Savoir-faire – To Know and To Do
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XX: Consulter – To Consult
Day 33 (cont.): M. Oak Sr and I found ourselves visiting Korrina at the same time, and we found Donar and Mlle. Calme speaking with the Gym Leader...
As a researcher connected to a laboratory as large as the Sycamore Research Laboratory, on top of the École de Illumis, I am bound by contract to inform Monsieur Woten Oak about his son, despite my suspicions piling like coins at the baccarat tables in Coumarine City's casinos.
"Four Pokémon already, was it?" Woten Oak smiled thinly. The agent had invited me for coffee, would not take a refusal, and thus I ended up following him for a no-doubt tense conversation.
At least he chose the patio tables. Despite the lack of many hotels in Yantreizh – there were many inns that could only claim the title nominally, and we stayed at one – there were excellent cafés with patios facing the coast and the Île de Grand-Maître.
"You don't need to hesitate on my account, Madame Linden," M. Oak offered. "My son can be rather difficult."
"I have not found the boy a difficulty," I demurred. "Dr du Bois, s'il vous plaît."
"Oh?" M. Oak nodded. "It is... rather difficult, I understand. I told Vendredi that, but she wouldn't listen, that Kalos was the best place for him to settle."
"Madame Oak, I comprehend, worked as a Gym Trainer," I replied as a waiter approached us.
"Vous avez choisi, madame et monsieur?" the server offered.
"Nous voudrions la carte, s'il vous plaît," I replied before Woten Oak could speak.
"Language barrier," M. Oak spoke as the server left. "It was one of the things Vendredi never could teach me... he never learned it, I expect. It's very hard to live in Kalos and not speak a word in Standard."
"You did not ask, Monsieur," I replied. "You will always find a Standard speaker."
For the sake of his ego, I did not add that the average Kalosian would probably find his features far too arrogant and cruel to even consider politeness towards. If he had not said so, I would have wondered how soft-faced Donar and this specimen of rugged cruelty could share the same name, let alone the same blood.
The server returned with two cards, handed to the two of us.
"Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous parlez anglais?" I asked the besuited man with the apron, a tad sharper than I intended.
"Yes, madame," the server nodded to M. Oak. "And mister would like?"
"Coffee," M. Oak tersely stated. "Black, please."
"The Baie Grena tisane, please," I ordered.
"Very good, madame. Will mister and madame want a snack?"
"No," we answered together.
"Je vais apporter ça tout de suite," the server left, passing a man reading « Le Monde » and reporting on the rise of wool-weavers' strikes in the Sinnoh region. We waited until two separate orders had been delivered before the conversation meandered along.
"I believe you've formed some impression of me," M. Oak stated. So at least, Donar had inherited that sharpness of mind somewhere.
"Not at all," I answered. "You seem a busy man, and the Oak dynasty is a long one."
"Not from Samuel Oak's side, no," Woten Oak answered. "I was born in Mistralton City, actually. Vendredi and I met when she was on a trip through Unova, she was still Vendredi Coriandre then. One thing led to another, and we got married. Donar was honestly a surprise that led to it. Neither of us wanted to give up our careers, and my work in Unova leaves me with little time. Vendredi toted him around Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh with a spell in Kanto, Donar's birthplace, before they moved here. It must have been five years since I last saw him."
There was something left out of the picture, but I left it alone with a certain revelation of Donar's background. "The Team Plasma investigation."
His face twitched. "Ghetsis was a completely new type of threat. It wasn't safe for Vendredi or Donar, especially since Detective Lack and Looker got into the business."
"Children grow independent from their parents," I demurred. "Much like Norman and Ruby did."
"They grow up so fast," M. Oak agreed.
"You are fine with Donar's choices, then?" I asked.
"Why would I not be?" M. Oak considered. "A journey is a beginning. Plus, if he's already started, he might as well go for broke. You are travelling with him, Dr du Bois?"
"It's my work," I answered. "Part of my work concerns theories of human deviance. After all, with Pokémon, the monopoly of violence controlled by any single regional police is lost, and the effectiveness of the International Police doesn't work. Part of my work involves theorising about why people deviate from social norms to hurt and kill."
"That sounds interesting," M. Oak leaned forward. "I did not think academics were interested in anything other than Pokémon."
I took a sip of tea. "Even silly academics need a focus. Mine just happens to coincide with a milieux of research opportunities."
"Your theories...?"
"Are irrelevant to the subject of our discussion, M. Oak," I considered the dark hue of my tea, finding the tartness of the Pomeg just right. Someone must have boiled the seeds and the leaves together for nearly three hours.
