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PokeNOMNOMNOM — Chapter 32: Counterbalanced - An Unovan Tale
Published: 2012-02-21 11:56:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 883; Favourites: 11; Downloads: 4
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WARNING - From now on, if you haven't read the rest of the chapters yet,I suggest reading those first. There are important events coming up in the story,
and reading those before the rest of the story just isn't as much fun as the other way around.
Counterbalanced - Chapter 32
"Can I ask you something…?"
Edith beamed at her as she just started to set the table for breakfast.
"Good morning, dear! And of course you can."
Alex took a moment to get her manners back in order.
"…Good morning, Edith. Do you maybe have some paper I could write on…?"
Edith laughed.
"Oh honey, that's not something you have to ask…!
You can just get that from the lowest drawer in the cupboard over the-... Oh!"
She had spotted Zigzagoon, who was standing close to Alex' feet, and curiously looked up at her.
He hadn't left his owner's side since he had appeared from his Pokéball last night.
"Is this delightful Pokémon yours, Alex? I don't think I've ever seen one like this…"
Edith bent down to pat Zigzagoon on the head.
The Pokémon patiently sat down, wagging his tail and enjoying the attention.
Alex told her:
"He's a Zigzagoon… I have a Tauros as well, but summoning him inside the house is a bad idea.
…Unless you want to have it demolished."
Edith tilted her head.
"Tauros… Must not be from Unova, either…?"
Quinn's grandfather's voice sounded from the living room.
"A bovine Pokémon."
Edith slowly got back up, stretching to get back in shape.
She winked at Alex.
"Must be a popular crossword definition, if Peter knows it. Here…"
She pulled open a drawer, getting out a small stack of paper.
"How much do you need…?"
Alex smiled.
"That's too much."
She took the top two sheets from Edith, then peered into the drawer, and grabbed a pen.
"Mind if I use this…?"
Edith shook her head, and watched Alex make her way to the living room, Zigzagoon following her like a shadow.
"It's so nice to have a Pokémon companion…"
Alex looked back.
"Do you have one, as well…?"
But Edith's sad smile told her the opposite was true.
"Peter and I had a Stoutland. We raised him from Lillipup on, but he died of old age a couple of years ago."
"Oh… I'm sorry."
But Edith had already turned around to the kitchen table again.
"He had a good life, and we'll miss him. But that's how things go.
…Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, dear."
---
'Hello Yena,
I know you and Quinn think I deserved to be punished for my secrecy, but I don't think I had much of a choice. If I had told the full truth from the start, would you…'
…
…Wait.
Alex stopped writing.
That's not what she wanted to put in this letter.
Wishing she had taken more paper from Edith, she crumpled up her first attempt.
More concentrated this time, she leaned over the desk in the living room, and started over.
'Hello Yena,
Please, just keep calling me Alex.
I abandoned the name Liz two years ago, and I don't intend to take it back.
I'm really glad to hear you're okay.
Quinn's grandparents are nice people, so staying here a little bit longer won't be a problem.'
...
A shadow appeared on the desk as Quinn looked over her shoulder.
"You forgot to write 'and Quinn has been a darling as well'."
Alex pushed him away, glaring angrily at him.
"Leave me alone, Quinn. Writing this letter is difficult enough without you bugging me."
He pulled up an eyebrow, grinning.
"Don't be mean now, you still need my Emolga to deliver your message."
Alex sighed as she turned around to her letter again.
"Whatever. Maybe I'll use Zigzagoon, instead."
She clicked with her pen, but before she could put it down on the paper, Quinn had come closer again. His arms now resting on the back of her chair, he was awfully close as he casually leaned over her to look at Zigzagoon. The Pokémon had rolled up on the ground near Alex' feet.
Alex could feel his warm breath on her neck as he said:
"Be honest…"
Alex slowly turned her head to face him, her heart beating fast.
He continued:
"…Does Zigzagoon look like he'll be prepared to leave your side soon…?"
