The polished red wood felt course under Augustine's fingers, the air thick with espresso. Slowly he swirled his mug, staring at the grain of the table. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and let out a sigh. A satchel brimming with scribbled notes and diagrams sat next to Augustine's chair untouched. Though he shut his eyes, the red glare of the café persisted.
"How goes your research, Sycamore?" A gruff voice startled him. Augustine lifted his head to see a bearded face staring at him from across the table.
"Ahh…. Bonjour monami, " Augustine greeted, straightening in his seat. He offered a drink to his friend who politely declined. Aroused from his lethargy, the professor shared his latest progress on mega evolution. His friend listened intently, nodding at the major findings. Certain stones release a wavelength that resonates with specific Pokémon; if the wavelength can be manipulated, say with another stone, Pokémon may be able to evolve a stage further. When finally depleted of news, Sycamore asked, "And how have you been, Lysandre?"
"Wonderful! My Holo Caster is in the final stages of production and will be ready for the world in the next few days. I'll bring some by your lab for you to give out to starting trainers along with your Pokédex." Lysandre reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out what looked like a watch. "This is a prototype of a watch styled Holo Caster; it has the same features of a normal Holo Caster, but it is more convenient and stylish. Please accept it as a gift from me to you."
"Tres bien! You really outdid yourself yet again Lysandre!" Sycamore expressed his gratitude.
"I'm glad you like it," Lysandre responded. "But my main reason for coming here was not idle chitchat about our research."
Lysandre's expression suddenly took on a serious shade. He stroked his beard for a moment, trying to find the right words. Augustine looked at him with an expression of worry. "As we speak, the world is becoming even more tarnished by humanity. Team Flare will set our plan into action soon and… I ask of you, my dear friend, to please join Team Flare." Lysandre desperately hoped to finally receive the answer he wanted.
Slowly, Sycamore set his coffee cup down and cast his eyes to the red painted walls. "I can't."
A waiter came by and refilled Augustine's coffee. Several minutes passed in weighted silence.
"I… have a duty to the children of Kalos, to guide and assist them. Je m'excuse sincèrement but it's-"
"You don't need to justify yourself," Lysandre cut off. He knew all too well the duty that binds his friend. Lysandre wished greatly to be able to reveal his entire plan to Sycamore to justify why it was important that Sycamore join him… but knowing Augustine, the professor could not accept the eradication of all people and Pokémon not in Team Flare. "People can be divided into two groups. Those who give... And those who take... It's just as how the Kalos region's two Legendary Pokémon gave life and took life. I want to be the kind of person who gives... But in this world, some foolish humans exist who would show their strength by taking what isn't theirs. They're filth. But you, Sycamore, are one of the most beautiful people I have met. The way you work relentlessly to give Kalos's young trainers a positive future and research constantly for ways to make the world better, I respect you for that." Lysandre tugged at the cuffs of his suit. Quietly he trailed off, "If only there were more people like you in this world…" Swiftly Lysandre stood and straightened his red cravat. The thought of losing his friend pained him greatly. "Well, I should be off now. I bid you adieu." Without looking back, Lysandre walked out of the café, leaving his friend in solitude.
Once Lysandre disappeared from sight, Augustine slumped in his chair and dropped his head to the table and let out a long sigh. No amount of strong coffee would suffice. Part of him really wanted to join Lysandre… but the weight of being a professor was too much. He felt a twinge of concern for his friend… what if his wish for a better world went too far? Sycamore shook his head. After sitting a few minutes more, the professor slung his satchel on his shoulder, paid for his coffee, and hopped in a taxi back to his lab. He hoped the remaining hours of the day would be better.
A few days later, Sycamore found himself sitting at the counter of the quaint Café Soleil. The wall lamps filled the room with a soft, warm glow. The low chatter of a happy old couple could be heard coming from the corner window seats of the café. The creamy, antique interior brought back fond memories of time spent in Sinnoh studying alongside Professor Rowan.
