Chapter 10: On Being a Doll

That second summer, I was caught by the same problem of not having much to do while my parents were away. Serena's family did own the house next door, but they were rarely in. I thought of working at Viola's gym again, but she had no openings posted. At first, I helped out with my parent's garden and read some of the books they had again. It was while I was doing the gardening work that I got a suggestion from a chance encounter.

Calem had his Pokemon out with him while he did garden work. Percival was hiding out in the shadow of the rock walls surrounding the yard, while Yorick had fun lurking in the ground and snatching up pests off the plants. Surprisingly, Nibbles turned out pretty good at helping with the weeds. Once Calem showed the Pinsir which plants were supposed to be there, she happily set about to pulling out the ones that weren't. Mortan snacked on a few aphids from a climbing rose, then went hunting around town for insects that would also eat them.

"Hello, mind if I come in?" a woman asked, standing outside the gateless opening in the stone wall. It took a moment, but then Calem recognized who it was. She was dressed in a simple yellow sundress with a ruffled green jacket, a lot simpler attire than he was used to seeing her in.

"Hello Diantha," he said, getting up and brushing some dirt off his hands. "It should be okay, although my parents are away at work right now."

"Hmm, maybe I'll come back later," she said, coming up the path. Her eyebrows raised as she got close. "Oh? I have a feeling I should know you... wait, I'll get it..." She glanced around at the Pokemon with him, in particular the Honedge and Pinsir. Then she clapped her hands and smiled. "Ah, you're the one I worked with in the Santalune gym challenge. Calem, right?"

He smiled. "That's right. I'd shake your hand, but I've been doing garden work."

She laughed. "How gracious. That's fine." She looked back at the house. "I was curious about this place, actually. Funny thing meeting you here. Then you live here?"

"That's right," he said, nodding. "I know a bit about the house, actually. What about it?"

"Well, someone famous once lived here," Diantha said, putting a hand to her cheek. "Have you heard about Miss Roselia? She was an unusual but great heroine of the Great War many years ago."

Hearing that made him feel happy. "Yeah, I know her. I mean, knew her. She's my great-grandmother, and I inherited this house from her."

Brightening, she turned to him. "Oh my goodness, really?" When he nodded, she squealed in delight. "That's simply amazing! I mean, it was sad to hear that she had passed away outside of Kalos when she's still loved here. But I hadn't expected to find her family back here in these lands."

"I still miss her some," Calem said. "We were actually close, as I visited Gran daily for much of my life. But I know she wouldn't want me to be sad thinking about her."

"Certainly," Diantha said, touching his shoulder. "But then I would be delighted to talk with you about her! You see, I've recently been cast to play her in an upcoming movie. I've been doing all I can to get into the role, from reading her book, and here I came looking for the house she lived in. Hmm, but if you knew her like that, would you happen to be the one she dedicated the book to?"

He nodded. "I think so, but she made me swear that I wouldn't read it until I turned seventeen. That was how she was about a lot of her stories; she tell them to me but then say that she couldn't continue until I was older. It usually made her laugh and I'd have to pester her into telling something else."

That made her laugh. "You were a lucky kid. I would have been delighted to talk with her, so I hope that I can portray her well."

Since they could be talking for a while, Calem went ahead and invited Diantha inside, washing up the dirt off his hands before offering to get a snack with her. It was good to hear about the movie; he wondered if he'd be able to see it or if it was one of those things he'd need to wait a few years for. Either way, he wanted to see it eventually, when it got made.

Somehow, they ended up talking about what Calem was doing this summer. "I liked working at the gym last summer and I thought about working at another. But since Viola wasn't looking for gym trainers, I'd have to make a longer commute anywhere."

"Some places you could get to easily with the light rail system," Diantha said. "Now considering your current Pokemon, you're a bit stuck in that there's no gym for their aura type. Except for... there is a Fairy gym, and I think she is looking for help this summer."

"There's already a fairy gym?" Calem asked, curious. "I thought the classification had just been accepted."

She nodded. "Yes; it's got quite a story behind it too. See, Valerie originally came in as the Psychic type leader in Laverre, but she mostly used Fairy Pokemon misclassified as Psychic. That led to a lot of headaches for challengers as we couldn't rely on established information. Then Olympia challenged Valerie for the right to have the Psychic gym and won, primarily due to the fact that she used actual Psychics. Although at the time, she couldn't use that fact to get the gym title. Valerie had a good reputation as a leader despite her unusual Pokemon, so she took the unclaimed Normal gym title as it didn't require much shuffling of her teams to do so."

