[A/N: Alrighty, let's get this show on the road! Since I am a terrible author who took more than a year off from this story, I want to clarify some things.

1.I'm sorry but there is no gym battle in this chapter! The events in this chapter already took a lot of words to put down but I think I made it worthwhile in terms of content and backstory and teasing.

2.Since I lied and there's no Gym Battle this Chapter, I'm posting two chapters on the same day! That will cover it. I just wanted to get the chapter spacing done right.

3.In Chapter 9, I mentioned Diantha was bigger than someone named Nancy. This is a reference to the idol character Nancy in Black2/White2. She's a Unovan starlet and the female counterpart to Curtis if you never played as the male protagonist.

4.In an earlier chapter, it was mentioned Serena's father passed away with a bad case of pneumonia last winter. This reminder will make more sense when you've read the chapter.

5.I hope all you fellow Boutiqueshippers are pleased with this chapter! When I played through this part, I just had to write it. The music, the atmosphere, it was just perfect.

6.I hope you read and review!

Okay, no more delays! Let's go!]

It felt like a year since I was home with Mom in Vaniville Town, even though it had only been a few days. I stretched. I could feel the new muscles in my legs and shoulders. Walking, even skating, everywhere was hard work. Add that to the emotional stress of not having anyone tell me just what the hell was going on made everything ache more. Still, I was proud of my progress. Sure, my hair was a mess, but my Pokémon were healthy and in great shape. Dawn was just breaking as I stepped into my next obstacle, and the next semblance of civilization, Camphrier Town.

Camphrier Town was an ancient establishment, even advertised as 'a town where you can taste the ages'. I had learned about it in Poké World history class many times. It featured Shabboneau Castle, the oldest standing structure in the region, an actual testament to its oldness. Apparently it once housed one of the wealthiest royal families of the Kalos. Now, it was simply a tourist attraction. The town was paved in aged cobblestone-everything from buildings to every weathered path. I seriously thought I would break an ankle trying to skate on it, so I settled for walking.

The moment I stepped into the city limits, I received a Holo clip from Lysandre Labs. It was some pre-recorded commercial, urging its users to support Lysandre Labs or some propaganda like that. While I knew it was probably completely normal for companies to put out those advertisements, that Lysandre guy was still the creepiest guy I'd ever met. It all just gave me an odd feeling.

Oh well, enough of that. I shrugged and headed straight to the Pokémon Center. I healed up, then quickly showered and changed clothes. I was exhausted, but I really needed to try fixing my skewed sleeping schedule. So, I gathered my Pokéballs and pressed on.

Camphrier Town was…different from what I had expected from the history books. The gurgling fountain of this acclaimed tourist attraction was hardly trickling any water. Another oddity was that there were much fewer people roaming the streets than I was used to. It was almost eerie. Still, everyone I did meet seemed ecstatic to greet me and even handed me free stuff! I might have been starting to wonder about this town, but couldn't help but smile at the eager friendliness.

Since there was no Gym in the little town, I decided I might as well make my way on over to Shalour City, the next town over, to possibly get some answers from someone in this damn region. Maybe even that Korrina girl. After all, I was on a quest, not vacation. However, some upstart blonde guy was actually patrolling the West exit to the town. He refused to let me pass until I had at least visited the castle! Huffing, I turned back and tried to skate by him, but no luck. All he would do was smile at me and insist. It would have been so easy to let Braixen take care of this little punk, but he seemed desperate for me to go to the castle. Complaining, I turned and skated off to the castle, hopefully spraying him with some dirt.

The drawbridge to Shabboneau castle was down and welcoming, even at this early hour. I really have no other choice then, huh? I reasoned. The sooner I see the castle, the sooner I can get out of this ghost town. I let out a sigh, and walked in.

"Hi, Lady S!" came a cheery voice.

I blinked and saw Shauna, looking as energetic and rested as she always did, standing in the lobby of the castle.

