Chapter 4) Je Ne Sais Quoi

So, I have a gym badge now. Most people would be happy about it, but I was more or less tricked and forced into it, so I can't say I'm too enthused. I also have roller blades, which I am convinced will kill me.

Now, though, the others are dragging me to Lumiose City, the central hub of Kalos, where we're going to officially meet Professor Sycamore. I'm tempted to tell him exactly where he could've shoved his 'request'.

There was something distinctly humiliating that Trevor, of all people in the group, had to help me set up my tent. I wasn't sure what, exactly, since it wasn't right to judge a person by how they looked, but it was also Trevor, who barely looked strong enough to pick up a support for it.

Sighing, I returned to tending to Gwen's fur, eyeing the others warily as they laughed around the campfire. After a few days on Parterre Way, we were finally getting close to Lumiose City, being a day out at most, and now, those three were sitting around the fire while I sat apart and groomed my Pokemon. Calem wasn't with them. After setting up camp and eating the admittedly delicious food Tierno and Shauna whipped up, he had gone off to train before we all went to bed, and had asked me, of all people, to make sure no one died. Now, granted, I was fairly certain it was because Tierno and Trevor were easily distracted, and Shauna was likely to just record their antics for the 'memories', but it did make me feel uncomfortable. I didn't know what to make of them. I couldn't really say I hated them, though I did hate how pushy they were, but I also couldn't say I liked them. They were just… there. That's all.

Tweeting caught my attention and I smiled as Urien flitted to my shoulder and rubbed his head against my cheek. I thought he might be a little bigger, and I wondered if that was a sign that he might evolve soon. While Gwen had handled the Pyroar's share of the battles, the Experience Share meant that Urien was growing stronger too. According to the Pokedex, he'd even learned a few new moves, somehow. I wasn't really sure how this 'Experience Share' thing actually worked, but somehow, but having it on, I could send out one Pokemon, and the rest would also 'gain experience'. It sounded like something from a videogame instead of reality, but then again, we also had the PC system. Technology was weird.

"What are you guys doing awake?" The laughter around the fire ended with sharp squeaks and yelps, and I looked up to see Calem had returned. "Don't you all know how late it is?" he scolded, eyes narrowed. If he'd put his hands on his hips, he'd look like the stereotypical scolding mother. "Get to bed!"

"Oh, come on! We're sixteen, not six!" Shauna protested. She jumped to her feet to pout up at him. "We don't have bedtimes anymore. So, come on and have some fun!"

"We're in the middle of telling scary stories," Tierno added as Shauna dragged Calem down to sit beside her. "We're trying to scare Yulia at this point, though. She hasn't even twitched at any of the stories." That was because I wasn't paying attention. Gwen required a lot of brushing, and it wasn't like I cared.

"Join in, Calem! Surely you know a scary one!"

"M-must we?" Trevor whimpered. He was shivering slightly, and clinging to his Flabebe and Pikachu like security blankets. "Th-that last one was a little… well…"

"Stories are just stories," Calem sighed. He looked so exasperated. "Which one did she even tell?"

"Knock, Knock."

"Oh, that one. Shauna, you know that one freaks him out."

"Trevor already told you that we were trying to scare Yulia!" Shauna defended. She sulked. "But she didn't even react to the part where the killer jumps from the rustling grass."

"Of course not," Calem retorted. He was definitely exasperated now. "Because no one actually jumps from rustling grass, much less-!"

As if life was laughing at us, the nearby bits of tall grass and flowers actually started rustling. Trevor shrieked and jumped into Shauna's lap. Shauna screamed and clung to Calem. Tierno decided to take the slightly more sensible approach of running away, except he tripped over his bag and face planted. Calem had stiffened, but otherwise, remained stoic. Granted, that was likely because he was too busy wincing from all the yelling.

"Guys, it's probably just a Pokemon," I pointed out once the echoes died down. We weren't far from the hedge mazes that seemed really popular for wild Pokemon to play in, after all. "And you likely just chased them away by being loud."

"That's it. Yulia has nerves of adamantine," Shauna groaned. She slowly let go of Calem, but made no move to push off the trembling Trevor. Instead, she hugged him as he shivered. "S-so, someone should check, right?"

