"For what?"

"Normal!"

"...you might have to unpack that for me."

He laughs. "It's the type with the fewest, ah, sources of animosity? I... really, really hate the idea of Pokémon disliking me because of my aura rather than because of the specifics of my personality, you know?"

"Huh. I've heard you can overcome it... and you'll still have trouble with Ghost-types. But I guess that's as good a reason as any to aim."

"Yeah, but you know, that's the fewest types that'll be trouble. If I could go for no type I would."

His Charmander looks up at him again in that inscrutable lizard way, although how much it understood of that is of course not at all clear.

"It makes sense. I guess Fairy will make it pretty close to impossible to get any Dragon-types on my team, but... I don't know, it feels inevitable. And I don't want to avoid it, not really, I like the idea of having a stronger connection with Nigel and I like the benefits of Fairy type."

"Why does your face seem to be telling a different story than your mouth?"

Edmund pinches his own cheek and wiggles it furiously. "You stop that."

He giggles. "I promise I'm not judging. Besides, it's cute."

"Well, thank you. I guess... I don't really like the idea of limiting myself any more than you do, but the tradeoffs seem worth it overall? And I'm confident that I can overcome animosity if I have to. But I still don't like it."

"But you're really very sure you'll end up Fairy regardless so might as well lean into it."

"Yeah. I'm - you know how Fairy affects you? The - love for people, feeling like you have to help everyone, not thinking of yourself... Mum says I'm already halfway there. And she's Fairy too, she'd know."

"Yeah. I did look all types up and all that and... there are some that I would like. But not as much as I don't want the down sides."

"Hmm. Fire and Flying?"

"Well someone is keeping track. Yes, and maybe electric, ground, fighting, or dragon. Those all are the ones that, ah, speak to me."

"Makes sense. I've thought about trying to pick up a secondary type, but - none of them speak to me strongly enough to overwhelm the others, I guess? I've thought about Psychic and Ghost and, um, Dark, but. It's hard to decide."

"'And um Dark'," Tōkan repeats with a mild grin.

"It's. Embarrassing?"

"Yes, so I've heard, but haven't found a good reason why."

"Well - it's kind of - I don't want it because I have secrets that I need to hide from psychics, that'd be a good reason, and I don't want it because I dearly love my pet Sableye, or something, it's just - I like it? Even though it's... bad? It feels right."

"Okay, keep going, why is it bad?"

"...Dark type is... sort of about being bad. Being mean. Doing the wrong thing. I mean, dark-types say if you're typed too strongly that way it's like - a little voice talking in your head telling you to do the things you know you shouldn't. And, I mean, I don't - judge people for it, there's only so much you can shift what type you are. But. I shouldn't aim for it."

"Have you ever been in a very tall building, maybe even to the roof, and looked down?"

"...yeah. L'appel du vide?"