Chapter Twelve – Preparations
The morning sun was shining brightly over Castelia City as Hayden, Lily, Keenan and Alexa exited their hotel. Keenan carried his content Vaporeon in his arms while Cheryl stood next to Lily and Alexa, who were opposite Hayden and Keenan.
"Are you sure you want me to choose your Xtransceiver, Lily?" Hayden asked. Lily chuckled.
"Hayden, it's quite all right, honestly. I'm not fussy."
"But...if you're not there, how will we know what strap size you are?" Keenan asked. Hayden slammed his head into his palm and moaned.
"I forgot about that!"
"It's okay, Dad, she can try mine on," Alexa offered as she pulled her green and black Xtransceiver from her right wrist and held it towards her mother. "Mine's a size 2 strap; I think we can determine what size you'll need based on how well this one fits."
"Thank you," Lily said kindly as she carefully took her daughter's Xtransceiver.
"Good thinking, Lexie," Hayden grinned as Lily tried sliding the Xtransceiver over her hand. She struggled a little, but the Xtransceiver eventually set itself on her wrist.
"Hmm...it feels a bit tight..."
"I think that means a size 3 strap is best for you," Hayden presumed as Lily struggled to push the Xtransceiver off of her wrist.
"Does that mean anything?" she asked as Alexa tried to carefully pull the Xtransceiver off of her mother's wrist.
"It's just a regular size, that's all. Alexa tried all of the sizes, but size 3 was slightly too big for her. 4 and 5 were ridiculously big for her," Hayden explained.
"Got it," Alexa said quietly as Lily was freed from the slightly too tight Xtransceiver.
"Thanks, sweetie," Lily smiled as Alexa returned her Xtransceiver to its proper place. "Size 3 it is then, I suppose."
"Hey, Alex? How did you choose your Xtransceiver?" Keenan asked. Alexa simply shrugged.
"Green's my favourite colour."
"And the strap?" Alexa looked at the Blitzle stripe pattern on her Xtransceiver strap.
"I dunno. I guess it just appealed to me the most with its simplicity." Alexa looked at her younger brother again. "They had a lot more designs than I thought, ranging from simplistic to artistic."
"Sounds like choosing the Xtransceiver and strap will be a chore in its own right," Lily laughed.
"Never mind the Xtransceiver, it's choosing the strap that'll be the chore," Alexa retorted with a slight laugh of her own. "Though I guess I can have more than one; you kind of need to remove the Xtransceiver from it to upload your own images and songs anyway – that reminds me, I kinda need to do that at some point..."
"Another reason to use your laptop, huh?" Hayden joked. "I don't think I'll have much difficulty in finding mine, since I had a good look at the place while Alexa was choosing hers," he added, smiling at his wife.
"I hope you find something you like," Lily said kindly. "It's almost 10:30, we should be off now."
"Have a good time, girls, we'll meet you outside the spa when we're done," Hayden said nicely.
"Take your time; I think we'll be a couple of hours," Lily laughed nervously, having spotted Alexa's disgruntled look.
"Hours?" she groaned.
"Try not to worry about it, Lexie," Hayden said assuringly. "It's a day to relax, remember?" Alexa started to wish she hadn't agreed to the proposal, but it was too late to back out of it now.
"I'll try to."
"Remember or relax?" Keenan asked quizzically.
"Both." Lily laughed as Cheryl closed her eyes softly.
"We'll see you around lunchtime," she waved before disappearing, along with Cheryl and Alexa, in an instantaneous flash of white light. Keenan and Hayden faced one another.
"First thing's first, kiddo; let's sell that Poké Gear of yours."
"Right!" Keenan nodded eagerly. Iara stared at Hayden with a smile.
With a brief white flash, Cheryl, Lily and Alexa instantly appeared in front of a very plain-looking building; the exterior almost looked like a brown garden shed. As Lily thanked Cheryl for her efforts and returned the Gardevoir to her Poké Ball, Hailey walked over to her and Alexa.
"Hey, you made it! You really know how to cut it close, Lily, it's 10:29!" Hailey laughed.
"Oh, really? I thought we'd be here at 10:30 on the dot."
