Chapter Four: Repress Memories to Maintain Sanity
Do you want me to bore you with more details about Kalos geography? Of course you do.
Route 4, otherwise known as Parterre Way for reasons you'll soon discover, is one of five routes leading into Lumiose City. Years ago, before the city became the behemoth that it is today, this route was simply a dirt track with nothing remarkable about it. But when the grand development project kicked in, they decided to spruce the whole route up a little bit.
When tourists arrive in Kalos via the southern airports and port towns, Route 4 is the most likely route they take when travelling to Lumiose City, so they wanted to give them a strong first impression.
They accomplished this by, for all intents and purposes, turning the route into a park. Large flowerbeds with a wide variety of flowers, hedge mazes and decorative foliage flank the pathway. Smack bang in the middle of the route is a huge fountain, surrounded by benches for people to sit on and enjoy the scenery.
Do you see why it's called Parterre Way now?
...no?
Me neither.
Regardless, this place is popular to tourists who like to get away from the busy city and enjoy some peace and quiet. But to me, Route 4 is no different to Santalune Forest: it's a hay-feaver sufferer's nightmare. All those flowers, plus hot, sunny days with little breeze, make for an abhorrent amount of pollen. It's for that reason that Fennekin and myself decided to travel by night, when it's cooler and the pollen level isn't quite as high. This way, I won't be sneezing every other second and drawing unnecessary attention to myself; the last thing I need is to have another run-in with that girl or any authority figure competent at their job.
So after cleaning myself up and getting a few hours sleep, we left Santalune City a couple of hours before midnight. Usually, sneaking out of town in the middle of the night is slightly counterproductive towards trying to avoid the eyes of the law, but in my case the law has no idea who they're looking for thanks to that one officer ruling me out as a suspect. The guard stationed at the exit didn't even give me a second glance when I left.
As one of the routes that's guaranteed to be occupied by people throughout the day, there are a number of lights in the shape of little orbs lining the way. It's not bright enough for me to see all the nature, so I won't be able to enjoy the full splendour of this place, but this is still quite a pleasant experience. That I get to see a number of fine sights – human or otherwise – is one the few perks of being forced on an adventure to save the world.
Not that I know what I'm saving the world from. Fennekin mentioned a crime syndicate of sorts but he wasn't too forthcoming with the details. "Crime syndicate" sounds big and scary, and "wanting to take over the world" sounds menacing, but for all I know they could be a group who flamboyantly prance around in leotards, pulling funny poses and battling people with Magikarp.
Let's pitch the question to my ever-reliable partner in crime…
"His magnificence didn't go into much detail. He just said we'll recognise them when we see them." If Fennekin could, I'm sure he'd be shrugging his shoulders.
"Helpful as always, the Magnificent Bastard."
Fennekin bristles. "Be thankful that he even warned you about it in the first place."
I snort. "Sure, I'm so thankful for having the opportunity to face down an organisation who wants to take over the world. What would I have done with my life without it?"
"Probably bumming around at home, disappointing everyone with your lack of ambition."
"What you call lack of ambition, I call self-preservation," I say. "And I would like to preserve myself now by finding out more about these people I'm meant to go up against. Are you sure you've not been told anything else?"
Fennekin rolls his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious."
"Would that count?"
I look at what Fennekin is looking at, and see three people standing in front of the fountain. Each of them is wearing a long, dark trench coat, with hoods casting a shadow over their faces.
"Yes, yes it would."
Simultaneously, the three suspicious people hold out a hand.
"Hold it right there, sir," one of them says. "We have witnessed your youthful countenance foolishly wander this night, and have decided to punish you."
"You will not feel pain."
"You will not scream."
"But rest assured, in our benevolence, we will… dazzle you."
The three rip off their coats and reveal they are wearing, from left to right, blue, white and red leotards. They've got slicked back hair and thick moustaches, and don't seem to have any physical distinctions. They strike identical poses with perfect synchronisation.
Then, the one in the middle, in the white leotard, steps forward, and holds up a Pokeball. It snaps open, and in a quick, bright flash of light, a Magikarp appears in his hand, being held by its tail.