Huffing with irritation, a woman plopped down in the seat next to him breaking Augustine from his thoughts. "Ugh! What IS his problem?!" Diantha let out in exasperation. "One hot Red Tea, please." Sycamore looked over with an expression of sympathy.
"Lysandre?"
"That thick-headed buffoon! Can't he get it into his head that not everyone agrees with his view of the world?!" she rambled. "Then after insulting me, he had the audacity to ask me to join him?! Ugh..." Diantha waved her hands about in exasperation.
"Ha ha! I'm sure he means no harm. He has good indentations in what he says," reassured Sycamore. He hoped his words were true.
"Sometimes I worry for him…" she continued in a reserved tone. Diantha nodded in thanks as a waiter came by and placed her tea on the counter. She took a sip and stared at something unseen beyond the walls of the café. "But he's a grown man, so there's not much we can do. He can take care of himself!"
Sycamore chuckled and took a bite of a macaron. Smiling, he changed the subject, "Hon hon, I have some promising new trainers headed your way."
"Do you mean Serena and Calem?"
Sycamore looked at her with surprise. "Oh, you've already met? Fantastic!" Augustine blushed as Diantha complemented his tutelage. The two spent about another half hour hypothesizing the progress of the two young trainers until Diantha's Holo Caster rang with a battle summons. Augustine waved adieu as he was once again left alone to his thoughts.
A few weeks pass. Over the radio, a melody played to fill the room with a calming atmosphere. A trashcan with a ring of crumpled papers strewn about it stood in a corner. Augustine sat at his desk analyzing his notes on the mega stone Lysandre had brought by his lab the previous week. To his left, a colorful stone was mounted on the stand of a microscope. Sycamore looked to a computer monitor to compare the readings to his notes. Just what is it that all mega stones have in common…?
Sycamore was just about to scrawl a few notes in the margins of his notebook when his Holo Caster chimed to notify him of an incoming cast. A moment later the face of Lysandre appeared. Sycamore felt a twinge of unease as his friend began to speak.
"Pokémon Trainers. I come to you by the Holo Caster to make an important announcement. Listen well. Team Flare will revive the ultimate weapon, eliminate everyone who isn't in our group, and return the world to a beautiful, natural state. Unproductive fools are consuming our future... If nothing changes, the world will become ugly and conflicts will raze the land from end to end. I repeat. We will use the ultimate weapon and wipe the slate clean. I'm sorry, those of you who are not members of Team Flare, but this is adieu to you all."
The professor's chair clattered heavily on the floor as he made a run for the stairs, ignoring the elevator altogether. About halfway down, Sycamore ran headfirst into his assistant Dexio who was closely followed by Sina. Sycamore caught hold of Dexio just before he lost his balance. After the instance of tension from the close call, the two assistants cried out in unison, "Professor!"
"I know! We have to hurry!" he gasped, running past them. The two nodded in understanding and followed. "Head over to Lysandre Labs and try to stall him as much as possible. If you run into Calem and Serena, help them!" Before Augustine reached the door, he hurriedly stuffed the a few pokéballs in the pocket of his lab coat. "I'm going to get Diantha. You two please be careful!" he shouted over his shoulder as he jumped into a cab. The cabbie sped off at the professor's request and soon he was out of sight.
As the car pulled up to the entrance to the Pokémon League, the professor threw open the door and jumped out before the cab could come to a complete stop. Dexio and Sina had kept him updated on the situation during the ride that had seemed to take forever; Lysandre had degraded even further and there was no time to lose. Flashing his badge at a security guard, Sycamore passed through a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and raced down the hallway to the champion's quarters.
"Diantha! I need your help!" he burst into the room, wide eyed, and gasping for breath. "L-Lysandre… he's in trouble." Diantha, who was standing in front of a mirror pulling her loose hair back into a ponytail, looked behind her to see Augustine's distraught expression. Her lack of concern caught him off guard.
