Savoir-faire – To Know and To Do

II: Apprendre – To Learn; To Teach

Day 1: I have met five children, have isolated two potential subjects from them. A girl, Serena, and a boy nicknamed Don in the group, with a Fennekin and a Froakie respectively. Serena seems to be a power-oriented Trainer, and the boy, Don, he shows promise in observation in situ regarding the last starter, but failed to apply observation into his own battles...

Perhaps it was too early to show Chandelure to them.

I really didn't want to take this up with Altair now. I was hot and sweating in the dry, arid Kalos summer. Even Aquacorde wasn't spared from l'été. Aside from Delphi and Vega, Altair had been with us since after I began the journey. Since Shalour. Maybe since even earlier, before the Santalune Forest. Altair was far more level-headed than what I credit him.

"Maybe," I mumbled. Mixing a Misty Terrain – a Fairy move – with the intimidation factor of a Chandelure had been overkill, but it was necessary that whoever I followed didn't become too affected by their fear of Ghosts, particularly of my ghostly trio.

If I had a Gengar, I could back the claim that Ghost Pokémon were technically 'harmless'. The Kanto region's second most dangerous Pokémon was sort of cute and cuddly, like a Minion from that movie with the reformed villain. Once upon a time, I wanted a Gengar to call Mignon. That was before the ghostly trio took up too much of my time.

"This is going to be hard," I echoed his sentiment.

You don't say.

I rolled my eyes, and Altair smirked, aware that he had touched upon a relevant point. Well, as far as I could tell, it smirked. "What do you think?"

Of the five, the large one, the small one and the girl in pink would not survive. They might actually get themselves killed with you. I am... undecided, between the girl and the boy. They are not afraid of Chandelure, but whether it was due to honest bravery or mere ignorance remained to be seen.

As I discussed this with Altair, I kept watch as Augustine soothed ruffled children and showed them a few starter Pokémon. "And Dr du Bois started out with a Fennekin, too!" Augustine was trying to sweeten my potential victims, I see.

"Fire-types are some of the hardest starter Pokémon," I slowly stated as the girl in red, Serena, went for the Pokéball with the Fennekin.

"Shall we, Serena?" Shauna challenged. "Battle!"

I had the luxury of watching a tiny Chespin lose against the Fennekin. It was really no contest. But I watched as the boy, not the large one or the small one, lean over to Shauna and whisper to her. Shauna turned to face Serena and the Fennekin, seriously considering. "Chester, use Vine Whip on the ground!"

I glanced down at the stone-paved path, the vines lashing down at it as Serena ordered a Tackle. Dust rose in the air – and from within Chespin used Pin Missile.

"Unusual strategy," I decided as the Fennekin dodged the blow. "Using a convection current to set up a strategy to distract and attack."

The Fennekin doubled back, snarling as it spat an Ember, which ended the battle decisively and made sure that the girls got their starters. It also left the boy with the Froakie.

"I'm going to make a team of dancing Pokémon!" the large boy declared.

"I'll aim to complete the PokéDex," the smaller one confessed.

Both were automatically excluded, and Shauna had proven that she could not handle Ghosts. So Augustine turned to the two remaining, and asked: "Well, as Dr du Bois might have explained to you, she is going to follow one of you as part of her fieldwork. Of course, she can hold her own in any battle, so as a new Trainer you will not be expected to protect her. However, in exchange, your food and lodging, excluding that of your Pokémon, will be cared for."

"Why doesn't she tell us herself?"

I had not expected the boy to speak up. I cleared my throat. "Professor Sycamore has informed me that showing you the issue at hand may have exacerbated the situation. I am... allowing him to run damage control."

"Can you even battle?" the boy retorted. "Or are those ghosts only for show?"

"What do you think?" I asked, smiling. He reminded me of myself. I was distinctly aware that that way lay madness. I pulled a Pokéball and unleashed Liz. "Try."

"Froakie, go!" the blue frog appeared on the field, facing Liz. Many of the passers-by were stopping to check; Pokémon battles might be rare, but a Floette vs Froakie battle seemed like a foregone conclusion. Froakie seemed larger and could take on a Floette, but Liz was not an ordinary Floette.

First mistake: the boy ordered a Quick Attack.

"Liz, Grass Knot," I called. Liz whistled up a knot of grass that tripped the frog and sent it skidding into the nearest wall.

"Froakie!" the boy called in concern as the frog leapt back up, before calling the second mistake. "Growl!"

"Misty Terrain," I ordered, as the field was shrouded in a thin mist.

"Froakie, Bubble!"

