CHAPTER ONE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

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Alice Bristow wasn't the most active person to grace the planet. She admitted that she was poor at sports or anything that involved athleticism, really. Her best talents included finding cheap restaurants with yummy food, heating up pre-cooked meals, and eating almost anything. Alice's idea of a good day was lazing around inside all day surfing the internet in search for new memes.

"Alice Faith Bristow, get your butt down here!" the angered mother of the said sixteen-year-old yelled from downstairs.

Alice poked her head out from below her blankets and yawned. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep as she checked the time on her phone. Eleven in the morning? Maybe she was a bit behind schedule. She didn't go to sleep until two because she was binge watching a show about a Coordinator overcoming his hardships as he traveled through the Hoenn region.

The brunette moseyed downstairs while scratching her leg through her pajama pants. She squinted as the bright morning light blinded her upon entering the kitchen. Waiting for her was her mother wielding a knife in one hand and a tomato in the other.

"It's so early," Alice complained as she walked towards her mother with open arms for a hug.

"Nuh-uh-uh." Alice's mother scowled and stepped back from her now pouting daughter. "What did I tell you last night?"

Alice racked her brain for anything that might've been important, but came up empty. "That you love me?"

The parent's gaze hardened. "Besides that." Alice shrugged sheepishly, and she groaned. "Alice, I've been telling you this all week! Your sister is coming here with that Sinnoh boy today. They're supposed to be here by five, and you haven't finished any of your chores. Dearie, you look like you've been asleep all morning."

Alice cringed. "I, um, sort of was, you know... asleep."

"Go get dressed, you bum!"

* * *

Hours later, a small car was cruising down the road from Lumiose City to the suburban neighborhoods lying in the center of it and Camphrier Town. Only two suitcases laid in its trunk with the owner of them sitting in the front passenger's seat.

Ken stared out the window with his head leaning against the glass. Outside of the car were lush green plains full of wild Pokémon scampering about. The bright blue sky was full of fluffy clouds and the occasional trainer flying overhead towards a destination he didn't know of. Brightly colored flowers and berries he'd never seen before dotted the roads with Trainers stopping to inspect them.

It was a lot different from his home in the mountains.

"Have you ever been to Kalos before?" the young woman driving the car named Irene asked him. She dressed in bold, summery colors with only a light jacket for warmth. Ken looked over at her, and she smiled. "It's a lot different from Sinnoh, I'll tell you that."

"It is," he said, unable to match her enthusiasm. "The only place I've seen that comes to mind are the plains in Johto."

Irene let out a soft sigh as she reminisced. "Ah, Johto. I spent more time fooling around there than I did collecting information for breeding." She chuckled. "I blame the boys I was with. You can't travel around with attractive people and not want to date them, you know?"

"I don't know," he replied straightforwardly.

His companion shook off his stiff replies and turned the radio down some. "We'll be at the house in ten minutes. My sister's your age, her name's Alice. I think you two'll get along. She was a trainer; she's been to Kalos, Johto, and even Sinnoh. She's pretty chill once you get to know her. Not too loud or anything."

Unlike a certain somebody, Ken thought, nodding along. Jet-lag was killing him and Irene picked him up before he could buy coffee. Hopefully her sister will be more reserved.

Not too long after, Irene pulled into a long gravel driveway. He noted the large building right beside their home with Pokémon painted all over it: the Kalos Daycare. It was soon out of sight as they drove through a cluster of trees and a house almost the size of the establishment sat in the center of the clearing. Three stories tall with white walls and a tan roof, it seemed just like all the other townhomes he'd seen in Kalos on steroids.

A birdbath full of small red bird Pokémon he believed were Fletchling flew away when he opened the door to get out of the car.

I'm certain that's a bad omen, he thought.

"Home sweet home," Irene chirped as she walked up to him, carrying his suitcases. "Follow me inside."

Ken wordlessly followed, mentally preparing himself for those he would meet. Irene told him her grandparents, parents, and her sister lived all under the same roof; it explained the need for such a huge house. He hoped he had a room to himself.

Irene opened the doors, and Ken recoiled.

In the foyer, a girl chased around a Dedenne while wailing at it to give her back her phone. The mouse-like Pokémon gleefully avoided every move the girl made as it ran on top of the couch, giggling. Tired of the game, the girl threw herself across the couch and accidentally pushed Dedenne so it fell off and dropped her phone.

"No!" the girl cried as she held up the cracked phone. "Dedenne, you better run!"

Dedenne did so, squeaking in terror as it fled. Irene rubbed her temples in exasperation, and Ken flinched at the loud noises. The girl glanced up at them with tears in her eyes and let out a strange whimper upon seeing them.

"Irene!" She gasped, quickly wiping away the tears. She was at a loss for words as her brain scrambled to explain what just happened.

Irene forced a grin. "Alice, this is Ken. Ken, this is my sister, Alice."

Ken refused to believe his ears. This was the the 'calm' girl she'd spoken about?

"Hi, Ken," Alice said awkwardly. Now that she wasn't running around like a madman, he could view her properly. She had a flushed face, wild brown hair, and big brown eyes full of tears.

"Hello," Ken greeted, keeping his voice even.

Irene ended the awkward silence that followed by saying, "Ken, I'll show you around the house. Alice, please go tell everyone that Ken's here."

Alice nodded and watched as they left, face-palming once they were out of sight. Of course the moment the new person who was going to live with them arrived while she was chasing Dedenne. She nearly sobbed at the sight of her cracked screen.

I'm dead, she thought, feeling her soul leave her body.

She sighed and left the house to the Daycare down the driveway. It was a five-minute walk, but she wished it was closer. In her mind, the less exercise involved with something the better.

