Savoir-faire – To Know and To Do

Épilogue : Expliquer – To Explain

Day 75: I was due to report back to the Sycamore Laboratory in a few days. Augustine laughed when I told him the situation. Donar had returned with lousy results against the Lumiose Gym, which is going to need some training of his own devising. The Morelle girl, despite settling her situation, insists on having me as her teacher, as if that should hold merit.

I am seriously considering it, after being told of the assassination attempts on her...

The scene outside of the Sycamore Laboratory had stirred a crowd of multiple people. Silent pickets milled about the entrance, blocking the streets with their mindless chanting.

I struggled out of the taxi, paying the necessary two thousand Poké. My style had marked me as unique, to the driver, but I still believed in paying the proletariat well. Especially since the driver was a sometime student of mine. "Be careful, Gilles."

"What?" the redhead driver scowled, albeit a bit faintly. "I'm always careful, Dr du Bois. But... this is serious, isn't it? The Morelle changing leadership?"

"Achillée Morelle is arrested, leaving a girl as head of the Morelle family. You tell me, M. Moreau."

Gilles Moreau, sometime taxi driver and attorney at the avocat commis d'office was silent. "Damn. Better tell Sibyl to prepare for gangland warfare?"

"Well, we are discussing the Coumarine and Lumiose Gym Leaders taking on the Morelle's underlings," I answered lightly. "I suppose, yes."

"And do I get backup?"

I smiled, and walked into the Sycamore Laboratory. A picketer jumped in my path.

"Hey, hey!"

I kept walking. He kept following.

"Do you think this society stifling?" he started. "Don't you want to change things? Starting first with this weird trainer policy! Like giving equal rights to Pokémon!"

I stopped walking. In a heartbeat, Altair popped out, facing the protester, who shrank back.

"Look!" he shouted. "You're resorting to violence to get your way!"

"You claim to support equal rights for Pokémon," I corrected. "Altair is capable of forming his own arguments. He shall be your debate opponent."

"Him?" The protester stared to Altair. "But... he can't talk!"

What other talking Pokémon would bother to argue with you guys?

I left Altair at the steps of the Sycamore Laboratory, as Lucario and human began to argue. Not that Pokémon kidnap was any less of a worry, but to kidnap Altair required far more than simple daring and technology, especially a sentient Pokémon like Altair, capable off articulating to all but the most psi-null of humans.

I felt Darkrai detach from my shadow to join Altair. It made me feel lighter.

Why do you keep them with you when they trouble you, Euterpe?

"My name is Marguerite. As for the answer... Altair, Liz, Cyprès, Mignon, Aegis," I counted my Pokémon. "You... Darkrai is my research assistant. Understand, Poucet, that I have not offered you a position as my companion yet."

Of course. Mes excuses.

"Who was your former master before this?" I asked.

My master was the illustrious Gilles, baron de Rais, the first Marshal of Kalos. I have also served under the personal command of La Pucelle.

"The original Bluebeard and the crimson holy virgin..." I commented, waiting by the elevator doors. I must be a sight, talking to myself, but I suppose the receptionists had learnt to fear me to keep their distance at last. "Quite the résumé there. So, why do you wish to join me, Poucet?"

You possess the power. The Spiritomb loomed. As you are, you stand as either Mystimaniac or Fillette de Conte. The potential of your power is such that you could unite the differing factions of Kalos, divided under the banners of Xerneas and Yveltal.

"Fillette de Conte... Jeanne d' Arc was a Fairy Tale Girl?" I asked. "Sounds like the basis for witches in Pokémon mythology. So, who was the Hex Maniac of that pair...?"

The penny dropped.

The elevator dinged. The doors rolled open. I stared. They started to close.

A familiar gauntleted hand reached out, easily stopping the doors. They rolled back out. Wikstrom gazed at me with eyes of concern, having suddenly appeared like my persistent shadow.

"Are you alright, madame?"

I met Wikstrom's eyes, and Poucet appeared, hovering around me.

"Wikstrom..." I swallowed. "Poucet, Wikstrom, your former master's descendant. Poucet, meet Wikstrom, the current baron de Rais."