"I think we should be more concerned with checking that we have Repel sprayed around our camp. It might've worn off."

"But…" She shrieked as the grass rustled again. "It didn't go away!"

"Oh, fine," Calem sighed. He pushed himself to his feet, and helped Tierno up before walking over to the grass. "Let's see just what… WAH!" He yelped as a white thing popped out of the grass, and fell flat on his ass as it skirted the edges of the grass. The green 'hair' and red horn accompanying the white proved it could really be only one sort of Pokemon. "A Ralts?"

"Really?!" Trevor gasped, scrambling away from Shauna. He went from terrified to curious in .02 seconds there. "Wow, Ralts normally avoid humans…"

"Well, this one didn't." Calem pushed himself up with a groan. "Not what I wanted to do tonight."

"What? Be ambushed by a Pokemon?"

"Falling, but that one too."

As the others slowly relaxed and reassured themselves that their 'killer' was simply a quiet Ralts, the Ralts looked around, peering at us curiously. Shauna cooed at the sight, while Trevor looked absolutely fascinated. Calem definitely seemed annoyed, while Tierno just appeared relieved. I, however, ignored them all to continue brushing Gwen's fur, focusing on getting all the tangles out. There didn't seem to be a point in fussing.

However, something hit my leg, and I squeaked, jerking my head down to find… to find the Ralts had toddled over to me, peering at me curiously. As I stared, they smiled and climbed into my lap, curling up in a very clear message. 'You are mine now.'

"Aren't you lot supposed to be attracted by happy feelings?" I muttered, trying to figure out why they went to me and not, say, Shauna. "What a strange one you are." Sighing, I fetched a cloth from my pack and started wiping the dirt of their face.

"You should catch it!" Shauna insisted suddenly. I nearly fell over when I realized she was right next to me. "Clearly, it wants you to!" Shauna squealed when Ralts nodded. "Go on! Go on!"

"I… er…" I sighed. I already knew I lost. "Oh, fine." I fetched a Pokeball from my bag and held it over Ralts. "You sure you want to come along with me, and not one of the others?" The Ralts tilted their head back and looked at me closely before nodding. "All right then…" One capture later, and I had a Ralts.

I had a distinct feeling that Pokemon catching wasn't 'supposed' to involve the Pokemon literally walking up and asking, but everything about this trip was weird. Maybe this was just how Kalosi Pokemon were, though. Certainly, no one else thought there was anything odd about it.

The next morning, everyone scattered to do their own thing. I spent some time battling and learning about Belle and how she liked fighting. Ralts were notoriously difficult to train, so I was glad for the Experience Share to help both of us out. From there, I decided to just go ahead and hit the city. Unfortunately, though, the path was blocked by two people, a boy and a girl, in white uniforms. I tried to just walk away, but they caught sight of me near instantly.

"Hello there!" the boy called with a grin. I tried not to flinch at just how arrogant he sounded. I had a feeling he wasn't even trying to sound like that. It was just his natural tone. "Have you heard of a Pokemon called Flabebe?" Then again, maybe he was. There was literally twenty Flabebe just three steps away in a flower patch. "Do you?"

"Yes, I do," I replied slowly. My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, just curious. It's just what I'd expect from one of the professor's handpicked trainers!" Oh, yes, he was an arrogant asshole.

"Flabebe is, brace yourself, a Fairy Pokemon!" the girl cheerfully added. She preened a little before continuing. "Fairy Types were discovered recently! They turn the whole type match up on its head!"

"Yes, I already know this," I deadpanned. "The type was officially discovered and classified a few years ago by Sinnoh Champion Penelope, during her Championship Battle with Champion Cynthia." I personally wondered why it had taken so long, but the Fairy Type's signature was immunity to Dragon Type attacks, and not too many people would throw anything but an Ice, Water, or Dragon Type Pokemon at one of those. "Any reason you're telling me things I already know?"

"Boo, you're no fun." She rolled her eyes but smiled. "We're trying to make conversation, silly, but whatever. I'm Sina! A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." Oh, splendid, she was both arrogant and vain.