"In any case, shall we go in?" Hailey asked excitedly.
"Yes, let's," Lily nodded as she and Hailey walked through the solid white double doors together. Alexa followed behind them and was stunned to see the interior. The main lobby looked very relaxing indeed; the walls were painted with a gentle cream colour that was complimented brilliantly by some dull amber lighting that hung from the ceiling above, shining only slightly on the black and white ceramic flooring. The waiting seats in the centre of the lobby were all in the same dull light brown colour, looked immensely comfortable and were all circled around a large pillar that doubled as an aquarium, which was home to several small tropical Pokémon such as Finneon, Luvdisc, Skrelp and Shellder. There were also various pieces of artwork hanging on the walls around the lobby, secured inside marvellous gold plated frames, each depicting a different scene that looked equally as breathtaking and masterfully painted. As she tried to listen to the calming music playing faintly in the background, Alexa also noticed how shiny the deep brown mahogany desk looked, and she hadn't noticed the marble worktop until Hailey finally spoke up.
"Hi, Trisha!" she greeted with familiarity. The dark skinned receptionist lifted her head up from behind the desk and looked at Hailey, pushing her oval shaped glasses over her ocean blue eyes. A smile crept onto her face.
"Hello, Hailey. Are you here for the usual?" Trisha asked politely.
"You know it," Hailey nodded. "This time, I have my sister-in-law and niece joining me." Trisha looked at Lily and Alexa with a friendly smile.
"How do you do?" she greeted modestly before looking down at a book in front of her. "Well, you're right on time, so let's get you ladies seen to, okay?"
"Can I just ask what the "usual" is?" Alexa asked as Trisha stood up from her office chair.
"It consists of three treatments; a facial, a full body massage and a mani-pedi, all given in that order," Trisha explained. Alexa blinked.
"Huh; I guess I was expecting mud baths and such."
"Oh, we do have mud baths here," Trisha smiled nicely. "But those are mostly for full day spa treatments."
"Which is a bit much for my tastes," Hailey said shyly. "I mean, deluxe is nice and all, but basic is sometimes the best way to go. At least, that's what my mother used to say," she added as she and Lily followed Trisha into a different room; lockers were lined along three of the four walls and long wooden benches were placed in the centre of the stone tiled flooring.
"Right then, I'll let Alphonse know you're here. In the meantime," Trisha began as she took three identical towels from the securely locked airing cupboard and placed them on one of the benches near Hailey, Lily and Alexa. "Please remove most of your clothes in preparation for the treatments you'll be receiving."
"Thanks, Trisha!" Hailey grinned.
"I'll see you in a couple of hours, Hailey," Trisha said as she left the changing rooms. Alexa took one of the large white cotton towels and placed it closer to her.
"What's the matter, Alexa?" Hailey asked as she quickly began unbuttoning her white blouse. "Nervous?"
"If some guy's going to run his hands up and down my body, yes," Alexa replied as she unclipped and pulled her necklace from around her neck.
"You mean Keith never did that with you?" Hailey laughed.
"Hailey, shush!" Lily hissed quietly as she completely removed her sky blue blouse and folded it up nearly. "There's nothing to worry about, sweetie, these people are trained professionals."
"Besides, Alphonse isn't like that," Hailey smiled as she pulled her blouse off and tossed it into the locker nearest to her. "So you've nothing to worry about."
"Sorry...I'm not used to all of this," Alexa said anxiously as she pulled her pale red T-shirt over her head.
"First time for everything!" Hailey beamed. "Just relax, you'll be fine!"
Hayden and Keenan walked into XCommunications, the familiar setting already bringing a smile to Hayden's face; the many shelves lined around the store were as full as they were during his visit, but he could swear the straps on sale were different colours last time. There were fewer Xtransceivers displayed in the glass cabinet underneath the cash registers, while the accessories shelves looked fuller than previously with the addition of black USB cables and screen protectors. A curly-haired sales assistant happily approached Hayden and Keenan.
"Welcome to XCommunications, how may I—oh! Haven't I seen you before?" Shelly asked in mild shock.
"Hello again," Hayden greeted. "We're looking for three Xtransceivers; can you help us?"
