Chapter Text
Lenny listened to the faint sounds of battling as she was splayed like a broken marionette on the Hotel Z couch, her brand new Totodile she had named Gustave sleeping curled up on her stomach.
Arceus must have thought it would be just hilarious to make her unable to sleep after one of the most exhausting days of her life. A several-hours plane ride, a train ride, her bag getting stolen, suddenly becoming a trainer and having a battle for the first time in years, getting jumped in the streets, seeing a Floette shoot a fucking laser, then meeting a giant human Drampa who was apparently also 3000 years old. She had to practically drag herself to her hotel room but once she had finally made it under the covers and closed her eyes, sleep refused to come. An hour passed, then two, then three, then finally she gave up and went downstairs to stretch her legs.
I could probably pack this entire goddamn hotel in these suitcases under my eyes, she thought as she stared at the ceiling, violet eyes dull and dreary. As soon as it's a decent hour back in Opelucid I'm going to call mom and bitch her face right off. 'Oh Lenore Lumiose will be good for you! It'll be an adventure!' Yeah, adventure my ass. They could have sent me to Alola but noooo I get to risk being jumped every night or attacked by wild pokemon if I don't want to go the long way around the block. Un-fucking-believable.
The sound of the old rickety elevator coming to life broke her from her thoughts and she sat up. Gustave awoke and glared at her groggily and as an apology she offered him her hand to chew on which he accepted. It hurt, but nothing she wasn't used to.
With a ding the elevator's doors opened and out hobbled the old hotel owner and his tiny, terrifying companion. Lenny couldn't help but be impressed that he had managed to fold himself into the elevator in the first place - he clearly was used to crouching down given the fact that his back was in the shape of a croissant, but surely there had to be a limit for the old man's body. That cane probably wasn't even the right size for him.
The old man, AZ he introduced himself that evening, turned to her in surprise. "Miss Lenny? What are you doing up at such a dreadful hour? You aren't a participant in the Z-A royale. You look positively exhausted."
The dread-Floette trilled in agreement, waving her (admittedly cool as hell) flower. Lenny let out an amused huff. "I am positively exhausted but I can't get to sleep no matter how much I want to."
AZ frowned and nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see." He walked closer to her, cane clicking on the wooden floor. "If you would like, I could make you some tea that might help."
"Please," she near-sobbed and the old man couldn't help but chuckle.
In the kitchen, AZ stood over the pot as it boiled while Lenny slumped against the table, Gustave still half-asleep chewing on her hand. The ancient man looked over and shook his head. "You shouldn't let him do that you know. It'll become a bad habit. Imagine him chewing on your entire arm as a Feraligatr."
"You sound like my mom," the girl mumbled but obeyed, pulling her hand out of the Totodile's mouth. Gustave wriggled in displeasure before quickly giving up and curling into a ball, going back to sleep. "She said the exact same thing about my Deino."
"It appears you have an affinity for that kind of pokemon then," he hummed. "Did you battle with this Deino?"
Lenny smiled sadly and propped her head on her elbow. "A bit. She was an absolute menace and a battling fiend. I'm hoping muscle memory kicks in with Gus here."
AZ stared at her. He recognized that look in her eyes, that wistful tone in her voice. How could he not? Every day for 3000 years he had seen it in his reflection, heard it in his voice. Beside her, his beloved Floette floated over and came to rest on the girl's shoulder.
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. "It...is amazing what things come back to you after years of neglect. Given what Urbain said about your battle with the thieving Pancham, I'm sure you and Gustave will be just fine."
The wistful smile on the girl's face faded and she averted her eyes. "....I don't know. That damn backpacker didn't really give me a choice in the matter. Urbain kind of oversold me, he seems the type to do that."
A loud whistle announced the tea and AZ filled a cup and handed it over to her and sat down. It was rather comical, his knees almost reaching his shoulders like an adult sitting in a chair made for preschoolers. "I won't deny that Urbain is excitable," he laughed, "but I trust his judgement. I'm sure that with a few battles it will click."
Lenny sighed and sipped at her tea. "I'll give it a try I guess, not like there's much else for me to do here."
"Aren't you a tourist?" AZ asked in confusion.
She huffed through a sip. "Technically, but not by choice. My family made me come here 'for my own good'. I'm thinking they hope I'll have a wild passionate romance with a Kalosian and it'll fix me or whatever."
"That is... certainly a choice," he admitted, looking a bit baffled.
"Shame I don't intend to perpetuate the stereotype of Unovan girls being easy," she smirked. "I got a little boy out of this at least, so that's something." She set her cup down and let out a yawn, stretching her arms. "Mmnn that tea's fast working, I feel sleepy already."
Floette floated off her shoulder and into AZ's waiting hand. "It's an old recipe," he explained with a smile, "one that's helped me on a few occasions. Now you had better head on back to bed while you can, given the day you've had you need all the sleep you can get."
With a tired grumble Lenny slipped from the chair and stood, adjusting Gustave so that his head rested on her shoulder like a toddler. "What about you old man? Why are you up so late? Or early, hell if I know."
Floette turned and cocked her head at him but AZ only smiled and shook his head. "I don't require much sleep myself, but I thank you for the concern. I'll tell Urbain to let you sleep in a little when he wakes up, he's somewhat of an early-riser himself."
"Of course he is," Lenny grumbled. She let out another big yawn and turned to head back to the lobby. "Alright, I'll go back to bed. Thanks for the tea, AZ."
"Of course," AZ nodded. "Pleasant dreams, miss Lenny."
Lenny gave him and Floette a tired smile before heading to the elevator. Somehow she didn't believe his claim of needing less sleep given the look his fairy companion had given him. How well did the old man take care of himself? It couldn't be good for his poor back to sit in chairs way too small for him.
Exhaustion overrode that train of thought as she entered her room and slid under the covers, Gustave curled up next to her. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.