Savoir-faire – To Know and To Do
XXII: Décider – To Decide
Day 52: There is a crèmerie at the Baa de Mer ranch. I intend to buy some more dairy products when I can. It shall happen when Frogadier has mastered Surf...
… an unlikely prospect, if I may say.
It was on the last day of my convalescence that he arrived.
"Quite a development," I commented to the man by the window on the day of my discharge. "A Trainer from Sinnoh goes missing, and the Elite Four of the Unova and Kalos Leagues unite against a collective of alphabet agencies.."
Wikstrom did not choose to take the bait. "Unova and Kalos had been some of the hardest-hit by our management of Teams Plasma and Flare. Sometimes I think the Indigo Plateau had a point regarding civilian oversight."
"Is it worth hiding, though?" I answered. "I presume that this is a common problem."
"I would not like the Indigo consensus to disparage us," Wikstrom replied. "The stakes are high; the Hoenn region's dependence on Cottonee cotton grows ever larger, and the Sinnoh region's dependence on Kalosian Mareep wool is grating on the pride of l'Île Muguet. Sinnoh might blow this out of proportion."
"Were it simply a matter of resources, Unova and Kalos would come out on top," I agreed. "Julia of Hearthome City... you would rather that it had never happened. With the dead body discovered, though, Sinnoh has every right to back the suggestions of cracking down on international crime, and from there it is easy to implicate the Kalos Elite Four."
I picked up my valise, making a note to store the thing into the PokéStorage system before I left Shalour with my backpack. "It would have been more convenient if her body had never been found. Perhaps that was why Grimsley was here."
"I would not have allowed it," he simply answered.
"I believe you, Wikstrom," I acknowledged. "However, I do not believe Madame Carnet, or the intentions of Vertress City."
"Neither should you. Are you alright?" Wikstrom finally asked as he looped an arm around me, supporting me with a hand on the small of my back. "Are you sure you should be travelling so soon, and with that- wound."
"Your concern is noted and appreciated," I answered, giving the dreary Centre room a once-over to check if I left anything behind. Continued proximity to Wikstrom was rather comforting. "I am fine. You have my Holo Caster number. Au revoir, Wikstrom. Do try to keep an eye on our Unovan guest."
I met Grimsley as I walked out. The Dark-type Master smirked at he caught my eye, deliberately eyeing where Wikstrom had his arm. "Bonjour, Madame du Bois."
"Bonjour, monsieur," I demurely replied as we left. "Au revoir, monsieur."
Instead of the Shalour guest-house of a hotel, though, I made my way to the Shalour Gym. The Gym had just opened for the day, and thus we were relatively early and alone when I met Korrina face-to-face.
"You're a Trainer?" Korrina enquired when I faced her within the expanse of the glorified roller rink within the Gym.
"No," I answered, standing opposite her as Wikstrom entered the stands to watch. "I am merely challenging the Mega Evolution Guru."
"With Altair?" Korrina mouthed as my Lucario walked onto the field.
"We need practise," I demurred, eyeing Wikstrom.
I winked.
"If you say..." Korrina's eyes narrowed as she plucked a Pokéball from her belt. "Let's see if your bond can match that girl's bond with her Pokémon, then. Go, Lucario!"
The Lucario that Korrina summoned simply glared with recognition. Altair growled, before his back paws shifted his weight and he made a gesture of his shoulders. The other Lucario growled.
"Battle!"
About four hours after I found Dr du Bois having a conversation with Korrina in the Shalour Gym, we left Shalour City. An hour later, we were training on the banks of the Tisane. Serena had built her team up to Elmo, Pika, Squirt – currently a Wartortle – and Obscura. Shauna had some wobbly gel-like thing – a Goomy – called Escargot, a Budew named Jeté, and her Chesnaught, Chester. Serena and I were evenly matched in numbers and strength. Noël had Sapin, Borealis – now with a tank strapped to its back – with Jacques and a newly evolved Scylla.
