CHAPTER FIFTEEN: FIVE'S A CROWD

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The first day of the Kalos Hotspot Tour ended with Ken and Alice getting a strike. According to the hosts, if they got three strikes then the duo would be sent home. Dan and Bailey kept a close eye on the trainers for the rest of the day, only letting them relax once they arrived at a hotel.

"You'll both get your own rooms," Dan stated as the four rode up the elevator. He spread the hotel key cards out and fanned himself. "You can order anything you want from the rooms' menus, but don't go loco, alright? Me and Bails are gonna hang out at the bar downstairs. Holler if you need us."

"What if we need you?" Alice asked, slightly frowning.

"Lemme see your phone," Bailey said. Alice hesitated before obeying, an embarrassed blush warming her cheeks when the redhead chuckled. "Cracked screens are the worst... Okay, I put mine and Danny's numbers in."

The elevator doors slid open, and Dan led the party to the end of the hallways. The hosts helped Ken and Alice settle in then waved goodbye and hightailed downstairs.

"I can't believe they left us to go to a bar," Alice muttered. She sat on Ken's bed sorting through her camera roll, erasing duplicates and blurry images. Her finger hovered over the 'delete' button when she came across the photo of Ken scolding her only to save it. "The hotel's nice and all, but I thought they'd be near us the whole time."

Ken shook his head while taking his Poké Balls out of his backpack. "They're irresponsible, especially Bailey. When we were in the Parfum Palace garden, she tossed a coin into a fountain that had a sign saying it was prohibited."

An amused smile lifted her features. "Is that why she was wet?"

"I don't understand why she didn't have a Pokémon fetch her coin."

"I wish I was there to take a picture of it. That would've been great for the photo album I'm putting together." Alice eyed the red-and-white spheres rolling around the comforter. "You know, I haven't met all your Pokémon yet."

He picked up the Poké Ball closest to him and murmured, "Say hello to Alice."

A four-legged Pokémon materialized onto the blanket. Her sleek, cerulean body stood out against the forest green sheets. Fins out of all things jutted out on either side of her face. A flared out, white collar connected to her neck, causing her round, onyx eyes seem larger than they actually were.

"Your Vaporeon's super pretty," Alice marveled. She leaned forward and bent down so she was eye-to-eye with her. "Hi there, Vaporeon,"

Vaporeon cocked her head to the side and tentatively sniffed Alice's hand, her breath tickling the girl's digits. Her throat rumbled, and she pressed her face into Alice's palm. The brunette grinned and scratched the Water-type under her fin, eliciting even louder, more delighted purrs.

"I've never seen Vaporeon warm up to somebody so quickly," Ken confessed in disbelief. He watched his once timid and meek Eeveelution wag her tail as his companion cooed. "You have a natural affinity for Pokémon."

Alice didn't look up at him as she cuddled Vaporeon. "What you mean?"

"The Gogoat from the race obeyed you despite your mad scheme—"

"That Aerial Ace won us the race. Hey, that rhymed!"

"—that terrible Pachirisu listened to you, and now Vaporeon's allowing you to hold her," Ken listed, lifting a finger for each event.

"Are you saying I have a superpower like those legendary family lines?" Alice joked. "Have no fear for the girl who can get most Pokémon to like her is here."

He grinned and petted Vaporeon. "It's an observation."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a mighty roar ripped from his stomach. His fair complexion flushed cotton candy pink. Vaporeon let out small squeaks that could only be described as snickers, and Alice hid her mouth with her fist to block her smile.

"Well I just observed that you're hungry," she quipped, biting back laughter. "Let's order food."

* * *

The following morning was not one of merriment. After having lugged all the suitcases downstairs and packing them into the trunk, Dan finally decided to start the car. The convertible then came to life only to shut off seconds later. He tried again and again, but the vehicle refused to cooperate.

"Sassy's having another fit," Dan announced, laughing sheepishly and running his hand through his messy hair.

"Another?" Ken repeated, narrowing his eyes.

Bailey nodded. "That's why we call her Sassy."

How did they get this job? Alice wondered.

"I want to check out the corner store a couple blocks away. The bellhop says they sell slushies." Bailey threw her arm around Alice. "We'll go buy 'em."

"That'll give me and Ken time to have real man talk," Dan chirped as he popped the hood.

Alice mouthed 'good luck' at Ken then allowed Bailey to drag her off. The older woman had no problem doing most of the talking while the younger made small comments whenever there was a pause. They reached the store in no time and split up.

An excited gasp escaped Alice when she reached the chip aisle. Flavors she'd never came across before tempted her with their shiny, colorful packaging. She inspected one right after the other, muttering the names of the dramas she'd seen them in under her breath. Bailey's high-pitched voice broke her focus.

