Chapter 6- Bribery and Departure

For the next four days, Rachel continued to study and train underneath the watchful eye of Professor Sycamore. Although she went to bed each night with her head swirling with stats and facts, she studied with a ferocity that left her with a headache nearly every day. For the first half of the day, Sycamore always led her into the arena to battle with Luna. He changed up her opponents, using sometimes more than one Pokemon. Rachel smiled with satisfaction as she remembered how Luna had defeated them all.

During these battles, Rachel began to learn the finer details about Pokemon battling, like the different status conditions that the creatures could inflict upon themselves. On the third day, Sycamore's Vivillon had poisoned Luna with powder from its brilliantly pink wings. Rachel had been frantic, but Sycamore had explained to her how Trainers could choose to use medicine and heal their Pokemon instead of taking their turn.

The best battle had been on the morning of the fourth day. Sycamore had used a Machoke- a Fighting-type Pokemon. "Now think, Rachel," he had called. "You're at a complete disadvantage, but can you think of a strategy to overcome it?"

She had. After her three previous wins Rachel's confidence had grown tremendously with her knowledge. She had commanded Luna to use Toxic to poison the Machoke, and then she had her use Dig twice. Although Luna had gotten hurt and needed to be healed immediately after the battle, Rachel felt she had never tasted a sweeter victory.

Luna was growing stronger, too. Rachel used the Pokedex to check Luna's information shortly after the battle with the Machoke and was pleased to discover she was now level 33. Luna's trust in Rachel was growing, and on the third night Rachel had been surprised when she felt Luna jump up on the foot of Rachel's cot, curl up, and promptly go to sleep. As far as Rachel knew, Luna had not even slept in Mary's bed.

In the evenings, Sycamore always drilled Rachel on various things. Usually it was the different types and their strengths and weaknesses, but he sometimes quizzed her on other information, such as her general knowledge of Pokemon behavior and the laws governing Trainers. He told her that after a Trainer battle, the loser always gave the winner prize money. The amount was usually determined by how much money the Trainer had, although they could choose their own amount to give.

Now, Sycamore walked beside Rachel as they strolled through South Boulevard. Luna trotted beside them, her head held high in order to proudly display her new coat. A blue star adorned her forehead and tail, and the fur around her feet was blue as well. Rachel had never seen Luna without her traditional pink heart cut and hadn't been able to resist trying out something new when she took Luna to the groomer's as a reward for her recent prowess in battle. Rachel normally explored the cafés and shops in the evenings with only Luna for company, but today Sycamore had insisted in accompanying her.

"You've nearly mastered the basics. You caught on much quicker than I thought. It won't be long now until you're ready to leave."

"I wish I could stay longer," Rachel confessed. She watched a pair of Fletchlings twitter and flutter around a neat little rosebush growing in a pot beside the office building they were currently walking past. "I'm sure I could live in this city for the rest of my life and still not see everything in it. But the sooner I can leave, the better."

"Then it's important to have a plan. I wanted to come with you today because I was hoping you'd meet with an acquaintance of mine. He might have some information that could help you on your journey. He declined to tell me more over the phone, but I told him your story and perhaps he'll be willing to disclose it when we see him."

"Where is he?"

"Not far now. He agreed to meet us at the café just up ahead. Now, before we get there, what type of Pokemon is Talonflame?"

"Fire and Flying," Rachel said certainly.

"What attack would be best against it?"

"Well, normally Ground-type moves are strong against Fire Pokemon. But since Talonflame is Flying as well, then the best attacks would be Water or Electric type."

"Very good! What about Psychic, what are the best attacks against a Psychic Pokemon?"

"Bug, Ghost, and Dark, right?"

Sycamore nodded, pleased. "I think you have type matchups pretty much down pat. That's good."

They walked along in silence for ten minutes, then Sycamore nudged Rachel. "There's the café," he said. "Follow me, please."

They entered the café, which was small, cozy, and well-lit. A soft comforting chatter filled the room as many people talked quietly amongst themselves in their booths. A plump, friendly looking waitress approached them and asked if she could get them anything.

"Two coffees, please." The waitress smiled and walked over to the bar as Sycamore scanned the crowd. He inclined his head to a booth near the back. "Ah, there he is." Rachel followed the professor as he made his way over to the young man who stared broodingly into his coffee mug.

