“Great! We lost the Kingdom Cup, but we came really close,” said Jay, referring to the championship R.O.A.R. game the Auradon Prep team had played several weeks before. “How’s life on the pro circuit?”
“Can’t complain,” said Li’l Shang. “We travel by first-class carriage all the way. Thousands of fans screaming in packed arenas.” He pulled open his R.O.A.R. jacket to show Jay a T-shirt with his face on it, SHANG LIFE written in huge letters on the front. “Look! I’m famous!”
Jay laughed. “Dude, you made it!”
“Been trying to get my sister here to join the team, but she says she still hasn’t made up her mind whether to go pro or go to college.” Li’l Shang rubbed Lonnie’s head. “Suit yourself, sis.”
Li’l Shang and Lonnie introduced Jay to Coach Yao, who had been a soldier in Mulan’s army, along with his partners, Ling and Chien-Po.
“Jay, son of Jafar, of course! I’ve heard you’re one of the best at R.O.A.R.!” he said, shaking Jay’s hand. “Ever think of going straight to the pros?”
“Skipping college?” asked Jay.
Yao nodded. “You could be playing in this arena in a few months!”
“You’ll have to sign him first,” Lonnie reminded him.
“Right, right,” said Coach Yao. “And see your moves. We’ll be at Auradon Prep next Saturday. We’ll check you out.”
“Next Saturday?” asked Jay with a frown.
“Is there a problem?”
Jay scratched his head. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I have…a conflict.” He never remembered important dates, but he knew this one.
“Oh,” said Coach Yao.
Lonnie frowned. “You do?”
“Yeah, I’m supposed to go back to the Isle of the Lost with Mal, Evie, and Carlos. We’re going to try to get more kids to apply to Auradon Prep,” he told them sheepishly.
“Do you have to?” asked Lonnie. She took Jay aside. “I mean, if you want to be considered for a pro team, this is the only day they’ll come to Auradon Prep. It’s kind of a big deal.”
Jay thought about it. If he missed the recruiting session, Coach Yao wouldn’t see him play, and Jay would be passing up the chance to play professionally. He looked around at the arena. He could just imagine it thundering with a thousand fans calling his name. He could do this. He was one of the best. His future was open.
But he couldn’t let his friends down. Time with his friends was precious, and it would be even rarer after graduation. They had to stick together. Plus, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to play professionally; there was still college to consider.
“I don’t know,” said Jay. “I don’t really know what I want to do yet.”
Lonnie nodded. “I understand. You’ll figure it out.” They went back to the party.
“Jay?” asked Coach Yao. “Shall we put you down on our list? Will we see you next Saturday?”
“No, you won’t. I’m so sorry, but I have other commitments,” said Jay.
“No problem. There’s always next year,” Coach Yao said. “You’ve got a lot of time to decide.”
Jay smiled. The coach was right. He was no longer trapped on the Isle of the Lost. In a few weeks, he had visiting day to look forward to at Sherwood Forest University; the itinerary included a lot of merrymaking. He had all the time in the world right now, and he wanted to spend a good chunk of it with the friends who helped him become the person he was today.
he week flew by, and finally it was time for Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos to head back to the Isle of the Lost. Mal and Evie had packed so heavily for their short trip that Ben had to help Lumiere and Cogsworth carry their trunks to the royal limousine.
“You know you’re only going for the weekend, right?” he asked, grunting under the weight of one particularly large case. “You’re only there for two nights.”
“Two nights! Oh my! Thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot my second alternate evening gown!” said Evie, who flew back into her room.
Mal smiled. “I’m sorry. Most of it is Evie’s.”
Carlos and Jay walked right behind them, each boy holding one small backpack. “I travel light,” said Jay.
“No baggage,” quipped Carlos with a grin. “At least not anymore.”
Mal threw her arms around Ben. “Thanks for doing this. Letting us go back to talk to the kids, I mean.”
“Yeah, man, we’re so pumped that more kids like us are going to be able to go to Auradon Prep!” said Carlos, bumping fists with Jay.
“I am too,” said Ben. He really was glad, although he was still a bit worried about where the new VKs would stay over the summer.
Evie rushed back, wheeling another trunk.
“Wait, these things have wheels?” asked Ben as Lumiere and Cogsworth staggered beside him.
“Yes, if you set them down the right way,” said Evie. “How do you think I travel?” She chuckled.
They walked out of the school’s front doors and loaded their bags into the car. Evie and the boys said their good-byes to Ben and settled into their seats.
Mal lingered, a wistful smile on her face. “I wonder if there’ll be a day when we can bring every villain kid over to Auradon.”
“There will be. We just need to take it one step at a time. It’s too risky right now, especially with Uma still out there.”
“Uma,” said Mal with a grimace.
“You take care,” he said.
“I will. You too. Are you okay?” she asked, putting a hand on his cheek.
“A little nervous about the NAFFA trade meeting. No one can seem to agree lately! I have so many competing proposals to sort out.”
“I know you’ll make it work. Say hi to the dwarfs,” she said, getting into the car.
Evie popped her head out. “Give them my love!”
“I will,” said Ben, waving them off. He stood watching by the entrance until the royal limousine disappeared out of sight.
• • •
Just as Ben had predicted, every kingdom represented at the trade council argued that their goods were the most valuable.
“They’re diamonds,” said Grumpy. “We need to be able to charge top Auradon dollar!”
“Diamonds they might be, but our magic potions from Camelot are far more valuable,” argued Merlin.
“Everyone will look withered without our age-defying lotions,” Eugene Fitzherbert reminded them. “The sun-drop golden flowers only grow in Corona.”
“We might not have magic flowers or magic potions or diamonds in the bayou,” said Princess Tiana. “But we have the best food, and we should be compensated fairly.”
Ben listened to every kingdom’s representative make their case, and then he spoke his piece: “Just as Auradon Prep has become open to taking more students from the Isle of the Lost, Auradon must remain open to trade between all our united kingdoms. Diamonds, potions, lotions, and beignets are equally important. Surely we can find a solution that would satisfy everyone here.”
The meeting continued, and eventually, all parties were satisfied by the trade agreement. Grumpy didn’t even look that grumpy in the end. Ben began to put his papers back into his folder and a few delegates began to leave the room when Aquata, Ariel’s oldest sister, who was representing Atlantica, came up to Ben, rolling her bathtub-like contraption forward. “Can I ask you something?” she said, looking worried and splashing a little.