I'm not quite sure whether this chapter or the following chapter (which will be released next week) was written first. By their subject nature, they were written around the same time, and I was experimenting with whether or not I was able (and willing) to write things along that line. While I was satisfied with a test piece, I decided that including it (or even following it) wouldn't be beneficial for the story, not in the long run.
The first time he'd heard about Akuo was several months ago, back at Saffron's Magnet Train station. There, two gentlemen had been conversing about how they were looking forward to stopping at a place in Ecruteak. It was no onsen for their weary bodies, but the services offered were still nice. He wasn't able to check out the place until a few months later. Just about every person he asked had given him a dirty look and wandered off immediately. It took him booking a room in one of the more luxurious hotels of Ecruteak for their exquisite shower and bath fixtures and asking one of the staff to finally get an answer. That conversation had led to the staff treating him as if he was a VIP; something he wasn't quite against, but still found a minor annoyance.
After his first visit to the elusive place, he'd made it a point to stop by Akuo any time he was in Ecruteak longer than a few days. Thanks to being one of the central hubs of Johto, this meant every other month or so.
A part of him questioned whether these frequent visits meant he should swing by Kalos and visit June, but the professional part said that what he was doing was nothing more than staying on top of local events; a task that he couldn't really do on his own because of his work. His hostess seemed willing to accommodate his requests, too- a far cry from her usual clients, she'd told him in a breach of privacy.
It was a significantly more weighty expense than he was used to, but it wasn't as if he had a card specifically for splurging. He still felt bad whenever he checked the account though- the first two calls he'd gotten from his bank hadn't helped either. As was irritatingly common in his life, the person on the other side was a woman and had seemed positively scandalized of why she had to call him. It took a short conversation of mutual embarrassment for that situation to be handled.
At least now, five visits in, he felt no shame in his visits. His hostess, Geneva, had taken to educating him on several matters she felt he was lacking in. "A personage such as yourself should not be ignorant in these things. I refuse to serve someone so uninformed," or so she had said.
After thinking about it some, he found himself agreeing with her. There was no shame in being a worker of the night, even if that particular service was one they'd only recently started engaging in. People had desires, and people were willing to provide them. It was as simple as that.
Plus, Akuo's services, hidden or not, was one that they could trace back to before the advent of apricorn containers. The art of entertaining esteemed people within society was one that needed to be finely trained, she had explained. What music the higher echelon would indulge in, the drinks they would partake, the foods they would consume. Each one was a careful piece of society that had to be considered, weighed against the modern day views the culture of the official held.
Personally, he just thought it was nice to have somebody perform for him and only him. A far better cry than having to dress up in a stuffy suit, sitting next to dozens if not hundreds of other people who would judge his every action, whether he knew it or not. Geneva, as far as he could tell, was glad she could relax a little on the clock, rather than having to maintain her professional façade.
As for his pokémon, for the most part they seemed relieved, if not entirely supportive, of his relaxed state. He had to admit it was a different kind of state from getting a massage- done by Celèste with a refined usage of Heal Pulse alongside gentle aura spikes. When they'd discovered exactly what the move did oh so many years ago, the first thing the lucario had done was pester him for materials on how to enhance its usage outside of battle.
Still, the morning after he'd come back from an extra service was always a minorly annoying one. Morgan's prankster behavior had shifted completely to dirty, teasing looks. Celèste was quite proud of him and a grin never left her face for two day. Umbral completely refused to rest on any part of his body, and Caitlyn never got closer than arm's distance for the remainder of the week. The first two times, every so often she'd let out a squeak and rush away from him. When he realized those moments coincided with him remembering his time with either Geneva or June, he made an effort to try and spare her the apparent mortification. Deus and Emerl didn't care either way, so long as the former got to continue practicing against everyone and Emerl was allowed to roam about and people watch.
Three 'visits' in (with today marking the fourth) their reactions were still the same, minorly muted once they realized it would become part of their routine. The receptionists had learned his face and name by now, and their routine of greeting and small talk was well practiced. A short few minutes later, they would escort him to Geneva's room, the woman already quietly playing her shamisen.
As tradition dictated, Alex sat at the low table with his legs folded underneath him, partaking in Geneva's music. Most of the songs he couldn't recognize the origin of, but a few of them he recognized as ancient folk tales told at Ecruteak's Dance Theater. The replaying of them was exceptional, he felt, and with every bar he could easily recall the movements of the performers. Not by way of memorization, but because Johto's culture was so different from Unova's, it was impossible to forget completely.
