Margaret's Pokémon Diamond Nuzlocke

Chapter 16: A Stick in the Mud

I flopped down on my bed with a groan, frustrated.

"Please Maggie? I think a trip to the Safari would be fun!" Evan pleaded as he hovered above my head.

"For the thousandth time, no! It's been a long few days, and the last thing on my mind is a trip back to Pastoria just to look around some gross swamp!"

"But Maggie, I-"

"Evan..." Gloria interrupted from the floor. "Let me handle this, okay?" She told him in a hushed tone. He silently flew off as Gloria climbed her way up to me.

"Margaret, listen. We're only looking out for what's best for you, even if Evan's methods of doing so are a bit... bothersome. The point is, you need to relax and take a bit of a break!"

"I already told you guys, we're gonna be training again today. Besides, I'm not exactly in the mood to go back to Pastoria after last night..."

She quietly sighed. "The Safari isn't anywhere near the gym. You won't even have to look at it!"

I exhaled and turned to the wall. "I really just... don't wanna go."

I could hear Gloria take a small breath in, as if she were about to say something, but after a short pause she simply sighed. A quiet moment passed before Cedric stepped up on the bed and gracefully hopped over me. He sat down so we were face-to face, and gave me a stern but concerned expression. I stared at him for a few seconds, wanting to tell him no, but unfortunately his silence said a thousand words.

"... Mmfine...! I'll go, alright?" I groaned as I sat up.

Evan gasped. "Really?! Yesss!!" He flew around the room excitedly and wrapped Cedric in a hug.

Gloria looked at them, baffled. "How did you...?"

Cedric just chuckled as he pushed Evan off and led everyone out of the Pokemon Center to the streets of Veilstone. As I reluctantly begun walking back to Pastoria City, I let Aline and Cole out to tell them the plan.

"So Cedric was the one who convinced you go back?" Cole stared over at him skeptically. "Huh. Strange one, isn't he...?" He muttered under his breath quietly enough so Cedric couldn't catch what he said.

There was a bit of an awkward silence afterwards, like something was missing. I could tell that everyone knew what it was. Usually Andrea would have gotten upset at him, then they would argue the entire way to Pastoria... Part of me somewhat missed the constant fights.

Shaking my head, I pushed the thought out of my mind and continued on. I looked over at Aline, who seemed more distant that usual. I was about to talk to her, but figured she had enough on her mind and left her alone. However, Gloria ended up unintentionally doing it for me.

"You doing okay Aline...?"

"...I'm fine."

"Are... Are you sure? After what you did last night-"

"I wouldn't have said anything if I knew I couldn't handle it Gloria. Please just trust me when I tell you that I know what I'm doing, okay? All of this is just... it's a lot to wrap my head around. That's all..."

"Right..." Gloria sighed, clearly dissatisfied with the chat.

Evan suddenly swooped in, a big smile on his face. "Aw come on you guys, don't bring down the mood! We're going over to the Safari to have fun, aren't we?"

Aline forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah...! You think we'll find a new teammate there Maggie?"

"That's what I'm hoping... But either way, we're not staying long."