"But a lot of Fairy types were misclassified as Normal types too," Calem said.

"Exactly, so she was still a stumbling block to many. Then Augustine came around with his research and, after spending some time examining the gym Pokemon, identified them all as Fairy types. Valerie considered his information and eventually agreed with him, but then she didn't like that she'd been misrepresenting herself without realizing it. While his data was still under review, she put in a request to be identified as a Fairy gym leader. Much of the debate happened before I took over as champion, but I hear from Richard that it was quite an argument because the classification wasn't yet official. But the moment it did go official, Valerie's request was accepted."

"But if she's worked with them for that long, she'd surely know more about them," Calem said. "I got some information from the professor, but working there would be nice. Laverre's the town just north of Lumiose, right?"

"Right. Although, you do have to follow the particular rules of her gym. I don't think she often takes boys as gym trainers, but we might be able to convince her."

The particular rule was that trainers at the Laverre gym had to wear costumes designed and made by Valerie. The gym, sitting in front of a magnificent old tree, had been built to resemble an elegant dollhouse and all of the gym trainers had to look like elegant dolls to fit in. On realizing that, Calem had second thoughts about working there. He hadn't tried to be that adventurous with fashion yet. However, he had to admit that the girls there did look like pretty dolls and Valerie said that she would design something suitable for a boy if he worked there.

"I think you could be quite cute, since you still have a bit of a childish look to your face," she said. Valerie looked especially like a fairy doll, with her dramatic brown eyes and delicate pink wings attached to the back of her Victorian era clothes. "But the main thing to consider is why you want to work at my gym for the summer. Would you tell me about that?"

"I'm hoping to learn about Fairy Pokemon by working more with them and watching some battles," Calem said. "I have one myself, a Floette, and I do have Professor Sycamore as my homeroom teacher at Lumiose Magic Academy. But I think seeing how more of them act and battle in person, I'd know better."

"I have noticed that your Floette is well cared for," Valerie said. "If rather unusual."

"Yeah, everyone comments on his flower," he said. Mortan was currently sitting on a vase, his black lily contrasting greatly with the white and blue flowers behind him.

Surprisingly, Valerie shook her head. "Most Flabebe choose certain types and colors of flowers, true, but I have seen several with flowers outside their usual range. What I mean is, his aura is like no other Pokemon that I've ever seen, male Floettes are extremely rare sights, and his name is significant. Why did you name him that?"

Calem hesitated on answering that. He couldn't say that Mortan had given that as his name. On the vase, the Floette hid behind his flower's stem and hung his head. "I... I really can't say. There was an accident when I got him, and my Frogadier when she was a Froakie. I don't remember naming either of them, as they were already registered to the Pokeballs."

"Does he know any unusual moves or skills?"

"Actually, yes, but they come up with gibberish in the Pokeball data. He's reluctant to use them, so I've never seen them for myself." That was a lie, though; he'd seen one of them when they'd been at Route 6 near Parfum Palace. Specifically, Mortan had said that things would have to be dire to require them. Sometimes he wondered if it had anything to do with how he should have died, but thinking on that too long made Calem uneasy.

"Then he is a truly special Pokemon," Valerie said. "We may never know for certain, but if he doesn't wish to reveal it, we shouldn't press the issue."

In the end, she decided to hire him. After taking measurements for his uniform, Valerie told him to return in three days with his school uniform, just in case her work took longer than expected.

Like Viola, Valerie preferred for him to have two Pokemon of the Gym's type. She offered him a Pokemon to borrow for the summer, perhaps to keep if they got along. "I gave it some thought and, considering how you want to learn, I decided on giving you a Pokemon of two aura types, one Fairy and one to match one of your others, so you could compare how they overlap. This young lady here is a Mawile, a Steel Fairy Pokemon. I've been calling her Starlet, since her kind can be surprisingly good actors."

"Hello Starlet," Calem said. They were in a room not normally seen by visitors of the gym, the basement area where gym Pokemon owned by Valerie lived. It was as pretty as the rest of the gym, if a little more fantastic with all of its glittering crystals and mushroom themed furnishings. Around the room, at least a dozen Pokemon were out playing around. A Floette with a yellow daisy was trying to get Mortan to play with her, but he was trying to keep serious.

