CHAPTER TEN: TAKE A DEEP BREATH

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Breathe in, breathe out. In and out. In... oh Arceus, I'm going to die, Alice thought.

The brunette gulped as she took everything in. Screams vibrated the stadium, making her ears ring within the first few seconds of leaving the waiting room. Faces she'd never seen before smiled brightly and photographed her. Cameramen swiveled around to film their entrance, advertising her pale, anxious face to the world. She felt as if she were a Goldeen trapped in a clear bowl and everybody wanted to tap on the class.

In and out. In and out. Breathing, you've breathed before. Lots of times. All the time, really.

Alice glanced at Ken. Her companion wore an impassive mask and kept his gaze straight ahead. She saw him clench his jaw and he tightened his hands into fists. People who didn't know him wouldn't have noticed his uncomfortable posture.

The treacherous walk to the battle platform came to an end as Alice and Ken halted at their rectangle. Mason and Artie stood directly across from them. Artie was doing finger guns at a nearby news reporting camera.

"We're doing the battle plan, right?" Alice checked, raising her voice to be heard over the racket.

Ken nodded.

"On the left side, we have the Alolan natives Mason Pickett and Artie Dawson!" the announcer said.

The cameras zoomed up on the relaxed, tanned men who beamed ear-to-ear.

"And on the right, we have the local daycare workers, Alice and Ken Bristow!"

Ken's heart skipped a beat when he heard his name—albeit a false last name—announced. His stunned face and Alice's ghostly appearance flashed on the screen. Redness quickly filled Alice's cheeks and she turned away from the equipment only to find more cameras behind her.

"Trainers, release your Pokémon!"

Alice stilled her shaking hand to release Infernape. The buff, flaming Sinnoh starter materialized from the white beam. Infernape looked over his shoulder at her and nodded, silently reassuring her. Manectric formed beside him and spun in a circle, yapping at the cameras that came near her.

"Say Alola, Exeggutor!" Artie yelled, tossing up a black-and-yellow Ultra Ball.

Alice saw the Pokémon's lower half first. It was beige and had two stumpy legs with a tail swishing behind it. Its neck was thick as a telephone pole and stretched high into the cloudless sky. She could see the outline of three egg-shaped heads hanging under long palm leaves.

"What is that?" Ken asked, not believing his sight.

"It's an Alolan Exeggutor." Alice giggled nervously. "They're a lot taller in real life than what I thought."

"Let's have fun, Shiinotic!" Mason called out.

Alice would describe Shiinotic as an Amoonguss' prettier, creepier cousin. The mushroom-shaped Pokémon had a ghastly white stem where its beady eyes and disturbing grin sat. Its pink-and-purple cap stretched widely over its head, casting a large shadow wherever it tottered.

"Are they both Grass-Psychic-types?" Ken guessed.

Alice said, "I think Exeggutor is a Dragon."

"Now isn't the time for joking, Alice."

"I'm not joking."

Ken scoffed as he watched Exeggutor's faces smile. "How is that a Dragon-type?"

The announcer interrupted their discussion. "The team with the last standing Pokémon will advance to the next round. You may begin on the count of three."

Manectric stopped her pacing and crouched down in front of Ken, squaring off against Shiinotic. She narrowed her gaze at the Alolan and prepared herself to attack it. Infernape held his fists up and estimated how much power he'd have to use to jump up and punch Exeggutor's faces.

"Three... two... one, GO!"

"Circle with Double Team!" Ken ordered.

"Jump back and use Swords Dance!" Alice shouted.

Infernape backtracked and Manectric charged forwards. Violet particles gathered on Infernape's golden swirls, illuminating his embellishments. Manectric's figure multiplied into a dozen forms and they stood shoulder to shoulder, creating a barrier between her partner and the opponents.

"Light Screen and Ingrain!" Mason said, grinning.

Ken countered, "Thunder Wave!"

Manectric reacted quicker than Shiinotic, blasting the Alolans with an electric mass. They shuddered under the attack, but no visible damage could be found. Pale blue forcefields made up of tiny hexagons linked together encapsulated Shiinotic and the lower part of Exeggutor's body.

"Clear the way with Dragon Hammer!" Artie yelled.

