Episode Seventeen: I Rocked the Boat

"YOU DAMN HAIRY APE! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM AND DON'T COME BACK!"

"FUCK YOU! WHO'D WANNA GET WITH A HIDEOUS REPTILE LIKE YOU ANYWAY? DON'T FLATTER YOURSELF!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Falkner groaned as he heard screaming in the suite beside him. It was Claire and Chuck, the gym leaders of Blackthorn and Cianwood, respectively. Both of them were quick tempered and had a history of fighting, so honestly it was no surprise that they were at each other's throats. What was the organizer of this event thinking, putting such fiery and angry people in such a room together?

Unfortunately, Falkner hadn't been lucky enough to be merely woken up by the crazed argument beside his room. No, the Violet City gym leader had awoke twenty minutes earlier to Bugsy hopping on Falkner's bed to wake the older boy up.

"Ugh…WHAT. What is it you could POSSIBLY want?" Falkner had moaned in irritation upon being bounced up and down on his mattress from the leaps of the bug trainer.

"It's time to get up!" Bugsy had said enthusiastically, still jumping.

"Did you have to wake me up like this?" Falkner snapped. He attempted to sit up in his bed, but the constant movement of the plush bed made it difficult to maintain stability as he was still half asleep. Eventually Falkner grabbed the excited boy and forced him to stand still.

"FINE. I'm up," he muttered, glaring with dark bags under his eyes. "Now go take a shower and leave me be."

That had been twenty minutes ago, and Falkner was now up and about, groggily setting out clothes for the day and sifting through his things. Bugsy was taking his time in the shower, it seemed. It was then that he was startled by the explosion of noise on the other side of his bedroom wall. Part of the teen's mind wanted to go over and yell at the idiot pair to shut up, but the more logical and sane section decided that it would be a complete waste of time, as nothing short of a legendary Pokémon's force could calm the fury of the two gym leaders. Falkner told himself to stay away from the conflict, as he rather liked being alive sometimes, and being mauled and murdered in the collateral damage from two infuriated monsters was not on his list of things to do today.

Tired of waiting for his turn and doing his best to ignore the thuds and bangs accompanying the screaming in the nearby room, Falkner strode over to bathroom, rapping lightly on the door with his fist.

"Bugsy, you almost done in there?" the boy asked through the door.

"Yeah, just a minute!" the child answered loudly from behind the door. Falkner heard the water cease running followed by footsteps as Bugsy removed himself from the warm shower and began to dry himself with a plush tower.

Falkner walked away from the bathroom door to give the kid a few minutes to do his business. Strolling back into the bedroom, Falkner saw his Pokégear light up and vibrate as he got a message. He picked it up and examined the device as he sat down on his bed. It was from Morty.

Morning Bluebird. You coming down to the dining hall soon for breakfast?

Callback #: ***-***-****

Received at 7:22 AM

Oh. So Morty was going to pretend to be cordial and as if they never had a fight. Falkner thought for a moment, and decided to play along with the mood for the time being.

Maybe.

Sent at 7:22 AM

Received at 7:22 AM

Falkner elected to keep his responses short until he properly gauged everything. Almost instantly, the Pokégear lit up again and hummed with a response.

Maybe?

Callback #: ***-***-****

Received at 7:23 AM

Suddenly there was another crash coming from the nearby room holding Chuck and Claire, followed by more yelling. Falkner cringed instinctively.

Yeah, Bugsy's taking forever in the shower, and Claire and Chuck are going crazy in the room beside me.

Sent at 7:23 AM

Received at 7:24 AM

Falkner heard the bathroom door open as a towel-clad Bugsy meandered into the hallway, his purple bangs dripping in his face. Falkner hoisted himself to his feet, Pokégear in hand. As he prepared to leave for the bathroom, it vibrated once more.

Oh I heard them earlier. I know. They're always like that

Callback #: ***-***-****

Received at 7:25 AM

Falkner headed for the bathroom, typing as he walked.

It's fucking annoying.

Sent at 7:25 AM

Received at 7:25 AM

"I'm done" Bugsy said, shaking his head, letting the water spatter everywhere around him.

"T-Thanks…" Falkner said, recoiling as he was mildly splashed with lukewarm droplets. He put his arm to his face in reaction and saw the Pokégear register another message.

I'm sorry

Callback #: ***-***-****

Received at 7:25 AM

Falkner typed one last response as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

It's whatever. Taking a shower now. I'll probably be down in a bit.

Sent at 7:26 AM

Received at 7:26 AM

Falkner placed his Pokégear down on the bathroom counter by the sink and began to undress. So, he guessed he was going to see Morty shortly. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his feelings as he stepped into the still-wet shower and began to drown out his emotions with the pounding of hot water.