As for Starlet, Calem wasn't familiar with Mawiles, but her stance and expression seemed so haughty that he didn't think he was mistaking it for something else. She had a slim brown body with fur that seemed to spread out like a dress, hiding rather sturdy large feet underneath. Her dark brown eyes regarded him with some doubt, seeming to say that she would only work with him because Valerie said so. But most noticeable was her secondary jaw, a huge steel grin that sprouted from the top of her head and seemed larger than the rest of her body. "Maahhff," she said softly from her smaller mouth while her larger mouth clacked its many steel teeth.

"She seems very proud," Calem said.

Valerie smiled. "Oh yes, she is. After you work today, you might want to take her back home and fight some wild Pokemon with her and the rest of your Pokemon, and try to prove your worth to her. She should cooperate, though. If not, we'll arrange another Pokemon to work with you. Now, would you wait here a moment? I have the main piece of your costume done but we need to see if it needs adjustments. Excuse me; I'll be back in a minute." She then went into another room.

For a moment, Calem looked around the room to see the Pokemon there. There was one he barely recognized as a Dedenne that was bouncing around on a mushroom cushion, while a Marill nearby watched him cautiously. Past them, there was a Gardevoir that was slowly dancing around and singing a lullaby. He spotted a small Ralts in the Gardevoir's arms, one that had blue fringe where a couple other Ralts playing nearby had green fringe. That was curious, but he wasn't sure he wanted to approach them without Valerie around.

Deciding to sit down as that would make him more on eye level with Starlet, he tried talking to the Mawile. "Were you thinking that you wouldn't be working with a boy?"

Starlet muttered, which Mortan translated as, "She thought she'd be staying in Valerie's team." When the Mawaile widened her eyes, he drifted down (followed by the other Floette). "Yes, I can talk with humans. But I'm only allowed to speak to Calem right now, so it won't be easy to get a message to anyone else." She spoke again, annoying Mortan. "It's the rules and really, none of them should know. Him finding out was a mistake, but it turned out well so far. He's a good one... no that's not why! He is thirteen, but he's a good boy."

"What does my age have to do with anything?" he asked.

"She wanted to know if you were only working here for the girls," Mortan said.

"Then you're right, that's not a reason," Calem said, although he felt a little embarrassed. "I mean, I'm sure they're nice, but... I do kind of like one girl, but she won't be here, I'm pretty sure of it."

Starlet chuckled at that, but they couldn't talk further as Valerie came back into the room. Calem went into the bathroom to try the uniform on. Her current liking was for classy Victorian pieces, some of which were familiar if fancier than he usually saw, others he barely knew about. One thing he did like was that she had made his in colors he liked, blue and white. While it was different from what he was used to, he thought it still looked nice. She did have to make adjustments, so his first day at Laverre gym as a trainer was spent in his school uniform instead.

I thought I wouldn't see her, but one of my more memorable days working in the Laverre Gym was the day Serena showed up. Although, it was about far more than just her.

"Geez, is brute force your strategy?" Calem asked, using the gym network to alert Valerie that Serena had defeated him. "Coming in for your first badge with your Rhyperior, Braxien, and that Aurora Pokemon."

"Aurorus," she said, smiling. "And why not use tremendous strength? It's certainly effective. Though if you really want to see brute strength, you ought to be here when I come in for the proof later."

"I don't think Valerie would call me in on that," Calem said. He knew a couple of Fairy spells, but didn't think that was enough for use as part of a proof of magic challenge.

"That's a pity," Serena said. Was she disappointed? Maybe she did think highly of him. But before he could get his hopes up, she went on to say, "Not that you'd be at your best in a magic battle here and now. You've got such an interesting talent but it's so underdeveloped; I'd like to battle you in a magic duel sometime when you'd be more than a speed bump."

"Well sorry I couldn't have had a started way ahead like you," Calem grumbled, looking away as his face got warm. "We've been working hard."

"Unevenly with as many Pokemon as you have," she said, lost in her own thoughts. "Maybe it looks that way to you, but I've got a lot of ground to cover still to get where I want. Anyhow, have fun being a doll; it was certainly a sweet surprise." She smiled at him, then headed off to one of the teleport pads that would lead to another room of the gym.

Calem revived Starlet and Mortan, releasing them back into the room to wait with him. "She could've been nicer about that."

Yorick popped out of a vase, grumbling too. "Really?" Mortan asked. "He says that she was a jerk."

"Yeah," Calem said, starting to pace around. "I wish I knew if she was being more honest like that or when she's nicer. Did she really have to call me a speed bump? Her Pokemon are like fighting machines, unbelievably strong. I wonder how she trains them to be like that."