Exeggutor reeled away from Manectric and roared as magenta waves of energy surrounded its frame. It drew its head back and rose on its hind legs then slammed down, its neck snapping forwards to crush more than half of Manectric's astonished clones.

Ken directed, "Use Signal Beam on Exeggutor!"

"Okay, Infernape! Shadow Claw on the—" Alice forgot its name. "—mushroom guy!"

Infernape vaulted over the assembly of Manectric. Giant, translucent claws extended from his hands, each digit as sharp as a nail. He pummeled Shiinotic's torso, and it barely staggered. The roots protruding from its waist had implanted into the ground and locked Shiinotic in place.

"Not a Psychic-type," Alice muttered under her breath. "Okay, Fire Spin then Fire Punch!"

Mason's easygoing grin fell off his face. "Confuse Ray."

Infernape withdrew himself in a case of flames. The autumn-colored force twisted around him in a whirlpool-like fashion, deflecting the orbs Shiinotic launched at him. He balled his hand and rocketed towards the Pokémon, his fist connecting with its flimsy torso. Shiinotic wailed as it fell onto its back, its roots catching fire and burning.

Infernape caught sight of a figure in the corner of his eye and tumbled out of the way in the nick of time. Exeggutor's glowing neck smashed the area where he stood moments ago, denting the place beneath it.

That was a close one. Alice let out a small sigh of relief.

"Moonblast!"

Shiinotic clambered to its feet and bent down as if it were touching its toes. A radiant globe of energy formed on the center of its cap then ruptured into a powerful, white stream. Infernape turned on his heel to view the attack only to be hit head-on, sending him flying straight into Manectric.

"The paralysis will affect them soon. Manectric will wear down the mushroom and you distract Exeggutor," Ken said, and Alice nodded. "Manectric, confuse them with Double Team then use Signal Beam!"

"Moonlight and Ingrain!" Mason told Shiinotic.

Artie wagged his finger at them. "Hit 'em with another Dragon Hammer, Exeggutor!"

"Stop him with Fire Spin!" Alice shouted.

Infernape gave Manectric a boost, cupping his hands together for her to jump in and launch herself at Shiinotic. The moment she left his personal bubble, he burst into flames. He propelled his slew of fire at Exeggutor's rapidly descending heads. Exeggutor shrieked when the flames tore into it and painted its thick skin with charred ribbons. It continued to fall and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

Alice squinted and spotted embers flaking off of the Alolan. Confidence surmounted her nervousness, and she smirked. "He's burned! Finish him with Flame Punch!"

"Earthquake!" Artie hollered.

"Earthquake?" Alice repeated in a high-pitched, slightly cracked voice. "C'mon, get up! Climb, Infernape! Jump, leap, just get off the ground!"

"Magnet Rise!" Ken exclaimed.

Manectric shot towards Infernape, radiating a canary yellow forcefield. Her paws left the earth and she climbed into the sky — she was running on air. Infernape sprung up and grabbed onto her scruff, holding on for dear life.

Exeggutor stomped its chubby, tree-trunk-esque legs in an accelerated secession, splitting the earth and pelting rocks skywards. Shiinotic ignored the pain of Earthquake and spat out thick, light green slime at the two. Manectric dodged the majority of the attack, the filth catching her fur's ends.

Alice and Ken cried in synchronization, "NOW!"

Infernape let go of Manectric, diving head-first at Exeggutor. The Grass-and-Dragon-type Pokémon tried to sway out of the way, but the electricity in its body paralyzed its muscles, freezing its movements. He clobbered Exeggutor with a Flame Punch, knocking it down in three strikes. The tremors halted and a giant 'X' formed on the picture of Exeggutor on the battle screen.

"Exeggutor is unable to battle!" the announcer chimed, his tone airy and light.

Alice looked away from the board only to watch Manectric's Signal Beam land on Shiinotic, inducing it to crumble and collapse. Another red 'X' appeared on the screen.

"Shiinotic is unable to battle. Infernape, Manectric, Alice, and Ken Bristow are the winners!"

The crowd sounded their deafening cheers. A green line connecting their place on the scoreboard grew, placing them in the next bracket for the second round. Mason set his hands on his hips and shook his head. Artie pouted before straightening up for a passing cameraman. Infernape pumped his fist in the air and Manectric tilted her head back to howl.

