Chapter Five

The Pitch

When five o'clock came the following afternoon, the October sky had started to darken. The castle that framed the city looked more intimidating and awesome at night. Joe had met with Kyla a couple of hours previously and made plans for her to be ready to show up as soon as he had pitched the idea to Ainsley.

For five minutes, Joe sat at the Battle Cafe with a milkshake, waiting for Ainsley. For a moment, he thought maybe Ainsley had changed his mind and wasn't going to offer the job, but then Ainsley walked through the doors and spotted Joe. He looked flustered and rushed as he approached the table and sat down.

"Sorry I'm late," Ainsley conceded as he sat.

"Hey, don't worry about it. How are you?" Joe asked.

"Stressed. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it today. There's been some … developments at work," Ainsley explained.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I can't really go into detail yet… but we may need you sooner than we anticipated."

"How do you know I've even agreed to come?" Joe asked.

Ainsley frowned.

"Well, you're here."

"Even if I was going to decline, it would be rude to just not show up," Joe argued.

Ainsley sighed, "So, you're not interested then?"

Joe's mind was racing. This new development from Ainsley's work, which meant that they needed him even more urgently, may be able to be used in Joe's favour. He chose his words carefully.

"A lot has happened in the last two days," Joe explained, "I am interested… but I have conditions."

"OK," Ainsley narrowed his eyes, "What are they? We'll pay you well and we have accommodation for all our employees in Circhester."

"It's nothing like that," Joe said, "Look, do you remember Kyla Smart?"

Ainsley raised his brow.

"Well, I never met her… but sure, I remember you talking about her. What about her?"

"She's here, in Hammerlocke," Joe said, "And we've been… getting to know each other again."

Ainsley nodded, "OK, so where is this going?"

"We're going to give it another go, you know? We split amicably to go on different journeys. There were no hard feelings and we're both single and interested."

"As happy as I am for you, Joe… I'm struggling to figure out what that has to do with me or this job."

Joe met Ainsley's eyes with a meaningful look.

"I can't leave her again, Ainsley. I've wasted ten years of my life away from her. I'm not doing it again. I'll take the job… if you take her as well."

Ainsley raised his brow again. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting this request.

"You're serious?" Ainsley asked.

Joe nodded.

Ainsley sighed, "The thing is, man… this wasn't the plan. The only reason I offered you the job is because of our history. I know nothing about this girl, apart from what you've told me. I need people I can trust."

"Just hear me out," Joe replied, "You need veteran trainers, who you can trust. Well, she's a veteran trainer. While I was spinning my wheels in Hoenn for years, she was out there catching hundreds of Pokemon. She has over five hundred of them."

"That's impressive," Ainsley admitted.

"Yeah and not only that - she's a hell of a battler too. We had a battle yesterday and she wiped the floor with me. If you think I'm strong enough, she definitely is."

Ainsley said nothing in response, so Joe pressed on.

"And it's true, you don't know her or trust her. But you know me. I trust her."

"No offence, Joe," Ainsley said, "But you haven't seen her in ten years. Do you really know her?"

Joe frowned, "I wouldn't even ask you this if I didn't mean every word I said."

Ainsley rapped the table with his fingers anxiously.

"I don't know, man… I can't just offer a job to someone I've never met because my old friend has the hots for her," Ainsley pointed out.

Joe felt his frustration mounting but he tried to exhale it with a big sigh. He knew he could convince Ainsley, he just had to play it cool.

"I get it, really," Joe said, "But what if you did meet her? I saw her earlier, I could call her and you could spend a bit of time with her. And by the way, I don't have the hots for her. It's more than that. She's the girl; she always has been. And I think you know that."

Ainsley looked like he was in the middle of a deep, internal struggle. Joe was sure Ainsley would meet his demands if he was entirely in control, but Joe knew he had superiors to answer to. He could tell from Ainsley's expression that he was dealing with that internal battle: wanting to help his friend versus wanting to keep his boss happy. Which side would win?

"Just meet with her," Joe repeated, "There's no harm in that, is there?"

Ainsley considered him, then shrugged.

"I suppose not," he said, "Call her, then. I'm going to go to the bathroom; I just spent two hours flying on a Corviknight taxi and the toilet options were extremely limited."

Joe chuckled as Ainsley stood up and headed towards the bathroom. Joe called Kyla.

"Hey, Joe," she answered after a few rings.

"Hey," Joe replied, "We're a-go for you coming to meet Ainsley."

"How has he reacted?" Kyla asked.

"He's hesitant… but I know once he meets you, he'll warm up like a Charmander's tail."

"Alright, if you say so. I'll be there in ten minutes," Kyla replied.

"See you then," Joe said.

He ended the call and a few moments later, Ainsley arrived back from the bathroom.

"She won't be long," Joe told him.