Starlet didn't seem happy either. "No kidding," Mortan said. "They blew us away. Of course, her Pokemon seem to do that with everyone; I've never seen her lose. Then again, I don't know..." he paused, then looked down at the floor.

He stopped and looked at one of the paintings on the wall, of a castle on a mountaintop. "I don't see what she would have to worry about. She was born with every advantage and she's at the top of our grade, the battle club... but I wish that I could actually impress her once and get her respect."

"Um, Calem?" Mortan interrupted, sounding nervous.

Taking a moment to push aside his feeling of shame, he turned to his Pokemon. "What's wrong?"

"Something's..." he tilted his head, as if listening to something, "going to happen. Something bad. Could we go down to the Pokemon habitat? I think we should go."

He walked back over to the tablet that kept watch over what was going on in the gym. "Well I shouldn't leave my post, but..." he checked the guest log again. "Looks like I've fought all three challengers that are in. I'll see if I can take a break." He put in the request. Moments later, Valerie approved of it and he went to uncover a hidden teleport panel that would take him to the basement level. It would cover itself back up so none of the challengers could get in.

Since it was a busy afternoon, there were few Pokemon down here. That made it easier to hear the small anxious gasps in the room. Over on a mushroom that many of the Pokemon here would use to nap on, he found a familiar blue-fringed Ralts trembling as he lay there. Calem knew that this Pokemon had been sickly since he had hatched. When he would come in to work, he would usually find the Ralts' mother holding him and singing to calm him down.

"He's in really bad shape today," Calem said, touching his head gently. He was shivering and sweating, his skin too warm. "I'm not sure what to do, but Valerie..."

"She can't do anything," Mortan said, sitting on the mushroom. "This hatchling, he's going to die soon." The Floette sighed and put his flower down across his lap.

"Are you sure?" Calem asked, feeling a shiver of fright.

He nodded. "There's no mistake."

"When he's alone except for us?" He looked around, but only his own Pokemon were down here. Looking at Yorick, he knew that the Gastly could get through the building quickest. But the Pokemon here didn't like him and with news like this, it didn't seem best. "Swift? Can you make it up to Valerie's room and tell her Gardevoir about this? I think she at least should be here."

Swift gave a confident croak and hopped off to the teleport pad area. "She might make it in time, depending on what they're doing," Mortan said, watching her go. Then he looked back at the young Ralts. "I wish I could do something, but... I already broke the rules recently and this is no accident. I couldn't do anything about his illness. Although, with all that he's suffered, and would suffer if he survived, maybe it's for the best."

"That's a horrible thought," Calem said. The Ralts seemed to be shaking harder and his murmurs were getting fearful. Had he heard? Or did he know himself? Whichever it was, Calem didn't like leaving him to be scared like that. He wasn't sure if it was right, but hoping to calm the Ralts' anxiety at least, he picked the small Pokemon up. He was lighter than expected, but his trembles forced Calem to use both arms to keep him secure.

"Be careful," Mortan said, while the other Pokemon looked on in worry.

"I will be," Calem said. The Ralts opened his eyes and looked up at him uncertainly. Since he wanted to comfort the dying Pokemon as best he could until his mother got here, Calem tried to hum the song that the Gardevoir was always singing. The Pokemon wasn't sure what to make of him at first, but once he got the tune right, the Ralts relaxed and closed his eyes.

Not long after, the Gardevoir mother came out of the teleport area, looking to them anxiously. "Sura gaa dea."

"Oh, sorry," Calem said, going over to her and handing her the Ralts. "He was scared and I was trying to help."

Fortunately, she didn't act hostile to him. She was soon rocking her child and singing to him softly. Mortan had hovered up to Calem's side. "She's glad that we were here to comfort him, actually. She would understand your intentions without asking."

Calem offered the Floette a hand to land on. "Does this happen to you often?"

Mortan landed there, setting his flower low again. "Yeah. You spend long enough in his presence, and you'll get to know. But it's usually cases like this, when there's not much that can be done."

"Have you tried to do something about it, like you did with me?"

"Not since the first few years I was a servant," he said, hanging his head. "And one time was a horrible mistake; I ended up causing much more suffering to the one I was trying to help. So I stopped trying until I came across you. At the time, I was getting frustrated. Deaths I had to watch, and my oath still keeping me from AZ when I know he suffered, I felt helpless and I didn't want to watch another unfortunate death. Although, so far I don't see much bad coming out of you surviving that." He paused, then looked over to the Gardevoir. He spoke softer, "This, though... the poor child is lucky to have lived this long, but I don't think that fortunate with the pain he's been in."