"Sh-Shauna…" I said slowly. It was kind of unexpected, really. Perhaps that punk from before refused Shauna exit, too, unless she agreed to visit this dusty old place.

A Black Belt stood behind her. No dress code for the staff? I thought to myself sarcastically. Kinda ruining the vibe, but okay. He would act as our usher and tour guide.

"An acquaintance of yours? Two visitors to Shabboneau Castle? I can't remember the last time we've been so busy!" he said. He seemed literally beside himself with joy. I didn't have the heart to ask if he meant busy in general, or busy during his graveyard shift. He continued on, "This castle, chateau if you will, was a manor house of a noble family. It may be a little run down, but that's because there's history to this place. During that history, the owners of the castle gave away a lot of their stuff to everyone, so that's why it feels so empty. The end."

There was absolute silence as he crossed his arms and looked quite pleased with his speech. Dang, I mused, the textbooks sure have taken some liberties with this place.

"That's it?!" Shauna exclaimed, voicing my thoughts. "Don't you have anything related to Mega Evolution? You're a Trainer for crying out loud!"

The Black Belt/Tour Guide looked puzzled at this outburst. "That's it. What in the world is Mega Evolution?"

For the first time, I saw Shauna truly annoyed. Maybe it was the fact that she and I were forced to be here and it was barely even dawn. She turned to me. She was just about to open her mouth when that blonde guy who had forced me to go to this sad excuse of a castle ran inside the otherwise silent lobby. We all jumped and whipped our heads to look at him. His face looked grave.

"Sir! It's back again," he said ominously.

The Black Belt, in return, didn't look all that surprised. "Is it that time of year already? Well, there's nothing I can do about that now..." He turned to address us again. "I need to go to Route 7, but please take your time and look around."

With that, he just left two unaccompanied minors in a historic building with many priceless artifacts. I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Adults in this Region, I swear…

"I wonder what that's about?" Shauna said slowly, looking at me. Her face suggested curiosity and mischief. "Hey, why don't we go to Route 7, too? It'd be a lot more responsible than staying in this dusty old place."

After a moment of stunned silence, I started giggling. The giggles turned into a fit of laughter. Finally! Finally someone confirmed I'm not crazy! Shauna looked confused, but just smiled.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

We made our way down out of the city and down to Route 7 with haste. I saw a crowd of bystanders and stopped short. In the middle of the bridge, there was a large greenish behemoth of a Pokémon sleeping calmly.

My Pokédex went off. It was a Snorlax, a sleeping Pokémon. The Black Belt/Tour Guide stood at Snorlax's head and sighed in defeat.

"Here we go again. It's sleeping so soundly, the end of the world couldn't wake it." He then sighed again because he apparently lacked the proper instrument to wake it, called a Poké Flute. Apparently, the owner of some palace had taken it.

Shauna was confused and asked what a Poké Flute was. I had read about them, and knew that they were actually quite extraordinary and expensive. They were only useful for one kind of Pokémon (Snorlax) outside of battle. However, collectors and Trainers alike sought them out for their rarity and ability to awaken any Pokémon put to sleep during battles.

"…but the Poké Flute is currently at the Parfum Palace…" the Black Belt lamented.

"Oh, that's it?" Shauna cheerily remarked. "I know where that is! All we need to do is go get it, then! Come on, Lady S! Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me away. When we had gone a little distance, she giggled. "You know, they act like Holo Casters don't even exist. Why is it that the kids have to do everything around here? Oh well, we might learn something special about Mega Evolution there!"

I said nothing as she led me, hand in hand, back to a fork in the route. She was quickly becoming my favorite person in the entire region.

"The Parfum Palace is just past Route 6!"

Shauna had said she was going to accompany me, but then said she'd catch up; just wanted to heal up at the Pokémon Center first. That meant I was left to clear the path of all the pesky Trainers looking to get the jump on us. Great.