"Woten, please," M. Oak answered. "Donar, was it? When is he getting to Coumarine?"
"It depends if he can get through the Shalour Gym," I demurred, electing not to mention the man's name. "Sociologists refer to this phenomenon as the 'independence run'."
"The run before reality sets in," he reflected, almost idly. Some transformation flitted across as he spoke, any warmth from the Oak mother and son swept to become an iron mask that was gone in an instant.
Just an International Police investigator? Not likely.
Setting my teacup back down upon its saucer with a surgeon's hands, I did not stare at the calluses that were obvious in hindsight, nor the sociopathic mask that took one to know one, nor of the sudden danger of our position in the open air of Shalour City. Neither did I look towards Altair, whose posture was almost unnaturally straight for a Lucario on standby, and who might possibly be scanning the surroundings with aura. Nor did I draw attention towards the extra shadow of my shadow.
"Most parents would prefer that their children do not leave the nest so soon," I commented.
"Vendredi and I are not most parents," M. Oak chuckled levelly. "My wife and I will have to drop by Castelia City soon to eradicate the remains of Team Plasma. It's really not much of an option. The sooner Donar can take care of himself, the more we'll be able to leave him to his own devices. The Rhyhorn racer, Grace, she did that, and her daughter's head of the Kalos League. That should mean something, right?"
"Madame Linden left with her daughter's knowledge and blessing," I replied. "I suppose we must give credence to your travails, Monsieur. However, Donar..."
The iron mask sank back, a mask of quiet tragedy. "You understand my work, then. And its consequences."
I could hardly imagine. My mother had divorced Dr Hugo du Bois when he got too busy to return home. Vendredi Oak must either be very hard-up on her financial affairs or truly devoted to continue this farce of a family, with an absentee father and a distant son. It explained some things; like how Donar wore no cap on his first day. Like how he only seemed to own multiple sets of one track-suit and sneakers. Like how he absorbed Pokémon knowledge like a sponge, but had nearly no idea of how to take care of himself.
"I believe this has been a rather productive meeting, Monsieur," I commented. "You are here to investigate the landslide?"
"Yes," he answered. "Right now we've no idea if the attack on Zapdos and the landslide are related, but I found evidence that showed presence of a Tyranitar on the mountain. I'm going to find the local Gym Leader, see if she can spare a Fighting-type Pokémon. We've got to either capture or chase it away before the entire mountain range of Kalos is destroyed."
"Is that so? Then I should not have interrupted your investigation. I apologise."
Woten Oak laced his fingers together beside the empty coffee cup on the table. He opened his mouth, abruptly closing it when my Holo Caster vibrated, jarring enough to feel under the table.
I glared at the device, the moment of irritation softening when I saw Augustine's name flash across the screen. "S'il vous plaît," I told M. Oak as I stood up to walk into the coffee-shop. "Altair, please stay."
I was installed within a washroom cubicle before I answered the call. "Allô?"
"Daisy?" the voice that answered abruptly roused my anger. "Mes excuses. Augustine was rather insistent that the Kalos League stay away from you."
" C'est Marguerite Linden du Bois. Qui est à l'appareil? " I replied frostily. This is Marguerite. Who is speaking?
On the screen, she rolled her eyes. " C'est Diantha. J'utilise l'holokit d'Augustine. " This is Diantha. I am using Augustine's Holo Caster.
" Pourquoi le champion de Kalos m'appelle? " Why is the Champion of Kalos calling me?
" Oh, pour l'amour de- " Diantha stared at me. "You might as well use Standard. Marguerite."
"You were doing so well," I mocked, but switched languages as requested. "Why did you borrow his Holo Caster?"
"The Zapdos that crashed down at Shalour City made inter-regional news," Diantha informed me. "Your notification to Augustine was processed while he and I were discussing measures to take. The League would prefer not to fall to the same trappings that befell our fellows in the Indigo continent and Sinnoh."
The League did not want to stand aside on this matter? Pokémon Leagues usually cited policy neutrality in such matters, making the maintenance of social order in the training world harder to police.
"What changed?" I asked suspiciously. "More importantly, what are you not telling me? A Zapdos crashing down on Shalour City should not make much of an impact."
That Absol sightings reported in Geosenge... it could not be so.
Her brow furrowed on the wobbly screen. "I cannot imagine that you do not already know, or have not deducted so."
"The Tyranitar?"
"Oui. Wikstrom had tracked it to Geosenge, where it promptly eluded him. It belonged to a Trainer that was part of l'Île du Muguet."
