Chapter 12 – Parfum and Circumstance!

Despite Tuffnut understating it as a "backyard", the gardens of Parfum Palace were far, far more than that.

When Hiccup and his three companions exited the castle's back door, the sight before them wasn't of any mere flower bed, it was of a garden so vast that one could've built an entire second castle on top of it. A white stone bridge extended over an enormous pond from which statues of Golurk towered and led to the immense courtyard, which was divided into four quadrants by elaborate hedge mazes. Broad cobblestone paths formed a great rectangle around the courtyard, each bordered by flower beds, topiaries, and Poke Ball totems. As Hiccup proceeded over the bridge, transfixed by the grandeur all around him, he spotted a grand water feature in the center, and two statues of powerful-looking dragons standing vigil on opposite ends.

Not exactly something that could be summed up in one word.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut rushed past Hiccup toward the main body of the courtyard, the bump to his side enough to snap him out of his awe and get him to rush after them. He caught up to them at the white dragon statue, but when he craned his neck to gaze upon its visage, it was with nothing but exasperation – the twins had climbed up and were either sitting on its head or dangling upside-down with their legs around its neck.

"Honestly!" Fishlegs' scolding tone reached them, him and Meatlug catching up a few seconds later. Glaring up at the Thorstons, he went on, "That statue is one-of-a-kind, a gift from the past kings of Unova to those of Kalos! It's the most detailed depiction of the Legendary Dragon of Truth in the world! Get down from it this instant!"

"Relax, Fishboy," Tuffnut called down. "If you must know, we're on the lookout for that lost Pokemon. This dragon is providing us with a convenient vantage point!"

"Yeah!" Ruffnut agreed, flipping around to catch the edge of the dragon's wing with her hands and swing from it. "It's called working smarter, not harder!"

They snickered to themselves and continued to goof off, and Fishlegs sent Hiccup a frustrated look. "Can you believe them? They're making a complete game out of this whole mission… not to mention the historical value of this garden!"

"Well, they're here whether we like it or not," Hiccup sighed. "Think of it like this – we have two extra pairs of eyes looking out for the Lord's Furfrou."

"It would help to split up in four different directions to cover as much ground as possible," Fishlegs admitted. "But I'm afraid they'll mess something up, or even hurt the Pokemon."

With a thump, Ruffnut hit the ground feetfirst next to them, smirking at the sound of Fishlegs whimpering in fright. "Nope," she stated. "Couldn't spot a single Pokemon from up there."

Tuffnut followed her – though he fell on his face, rather than his boots. "Man, what a waste of time," he complained as he dusted himself off. "Whose bright idea was it to volunteer for this stupid task?"

For the love of… Hiccup bit his lip to keep from saying the thought aloud. Instead of thinking of how irritated he was becoming, he tried to focus on the job they were sent here to do. "That means the first places we start looking are the hedge mazes," he decided, pointing out each one. "We'll each check one. If anyone finds Furfrou, shout for the others and try to chase her toward the fountain in the center. We'll work as a team to corner her."

"Aha, a coordinated hunt!" Tuffnut smirked, pounding a fist into his palm. "You got it, my fine compadre. My dear sister and I shall investigate the northwest and northeast mazes posthaste."

"We'll find that Pokemon before either of you can say 'Thorstons rule', my man," Ruffnut agreed, flashing two peace signs. Without another word, the siblings dashed off, cackling as they left them in their dust.

"There they go…" Fishlegs muttered. Hoisting himself aboard Meatlug with a grunt, he gave Hiccup a resolute nod as he, too, prepared to leave. "Meatlug and I will take the southeast maze. We're going to find Furfrou and see to it that she isn't too stressed. Right?"

"Hoooorn," the Rhyhorn rumbled comfortingly, tilting her head so that the tip of her tongue tickled the soles of his feet.

Hiccup waved as his friend rode into the garden astride the sturdy Ground-and-Rock-type. Now alone, he gave Toothless an inquiring look. "I guess that means the southwestern maze is ours, bud. Want to check it out?"

"Bago," Toothless answered. He jumped to the ground to waddle down the path directly to the white dragon's left.