Route 6 was a straight path lines with trees and tall grass. I just wanted to get to Shalour City as quickly as possible, so I wanted to stick to the straight path with minimal distractions. I accidently bumped into a guy carrying a backpack at the entrance of the route. As did everyone in this region, he gave unsolicited advice.

"This Palais Lane actually has two very different faces. One is easy stroll here, and the other is…well…I guess you'll find out about that on your way back from the palace."

I gave the guy a tired and annoyed look, and just sped off down the path. I just needed to get that Poké Flute. I would worry about the way back on the way back.

My Pokémon easily wiped the two trainers along "easy stroll" and I quickly found myself standing before a magnificent building. Now THIS was a palace! It made Shabboneau Castle look much more like a drab shack. An ornate golden gate guarded Parfum Palace. I skated elegantly up the neatly bricked path to it.

I was about to push my way through like I did everywhere else when suddenly a tall young gentleman with a polished Head Butler pin blocked my path. I stopped dead in my tracks. He was very handsome, with a long face and sleek black hair. His eyes were closed as he greeted us with a pleased and humble smile. Behind me, I heard Shauna running and stop short as well.

"The entrance fee will be 1,000 Poké dollars per person," the butler informed us.

"You've got to be kidding! It costs money to go inside?" asked Shauna loudly in surprise. I agreed with her silently. I needed all of my Poké dollars if I wanted to continue this journey.

The butler was unfazed as he explained. "You see: the owner of the palace follows the school of thought that you can never have too much money."

Yeah, I thought. I've heard it's called the ancient School of Greed.

Shauna voiced my thoughts aloud, declaring, "Yeesh! This how the rich get richer!" She dug into her pocket and pulled out a couple of bills. "Here's your entrance fee: 1,000 Poké dollars!" She then slapped it into the butler's hand.

I had to give that butler credit. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he gave a courteous smile and nod. "Thank you for your patronage. The proceeds from the entrance fee help pay for repairing and restoring the palace. Probably…"

Shauna looked very irritated, but seeing as we had no other choice, I also paid the fee. The butler turned and opened the gates for us, and we walked in, planning on making this excursion worth every cent of that fee.

Still, this was a gorgeous piece of architecture. Everything was lined with gold and even the statues were solid gold. It was what I imagined royalty would gladly spend their time and millions on.

In the foyer, a man was pacing all about the room, looking behind statues and vases.

"Where is it? Where could it be?!" He whipped around to look at Shauna and I. "My Furfrou! My beloved little Furfrou has disappeared!" He then continued searching like we didn't exist.

Shauna raised an eyebrow and leaned towards my ear. "It disappeared? Hey, Lady S! We should help look!"

I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. All of these stupid side-quests had me with a headache before noon. "Why? A Furfrou is a Pokémon and he or she can probably find their way back just fine. Besides, we already have a Poké Flute to find."

Shauna's large green eyes filled with hurt. "But…I mean, if my…if my Pokémon was missing, I'd be sick with worry! Wouldn't you?"

Damn, she had stuck a nerve with the guilt. Sure, I didn't really want to be a Pokémon trainer, but I wasn't heartless. I did care about my Pokémon companions. I celebrated their victories and rushed them to get medical aid when they were in any sort of pain. I had just wanted to be selfish for once and make some headway on my own personal investigation. Defeated, I put up a hand.

"Alright, alright…you take right, I'll go left. Call me on the Holo Caster if you find the Furfrou."

Well, I had seriously underestimated this place. There were stories upon stories of beautifully furnished rooms. I longed to take a look into all of the ancient texts housed in this mansion. Alas, I only learned a lot of the gossip and history of the place while searching for the dang Furfrou. I could hear the maids whispering their discontentment with the current owner. Even the chefs were in dismay. In fact, all of the staff seemed unhappy, saying things like the owner was a brat who didn't earn a single thing in this palace.