A herd of Stantler stampeded by and Alice cried in shock, jumping away from the startled Pokémon. She turned around to see where they came from and paled. A ferocious Luxray who'd escaped its pen was running wild in the enclosure where the docile Pokémon grazed in. Sentret, Maril, Miltank, and more were panicking as the Electric-type roared.

"Why does everything have to go crazy once the new guy arrives?" Alice whined to herself. She grabbed a Poké Ball from her belt holster and threw it into the air. "Scizor, I need your help."

The scarlet insectoid appeared before her, and his intense, amber glare softened once he saw his trainer. Scizor dropped his arms to his side and leaned down, letting her give him a comforting pat on the head.

"Scizor, we have way more important things to do right now," she pointed out, keeping a stern face so she didn't give into Scizor's pout. Unlike most of Scizor's species, her partner had a docile nature. "We need to calm down that Luxray and get it back into its pen."

Scizor nodded, and Alice reluctantly approached the black-and-blue feline. It bared its fangs and hissed at her, lashing its tail like a whip.

She gulped. "Scizor, use Night Slash on the ground by Luxray."

Scizor nodded once and darted, twisting diagonally so his claws scraped the ground and sent a spray of dirt into Luxray's face. Its x-ray vision grew impaired as it shook its head and sneezed, trying to clear away the dust.

Alice's grandmother appeared and her jaw dropped when she saw Pokémon dashing off left and right as Scizor battled Luxray. She shouted, "Alice, get this under control! I'm getting the rest of the family to round up the ones that escaped."

"That boy is here! The Sinnoh one!" Alice shouted over the sound of Luxray's hissing.

"Perfect timing," the other grumbled under her breath.

Right as the elder left, Luxray cleared its vision and sprung at Scizor with a Thunder Fang. Enlarged canines crackling with electricity clenched around his arm, and the two plummeted into the earth. Alice covered herself as debris rocketed into the air, coating everything in the pen with a thin layer of dirt.

"Scizor, are you okay?" she called out. Dust got caught in her throat, and she coughed vigorously as she moved towards the two. "Scizor?"

Alice jerked back with a gasp as Scizor sent Luxray spiraling. Her partner's arms glowed orange, signaling her that he'd used Brick Break. She made eye contact with Scizor as Luxray clambered to its feet and nodded. They knew each other well enough that he understood her silent command: continue.

Pulsing energy unlike any other feeling Alice knew seemed to connect her to Scizor. It was invisible, but she believed in it; she'd noticed its presence one too many times during trying battles.

Alice trusted Scizor as she turned her back and heard him pelting Luxray with a flurry of attacks. She ran to the tall fenced pen meant for the more daring of Pokémon and fiddled with the latch. There were two sliding buttons far apart on the metal and she struggled to move both of them at the same time.

Behind her, Luxray snarled as it avoided Scizor's onslaught of Brick Breaks and X-Scissors; every other furious blow met air. Scizor missed how his opponent's fur crackled until hot electricity shot out from every direction. Acting on instinct, he dove at an inhuman speed in front of Alice and took the Thunder attack head-on.

"Scizor!" she cried, startled from unlocking the pen.

Her confidence in victory wavered as he fell to his knees in front of her with charred scales. He struggled to rise to his feet, moving slowly and jerkingly: Scizor was paralyzed. She paled as Luxray braced itself for another blast.

Alice reached out and pressed her palm against Scizor's shoulder and pleaded, "Please, just distract him a little bit longer. I know you can do this."

Scizor's muscles relaxed under her embrace, and she missed how the sparks of electricity vacated his body. His claws shone pale green as he charged an X-Scissor, and he charged forward.

Alice hoped Scizor could defend himself for a moment longer as she turned around and tried to open her pen. She trembled as she was unable to steady her quaking fingers. Panicked tears began to blur her vision as she furiously tugged on the lock.

Out of nowhere, a silver portal opened, and an Alakazam appeared with Ken standing beside him ordering, "Psychic!" Alakazam's eyes turned cyan as he raised his spoons, pointing them in Luxray's direction. The feline's body was encapsulated in a cyan hue before it promptly fainted from the attack.

Scizor glowered at Alakazam as he returned to Alice's side. She quickly murmured her thanks to her partner then returned him to his Poké Ball and faced Ken. Her hands shook as she tried to soothe her nerves while saying, "Thank you so, so much. Who knows what could've happened if your Alakazam didn't Teleport here?"

"You would have been sent to the hospital, that's what," Ken said coldly, his indigo glare unfriendly.

She flinched at his blunt answer and looked away, stammering, "U-uh, probably. I panicked a little."

"A little?" Ken raised his eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. "You were staggering like a Wurmple cornered by a flock of Staravia. What were you thinking, fumbling around like that?"

"I don't know," she squeaked. His demeaning presence intimidated her as if he were the Staravia staring her Wurmple self down.

"You obviously weren't," he snapped. He shook his head and walked over to the pen, easily undoing the latches. "This is what was causing you so much trouble? I cannot believe you were in so much peril because of a safety lock that even a seven-year-old could open."

Embarrassed tears pricked Alice's eyes, and she hung her head in shame. Why is he so mean? I was trying my best, I really was! All I did was panic. Everyone makes mistakes!

"Your sister told me you were a Pokémon trainer. Is that a lie?"

Alice's breathing hitched, unnoticed by Ken who watched Alakazam use Psychic to carry Luxray into the pen. He shut the gate once Luxray was placed down and turned around to see Alice with tears streaming down her face.

Regret stung him, and he hesitated. "Alice?"

Alice shook her head then took off running.

"Alice!"

Dammit, I need to learn how to hold my tongue, he thought bitterly.

Returning Alakazam, Ken ran after her.

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Author's Note

Question of the Chapter: What do you think of our main characters, Ken and Alice?