SO THE FIGHT ENDED QUICK. Like, insultingly quick. Cater ended up driving the five of them out before any real damage could be dealt. There was this particular move he used that made him impossible to beat, this ability to duplicate himself to endure and dodge every single one of their attacks. It was a strange move that worked strangely like Double Team, Yuu observed.

He knew Heartslabyul's Prefect wouldn't accept an apology without a tart. Yet he kept them there to paint the roses anyway— they had been tricked.

Classes continued despite their tragic loss, despite Ace's complaints about his lack of magic. Unlike him, Yuu was actually looking forward to those. How would magic classes like these differ from the Trainer schools back in her own world?

...Not that she ever got the chance to attend one back in Kalos.

Nonetheless, she was stoked to be sharing her first experience with Ace and Deuce and Grim. Her first, real set of friends.

Alchemy had been their first period of the day. She, who had never come in contact with such practices, had found it more enjoyable and interesting with every class she took. Alchemy was important, she found as she flipped through the pages of a well-worn textbook. Herbs, berries, potions... Yuu could not hide the excitement she felt when she realized that healing potions indeed existed in this world. The prospect of another method to heal her Pokémon without help from Audino was an immense relief. In a world where Pokémon Centers did not exist, healing Potions would be a godsend.

Divus Crewel, the professor of the subject himself, was a man who Yuu was still trying to decide whether she liked or not. He was a strict and intimidating man (rightfully so) with high expectations and even higher cheekbones. On the first day of class, he instructed the entire class to memorize seven entire pages of nothing but herbs.

On the second, he approached her desk and said, "Oh, what's this? I wasn't aware this puppy was allowed another pet of his own."

Yuu slowly craned her neck up from the textbook to look at him. From atop her shoulders, Noibat pressed himself into her hair so much she thought they would fuse together. Well, Professor Crewel had a right to have suspicions. Grim was expected to be her one and only companion so Yuu could see why having Noibat or Fletchling around would be strange.

She silently eyed the whip in his hand. That's right, Professor Crewel had some kind of owner complex.

He seemed like the type of trainer to keep his Pokémon on a tight leash. His mannerisms reflected deeply in class, the man going as far as to refer to their education as "training" and his students as puppies and the like. It was rather strange, but Yuu wasn't as put off by him as she should have been. Perhaps it was because that man reminded her so much of her previous world.

She just hoped that wasn't a real fur coat he was wearing.

Yuu took her eyes off his coat. "...Noibat's my familiar, sir. I assumed it would've been alright to have him with me. ...Sir."

"So long as he does not distract from my teachings, he can stay," He said after a pause, "I will not condone misbehaving puppies in my class."

"I understand, Professor."

As long as she kept her Pokémon on the down-low, they would all be fine. The funny thing was, she had no idea what a familiar was even supposed to be. She had only picked up the term from her next class. Professor Trein had introduced his cat Lucius as a familiar the other day. A familiar was something like a Pokémon, right?

The subject Professor Trein taught was Magical History, a subject in which Ace and Grim seemed to deplore. She caught them falling asleep in Trein's class in the first week already. On the other hand, she and Deuce were genuinely interested in the discovery of magic stones. The ones which lead to the development and advancements that made such magic accessible worldwide.

History was interesting, especially if it regarded a completely different world she was unfamiliar with. If Yuu wanted to fit in, she would have to learn all she could. Moreover... She realized the history textbooks had mentioned nothing about the appearance of Pokémon? That couldn't have been possible.

To her disappointment, the real questions she had could not be asked nor answered— not without giving the secret of Pokémon away.

Physical Education out on the field was a class Yuu actually looked forward to. Professor Vargas, who taught it, was an incredibly muscular man built like an entire Machoke. He treated each and every student without discrimination, which was why Yuu was made to participate in P.E. activities even without the uniform. It was a bit of a hell, but she would rather be treated the same as everyone else.

The next morning, there was a large box containing several sets of P.E. uniform and a pair of new sneakers. It sat on her desk, neatly wrapped, a single note card placed beside it. It didn't need to be signed for her to know who sent it.

Don't think you can slack off in my class now!

She never would have expected it from Professor Vargas out of all people, but free stuff was free stuff and Yuu would take what she could get.

Grim had actually run rampant across campus on their first day of school, exclaiming he didn't need lessons to become an all-powerful magician. Ace and Deuce had offered to help catch him for the simple price of one lunch meal. (They had both seen how Meowth made gold coins literally rain from the sky...)

Yuu believed there was a bit of greed in everybody, expecting such things from Ace. However, the look on Deuce's face as he requested a latte in exchange for his services was downright wicked.

When she wasn't in classes, Yuu often visited the library. Crowley did mention at phone point how she could use it as she pleased; sometimes pestering the ghosts for information wasn't enough. To pass the time, she started scouring each bookshelf for any information regarding Pokémon. Each expedition, to her dismay, bore no fruit.

The ghosts of Ramshackle Dorm were nice and all, but there was only so much information they could give. When Yuu finally tracked all four of them down to ask just where exactly they had picked up Misdreavus, they merely shrugged.

"Uh..." Ghost One, the nearly skeletal-looking one, scratched his head warily. "We don't really know. She just kind of came out of nowhere one day, you know?"

"Maybe a couple weeks ago?" The smallest ghost, Ghost Two, suggested. "It wasn't long before you an' the others got here."

Misdreavus nodded along in a similar manner to the rest of them: not too concerned about it.

That couldn't be a good sign. What did that even mean? Came out of nowhere? ...Then again, she herself also "came out of nowhere." Not a single book in the Library would be able to help Yuu understand what the hell was going on.