It also turned out that the Parfum Palace, despite its fluffy-sweet name, was built after Kalos had won a war with neighboring regions. I tried to think back to the last time our world was truly at war. It was at least over 100 years ago. Fortunately, the world was at peace (save for minor localized incidents like what happened with Team Plasma). It was strange to think of times of kings and wars. Nowadays, government was pretty localized to the regional police. In fact, most people believed that the Elite Four should be the governing heads.

"Thankfully they're not," I thought aloud to myself as a rounded a corner. "Who knows if proficiency for Pokémon battles means you have a proficiency in politics?"

"May I help you with something, mademoiselle?"

I couldn't help but jump a few feet in the air. It was that hot lead butler! His eyes were open now, and I was somehow even more shocked to see his eyes were a scarlet shade. Must have been a trick of the old lighting in this place. My face reddened as I tried to stammer out a reply.

"A…Ah, I'm sorry. It's just I'm looking for a Furfrou…have you seen it?"

The butler just gave me a very knowing look that chilled me to my core for some reason. Then he gave a too-wide smile. "Well, past this door is the pride and joy of the palace – the too-vast courtyard. You can even see the whole garden from the balcony on the second floor." He then bowed, turned, and walked away from me. Typical Kalosian manners, I guessed. At least he said nothing about my accent.

Seeing as I was done with my side of the castle before Shauna, I decided to check outside. The sun shone brightly as I stepped out to walk the path to the garden. It was a lush green with thousands of different shrubs and trees and a giant fountain in the center, straddled by two giant statues. I blinked. The statues were of Zekrom and Reshiram, the legendary Pokémon of Unova! They had actually been spotted recently within the past 5 years in Unova! I stared in awe at their image in stone. The Kalos region and Unova region must have been in contact with each other in olden days. I wondered if that meant they also once went to war with each other? Even so, the statues were so magnificent, and I felt a pang of homesickness.

"Lady S!"

I turned to see Shauna tear past me, running deeper into the gardens. "Good idea!" she yelled back over her shoulder. "I'll look in the back!" She was out of sight again, as quickly as she'd appeared.

Shrugging, I scoured the gardens for the lost Pokémon. What that stupid butler hadn't told me was that it was a giant maze! How tedious, I thought grumpily. However, the exhaustion was worth it: I found HM 01! These rare techniques were especially useful! I would decide later who I wanted to use it.

As the sun was setting, I had just about had it. Forget the Furfrou, I was hungry, sweaty, and exhausted. If it doesn't want to be found, so be it-! But then I saw a white fluffball lumber towards me.

"Ouaf!"

Then, it hopped away from me. Large pigtails were chasing it.

"Please! Don't run away!" cried Shauna, who looked as exasperated as I felt. Her pigtails were in knots. I could tell she had been chasing the Furfrou for some time now. She looked at me. "Lady S! Give me a hand!"

I nodded, and got her some water as I devised a scheme. The plan was to trap the Furfrou in this god-forsaken maze. If we cornered it, we would win. Shauna agreed that just chasing it blindly did no good, and fully supported my strategy. We coordinated our paths, and took off. Within a minute, we had caught Furfrou.

"Lady S! You're amazing!" Shauna cheered. "We caught it because you understand how Pokémon feel!"

I thought it was because the 'genius' that thought up this garden enjoyed tricking and trapping people…

The man from before was running towards us. "Oh! My dear Furfrou! My beloved Furfrou!" He ran and cradled the doglike Pokémon's face. Then he turned to look at us. "Could…could you be the two responsible for my wonderful reunion with my dear Furfrou?"

Shauna and I just nodded, still out of breath, but we were smiling.