"We need another member," I confided to my team as we prepared to launch our assault. "For now, though, let's try to hit the pink menace."
All four looked very grim at the prospect, but nodded.
Jelly was the second-slowest on Dr du Bois's team, but it mattered little when her slowest members had defences to rival maybe a small tank. Despite the shiny Rumble Badge in my collection, we could barely get at her Pokémon. The pink menace was currently being Dr du Bois's sunbathing platform, it was off guard. Hopefully. Maybe.
"Ivysaur, Razor Leaf!" I cried.
Dr du Bois barely looked up from her book; not Le petit prince , but Évolution Magie Histoire #2 : L'histoire éternelle. She was also seated on top of Jelly. "Hex."
The ghostly energy bounded, strong enough to deflect the cascade of leaves and still hit Ivysaur.
"Toxic," Dr du Bois continued reading for until Ivysaur was swamped in the soupy cloud of toxins, before the covers snapped shut. "Hex again."
"Shit! Return, Ivysaur!" I recalled Ivysaur. "Frogadier, Surf!"
Dr du Bois regarded my shimmering Frogadier, book still in hand, before she lightly tapped Jelly with her foot. "Get him."
The Hex hit Frogadier head-on.
"Bagon, your turn!" I called him out. "Ember!"
"Brine," Dr du Bois retorted, but leapt off of Jelly as the attacks hit. Bagon squawked, glowing a bright white, before...
It turned into a cannonball. With feet.
"You evolved!" I celebrated. "Bagon- no, Shelgon! Just a bit closer to becoming a Salamence, and then you'll reach your dream!"
"Congratulations!" Noël called as Serena brought out her PokéDex. Shelgon, the Endurance Pokémon. Within its rugged shell, its cells have begun changing. The shell peels off the instant it evolves.
My laugh was cut off when Shelgon head-butted me in the stomach, now with the force of a cannonball. "Oof!"
Shauna cackled. "Donar, that's just funny! Your face!"
All five of us – Dr du Bois, Shauna, Serena, Noël and I – had gathered by the banks of the Tisane river, just across the Baa de Mer ranch on the other side. A few Mareep were grazing, the remnants of escapees from the previously rogue Tyranitar having already been returned. Now and then a stray charge would remain on the grass, yet otherwise we were safe, as Dr du Bois sunning herself on Jelly's head proved.
Noël was trying very hard not to look to Dr du Bois's swimsuit as he edged to me. "So, what's for lunch?"
"Sandwiches," Dr du Bois dragged her deceptively heavy bag – it really weighed about twenty kilos, if the Pokémon Centre's scales could be trusted – and dragged out a large wrapped packet. "Les sandwichs au thon ou aux œufs mayonnaise. I believe that we would prefer to stay around the ranch rather than on this side by dusk."
"We're camping?" Shauna exclaimed as Dr du Bois unwrapped the beautifully packed, if slightly squashed, packages. "But, I thought..."
"No point in rushing," Noël agreed, licking his lips. "I don't mind. At all."
Serena looked torn, but I made a motion of rubbing my fingers together, and she understood what I meant. In desperation to get Dr du Bois on her best behaviour, I had promised to reimburse Dr du Bois on their behalf. Serena wasn't going to owe her anything.
Serena's opinion changed after taking tuna and egg mayo sandwiches; I could see the ideological shift from where I was as her eyes went wide and she actually made a point of finding crumbs to suck up.
"Are you still wallowing?" I asked Altair, watching Donar and Frogadier try to meander across the Tisane safely. The purpose of Surf was really to teach a Pokémon how to cross water with a Trainer following along, but accidents had been known to happen.
My Lucario partner had yet to look away from the gates of Shalour City. I was born here.
I waited. Altair usually needed a while to get his thoughts together.
Miss Korrina was the Trainer I had before you, Altair continued. And yet she never taught me as much as you did. Numbers, letters, the passage of time...