"...three? Begging your pardon, sir, but there's only two of you?" Hayden chuckled.
"The third one's for my wife; she has a prior engagement and has given me the all clear to choose her Xtransceiver in her absence." Shelly smiled.
"Of course I can help you – again. Why don't we take a seat and get you both measured?" Shelly escorted Hayden and Keenan to the rounded seating area and took the measuring straps from the built-in cabinet as Hayden and Keenan sat down in front of her. As she sat down, Shelly smiled sweetly at Keenan. "Do you need me to explain what the Xtransceiver's capable of?"
"No thank you," Keenan declined. "I can ask my sister about it later."
"That's good to know. One more thing; which wrist will you be wearing the Xtransceiver on?" Keenan looked at both of his wrists.
"My left," he answered, holding out his left arm to Shelly. "Otherwise it'll get in my way when I'm writing."
"Does it actually matter? Out of curiosity, mind you; I was wondering because my wife's left handed, and she's not here to measure herself properly," Hayden stated.
"It's all right, sir. And, no, it technically doesn't matter; it's just a personal preference of mine to measure the wrist the Xtransceiver's destined for," Shelly grinned as she tried to carefully run the size "1" strap down Keenan's hand. "How does that feel?"
"Yeah, that feels great!" he nodded.
"Very good," Shelly smiled as she removed the strap from Keenan's wrist. She took the "4" and "5" strap sizes in her hand as she faced Hayden. "And where's yours going to sit, sir?"
"Left; my son makes a good point," Hayden chuckled as he held out his left arm, allowing Shelly to slip the size "4" strap over his hand.
"What happens now?" Keenan asked as Hayden felt the strap fitting perfectly on his wrist.
"I can help you choose your Xtransceiver and the strap you want for it if you'd like," Shelly offered as she pulled the strap off of Hayden's wrist, starting to place the size "5" strap on it in its place.
"They all do the same thing, though, right?" Keenan asked nervously as Hayden rotated the slightly loose strap around his wrist, causing Shelly to laugh sheepishly.
"Yes, they do and I think you're a size 4, sir," she laughed as she removed the strap from his wrist and returned it – and the others – to the cabinet built into the table. She stood up after locking the cabinet again, giving Hayden and Keenan a reason to stand up. "By the way, sir, would you like some help choosing your Xtransceiver?"
"No thank you, I'm perfectly fine. But thanks for the offer," Hayden said modestly. "Would you be willing to help my son, though?"
"Of course I would, sir," Shelly said kindly. She looked down at the boy. "Shall we?" Keenan nodded, but soon looked up at his father.
"What about-"
"It's all right, kiddo, we can choose it together," Hayden said with a wink. Keenan smiled and nodded as she followed Shelly towards a display case of Xtransceivers. Hayden walked casually over to a different display cabinet and examined the displayed Xtransceivers carefully. He was perfectly silent until...
"Mr Thorndyke?"
"Hm?" Hayden looked behind him and spotted an acquainted black-haired gentleman. "Mr Howard, hello again!" he smiled as he turned around and faced the man properly.
"What brings you back here so soon?" Roger asked cheerfully.
"My son and I are looking for Xtransceivers of our own," Hayden replied happily. "And one for my wife; she's not here, though, she has a prior engagement with my daughter."
"That's nice. Oh, did Mr Gulliver manage to call you?" Roger asked curiously.
"He did, yes, and we'll be meeting sometime next week to discuss my proposal," Hayden replied rather keenly.
"That's great news, I'm glad he found the time to call," Roger said merrily. "And I'm sure he'll take extra consideration with your proposal, Mr Thorndyke, since this will be the second, third and fourth Xtransceiver you'd be purchasing from his chain," he laughed.
"Funny you should say that; my wife said something similar last night," Hayden laughed shyly. "It escaped my notice until she brought it up."
"Well, sir, I'd love to talk more, but I have work to be getting on with and I'm already interrupting your Xtransceiver hunt; I'll be looking forward to hearing the outcome of your meeting through the company memo!"
"Have a nice day," Hayden smiled as Roger began to walk away.
"You too, sir, take care!" With Roger going about his own business, Hayden faced the cabinet and resumed looking at the Xtransceivers.