"Let me know if you see anything unusual," Hiccup said, following his partner unhurriedly. "Or… can you pick up Furfrou's scent, or something? You smell any other Pokemon around?"

"Bay bay-go," was the answer, this time accompanied by a nonchalant shrug.

They continued across the cobblestones in peaceful silence, passing row after row of color-coordinated blossoms organized like a floral rainbow. As Toothless pulled ahead, Hiccup let his eyes wander across the flowers that transitioned from warm to cool colors and back again, both in appreciation for the pattern but also in hopes of spotting the tip of an ear or tail poking out from the kaleidoscope.

Come to think of it, I don't even know what a Furfrou looks like, Hiccup realized as Toothless found an opening in the hedge maze. The leafy walls closed in around him as he entered, surrounding him with green. Fishlegs still has the Pokedex – should've asked him to look it up first.

Searching the hedge maze ended up being a confusing, fruitless affair. Not only were the walls completely identical, but the paths through the hedges wound and zigzagged so much that Hiccup quickly became convinced that him and Toothless were going in circles. With every turn, he anticipated seeing something at the end of the next corridor, but he was disappointed by empty dead ends more often than not. It was all he could do to keep an eye on Toothless, who scurried through the maze without taking more than a second's break.

All the while, he strained his eyes for any flash of color, and his ears for any telltale noise. But the more they wandered, the more it looked and sounded like him and Toothless were alone.

At the umpteenth dead end, they finally stopped for a breather. Panting, Hiccup clutched his knees for support and let his deep breaths rinse away the frustration once again simmering in him. It had been a long and exhausting day: being denied passage out of Camphrier Town; sent on a delivery mission by Lord Shabboneau; sent on a rescue mission by Lord Parfum; now dealing with the twins. And it wasn't yet over.

"Come on, Toothless," he muttered, turning away from the wall. "We're just wandering in circles, and it probably isn't even here…"

A conspicuous rustle and Toothless' urgent chirps immediately proved him wrong. Whirling around, Hiccup faced the shuddering wall and tensed, ready to confront the Furfrou. "Get ready for when it comes out, bud," he murmured so as not to startle the thing in the bushes. "Any second now…"

The hedge continued to thrash, creating tiny gaps in the leaves that Hiccup strained to see through. The shrubbery was too thick to get a glimpse, but there was definitely something big moving in there. Any second now… one… two… thr–

A BURST of leaves exploded outwards, and something as tall as Hiccup was lunged forward with a terrible "YAAAHHH!"

"WAAAHHH!" he screamed back, leaping backwards as though he'd been scalded.

But he wasn't attacked… indeed, nothing more happened after the initial scare. It took several moments of listening to his own heartbeat pound through his body before he recognized the figures standing atop the carpet of discarded leaves and twigs. And when he did…

"You two?!" he yelled at Ruffnut and Tuffnut, unable to contain his pent-up annoyance any longer. "Of all the muttonheaded…! What are you doing here?!"

"Gotcha," Tuffnut laughed. "Look, Ruff, he totally thought we were the Furfrou."

"Thorstons, one; Hiccup, zero," Ruffnut leered, sharing a high-five. "Looks like you need – aaaahhh!"

A thoroughly peeved Toothless had just sank his fang into the Thorston girl's ankle, prompting her shriek. With a long-suffering sigh – he didn't have time to deal with a stubborn, protective dragonling on top of everything else – Hiccup waved Ruffnut's flailing arms aside and grasped Toothless' waist with both hands. He gave him a tug, but Toothless held on stubbornly.

"Ruffnut, stop squirming – I'm trying to get him off," Hiccup muttered, then gave his partner a weary glare and scolded, "Bud, she didn't hurt me. She just scared me. Now will you stop… biting… the…!"

Toothless loosened his jaw and came free in Hiccup's arms, and although he expressed vehemence at the Thorstons, he didn't misbehave further. Once Hiccup was sure he wouldn't act out again, he placed the Bagon back down with a comforting rub on the helmet before addressing the siblings… first making sure he got his frustration under control enough to speak to them civilly.

"Sorry about that," he sighed to the injured sister. "Toothless gets very protective."