"Now, sir, draw your weapon, and prepare to face the terror of the Équipe de Magikarp."
In this situation, there are several reactions you can have. You could see the Magikarp, see the men dressed in leotards, and run away in fright. You could stand in there in complete and utter confusion, wondering if you had eaten something funny not too long ago. You could calmly take action by calling the police or battling heroically against these fiends.
Or you could do what I'm doing, and burst out laughing. For several minutes. It's just... I'm being threatened with a Magikarp, by a man in spandex. I don't care how evil or devious or insane these people may be; the moment they presented themselves in those get-ups the fear factor completely disappeared.
With my laughter finally calming down, and while I wipe a few tears from my eyes, I usher Fennekin in to battle.
"Go get 'em."
The man in the middle, though, holds out his hand, gesturing for me to stop.
"You are mistaken, sir. We do not battle Pokemon, we battle humans," he says, wagging his finger. The other also wag their fingers. "Now, draw your Magikarp and come at me!"
The guy leaps at me, and swings the Magikarp right at my head. I desperately dive to the side, and stare at him in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Battling you, sir."
"More like attacking me! What gave you idea to to try and slap someone round the face with a Magikarp?"
"Where I come from, we battle as men in the noble sport of Magikarp Fencing. We do not hide behind the beasts known as Pokemon."
"I don't doubt that a Magikarp could be an effective weapon, but it's cruel, you know?"
"On the contrary, the Magikarp are delighted to be so useful after years of humiliation and derision. Now, enough talk; either draw your weapon or prepare to be flayed!"
Okay, so appealing to his moral conscious isn't going to work. Flaying people with a Magikarp is messed up, but going by the look on that Magikarp's face, this guy is right: that thing clearly wants to end me!
He swings at me again, and I stumble out the way. Abandoning all pretence, I turn my back, and run.
If you were expecting to stand and fight, well, you should've known better.
"Come and fight me like a man, sir!"
The man in the white leotard gives chase, and I lead him around the fountain a couple of times in hopes that'll he give up.
Guess what? He doesn't.
"Fennekin, help me!"
Can I expect my ever-reliable partner to help me here? No, of course not. He's too busy having a laugh at my expense.
"I'm sorry, this is too entertaining to watch," he says, and then starts snickering again.
"Reliable partner my ass!" I yell at him.
The chase continues, and briefly I wonder why the other two are just standing there, watching, and not blocking off my routes of escape. I guess three on one is dishonourable to them?
Whatever their reason, they may not even need to get involved. All this running is seriously starting to tire me out, and I can feel myself slowing down. Yes, my fitness levels are pathetic, but give me a break; I'm just some introverted guy who spends all his time bumming around at home. It'd be a bit unrealistic if I was suddenly able to outrun grown men, you know?
"I've got you now!"
My pursuer has closed the distance between us, now close enough to strike. He readies his Magikarp.
"Oh, bollocks."
He swings. I throw my arms up at the last second to try and defend my face, and take the full brunt of his swing. The force behind the swing was enough to send my staggering backwards, over the stone railings and into the shallow basin of the of the fountain.
Frantically, I splash my way to the centre of the fountain, where a large statue of a Pokemon I can't identify sits atop a stone podium. I climb on top of that podium, and eye my attacker wearily, trying to judge if he's willing to follow my. I'll admit: I will continue to run away. That blow I blocked hurt, and I can feel my forearms throbbing. I'll climb the statue if I have to. I'm not taking that on.
"Running from a fight. How cowardly," a new voice says. I look up towards the source, and see a blue, furry bipedal creature, with what looks like a cape tied around its neck, standing atop the statue. "But never fear, for I, Riolu the Hero, will protect you from the evil that is Équipe de Magikarp!"
The Riolu leaps, complete with front flip, off the top of the statue and plants a foot right in the face of the one wearing the white leotard. The ones in blue and red, with their own Magikarp in hand, move in to avenge their fallen comrade. They both swing, hard, at the small Pokemon, but the Riolu drives a palm in the gut of one and stick his foot in the gut of the other.
Brutal.