I could have laughed. I nearly did as bubbles popped inside, barely touching Liz's silhouette. "Energy Ball."

The blast was refracted by numerous bubbles, blinding the Froakie and leaving it blind as a sitting Psyduck.

The boy stared as his starter was down for the count. "That... that's a Type advantage-"

I snorted, as Liz bristled. "Nice try."

"That's the newly discovered type, right? Fairy?" the small boy I had dismissed asked.

"Yes, and you'll do well to remember it, since it's the sixth Gym on the Kalos circuit," I answered, reaching over to give the Froakie a Revive. It bristled, hopping to its Trainer with some reluctance. Absently, the boy patted the Froakie on the head; good. "Does that answer your question? I might be participating in a few Gym battles alongside of you, hence it was imperative that I know how to defend myself and battle. Since I am attempting to observe the life of a battle Trainer, I would like to know who would be interested to volunteer themselves as a case study."

"A battle Trainer?" the boy gaped.

"That's a great idea, Don!" Shauna nodded eagerly; I filed the name away. "You and Serena would go well together! You'll make a great battle team!"

Unfortunately, the Elite Four and the Champion are fought alone. "I see. Although power is not everything in battle. Altair."

Altair handed me the letters, which I handed to all five children. "Fill this in if you're interested. And if you think you can handle three Ghosts."

"Erm, I'd rather focus on my PokéDex..."

"I'd like to train Pokémon to dance..."

"I just remembered, I should get started soon, I want to reach Santalune quickly..."

Only Serena and Don were left by that café Augustine had arranged we meet at, both of them staring at me, obviously trying to get my measure.

"What do we get out of this?" Don asked.

"I'm paying for food and lodging, and you're still asking for more?" I asked. "It's a very good offer, I assure you."

"I mean... you're obviously a great Trainer!" Serena took his stand. "You could start on that journey yourself... you don't need us."

"I must be objective when studying," I replied. "This means that myself is automatically excluded. Besides, there is no point to critical study if the only perspective available is my own. A trainer's journey is often a solitary one, undertaken rarely with another human. One of you will provide your own story to tell here."

Serena challenged the professor after that little talk.

"I fail to see why you can't," Serena offered. "I bet I can roast that Floette before you can blast Elmo."

Dr du Bois looked mildly... amused, was the best way I could put it. "Very well. Liz."

The Floette floated on its blue flower, smiling vaguely. Serena's Fennekin, now named Elmo, shot an Ember at it that collapsed.

"Protect, obviously," the professor dreamily whispered, eyes closed. "And... Dazzling Gleam."

I never caught what that was, but the light blinded me and when my sight recovered, Elmo was down for the count. At least I had lasted three moves.

"A Fennekin is not meant to remain standing to shoot its embers," the strange female Professor ignored Professor Sycamore tugging at her arm. "A Fennekin, and its entire evolutionary line, Braixen and Delphox, is speedy and burns very well. Your Pokémon has mobility. They are not static. They are not cannons to be directed. They are living beings just as much as we are."

Serena gulped, shying away from the professor. "Y- Yes, ma'am."

"With that subject decided... have any of you given considerable thought to where you are headed?"

"S- Santalune City, right?" Serena volunteered again.

"Without supplies or a spare Pokémon?" came the arch reply.

"I'll... stock up on potions."

"Pokéballs?"

"I'll buy some!" Serena hotly replied.

"Why bother when the salesman over there is giving them out for free?" Dr du Bois pointed towards the west side, where, indeed, said salesman was. She was definitely screwing with us, I reflected as I went with Serena to grab a sample. Serena agreed when I told her my theory.

"Yeah, that professor's insane," was her reply. Sounds like a unanimous agreement.

Professor Sycamore was giving Dr du Bois a sort of kicked-Growlithe expression, amongst shouts of 'why can't you leave them at home' and 'you can catch more, right? Really, Marguerite' when we came back to the table. Dr du Bois took a look at our catch, and nodded, flagrantly ignoring the man who gave us our PokéDexes in favour of inspecting the Pokéball we got. "It'll be a start. Do any of you know how to catch one without wasting the ball?"

"Yes," Serena answered through gritted teeth. "You know, Professor Sycamore, I'd rather not stay if she's going to be like this, always."

"No!" Professor Sycamore sounded heartbroken. "Please, Serena, Marguerite's just... awkward. She's been living by the Lavarre Nature Trail for five years alone with only her ghosts, it gets... weird."

As Dr du Bois glanced down to the paved ground, I thought, hey, so this is what social awkwardness looks like. "Well... let's just go through the Santalune Forest first, okay? Then we can decide who is Dr du Bois going to follow."