Your Honour, Poucet answered. I thank you for allowing me to meet Mistress.

"... are we going in, then?" Wikstrom nodded to the elevator. "Marguerite, I did mention not to go out without me."

"It was emergency business," I rebutted, walking in gingerly.

Wikstrom entered after Poucet and I, and the doors closed as I jabbed a button for the third floor. "I did not remember telling you."

"Altair bribed a nurse to tell me."

I felt a vein throb in my temple. "That... doctor."

"You trained Altair as a doctor?" Wikstrom asked.

"I am a firm believer in Pokémon being our intellectual equals, if not intellectual superiors," I answered loftily. "That does not preclude equipping high-level skills to them."

"How dangerous," Wikstrom commented at last.

He followed me with silence to Sycamore's office, which was as flamboyant as I last saw it, complete with exhausted assistants and maniacally working Augustine.

I knocked on the door. "Bonjour, Augustine."

"Oh, D- Marguerite!" Augustine called. "Bonjour! And Monseigneur de Rais too! Such a wonderful surprise! Sina, Dexio, I need you two to prepare the special snacks."

Still grumbling, two virtual zombies walked out, and I closed the door behind us. "I have finished my log on the first half of the research. Now that I am at the midway point, the preliminary research should be reviewed, as should the research question."

"What, that's it?" Augustine turned to his desktop, calling up a folder. His expression turned pensive as he revised my edited log. "You're an associate professor, and you even have a fellowship at the École Normale Supérieure. This research is more your cup of tea. And, why bring an Elite Four with you? Marguerite, I know that you immerse yourself in academia as a distraction, a simple way to pass the time. Your concerns here, go beyond the research project at this point."

"...you've always been good at reading between the lines," I admitted. "It's... aboard the Azur, Donar found out. About... me."

"And?" Augustine shook his head. "Chérie, do you think so little of moi? You are the next professor in the world of Kalosian academia to give me support on my research. The Sycamore Institute had its breakthrough because of Maîtresse Linden's contributions. To think such an absurd thought... Donar has no proof."

"It's not about that," I admitted. "The boy insists on throwing himself at the slightest hint of danger to his friends, even nearly complete strangers. And... he has grown enamoured of me, I think."

Augustine burst into loud laughter after that. "Chérie, you are every boy's dream, the fair Dulcinea to be helped and assisted. Autocratic you may believe yourself, but you are so masterful that even the deans must bow before you time and again! Unless this shall ruin your objectivity?"

"...it might," I admitted. "The boy grows on me, and sometimes I forget that he is not immortal."

"Then he is doing his job."

I looked up, my hands clenching into my chair. Augustine's expression was somewhat... unnerving. "His job? Augustine... did you set up this so that my tenure application was contingent on this... this...?!"

"Professor Oak might not be apparent that one of our staff shall outlive us all," Augustine serenely imparted. "I did hint, however, that the brightest Kalosian scholar in the field of anthro-Pokémon relations was looking at an imminent fall from grace following her teachings as to warrant the label of nihilist and loner in the academic field. Tenure is decided amongst the deans and professors, and Oak himself is moderate."

"That was... that was manipulative and exactly what I would have done," I admitted.

"Merci," Augustine nodded. "Though my skills are much lower than your own. Now, your points?"

I detailed to Augustine most of my research, and we made the necessary tweaks. I would prefer not to bore you about the research, but suffice it to say that I gave a condensed version of the past seventy-five days of research, along with my details and thinking points to be backed by conventional research.

"So far, all factors seem to agree," I postulated. "Unlike the cities of Kalos, the towns remain relatively undeveloped and characteristically rural. The factors that primarily drive Pokémon training – peer pressure, competitiveness, tradition, desire to explore – and the infrastructure that allows so are agreed. Pokémon training is truly a key driver of economy, social welfare and political power, although as of recent years that power became concentrated in the Cent-Feuilles and away from the Maison d'Arc, which was the cause of the Revolution. And we come back to Central Kalos..."

"Still, I expect you know of the situation surrounding Lumiose," Augustine reminded me. "After all, no social analysis of Kalos can be complete without mentioning the Raiponce-Millepertuis agreement."