The breakfast was set up as a buffet in the same room that had housed the previous night's dinner. There were three different buffet counters containing different foods, each beside the others by the back wall of the room. Unlike the dinner, which was a scheduled event, the breakfast was set up for a several hour period and diners could enter and leave as they pleased. Because of this, Falkner didn't see any of the other gym leaders when he walked into the door with Bugsy. The entrance of the two young gym leaders caused a small commotion as murmurs and comments rumbled through the crowd and people moved to obtain better vantage points. Yet very few people walked up to disturb Falkner, most likely because everyone was still waking up and hungry. Falkner and Bugsy broke away from each other as they marched toward different buffet tables for their meals of choice. Falkner grabbed a warm plate as he arrived at one of the counters and began placing several pancakes onto it with a set of tongs designated for the fluffy browned cakes. Moving on, he scooped some eggs onto the side of the same plate with a spoon, and then grabbed a few slices of bacon. Grabbing some orange juice, Falkner deemed his breakfast complete and strolled away to find a table. Morty had said he would be in the room, but Falkner couldn't find the blonde boy anywhere. After looking for a moment, Falkner gave up and sat down at an empty table to eat by himself. What did he care? Morty was the one who had wanted to meet up.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Falkner looked up from his food to see Jasmine standing at a chair sitting on the other side of the table from him. Several nasty responses instantly came to Falkner's mind, but he held his tongue and sighed.

"Sure" the teen said flatly, turning his head away as to not look her in the eye. His brow furrowed angrily. She was the last person he wanted to run into in here. Suddenly he didn't want to eat anymore. All he wanted to do was get up and leave, preferably after making some rather rude and possibly incorrect remarks about the brunette. But for some reason that Falkner could not begin to fathom, he remained polite and eventually turned back to face her, not quite with a smile, but not with the expression of anger he had just thrown over his shoulder a moment ago.

"Thank you" Jasmine said, pulling out the chair and sitting at the table draped in a white lace tablecloth. "So, did you sleep well last night, Falkner?"

"I guess," Falkner said absentmindedly as he returned to his food, chewing in between comments. "It's weird being on a boat that rocks all the time, but I guess you get used to it."

"Have you had any more problems with your seasickness?"

"No, I haven't." Falkner sat up. His nausea hadn't even crossed his mind since he had been given the medicine. Pausing for a moment, he mentally examined his body and decided that he still felt moderately fine, irritation and other moods notwithstanding.

"Well, take this just in case." Jasmine reached into a bag she had placed beside the table and pulled out a small pill bottle. She handed it to Falkner, who examined it intently. "It's the same medicine I gave you yesterday, only in pill form. The tonic usually wears off anytime between twelve to twenty-four hours after use, so just keep those with you in case you start feeling bad again."

"Thank you," Falkner murmured, shoving the bottle into his pocket, the pills making noise as they shook up against the capsule. Falkner grunted to himself as he wondered why she couldn't have given this to him yesterday instead of the disgusting tasting green mystery liquid he had originally ingested. The boy didn't like taking help from Jasmine, but he liked being seasick even less, so he stopped complaining to himself and continued eating once more.

"Where's Morty?" Falkner asked eventually after a moment of quiet chewing on both sides. "He's not with you?"

"No," Jasmine responded. "He was going to come down, but someone from the ship's crew or something pulled him aside and he ended up leaving with them. I don't know for what though."

"Oh." Falkner was slightly disappointed.

"Were you waiting for him?"

"Oh, erm…maybe."

"I see," Jasmine chuckled at the boy's poor attempt at hiding his emotions. "Well, I'm sure you'll see him soon enough today. I hear we have some sort of event to do today."

"Really? What?"

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that we need to be on the deck this evening, and they needed to go over something about it with Morty."

"I see."

As Falkner continued to eat and converse, it eventually crossed his mind that he was having a completely cordial and unproblematic conversation with Jasmine, who until then he had seemed to have such rage for. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all…but at the same time, Falkner still wasn't sure about her relationship with Morty, so he refused to let down his guard just yet.

Eventually, Falkner finished his breakfast and prepared to get up from the dining table and leave.

"Well, I'd better get going" Falkner said, placing his utensils in the center of his plate and shifting in his seat.

"Alright, sounds good." Jasmine replied, likewise ready to abscond from the dining hall.

"See ya," Falkner said, standing up and pushing his chair out to make room. A mutter was heard behind the chair as it hit a body behind Falkner, but the cobalt teen couldn't hear the quiet murmur.

"Oh!" Jasmine pointed at the figure behind her dining partner, but Falkner was otherwise occupied and oblivious. The boy stood up instinctively without fully noticing that his chair was obstructed by something as he tried to slide it outward. Falkner stumbled, lacking the necessary room between the chair and table to fit his body. His upper body went forward and downward as his legs tried to move back. Neither side was victorious in its attempts, and Falkner found himself falling over the table and tripping. He put his hands out to balance his body over the table, but as he did this the chair catching his legs moved backwards as the obstruction moved, taking the teen's legs out from under him. Falkner fell forward, his hands and chin hitting the table. Grabbing the tablecloth for support, Falkner dragged the white sheet with him as he slid to the floor, hitting the tile with a thud. The table, having just had a large amount of weight on one side, tipped over on Falkner's side as the other side went upward. Silverware and plates hit the floor loudly a second after Falkner, creating a large commotion as the boy winced in pain. Upon hearing the noise, the dining room fell silent and all eyes turned to face the gym leaders' table.