"...Glittering Cave? We're going there today," she mentioned.

Somebody offered, "If you want, I can show you some cool places in there."

Alice tiptoed toward them. She poked her head around the corner and spotted Bailey and a guy standing at the slushy station. He was huge. The black-haired man sprouted over six feet tall and didn't lack any muscle. She imagined he could wrestle a Machoke and win.

Then she made eye contact with him and froze: he caught her.

"Hey," he greeted, shooting her a friendly smile.

Alice's face burned as she came to Bailey's side and responded, "Uh, hi."

"Alice, this is my old friend, Jay," Bailey introduced. "Jay, this is one of the tournament winners. Her name's Alice. Y'all get to know each other, I'm going to ring these slushies up before they melt."

A surge of anxiety prickled Alice's nerves as the host left her side. She can't do this! Who leaves two people who don't know each other alone to talk? she internally wailed.

She failed to notice Jay opening his mouth to speak and cut him off with a rushed, "What's it like being tall?" Alice sensed her soul leaving her body the moment the poor icebreaker left her lips.

Jay chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. "Public transportation sucks and twin-sized beds at Pokémon Centers leave my feet cold. On the plus side, old ladies call me handsome when I get things off of shelves for them. What's it like being short?"

She countered defensively, "I'm not short, I'm 5'5."

"And I'm 6'4. You're small to me, Shortcake."

"Well, your proportions are wrong, uh, Tall-Cake."

He laughed. "Tall-Cake? You need to work on your comebacks."

Alice's pout eased into a grin, and she relaxed some. He reminded her of Joe with his great height and wide smile. "Comebacks aren't really my thing."

"What is your thing then?" He scanned her head to toe. "You're wearing a lot of earthy greens, so I'm guessing that you take walks in nature, bake cookies, and go for bad boys."

"You're off by a long shot." She held her hands up about a foot apart for emphasis.

"Even the bad boy part?"

"Yup."

"It's a good day to be a nice guy."

Alice nodded slowly, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation. "Uh, sure."

Bailey saved her from the playful gargantuan, wielding a drink carrier full of slushies and a box of granola bars. She had them follow her to the hotel, gabbing with Jay all the while. Apparently, they'd adventured together in Hoenn a few years ago. Alice couldn't add anything — the closest she'd ever been to traveling in Hoenn was when she nearly got on the wrong flight on her way to Johto.

On the other end, Jay was having a swell time catching up with Bailey. He'd forgotten what it was like being around her.

Not to toot his own horn, but he considered him a jack of all trades. He was attractive, charismatic, brave, and cooperative. Intelligence? He had enough smarts to survive. There wasn't a whole lot he failed to conquer if he set his mind to it... that is if he remembered to set his mind to it.

If he earned a Pokédollar for every time he forgot an important date or name, he'd have enough to buy a thousand calendars. Perhaps he could even hire an assistant who would keep him on track.

Jay whistled and shoved his hands into his pockets while Bailey chattered away. He glanced the girl moseying alongside his friend and watched as her foot scuffed the ground, making her stumble. His fake cough hid his snicker.

He raised his eyebrows upon arriving at quite the scene. Dan splayed himself atop the hood of his lime green convertible, singing in a cracked voice to a classic musical track. A younger blond holding onto a watering hose glared daggers at the fully grown man attempting to belt out high notes.

"I thought you were fixing the car," Alice said.

"We completed that task. However, Dan chose to wash the car and scar those near the hotel afterward," the blond explained, his features smoothing out when the girl spoke to him. He recognized Jay, and his eyes widened in shock.

Jay approached him. "I'm Jay."

"I know," he replied.

"You do?" Jay and Alice asked at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda," Jay teased. He sucked in air through his teeth as he focused on the blond again. "So we met before. Pokémon battle, yeah?"

"Yes."

"And you are...?"

"Ken."

Ken? Ken, Ken, Ken. Wait a sec. Pale dude with RBF. Ken! Realization hit him like a train. He snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "You're the vomit kid from the Sinnoh Conference!"

Ken clenched his jaw, withholding a sharp retort. His patience was diminishing right before his eyes. Alice sent him a worried glance and stepped back. She twitched as if she were going to speak up only to hold her tongue and start tugging on her hair.

"Sorry, man. I wasn't trying to embarrass you," Jay apologized. He quickly changed the subject. "Bailey invited me here."

Ken glanced at the said hostess. "Why would she do that?"

"We're old friends," Another memory came back to him. "Hey, you and I battled, too! I beat you in the first round."

"Don't speak of that," Ken's words came out threateningly, disturbing the other two.

Jay took the hint not to expand on the subject and said, "I'm your tour guide for the Glittering Cave."

"We can navigate the cave perfectly fine without the likes of you."