Calming down remarkably fast, Ruffnut waved him off dismissively. "Eh, don't worry. I've dealt with worse."

"You should've seen how she trained Barf when we first started," Tuffnut chuckled mischievously, only to suffer a retaliatory punch to the arm.

"Uh… huh," Hiccup replied, privately wondering for how much longer he'd have to suffer with these two for company. "You didn't answer my question. What exactly are you doing here?"

"We snooped around our areas a bit," Tuffnut answered whilst scowling at his sister. "It was dull, I tell you. With a capital 'D'. And we didn't see the Furfrou thing."

"Not hide nor hair of one," Ruffnut added. She inspected her nails, bored. "We came over here to mess with you instead… oh, and to find the Pokemon, I guess."

"So!" Tuffnut stepped toward Hiccup, animosity totally forgotten as he brought his hands together with a clap. "Having concluded with the messing of you, we shall endeavor to assist you in the search! We Thorstons are natural-born maze-solvers. That perrito stands no chance against our expert defection skills."

"You… uh, you mean detection skills?" Hiccup hesitated to ask.

"Sure, tomato tomahto," he dismissed. With that, the twins headed down the corridor, shedding leaves from their hair and clothes as they went.

The unexpected offer to help, flowery language, and… everything else… had Hiccup staring at their retreating backs in bemusement before he resigned himself to tail them. At a growl from Toothless, still glowering unpleasantly at the twins, he picked up the little Dragon-type and hurried after his new allies. He fell into step behind them, and for a while, things were comfortably quiet as he kept an eye and ear out for Furfrou while the siblings seemed to pick pathways on a whim, never hesitating even when the corridor forked in two different directions.

Eventually, Hiccup spoke up, a particular topic on his mind. "So… you're both maze experts and tag battle prodigies, huh?"

"And we invented Tepig Latin," Tuffnut boasted. "But that's a long story."

That's… Hiccup cut off his own train of thought at the source before it could wander too far. They were already far enough from the original topic as is. "Ah, as I was saying," he began again, "If you really are such good Trainers, did you compete in Gyms in your home region? Uh… Paldea, you said it was?"

"Heck yeah we did," Ruffnut grinned broadly at him. For once, there wasn't any mischief in the smile, like she was honestly happy for a chance to brag about it. "There isn't anyone better than Tuff and me when it comes to tag battles. When we started on our journey, we were unbeatable!"

"Of course, we cannot claim that it was pure talent alone that made us so great," Tuffnut went on for her. "'Twas at the prestigious Naranja Academy where we honed our craft to perfection."

That got a surprised blink out of Hiccup, who hadn't taken the twins as the scholarly type, exactly. "So, then, what're you doing here in Kalos?" he inquired. "Did you try and win the League Championship after collecting all eight Gym badges?"

At once, the Thorstons burst into laughter. "Did we win the League Championship, he says," Ruffnut repeated, wiping her eye. "Paldea doesn't have a League tournament. Or Champion, really."

Utterly lost, Hiccup glanced from one to the other. "Then… what?"

"Allow me to educate you, young Hiccup," Tuffnut wagged his finger patronizingly. "While any Trainer in our home region can apply for Champion status after winning the necessary badges, said Champion status is… muy aburrido."

"Huh?" Hiccup replied, still lost.

"Really, really boring," Ruffnut groaned. "There's no big tournament, no fame, no glory, no special privileges. That's why we came to Kalos, where the Champion does get all those things."

"Yeah!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "If we win the big pow-wow, we'll basically be in charge of the whole region!"

"That's… not how it works…" Hiccup tried to correct him, only to be cut off by a hearty slap on the back from Ruffnut.

"Besides, we can't compete in Paldea anymore, anyway," she told him in a chipper tone, slinging an arm around him all chummy-like. "We got banned from challenging Gyms a long time ago."

"Who knew that fighting Gym Leaders two-on-one was illegal, anyway?" Tuffnut shoved her away to lean his arm on Hiccup's shoulder with a sleazy grin.

