Lost in their Past

Chapter 50:- On the way to Haldfest-part 2

"Well, I'm no Spencer Hale on the topic but there exists a case of unowns getting lost in their own directions. There were cave painting found in Jhoto but they were later dismissed because a common unown can't harbour enough energy to sustain itself in its own dimension, since the m-unowns have been discovered... it may be true."

Ailsa stocked her face delicately as she examined the situation. "So they're hibernating?"

Both, Delia and Samuel exchanged glances before nodding. "In Layman's terms, sure." He shrugged.

"Well then our work was a spectacular fail," Grace whispered.

Charlus nodded, "Dad's going to get his brains eaten alive."

Alain and Grace didn't understand what Charlus said, but he had a strong feeling they were about to.

"When are they going to wake up?"

"Can't say," Samuel sighed, "now that we think of it, the m-Unown's have been asleep since centuries, they recently woke up and you started to hunt them down and now, I think at best another hundred years."

Ailsa didn't break face, she continued to stare at her estranged husband with the most peculiar look. "Let me get this straight," she said, "your entire job is to find when they wake up and you've managed to narrow down the date to a hundred years? What type of scientist are you?!"

He was quite taken aback by the resentment and anger her voice harboured. Ailsa was angry with him for walking away, it was justifiable. But she had attacked his integrity as a scientist, he wasn't going to stand still and let it happen.

"I'm study Pokémon-human behaviour," he emphasised, "this is new territory for me."

Ailsa scoffed, "Get a load of this crap."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Stop giving me excuses, Samuel. I want results!"

"I can't give you results and I'm certainly not giving you excuses!" He spread his arms in anger.

As the two of them kept on insulting each other, Delia quietly slipped away from the bickering couple and towards her peers who very quietly enjoyed the show.

"Bitter divorce?" Alain asked Charlus.

"They're still married," he folded his arms and sighed.

"Why didn't they divorce?" Asked Delia.

"Mine fought like hell and they didn't divorce either," said Grace, her shivering had gotten more intense.

"And look how you turned out," Charlus scoffed.

"Like you turned out fine."

They turned their attention back towards the Oak's.

"I had a degree in Archaeology and behavioural science and physics, Ailsa! I couldn't just leave it after my hard work!"

"So did I!" She screamed, "I had a PhD in experimental studies and yet I obliged!"

"You had a degree in experimental work but I had one in theoretical! That's more important."

"What you know about the importance of experimental work," she scoffed, "you wouldn't know a variable if two of them hit you on the face at the same time!"

Samuel gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

Ailsa didn't speak, a sigh escaped her lips as she regained her posture. "Charlus and Grace," she said, "the two of you will leave for Dage City immediately, Spencer's team is having some difficulty with the extraction. One is on the way here with his daughter but the other... see it for yourself."

She walked out of the room, leaving them all to fend for themselves.

Samuel sighed, "I'll see you in the lab, Delia."

She nodded as he left the room in a hurry.

Charlus grunted his teeth. He wanted to spend more time with Grace. Arceus, he wanted it more than anything but not while she was hiding something from him. He was sure sooner or later he was going to burst and ruin the mission.

Do it now, his mind said, better now than ever.

Charlus caught Grace by the wrist before she could leave the room along with Delia and Alain.

"What the..." she exclaimed as she was pulled back. "Leave my hand, Charlus."

He didn't and Grace didn't have enough strength to judo flip him.

"What did Lysander say?" He questioned sternly.

A frown etched on her forehead, Alain had been right, Charlus was getting curious.

"It's none of your business," she said, "leave my hand."

His grip tightened, "I'm not letting you go until you say," he warned, "he said my name, Grace."

"And I'm saying it right now, Charlus, let me go!"

"Tell me!"

Grace didn't open her mouth, she continued to struggle under his grip. She kicked, cursed and kicked some more but her punches no longer felt the same. She was weak, so much weak.

In the end, she had no choice. Grace kicked him between his legs. Charlus's grip immediately loosened, he fell down on the ground.

"That's for... uh!" She kicked his stomach, "you're a goddamn bastard!"

Charlus saw Grace leave with such pain, both emotionally and mentally. When Grace stopped at the end of the conference table, he felt a tinge of hope that she would turn and answer his question.

But Grace didn't turn back neither did she leave.

She collapsed on the ground.