"Ken!" Alice gasped.

Am I forgetting something? He's acting like I stole his Lillipup. "To have you know, I'm a top notch spelunker."

Dan butted in, exclaiming, "Jay! It's been a while, dude. Bails told me you're tagging along."

"That I am," he beamed back, glad for the warmth Dan brought. It thawed out the ice Ken exuberated.

Ken turned heel, and Jay inwardly smirked. Obviously the sharp-tongued Sinnoh native wasn't used to having someone toy with him. Fun.

* * *

Five years ago...

The only requirement for a trainer to join the Sinnoh League Conference was that the trainer in question had to have obtained the eight Gym Badges. Most recommended that one should be at least 13 before participating. Ten year-olds could enter, of course, but more often than not those same ten year-olds ended up with downed spirits and shattered confidence.

Ken believed he was different from those ten year-olds; after all, he was eleven.

He bounced his leg and crossed his arms over his chest as he awaited the tournament's lineup to be announced. Much older, more experienced trainers chatted about. It was difficult to make eye contact with them after having puked out his lunch all over the floor. He clenched his fists in embarrassment at the memory of it.

The tanned boy closest to him was the loudest of the group of trainers despite being the shortest. Ken blinked when the boy waltzed to his side.

"Is this your first conference?" he asked. Up close, Ken could see his mossy green eyes were bright with curiosity and excitement. Perhaps he was one of those naïve ten year-olds.

Ken nodded. "Yes."

"The name's Jay," he beamed, sticking his hand out. "I'm the world's youngest Ancient Pokémon Master."

"Ken," the said blond replied, shaking his hand with a small, confused grin. "What's an Ancient Pokémon Master? I've never heard of it before."

Jay smirked and bragged, "I only use Fossil Pokémon. It's awesome." He paused. "What do you have?"

How does he have an entire team of Fossil Pokémon? Ken wondered incredulously. "I own Sinnoh native Pokémon and an Arcanine. How old are you?"

"Twelve, I'm turning thirteen soon," Jay cocked his head to the side and gave him a closed eye smile. "I need to get prepared. See you later, Ken!"

He looked Ken up and down then promptly walked away. Ken shook his head. Peculiar.

90 minutes later, Ken stood directly across from Jay completely dumbfounded. He was speechless. The stats on the battle screen ridiculed him. Audience members muttered among themselves. It'd been a boring battle. Zero to six. He couldn't defeat a single one of Jay's Pokémon. The other boy swept the floor with him. His best hadn't been enough.

Shame painted his cheeks pink, and he hung his head. His feet wouldn't move no matter how much he willed them to. Had he stepped in glue on his way out?

Ken looked back at Jay and narrowed his eyes into a glare. He'd never had a rival before, but he decided at that moment that Jay would suffice.

* * *

One painfully long car ride later with Alice squished between a merry Jay and displeased Ken, the party entered the Glittering Cave. They had to trek a few minutes in before luminescent crystals and glowing flowers began sprouting out of the ground. The dim path was guided by these enchanting lights, causing the otherwise cramped area to feel ethereal.

Patience was something Ken had always practiced. He considered himself to be level-headed. Practical. Mature. Not one to give into mindless teasing.

"I grew up in Veilstone," the current bane of Ken's existence stated. "Are you from Snowpoint?"

"No." I am not that pale.

"Eternea?"

"No."

"Solaceon?"

"Pay attention."

"Celes— OW!"

A dark sense of satisfaction filled Ken as Jay crashed into the rocky tunnel's wall. The flora's electric blue light illuminated the spot the spelunker hit. Jay groaned and rubbed his newly bruised arm.

Ken sauntered past him. "I said 'pay attention'."

Swift footsteps chased him, and he readied himself for Alice's upset, "Is he really that bad?"

"Yes," he deadpanned. "We're not friends."

"You're being kind of, well, you know—" she hesitated "—mean. Really mean. Like as mean as when we first met."

He objected, "Untrue."

Alice sighed. "I don't know what happened (mostly because you won't tell me), but you should give him another chance. Everybody deserves a second chance — even your, uh, rival? I think he's your rival. He's actually nice."

Her last sentence rubbed Ken the wrong way. Bitterness akin to a Pomeg Berry disgruntled him. He snapped, "Then befriend him if you wish to do so."

The earth underfoot rumbled, shaking the cave. Dust rose off the ground, and pebbles fell from the ceiling. Ken covered his nose with his sleeve and coughed. He spun around to herd the group back, but a teenager sped past him.

Ken barely managed to catch a glimpse of Jay's back before he disappeared around the bend.

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Author's Note

And Jay makes his debut! I think it's impossible for me to give characters "good" introductions 😅

Question of the Chapter: What impression did you get from Jay?