"How wonderful indeed," the man proclaimed. I had never really gotten a look at this man; he was so frantic earlier when pacing that I hadn't noticed how nice his shirt was (despite the face he'd been sweating all up in it). Or the gold rings on his fingers…or the expensive-looking leather shoes he wore…

"It's marvelous, simply marvelous! A situation like this demands fireworks! We shall put on a show – boom, boom!" He waved his hands in the air frantically. "My Pokémon and I are reunited! Our bond has been proven! We'll commemorate this joyous occasion with a tremendous fireworks display! And it will also serve as the reward for the tiny bit of trouble you went to." The Furfrou lover sped through that last bit. Then, he clapped his hands. "Rendezvous at the balcony!"

With a flourish, he and Furfrou marched off together.

Shauna looked at me. I could see my reflection in her emerald eyes. We looked tired and exhausted. Add that to the fact that I was going on 24 hours without sleeping, and it was a downright miracle I was still standing.

"Maybe Furfrou would've been better off if we hadn't found it…" whispered Shauna slowly. "If I were a Pokémon, I'd hate to have a Trainer like that…but I really love fireworks, so let's make the best of it!" Shauna grabbed my hand and it was off to the balcony for us.

When we reached the balcony that man and his Furfrou weren't even there yet! I sighed, closed my eyes, and leaned against the railing of the balcony, enjoying the evening breeze and opportunity for rest. A comfortable silence hung in the air, but I noticed Shauna fidgeting a moment, smiling softly. I opened my eyes a little to look over at her.

"Um…" Shauna began. She was looking away from me, over the balcony out at the garden labyrinth. "You know…I really hope we get to be great friends, Serena…"

"Hmmm?" I said, a little confused by the topic of conversation. She'd dropped the nickname. Shauna, despite her mussed hair and disheveled clothes, looked happy and serene. The dusk sun gave her cheeks a reddish glow.

"We haven't even seen them yet, but I know I'll never forget these fireworks!" She looked over at me now. "It's because I watched them with you, Serena."

A loud noise tore our eyes from each other and towards the heavens. The fireworks went off, one after the other. Dazzling colors lit the evening sky. It was like New Year's eve! I thought of how I'd spent most New Year's Eves with my Dad. It was the only major holiday I ever spent with him. He had work off, so he was actually home! We would rent lame movies, order take-out, and pick out all the flaws in the film. Yet last winter I didn't see the fireworks with him from that small apartment in Castelia. I was… I suddenly felt that uncomfortable tug on my heartstrings and the stinging if tears threatening to flow. My hands clenched tightly. Oh no, not now…

And then suddenly Shauna's hand was holding mine. We stood together hand-in-hand. She didn't ask me what was wrong. She didn't provide unsolicited advice. She just stood there in solidarity for me. We watched the fireworks and I didn't cry.

We stood like that for a while after the fireworks display had ended. She held on, and the silence in the cool summery air was comforting.

Shauna only broke the silence when she knew I was ready.

"Wow…that. Was. AMAZING!"

Her cheerfulness helped lift my spirits a little. I couldn't help but feel warm inside when Shauna was such a beacon of positivity. Shauna turned and looked at me. "I never ever want to forget this, so I'll keep this memory in an album in my heart!"

With a small squeeze first, she let go of my hand.

"And that was my wondrous fireworks show for my Furfrou!" came a familiar voice.

Shauna and I jumped to see that Furfrou guy, followed by that handsome butler. "I assume you're satisfied with that," the man continued. That annoyance with this man we felt earlier was returning. However, if this man was orchestrating firework displays, wearing fine clothes, and giving orders to the lead butler…

"OH!" Shauna said aloud. "I almost forgot!"

"The Poké Flute!" I exclaimed at the same time.

I nodded and stepped forward. "Sir, there is one way you could help repay us. We need to borrow your Poké Flute to wake up a Snorlax on Route 7."

The man clapped. "Oh! Your accent! So wonderful!"

I just gave a tight smile. I needed him to focus. "Ah, thank you. I would definitely appreciate using the Poké Flute to remedy the situation on Route 7 as soon as possible.

The man gave a strange look at me, and then looked over at the butler, who only nodded. "Sigh…the Poké Flute, huh…alright. Sebastian. Go get it."