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Quicker than he'd liked, Geneva's playing came to an end, the woman touching her head to the floor before sitting on the left side of the table. "I hope that my music was appreciable to you, good sir."
"Your skill with the shamisen is as exquisite as ever, Miss. I could return here every week for the rest of my life and I would never tire."
She dipped her head slightly. "Your words honor me. If I might inquire, how are your employees managing their projects? If I recall, you made mention of awaiting additional assignments from your superiors."
"They're handling things adequately. A recent trip up north brought new information to my top subordinate, and with assistance from our contacts there, she managed to master a skill that had been eluding her for some time. Quite fortunate, I must say. We've not had the time to integrate her newfound abilities into the skills of the others, but I suspect it should not take much effort for them to bring her to an acceptable level."
"Up north you say?" Geneva gave a measured expression of awe. "My, networking with groups so far away. How very much like your company to do so."
"I cannot claim all the credit." Mindful not to let his hands escape from their clasp underneath the table, Alex gave a small smile. "Is it the direction of my superiors that allow me and my team to travel as much as we do. We were simply lucky enough to have our talents recognized."
"In regards to your travels," her eyes seemed to gain a glimmer of mirth and curiosity here, "might you plan on extending your work into the land of Galar?
"Perhaps in a few years time," he responded. "For the time being, our jurisdiction is that of Johto. Down the line we may be sent there, but not for many years. I suspect an associate of mine will be heading there around this time next year. Once she wraps up her business in Alola, as the de facto pioneer from our field I wouldn't doubt seeing news articles about her accomplishments in yet another entering region.
"Hilda Mendez, correct? One of Unova's most influential people, is she not? More so than yourself, though I mean no offense by the statement."
"None taken." Despite his best attempts to stay focused on his companion, Alex found himself starting to fidget. Small, minor things, but enough to have broken his professional composure. "Considering her position, I would say her actions carry more weight than the Daughter of Dragons."
Geneva giggled. A not unpleasant sound, despite her deeper than average voice. "Using titles now, are we, Master of Energy?"
Alex's lip twitched. "Please, my lady. Such titles are for board rooms and conference calls."
"As you wish, Good Sir." By some unknown signal that only Geneva picked up on, the woman demurely excused herself. When she came back, it was with a tray of refreshments delicately plated for the best presentation. "Your meal, kind sir. And as requested, refreshments of our choosing. To you we offer wine from the vineyards of Galar. We hope it is to your liking."
Alex waited until Geneva had fully sat back down before picking up the glass of wine. While June had done her best to introduce him into the world of wine tasting and all its nuances, two years was more than enough to dull his memory. That didn't mean that with his first sip, he couldn't imagine the fields of grapevines trawling across the land. Farmers tending to the branches and toiling away at the roots, the workers transporting the barrels made of white oak. For a brief moment, the whispers known as Jealousy bemoaned his appointment to Johto rather than Galar. "Normally I prefer my wine to be sweeter, but somehow this one agrees with me."
"I am pleased to hear that." From her seated position, Geneva gave a small bow.
After another sip of the wine, whose name Alex intently made sure not to learn, he looked over the various pieces of sushi that had been prepared. There was his usual staple of eel- both paired alone with rice and with the additions of avocado and crab. To the side, a small assortment of roe based dishes lay prominently; while the style was still odd, it had been growing on him over the past few visits.
At the very top of the plate, three pieces of temaki- sushi contained within seaweed that was rolled into a cone- rested, opening away from him so as to hide their contents. "An odd taste, that one," he commented, trying to figure out whether or not he liked how the wine paired with the sushi. "I've had it before, but I'm not quite sure where."
Geneva waited for him to swallow before speaking, her own cup filled with something only she knew partially raised to her lips. "The temaki was made with meat from a krabby farm."
"Ah, now I remember." Alex picked up another piece and chewed carefully, recalling the last time he'd had it. It was a formal dinner back in Kalos, one regarding the various farm owners of Central Kalos. He'd went there as a plus one and had his eyes opened to quite a few of the upper class dishes.
Meals involving the harvests of pokémon weren't unheard of, but in modern day society it was rare to find an affordable restaurant with such a selection. The issue lay in having to ensure that the pokémon grown were stunted enough to lack the sapience of standard pokémon. In essence, they were little better than fully wild 'mon, nothing more than the base instincts of sentients in a familiar package.