"Shit…" Falkner grimaced, rubbing his chin from the hit and attempting to sit up. He leaned back into a body, and the bird trainer instinctively moved away and apologized. "S-Sorry."

Falkner turned to see a Morty leaning against a wall in surprise and confusion. Falkner's first reaction was shock, and then anger as he realized that Morty must've been what his chair had made contact with to start all the problems.

"What're you doing here?" Falkner asked in irritation. "Jasmine said you-"

"Are you alright?" Morty asked in concern.

"Yeah, I guess-" Falkner responded, but was cut off as Morty moved away and made it clear that he was not addressing his boyfriend. Morty rushed over to the other end of the now upturned table where a stunned Jasmine lay on the floor, holding her forehead. Apparently, when the table had been flipped, it had hit Jasmine in the face, causing her to fall down in pain and become a second casualty in Falkner's fall from grace. Morty grabbed a cloth napkin and put his arm around Jasmine.

"T-Thank…you…" Jasmine said gratefully as Morty dabbed her slightly bleeding forehead with the cloth, staining the white fabric slightly in the process.

"Oh shit," Falkner said, seeing the damage to the older girl's face. Admittedly it wasn't much, but Falkner hadn't intended to do any harm, and tried to get up to help. He moved to a kneeling position, but upon trying to stand, his foot became caught on the tablecloth and the boy fell back to the ground with a thud, this time on his back and behind. His elbow hit one of the plates from the table, and Falkner winced.

"Ah, Falkner!" Jasmine looked over to the bumbling boy and put out an arm to help. Falkner leaned to grab it, but as he tried to pull himself up with her hand to stay steady, he pulled the steel trainer forward, and she nearly fell on her face. Morty grabbed the brunette to prevent this, and together the three eventually awkwardly made it to their feet again. Falkner glanced around and just then noticed just how many people were in the room and saw that the trio was currently the focal point of attention.

"Damn it," Falkner cursed quietly. Morty and Jasmine stood a foot away from him, Morty continuing to nurse the other's small wounds.

"Falkner, I'm sorry" Jasmine said. "I tried to point out that Morty was behind you, but it was too late."

"What were you doing behind me anyway?" Falkner scowled slightly at the blonde boy across from him, ignoring the audience around him.

"I told you I'd meet you here. I was held up and finally got down here when you ran into me."

"Well, you should've said something instead of standing there silently." Falkner admonished. He shifted his feet and was accompanied by a clank as he unintentionally kicked a plate. "Shit, I'd better get something to clean this up with."

Falkner made his way through the crowd looking for either a broom or some waitstaff attendant to help. He was given many strange and surprised looks, but put his head down and ignored everyone, his face burning red as he heard small hushed conversation. He was met by an attendant carrying a mop and bucket.

"Oh, thanks" Falkner said embarrassedly, taking the man toward the mess that had been his dining table just a moment ago. The heap of chaos was still easily found as people flocked around the mess, yet stayed a few feet away.

Two people who weren't standing there, however, were Jasmine and Morty. Falkner scanned the room and saw the ghost trainer leading the girl out the door, his arm gently around her. Where the hell were they going? Common sense told Falkner that Morty, being an occasional gentleman, was taking Jasmine to either an infirmary or her room after the spill. But all Falkner could see was that Morty had just gotten up and left him. Morty had caused all this mess, which Falkner only came to because Morty insisted. And then he left the blue boy standing like a pariah in the middle of the mess as he walked out. As he walked out with Jasmine. Morty always seemed to leave Falkner for Jasmine. Angrily, Falkner stomped through the crowd and walked through the door, but went the opposite way.

Screw that Morty. If he was going to ignore Falkner, then Falkner decided he wanted nothing to do with the blonde either.

End of Episode Seventeen: I Rocked the Boat

A/N: I rewrote this chapter several times. I don't like this chapter. Actually, I haven't really been pleased with anything I've posted snice about Chapter 11...it's bothersome. I'm halfway through Chapter 18 too, but again, I don't like what I've done. Oh well.

I feel like absolutely nothing has happened in the past 2 chapters.

I'm gonna try to condense and speed up events next time.

Also, I wish the people I texted responded as quickly as Falkner and Morty did.

Whenever I include Pokegear or Pokenav or anything in my stories, it's so hard to not type "phone". I always have to reread everything to make sure I didn't put cell phone or anything.

And about last chapter's "Elephant in the Room" Pokepun. I KNOW Donphan and Phanpy are elephants. I FOROGT ABOUT THEM, OKAY? STOP TELLING ME. I still think that Hippopotas is better anyway because it seems nastier and uglier and smellier to me, so I'm not changing it.

What I did change was Cinnabar to Cianwood. Thanks for alerting me to my misspell.