Her words came out slower than intended.
"Standing so close... You're a brave man, Quinn…
If you wanted to have your nose broken again so badly, you could've just asked…"
He smiled, and seemed to be enjoying the tension between them.
Ignoring what she said, he gestured at Zigzagoon.
"What I said was true. Look at your Pokémon."
Alex already knew it. The couple of minutes she spent in the bathroom earlier, had been disturbed by Zigzagoon continuously scratching the door in an attempt to follow her. The Pokémon was still making up for the time he'd been away from his owner, and wouldn't dream of running across Castelia City to deliver a message.
Alex leaned away, and got up from the chair.
She grabbed her letter, and pushed Quinn out of the way, who slowly moved aside.
"I'm going to look for another place to write this…"
She paused, hating to ask for help.
"And I'd appreciate it if you let me use Emolga, when my letter's done."
---
'Hello Yena,
Please, just keep calling me Alex.
I abandoned the name Liz two years ago, and I don't intend to take it back.
I'm really glad to hear you're okay.
Quinn's grandparents are nice people, so staying here a little bit longer won't be a problem.
But I'm confused about the 'plan' you and Chase are working on…
Will I not just go back into hiding with the Gray Guardians?
That would make the most sense to me…
Thanks for sending Tauros to the Prime Pier that day. I think he saved me… I'm not sure, though…
Maybe the cold affected my memory, but I can't seem to remember much about what happened after you ran away.
But Tauros was definitely there at some point.
And if we're going to be completely honest to eachother from now on, I'd like to say:
I'm sorry for getting you involved in all of this. You did nothing to deserve it.
- Alex.'
---
'Hey, Alex!
It's great to get a letter back from you, and I'm glad you like Quinn's grandparents.
How are you and Quinn getting along…?
I must admit that I was hesitant to leave you in his care, at first.
Not that I don't trust him, but because you two have fought so vigorously on other occasions.
Some people just don't get along.
Now that you mention it, my memory's a bit hazy, as well.
I'm completely confused about how I ended up on that pier, in the first place.
Maybe I should ask Ada and Chase about this…
Yes, I sent Tauros to the Prime Pier, and then ran for Castelia City.
Chase was already looking for us, Lily had warned him. So he found me pretty quick. But by the time we returned to the pier with reinforcements, everyone was gone. Scout managed to follow Tauros' tracks to some empty alley, but that was it.
You can't believe how relieved I was to find out you were safe.
About the plan… Chase says it may be better for you, if you left the Gray Guardians soon…
That this is your chance to be yourself, instead of having to hide away again.
He also wants me to let you know that you're stronger than before, and you should be able to make it on your own.
We're almost done with arranging the first step…!
In fact, I think we're going to put it into action soon!
And don't be sorry. I chose to be involved.
- Yena.'
---
'Yena,
What's this 'first step'? Shouldn't I be told about this plan of yours?
You know, now that we're doing this 'completely honest'-thing?
What if I want to stay with the Gray Guardians?
I think we should talk about that fir…'
…
Alex stopped writing.
Someone had knocked on the bedroom door.
Alex put down her pen. So much for nice, quiet place to write.
It was around five o'clock in the afternoon, and she had originally planned on finishing her letter before dinner.
Zigzagoon had been asleep on the bed, but was now intently staring at the door, his ears up.
Alex turned her head as well.
"…Yes?"
The door opened, and Edith looked into the room.
Alex smiled at her, trying to make an undisturbed impression.
But it wasn't something she could keep up for long, because the elderly woman told her:
"Alex, you have a couple of visitors…"
Visitors…?
As she got to her feet, a thousand thoughts flew through Alex' head.
Nicholas…? His men? Did they find her? How could he…
Alex followed Edith down the stairs slowly, and with extreme caution.
Her only comfort right now was to have Zigzagoon by her side.
…But it wasn't Nicholas.
There were a lot of people in the living room, shaking hands with Quinn and Peter.