"Tom. Thank you for agreeing to see us," Sycamore said pleasantly. The man glanced up at Sycamore and motioned for them to sit down. Rachel noticed that although his facial features were average and bland, he had very odd looking hair. It looked as though it had once been dyed bright red, but the color was fading and his brown roots were showing profusely. He was wearing a black fedora, which Rachel suspected he was using to hide his hair, but it was failing miserably. Tufts of multicolored hair still showed beneath its rim.

"Rachel, isn't it?" Tom asked. His voice was low, smooth, and oily. Rachel suppressed a shudder as she slid into the booth next to Sycamore. Luna obligingly plopped herself onto the floor beside Rachel's sneaker-clad feet.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you," Rachel lied. This man gave off an air of seediness and she felt uneasy about him.

"And I you," Tom said. He smiled, but the smile didn't seem to reach his cool, blank eyes. He turn his attention to Sycamore. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. You called me because you thought I might have information about the illegal Pokemon trade. It just so happens, I do. And I'll be willing to tell you what I know…for a price."

Sycamore began to reply to the man, but stopped when the waitress approached with their coffee. "Thank you," said politely. As soon as she was safely out of earshot he said to Tom, "I should have expected it. How much do you want?"
"I don't want money," Tom said, his eyes flashing. "I want you to get the cops off my tail. Make them drop the charges. It's been a year, and Team Flare is pretty much done. I'm not serving time for this, not if I can help it. You, you're a fancy talker. If you can convince them that I never meant any harm, that I've turned over a new leaf, whatever- I'll give you what you want."

Rachel sipped her coffee and felt bitter disappointment rise up within her. She had gotten to know Sycamore pretty well in the past few days and she knew he would never stoop so low as to help a petty criminal and lie to the authorities. But when she glanced at the Professor she was astonished to see that he was actually smiling.

"Oh, I don't know, Tom," he said casually. "Let's just say that I do it your way. What's to stop me, when I plead your case to the police, to mention your nighttime occupation to them? I'm speaking, of course, about your little business you run out of the warehouse located on Magenta Plaza. What if I were to accidently let it slip? They don't know about that, do they?"

Tom eyes blazed with anger. "How do you know about that?"

"You're not exactly very discreet, Tom. I have my sources."

Tom glared at the professor. "Never miss a trick, do you?"

"I try not to," Sycamore said, pleased. "Now, let's get down to business. My offer-you tell me what we need to know, and I don't go to the police at all. The charges against you right now are minor, but I doubt they'll be so forgiving if they learn what you do at night."

"Alright, you made your point," Tom grumbled. He glanced around. "You have your sources, I have mine. In Cyllage City there's an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Rumor has it that sometimes people are seen coming in and out of it, usually known Trainers. These Trainers are sometimes seen afterwards using Pokemon they didn't have before; rare ones from other countries, usually."

Sycamore leaned forward, his eyes intense. "Stolen Pokemon, do you think?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're a former Pokemon thief," Sycamore pointed out.

"Yeah, and not a very good one," Tom admitted with a grimace. "My guess is that they are. Seems kinda suspicious, don't it?"
"Yes, it does," Sycamore agreed quietly. He studied Tom for moment. "Are you sure you know nothing about Code Black's operations?"

"I told you already, no," Tom said sharply. "They're good about keeping themselves hidden. I haven't even heard rumors, and you know the kind of people I parley with."

"I didn't think so," Sycamore said with a sigh. He motioned for Rachel to get up so that he could do the same. Placing the money for their coffee on the table he said, "Well, thank you for your time, Tom." He extended his hand, and Tom shook it. Rachel noticed uncomfortably that Tom's eyes were focused on her intently.

"If you go to Cyllage," he said suddenly to Rachel, "you keep your head down. Find out what you need to find out and move on. If that house is a trading point for Code Black, you can bet they'll be keeping an eye on anyone poking around. They ain't a bunch to mess with."

Rachel swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "I know."

Tom smiled grimly and sipped his coffee. "Good. Just remember that. You have a nice day, now."

Rachel gave a smile that felt more like a grimace as she followed Professor Sycamore out of the café and into the busy Lumiose streets. Luna strutted beside them.