When his plate was empty and his second glass of wine had been consumed, Geneva took the dishes away, returning a few moments later with tools for tea making. As one- a learned behavior on Alex's part rather than instructed- the two sat straight. Slowly and methodically, the hostess worked her way through the cleaning and preparations of the tea. The intricacies were lost to him, and he could only guess at what each movement and how long they lasted meant. In time- with Geneva taking a few moments to smooth out her robes- the tea was presented to him with a bow, one that Alex had been previously instructed to return.
Light and with just a hint of bitterness, Alex felt more amused than concerned that Geneva had selected yet another refreshment he enjoyed. After expressing his thoughts on the drink- including his suspicions on where the leaves had come from- Geneva left the room with an amused smile. When she returned, it was with a small box containing six unembellished confectionaries, each having various depictions of Mew from across the ages. "I thought you might enjoy something to accompany your tea. In consideration to our previous conversation, I had the patterns changed from the traditional symbols of Ho-oh and Lugia."
"It's sweet." Alex blinked and stared at the biscuit in his fingers. Traditional Johto sweets were significantly more muted than the confections of Unova or Kalos, thus the taste of the snacks came as a surprise.
Geneva hid her mouth behind a robed hand and gave a delicate giggle. "That's a result of the wine and tea from before. Enjoyable, is it not?"
"Mm." Alex took another bite of the treat, giving a pleased hum at how well it paired with the tea. "Why do I sense you put great effort into your selections for today?"
"You honor me with your praise." She gave another short bow, palms pressed together. After several minutes of quiet consumption, Geneva took away the now empty box, leaving them with the tea supplies. "Tell me, what was the most recent thing you have heard?"
"Barring things I am not allowed to talk about?" Alex closed his eyes, taking a moment to center his thoughts. "The Gym Leaders are increasing their efforts for next season's Circuit. It seems that there's something special to occur, though word from the Elite Four and the JPA has yet to trickle down."
"Oh? I'll be sure to look into that." The two of them shared a small smile. Over the course of the next half hour, Geneva brought up several events around Johto. In Goldenrod, various amateur reports on acts of bribery within the dock's warehouses were popping up; none of them were truly substantiated within the public eye, but the sheer volume of them suggested truth lay somewhere. To the east, the spring rains had caused a mudslide along route 42, forcing those who traveled by foot to pass through Mount Mortar. "There's also been an incident in Olivine City that might interest you."
Alex muttered a quiet 'thank you' when Geneva refilled his cup.
"It seems that somebody new to the field underestimated how much trouble negligence could cause." Before he could utter a word, the woman raised a soft hand, taking a long sip of her tea before speaking again. "An entire sector was temporarily shut down while repairs were made. It was a stroke of luck that nobody else suffered, but the damage took several days to fix."
Alex pursed his lips. "What kind of damage was it?"
"The standard sort when something is left operating without proper supervision. It seems the person responsible was penalized-"
"Geneva."
She blinked. Significantly more subdued, "The trainer lost control of their pokémon completely. Nothing they said, nor the commands of others, were able to reign it in. It took the combined efforts of three others to subdue the pokémon, and a few of them required an extended stay at a Center to recover." She calmly refilled her cup, letting it rest in her hands for a moment before pushing it in front of her. "You know something about the situation, don't you?" It was a statement, not a question.
"Nothing I'm allowed to speak about, I'm afraid." Alex downed his tea, slowly turning around the cup in his hand with his fingers. "But nothing good, to say the least."
"Should we be concerned about this?"
"It's too soon to tell, but those who are in charge of situations like these have already been informed." He placed his cup closer to Geneva, the woman refilling it and passing it back. "I'd like to say that something such as the Olivine incident won't occur again, but this early I couldn't promise such a thing."
"Will this cause problems for my sister?"
"It might," he said after a moment. "The next time you talk to her, tell her that there is absolutely no shame in forfeiting a match. Knowing your limits is an important skill- in any profession." Spotting a brush and ink stone laying on a table, Alex motioned towards them. "Forgive me, but may I?"
She gestured for him to go ahead. "I wasn't aware you knew how to use them."
"Travel as much as I do, and you pick up various things." In short order a small amount of ink was prepared. "Pardon me." Exposing the underside of Geneva's forearm, Alex quickly wrote down his contact information. "I know this is rather inappropriate, but I think we both know I'm in a position where not having this would be the worse option." He sat back down on his feet, giving her a moment to stare at the information. "If something ever happens to her, or even if you think she's in trouble, give me a call. I'll make sure she's safe."