"That's a splendid idea, Donar!" I winced as Professor Sycamore shouted my name. "Marguerite, go! If you three set off now, you could reach the Santalune Centre by nightfall!"

"Or we could go camping," Dr du Bois loftily added.

"That sounds... dangerous," Professor Sycamore deflated. "Marguerite..."

"Unless you count Pikachu as a predator, then there is nothing much to fear," Dr du Bois replied.

Serena fidgeted as we were sent on an errand to buy a beginner's trainer kit from the mart. "Why are we listening to her?"

I shrugged. Personally, I would rather that the professor abandon the mindset of Trainers as a species unto themselves. Come see the Pokémon Trainer in their natural habitat, as they wander the Kalos region, catch Pokémon to train and pit in battle!

So, it was the three of us that got started on Avance Trail. Somehow, I ended up taking the lead; the Lucario silently led Dr du Bois, who seemed more interested in studying the waterway by Aquacorde than walking. Serena was more interested in looking around for more Pokémon to sic Elmo on.

"Are you intending to name your Froakie?" Serena asked me, shifting to one side as she finger-combed her hair.

"...No," I shortly replied. "Why?"

"No reason." Serena then turned to Dr du Bois. "Erm, professor... where did you get that Floette?"

"Kalos Route Four, Parterre Way," Dr du Bois answered tonelessly. "I found her as a Flabébé, and trained her to a Floette. Orange and white Flabébé can also be found along Rivière Walk, along Camphrier Town."

"Orange and white?" Serena echoed dumbly. "Are there alternate colourations of Flabébé?"

"Flabébé live amongst the flowers that grow wild in Kalos," Dr du Bois replied absently, her green eyes lidded, almost dream-like. "To blend in and hide from predators, even as Floette, their colouration matches the region they are found in. To date, there are five known normal colourations of the Flabébé evolutionary line, as well as a uni-gender line. All known Flabébé, Floette and Florges are female."

"That's gotta be tough," I muttered. "How do they..."

"How do they what?" Serena asked.

I paled, suddenly aware of what was going on, and then made an imploring glance at Dr du Bois. A flash of something crossed her face... before she turned away, leaving me to the cruel and merciless torture of Serena attempting to get questions.

"Professor Kudzu's textbook on a beginner's guide to Pokémon sums up Pokémon breeding," Dr du Bois finally took mercy as Serena began giving me a fist-bump on the head. "Each species belong to one or more Egg Groups, or can breed with Ditto. The Flabébé evolutionary line belongs to the Fairy Egg group, so they can mate with others and reproduce that way."

"That's... erm..." I swallowed. "Too much information?"

"You don't even know what I'm talking about," Dr du Bois simply replied.

"So... the first Gym is just in Santalune, right?" Serena murmured, changing the subject. "Do you think Shauna might beat us to winning the Bug Badge early?"

"No," Dr du Bois replied before I could bury myself further into the subject of Pokémon breeding. "She has a Chespin. Even allowing for evolution, Bug Pokémon hold the advantage. Even with a Flying-type Pokémon, it's more likely that- she will be standing right outside and waiting."

I followed her sight-line, spotting Shauna's hopeful expression.

"Donar, Serena! I'm so glad you're here!" Shauna nearly leapt at Serena. "It's- It's horrible in there! Bugs and monkeys and... and... and birds! Can I follow you guys?"

"Might as well," I sighed.

"If there are Flying-type Pokémon within, then it is for the best that we camp out."

"Professor...?" Serena hesitated. "I thought Professor Sycamore said not to."

"True," Dr du Bois considered. "It will still be taking a dead run, assuming that we do not stop at all. We might as well train for the upcoming Gym in Santalune. Furthermore, I invite the two of you to consider your strategies to defeat Bug-type Pokémon."

"Huh? Why?" Shauna shivered.

"Because, the Santalune Gym specialises in Bug-Type Pokémon," Dr du Bois blandly replied. "Consider this while we walk."

"Bug-type?" Shauna shivered. "Erm... what did Teach say at the Training School...?"

"Bugs eats leaves," Serena growled. "So Elmo is gonna be fine, since he can set them on fire."

"Yeah!" Shauna's exclamation was missed by me, as I spotted Dr du Bois shaking her head. Never mind what I felt, that was just... odd.

The forest was very dark, the canopy overhead thick enough that it was hard to see. "How do Trainers get through this?" I grumbled, pulling my shoe-clad foot from a pile of mud by the side. At least, I hoped it was mud.