While Toothless squirmed out of his grasp to bite at the twins, Hiccup deliberately kept his pace slow while they rushed ahead. The emotion that came over him was a strange mixture of annoyance at the twins' lack of respect for his boundaries and foreboding at what he now knew was a lack of respect for rules in general. In his head, he thanked Toothless for putting extra distance between them and him. He was starting to re-evaluate how much he wanted to associate with them… not that he'd been having a ball to begin with.

Case in point – Tuffnut's rough treatment of his sister had started a shoving match that had the twins careening into the maze walls alternately. Every time they smashed through the hedges, they crushed the foliage with huge crunching sounds that made Hiccup wince. They were supposed to be looking for a Pokemon that evidently didn't want to be found, and all this noisy roughhousing would do nothing but alert it to their presence, making it that much harder to fi–

"Froooouuuu!"

A white blur preceded by a loud howl caught Hiccup and the twins' attention instantly, and three heads swung toward the disturbance just in time for it to bowl them over. Hiccup's backside hit the cobblestone, the resulting starburst of pain coaxing a yelp from his lips. Toothless leapt forward to confront the instigator – still on the defensive from the Thorston's earlier stunt, he was more than ready to attack, lowering his head and growling a warning.

"Toothless, watch it…" Hiccup muttered as he got up. Rubbing his aching rear, he studied the Pokemon now staring them down. It was clearly some sort of canine, overgrown with matted white fur, only its upturned snout and small claws visible. In a posture that indicated it was preparing to pounce again, it yapped aggressively as though daring them to make a move on it.

"That must be Lord Parfum's Furfrou," Hiccup said, though he couldn't stop a note of doubt from creeping into his voice. Surely any Pokemon that the Lord of Parfum Palace doted on wouldn't be so dirty and scruffy-looking? Then again, it had been two days since he'd seen it last…

"I'm on it!" Ruffnut's shout startled him, and he barely got out of the way as she charged past, arms spread out as though she was prepared to [wrest] Furfrou to the ground. She lunged, and it jumped to the side, leaving her to stumble off-balance. Before she could try again, Furfrou's head fur glowed in a Headbutt attack, and it rammed her aside with enough force to knock her to the ground.

Furfrou turned, and Hiccup's heart missed a beat when he saw its narrowed red eyes trained on him, next. "Never mind, Toothless! Use Dragon Breath!"

"Bagaaawww!" Toothless answered the summons instantly with a blast of dragonfire. Furfrou was ready, though, and it jumped with a powerful flex of its legs. The Dragon Breath exploded harmlessly where its feet had been a mere second before, and it landed at a run, jinking deftly from side to side.

Trying to throw us off…! Hiccup realized as he called out once more. "Again, bud!"

Two more blasts sizzled past Furfrou, whose long legs enabled it to dodge swiftly and elegantly without breaking its stride. Before Hiccup knew it, it was nearly on top of them, and he spun on his heel frantically to avoid being tackled in the gut. Unfortunately, that meant that Furfrou was now clear to flee the hedge maze…

…that is, if it weren't for Tuffnut, who'd run back to position himself directly in front of the bend in the path. He spread his legs and raised his arms in a wrestler-like stance, the sole impediment to Furfrou's getaway.

"You're certainly a slippery one," he sneered at the dog Pokemon now barreling toward him at full tilt. "Well, I once took on three greased Lechonk with a Smoliv oil finish! It'll take more than some fancy footwork to escape Tuffnut Thorston, amiga –"

Furfrou's final leap carried it straight into the Thorston boy's midsection, where its teeth met his arm with an audible snap. That was all it took for Tuffnut to change his tune, as he put up no further resistance when Furfrou swung its neck and hurled him over its back. He hit the ground in front of Hiccup, clutching the bite wound and rolling over in distress.

"I am hurt!" he moaned. "I am very much hurt!"

But Hiccup had no time for him – Furfrou's tail had just disappeared around the corner, and he took off after it at a run. He stumbled at first as he stepped over Tuffnut's prone form, but he regained his footing quickly and hurried after the Pokemon, following the flashes of its white tail as it darted through the maze's every twist and turn. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the strain on his lungs as they started to burn.

I can't let Furfrou out of my sight for more than a moment, he thought urgently, even as he called to Toothless to keep up. If I do, it'll slip away and become who knows how much harder to find!