"They brought a Tyranitar from Sinnoh over," I echoed in disbelief. "A League Tyranitar, at that."
Diantha's lips deepened in a moue of distaste. "Madame Shirona and I have been actively searching le chemin Fourrage ever since the rampage started. We believed it might head towards la Steppe d'Illumis. It did not, contrary to our expectations."
I pursed my lips. It was not a bad plan, seeing as most Pokémon would indeed converge towards their home habitat, and there was only two locations in Kalos that had the conditions required, one of which was too far away. Yet, somehow it changed paths, went the opposite direction and towards the one location in Kalos swamped with its double weakness. Beyond here was the River Tisane, and the mouth of the Rivière Champagne that Coumarine City had stood sentinel over should have noticed the Tyranitar. No self-respecting Tyranitar would subject itself to water without cause. "The Trainer?"
Diantha pursed her lips. "We received word of its rampage by the fact of its Trainer's absence. Julia of Hearthome City. The worst has come into being."
"This is going to be bad for Île-de-l'arc," I automatically calculated the odds of the unlucky Julia's survival and found them wanting. "And how do I fall into this, that you had to call me?"
"We did not find the body. We assume that the Tyranitar has it. You saw what happened; this threat to Kalos needs to be resolved."
"So the League shall resolve it," I answered before hanging up. "Good day, Madame Carnet."
The heart of the mystery was promoted by Professor Sycamore, a promise of power.
"Professor Sycamore sent you two?" Korrina demanded.
"Yes, Leader Korrina!" Serena brightly replied. "Professor Sycamore sent us to learn the secrets of Mega Evolution."
"Ah," Korrina echoed a sentiment. "My late grandfather mentioned him. Professor Sycamore once apprenticed here to learn Mega Evolution, but he couldn't master it. Welcome. I am also the Mega Evolution Guru."
"Leader Korrina is the teacher...?" Serena's eyes could have ballooned. "Please teach us the secret of Mega Evolution!"
"Well..." Korrina gave a wan smile. "How much do you know about Mega Evolution already?"
Clearly, Serena had not been expecting such a response, but she gave her best answer. "Erm... it requires two stones. One held by the Trainer, the other held by the Pokémon, and a bond between Pokémon and Trainer is needed to unlock the transformation in certain fully evolved Pokémon."
"True..." Korrina reached into her pocket, pulling out a large orange orb with swirled like of red and blue imprisoned within, that fit in the palm of her hand. "For example, this is a type of Mega Stone, called a Lucarionite. A Lucario holds it. Then, when Lucario and Trainer agrees, this clé de voûte, or Key Stone, activates the Lucarionite, triggering a physical transformation in the Lucario until the end of the battle."
I saw it; the stone embedded in the ring of her left ring finger sparkled, catching a veritable rainbow of colours. It reminded me of something I had seen... with Dr du Bois...
"Professor Sycamore mentioned that all of the Kalos Champions know Mega Evolution," Serena said.
"All of the Champions?" Korrina smiled. "Well... most Champions to date have learned some part of it. Not all of it can be taught, though. A great deal of the secret lies in faith."
Shauna I barely knew, the less said about Serena the better. Of course, Dr du Bois would stand out, a pedestal of its own merits, of course. Yet, even stained in mud and sweat and imperfect, Korrina would be one of the vivid sights of my mind, especially her smile.
As we walked out, Korrina promised that she would accept students the moment a new supply of Key Stones were found – "Otherwise we can't even use the Mega Stone!" she joked – as two people approached. Behind them, two shadows hung back; one a veritable phantom, the other a stocky Lucario.
Greetings, Leader Korrina, the Lucario greeted. He more or less ignored my nascent surprise at seeing that man here.
Korrina paused. "Altair?"
"Altair, I thought you were with Daisy," Korrina.
She was... busy, the Aura Pokémon elected to answer. She sends her regards. This is my temporary Trainer, Marguerite Linden du Bois.
"Marguerite, s'il vous plaît," Dr du Bois greeted Korrina, taking a step forward. My jaw about dropped when the two women exchanged cheek-kisses. Korrina stepped back, smiling until her blue eyes dropped towards Dr du Bois's hands and frowned lightly.
"Altair did not mention much about his life in Shalour before Daisy," Dr du Bois explained. "I met Monsieur Oak the senior on my way from discharging a Golett towards the Sycamore Laboratory, quelle surprise. Donar is my subject of study in accord with the Sycamore Research Laboratory."