Lily, Hailey and Alexa all lay on separate massage tables, mostly wrapped in large white towels and their hair held back by a white strap placed just above the hairline on their foreheads. Three different male masseurs stood over them, slowly and somewhat firmly running their hands around their faces with some sort of lotion. The room was dimly lit with candlelight, so it was hard to make out the wall colour of the room. Relaxing music played quietly in the room and the smell of a calming lavender filled the room from the few incense burners scattered around the room. Alexa was the only one of the three who remained quiet.
"How often do you come here anyway?" Lily asked curiously.
"At the very least whenever there's a Contest on the way," Hailey replied. "I find it better to get the treatments done the day before the Contest."
"Because it'll last longer?"
"I think so, at least," Hailey replied. "Though I sometimes arrange other appointments and treatments for other reasons, like "I felt like it" or something." Lily laughed.
"If you feel like doing something, sometimes you've got to do it."
"That's actually how I became a frequent client," Hailey laughed. "One of these days, though, I'd like to take Colin and the kids here for a day."
"You mean you haven't?"
"Not Colin AND the kids, no," Hailey replied. "Colin and I came here on our last anniversary; he had some problems with his back at the time."
"Oh, gosh..! What happened to him?" Lily asked worriedly. Hailey laughed nervously.
"He backed into the corner of the fireplace too quickly."
"Ouch! Was he all right?"
"Oh, yeah, he was perfectly fine, especially after the massaging on his back. But you know Colin; I'm kind of surprised he hasn't fallen down the stairs yet."
"I thought he would have," Lily presumed, beginning to chuckle again.
"So did I, considering he trips up over the doorstep 9 times out of 10!"
"Is it the doorstep or the doormat?" Lily asked.
"Um...I think it was the doorstep, considering we've stopped having a doormat outside the house for a few years now; he slipped on it one winter and sprained his ankle."
"Oh dear... Was he all right?"
"Yeah, he was fine; he mostly just wore the support bandage during Christmas. Actually, I should make that my Christmas gift to Colin this year; another spa treatment for us..."
"Would the kids be interested?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, I'd need to ask... Hey, Lily, did you ever have a spa treatment before today?"
"Well, all I had was the manicure, but it was on my wedding day," Lily replied. Alexa frowned a little.
"On the wedding day? As in "on the day" on the day?" Hailey asked in shock.
"Yes; Royce thought it'd look better fresh, if you will," Lily replied calmly.
"I swear, Lily, that brother of yours is something else..."
"Tell me about it; he was the one who did the manicure!" Lily chuckled. She suddenly gasped silently to herself. "Oh, gosh...Alexa, I'm so sorry...are you all right, sweetie?" Alexa merely sighed in response, much to Lily's concern.
Keenan stood in front of the middle cash register, with Iara standing on his shoulders, as Hayden moved over to a different cabinet, holding a black and gold Xtransceiver in his hand. The shop door opened quietly and the woman who had just entered approached Hayden; the sound of her high heels meeting the hard flooring alerted Hayden of her presence.
"You're Hailey's brother, aren't you?" Adelina asked innocently.
"One of them," Hayden replied as he faced the bronze haired woman. "My name's Hayden."
"Adelina," Adelina replied, holding out her hand. Hayden shook her hand with his.
"Yes, I know; you showed up unexpectedly during the battle between Hailey's twins and my two kids."
"I apologise if I've interrupted anything, but when my darling Beautifly saw Hailey in White Forest, I just had to say hello!"
"I take it you don't have a Xtransceiver then?" Hayden questioned, noticing how bare both of her wrists were.
"Of course I do, but I left it at home," Adeline said nervously. Keenan turned away from the cash register, midnight blue and orange Xtransceiver in hand, and saw Adelina talking to his father. Keenan quietly approached the conversation and pretended to look at the Xtransceiver display cabinet nearest to him as he overheard the conversation, occasionally looking in Adelina's direction subtly. "I never realised you don't have a Xtransceiver yet."
"You never asked," Hayden said quickly. "But, right now, I'm trying to find one my wife might like; she's not here to choose for herself, so I've been entrusted to find one on her behalf."