The Gardevoir was still singing, but she wasn't swaying now. Letting Mortan take back to the air, Calem went over to her. "Do you want me to get Valerie?"

The Gardevoir shook her head, even though she was crying. Calem put a hand on her shoulder and ended up giving her a hug. She cried for quite a while.

When Valerie came into the room, Calem was by the Gardevoir, who was sitting against the wall and still holding onto her child. Valerie came over and talked with the Gardevoir for several minutes. It took some convincing to get her to let go of the Ralts, during which Valerie told Calem to go find the challengers still in the gym because she wouldn't be holding any more battles for the rest of the day.

He found Serena in a top floor room. "Hey, sorry to tell you, but the gym's going to close early today."

"What for?" she asked, frowning. "It's very inconsiderate; it should remain open until active challengers are done."

"It's an emergency," he said. "There's been a death among the gym Pokemon and we need to take care of them."

That chilled her. "Oh, I see. In battle?" When he shook his head, she seemed relieved. "Ah, well it's still a sad thing. I'll come back in a few days then. My condolences go out to her. But... this is the leader's room, right?"

"Yeah, she's usually here."

"Good," she said, then went to leave through the exit teleporter.

Calem headed back downstairs, to help the other gym trainers with cleaning and closing up the gym for the day. His Pokemon helped too; surprisingly, Starlet was more cooperative than usual. When he was downstairs making sure the other Pokemon were okay, Valerie came beside him without his notice. "I'll handle them," she said.

Tensing at the surprise, he turned to her, then relaxed and nodded. "Okay. How's the Gardevoir doing?"

"I think she knew what would happen, but she'll be grieving for a while," she said, seeming sad herself. "Thank you for sending your Pokemon up to get her. I was a little surprised to see her go off with your Frogadier, but I was also dealing with a challenger." She paused, glancing around. "Was it... your Floette that alerted you to the situation?"

How did she know? "Um, yes," he said, scratching his head. "He was acting a bit odd and once we got on break, he came right to the Ralts. He seemed to be suffering and scared, so I had to send for his mother. How did you know that?"

"His name means little death," Valerie said, in her usual gentle voice. "I would not condemn him for it, but there is a superstition in Kalos about the Flabebe and Floette Pokemon. It is said that the flower of the first wild one you see in spring is a significant sign. Some of it is silly nonsense, changing meanings over time, but the black one never does. A Floette with a black flower means that someone nearby will die. That's because, there is only one Floette with a black flower and that is Mortan, the servant of Yveltal."

"I hadn't heard that," Calem said, worried about Mortan. "How many people know about that?"

"Not many, I imagine," she said to his relief. "It's part of a tragic tale that is often left out when it's told. Yet on seeing him, I feel no curse nor any ill-intentions. Don't let it change how you feel about him. Take good care of Mortan and maybe, he can get a happy ending after all."

"I hope so, but I have the feeling that it'd take more than I could give him," he said. At the very least, he knew to really make Mortan happy, he'd need to find a way to dissolve that oath he had. Which meant finding Jack again, one way or another. "I'll try to make him happy for now."

Valerie let him borrow a book that had the story in it, then dismissed him for the day. It was still early, though, and the train back to Vaniville wouldn't arrive for some time. Although he wasn't sure what to do for now, he ended up walking towards the station outside of town while talking quietly to Mortan. He told him about what Valerie had said.

"So she knew," Mortan said. "I thought she might, with the way she watched me. Then you'll be finding out what happened back then." He seemed regretful.

"Are you okay with that?" Calem asked. He was curious, but didn't want to trouble his Pokemon.

"You should read it," he said. "You'd find out eventually, I mean, ummm," he glanced around, then floated off. "S-sorry! I have to... you know." Then he took off.

"Mortan?" Calem asked, then realized what it meant. Although, looking around the street didn't find that person. He went to the train station, wondering if Jack would be over there.

But before finding him, he found Serena again. She was being greeted by a group of girls that, at least a few of them, also went to the academy in Lumiose. "Hey, how's our winner doing?" one of them said cheerfully to her. "Got your first badge to glory now?"

"No, not yet," Serena said as she hugged her friend. "It's such a pain, but I got right to the leader's room and she wasn't there. And a couple minutes later, I get word that they're closing down the gym for a few days!"