A waiter came over to serve Ainsley and Joe ordered another milkshake for Kyla at the same time. She arrived before the waiter returned, finding Joe and waving. Kyla arrived at the table and turned to Ainsley.

"You must be Ainsley Carter," she said, offering her hand.

Ainsley stood up and shook it, "The very same. Kyla Smart?"

"That's me," she smiled and broke the handshake, sitting down next to Joe.

"Joe's told me a lot about you," Ainsley said.

Kyla turned to Joe, "Oh, really?"

"Well, he did," Ainsley corrected himself, "Many years ago. I've gotta say, I've forgotten most of it. But I do remember what he told me today; that you kicked his ass in a battle yesterday."

"I would usually be annoyed, but look," Joe said, "You've known each other five seconds and you're already ripping me apart together."

Ainsley eyed Joe with trepidation. Then, he turned to Kyla.

"So… you're interested in joining the crew?" Ainsley asked Kyla.

She nodded, "Well, from the little I know about it, sure."

"Why?" Ainsley replied.

"A few reasons," Kyla replied, turning to Joe, "This Bidoof being the primary one."

Ainsley laughed.

"But not just that. I've been here for a few years in Hammerlocke, and I'm ready to get out there again. The typical Pokemon League Champion path never really appealed to me and I need to complete my Pokedex so I can get my research diploma. Joe told me you're investigating unknown phenomena. While that's as vague as a Slowbro's expression, it does suggest I'll have a chance to catch some of the rarer Pokemon I haven't gotten yet."

The waiter reappeared with a cola for Ainsley and the second milkshake Joe had bought for Kyla. He slid it across the table to her and she took it gratefully.

Ainsley thanked the waiter. He turned and left, and Ainsley sipped his drink.

"Joe told me you have over five hundred Pokemon. That's pretty impressive."

"Thanks," Kyla smiled.

"How many regions did you cover to get those numbers?" Ainsley asked.

"Started in Unova," Kyla replied, stirring her shake with the straw absentmindedly, "Spent two years there. Then went to Kalos for two, Alola for three. Then I came back home."

"Veteran trainer then, for sure," Ainsley nodded.

"So, what do you think?" Joe piped up, "Will you let her come along too?"

"Look, I can't offer any guarantees. I only told my boss I was recruiting one person… and no offence, Kyla, but I don't know you, so I don't trust you."

"None taken," Kyla dismissed him with her hand.

"However," Ainsley continued, "I can count on one hand the amount of people I trust as much as Joe. And I haven't seen him for years, so that says a lot. If Joe trusts you… then I trust his judgment, until such a time I can trust you myself."

"That's fair enough," Kyla reasoned.

"I'll talk to my superiors," Ainsley said, looking back and forth between Joe and Kyla, "And assuming they approve it, I'll let you join the team."

"Yes!" Joe exclaimed, a little louder than he had intended, "You won't regret this, Ainsley."

"Keep in mind if they do accept it, you'll both have to enrol in the university and sing non-disclosure agreements before I even tell you anything else about the job. You good with that?"

"Fine by me," Joe said, and Kyla nodded too.

"Alright," Ainsley said. He then sighed, "You know what Joe? You've got a knack of causing me more trouble than anyone else I know too."

Joe grinned.

"Thank you, Ainsley. Seriously," Joe said. He tried to put as much sincerity as he could into it.

Ainsley nodded.

"Don't mention it… like seriously, don't. This is all confidential. Now, I have to head back to Circhester… like I told you earlier Joe, there's been some developments. I was going to ask you to come in a week's time to enrol… but given what's happened, can you get to Circhester by the day after tomorrow?"

Joe turned to Kyla, "You're the one with commitments here. Can you be ready to head off by Friday?"

Kyla nodded, "Should be fine."

"Fantastic," Ainsley said, "Alright. Well, take my card and call me when you arrive at Circhester. I'll come meet you at the Pokemon Center and we'll go from there."

Ainsley handed a black card to both of them.

Ainsley Carter

U.P.I.D

(03) 120 3059 2304

"Sounds good," Joe said, shaking Ainsley's hand once again.

Kyla did the same.

"UPID?" Kyla asked, reading the card.

"Unknown Phenomena Investigation Department. Original, I know," Ainsley scoffed.

Ainsley stood up, finishing his cola and leaving the empty glass on the table.

Joe and Kyla shared smiles; they had pulled it off. They could finally go on an adventure, together.

They looked back up at Ainsley, who had been watching them with a smirk.

"A couple at UPID," Ainsley shook his head, "What am I setting myself up for? Right, I'm off. I'll see you two Friday. Nice to meet you, Kyla."

"Nice to meet you too," Kyla replied.

Ainsley gave a non-verbal goodbye, with a two-fingered, lax salute to Joe before leaving the cafe.

"I guess that's what we are now," Joe said.

"What?" Kyla asked, confused.

"A couple," Joe replied.

Kyla smiled coyly, "Yeah, I guess it is."