So focused was he on pursuing the Pokemon that, before he knew it, he was out of the maze, leaving the green walls behind for flowerbeds and open paths. The Furfrou had bolted to the left, fleeing at considerable speed down the path toward the white dragon statue, and Hiccup hurried to catch up. Already, he was falling behind – he'd never been particularly athletic, and now he was paying the price, chest heaving and ears roaring with the sound of his pulse. Furfrou had the advantage of a straight road without constant turns that would slow it down, while Hiccup forced his scrawny body along behind it.

Constant turns… slow it down… The part of Hiccup's brain that wasn't going fuzzy from strain and lack of oxygen lit up with sudden epiphany. Twisting his head as far back as it would go and spotting Toothless and the twins trailing after him, he used what little breath he had to spare and gasped out, "Toothless… guys… attack Furfrou… keep it focused on dodging… instead of running…!"

"Bago!" Understanding instantly what he needed to do, Toothless fired more Dragon Breaths that sped along the path to explode at Furfrou's left and right. The dog Pokemon caught sight of the pink flames at the last second and bounded to each side, avoiding them… but its evasive maneuvers came at the cost of its fleet-footedness.

"Oh, I see!" Ruffnut said, enlightened. "Go on, Barf, use Seed Bomb!"

"I don't, but more explosions are better than none!" Tuffnut agreed just as cheerily. "Belch, come out and use Flamethrower!"

The sounds of Poke Balls popping open heralded the whizz of flying bombs and the crackle of intense flames, both streaking past to pepper the cobblestones ahead. Furfrou was now finding itself on a minefield, where most of its energy had to be spent dodging explosions instead of fleeing outright. It was still keeping ahead of its pursuers – but it was slowing down, a sight that lightened the pressure on Hiccup's chest.

At the white dragon statue, Furfrou pranced away from a Seed Bomb and darted left again, and Hiccup, Toothless, the twins, and their Scovillain gave chase. The intersecting path turned out to be the one that led directly from the palace exit, and straight ahead of them was the very center, where an elaborate water fountain spouted.

"There!" the twins chorused. "Let's corner it there!"

Together, they continued to herd Furfrou toward the fountain… but it was pulling ahead again. Hiccup chanced a look behind him – not only was Toothless getting tired, his Dragon Breaths slowing, but Barf and Belch looked in rough shape, never having been healed from their last battle.

Not good…! He clenched his jaw and watched as Furfrou gradually left them in its dust, gaining confidence and speed as the projectiles came less and less. It was getting away, and if they lost sight of it…

But then, from behind the flowers bordering the fountain, two figures appeared to block the way.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs called, waving excitedly. "Have you found the – waaaahh!"

His enthusiasm gave way to terror as abruptly as he'd arrived, and rightly so. Because, in emerging to reunite with his friends, the timid Fishlegs had just found himself in Furfrou's path – and it didn't just maintain its speed, it accelerated. It sped for the water fountain all the more urgently, outstripping all its pursuers in the process, as if it hadn't even noticed the unfortunate boy now standing in its path.

Hiccup's eyes widened in fear for his friend – the desperate Pokemon was going to barrel straight through him and Meatlug if they didn't get out of the way! He thrust out a hand in vain, screaming "Fishlegs! Get out of there! You'll be –"

Before he could finish his plea, however, Fishlegs did something… uncharacteristic. He didn't scramble aside, nor did he hide behind Meatlug. In fact, he didn't remove himself from Furfrou's path at all.

No… Fishlegs stood his ground.

"Here it comes, Meatlug!" he cried, steel in his voice. He planted himself even more firmly in place and thrust a finger forward. "Go and get it, girl! Smack Down!"

"Rhyyyyy!" Meatlug bellowed, the back of her throat glowing orange before she let the projectile of Rock-type energy fly.

Furfrou dodged the blast as it streaked toward it, and Hiccup's breath caught in his throat when he saw it lift off. Riding the explosion from the Smack Down striking the ground, the canine Pokemon jumped so high it looked as though it were flying before it inevitably descended. It plunged down feetfirst, on a direct collision course toward Fishlegs and Meatlug.