"That man," Rachel said the second they began walking down the sidewalk, "does he belong to Team Flare?"

Sycamore frowned. "He used to. As soon as he saw that Team Flare was about to be brought down he fled and watched it crumble. He's spineless and dumb, but he's a wellspring of valuable information if you can stand to talk to him."

"What sort of business does he run on Magenta Plaza? The one police don't know about?"

"Various unsavory things," Sycamore replied seriously. "Nothing that I'd care to discuss, anyway."

"He was trying to bribe you," Rachel said.

Here Sycamore grinned. "Yes. And I suppose you can say for all intents and purposes, I bribed him back. A small price to pay for getting this lead. How do you feel about what he said? About the house in Cyllage?"

Rachel focused on her feet as she walked. "I think it's them," she said finally. "I mean, it couldn't hurt to start there at least, could it?"

"No," Sycamore agreed. "I don't think it could hurt."

As they strolled back to the Pokemon Lab, Sycamore continued to quiz Rachel on type matchups. She was pleased when she got nearly all of them right.

Three days after the meeting with Tom, Rachel sat on her cot in Sycamore's lab. She stowed away her Holocaster in her bag, smiling as she remembered the conversation with her mother she had just had over the device. Mary was worried when Rachel told her about her plans to investigate the goings-on in Cyllage, but she was supportive. She had been delighted to hear about Rachel's new status as a Trainer and her budding relationship with Luna, who now refused to sleep anywhere but beside Rachel. Despite Rachel's constant assurances that she would be careful when she reached the town, Mary had still seemed troubled.

After making sure that all of her belongings were safely packed away in her bag, Rachel slowly stood and glanced around the room. Sorrow faintly fluttered in her chest; she was going to miss this place. It was cozy and secure, whereas she could only see danger ahead. But she felt she was going to miss Sycamore most of all. With his guidance and compassion, he almost reminded her of the father she barely remembered.

Heaving a sigh of reluctance, she left her makeshift bedroom and started down the hall to Sycamore's office. She hoped that he was there; she wanted to say goodbye and she didn't have time to wait for him to return. She was relieved to see him sitting at his desk, poring through a stack of complicated-looking papers. He smiled when he saw her walk in.

"I assume you're ready to leave now?"

"I am," she said, secretly liking how strong and confident her voice sounded.

"I agree," Sycamore said. A hint of pride showed on his young, handsome face. "You've grown more in this short amount of time than I ever thought possible. With the knowledge that I have given you, and with Luna's help, I have no doubt that you can find your Aron. Before you leave, I have a few crucial pieces of advice that I hope you heed."

"First, exercise extreme caution. Don't be afraid to run if you have to; there's no shame in fleeing from certain defeat. Secondly, if you find your journey goes beyond Cyllage-and maybe you should even if it doesn't, just in case- get more Pokemon. I know you trust Luna and I know she's capable, but you need as much support as you can get. Thirdly, always remember that you can return here if you feel you need more time."

"Thank you," Rachel said, swallowing back her sadness. "For everything, I mean. I think I might have a chance now. If you hadn't been so kind, I don't know what I would have done."

"I only did what was right," Sycamore said softly. "Remember that if you ever see someone in need that you can help. Always pass it on. Now, I took the liberty of gathering up a few items that might be of use to you." He opened a drawer in his shiny mahogany desk. Reaching inside it, he passed a large felt pouch over to Rachel. She examined it and found it contained numerous bottles of medicine, a large yellow spray can, and several more Pokeballs.

"Pokemon Repellant," Rachel read the label of the spray can.

"It'll come in handy if you end up having to make camp outside," Sycamore said gravely. "Trust me; I've made plenty of expeditions in my day. Nothing ruins a good night's sleep quite like waking up to a Likitung in your tent."

Rachel giggled. "Thank you," she said, stowing the pouch in her now bulging bag. Sycamore stood up and crossed over to Rachel.

"I have nothing more to say now, except be careful," he said as he hugged her. She hugged him back. "I'm proud of how far you've come, and I know that you can bounce back from anything you might encounter on your way."

"I hope so," Rachel said quietly as she broke the hug and adjusted the strap of her bag. After glancing at her watch, she waved at the Professor as she stepped out of his office.