"Inappropriate indeed," she murmured. "But thank you. Knowing I can rely on you to protect my sister puts my mind at ease."
/ - /
Three days in the city and Alex was itching to get back on the road. The risk of having special training being observed was too high in an urban environment. He could have asked Morty for use of his gym at night, but that came with its own set of problems, not even counting the distaste pulling rank left in his mouth.
He'd already done everything he wanted to: attending a showing at the Dance Theater; catching up with his old friend Lance from Unova (still working at the Battle Subway and poised to take control of the Black line if/when Ingo retired); he'd even gotten so bored as to look up news from Alola to see what Hilda was up to. At least by tomorrow morning he'd have a heading again. Since his last assignment, Tuesday had been swamped with time sensitive work. It wouldn't be until then that she'd finally be able to take a nap- or at least, a breather.
And so it was, on a quiet Friday night, that Alex found himself strolling along the back streets of Ecruteak's entertainment district. Much like the rest of the city, the designs of the buildings harkened back to days of old. Wood and brick lined walls, planter boxes underneath windows containing quaint plants or carefully maintained berry bushes. Once upon a time the roads had been made of cobble, but in order to accommodate for automotives the majority of them- such as the one he was currently on, had been converted to asphalt.
Eventually, and with the light of the partial moon bearing overhead, Alex heard a sound that didn't quite belong. In fact, it was a sound he'd expect if he were back in Unova or even Kanto, rather than Johto. With his steps quickened, Alex made his way towards the noise, finding himself at the only entrance to an alley between three buildings. Taking in a breath to compose himself, Alex stepped forward, making sure his steps echoed off the walls.
One of the thugs looked up from his victim. More than a little drunk, based off his flushed face and messy clothing. "Get out of here if you know what's good for you," he slurred.
"Sorry, I just have this thing where I can't keep myself from intervening when somebody's getting shaken down like this." He slid a hand into the pocket of his pants, cocking his head slightly. "Y'know. At least if it's not deserved."
"It doesn't concern you." The man turned to face him completely, an unhappy look on his face.
"Somebody on the ground, two people who are drunk over them- it concerns my conscience, at least."
"Kid, this is your last warning. This is Ecruteak business."
"Yeah, well. Now it's mine as well." Alex took a proud, taunting step forward. The wide swing of the bottle- still partially filled- was easily dodged. He jabbed his elbow into the man's gut and quickly backed off, hands held loosely before him in a familiar stance. "We don't have to do this, you know. Just walk away."
"Grr, Kaito, get over 'ere."
Alex glanced down at their waists. No belt. No bulges on their robes either that would've given away the presence of a pokéball. Where it not for the person still curled up on the ground, he would've broken out either Celèste or Cayla, but to do so would've risked one of them doing something stupid. "Oh, a two on one? This might actually be fair."
Getting into a fight personally was always an idiotic move. Pokémon were physiologically meant to get into combat. Not even counting their ability to convert energy into external attacks, their skin and bones were extremely durable. It took specially maintained metals to be able to cut through, or particularly heavy blows at the right spot in order to break something. For humans such as them, a simple knock to the head could risk a KO, and slashing glass could tear through skin as easily as melted butter. Against brawlers with no particular skill, the risk of something undesirable occurring was even higher.
Luckily, the fight didn't go beyond several seconds before the two realized through their drunken states that the stances he was using were that of various pokémon. A deepening of his current one- an adaptation of Celèste's favored position for Counter- made them run off, their still filled bottles held tightly in their hands. Once he calmed down his nerves, Alex turned around to help the person up. "You okay there?"
"Oh, I'm quite fine, Good Sir." The owner of the teasing voice moved into a sitting position, graciously accepting his hand. Now illuminated by the moon and lamp light streaming in from the main road, Alex could see the still moist blood trailing down the side of Geneva's face. On the other side, her right cheek was showing the beginnings of a rather prominent bruise.
Alex pulled back his hands, keeping them at his sides. Instinctively he wanted to grab hold of her face to examine the damages, but that kind of personal contact with Johtoans was rather taboo. "They didn't do anything, right?" He asked hesitantly. "If they did, I can throw my weight around and make sure-"
"It's nothing I'm not used to, Good Sir." Geneva brought her hand to her lips, wetting the back of her thumb before trying to clean off the blood. "As they said, it's a business regarding Ecruteak."
