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Description
WARNING - From now on, if you haven't read the rest of the chapters yet,
I suggest reading those first. There are important things happening/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 40

"…No problem, I understand. You have a job to do, right?
I'll make sure to find a different place to camp, instead."

Quinn watched the security guard disappear through the trees.
He waited a couple of minutes, just to be absolutely sure the man was out of earshot.

Then finally, he looked up.

He was instantly met by Alex' dark eyes, and he was struck by how much she seemed in her element. She was halfway up the tree, in an almost cat-like pose, and reminded him of a wild Pokémon more than ever. His heart beat a little stronger.

Their eyes were locked for ten seconds or so, before Alex turned her head to look further up the tree.

"Let's go, Yena. I'll help you down."

Quinn didn't spot the cleverly hidden tree house, until Yena emerged from it.
Carefully instructed and supervised by Alex, the blond girl was the first one to touch the ground and reach him.

Yena gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, Quinn…! I'm so glad you're here…!
I don't see how we could've gotten out of that one without you..."

He gave her a friendly smile, then looked at Alex, who was slowly approaching them.
The way she was moving, her expression... she was stressed.
For a moment, the girl seemed unsure on what to do or say.
Then, she settled on just being furious.

Frowning, she aggressively shoved him with both hands, and snarled:

"What do you think you're doing here? Do I look like I need to be saved all the time?
…Everyone around here seems to think I'm some kind of damsell in distress!
But I could've taken that guy down… easily! I was ready to jump down, and…"

He gave her no time to finish her enraged waterfall of words. Hoping it wouldn't lead to him being punched in the face, Quinn cut her story short by grabbing one of her hands as she shoved him.

He lightly pulled her arm, bringing her hand to his mouth.
Taking his time, he gently pressed a kiss on her fingers, before releasing her.

"Tone it down, lady. I know all that."

Instantly quieted, Alex stared at him, her face red and her breathing heavy.

"You…"

Her eyes shifted back and forth between him and Yena, who was watching them with wide eyes and open mouth. Then Alex breathed in deep, calming herself. She rubbed her hand off her clothes, as if she wanted to undo the effect it had on her.

"What are you even doing he-…"

But before she could finish her question, Martin finished his descent from the tree.
He suspiciously eyed Quinn for a moment, but quickly came to the conclusion that the brown-haired man was too strong for him to challenge directly, and he focused on Alex instead.

"Are you okay…? Are you hurt…?"

And then, as if nothing bad had happened between them, the young man smiled.

"Maybe it's better to continue talking on the ground, anyway. We need to form a plan of action!"

Alex cursed, then furiously took a deep breath to give Martin a piece of her mind, but Yena was wise enough to interrupt them. The blond girl grabbed Martin's arm, pulling him away from Alex.

Putting on the friendliest face she could manage, she suggested:

"Martin, why don't we go and check where that guard went…? He may still be around here somewhere, and I'm sure we'd all be more comfortable if the coast was clear for sure…"

'More comfortable' probably involved less swearing. Clearly, that thought and Yena's tone of voice made it seem like an excellent idea to him, because Martin nodded fast.

"Yes, of course…!"

He got out a Pokéball from one of his vest's pockets, and summoned his Pokémon.
A brown, skittish-looking Deerling appeared in a flash of light.
It nervously ran alongside Martin as he disappeared through the trees.

Before she followed the young man, Yena looked back at Alex and Quinn.

"It seems like the two of you have some things to talk about. I hope you'll use your time well."

Then she turned her head, and her long hair danced around her shoulders as she headed in the same direction as Martin.

---

Orange light had started filtering through the trees, as the sun had started to set.

Alex folded her arms, shifting uncomfortably as she finally broke the silence:

"So what are you here for, Quinn…? What do you want?"

Quinn breathed in through his nose.
Instead of answering her question, he told her:

"You know… my grandma went berserk when she found I had just let you leave. She endlessly talked about how some opportunities come around only once in a lifetime, how you were one of a kind, and most of all… how I should've gone with you."

Alex sighed deeply, rolling her eyes.

"…And here you are. Very romantic, following your grandmother's advice like that.
Did you plan on us making sweet love now, or…?"

Even though her tone annoyed him, Quinn wasn't about to let her sarcasm stop him.
Ignoring what she said, he continued:

"Actually, I didn't listen to her at first. No one has… walked out on me like you did, before."