Oh, and let me take a moment to acknowledge that this Riolu is talking.
Thoroughly beaten, the three members of Équipe de Magikarp – what does that even mean? - reconvene and begin hightailing it towards Lumiose City.
"Curse you, Riolu, for thwarting our nefarious deeds once again!" one of them calls over his shoulder.
"I'll always be here to deal with scum like you," Riolu responds.
"We'll be back!"
With the Équipe de Magikarp now gone, the Riolu looks pensively up at the moon in the sky.
"There is more evil that I must defeat," he announces, then departs, taking off towards the trees.
With that, this bizarre episode ends, and I can now begin repressing this memory.
"I didn't expect him to show up," Fennekin comments, looking in the direction the Riolu departed.
"Friend of yours?"
"More like acquaintance. He is also one of the Magnificent One's messengers."
Fennekin did mention that he wasn't the only messenger of the Magnificent Bastard. Though I didn't expect to meet another one so soon, that I knew of their existence dulled the shock of seeing another talking Pokemon.
"Ah, another one of his lackeys. At least he was useful."
"I thought you'd be able to handle it on your own."
"Then you've obviously never had a Magikarp swung towards your head."
It's just as well that Riolu showed up when he did. With the way things were going, I was sure to end up being beaten by Magikarp all evening. I have to wonder, though: was all this part of the script? Are the Équipe de Magikarp the crime syndicate I'm meant to be stopping? Was I meant to meet Riolu? If he's after that gang, are we meant to be partners?
While sitting here on this podium, on this mild, summer night, completely soaked after being chased by a man with a moustache wielding a Magikarp, I decide that these are clearly things I must ponder.
Night time is when it becomes blatantly obvious where Lumiose City got its name. This vast collection of large, overbearing buildings is lit up so brightly you'd scarcely believe you were outside. Even now, in the middle of the night, I can make out the pathways clearly, read the numerous signs jutting out the side of many establishments and make out the features of people still wandering the streets. But curiously enough...
"You can't go through here. There's a blackout."
This piece of information came from a worker, complete with high visibility jacket and hard hat. Obviously, he didn't elaborate any further, and just stood there looking all sour, as if telling tourists that they couldn't go past him was a massive chore. Yet, if he just turned around, he would see he wouldn't have to do this job.
There is no blackout. The lights in the buildings behind him are all shining brightly, illuminating the pathway behind him.
As Fennekin and I walk around, we notice that there are other workers stationed at certain points, presumably for the same reason. Again, the lights are all on. The peculiarity of it all would probably make for an interesting mystery, but it's late, and I'm in a city full of strange people. This is no time for mysteries.
One of those strange people comes stumbling out the alley way in front of us. It's a man with dark hair and stubble, dressed in stylish clothes, and reeks of alcohol, cigarette smoke and something that smells sweet; quite possibly perfume. Clearly, this person has had a night out.
He looks our way, and recognition spreads over his face.
"At, it's, um, you. Salut!" he says, waving his hand. I look over my shoulder to see if he was talking to somebody else, and nobody's there.
Why are you saluting me?
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"Did your mother not tell you about me? I'm Augustine Sycamore! I'm the one who gave you that Fennekin."
Ah, so this is the guy who's dumped all his work on five kids, including one who's extremely unwilling and unhappy about it. The esteemed Professor Sycamore, famous for his research in the field of Pokemon, the man who gives amazing opportunities to children by handing them a free Pokemon and Pokedex and, apparently, somebody who indulges his vices.
Suddenly, it becomes clear why he couldn't get professionals to do his job for him.
"Thanks for that," I say, nothing bothering to mask my sarcasm. "My name's Calem, by the way."
"Calem! That was it!" He snaps his fingers. "Anyway, Calem, it's not safe for you to be wandering around at this time of night. There are all sorts of shifty characters around."
Yes, I can see that.
"Why don't you stay at my lab for the night? It's not too far away, and there's plenty of room."
"Your lab has bedrooms?"
"I spend the majority of my life there, so why not sleep there as well?" He shrugs his shoulders. "I prefer staying with friends for the night, but the lab isn't bad, every now and then."