Alice blinked, slowly processing what just happened. Then it hit her. They won. They actually won. The brunette broke into a huge smile and squealed. Excited, thrilled tears welled in her eyes and she bounced on her heels, clasping her hands together. "Oh my gosh, we won!"

Ken let out a breath of relief and chuckled. "We're advancing to the next round. I—"

The blond's sentence died off as Alice threw her arms around him in an embrace. His eyebrows climbed up his forehead and his eyes widened. He gawked at the girl hugging him, his words caught in his throat. She peered up at him with shining brown eyes and his frozen stature betrayed the warmth he felt explode within.

"Trainers, please exit the battlefield," the announcer said.

Alice giggled and released him. "I think he means us."

Ken nodded and abruptly spun around, abandoning the stage. Alice had to jog to keep up with his swift, long strides. He didn't dare look back at her. Pink hues crept up his neck and he could feel its heat spreading across his cheeks.

Alice called his name and Ken ignored her, choosing to walk into the vacant bathroom outside of the trainers' waiting room. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to calm down and rationalize his partner's actions.

Alice was excited. Excited people do absurd things, like hugging others in public settings despite thousands of strangers watching them. That's it, he thought.

The bathroom door opened and a familiar voice greeted, "Oh, Alola, dude! Awesome battle. Your Manectric's Signal Beam tore Exeggutor up."

Ken crossed his arms across his chest. "I enjoyed the battle, too."

"Yeah, it was pretty dope." Artie chuckled. He stood beside Ken and fixed the stray hairs escaping his bun. "I was sad that I lost for a few minutes, but then I checked my social media and saw my follower count blew up."

"Where's your partner?"

"I dunno. He's probably trying to find us a place to eat. The second round doesn't start for a few hours. Where's your girl?"

"Alice is outside, and she is not my girl." The two-letter word left a weird taste in Ken's mouth.

Artie had the audacity—or perhaps the ignorance—to ask Ken, "Why not? I saw you guys hugging."

"People do not possess ownership over other people," the blond stated, each word sharp and icy.

"Hey, hey, hey." Artie held his palms up and gave a sheepish smile. "Calm down, cousin. I was just making small talk, yeah?"

"Silence is always an option."

Artie's smile twitched, and Ken noticed he clenched his fists. "Yeah, yeah. I say you go if you're done. You might say something you'll regret."

"I doubt I will."

The pressure in the room escalated as the two stared unblinkingly at one another. Ken kept his arms crossed across his chest and his dark indigo gaze hard. Annoyance darkened Artie's face as the Alolan tensed his muscles.

The door opened and the ever-so-oblivious Mason walked in, querying, "Hey, Artie, are you done here?"

"Almost, I still hafta empty my load," Artie replied, refusing to look away from Ken.

Mason peered around Artie and grinned. "Alola! Ken, right? That was a wonderful battle."

"It was," Ken said, breaking the staring contest to make eye contact with Mason. "I need to go."

Mason wished Ken farewell on his way out and the blond nodded in reply. Outside the bathroom was Alice leaning against a wall, scrolling through blog posts while she waited. She glanced up when Ken came out and tilted her head to the side.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. He avoided further confrontation by prodding, "Did you find out who we're battling in the next round?"

Alice shrugged. "There's a battle going on right now. Whoever wins it is our next opponent."

The two walked through the hallway in silence, the only sounds emanating from them being the taps and scuffles of their footsteps. Ken could see Alice stealing glances at him in his peripheral vision and he pursed his lips. He did promise her that he'd speak up.

He finally said, "I promise you that I'm not feeling ill."

"Well, that's good. I was just wondering because you literally ran off the stage into the bathroom." Alice paused and wrung her hands. "Did I embarrass you? If I made you uncomfortable you should tell me because I know the hug was really out of the blue and kind of pushing it. I just got really happy that we won."

Ken mulled over her words and stared off into the distance as he carefully picked his own. "It took me by surprise. I wouldn't call it uncomfortable per se, but rather... peculiar."

"Oh," Who the heck says peculiar? she wondered. "So that means...?"

"I'm not against it. I'll be more prepared next time," he clarified.

The brunette bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh aloud. He's going to be prepared for a hug? What a dork.

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Author's Note

Thank you so much for everybody who has been supporting this story :D

Question of the Chapter: What do you think of the Alolan forms?