"Subject of study?" Korrina echoed.
"I am a sociologist specialising in anthro-Pokémon relations," Dr du Bois explained. "Though I earned my doctorate at the École Normale Supérieure de Kalos à Illumis.To do my research on the sociological forces behind the world of Pokémon Training, I have been following Donar around."
"... oh," Korrina commented with the air of vague confusion and half-clarification before she turned to him.
"Leader Korrina," the man greeted. "I see you've met my son, Donar."
"Oh... bonjour, Monsieur Oak!" Serena greeted, before her smile faded slightly, turning her head quizzically towards me and then to him.
"Donar," he greeted.
"Hi, dad," I blandly answered.
He frowned, but said nothing, his eyes dead as always. "Is this your friend?"
"Dad, this is Serena," I spoke mechanically. "Serena, this is my dad. So where are we going this time?"
"Going?" he repeated.
"Well," I shrugged. "You only come back when we're about to move, right?"
He blinked. "Erm... no. We're not moving. Your mother is very happy here, and I think... well, it's time to look at a permanent settlement in Kalos, perhaps."
"Oh." I echoed. It was almost like all of my anger had been banked.
"This is your third Gym battle, right?" he continued, plain and uncaring and monotonous.
"Yes," my hands tightened. "Not that you'd care."
He ignored me. "I am investigating the landslide."
"I see."
He gave me a flat look, but nodded. "I will be in the Reflection Cave. Would you like to come along? Miss Calme?"
"Sure!" Serena nodded eagerly. "Donar? Let's help in your dad's investigation!"
"I don't want to. Serena, I'll see you soon for our match," I turned to Dr du Bois. "Doctor, do you have research to do?"
"Of course," Dr du Bois thankfully answered. "Apologies, Monsieur Oak, but Donar is my temporary research assistant. He is required."
"Ah, I see," he was laughing as we gave our regards and walked away. "Erm... what did you do again? Why use my son?"
Days later, I was frowning when Donar asked his question.
" Pardonnez-moi, what?" I automatically asked.
Donar's cheeks pinked, not very hard in the approaching dawn over Shalour City. It had been a day since I met M. Oak the senior, and, from Donar's eye-bags, clearly he could not sleep. "I said, why did you pick me?"
Beside me, Altair and Darkrai paused their argument of a croque-monsieur versus a croque-madame . Almost immediately, Donar's team looked up, Bagon stopped head-butting his leg, and nearly all Pokémon present started discreetly moving away. Traitors, the lot of them.
"Clarify."
"Well... I was the new kid on the block," Donar slowly stated. "You had no reason to stick to me."
"Four other Trainers set out with you," I answered. "Of those, three could not have coped with my Ghosts. Serena clearly did not like me. While likeability is not compulsory, it does help, and there is an element of choice in such matters where the subject of study is concerned. You were my only option then."
I paused. "I was not born on the Kalos region."
"You weren't?" Donar automatically said, before his teeth clicked shut. "I mean... oh."
"I know what you mean," I answered. "I was a... new kid on the block, myself, when I started out on the journey. Every bit of advice I gave you were derived from the mistakes of my own journey."
"So... Altair was your starter Pokémon?" Donar asked, changing the subject rather than ponder on what, exactly, that I had so much advice mean.
"No. I started much like you," I reflected. "He was killed in battle."
"I'm... sorry."
"Thank you," I answered rather than place him in a spot. "I had not known my own father much, and my mother was often too busy. Your father seems to be adequate."
"Fat lot of good," Donar grumbled back, but the tension had ceased. "The only times he ever comes home, we're moving, and then he disappears all over again."
"To be expected," I answered. "If he did not, your entire family would have been dead."
Donar paused. "Dead?"
"Did he never tell you of his travail?" I asked. "Monsieur Oak is an agent of the International Police."
"The... International Police?" Donar echoed. "Erm... like Officer Jenny?"
"The International Police are the ones who dismantle organisations like Team Rocket, and maintain order across regions," I explained. "Officer Jenny is part of the local police; the International Police stretch across the regions. As an agent, everything about Monsieur Oak could be targeted by the remains of organisations like Team Flare or the Rockets."
Donar flinched. "O- Oh... but you'd say that, wouldn't you?"
"Is this something about your father?"
"Well..." Donar flinched, but plodded on, "he's... women like him. A lot. Mom said that he had to stay away because..."
Much like the Pokémon Inspection Agency, Rangers and the Pokémon Leagues, I reflected, the International Police form an important aspect of global governance. Their effectiveness, however, had left much to be desired due to lacking the monopoly over state-sanctioned violence. This left them with many unsavoury options, especially lying to children.