He may think I don't know what he's referring to, but I don't miss the suggestiveness in his tone. You may think that being invited to stay at this guy's home – which it is, for all intents and purposes – would leave me feeling a good amount of trepidation, but I'm actually not worried at all, for two reasons: firstly, he's a friend of my mother, so he's likely to have the best intentions at heart, and secondly, if he does try something, I'll just get Fennekin to set him fire.
I'm sure the alcohol in his blood would burn quite nicely.
So after affirming I'll take him up on his offer, I follow him to his lab. It's a three story building that, despite its own large size, is still a lot smaller than some of the other buildings in the city. The exterior is unremarkable, almost modest, which I'm sure will be the complete opposite of what the interior will be like.
We enter, and pass by what seems to be a lobby area before arriving in a corridor lined with several doors.
"This is where the rooms are," Sycamore explains. "You can have this room."
"Thanks."
"In the morning, there's something I want to discuss with you so, please, hang around for a while." I nod, and he smiles brightly. "Great! Hope you sleep well. Bonne nuit!"
What the heck does that mean?
I enter the room, and flick a switch which turns on the lights. It has a simple layout, with a bed in one corner - which Fennekin immediately jumps up onto and flops down on - a dresser with a mirror in another and a desk against one of the walls. I place my bag on the desk, and then flop down into the simple wooden chair.
"You're not going to sleep?"
I shake my head. "Not tired."
"I could do with a bit of a nap, myself."
"Yeah, it's been such a strenuous hour or so for you," I remark. Fennekin ignores me, already curled up into a ball and attempting to sleep.
With my only source of conversation now gone, I'm left sitting in silence. The problem with night travel is that it can mess up your sleeping pattern, and now instead of being tired like I should be around this time, I'm wide awake. I'm tempted to go for a walk around the part of the city I'm allowed to visit, but don't want to take the chance of meeting a suspicious person without Fennekin with me. You wouldn't think it, but he is the brawn of this duo; I'm a wimp when it comes to defending myself.
So, bored and in need of something to do, I start sifting through the draws in the desk. Maybe I'll find a pack of cards or something...
Moving aside a couple of pieces of paper, I find a small, rectangular stack. Picking them up, I can feel that they're not cards, but polaroids. Photos, in other words.
It's nosy, but I'm going to have a look through these.
The first picture is... of my mother. She's dressed in nice clothes. Was this taken during one of her many social outings?
I move on to the next picture... which is also of my mother, only this time she's missing a few items of clothing. I go to the next one, and she's wearing even less clothing. Sensing a pattern, I move onto the next picture.
Yup, she's naked.
Why are there naked photos of my mum in this room, in Professor Sycamore's laboratory?
Why are there naked photos of my mum, at all?
I flick through the rest of the pictures. A couple are of mum, in the nude, in various poses that I file away into the "things I need to repress" section of my mind, while one is of a man, with styled dark hair, stubble, no clothes, and who looks suspiciously like one Augustine Sycamore.
And guess what? He's also naked.
So my mum is naked, and he's naked, and they're in pictures together, and they "know each other"...
I look at the next picture, and then immediately slap it face down on the desk. I did not want to see that. That's going to be showing up in my nightmares.
My mum and Professor Sycamore did that, and took pictures. Those pictures were found in this room. They did that, in this room, on that bed...
Nope, definitely not sleeping tonight.
Morning finally came, and I was greeted at the door by one of Sycamore's aides, who told me that he was waiting for me in his office on the top floor. I had dragged my sleep deprived self up there with Fennekin, in way too good a mood for this time of day, following at my heels. Once there, Sycamore started acting strangely, re-introducing himself, talking about the reasons why he chose me and other stuff I didn't really pay attention. No doubt it was the script's doing.
Serena and Shauna showed up at some point and then Sycamore said we should have a Pokemon battle. Going by the way the two girls just stood off to the side, it was me who had to battle him.
And that's where we are now. Fennekin is in front of me, facing down Sycamore's Squirtle, and the urge to hurt the professor is so strong that I almost forgot I can't physically touch the guy.