Alex snorted.

"Oh dear, your poor ego is hurt."

It was Quinn's turn to be irritated.

"Are you actually trying to pick a fight with me? I forgot how you could be…!
Just hear me out, already!"

Alex mumbled something under her breath, then angrily looked away.

…This wasn't going well.

Quinn closed his eyes for a moment. How could he ever have thought this would work out?
He should just go home. It would be easy to leave this stubborn, proud girl standing here.
He opened his eyes again. Alex was still staring in the distance, her arms folded.

Patience had never been one of his virtues.
His tone of voice much angrier than before, he loudly told her:

"You know what…? Maybe it was stupid of me to think that we could be fantastic together.
Did you not feel the energy between us, when you left? I thought I did.
But clearly, it was a one-sided thing. I'll say goodbye to Yena on my way back to Castelia City."

He was about to turn around, when he noticed Alex was looking back at him again, her eyes wide.
Blood had rushed to her face. She took a shaky breath, before muttering:

"I did."

"What? You did…?"

Louder now:

"I did feel it. The energy."

Quinn didn't know what to think anymore.
His tone desperate, he asked:

"Then what is the problem, Alex?
Do you prefer being alone…? Did you not like my family so far…? Do I smell bad…?"

"N-no, that's not it…"

She looked away, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Don't… Don't you know what we're going to do? Where we're going…?"

"Of course I don't! You haven't told me anything about it!"

She turned her head back, and her eyes pierced his.

"They're going to unlock my memories, so we'll know what happened two years ago."

Her voice grew a bit stronger.

"…So what if I did it? Will you still like me, when it turns out I killed my parents, Quinn?
And don't say you will, because… how could you? …I wouldn't!"

He had stepped closer. She hadn't even noticed.

"Unlocking memories… I can't say I'm surprised."

He reached out, moving his fingers through her hair.

"So you plan on being alone for the rest of your life, if things turn out for the worse?
That's just stupid, Alex."

Her arms were still folded, but she didn't resist his touch.

"…Like insulting me will do you much good."

Annoyed, she clacked her tongue.

"You're so damn arrogant…!"

He kissed her forehead.

"And you're a reckless idiot."

She looked up to him, lowering her arms.

"…Self-centered alpha male."

He grinned, then slowly kissed the side of her face.

"Too proud, and incredibly rude."

A hint of a smile. She slightly tilted her head.

"Immature…"

But before she could finish speaking, Quinn pulled her closer.
She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, one of her hands moving through his hair.
Their passionate kiss lasted several minutes, before Alex leaned away.

Her voice was soft.

"We wouldn't be able to stop fighting, even if we tried…"

"…You're probably right."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Quinn took away her doubts by kissing her again.

---

Martin's voice was close to hysterical.

"Please, Liz…! If you're not staying, at least let me come with y-…"

But Alex was in no mood to listen.

"No."

He was pleading, desperately.

"If that guy can go with you, with not m-…"

She mercilessly interrupted him.

"It's not going to happen, Martin! Go back to your mother."

He stepped forward, maybe to grab her hand, but she instantly responded by forcefully shoving him.
Unlike Quinn, who could usually withstand her push, Martin fell down on the forest floor.

Scrambling to his feet, the blond young man opened his mouth, but Alex beat him to it.

"No, Martin…! Whatever you're going to suggest, the answer is no…!
I need people around me that I can trust, not someone that spouts delusional fairy tale cliches every ten seconds…!"

His eyes wide behind his glasses, Martin looked truly hurt.

"I just want to he-…"

In a heartbeat, Alex had a Pokéball in her hand.

"Don't make me summon my Pokémon on you, Martin. Just leave. Now."

For a moment, Martin looked back and forth between Alex and her companions.
Quinn and Yena were quietly watching the scene.

Slowly, his face red, Martin clenched his fists.
Then he turned around with a growl, and sprinted away through the trees.

…Silence.

Alex put away Zigzagoon's Pokéball, before noticing Yena's disapproving look.

"…What?"

"That was harsh."

Alex knew it. But it had been a crazy day, and she just wanted to rest.
She wildly shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't care. He's gone now, and he'll get over it, someday.
Let's go and set up camp somewhere."

She stomped off, and Yena exchanged worried glances with Quinn behind her back.