"How awful!"

"Maybe she's afraid of you coming there," another girl said, making the group laugh.

"No, it's sillier than that," Serena said. "A Pokemon died and they're being all dramatic about it."

"It is not silly," Calem said in anger. "The Pokemon are really upset about it; they're not going to want to battle for a while."

She glanced at him, then shrugged. "If you spoil your Pokemon, I suppose they wouldn't."

"Oh, are you one of Valerie's dolls?" another girl asked, grinning in amusement. "You do look adorable dressed up like that."

"They would be the sort to give into them like that," a third said.

"It's being mindful of their feelings, not spoiling them," Calem said.

"Whatever," Serena said. "Come on, we've got plenty of time to shop here now." The others agreed and went with her.

"I thought you'd be more considerate," Calem said, more to himself.

Someone still heard; Jack had somehow approached without being noticed yet. "A beautiful face can come with an ugly mind," he said. "I've seen that more than I'd like."

"Oh, it's you Jack," he said, putting a hand to his chest. "You scared me a bit; I hadn't noticed you."

"Sorry," he said.

"One of those girls is my friend," he said, looking back to where they had gone. "I'm surprised; she's usually not like that around us. Maybe it's just being around the other girls."

"In that case, you might try to be a good influence on her. It might work. Just keep in mind, it might not."

"I hope that'll help," Calem said.

"What were they saying, about a Pokemon who died?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

Well, Calem thought, it might help make a friend out of him. So he told him about the Ralts who had been born sickly, and how he had died and left his mother Gardevoir in grief. "I don't know those two Pokemon well, but seeing them like that would break anyone's heart. Well, I think anyone."

"I agree," Jack said, making some sign with his hands. "May the child's soul rest in peace, separate from his pain."

Calem nodded, then got an idea. "I hope that's true. It's affecting my Pokemon too. I mean, my Floette took off and I need to find him before I head back home."

As he thought, that got Jack's interest. "Oh... you have one of them?"

"Yes. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard; Mortan has a black flower, so he'll stand out unless he's hiding really well. He's got a melancholic mood most of the time; I'll have to keep a better eye on him once I do find him."

The giant's eye's widened in recognition, which Calem tried to not notice obviously. Maybe he would know that his old friend had unusual abilities now, maybe not. But he didn't bring up the truth quite yet. "Ah... yes, that's a good idea." He put a hand to his chin, worried again. "You should find him soon. Oh, but, you might not be interested, but I'm still staying at that old house outside of town. If you'd like to visit sometime, I'd be glad to see you."

Good, exactly what he hoped for. He smiled. "Sure, I'll do that. I live in Vaniville, but I'm working up here this summer. If I have some time after work, I'll drop in on you. Thanks."

"No, thank you," Jack said, nodding. "And take good care of your Pokemon."

"Of course." He released Percival, Yorick, Nibbles, and Starlet, as Swift was hanging by his side as usual. "Okay guys, we need to find Mortan. And Yorick, don't scare him this time."

"Awwww," Yorick sighed, then gave a nod and floated off.

"See you later, Jack," Calem said, waving as he went back into town.

And so for the rest of that summer, I often visited Jack at that old house. Mortan still wouldn't come near the house because of his oath against AZ, but both of them accepted it at the time and would ask about each other. I wasn't sure what was needed to break the oath, but I hoped that if I got the trust of both of them, one or the other would mention something.

It was slow work. One problem was that even when I stated school again, I had to go out of my way to visit him at that old house. But even at times when I could visit often, AZ was a difficult person to connect to. He'd been wandering around alone for thousands of years after all, rarely keeping contact with anyone. Some days I'd get lucky and he'd be comfortable conversing, but other days he didn't want to say or do anything. However, I did notice that he slowly worked on the house, repairing the structure so that it was safer to be in. Just knowing that I had his dear Floette sparked a little hope in him and he tried to keep my friendship because of it.

A/N: Mortan is a made up name, primarily because most parents wouldn't want to name their kid something that meant 'little death', haha. the '-an' name ending does add 'little' to the name's meaning, so it should work.

Valerie and her all-female gym trainers are dressed in classical Japanese clothing. But given the aesthetic of her gym, I see no reason why she wouldn't use Victorian clothes if she felt like changing up her style. Or why a boy couldn't work in that Gym, provided he's not too embarrassed by fancy clothes and being part of the Fairy Gym. I know a fair number of guys who'd like it.