Okay, deep breathes. In, out, in, out... okay. I'm good.
The issue we have here is Squirtle not only has the type-advantage over Fennekin, but also has defences high enough to withstand Scratch. By the time Fennekin has wagged it's tail in it's face enough times to lower its defences – that sounds so incredibly dumb – the Squirtle would just fire off a Water Gun and the battle would be over. The most reasonable course of action here would be use another Pokemon, but I've only got Fennekin, who's a fire-type, and not that strong, and only knows two attacks...
I really should get round to catching more Pokemon.
Well, we'll just have to make-do. Maybe we can outmanoeuvre it, and somehow get it on it s back so it can't defend itself.
"Fennekin, get in close and try knock it off balance."
"You want me to tackle it?"
"Sure, that'll do."
"I don't know Tackle, though."
"Charge into it head first, then."
"Oh, that I can do."
I have no words.
Fennekin runs in, and just as he gets close, Sycamore's Squirtle takes a deep breath, then blam, Water Gun straight to the face. He's hit with such force that he's propelled straight into my arms. It's a good thing I was standing here, otherwise he may have been defenestrated.
I better take him to the Pokemon Centre.
Without a single shred of opposition, I'm able to leave the office, go down the elevator and eventually leave the lab. The citizens of the city don't spare us a second glance, and seem to be normal people, doing everyday, normal things; except for that one guy with red hair and a red suit who was chasing someone in what looked like a leotard.
Repress. Repress.
I enter the Pokemon Centre, and hand Fennekin over to the nurse at the counter. She smiles and tells me to wait for a moment, and through the wonders of modern medical technology, Fennekin is resuscitated in no time at all, looking disgruntled but otherwise healthy.
"We hope to see you again," the nurse says to me, still smiling.
I think this nurse may love her job a bit too much.
Fennekin and I plonk ourselves down on one of the sofas in the lounge area for a strategy meeting. Fennekin, of course, suggests I go and catch one or two more Pokemon so that I don't have to use him all the time. Admittedly, he does have a good point. If I come up against more Water-type Pokemon in the future, or any other type that's strong against Fire, I'm going to be royally boned. On top of that, it'd be great to have a Pokemon that won't sit there laughing at me when I'm getting chased by a leotard wearing weirdo wielding a Magikarp.
The only problem is...
"It's too much work."
"Of course it is. Being the Chosen One is hard work."
"I'd rather just think of another method of winning."
"And in time it takes you to think of that method, we could catch ourselves some new Pokemon."
"There's more than one way to win," I say, aware of how weak an argument it sounds. He's got a point, but I'm not prepared to admit defeat. When there's a problem you can't solve, you either find a way to solve it... or you move on to a different problem that you can solve. Indeed, catching a Pokemon would be a more solvable problem.
But, we can look at it another way: if you don't know the answer, change the question. I don't know the answer to the question "how do we beat Sycamore's Squirtle without catching new Pokemon?", but if the question was "how do we beat Sycamore?", I would be able to give several answers.
It just so happens that several of those answers are sitting in my pocket, and one big trick is hiding up my sleeve.
"I don't like that look on your face."
"This is the look of someone who's just had an idea."
"Oh yeah?"
"Sycamore and I are going to play a little game."
Fennekin and I return to Sycamore's room, and find that he, along with Serena and Shauna, are still standing there in standby mode, awaiting my return.
Should I be flattered?
When I assume the same position as before, the battle restarts. Sycamore sends out his Squirtle again, and Fennekin takes his position in front of me. Now is the time to use my secret weapon.
In my hand, I have a certain collection of photographs. I look through them, and pick out the most offensive, dirtiest picture I could find, suppressing the urge to gag as I did so. I hold it up in front of me. Just like with the girl in the forest, Sycamore's reaction isn't immediate, but his facial expression slowly changes.
It's quite funny to watch, in a weird way.
"Where did you get that?" he exclaims, wide-eyed and pale-faced.
"In the room I stayed in last night," I reply. I shoot him an accusatory stare. "I knew you and mum knew each other, but I didn't think you knew each other this well. Should I start calling you dad?"
