Pokémon Bloodstone | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 53: Drunk

Rustie joined Chalcedony and Ruby Jane in the bar. She was only just old enough to drink in Orre, but the bartender didn't check either way. Ruby Jane figured that she was the friend who made out with Jet. She assured her that his rejection wasn't her fault. After several drinks, Rustie sobbed into her shoulder. This was all too much. Why did it have to be this year when this all went down? When Jet was on the Gym Challenge?

'Why did he go for me?! I'm nothing like you...'

Ruby Jane was drunk, too. She slurred.

'He's not exactly a hit with the ladies 'cause of his height...'

'And I stupidly invited him in! Chalcedony... there's something I haven't told you... that you need to know... especially... if he's in Cipher...'

The room span in Chalcedony's vision. She was on her second bottle of wine. Her mind felt like a Slugma dying as its molten body cooled off. She still wasn't numb enough.

'I told him... I told Jet that Wyatt can see auras... and I told him that Zileh's related to Dakim...'

'Oh.'

Chalcedony had no more to say. She was too intoxicated to remember what Fateen said about deceivers and reaching out to Wyatt. When she struggled to stand to go to the bathroom, Ruby Jane and her Hydreigon tried to help her down the stairs, but the two drunken girls tripped and tumbled. Hydreigon caught Ruby Jane. Raboot burst from its Poké Ball to cushion Chalcedony's landing.

Rustie stumbled down the stairs. Zileh heard their voices. She peered out of their room. Chalcedony staggered past to land face-down on the bed. Rustie staggered into the bathroom to throw up. Ruby Jane was on the floor in the lobby. Even with Hydreigon's help, she couldn't walk in her high-heeled boots. She weakly tried to pull them off. Dirk and Zileh had no idea what was going on, let alone where Ruby Jane came from or where she was going, but it was clear none of them were in any fit state to stagger around The Under.

Dirk tried to help Ruby Jane to her feet. It was no use. He uncertainly picked her up to sit her on the bed beside Chalcedony. Her head hit the pillow like a brick. Bewildered Zileh climbed into her sleeping bag on the floor. Ruby Jane and Chalcedony probably wouldn't have noticed if she shoved them to make room, but she didn't want to be accidentally vomited on. Dirk was worried. He tried to ask Rustie what happened, but she was too ill to care. He eventually discerned 'fuck Jet.'

Rustie fell asleep on the bathroom floor. Raboot gently nudged Chalcedony aside for Tangrowth to lift its Trainer onto the bed. They struggled to pull the blanket from underneath the three limp, snoring bodies, so Raboot and Dirk's newly-evolved Talonflame climbed in to keep them warm.

Dirk's alarm went off at 6AM. He stopped claiming that his 'body clock' automatically woke him to work out, because it was clear to his friends now that it did not, but he and Poliwrath still leapt up when the alarm rang. Even without booze, his friends slept through their push-ups and star jumps. Zileh stirred as 8AM passed. Registration for Wyatt's challenge began in an hour. Their friends snored on through their conversation. It seemed wrong to go without them, but as noon approached, they were yet to stir even when their Pokémon nudged them. Dirk stayed. He insisted Zileh went out to train if she wanted to.

Amethyst and Jet defeated Wyatt on their second attempts the previous day. Ivor lost. He was the next day's only challenger. The battle was already over when Zileh got to the colosseum. ONBS interviewed Ivor. He was the first challenger to lose to Wyatt twice. At least Zileh found several willing Trainers in the crowds of milling fans. Above, in Pyrite Town, Theta defeated Cail.

When the crowds dissipated and the screens displayed commercials instead of battles, Ivor sat on the wall overlooking the Pyrite Chasm. After the amount of bodies Cipher threw in, not to mention how many desperate Cipher members jumped to their death, it was patrolled by emergency services. They asked Ivor if he was alright. He wasn't suicidal. He was just miserable. Jet was speaking to him again, but he didn't even seem to care about the Gym Challenge anymore. He was obsessed with the Space Center. Yet he beat Wyatt. Ivor was hopelessly outclassed. He couldn't imagine ever defeating him. If Jet was right that Cipher were actually getting somewhere this time, Ivor would be hopelessly outclassed against them, too. Maybe the best thing to do was to drop out and go home. Only two people dropped out so far. Ivor didn't want to be the third, but...