've pretty much attacked everyone – Alexa, Peggy, the twins-" Suddenly, Adelina sat up and fell completely silent. Huey was even more confused until Adelina began to smile evilly. "...I missed one..."

"Reow?" Adelina looked down at her slightly intimidated Delcatty.

"I missed one! Don't you see?! We can still break the family apart!" To Huey's surprise, Adelina literally squealed with child-like delight, her legs even flailing rather wildly as she squeed. "This is so completely and utterly perfect I can't even BEGIN to tell you!"

"Reow!" Huey rejoiced as Adelina stood up from her chaise lounge, but was more euphoric when he saw Adelina finally taking a sip of her cherished beverage; however, he almost laughed when Adelina was left with a whipped cream moustache.

"Silvia can resume her duties in the morning. In the meantime, let us take our cake and eat it in celebration!"

"Reow!" Huey jumped up and down with glee as he followed Adelina out of the lounge.

"You'd better watch out...there's a storm coming," Adelina smirked sinisterly.

To be continued...