"Where is your wife anyway?" Adelina asked, looking around the store in confusion.
"She and my daughter are spending the morning with Hailey."
"Oh, yes, I forgot about Hailey's ritual," Adelina muttered to herself. "And she's letting you choose her Xtransceiver for her? Your wife, I mean."
"Yeah, we decided to each get one of our own after my dad suggested it, since he seems to have one of his own. Seems like everyone had one but us," Hayden laughed nervously.
"I don't see Xtransceivers as fashion items, but mine certainly looks darling with my entire wardrobe," Adelina said, boasting a little. "So, will I be seeing you in the audience during tomorrow's big day?"
"That was the plan, yes," Hayden confirmed.
"And I take it you'll be cheering for Hailey?" Adelina asked, oddly with a smile on her face.
"Of course we will be," Hayden stated, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing against you of course, but-"
"I understand; she's family, after all. No, it's perfectly fine if you don't support me; I'd just be grateful if you didn't try to boo me off of the stage," Adelina laughed.
"We have no reason to boo you off the stage," Hayden said simply.
"Good, good," Adelina nodded. Keenan glared at Adelina. "Well, I must be going now; I have a date with a large mocha latte. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Hayden," she said as she walked away from Hayden and, eventually, out of XCommunications. Hayden sighed as Keenan approached him.
"Oh, hey, kiddo," Hayden smiled.
"What did she want?" Keenan asked, suspicion written all over his tone of voice.
"I guess she saw me in the window and wanted to say hello," Hayden shrugged. "In any case, what Xtransceiver did you get?" A smile reached Keenan's face as he held up his Xtransceiver to his father; the Xtransceiver itself was mainly midnight blue with orange as its secondary colour, and its strap was orange with black Growlithe stripes all over it. "Very nice indeed. Why don't we find your mother's Xtransceiver together as we agreed?"
"Sure!"
"Por!" Keenan and Hayden looked around at the many Xtransceivers in the display cabinets in front of them.
Alexa, Lily and Hailey lay on their fronts, each with a towel covering their backsides. The three masseurs were firmly, but gently, massaging a lotion around Alexa, Lily and Hailey's backs. The room had the same ambience as previously, with the smell of lavender being slightly stronger than before and the music having changed to gentle piano music.
"I don't know...it's just...it's like what I told Troy; Keith and I have been through so much together, but I don't know if I can bring myself to trust him after our last fight," Alexa sighed regretfully. "It was like the Keith I knew had left the building; I never realised he could even say such things to me..."
"Do you think he meant what he said, sweetie?" Lily asked worriedly.
"I...I don't know; I was too upset to tell..."
"Well, did he try to apologise afterwards?" Hailey asked.
"Almost immediately after saying what he said if I recall correctly..."
"So maybe he didn't mean it," Hailey said optimistically.
"I dunno; part of me thinks he's right about what he said...maybe I'm not cut out to be a Top Ranger anymore."
"Oh, sweetie, you can't think like that," Lily said with concern. "The two of you managed to put Jordan behind bars in the end!"
"Yeah...when we weren't looking for each other's jugular veins..."
"You were both under pressure because of Jordan's upper hand, that's all," Lily smiled reassuringly.
"I guess so, but we should have handled the stress better... Actually, I'm not totally looking forward to going home; it'll mean I'll need to face him again."
"You never know; he might come here before you get the chance to go home," Hailey guessed.
"That doesn't help anything, Hailey," Lily said as she rolled her eyes. "Listen, sweetie, we'll see what the doctor says at the hospital appointment this Sunday, so don't worry about Keith until then."
"That's the problem; I can't get it out of my head," Alexa sighed. "Whenever I try to think about something, I always remember the fights we had, both during our mission in Johto and afterwards."
"Honey, no relationship is perfect right off the bat; your father and I had plenty of arguments after we met!"
"I know, Mum, I know...Dad told me about it." Alexa sighed. "I just don't know where to begin if I get the chance to talk to him about it..."
"If?" Hailey asked.
"Yeah, I...I'm not totally confident about talking to him...especially after hearing that he was the one I bumped into."
"Ah."