But, again, Fishlegs didn't waver. Heedless of the danger, he flung his arm out and ordered, "Now, Meatlug! Use Horn Attack!"

The Armor Pokemon lurched onto her hind legs, her lengthened horn spearing into the air… just high enough to reach Furfrou before the two made disastrous contact. The instant they met, Meatlug jerked her head, snagging Furfrou's leg and flinging it aside. Furfrou yelped with fright as its trajectory suddenly and violently changed, and when it struck the ground, it was with a terrific crunch of snapping stems as it plunged into the flowerbed at the side of the path.

Hiccup released his breath in a shaky outpouring of relief, beyond thankful that nothing had gone wrong. As the twins – visibly awed by the impressive catch – hurried toward the flowers to secure Furfrou, he headed to greet Fishlegs, whose pudgy face was its own mix of relief and amazement as he looked upon the results of his bold actions.

"O-Oh, hey Hiccup!" he said, before emitting a nervous chuckle. "Y-You know, I had no idea that would work! I-I thought I was gonna crack, but…"

"…you held firm anyway," Hiccup finished, shaking his head in astonishment. He could still scarcely believe that he'd seen timid Fishlegs make such a gutsy move. "I never expected to see you pull off something like that. Where did that come from?"

Shrinking back into the Fishlegs Hiccup knew, he twiddled his thumbs and stammered out, "W-Well, um… while Meatlug and I were searching for Furfrou, I-I had some time to think, a-and I couldn't help reflecting on our battle with the Thorstons again. Y-You know… how if I-I hadn't fallen back on my first instinct to use Protect, we might've performed b-better?"

"Yes…" Hiccup replied, unsure what his point was.

"W-Well, this time," Fishlegs went on, slowly gaining confidence, "when I first saw Furfrou charging right at us, part of me wanted to call out Protect again t-to keep us safe. But then I realized: if I did that, and we didn't act, Furfrou was gonna get away wh-while we did nothing. So, um… I kept that in mind, and it gave me the courage to stand my ground and tell Meatlug to attack."

"Fishlegs… that's incredible," Hiccup said, and he meant it with all his heart. Seeing his friend step out of his comfort zone and take the initiative was an event worth celebrating. "You… you recognized that the situation called for offense and that you had to take a risk to succeed. And you did! That Smack Down into Horn Attack combo was ingenious."

Fishlegs responded to the praise positively, his complexion brightening and a sparkle lighting his eyes. "A-And you know what else?" he asked, a familiar note of excitement leaking through. "Wh-When I told Meatlug to attack, a-and she did it, it felt almost… e-exhilarating! Between this and our altercation with the twins… I-I think I'm starting to l-like the prospect of battling!"

A fond smile stretched over Hiccup's face, and a warm feeling almost like pride swelled in him as he placed a supportive hand on Fishlegs' shoulder. "Well, glad to hear that you'll be tackling training with me and Toothless with more gusto," he joked, which got a more earnest laugh out of his friend.

They dropped the amicable chatter upon hearing the nearby crinkling of crushed foliage, signifying the twins' emergence from the flowers. Between themselves they carried the exhausted Furfrou, limp and haggard-looking with fur sticking up every which way and toes scraping the cobblestones. Its eyes, once bright with rebellion, were now muddied and demure – it certainly didn't seem as though it was happy to have been caught. That was a bit odd, but Hiccup didn't think much of it; he was simply glad that Lord Parfum's errand was done with.

"Alright, gang," he said with satisfaction, "let's go get this one's Trainer. He's sure to be glad to see it again."

"Glad to see it again" ended up being a colossal understatement.

"Oh, there you are, my precious Furfrou!" the Lord wailed, throwing himself onto his knees and embracing the ragged Pokemon. "Poor little baby, you must have been so scared and miserable, all alone and exposed to the elements for days on end! Why didn't you return home?! Oh, that doesn't matter – all that matters is that you're back where you belong, my darling!"