"I'm Dexio," the boy introduced, bowing slightly. I simply tried to wrap my head around how their names were conveniently related to 'right' and 'left'. "Two years ago, Professor Sycamore entrusted us with the Pokedex. You can think of us as your predecessors."

"But enough of that!" Sina declared, snagging my arm. "Come on. It's time to head to the lab!"

"Yes, it is!" Dexio snagged my other arm. "This way!" And off the two dragged me, paying no mind to my protests as we went through the travel gate and into Lumiose City. I didn't even have time to pretend to gawk at the place as the two continued tugging me after them, easily navigating the winding streets until we were at a place that proudly proclaimed itself as 'Sycamore's Lab'.

From there, they had me in the elevator, up some floors, and promptly delivered me to an older gentleman I assumed was Professor Sycamore before leaving us in his office. I felt like a package.

"Fantastic! You're here!" Professor Sycamore cheered, standing up from his desk. I tried to not glower at the word 'fantastic'. I'd heard far too much of it from Viola. "Come here, come here!" He gestured for me to come closer, and I did so reluctantly. I had a lot of angry words for him, but I also just felt too tired to deal with that anger. "Many thanks for coming here, Miss Gladiola! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I've heard a great deal about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, sir," I replied neutrally. I really didn't want to deal with this.

"How's your Pokedex coming along? How's your journey been?" He acted like he had twelve cups of coffee. Then again, he was a researcher. He'd probably had twenty, and hadn't slept for three days. "Ah, Grace was right. You do have a sort of je ne sais quoi!"

"...I'm something you do not know?"

"A quality that cannot be described is a much better translation of the phase. Reminds me of Cyril, actually." His cheer disappeared then, as if it were a cloak that he just threw off. "I'm sorry about your father." His voice was soft, and the sympathy in it was genuine enough to almost make me tear up. "Cyril was a good man. The world is a little less bright with him gone."

"Thank you." My voice cracked, and I ducked my head. "That does sort of lead in to what I want to know. Why did you choose me to help out?"

"Truthfully, I'd originally was going to ask only Calem. I know his parents. But then I thought he might get lonely or bored. He's a much more sensitive boy than he'd ever let on, so then I thought of his friend. And then… Well, I heard Grace was moving you two here, and I thought it would be delightful if you helped out!" He smiled, and I noticed it was nowhere near as bright as his previous smiles. "Besides, there was a bit of a conspiracy. The original plan was that when you visited Kalos this coming up summer, Cyril would bring you here and we'd talk about you being an intern with me, since my research ties heavily into the Kalosi mythos."

"...Mom didn't mention that."

"Well, Grace might've forgot, or she might've thought I forgot. We were finalizing the plans when the fire happened." His smile softened slightly. "But I'm cursed with a very good memory. Besides, what better way to explore your new region?"

"I had planned on exploring it via the internet."

"Well, that won't do. There's lots to explore!" His smile faded again, this time almost as if it pained him to keep up. This was a man who did his best to hide what he was thinking and feeling, at all times. "I know I'm being a busybody, Yulia, and I do apologize for it. But whether you believe it or not, you can, and will, heal from this. It might end up as a scar, but it'll heal. I believe that it will have less of a chance of consuming you if you were out and about, and I think Grace agrees with me."

"Now why do you think that?"

"Because Grace would cheerfully tell me exactly where to shove my well-intentioned pushiness if she didn't." ...He had a point there. "So, I doubt you trust me, and I doubt you really trust your companions, but you can trust Grace, right?"

"...I suppose." I sighed. "I just wanted to curl up and live my life under a blanket."

"And lose that clever mind that Cyril couldn't wait to see put to research? Perish the thought!" He was back to smiles. But I was certain it was only an act, now. "Now, I expected the others to be here by now, but since they're not, how about a Pokemon Battle?"

"You… want to battle… in your own lab?" I looked around and noticed all the very expensive equipment. "Is that really wise?"

"Oh, they're tougher than they look. I reinforced them when Kukui visited."

"Who?"