"Alexa, sweetie, it's something that needs to be sorted out, regardless of the outcome," Lily said gently. "But I think you should think very carefully about whether or not your relationship is worth saving."
"Whoa, Lily, are you saying she should think about dumping him?" Hailey asked.
"Kind of. But it's up to you, sweetheart." Alexa sighed; she was in even more of a dilemma than she was before.
"If I may, angel?" asked the masseur running his hands around Alexa's back. "If this boy is worthy of your heart, he will walk to the ends of the earth to repair the damage he caused to it."
"Whoa, Alphonse, you're not usually this philosophical!" Hailey grinned.
"I know, but I needed to say it." Alexa smiled warmly.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." She sighed contentedly. "All I need to do now is go to that appointment and have a dozen pick-me-ups before I speak to him." Lily and Hailey smiled at one another.
Keenan and Hayden exited the store, each wearing their Xtransceivers on their left wrists. Hayden carried a black and purple Xtransceiver in his hand, which he soon placed in his pocket.
"Let's hope your mother likes the Xtransceiver we chose for her," he said rather nervously.
"If she doesn't, she doesn't; we have the receipt, so she'll be able to exchange the whole thing if that's the case," Keenan said casually. "How come you're so nervous?"
"Because I haven't surprised your mother with a gift since before we got married," Hayden replied. "Well...not to this degree, anyway; when it comes to anything else, I know what she likes and doesn't like, but with Xtransceivers..? There was a lot I think she would have liked..."
"It'll be fine, Dad, I'm sure she'll like it," Keenan said optimistically. Hayden ruffled his hair.
"Thanks, kiddo."
"Hey, Hayden!" called a voice Hayden and Keenan recognised instantly. They looked ahead and saw Colin jogging over to them, nearly tripping up over his own feet in the process, with Daniel, Daphne and Peggy. Piper flew alongside Peggy before roosting on her medium auburn hair.
"Hey, Colin! What brings you here?" Hayden asked with a friendly smile.
"Well, the kids go back to school on Monday, so I thought I'd use Hailey's spa break to get some school supplies for the kids," Colin explained, subtly hinting the few plastic bags in his left hand.
"Refresh my memory; do the twins graduate this year or next year?" Hayden asked curiously.
"This year," Colin confirmed. "Their exams start a week after their birthdays."
"We're right here, Dad," Daniel sighed. Colin laughed nervously.
"Sorry, sport."
"So, did you get a Xtransceiver?" Daphne asked eagerly. Keenan held his arm out to his music-loving cousin and showed off his colourful communication device.
"What do you think?" Daphne and Peggy looked at the vibrant colours of Keenan's Xtransceiver.
"Oh, how pretty!" Peggy said gleefully.
"Blu, Blu!"
"Aren't the colours a bit too vibrant?" Daniel questioned as he examined the device.
"Not especially," Keenan shrugged. "There are more vibrant ones in there."
"Yeah, like that neon yellow and neon pink one we saw a few months ago, remember?" Daphne asked. Daniel groaned.
"I swear the minute I saw that thing, I thought my eyes would melt!"
"We never saw one like that, Daniel," Keenan said nervously.
"I sincerely hope nobody bought that ugly mess," Daniel grunted.
"I certainly didn't," Hayden laughed as he held out his left arm; his black and gold Xtransceiver was sitting on a black strap with an orange-red and yellow flame pattern, which was covering half of the strap.
"Nice one, Hayden. Beats mine at any rate," Colin said timidly, showing off the Xtransceiver on his right wrist; the device itself was black and white, while the strap was a mixture of black, white and grey and looked like dark storm clouds.
"There's nothing wrong with it, Colin. Besides, all that matters is that you like the Xtransceiver you've chosen."
"Heh, thanks, Hayden," Colin said gratefully. "Anyway, we should get back to shopping; we still need to get some new shoes."
"I don't think we do," Daniel said in mild protest.
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger; your mother put the shoes on the agenda, not me," Colin said in defence.
"All right, Keenan and I are going to meet Lily and Alexa outside the spa anyway; we should be there by the time they come out anyway, it's quite a walk over Skyarrow Bridge."
"Oh, cripes, yeah, I forgot about that! Sorry to distract you!"