"I have a bad feeling about this…"

Description
WARNING - From now on, if you haven't read the rest of the chapters yet,
I suggest reading those first. There are important things happening/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 40

"…No problem, I understand. You have a job to do, right?
I'll make sure to find a different place to camp, instead."

Quinn watched the security guard disappear through the trees.
He waited a couple of minutes, just to be absolutely sure the man was out of earshot.

Then finally, he looked up.

He was instantly met by Alex' dark eyes, and he was struck by how much she seemed in her element. She was halfway up the tree, in an almost cat-like pose, and reminded him of a wild Pokémon more than ever. His heart beat a little stronger.

Their eyes were locked for ten seconds or so, before Alex turned her head to look further up the tree.

"Let's go, Yena. I'll help you down."

Quinn didn't spot the cleverly hidden tree house, until Yena emerged from it.
Carefully instructed and supervised by Alex, the blond girl was the first one to touch the ground and reach him.

Yena gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, Quinn…! I'm so glad you're here…!
I don't see how we could've gotten out of that one without you..."

He gave her a friendly smile, then looked at Alex, who was slowly approaching them.
The way she was moving, her expression... she was stressed.
For a moment, the girl seemed unsure on what to do or say.
Then, she settled on just being furious.

Frowning, she aggressively shoved him with both hands, and snarled:

"What do you think you're doing here? Do I look like I need to be saved all the time?
…Everyone around here seems to think I'm some kind of damsell in distress!
But I could've taken that guy down… easily! I was ready to jump down, and…"

He gave her no time to finish her enraged waterfall of words. Hoping it wouldn't lead to him being punched in the face, Quinn cut her story short by grabbing one of her hands as she shoved him.

He lightly pulled her arm, bringing her hand to his mouth.
Taking his time, he gently pressed a kiss on her fingers, before releasing her.

"Tone it down, lady. I know all that."

Instantly quieted, Alex stared at him, her face red and her breathing heavy.

"You…"

Her eyes shifted back and forth between him and Yena, who was watching them with wide eyes and open mouth. Then Alex breathed in deep, calming herself. She rubbed her hand off her clothes, as if she wanted to undo the effect it had on her.

"What are you even doing he-…"

But before she could finish her question, Martin finished his descent from the tree.
He suspiciously eyed Quinn for a moment, but quickly came to the conclusion that the brown-haired man was too strong for him to challenge directly, and he focused on Alex instead.

"Are you okay…? Are you hurt…?"

And then, as if nothing bad had happened between them, the young man smiled.

"Maybe it's better to continue talking on the ground, anyway. We need to form a plan of action!"

Alex cursed, then furiously took a deep breath to give Martin a piece of her mind, but Yena was wise enough to interrupt them. The blond girl grabbed Martin's arm, pulling him away from Alex.

Putting on the friendliest face she could manage, she suggested:

"Martin, why don't we go and check where that guard went…? He may still be around here somewhere, and I'm sure we'd all be more comfortable if the coast was clear for sure…"

'More comfortable' probably involved less swearing. Clearly, that thought and Yena's tone of voice made it seem like an excellent idea to him, because Martin nodded fast.

"Yes, of course…!"

He got out a Pokéball from one of his vest's pockets, and summoned his Pokémon.
A brown, skittish-looking Deerling appeared in a flash of light.
It nervously ran alongside Martin as he disappeared through the trees.

Before she followed the young man, Yena looked back at Alex and Quinn.

"It seems like the two of you have some things to talk about. I hope you'll use your time well."

Then she turned her head, and her long hair danced around her shoulders as she headed in the same direction as Martin.

---

Orange light had started filtering through the trees, as the sun had started to set.

Alex folded her arms, shifting uncomfortably as she finally broke the silence:

"So what are you here for, Quinn…? What do you want?"

Quinn breathed in through his nose.
Instead of answering her question, he told her:

"You know… my grandma went berserk when she found I had just let you leave. She endlessly talked about how some opportunities come around only once in a lifetime, how you were one of a kind, and most of all… how I should've gone with you."

Alex sighed deeply, rolling her eyes.

"…And here you are. Very romantic, following your grandmother's advice like that.
Did you plan on us making sweet love now, or…?"

Even though her tone annoyed him, Quinn wasn't about to let her sarcasm stop him.
Ignoring what she said, he continued:

"Actually, I didn't listen to her at first. No one has… walked out on me like you did, before."