Alex had come to an abrupt halt on the threshold, frozen on the spot, and watched them with wide eyes.
Lily and Scout cheered as they spotted her, and Chase looked pleased, too.
There were even more Gray Guardians in the room, but the one that stood out the most, was…
…Yena.
The blond girl beamed at her friend.
"Wow Alex, you look fantastic…!"
Alex was completely overwhelmed by Yena's presence. All the questions she had raised in her letter earlier disappeared into the background as she rushed forward, finally closing her arms around the girl, hugging her. The girls stood there for a moment, before Alex told her:
"Yena… I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you… I've been close to telling you so many times…"
Yena squeezed her tightly.
"Don't worry about it. You know, I've forgiven you for all of that days ago…"
She leaned back to look Alex in the eyes.
"Because… how can I stay mad at someone that saved my life...? I will never forget that, Alex."
Alex gave her a shaky smile.
Yena quickly hugged her friend again, before turning to Chase.
"Should we leave now…?"
Alex was still feeling shaken up about the whole situation.
"Leave…?"
Her eyes met Quinn's, who was grinning.
"They just told me what's happening. This is going to be good."
Chase mysteriously told her:
"Burgh agreed to it this afternoon.
Your appointment is in half an hour, so we'll be leaving in five minutes."
"Burgh…? What?"
Lily couldn't keep quiet anymore, and yelled across the living room:
"You and Yena are going to challenge the Castelia Gym together!"
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Comments: 17
Do I sense some romantic tension between Alex and Quinn??
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Haha, who knows? xD
Glad you seem to be enjoying the story so much!
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and everything snaps right back into place like nothing ever happened xD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It does seem that way.
But the plot is closing in on them,
I CAN FEEL IT.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
is it bad that i still want there to be a relationship between alex n yena.....
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I totally agree! I still half expect something like that to happen lol
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Of course that's not bad.
I like it when people think along with the story.
You'll just have to keep reading, I guess.
See what happens.
I'm working on chapter 33.
Hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Sorry it took so long for me to read this. Between school and trying to write my own story, I didn't find the time until now.
I liked the chapter. It was another nice chapter. The last little bit was really sweet with all of the friends meeting up again. And the very last bit is ending the chapter with a wonderful cliffhanger. I can't wait until the next chapter comes out!
Keep things going!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh, don't worry about it, I completely understand.
Ha, the next chapter will be slightly delayed,
writing battles is so difficult. ;_;
Plus, I'm working on a drawing, and I can't do both at once. xD
But my brain is working overtime to think of good parts for the next chapter.
Thanks for reading!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, battles are a bit of a pain. Especially the one I wrote (I think I was temporarily insane when I started writing that. Great idea for my first battle scene ever, right? XD) It'll turn out fine though, so don't worry.
And no problem. It was truly a pleasure to read
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Normally, a chapter with that much info in it doesn't piece together well. But you did a fine job with it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, was it a lot of info...?
It's good to hear someone say that, because it might be easy for me to understand some leaps and twists in the story, but readers might not. ^^
I'm glad the chapter did okay, anyway!
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Maybe not as much of a leap as I'd made it seem, but it had a several smaller events instead of one or two large events per chapter.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I can see what you mean.
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Ooooh it's suspense.. I need to read the next chapter! But I'll have to wait a week(: Enjoy your week off!
During that time, I'll reread some other ones(:
Awesome story, I found that the characters were developing into even stronger characters than they were before, and I really like Yena's character for some reason now.......ahh I love them all!(:
I really loved this chapter, keep up the great work!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Good news, then - You won't have to wait a week.
I have a week off from work, so I have more time to write.
I expect a new chapter to be up in three days or so.
I'm also planning on doing a sprite in the meantime, so I have enough to do. x3
I'm glad you like the new chapter, and I'm happy the characters are growing on you like that. 
Thanks for reading!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yes! I'm so excited!(:
Ah, I just love all of your work in general... ;D
You're welcome!(: Can't wait for your new ideaas!
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