"A Trainer's fallacy," I demurred. "The differences between certain Types of Pokémon is quite stark, that some Trainers never really realise that, for all that they look different, Pokémon are as sentient and self-aware as a human being. Perhaps even more so. Pokémon will recall experiences at some point in their lives."
She never realised that I was different, Altair told me. She never realised that was why the other Lucario never really approached me.
"I can't say, having never met another Lucario," I replied. "Nor do I have a degree in Lucario psychology. Though, I imagine the fact that the Lucario from Sinnoh you mentioned had something to do with that."
Riley was his Trainer's name, Altair pondered. He himself never got a name. I found myself wondering why was it, that he chose not to be distinct from all others. Yet we formed a bond, enough for me to evolve, but no further.
"Must be a powerful bond," I commented.
A bond of ideals. I decided that I would leave the Shalour Gym one way or another.
I hugged him. It might be odd, but Altair and I had been together so long that partial nudity made little difference to either of us. "You made it, Altair. You made yourself a career, and gave it up for me. Few Psychic-type Pokémon could hope to match your intelligence. You made it."
Not without Delphi. Yet, Delphi... they are no longer amongst us.
"You went to the Shalour Gym yesterday," I pointed out. The centre of the mess, I forbore to mention, since the other Lucario did not seem to have welcomed back their prodigious son.
It's just... Altair paused. There is a saying, amongst Pokémon, Delphi had mentioned, that he learnt from his mother as a kit. That humans change us.
"We're talking about numerous extremely divergent species living with a biologically and culturally uniform species across different terrains," I pointed out. Altair's thoughts gave me a research idea: that Oak's theory of anthro-Pokémon coexistence as a necessity was a false concession. It could be developed; Pokémon and humanity, how humans favour Pokémon over technology due to convenience; examples include the Kling line in the Unovan Industrial Revolution, Cottonee and Mareep in the textiles industry, the background of the post-industrial revolution-
"Fletchinder, Ember!"
I looked up to see the Fletchinder barrel into a tree, wreathed in flame. It shook, and from within the shape of a horn took form. The Heracross growled, getting into a stance.
"A Heracross!" Shauna exclaimed.
"A fighting bug," Donar clarified, smiling. "You want to fight too, Heracross? Fletchinder, we're going to use that move I got that Technical Machine for! Flame Charge!"
Shaking my head, I leant back. Fletchinder would win, unless that Heracross was more trained than it looked. Serena sighed, leaning back before she leapt back up as though stung. "Ick!"
"Hmm?" I stared at the sap gathered on the tree, part of which had dribbled onto the ground for Shauna to step on. No, not sap... I ran my fingers through, rubbing it together before I smelt it.
"Is it honey?" Noël knelt beside us.
"Oui." I licked the sweet delicacy. "Aspear. A Combee must have been here."
"How can you tell?" Shauna groaned. "Eww!"
"Honey contains antibiotic properties," I absently replied. "It's safe to eat. All berry-flavour honeys have a specific flavour, although the market is flooded with Oran honey, that so few actually eat any other honey. Honey of Aspear is characterised by a certain sour edge to the flavour."
I stood up, rifling through my bag for a small clear jar. "I shall find an Aspear Berry tree."
"Really?" Shauna doubtfully poked the bark and licked the honey off one finger. "Hmm..."
I felt Darkrai follow alongside me. Sounds and exhales made me look back to see him devouring his own hand. Miam.
"Where did you learn that?" I murmured before I continued walking with him, albeit slowly. Despite my hospital stay, I knew I should have stayed longer, yet any longer would have aroused suspicions. The curse was already working that my limp would magically disappear given a week or so.
It did not take long to find the Aspear Berry tree.
Its boughs were laden with flowers, attended to by Combee. The remnants of honey were clear as the Combee squared off against each other for pollination rights. I had done this since Camphrier Town, using the honey for my tea and to feed myself and the Pokémon of mine that it would not poison. It would be nice to get some more before we entered Coumarine City. Perhaps I could barter some.