The professor puts his hands up in a placating manner. "Don't worry, I'm not your father."
"That's extremely reassuring."
"Your mother and I were close, you know?" he offers, sounding every bit as nervous as he looked.
"I can see that."
"And adults do these kinds of things from time to time."
"Sure, but nonetheless, no kid wants to see their parent like this. It's mentally scarring." I cringe as the image flashes briefly through my mind. Stay repressed, damn you... "And imagine how embarrassed my mum would be if I showed her this."
Sycamore master's his facial expression, and gives me a knowing look. "I see. So it's like that."
I'm so glad we're on the same page here.
"Yup, it's like that." I can't help the smirk that appears on my face.
"You shouldn't blackmail your elders, you know?"
"You shouldn't leave incriminating evidence around for people like me to find."
He chuckles. "Touché. So, what do I have to do to get that picture back?"
I fish a coin out of my pocket, and hold it up for Sycamore to see.
"Play a game of coin-toss with me."
"Is that all?"
"I want to move on and start forgetting this whole thing ever happened and this will be the quickest way to do it," I explain. "We'll each choose a three-digit sequence of coin flips, and then keep flipping the coin over and over. The winner is the one who's sequence appears first. Sound good to you?"
"Fine by me," he says. "What happens if you lose?"
"I'm not going to lose, so it doesn't matter."
As per the deal, I hand him the photos. Boy am I glad to be rid of those.
"Confident. That's good." He deposits the photo in a draw in his desk. He then asks a pen and paper from his desk, and starts scribbling on it. He holds it up. "My sequence is Heads-Tails-Heads."
"I'm going with Heads-Heads-Tails," I state, and he writes it down on the paper. I then hand him the coin. "You can flip."
Sycamore inspects the coins, probably looking for any signs of it being rigged. I am the type who cheats, but tampering with the coin is too obvious, and the challenger throwing the coin is unfair as it stacks the odds in their favour. This is a completely fair and honest contest which either of us can win.
Let me just say, though, that only Sycamore can lose.
Sycamore flips the coin, and it lands on the floor between us with a soft thud. We both peer down to see the result.
It's Heads.
Without a word, he leans down and picks up the coin. He flips it again. Thud. The result is Heads.
Sycamore frowns, but I keep my expression neutral. He repeats the process – pick up, flip, thud – and we both look down to see the result.
It's Tails.
"Looks like it's my win," I announce.
Sycamore sighs, but he's smiling. "So it is." He then pulls something from his pocket, and throws it towards me. "Here, catch."
I catch it. It's a red and white Pokeball. "You're giving me a Pokemon?"
He nods. "I planned on giving you it all along. It's just something to help you on your journey."
Oh, right, the journey. I need to talk to him about that.
"I'll trade you," I say, and hand him a red device I received not too long ago but never actually bothered to use. "I think that fancy gadget of yours is better off in the hands of somebody actually willing to do a favour for you."
"Not many trainers pass up an opportunity like that."
"Let's just say I'm trying to break the mould."
"I see," he says thoughtfully. "Well, you're free to do what you like, Calem. However, I did give you two Pokemon and a place to stay for the night, so maybe you could do me a little favour in return?"
I grimace, realising that it would be slightly unfair if he does me a couple of favours without receiving anything in return. The temptation to run off with the Pokemon is great, but that's exactly the sort of thing that would come back to bite me.
"I suppose so."
"Great. See, here's the thing..."
Sycamore leans down to whisper his favour in my ear. He doesn't need to, since the two girls aren't even paying attention, but I guess he doesn't know that.
"...think you can do that?"
There are times in life where we do reckless things. Sometimes, we do them knowing full well what the consequences will be. Other times, we do them without even thinking about it. We don't know why we do them, and most of the time, once we do them, we sit and wonder why.
Sycamore has asked me to do something reckless. Despite that, I'm going to do it, and no doubt once I do it, I'm going to regret doing it. But this may help me to accomplish one of the things I've set out of accomplish, and if it does, it'll be totally worth it.
What is this thing I want to accomplish?
You'll find out soon enough.