"Pokemon Professor from Alola, bit younger than me, specializing in the study of Pokemon moves. Which includes letting himself be hit and launched by them. I still have a crack in my ceiling from it." He pointed for emphasis, and my eyes widened at just how large of a crack it was.

"So, how is he not dead?"

"A question that eludes us all, but the point is, my lab will be perfectly fine." He grinned and stepped back, pulling a Pokeball from his pocket. "Though, just so you know! I'm not that tough!"

"Who says anything like that?" I almost sighed, but then he sent out a Bulbasaur. "A Kanto starter?!" While you did have a lot of Kantonese Pokemon in Kalos, you didn't normally see the starters. "Okay, um…" Based on what I remembered, Bulbasaur was a Grass/Poison dual-type. That meant… "Belle, let's see how you do!' I tossed Belle's Pokeball, and pointed when she landed on the ground and looked at me curiously. "We're battling. Use Confusion."

"Bulbasaur, set up with a Leech Seed!" His Bulbasaur launched the Leech Seed, with it landing right on Belle's head and sprouting to wrap around her horn. "Nailed it!"

"You're still going to get hit with Confusion." Belle proved my point rather neatly, and Bulbasaur cried out in pain as the psychic attack hit. Poison Types were weak to Psychic. "See?"

"Leech Seed will heal some of that damage." He gestured dramatically. "So, Vine Whip!"

"Belle, Teleport and then use Confusion again." Belle did exactly that, Teleporting behind and taking advantage of the surprise to get a second hit in. "Confusion one more time!"

"Bulbasaur, try another Vine Whip!" His Bulbasaur tried, but he stared around in a daze before actually tackling the wall. "Ah, Confusion caused him to be confused."

"Which leaves him wide open." Belle proved my point and used Confusion for a third time. Combined with the damage Bulbasaur inflicted on himself thanks to confusion, that was enough to knock him out, Leech Seed healing or not. "Perfect. Belle, come on back until that seed falls off."

"You do not recall your Pokemon to their Pokeballs?" Sycamore recalled Bulbasaur into his for emphasis, while Belle skipped over to hug my leg. "Most interesting!" He pulled another Pokeball from his pocket. "Go, Squirtle!"

"Are you fighting me with all the Kanto starters?" If that was the case, then… "Urien, let's go!" I threw his Pokeball, and Urien popped out with a little trill. He already knew what we were doing. "Okay, Urien, we're going to try something a little different, okay?" Urien tweeted and nodded. "Thanks."

"Well, while you're strategizing… Squirtle, Water Gun!" His Squirtle launched his attack, and Urien was actually blasted back! "You spent too long talking. My Squirtle took the time to aim for a critical hit."

"Yeah, well, thanks for helping. Urien?" Urien flew over, dripping wet. "Flail."

"...Uh oh." He winced as Urien Flailed at Squirtle, and managed to get a damn good hit in. "I shouldn't have rejoiced at all the damage."

"Nope, since that let me use a maximum powered Flail." I smiled slightly as I glanced at the Pokedex. "Urien, Quick Attack!" Urien obeyed, shedding water as he flew at blurring speeds. He struck Squirtle right in the face, and knocked him back. "I believe that is a critical hit."

"And now I am down to my last Pokemon!" He sighed, shaking his head as he recalled Squirtle. "Well, my last one is-!"

"Charmander, right? Urien, come back." I held out my arm so that Urien could land on my wrist and used my free hand to pull out Gwen's Pokeball. "Here we go!"

"You're spoiling my dramatics." He actually pouted as he threw his last Pokeball, revealing a Charmander. "And your choice is…?" He also actually cheered when I threw Gwen's Pokeball, and she appeared on the field. "Oh, that's the Pokemon you got from me!"

"I suppose." I shrugged, moving Urien to my shoulder. Belle was still on my leg, watching everything curiously. "Gwen, use Psybeam."

"Charmander, Smokescreen!" His Charmander took a brutal hit from Gwen's Psybeam, but managed to hold on enough to breath out a smokescreen, obscuring the area. "All right! Now-!"