"Some bring a torch," Dr du Bois replied. "Some chose Fennekin, and then proceed to light a dry branches on fire to light their way."

Serena stopped. "Let's do that!"

"So you intend to take on the Santalune Gym with only one Pokémon?" Dr du Bois asked.

"Why not?" Serena asked. "My Elmo can take on anything, including the first Gym!"

Laughter rang out, and I started; but Dr du Bois remained impassive as ever. I then realised that the laugh came from a passing Trainer.

"Well, if you're so keen on taking on Viola, then try me out for size!" The young Trainer offered.

"It's a battle, then!" Serena pulled out her Pokéball. "Elmo!"

The Trainer pulled his own, strangely blue Pokéball. "Go, Savvy!"

He released a butterfly-like Pokémon with wings of blue-and-green streaked with yellow. Its main body had an elliptical shape divided into three segments, each with a different shade of grey. Its black and grey legs were also elliptical, and it had two black, circular hands, but no visible arms. A round, greyish head with large black eyes and a pair of skinny antenna cooed at us. It was a surprisingly girly-looking Pokémon, but as a citizen of the region with the highest proliferation of Butterfree, I had no excuse.

"That's so pretty!" Shauna cooed. "Dr du Bois, what is it?"

"A Savannah-pattern Vivillon," Dr du Bois supplied. "The wing patterns of Vivillon depends upon the climate and habitat it lives in. There are eighteen known patterns of Vivillon wings."

"Elmo, Ember!" Serena called.

"Too bad," the trainer snickered. "Savvy, use Poison Powder!"

A purple mist fell from the airborne butterfly's wings, coating Elmo. It sneezed and fell down, sweating.

"Elmo?!" Serena exclaimed.

"Savvy, use Draining Kiss!" the Trainer called as the Vivillon glowed pink with Elmo, Elmo getting more drained as the butterfly grew more healthy.

"Elmo!" Serena hurriedly returned the wounded Fennekin to its ball. "Fine, you win!"

"And?" the trainer held out his hand. "Half your purse."

"Huh?" Serena echoed.

"Battle rules state that Trainers wager half the money they have on hand as the prize," Dr du Bois explained. "That is absolutely correct."

"That's unfair!" Serena exclaimed. "What about Elmo? He can't continue like this!"

So this is the power of an experienced Trainer, I realised. I then saw that if this was how that Vivillon overcame its Type advantage, I hadn't a prayer of taking on Santalune.

"It is the rules," Dr du Bois stated, and that seemed to settle it. "Even though the other Trainer was also wrong for not explaining to clearly novice Trainers, you should have known the rules of battle? The winner's purse from the Gyms are as much an attraction compared to the Badges themselves."

"I'll-" Serena sputtered. "This is unfair!"

"Life ain't fair, missy," the Trainer dismissed. "Leader Viola's got a Vivillon too, and it's way stronger than mine!"

"Case study; rash, violent and defensive," I heard Dr du Bois mutter. "New Trainers are not always acquainted with the rules of battle-"

"And you, missy?" the trainer suddenly leered as Dr du Bois. "Name's Zachary, up at the Santalune Gym. You got the skill to take it on?"

"I have no money to gamble," Dr du Bois flatly replied.

He leered. "Well, we can always find a means of payment, if you know what I mean."

"So you promise that you will give up the winner's purse from that farce of a battle with Serena if I win?"

"Sure, why not. If you can."

"Altair," she ordered. The Lucario nodded, staring at the Vivillon as if to seize it up.

"Savvy," Zachary smirked. "Quiver Dance-"

"Flash Cannon."

A thin beam of light had gathered, shooting through Savvy. The butterfly gave a thin screech as part of its wing was torn loose, falling like the petal of a dying flower.

Zachary paled, diving to catch the Vivillon while still watching Altair and Dr du Bois in no small amount of terror. Serena gaped. Shauna looked like she was about to faint. As I watched... the Lucario raised a paw, showing a curved claw on its... forefinger? Thing? And blew.

If his battle was one-sided from the start, then this was a deliberate slaughter and incapacitation.

"Abundant sunlight increases the light energy present in Flash Cannon," Dr du Bois answered. "Hence, an otherwise mildly effective move on your Vivillon becomes more powerful. It looks like it is our win."

Those three Ghosts? They can't be the worst. I mean, what's worse than their apparently sadistic owner?

...we were thus escorted, with the help of the Santalune Gym Trainer, to Santalune City, where all four of us proceeded to secure quarters at the Pokémon Centre just as the sun began to set. I hope that subsequent days would produce fruitful results.

– Marguerite Linden du Bois.

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