Sebastian the butler gave a small smile and curt nod, then left to retrieve it.

"It was Shabboneau Castle's treasure, but I took it as payment for a loan. Those poor fools were so sad but a promise is a promise. A rich rare item like the Poké Flute and a common person like that just didn't go together anyway."

I felt Shauna tense up next to me. Even I was gritting my teeth angrily.

Sebastian returned just in time. I think Shauna and I were just about to jump this guy.

The man didn't even pay attention to him. "Give it to them," he ordered simply.

Sebastian walked up to us and handed me an ornate wooden box. It was very old, and covered in intricate carvings. "Here is the Poké Flute, Mademoiselles," he said with the same small smile. I wondered if Sebastian was actually happy to be giving back this treasure.

The annoying Furfrou man butted in. "Listen well, you two! Always return what you borrow. That's very important."

Then, he just up and left the three of us.

Shauna made a face. "I want to make all sorts of memories on this journey…but I think I'll try and forget about him…"

Sebastian gave a sympathetic face instead. "You can't imagine how stressful running the place is for him…"

"That may be so, but…" started Shauna.

"…but that doesn't give him a right to be a complete tool," I finished. "Besides, I think we really know it's you and the staff that keep this place afloat." Shauna gave me a shocked look. Sebastian raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Er…" Shauna mumbled, trying to change the subject. "Ah, that's right. Mr. Butler, do you know anything about Mega Evolution?"

Oh, that's right. That's what we are all on this quest for. I thought to myself.

Sebastian raised a gloved hand to his chin and gave it some thought. "I remember reading a book on that subject in the palace library. It had something to do with what you'd now call a Trainer holding a mysterious stone high and making a Pokémon evolve even further. Er, I'm sorry, I believe that's all the relevant information on the subject held within that book." He said in response to Shauna's eager expression. "Also, it's not much, but I would like you to have this."

Sebastian walked up to me and handed me a TM for Protect. I gave a nod and my thanks. With a courteous smile and small bow, Sebastian left after his master.

Shauna gave a tired sigh. "Man, Serena, you were so cool, saying that! I can't believe the owner of Shabboneau Castle used to be friends with that guy! We have to be sure to give that flute back after we wake up Snorlax…"

I gave a small smile, but in the back of my mind, I knew there was no way I was giving it back to that creep.

When I emerged from Parfum Palace, Sebastian was by the golden gates, formally bidding me farewell.

"Goodbye Miss Willow," he said as I was skating out of there. Wait… I hit the brakes and skidded to a halt. I looked over my shoulder at the man. His face was illuminated on one side by a traditional gas-lit lamppost. The other half lay in the shadows.

"…How did you know my name?" I asked hesitantly.

The eerie shading of Sebastian's face made him look almost demonic. His eyes seemed to glow that strange scarlet shade I'd noted earlier. Surely my eyes and ears are playing tricks on me…

"If I did not know the name of every patron that stops by the palace, what kind of butler would I be?" he asked rhetorically. "Also, I would advise you stop looking for answers you might not want the answer to…but if you do want to open that Pandora's Box, I suggest you prepare yourself to set your sights bigger. Keyword being bigger. Nothing is as it seems. Have a good night, Miss Willow."

Sebastian bowed and slinked inside the gate, which shut neatly behind him.

"Wh…what?" I said incredulously. But there was no one to reply to me except the howling of the night winds.

[A/N: Okay, so what did we think?! I personally adored all of the Boutiqueshipping fodder this part of the game provided me. Even if you're not feeling it, GIRL POWER! Also, bonus points to anyone who can name the manga/anime origin of Sebastian! I normally would never violate the canon but that Furfrou guy was such a jerk that whatever fate befalls him (like his greedy soul being consumed) is sorely deserved. Anyways, I hope you liked it! I'll have the next one posted in a few hours! I'm not sleeping until it is!]