"I know Smokescreen is supposed to lower accuracy, but your Charmander has a flame on his tail." Gwen looked distinctly unamused by all the smoke. "Gwen, might take a few tries, but Psybeam him again. Just aim for the flame."

"Charmander, Scratch her!"

"Actually, Gwen, if you can stand it, take the hit, and then attack, because I doubt he went behind." I was quickly proven right as Charmander actually popped out of the smoke in front of Gwen. She was hit, across the eyes at that, but at that range, it was pretty hard to miss. So, her Psybeam sent Charmander flying, knocked out. "I guess I win."

"It seems so! You're simply too much!" Sycamore laughed, though, as he recalled his Charmander. "Let me get a window…" He walked over to the window and opened it to help the smoke clear out faster. I spent that time petting and praising my Pokemon before sending them back into their Pokeballs and returning them to my pack. "There we are!"

"Will no one be concerned by the smoke?"

"I have a very advanced alarm system. The smoke from a Pokemon's smokescreen is different from the smoke from a fire, and it differentiates." He nodded in satisfaction as the last of the smoke cleared out. "I've also got fans to push it out." I had the distinct feeling he battled in here a lot. "Still, you're quite the trainer, aren't you?" He grinned. "Well, as thanks for indulging me, how about you take a Pokemon?" He went to a small box on his desk and opened it up to reveal three Pokeballs. "One of the Kanto starters."

"You're the leading Professor of Kalos. Why do you have Kanto starters?"

"Oh, I asked Professor Oak to give me some for my research." He grinned. "So?"

"Uh… okay?" I walked over and peered at the Pokeballs, as if they would just magically pick one for me. "I guess… a Squirtle?" If I was going to be battling frequently, I'd need a better counter for Fire Pokemon. I'd need one for Water as well, but I didn't feel like training a Bulbasaur.

"Squirtle it is!" He plucked the Pokeball from the box and present it to me as if he were giving me a medal. "I hope you have fun with him." His grin widened as I tucked the Pokeball into my bag. "And there are the wayward ones!" He waved at something behind me, and I turned to see that the others had arrived at last. It was about time!

"Sorry, we got distracted, Professor," Trevor mumbled. Based on how Tierno, Calem, and Shauna all clustered around him, I got the feeling he'd been sacrificed to make the apology. "Um…"

"Well, everyone is here now, so that's all that matters," Professor Sycamore replied. He went back to his friendly smile, and I awkwardly stepped towards the others, Tierno instantly making a place for me, right in the middle. "And now that you're all here, let's get down to business about what I need from you."

"It's not just the Pokedex?"

"No, and honestly, if you feel as if filling the Pokedex prevents you from being the best trainer you can be, or keeps you from having fun, feel free to ignore that. But not this." He was comically stern for a brief second before smiling again. "You see; Dexio and Sina are assisting with determining the strengths and weaknesses of Fairy Types, which means they can't help me with my primary research: Mega Evolution."

"Mega Evolution?" Shauna repeated. She looked confused, and pouted slightly as she stepped out from behind Trevor. "What even is that?"

"A special type of Evolution that occurs only in battle!"

"Wait, really?!"

"Really." He rattled off a few more things, mostly in response to the others, but I tuned them out, feeling strangely… drained. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep for days upon days.

However, a tug on my arm told me that wasn't going to be the case. Sina and Dexio had returned and were dragging me, and the others, off for something. It took me a few seconds to realize we were getting a tour of the facility.

I tried not to groan. I just wanted to be left alone right now.

Sina could give a Pinsir tips in how to use a Vice Grip. It took me over an hour to escape her clutches, and it took me another hour to slip away from the group entirely and head down to the first floor. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't just make my escape. Somewhere was blocking the only path to the door, a taller man wearing a suit and a hairstyle that resembled a Pyroar's mane. It took me a second to realize I knew him: Lysandre, the person from the news story. I never expected to see him, much less talking with the receptionist at the front desk.

"Ah, so he's with his new students," he murmured. He smiled softly, with just a hint of charm. "I do not suppose I could meet them?"