"Don't worry, Colin, it was nice seeing you all," Hayden smiled.
"Will we see you tomorrow?" Peggy asked.
"Yep! We're looking forward to it," Keenan replied joyously.
"Por!" Iara nodded.
"Blu, Blu!" Piper rejoiced.
"Well, we'll see you tomorrow!" Colin said happily as he and the three kids parted ways with Hayden and Keenan. The two approached what appeared to be a gateway to a very large and rather tall bridge.
"Oh, shoot, I forgot to ask about exchanging our Xtransceiver numbers!"
"Alex has everyone's numbers on hers; get them from her and call Aunt Hailey and Uncle Harvey in a three way call to let them have your number."
"Then Hailey can give my number to Colin, who can then give it to the twins if they want it," Hayden concluded. "...three way call? That'd be weird..."
"Sounds weird to say the least," Keenan agreed as he and Hayden made their way onto the bridge, the wind starting to blow in their near identical hair.
"But it will make keeping in touch with them a lot more efficient, that's for sure," Hayden said brightly. "Definitely worth the purchase."
Alexa, Hailey and Lily each sat on a very comfortable plush chair, wearing soft white cotton dressing gowns and matching towels wrapped around their hair. They each had a manicurist and a pedicurist very carefully painting their nails in different colours; Hailey's nails were painted in a vivid scarlet, Lily's were painted in a bright magenta and Alexa's were painted in a mint green colour, and the manicurists and pedicurists were carefully painting a topcoat on the nails.
"So, Hailey, what are your plans for after the Contest?" Lily asked out of interest.
"Well, the kids go back to school on Monday, so Colin's gone shopping with them for school supplies and shoes," Hailey answered. "He decided to use this spa break to go shopping with them."
"Daphne and Daniel graduate from Striaton Academy this year, don't they?" Lily asked.
"Yep. A bit unfair to make them sit their exams after their birthdays, but I don't make the rules," Hailey sighed. "Even though it is a week after their birthdays... Hey, Lily, how's Keenan's schooling coming along?"
"It took him a little while to settle into the routine again after what happened over a month ago, but he's still doing really well," Lily smiled.
"So how come you're homeschooling him anyway? Is it for the same reason Alexa was homeschooled?"
"I don't know why I was homeschooled; I didn't think I was in any position to ask," Alexa replied sheepishly.
"Your father and I believed you and your brother would get a better education if you were taught at home," Lily explained.
"Did you hire a tutor?" Hailey asked.
"We didn't need to, Ian jumped at the opportunity," Lily chuckled. "We actually didn't know Ian was qualified to teach until he told us."
"You'd think the fact his official title of "Dr. Thorndyke" would be an indication of his qualification," Hailey laughed. "So, Lexie, what are your plans for after the Contest?"
"Hmm...hospital, a dozen hot cocoa pick-me-ups and talking to Keith. That's pretty much my plan in a nutshell."
"Sounds like a plan to me, honey," Lily smiled. "Whatever happens, Alexa, your father and I will back you up 100%."
"Thanks, Mum," Alexa smiled kindly. The manicurists and pedicurists all stood up.
"And that's that, ladies," smiled one of the manicurists. "Just let the topcoat dry for 60 seconds and you can leave," he added as he and his colleagues left the room, taking their equipment with them.
"Don't listen to them, girls; this topcoat always takes two whole minutes to dry properly," Hailey said, with a hint of resentment in her voice. "Trust me, I know; I was getting changed one time after leaving it to dry for a minute, and my manicure was ruined the minute my hands went into my pockets. Fortunately, they redid the manicure free of charge as a goodwill gesture."
"Have you told them about it?" Lily asked. "The inferior topcoat, I mean."
"Yeah, but they want to use this topcoat up completely before they order in a better topcoat," Hailey explained. "Why they can't just get a refund on this topcoat from the wholesaler I'll never know..." Alexa examined her mint manicure and admired the glossy look on her nails.
By the time Hayden and Keenan finally arrived in Nacrene City, Alexa, Hailey and Lily exited the spa. Hailey pressed her finger firmly against a few of her fingernails.
"See? I told you two minutes is how long the topcoat takes to dry properly."