"Excusez-moi," I requested of the Combee that began to drop. "Could I have some spare Honey? I need the fruit, too."
The Combee buzzed in agreement, parting to allow me some of the Aspear berries. Golden liquid poured from one honeycomb, they dropped, seemingly without hands, and I smiled at the thought of honeycomb on thick-cut baguette as I was gifted the entirety, honeycomb and all. I haven't had honeycomb for a while.
Dinner started with velouté de champignon – the rest of the world called it cream of mushroom –paired with leftover sandwiches from lunch. It was followed by a cheese-scattered risotto that Donar's new Heracross practically accepted his Pokéball for, and ended with a tossing of Oran and Aspear berries. The tartness of the Aspear was offset by whatever honey had been tossed with it with the Oran slices.
"If this is how you eat every day, I'm not surprised," Shauna hissed to Donar, trying to avoid my overhearing her. Her plate was clean, having literally been fought over by both Pokémon and Trainer.
"Shauna!" he grumbled as Jeté tried to steal my dessert. I ignored the vulgar noises that Noël Duval kept making as he ate his way through.
"It's good," Serena huffed, trying not to make a scene. Discreetly, I saw Elmo sneak another honey-dipped Oran slice to nibble.
Altair was studiously looking anywhere but at Elmo; guilt or remembrance, I could not tell.
This is sweet, yet sour, Darkrai noted.
"The Aspear berry has hard skin, but the fruit within is sour," I explained. "The honey produced holds sour notes, but it is usable with Oran juice as a simple preparation or to treat frozen Pokémon. Oran berries are equally simple to prepare, since we only need to peel the skin and eat the flesh inside. We can make candied Oran peel once I get some ingredients in Coumarine City."
"Really?" Shauna leapt up, eager. "How?"
"These are mine."
"Ehh..." Shauna pouted. "Donar, talk to Dr du Bois! I want candied Oran peel!"
"Why ask me?" he grumbled before changing the subject. "Doctor, so what are we going to do when Frogadier masters Surf?"
"Since we're headed to Coumarine City, I need to pick up des produits de lait," I pointed to the direction across the Tisane. "The Baa de Mer Ranch is notable for its Tomme cheese."
"Cheese again? What's the difference, anyway?" he muttered.
"There are over sixty different types of cheese in the Kalos region," Noël explained. "All of them are registered by the Regional Institute under appellation d'origine contrôlée. Cheeses are one such varied product."
"Over sixty?!" Donar moaned. "Even Kanto didn't have that many!"
"The Kanto region has over three hundred fermentations of sake," I replied, a touch colder. "Even more types of green tea are available from the Celadon tea farms."
"That's... a lot of beer," Noël echoed me. "And tea."
"There's something magic about camping out here, doctor!" Shauna laughed, a sort of blush colouring her cheeks as she faced me. Doubtless, everyone now recalled the matter-of-fact reply in response to the question of facilities.
" Si vous voulez, " I stared at Donar's borrowed Trangia stove, dumping my mess kit into my foldable bucket of water. "Tomorrow is the Aspear honeycomb on baguette for le petit-déjeuner. Let's get across the Tisane in time for lunch."
We nearly screamed in approval, but that would have caused some more riots and more Pokémon to swarm our camp, so I just gave divided the rest of my dessert with my Pokémon and smirked as camp dissolved. Dr du Bois got a whole tent to herself and her Pokémon. Serena and Shauna had one tent; Noël and I shared another. Somehow, warm and tucked in sleeping bags was one thing I truly enjoyed in the shadow of Dr du Bois, even despite the late Tyranitar's scare.
"I never thought that Berries could be used like this," Noël whispered, licking his lips. "I know why you stick it out, now."
"I- It's not like that," I grumbled, although the point had to be acknowledged. Kalosian food in particular had been an eye-opener, the mess with the Clauncher bouillabaisse aside. I hadn't thought that a Pokémon professor could be this good at cooking, even for picky Pokémon.
