The trio crossed through a small tunnel connecting Route 5 and Lumiose City, upon exiting the tunnel, they emerged onto the vibrant and bustling streets of Lumiose City.
"It's gorgeous here!" Serena exclaimed, throwing her hands dramatically in the air. "You know…I've always been a big city girl stuck in a small town." She looked down at her watch and then back up at Jake and Ty. "It's only one! We've got three hours until our meeting with Sycamore. I'll see you guys later. I'm going shopping!"
Serena took off in the direction of one of the corridors leading to central Lumiose City.
"Serena! Wait!" Jake shouted after her.
Serena turned around and shouted while running backward. "No time to talk! I need a new wardrobe! Let's meet at 3:30 in front of Prism Tower!"
Jake nodded as Serena took off into the distance. He then turned to Ty. "So what should we do for the next few hours?"
Ty placed his hands in his jeans' pockets and shrugged. "I dunno. I've never been to the city before. You know anything to do here?"
Jake shrugged back. " I've never had a chance to visit either, but I know there's lots to do," he said. "I'm kinda hungry, how about we grab lunch at one of the cafés?
Ty nodded in agreement, patting his stomach. "Same, I'm starving, how about we go eat over there?" He pointed to a nearby café.
Jake nodded and the two walked over. A sign hung above the café's doors, but its name was in a different language that neither Jake nor Ty could understand. Inside, they were greeted warmly by a host, who sat them at a small booth for two in the corner of the café. Inside, the café was dimly lit. Aside from a few lamps hanging from the ceiling, the only things lighting the place were the candles placed on each of the tables. Overall, it was pretty empty, except for a few couples scattered across the café that all seemed deep in conversation. A soundtrack of slow-tempo music filled the room with good vibes.
Shortly after being sat, a tall woman with a black ponytail wearing an apron approached them. "Hi gentlemen," she said with a smile. "I'm Mindey, I'll be taking care of you today. Is there anything I can get you started off with?"
They each ordered a sandwich and an iced coffee that was served to them about ten minutes later.
"So why did you end up moving to Ambrette Town after spending your whole life in Vaniville?" Ty asked between bites of his sandwich.
"Well my mom had to relocate because of her job, and I wasn't quite ready to start my journey at the time, so I kind of had no choice," Jake said.
"What about your dad?" Ty asked.
Jake paused for a second before responding. "Well….my dad actually died when I was very young, so it's always been just me and my mom. Which is why when she had a higher paying job opportunity in Ambrette Town it was hard for her to turn it down."
"Wow. I'm really sorry to hear that," Ty said with a slight frown.
Jake smiled. "No don't feel sorry. Like I said, I was very young when we lost him. It was definitely hard at the time, but it happened so long ago that the scars have definitely healed."
Ty nodded. "Yeah, I can actually kind of relate to what you've gone through. When I was just three years old, my dad walked out on my mom and me, so I've never really had him around either."
"So it's just been you and your mom, too?" Jake asked.
"No," Ty shook his head. "When I was about 8 she was dating this guy that she had my little brother with, but they, too, split up. So it's been me, my mom, and my little brother."
"I've always wanted a brother," Jake said.
"Yeah…I love it," Ty said. "We're ages apart, but my brother has always been my best friend. I love the way he looks up to me and I can really depend on him for anything."
Jake smiled.
"He's actually kind of bummed now that I'm off on my journey," Ty said. "Mom's said this past week has been rough on him."
"I'm sure you miss him too," Jake said.
"I do," Ty said. "But I'll be back home visiting soon enough."
At that point, Jake and Ty had been done with their lunches for almost a half hour, deep in conversation. Their server, Mindey, came back with their check. "Alright, and who should I give the check to?" She asked with a smile.
"Oh, can we actually have the bill split between us?" Ty asked.
"Oh…" the server seemed taken aback. "Sorry, lemme take care of that. I just thought you might want to pay for your boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Jake and Ty both exclaimed half-embarrassed.
The server laughed. "Yes! I mean this IS Café de l'Amour––Lumiose's famous couples café! The number one dating hotspot in the country!"
Jake and Ty's faces turned a deep red as they each looked downward in embarrassment. The server walked off to split the check into two.
"That was…awkward," Ty said shyly.
"Yeah…." Jake scratched the back of his head. "Now that I think about it, my ex boyfriend used to always tell me about this café in Lumiose that he wanted to take me to. I remember its name was in French. I feel kind of dumb for not remembering before we came in here."
"Ex boyfriend?" Ty asked. "So you do like boys, then?"
Jake laughed. "Yeah, I do. What about you? Did she just accuse a straight boy of liking men?"
Ty laughed too. "Not at all. I'm gay too." The server dropped off their checks. "Now let's get out of here before one more person thinks we're dating." The two paid their bills and walked out of the café laughing.
It was now 2:30, so Jake and Ty decided to walk around and do some sightseeing before meeting Serena outside Prism Tower.