"Ah," I agreed. Somewhere in my heart, I could feel my heart sinking.

"And, what about the Morelle girl?" Augustine asked, pouring an excellent tisane of Leppa Berries from a decanter set beside his desk. " « L'adonis goutte-de-sang ne sera pas autorisé à tenir la tempête longtemps seul. » "

"Without the Zapdos corpse... les maisons de Raiponce et Millepertuis agiront? " I turned slightly. "Why is the Platane heir telling me this?"

Augustine twitched, and his expression turned uncharacteristically fierce. "I am not, and will not, ever be part of the Cent-Feuilles. And, even if I were, I have the choice of throwing it away. The same cannot be said for you, princess."

"The Fleur-de-Lis is dead," I reminded him.

"But as the heiress of the Three Great Families, only the fact of not relinquishing the Champion title blocks you from the Jardin Throne," Augustine noted.

"That throne is no longer needed," I groused. "Democracy reigns across the world now."

"You know, more than anyone else..." Augustine smiled bitterly. "... where the reins of power across the region lies. And as the one most correctly placed, you bear the power to stand at the top."

"..." I clicked my tongue. "...troublesome. The top is lonely, you know. And, Augustine. You seem to have forgotten those at the bottom, looking upon everything so distantly as you like. What about your students?"

"Your matter concerns only one of my students, and by this time he's more your student than mine," Augustine noted. "Should I register with the Pokémon League that he's now your student?"

"...no," I rose to leave. "As head of the Mandragora, no one will oppose me if I take on two students. Especially since the Morelle are a cadet branch of the Mandragora to begin with."

"At this juncture...!" Chairs clattered as Wikstrom and Augustine rose. "But then-!"

"Anywhere else, my decision might be contested, and Léa Morelle ended before that," I agreed, wandering to Augustine's office's window to look over Lumiose, the City of Light. "But, have you forgotten who is here? The house which has stood forever, who maintains its position by working in the shadows, and in doing so placed itself as the overseer of the Cent-Feuilles. If it's Clemont Citron, then... here, in the City of the Eternal Light, she might have a chance. I am... sure of it."

I walked out of the Sycamore Institute to see the protester curling in on himself. Darkrai was placidly watching the rest of the crowd join him in the clash of logic.

Altair crossed his arms. Well?

"Our target lies in the two factions that rule the Tripartite," I told him as we walked out to the streets of Lumiose. "We're going to call for help."

The two factions...? You mean...

"Yes," I looked to the clear skies of Illumis; Lumiose, the City of Light, and the centre of the region. "Valeria, Olympia... it's your début."

"You... want to become her apprentice?"

Serena, Shauna, Léa and I were in Café Soleil, sharing three different cakes, and Serena was attracting attention.

"Shh!" I dragged Serena down. "Léa... are you sure? I thought you hated her!"

"I did," Léa bitterly admitted. "But then, when she was shot... I could feel something like me."

"Something like... you?" Shauna asked.

"Pokémon can recognise each other instinctively," Léa shivered. "At that time, when she revived... I was afraid, but also... admiring. I just... knew. Why..."

"Scary..." Serena murmured to herself. "But, Leader Amaro offered you a place at the Coumarine Gym, right? And the Morelle house is there too..."

"I don't think I'll go back," Léa confessed shyly, petting her new Gourgeist on the head. "Monsieur Ramos is extremely kind, and... I owe him a lot, but I've decided. I'm going to study Ghost-type Pokémon... I'm going to become a Ghost-type Trainer. With this little one, I'm going to compare and study my powers."

"Say, I just had a thought," Shauna commented. "Special powers, and a familiar... Léa looks like a witch! She just needs a pointy hat for Halloween!"

"How is that funny...?" I snorted. "Serena, don't you agree?"

"I agree," Serena giggled, eyeing Léa. "It looks like a joke! But it looks like something at a Coordinator festival too."

"A witch..." Léa mused, before making a stray flame dance around her finger. "Yeah... it does seem like that..."

"Don't!" I reached a hand out towards the flame.