It would have been a touching (if needlessly dramatic) scene to watch, if it wasn't for the sorry state of the Pokemon in question. Furfrou sagged with a tired whine as the man fussed over it, again looking weighed down by resignation instead of a lost Pokemon reuniting with its Trainer. There wasn't even the barest hint of relief on its downturned snout, a detail that was really starting to nag at Hiccup. He regarded the sulking canine with a frown, eyes flicking over its grass-stained, leaf-covered body in hopes of finding a possible clue.

Its as if it doesn't like its Trainer very much… but that can't be true. He dotes on it like it's his own child, he speculated, unable to come up with a satisfying answer. Maybe there's something wrong with it?

He wondered if Fishlegs, with all his Pokemon knowledge, had an alternative opinion. Turning to the Ingerman boy revealed that he, too, was studying Furfrou with his brow scrunched in concentration, humming to himself in deep thought. With that oddly intense scrutiny, he bent down to gently run his fingers through the tresses of fur that dangled from its flanks.

"This fur was caught on all kinds of things where I was searching," he mumbled. He pulled his hand away and, to Hiccup's surprise, ended up taking away a clump of fur with it. Was Furfrou fur supposed to be that fragile?

"Lord Parfum, sir," Fishlegs spoke up more clearly. "You told us that the last time you were with Furfrou, it was after a grooming session? How long ago was that?"

"Two days exactly. I've been so ill with worry, I could not help but count the hours," Lord Parfum replied somberly. "Of course, I employ only the most skilled professional groomer in Kalos, and his methods ensure that Furfrou's coat stays trimmed and immaculate for five days, guaranteed. This is the first time it's reverted to its wild, unkempt state this quickly… though I suppose it's because Furfrou has spent so long out of the house. Yes, that must be it. All of the outdoor filth must have undone your beautifully styled coat, hasn't it, darling?"

Once more, Furfrou whined and tried feebly to shrug its way free of the Lord's embrace.

Treatments that didn't last… fur that shed easily… running away all of a sudden, when it had never done so before… it came to Hiccup all at once, like a lamp turning on at the flick of a switch. He bent to examine Furfrou's fur for himself, and it hardly took effort at all to remove a strand. Its texture was nothing like the strong, glossy strands that healthy Pokemon produced – an observation that brought back memories of Valka, coming home with sick or malnourished Pokemon that needed to be nursed away from her workplace.

The words of his mother ran through his head crystal-clear as he stood up and approached Lord Parfum. "Excuse me, sir," he said, firm and unwavering, "what do you feed your Furfrou?"

The Lord looked at him as if he'd grown a second head, like the twins' Scovillain – though, from the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Furfrou's hanging ears give a prominent twitch.

"Why, Furfrou dines on the finest cuisine available, young man," he explained proudly. "Only the best for my darling – in fact, it was only a week or so ago that I switched it to a vegetarian-based diet to improve its health. Add in a mixture of exotic berries for the wealth of benefits they provide, and Furfrou has never been healthier!"

The gasp that came from Fishlegs' mouth was so loud that it startled everyone in the room, including the Thorstons. "Of course!" he cried, shifting his feet in an elated dance that gave Hiccup the impression that he was this close to grasping Lord Parfum's shoulders and shaking them. "It all makes sense now! The fur, the running away… Lord Parfum, sir, it's all because you changed Furfrou's diet! It was avoiding you because it was objecting to the decrease in its food quality!"

Lord Parfum jolted back to maintain the distance between him and Fishlegs, smoothing his suit with an appalled gape. "The nerve!" he gasped. "You dare suggest that I was harming dearest Furfrou?! I would never do such a thing to my precious baby!"

"No, you wouldn't – not intentionally," Hiccup put in, keeping his tone gentle so as not to provoke the agitated man. "Listen, Lord Parfum… canine Pokemon have to be given a meat-based diet, for the same reason that we humans need a balance of meat and vegetables. Yes, your veggies-and-berries-only idea would work great for other Pokemon… but not your Furfrou. Because it hasn't been getting the protein it needs to stay healthy, its fur has started deteriorating."

"It's true!" Fishlegs blurted, drawing the now-shattered gaze of the speechless Lord. "Every Pokemon, no matter how adaptable and easy to care for they are, have specific needs that must be met in order to thrive. And it's the responsibility of the Trainer to ensure that they provide such needs accordingly!"