"I have no reason to support your father," I replied, and Donar flinched for some reason. "In fact, I would advise you disabuse yourself of the notion immediately."
"Y- Yes, madame!"
I finished my black tea in a foul mood. The sheer thought... Woten Oak might be ruggedly attractive, but that was simply a turn-off. The man was older than I was!
So was Wikstrom, I reasoned, and deposited the thought into the depths of the mind palace I called my own.
Mid-morning found us in Kalos Route 12, Fourrage Road. Across the mouth of the Rivière Tisane stood the Baa de Mer Ranch, where hordes of Skiddo meandered beside Mareep. The wide field was optimal for Pokémon training.
I called out Aegis, who sleepily blinked at me as I faced Donar. "If you need help, I shall be training Aegis."
Donar blinked, but nodded as I turned away to unleash Crystal out and set up several Will-O-Wisp flames. "Aegis. Stance Change Claw."
"Whoa!" Donar gaped the moment Aegis unfolded himself to unleash an arc of ghostly energy to disrupt the flames. "What's that?"
"Shadow Claw," I answered. "A move that can be learnt via TM."
"No, not that... the Stance Change," Donar clarified.
"Stance Change is the unique ability of all Aegislash," I answered. "Unlike its evolutions of Honedge and Doublade, Stance Change allows an Aegislash to switch between a bulky, defensive Pokémon to an offensively oriented Pokémon. With Reflect and Light Screen, an Aegislash can and did kill entire battlefields of Pokémon. Crystal, retaliate with Incinerate."
Aegis snapped back as the attack came, weathered with the honeycomb light that protected it from the searing heat.
"King's Shield will not protect you for long," I severely replied. "Crystal. Will-O-Wisp."
The Chandelure spun, unleashing the demonic fires that had Aegis cringing back before it lashed out with a Shadow Claw, catching Crystal to send the Luring Pokémon spinning to the ground. A spitting sound ensued as parts of the grass caught on fire.
I put it out with my foot as Donar clapped, along with a long, low whistle.
"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" a Trainer popped out of the surrounding bush.
"Erm, you don't want to-"
"Go, Binacle!" the Trainer flung out a Pokémon that resembled two rocky hand sticking out of a white chalky rock, one of the Kalos region's natives. Coincidentally also used in cooking. Ah...
"Water Gun!" the Trainer smirked, pointing towards Crystal. Ah...
"Energy Ball."
Bless her heart, Crystal cackled as the attack hit, sending an uppity Binacle back to hit, knocked out.
"I win," I offered to the gob-smacked Trainer.
"I tried to warn you..." Donar muttered as the Trainer handed over some money and made a run for it.
My mood very much improved, I even matched Aegis against Altair against Darkrai. While Aegis was the bulkier, Altair had willpower and Bone Rush – for now – and we were relearning Crunch. While Darkrai had speed and Dark Void, his defences were not good, and we were resolving that as part of the payment process.
That apprenticeship under a Move Tutor was a great help, I reflected.
A purple ribbon snaked about, Aegis retaliating with a snick to defend against Altair. My Lucario shifted his weight to lower his centre of gravity, choosing to skid and turn on one foot, but then he flinched and pointed down.
"What happened?" I asked as Aegis stood down.
Altair pointed towards the matted earth on the grass, and nestled within the heart of a giant footprint. I knelt down, my Holo Caster fumbling to find the camera application, though a practised eye already told me that which I wanted to know-
Blood.
"What?!"
Donar just poked a bush nearby. Amongst the silence of the Mareep lambs bleating, there existed the heart of a palm... a human palm, that was.
Day 40: The question is resolved. I have disabused Donar of the notion forcefully.
In the Pokémon games or the animé to date, Coumarine City does not have a casino. In fact, Bulbapedia lists only Celadon, Goldenrod, Mauville and Veilstone as holding Game Corners, or casinos. However, I make note of Coumarine City and its hypothetical gambling industry because there was a reference to baccarat, and the most popular version of the game played in real-life France is Chemin de Fer (Iron Road). That is, railways. Coumarine City is the only known city in Kalos with a rail-road or monorail.
Fun fact: Chemin de Fer was the original game played by James Bond in the novel version of Casino Royale. I have no clue why would anyone switch to Texas Hold 'Em Poker, but I assume it was for popularity.
The Île de Grand-Maître is basically that island where the Tower of Mastery was.
Critique, s'il vous plaît!