She sighed and plopped onto the couch. With a click of a remote, a television turned on to reveal the breaking news happening at Geosenge Town. In the center of town, felled houses surrounding a gaping hole filled with rubble could be seen. A reporter was interviewing Sina and Dexio. The group of young trainers that Sycamore had given started on their journeys only a month ago stood in the background talking to each other.
"We need to go help Lysandre!" Augustine cried again, rejecting the sight before him.
Diantha looked at him with worry. "Augustine… the ultimate weapon and his underground facility caved in on him."
"Merde! Merde! Merde!" He slammed his first on the wall, causing a picture frame to fall. "Lysandre is NOT dead!" Tears streamed down his flushed face. Quietly he muttered almost to himself, "Xerneas… is the pokémon of Life… its power… he has to be alive…"
Clicking the television off, Diantha stood and walked over to a side table where her pokéballs lay. She picked up the ball on the far right and called out her Gardevoir. "If you insist on chasing after him, take Gardevoir with you; she can take you to Geosenge Town. I will not have any part in this, so please stop asking." She looked away from Sycamore sadly. It pained her to see her friend like this.
Gathering his composure, Augustine wiped his eyes with a handkerchief from his pocket. There was no need or time for thanks. He nodded to Diantha, then to Gardevoir and in a flash the two were gone. Diantha stood a moment in silence before walking over to the picture that had fallen. A tear fell on the portrait of a young trio of friends as she tried to hold in a gasp.
There was an eerie silence in the depths of the Geosenge pit; the clamor of the surface was lost in the distance. Up close, the amount of rubble was staggering. Sycamore turned to Gardevoir and asked if she could sense anything, but she only shook her head. Despite the response, Sycamore reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokéball. "Garchomp, I need your help! Lysandre is somewhere under all these rocks… please use Dig to help us find him." With a bark of understanding, Garchomp launched itself into the nearby rocks. Sycamore rolled up his sleeves and set to work clearing rocks from another area of the ring. Gardevoir followed suit by using Psychic to shift the largest of boulders.
The crew dug for three hours with no avail; night had fallen and there was no sign of Lysandre. Just as Augustine was about to call it quits for the night, he saw a faint glow coming from a space in the rubble. With resurged hope, he scrambled towards the glow but recoiled sharply as the rocks burned his hands. Concerned, Gardevoir rushed over and moved the heated rocks with her psychic powers. From the revealed cavity, flames suddenly shot out then stopped when the user realized that the obstacle had disappeared. Out of the hole, the head of a Pyroar illuminated by its mane appeared. Sycamore let out a pent up gasp of relief and ran to the pokémon.
In the instant that Pyroar recognized the familiar face, he released a puff of flame and turned tail, beckoning Sycamore to follow. Taking the signal, the professor returned Garchomp to its pokéball and entered the tunnel with Gardevoir behind Pyroar.
They travelled through the passage for what seemed like an eternity until suddenly the group entered an area where Sycamore could stand at his full height. In the dim light of Pyroar's flames, Sycamore was able to spot the orange hair and tattered suit of his friend.
As he ran closer, Augustine noticed a large piece of steel beam covering half of his friend's body. Seeing Lysandre's eyes closed, he feared for the worst. With all his might, Sycamore tried to push the chunk of metal off his friend but it refused to budge. Seeing his struggle, Gardevoir came to Sycamore's side and, with great effort lifted the heavy beam enough for Sycamore to pull his friend free.
Freed from the weight, Lysandre suddenly let out a blood-spattered cough and opened his eyes to see the face of Augustine hovering overhead with an expression contorted with emotion. How am I alive… he wondered but then cringed when he realized what he had done. Faintly he heard the voice of Augustine calling out to him, reassuring him that everything would be okay. WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?! His mind filled with emotion, but his mouth was unable to speak. He faintly felt a tear run down his face as his mind blurred back into the dark hold of unconsciousness.