"We never said we didn't believe you," Lily said feebly. Alexa looked around and spotted something that caught her attention; she smiled and waved as Hayden and Keenan approached her.
"Hi, girls," Hayden greeted. "You look great!"
"Thank you, Hayden," Lily said courteously. "How was your endeavour?"
"See for yourself," Hayden replied with a grin as he and Keenan showcased their brand new Xtransceivers to the pampered ladies.
"Very snazzy!" Hailey complimented. "How long did it take you to choose them anyway?" she asked teasingly.
"About half an hour...apiece," Keenan answered bashfully. Hailey laughed.
"It goes to show how much variety there is in that one store alone!"
"Did you have a good time?" Hayden asked curiously.
"As usual, dear brother," Hailey remarked.
"It felt nice, I do have to admit, but it's one of those things that would be less special the more I did it...in my opinion, at least," Lily said nervously. "No offence, Hailey; it was very kind of you to invite us, but-"
"No offence taken, Lily," Hailey said graciously. "I respect your opinion, though, for the record, I don't go as frequently as, say, once every three months; like I said, I go the day before a Contest and for special occasions."
"What about you, Alexa?" Lily asked. "What did you think?"
"I liked it," Alexa replied honestly. "Though I think the facial felt rather pointless..." Hailey chuckled.
"Well, I'd love to stick around and chatter, but I'd better scoot; Colin said he'd be coming home for lunch, so I'd best get lunch on the go. See you all tomorrow, Hayden!"
"Bye, Hailey," Hayden said, waving as his sister began to walk away. "I'll call you later!"
"Looking forward to it!" Hailey called back. With Hailey gone, Hayden faced Lily as he placed a hand in his pocket.
"Let's not forget yours, Lily," he smiled as he pulled out a Xtransceiver from his pocket; the device itself was black and purple, while the strap was a light lilac colour with magenta petals tastefully covering the entire strap. Lily accepted the Xtransceiver and Alexa looked at it from over her mother's shoulder.
"Man, black can go with anything," Alexa smiled. "Great choice, Dad."
"Keenan and I chose it together," Hayden stated as Lily examined the Xtransceiver from all angles. "If you don't like it, Lily, we can-"
"No, no, it's perfect. Thank you both," she smiled kindly as she slipped the Xtransceiver onto her left wrist. "I love it."
"I'm glad to hear it," Hayden smiled warmly. "Now...if I recall, I saw Hailey messing with her nails; what did the manicurists do to yours?" Lily and Alexa showed Hayden and Keenan their glossy nails.
"Oh my gosh, Alex, you're not wearing brown," Keenan said teasingly.
"They didn't have a shade of brown I liked," Alexa muttered.
"They look lovely," Hayden commended. "Well, Keenan and I are pretty much done for the day; is there anywhere you two would like to go?" Lily and Alexa faced one another before considering their responses.
"I don't need to go anywhere in particular," Lily answered. "Alexa?"
"Not me," Alexa replied, shaking her head.
"Fine with us," Hayden smiled. "Have you walked over Skyarrow Bridge yet?"
"No," Lily and Alexa replied in unified confusion.
"It's actually quite a walk...but would you like to walk across it together?" Hayden asked.
"Are you sure you don't just want to go across it again?" Alexa asked playfully.
"Once you've walked across it, Lexie, you'll see why I wanted to cross it again," Hayden laughed as he, Lily, Alexa and Keenan began walking out of Nacrene City, Alexa and Keenan trailing slightly behind their parents.
Keith sighed with content as he lay on his bed, his yellow and black egg gently resting on his chest; he gently held the egg in place with one hand and held a freshly opened glass bottle of cola in his other hand. Robbie and Reese lay on the bed opposite Keith's bed, resting their eyes. Keith occasionally drank fairly small gulps from his bottle and stroked the egg with his thumb from time to time. The sound of a loudspeaker activating caused Keith and the Pokémon to look up at the speaker above the cabin door in confusion.
"Attention, travellers," began a man's voice. "Our next stop is Castelia City, Unova. We will be docking at Liberty Pier at the estimated time of 10am. That is all." Keith frowned.
"So...it's almost time..."
To be continued...