Night fell, and with it a cooling chill that belied the peace of the night. Chanting echoed in my ears, discordant; too many echoes of a single song, over and over again.
The Delphox screeched, magnesium-flame with power.
I heard the pattering of footsteps, and I laughed. "Well, Altair?" I heard my own voice, feminine and pitched low, almost familiar.
Both wings have been evacuated and cleaned, Altair nodded. I had no need to be present, not with Mme Drasna on hand.
"I got it," I heard myself answer. "Shall we, then?"
Yes.
We defeated loads more guys in red suits, with methods that in the Pokémon League would have been cheating, and in some cases truly outright cheating in move manipulation as we kept running. Soon, we arrived at a circular vault and won against a six-on-one Trainer battle, confronting the egg and the tree at last.
"Found them," I heard myself breath a sigh, approaching the platforms. "I'm going to let you two out, alright? It's over."
I stepped back.
Sparks scattered over the metal casing as the cables broke, as the tree shook, as the egg began to crack. Both monsters, or Pokémon, bellowed: the walls shook with their mirth. The horns grew larger, the jewels upon it glowing with the colours of a rainbow that it swung as the Delphox used its wand to defend me. Death and destruction began to reign, even as my beloved comrades took to the field-
The deer screamed, trying to rip its horns out as I clung onto them in my stomach, in my stained hands. As the Destiny Bond began to solidify between the Pokémon and I, when I had knowingly sent my few remaining Pokémon away.
"Why did our comrades die?" I whispered. "I don't want this. All of this... Delphi and Deneb- I'm sorry our time is so short. Thanks, Banette."
The avian menace, the large red one, got off an attack, a red-purplish beam that threatened, hurtling at me-
How ironic that the immortal shall die with me.
"Banette love their Trainers," I heard myself talk to a ghost. "Banette bear a grudge, not for being discarded or how they are created, but love their Trainers so much to despise anyone who stands between their Trainer and the goal. They will not be alive... to enjoy this."
The horned one screamed, along with the cries of the winged one. My lips moved; I laughed as I raised my head to stare into crossed eyes and slanted pupils in front of me.
"I am the latest of the Kalos Champions, the princess abandoned by herpeople. If you wish to stop me, try, if you can go beyond my despair."
My clothes stuck to my back, covered in clammy sweat despite the chill. Frogadier was nudging me. Ivysaur looked at me with the beginning of an Aromatherapy already ready to cast.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I shook my head, refusing the treatment. "Sorry I woke you guys. You alright?"
Yawning, I shook out of my sleeping bag, trying not to disturb Noël, or the cold that was Sapin's immediate surroundings.
I blinked once I saw that not only was the Trangia stove alight, it was already set with a kettle. This was despite the large bonfire beside it. Dr du Bois's priorities were clear; even here, in her grey jean-shorts and sleeveless black turtle-neck, she was sitting there with her legs crossed and preparing a teabag in her tin mug. Her scarf was squirrelled away somewhere, but otherwise, she looked very much put together under her grey hat, feather in her cap and all.
A crunch resounded, and I suddenly realised that the sweet smell was not honey, but instead dripping yellow honeycomb situated on a thick-cut baguette, which had probably been roasted over the stove. Darkrai was currently crunching his way through one such thing.
"Bonjour, Dr du Bois," I offered.
"Bonjour," she answered, ladling another dripping comb from a bowl with a tiny spoon. "Pass me one of the baguettes, Donar, if you please."
The baguettes were in the bonfire. They weren't that hot, but they were smoking slightly when I carefully sliced one open after fishing it out from low orange flames. Dr du Bois slapped some honeycomb on my slice, and set it back into the fire before fishing it out onto my plate.
It crunched as I bit into it. The taste was indescribable. That was one way of recovering from nightmares. Especially with hot chocolate.
"I... had a dream," I confessed, looking around. A bit of mist had drifted in from the Tisane, and in the distance I could hear a distant bleating of what I assumed were Skiddo, like what I saw in Versant Road. It came quite close to the Kanto ideal of idyllic, I could tell you that. Not the area you want to confess to anyone.