"Don't touch it." The flame died in her hand. "Will-O-Wisp is still dangerous."

"Oh, right." I moved my hand back.

"Speaking of which," Shauna realised. "Have you guys fought Clemont yet?"

"Yes," Serena answered. "It was... interesting. Complete loss."

"You guys were all here?"

"Noël!" I greeted. "Erm, Léa, this is Noël Duval."

"So you're Mademoiselle Morelle," Noël gave a mocking nod. "Noël Duval, at your service."

"Thank you for your help," Léa answered.

"It was nothing," Noël shook his head. "I am glad to have helped. But... you shouldn't flash that power about so often, mademoiselle. Otherwise the real witches will come get you."

"What?" Serena blinked.

"Well, you know how some families specialise in training a certain Pokémon type?" Noël asked. "And that Ghost- and Fairy-type Trainers are some of the strangest, rarest Trainers?"

"Huh? Yeah..." I nodded.

"So, sometime during the Century War," Noël elaborated, "the Ghost-type and Fairy-type Trainers gained power and nobility, forming new types of Trainers. Somehow, those extraordinary powers favoured females, creating the Fairy Tale Girl and the Mystimaniac, also known as the Hex Maniac. No one knows how or why. Some say that the ghosts left over from the long fight, and old grudges of ghosts lingered in the land following the wars... some say that it was Kalos itself, granting legendary healing powers to women, the ones who propagate the land... either way, these two factions of Trainers live out in the triangle area marked by the Lavarre Nature Trail, Brun Way and Mélancolie Path, and sometimes they clash. Now and then, a girl comes along with strange powers, and those female Trainers come along to adopt them, taking them away into the forests surrounding Lumiose... never to be seen again."

The air grew heavy with his tale, and Noël sighed. "Or, it used to be like that. Right now, rumour says that the Fairy Tale Girls established themselves in Lavarre and Anistar City Gyms, and that they've even gotten control of the local gentry. They're the experts in the Pokémon types associated with magic; Fairy, Grass, Psychic, Ghost. In any other region, the existence of actual witches in story are actually based on members of these two factions."

"So... who's leading these two factions?" Léa asked.

"Well, by the laws of nobility, the position of Gym Leader is chosen by the previous Gym Leader, who also serves as the head of an unofficial family," Noël smiled. "These noblesse de robe ,these are the families formed through unofficial adoption and training by the bond of master and disciple. The Lavarre City Gym is represented by the Maison de Raiponce, and the Anistar City Gym by the Maison de Millepertuis. These two titles lead the Fairy Tale Girls and the Hex Maniacs respectively... led by Valerie and Olympia, only the Three Grand Ducal Families have greater standing than them. Especially since, with Achillée Morelle being arrested, Mademoiselle Morelle, you will probably become their target if they found out."

"W- What should I do?" Léa fairly trembled. "I just wanted to become a normal Trainer..."

"Well, I'd advise you to go back to Coumarine," Noël shook his head as he peered towards the café window. "But it's too late. They know."

I looked to where Noël was looking, and from there I saw a shadow pass through... a grinning shadow-

My hand reached immediately for my Holo Caster, clutching it before I forced myself to let go. It was broad daylight... they can't move yet...

The glass shattered in the window, burnt to a crisp, and I realised that the fires... they weren't orange, or anything, but the cool blue of Will-O-Wisp. And I realised, that the shadow had passed, though nothing was there.

The noise and cracking faded, into silence.

A fire extinguisher appeared, and people started to make calls to their insurance. The hum of panic hidden by élan and ennui echoed, and in the relaxed air of Lumiose City, I saw someone take out their Holo Caster and start filming.

"Is that...?" Serena gasped, questioning and shaken.

"A human..." Shauna sank back down from where she had been standing, spilling her teapot everywhere. "I saw... a monster. A... monster..."

To take one real witches... the closest thing to witches that exist in the Kalos region, and I dream of taking them on. I must be mad.

Why not?

– Marguerite Linden du Bois

On hindsight, I am splitting this into two separate fics. There will be a sequel, titled Voir Dire. Look out for it !

Critiquez, s'il vous plaît!