"W-well, the professor mentioned not wanting to be disturbed," the receptionist demurred. She blushed prettily and ducked her head. "Of course, I'm certain he would love for you to meet them, but I do not know what floor any of them are on. I could try to page, but he never answers and…" She glanced to the side and gasped. "Oh, you..." She waved for me to come closer, and it was easy to see she was hiding her disappointment. I was willing to bet she'd been hoping to show him around herself. "Lysandre, here is one of the new students."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss," Lysandre replied. He bowed slightly, the picture of politeness. "To receive a Pokedex… you certainly must be one of the chosen ones."

"I suppose," I replied, trying to not point out the odd phrase. Technically speaking, I was 'chosen' by Professor Sycamore, and I remembered Calem say something about him having difficulties expressing himself verbally. "I can only hope to be worthy of the honor." Lying through my teeth seemed to be the best policy right now.

"Yes, it is the job of those chosen to make the world better." He laughed a little, shaking his head. "Ah, and here I am giving lectures like I am a teacher, or a senior student. I have not even gotten your name yet."

"I apologize for my rudeness." I felt like I was walking uneven ground without any knowledge of why. "I'm Yulia Gladiola, a pleasure to meet you."

"Gladiola?" He looked intrigued suddenly. "You wouldn't happen to be Dr. Gladiola's daughter, would you?"

"I am, yes." I wasn't too surprised. While most people would hear 'Gladiola' and gush about Mom, this guy was clearly more on the scholarly side of things. He'd known Dad more than Mom.

"I'm sorry for your loss. He was one of the few truly kind people in this world." He shook his head. "Brilliant man as well. I've read many of his research papers."

"Based on your own work, I would've thought you'd focus more on scientific papers than what Dad wrote. He was a cultural anthropologist, after all." Though Dad did do a lot of research on Pokemon too, since so much of our lives was tied with them.

"That's how fascinating his papers were." He smiled slightly before looking at me in concern. "How are you, though? Such a tragedy…"

"I'm… healing." I tried not to squirm. It seemed odd that he'd take the time to ask about me, a complete stranger. "Thank you, though."

"Do not hesitate to seek additional help if you need it." He smiled almost gently and gave me a studying look. "I once heard Dr. Gladiola mention his daughter had a certain je ne sais quoi about her. I see he was right." He turned back to the receptionist, and gave her that almost charming smile. "I'll be back another time to talk to Augustine. Thank you."

He nodded a goodbye to me as he walked off and I stared after him, feeling a bit… off. He seemed nice, but at the same time, I wondered if I was just looking at a mask… then I wondered if I was just being paranoid. My best friend had been nice, but he'd also been the serial arsonist who ultimately killed my dad, and a bunch of our friends without a care…

"Yulia!" Shauna's cheerful call was all the warning I got before she jumped me from behind, nearly choking and sending me to the ground since she was shorter than me. "There you are!" she laughed, hopping back. As I rubbed my neck, I noticed the boys get off the elevator and join us. "Sina was super disappointed, but Trevor mentioned how late it was. We're all going to go eat, and then find a hotel!" She took my arm and tugged me after her. "Tomorrow, let's explore the city! It's super incredible! I know you'll love it!"

I was pretty certain I'd love anything that involved people stop snatching my arm and dragging me everywhere, but I'd settle for food. I was rather hungry, and it gave me some time to forget about that very strange conversation.

After all, what were the chances that I'd run into Lysandre again, right?

Notes on Belle:

A female Ralts with a Modest Nature. Apparently, natures help influence what stats a Pokemon excel and fail at.

A Psychic/Fairy Dual Type, one of the many who were reclassified in the wake of the Fairy Type discovery.

Tiny and cozy, she likes sitting in my lap, especially when I'm reading something. I should get a few books to read with her.

Author's notes: So, fun fact. During my 'playthrough to remember things', the very first Pokemon I encountered on this route was a Ralts. And now we have four Pokemon in our roster. Also, we see Sycamore at last, and a proper appearance from Lysandre.

The best definitions I could find for 'Je Ne Sais Quoi' basically involved 'an undefinable, elusive quality, especially pleasing'. So, I'm going off that for the meaning.

Next Chapter - Exploring Lumiose City