Dr du Bois looked at me. "Darkrai has been very polite. I cannot imagine that you would have ghosts haunting your life."
The Pitch-Black Pokémon growled.
"I- I don't mean it like that!" I shook my head, wishing that I'd washed my face first, that I was in anything other than a tracksuit I fell asleep in and that I'll be spending most of the day wearing. "I mean... I saw a Lucario, Altair. A Delphox... and... in my dream, it was so real... I had a Venusaur named Deneb, and a Sealeo- and I called myself the latest of the Kalos Champions."
I lifted my head. Dr du Bois was staring straight into the fire, her green eyes glimmering and wide even this early in the morning. In fact, those eyes were so green, I could see a second ring- contacts?
"Doctor?" I blinked, confused. Was she short-sighted? "Doctor?"
"...were I any other person, I would believe that your dream was a coincidence," Dr du Bois finally said after what felt like a geological epoch. "I would dismiss it as hearsay, believing that nothing fantastic or coincidental could ever happen, were I so blind to the world. However, I maintain the belief that there is no coincidence; the universe is rarely so lazy, and this world too is rarely so coincidental. What were you fighting, in your dream?"
"A... something like a Stantler," I confessed, feeling less hungry at the sound of her tone. "I think I've seen pictures of Sawsbuck before... it was blue with gold horns... and it glowed like a rainbow. With it was a large, bird-like Pokémon that was red and black. Do you... know those Pokémon?"
The kettle bubbled; Dr du Bois took it off the stove and set the simmer ring in, partially closed. She then started pouring tea. "I never knew that Darkrai would affect you like this."
"This isn't the point!" I burst out. "I want to know why I'm looking at Daisy's dream!"
I realised then, that it was a bad move; a light in her eye glimmered, already homing in on what I slipped up.
"So, you know that those are Daisy's dreams, or memories, or you have some idea thereof," she whispered.
"Yes," I admitted grudgingly. "I... think? Anyway... it's weird. Isn't it?"
"Très bien." She poured me some hot chocolate. "Close your mouth; I am capable of acknowledging your merits. So, Darkrai aside, what else?"
"Daisy... saw her Pokémon die?" I hazarded.
"And?" Dr du Bois questioned.
"So... why wasn't their deaths reported?" I asked myself, confused at the possibility that was outlined. "The death of half a Champion's team would be pay-dirt for the reporters."
"What do you think?"
"You don't want to tell me?" I grumbled.
"I fear for your trust in authority if I were to tell you the truth," she simply replied, her voice quiet. She was mixing some honey into her tea. "The reasons are not as simple as you think. It is also not what one would comment on in public. However, I can say this; somehow, you are dreaming of the circumstances of Daisy's tragedy. The why of wherefore I do not know, and do not care to deduce. It is a phenomenon, and all phenomena occur at one level or another. The only meaning is what you attribute it."
"But it's got to be eating at Daisy," I related. "Being unable to acknowledge her partners' deaths, having to keep this secret... she can't just train another team like that, even if she replaced her Pokémon. Even if she was doing it to continue holding the Championship... I don't believe it. Diantha's still up there, she's still the one we have to fight. So... there's no reason for her to hide."
"I have... two hypotheses," Dr du Bois suggested after a long silence, taking her spoon out of the cup to taste. "One; Daisy was a selfish girl who wanted to remain Champion. That is a faulty hypothesis, since she could train another team, as you pointed out, plus that is not in the character of Daisy. The other hypothesis; someone ensured that Daisy would be unable to tell anyone without sacrificing the thing Daisy fought for."
"The thing...? She was blackmailed?" I blinked.
"Blackmail. There are other ways to motivate hiding the truth." Dr du Bois smiled, sipping at her tea. "To properly understand, I need to elaborate on history. You remember, the story of Jeanne d'Arc?"
"Yes," I nodded. "She was the first Kalos Champion, right? The legendary hero who created the Kalos League?"