Alex snorted.

"Oh dear, your poor ego is hurt."

It was Quinn's turn to be irritated.

"Are you actually trying to pick a fight with me? I forgot how you could be…!
Just hear me out, already!"

Alex mumbled something under her breath, then angrily looked away.

…This wasn't going well.

Quinn closed his eyes for a moment. How could he ever have thought this would work out?
He should just go home. It would be easy to leave this stubborn, proud girl standing here.
He opened his eyes again. Alex was still staring in the distance, her arms folded.

Patience had never been one of his virtues.
His tone of voice much angrier than before, he loudly told her:

"You know what…? Maybe it was stupid of me to think that we could be fantastic together.
Did you not feel the energy between us, when you left? I thought I did.
But clearly, it was a one-sided thing. I'll say goodbye to Yena on my way back to Castelia City."

He was about to turn around, when he noticed Alex was looking back at him again, her eyes wide.
Blood had rushed to her face. She took a shaky breath, before muttering:

"I did."

"What? You did…?"

Louder now:

"I did feel it. The energy."

Quinn didn't know what to think anymore.
His tone desperate, he asked:

"Then what is the problem, Alex?
Do you prefer being alone…? Did you not like my family so far…? Do I smell bad…?"

"N-no, that's not it…"

She looked away, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Don't… Don't you know what we're going to do? Where we're going…?"

"Of course I don't! You haven't told me anything about it!"

She turned her head back, and her eyes pierced his.

"They're going to unlock my memories, so we'll know what happened two years ago."

Her voice grew a bit stronger.

"…So what if I did it? Will you still like me, when it turns out I killed my parents, Quinn?
And don't say you will, because… how could you? …I wouldn't!"

He had stepped closer. She hadn't even noticed.

"Unlocking memories… I can't say I'm surprised."

He reached out, moving his fingers through her hair.

"So you plan on being alone for the rest of your life, if things turn out for the worse?
That's just stupid, Alex."

Her arms were still folded, but she didn't resist his touch.

"…Like insulting me will do you much good."

Annoyed, she clacked her tongue.

"You're so damn arrogant…!"

He kissed her forehead.

"And you're a reckless idiot."

She looked up to him, lowering her arms.

"…Self-centered alpha male."

He grinned, then slowly kissed the side of her face.

"Too proud, and incredibly rude."

A hint of a smile. She slightly tilted her head.

"Immature…"

But before she could finish speaking, Quinn pulled her closer.
She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, one of her hands moving through his hair.
Their passionate kiss lasted several minutes, before Alex leaned away.

Her voice was soft.

"We wouldn't be able to stop fighting, even if we tried…"

"…You're probably right."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Quinn took away her doubts by kissing her again.

---

Martin's voice was close to hysterical.

"Please, Liz…! If you're not staying, at least let me come with y-…"

But Alex was in no mood to listen.

"No."

He was pleading, desperately.

"If that guy can go with you, with not m-…"

She mercilessly interrupted him.

"It's not going to happen, Martin! Go back to your mother."

He stepped forward, maybe to grab her hand, but she instantly responded by forcefully shoving him.
Unlike Quinn, who could usually withstand her push, Martin fell down on the forest floor.

Scrambling to his feet, the blond young man opened his mouth, but Alex beat him to it.

"No, Martin…! Whatever you're going to suggest, the answer is no…!
I need people around me that I can trust, not someone that spouts delusional fairy tale cliches every ten seconds…!"

His eyes wide behind his glasses, Martin looked truly hurt.

"I just want to he-…"

In a heartbeat, Alex had a Pokéball in her hand.

"Don't make me summon my Pokémon on you, Martin. Just leave. Now."

For a moment, Martin looked back and forth between Alex and her companions.
Quinn and Yena were quietly watching the scene.

Slowly, his face red, Martin clenched his fists.
Then he turned around with a growl, and sprinted away through the trees.

…Silence.

Alex put away Zigzagoon's Pokéball, before noticing Yena's disapproving look.

"…What?"

"That was harsh."

Alex knew it. But it had been a crazy day, and she just wanted to rest.
She wildly shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't care. He's gone now, and he'll get over it, someday.
Let's go and set up camp somewhere."

She stomped off, and Yena exchanged worried glances with Quinn behind her back.

"I have a bad feeling about this…"