"Well," he tried not to let his anger show, "as an uncultured Unovan, would you be terribly offended if I escorted you back to your home?"
"Inappropriate indeed," she whispered behind the sleeve of her robe. "If you must, so be it."
Following behind at a respectable distance, Alex realized for the first time how much stigma Geneva faced. The visible whispers and sneers were common early on, but once he tucked part of his jacket behind a hand to prominently display some of his pokéballs, the discrimination slowly disappeared. It was only once they started passing a few other night owls that stared more at him than Geneva did Alex start relaxing.
"Alex…" Geneva stopped and turned to face him. "Do you-" She paused, concern briefly flashing across her face. "Would you want to come inside?"
He would be a liar if he didn't find the uncharacteristic behavior a little alluring. "Is that allowed?" He asked, looking up at the small apartment complex.
"I think Mother would make an exception this once, considering your actions."
Once more he followed her lead, weaving through several buildings before finally moving up one of the stairs. Her apartment was par for the course among Johto designs, though not quite as compact as most places. Bedroom to the left, kitchen and living room straight ahead. What was most interesting was the entire wall dedicated to posters.
On either end of the spread were posters of Roxie's band- of Unova fame. On the middle left was a poster regarding a movie that had come out a few months ago from the recently reinstated Hollywood, Kanto, and on the right hand side a poster from Pokéstar Studios. In the center, posters regarding various trainers were scattered about. Most of them were of each region's more 'cool' Champions- acting or otherwise- though a few of them were of trainers of note. The famed trainer known as 'Red' was the one that caught his immediate attention; the winner of the first ever Pokémon League held in Kanto had last been spotted in Alola at some point, and the candid photo of him reflected that.
What he brought up when she returned from the bathroom was the one of himself. It was a photo taken during the middle of one of his Contest battles many years back. An 'Action Shot' if there ever was one. In that particular event, he was participating in a Doubles battle with Umbral and Morgan. As part of their gimmick that run, at the end of every set of commands, they'd return to him and skid around his body, taking in the whispered orders before shooting out, using an outstretched arm as a launch point. The directive gestures were something they still did to this day, especially when trying to be stealthy. "I didn't know you were a fan," he remarked dryly.
"I wasn't. Not until you came by a third time and said you'd return for a fourth. At that point I knew I'd have to look into you to better your experience. Your battling style is very beautiful, rare as the footage is. You must have loved your time as a Coordinator."
"If I didn't love the outdoors so much, I probably would've stayed with it." Alex smiled softly. To this day some of his Unovan friends bugged him about returning to the scene. "Hey, how's your..." He gestured vaguely to his own face, the injuries she'd received hidden underneath adhesive bandages and her hair.
"Better than it looked. Head injuries are always like that. Do you mind if we take a picture real quick? Before the bruising becomes more prominent. As far as role models go, you're not all that bad. I'm sure my sister would love to look through your footage."
Alex gave an understanding hum. The pictures of trainers made sense now, especially considering Geneva didn't have a pokémon of her own. As she'd once told him during a less than professional time, 'People are more lenient if you don't have a pokémon. The laws for crimes against those without one are far more strict than those who have protection.'
"You still sure you don't want me to try and get you one?" He asked, keeping a soft smile as she turned the camera horizontally. "Even if you basically keep them as a house 'mon, I know some people who could get you one with basic training. Enough to keep you safe and able to get away from trouble."
"Alex, if I wanted to have a pokémon, I would've picked up a kimono and joined the Theater." She smiled slyly. "You know. Once they got past my work experience. Speaking of which, I never did provide that last service you requested."
Alex frowned. "Geneva, I'm going to have to put a rain check on that. You just got assaulted."
She sauntered up to him, placing her hands longingly on his shoulders. "And I'm trying to forget, and unlike you, I don't drink."
"Don't make it sound like I do it excessively." He turned his head away when she moved in for a kiss. "Geneva, stop it. On top of breaching whatever code of professionalism you have, this isn't right."
"Alex, just accept it," she whispered, kissing his cheek once again.
"Sorry." He brought his hands up and grabbed hold of her shoulders, pushing her out a little. She squirmed under his grip.
"Alex, you're hurting me."
"No means no, Geneva. Another time. I'll stay with you tonight if you want, but I'm not doing that with you. Not like this."
She stilled. A moment later, Alex helped her embrace him.
Meaningless words and comforting platitudes were brought forth as she sobbed, incomprehensible cries mumbled into his chest as she broke down.
The road could wait, he decided. At least for a little.