"Indeed," Dr du Bois nodded. "The rise of Jeanne d'Arc is still a contention amongst scholars of Kalosian history. Some say that she was magic, a true heroine blessed by powers beyond ken to save Kalos; some say that she was just a symbol. Whatever it was, most agree that the modern nation of the Kalos region was formed by her. In fact, it was under Jeanne d'Arc that the modern form of regional government by a collective of city-states was established. It is heroes that create a nationhood that is the regions, and establishes unity between the different city-states. Their public personae is what keeps the legitimacy of the Leagues, especially in times of trouble like the gangs."
"I... I sort of get it, and not," I muttered. "So... regions are established through idols?"
"You heard Serena's defence. Daisy Linden became a symbol for the people of Kalos to rally behind. Young, capable, and driven; everything ideal exemplified for the Kalos League to rally around, to combat Team Flare," Dr du Bois's eyes drifted to the side, before centring back to the fire. "The people of any region sleep safe at night, knowing that their Champion will be strong against any of the forces of evil that are villains of our world. Yes, I suppose you could say that every region is established through its idols. With that sort of background, the sort of legitimacy that the League of a region rests upon, imagine that an ordinary citizen of Kalos, without Pokémon or defence or anything but that peace of mind, finds out that the Champion had fallen in battle. The world of Trainers is not kind to weakness."
"That's... a bit weak?" I caught on. "They embarrass themselves? And their region- oh."
"The Kalos League not only loses face; they lose legitimacy," Dr du Bois agreed. "They lose social stability. All the effort placed into eradicating Team Flare would be lost overnight. If the other Leagues find out, the balance of powers between regions approaches collapse, like what had happened to the Johto region in the wake of Gold's defeat. That Pyrrhic victory might, in fact, come at great cost to Kalos. A bunch of hot-blooded, violently inclined Trainers with little political capital and all of the power of fully Trained, fully evolved Pokémon, attempting to muscle in on the Kalos League and to challenge all regions. An inter-region war was considered as a great possibility."
That... was a horrible thought. Mom always said that fights were bad, and Team Rocket were evil. If Team Rocket's unsanctioned violence still left its mark on Kanto... I didn't want to see what sanctioned violence looked like.
Dr du Bois waved a hand to the Tisane burbling, to the half-meadow, half-forested area next to the river, to the herd of Mareep grazing far off. Her expression was serene, almost worthy of some form of divine inspiration. "Kalos might have its bad points. Its people are stuck up, proud of themselves, and hold unnecessary arrogance with no knowledge of when to ask for help. Kalos is tarnished, yes. There are foolish, selfish individuals, both human and Pokémon alike. That does not, however, mean that Kalos is beyond saving."
Maybe, I thought, this was how men felt when faced with the force of Jeanne d'Arc.
She then turned to me. ""Furthermore, Kalos is a region with the most Fairy-type Pokémon, and leading in economic and agricultural strength and its alliance with Unova. This possibility leads me to a flip-side."
"A flip-side?" I blinked.
"Have you thought about why Grimsley is here?"
The side question threw me off. "Erm... he's a Dark-type specialist?"
"Ostensibly," Dr du Bois admitted. "Yet Kalos is not lacking either. The real reason is because he has a Krookodile handy."
"Erm... okay?"
"Krookodile are used for body disposal," Dr du Bois's eyes narrowed. "It's also easier with a Bisharp handy to dice flesh into small pieces. I imagine that, had the search succeeded, Julia's body would never be publicised."
The honeycomb was cloying in my mouth, as I trembled in fear. She sipped at her tea, before placing the empty cup onto the ground. It landed with a clunk.
"For our comrades, all of us do things against our nature," she admitted at last, watching the steam from my untouched hot chocolate cool off in my hands.
I do not know what drove me to tell Donar so much. I think he is onto something. He is a rather sharp one, that boy.
– Marguerite Linden du Bois.
Here, have some food porn.
Critique, s'il vous plaît!