To emphasize the point, Hiccup reached into his pocket and produced a small packet of Toothless' Pokemon food – snacks for the road, just in case. Instantly, Furfrou caught the scent of the savory-smelling pellets and burst to life with a demanding bark. Hiccup tossed it one, and it leapt up to snatch it out of the air. Its tail wagged with euphoric fervor as it happily accepted the rest directly from Hiccup's hand. Toothless chirped at it, and it yapped back, the two of them bonding over their shared love of Hiccup's mother's special recipe.

"I… never thought of it that way," Lord Parfum confessed, guilt-stricken. Shakily, he got down on his knees so that he was at eye level with Furfrou, whom he addressed in a small, plaintive voice. "My darling Furfrou… have I truly been mistreating you so?"

Furfrou's only response was a hard look, but it was answer enough for the Lord, who hung his head in shameful understanding. "I will see to it that you are provided your usual meals from now on," he promised it. "I vow to be more attentive, and to never again take your needs for granted – can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Frou!" it answered, and a sloppy lick to its Trainer's cheek sealed the deal. As Lord Parfum barked out a laugh and shed tears of utmost joy, Furfrou bounded over to lap enthusiastically at Hiccup's, Fishlegs', and the twins' hands, arms, faces – any part of them it could reach. Hiccup and Fishlegs shared in Lord Parfum's shocked laughter (while Ruffnut and Tuffnut retched in disgust), greatly enjoying the sight of Furfrou finally acting like the spoiled puppy it was supposed to be.

The short celebration died down, and Lord Parfum regained his dignified air as he looked upon Hiccup and the others – they instinctively settled down, in turn, when they sensed the proverbial spotlight shift to them.

"Young Trainers, you have done me – nay, Parfum Palace itself – a tremendous service," he declared. "It is with enormous gratitude and humility that I profess my thanks, and offer anything you wish in compensation. If there is anything you want…"

The letter. In all the commotion, Hiccup had almost forgotten why they were at Parfum Palace in the first place. Even as the twins stepped forth with conniving smirks on their faces, he hastened to butt in front, thrusting the somewhat crinkled envelope forward for the Lord to see.

"Fishlegs and I – well, all of us," Hiccup amended as an afterthought, "actually came here in the hopes that you could help us. We're here on behalf of Lord Shabboneau, who wished to deliver this to you."

At the sight of the letter's seal, Lord Parfum took it in hand without question and opened it. In one smooth motion, he flicked the folded paper open and scanned its contents with ease. Indeed, it took no time at all for him to read the message in its entirety and raise his eyebrows in startled surprise.

"A Snorlax is blocking the road out of Camphrier Town? At this time of year? That is troubling indeed!" he uttered. Neatly, he stowed the paper in his suit pocket and nodded decisively to Hiccup and the others. "Of course I will return the Poke Flute. I only borrowed it to put it on display at a social event I will soon be hosting, but Lord Shabboneau's need of it is greater than my own. Come with me, young Trainers – I will take you to it right away!"

He turned on his heel and marched down the hall at a brisk strut, and Hiccup and Fishlegs deflated simultaneously, the tension in their bodies spilling out like air from a balloon. The knowledge that their little sidequest was about to end was incredible catharsis after everything they'd been through today.

AN:

The past week has been kind of a mess for me, and I've realized that I'd structured the last chapter pretty poorly by cramming the battle with the twins together with the Parfum Palace stuff. So to make up for that, I'll be publishing two chapters this week – the next one will be ready in a few days. After that, I'll begin my weekly upload schedule once again and everything will hopefully go back to normal.

Though the Parfum Palace sidequest is a nice detour from the games' main story and an entertaining episode of the anime, I didn't want it to be just that in this iteration, and so I snuck in a bit of character development for Fishlegs, building off of the battle from the last chapter.

That's about it for now. The twins are still great fun to write, and I can't wait to do it again when it comes time for them to reappear. The next chapter will have Hiccup back on his journey and working toward the next Gym – and, as stated, it will be published sometime in the next few days. Until then, I apologize for the wait and the reformatting, and I hope you enjoyed reading regardless!

Next time: Go West, Young Hiccup!