The only good thing that came out of it was the fact that she could rest easy (not really), knowing the ghosts wouldn't go around ratting her out. They had assured her they wouldn't, but she still couldn't understand what kind of situation they were all in.

BEFORE SHE KNEW IT, THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL PASSED BY. Ace was still not satisfied after the first fateful morning. They returned to the hedge maze a couple of days later. To their dismay, Cater was waiting there for them with a smile on his lips. And Ace, with what remnants of dignity he had left, insisted on everything but apologizing. At least her Pokémon were getting used to seeing him and Deuce around more and more. Audino was finally on speaking terms with each of them.

"I don't understand why you can't just get him a tart in the first place," Yuu told him the following week in the cafeteria. Sandslash was getting real tired of making ice for their bruises and Audino absolutely refused to Heal Pulse them any longer. At least the bruising on her back was starting to fade now.

"That's right," Deuce said to her right, after a forkful of spaghetti, "It's a win-win for both of you, right?"

"Like hell it is!" Ace snapped, startling Fletchling— who was perched on his shoulder.

Yuu didn't know how it happened, but the two have gotten friendlier. After Fletchling blocked Ace from a nature spell (casted by Cater) on that fateful day, he started to see her in a different light.

"First of all, tarts are expensive. Second, isn't getting him a tart just admitting defeat? That's practically confessing that I stole it!"

There was a vigorous nod from Fletchling.

"But you did steal it though," Grim remarked from her left, not looking up from his omelette, "You had that collar on for what, six days? I almost feel bad for you."

"I'm telling you, I ate it by accident!"

"Same thing, same thing."

"If you didn't know how to bake a tart, you could have just told me. I can teach you." She suggested, shrugging. Baking and cooking had always been a hobby of hers.

"I'm not baking the Prefect a tart for shit."

Noibat, who sat on the table, stole a few berries from her fruit salad and she let him. A part of her wondered if it was a bit much to let two of her Pokémon out of their balls at a time. Then again, this world lacked Pokémon and it was starting to make her feel restless without seeing any around.

Deuce absentmindedly stroked Noibat's head while shooting Ace a stern look. "You better pull yourself together and get a tart either way. Or bring any more of Yuu-kun's Pokémon into this."

"I'm removing us from this situation," Yuu said at last, with Fletchling nodding vigorously in agreement. "Baking isn't hard. What's up with you magicians and your pride?"

"Oh, like you'd understand," Ace groaned, tugging at his collar, "You have a freaking mammoth for a pet! We would've knocked that jerk down back there if you just busted him out."

"Absolutely not!" Yuu and Deuce shouted simultaneously.

"Oh, come on. I have a point, you know! With Noibat's Whirlwind, we'd be unstoppable!"

"You sound like a real villain, so stop it." Grim made a face. "What are you trying to do, apologize or blow your dorm away instead?"

"You're going to have to do something about it sooner or later without the help of my Pokémon," She told him seriously, "Night Raven College is a school for aspiring magicians, right? That thing can't stay on you forever."

"Yeah? Go tell that to the Prefect."

"This school is so boring... After a week, I've only seen Heartslabyul's place," Grim huffed from where he was. "What do the other dorms look like, anyway? Ace, Deuce, tell me."

He did have a point. She briefly wondered what the other six would be like, especially Scarabia, who Fletchling had been sorted into. For a moment, Kalim and Jamil came to mind. Yuu briefly wondered how they were doing, since she had not seen either of them for a week.

"You've seen the statues of the Great Seven, right? This school has seven dorms based on them," A familiar voice called from behind Ace and Fletchling, causing the two to nearly jump out of their seats. Noibat instantly ducked behind Yuu to hide.

She looked up at Cater in all his cheerful demeanor— He was, as per usual, sporting a vibrant grin. Behind him, she could see a taller boy with hair the shade of forest green she had never seen before. The stranger's intuitive hazel eyes scanned over the group from behind dark-rimmed glasses. And right on his left cheek, a stamp in the shape of a clover.

(Just where did these two boys come from? Noibat hadn't even picked up the sound of their footsteps. Then again, perhaps he was too busy being coddled by Deuce to notice.)

"The jerk that's been guarding the freaking dorms!" Ace sputtered, spinning around with an aghast look marring his features, "What are you, some kind of hawk?!"

Grim jumped out of his seat, pointing an accusing finger at the newcomer, "You! You're the guy who tricked us into painting those roses, don't you think I'd forget!"

"Hey, now! I didn't trick you," He pouted lighty at the (very much true) accusations, "Don't think I did it because I wanted to. I was only following the Dorm's rules."

Deuce furrowed his brows. "You seemed so happy about it, though."

She recalled the face he made while escorting them out of the maze. "And with a blatant smile, too..."

"Now, now, Deucey-chan and Yuu-chan~" Cater smiled lightheartedly. "The rules don't matter outside the dorms so Cate here is just your very gentle senior, alright?"

"Please refrain from calling me that, senpai!" Deuce stammered with a flustered face. Yuu, unlike him, merely shrugged.

"Haha, don't worry. That's just how Cater expresses his affection." The unnamed student with the green hair laughed. He and his friend easily slid into the seats beside Ace and Fletchling, to their dismay.

"Hey! Don't just sit where you please!"

"Fletchliiing!" Yeeaah! Fletchling continued to hold a grudge about losing their "battle" the other week. Her distaste was quite evident from the way she slinked away from Cater. She was a sore loser who vividly remembered their tragic loss.

"Don't be like that, Fletchling-chan! Here's a peace offering for you." The boy broke off a piece of his muffin and offered it to her in an attempt to make amends. The creature (begrudgingly) accepted it.

"Ah, so that's the animal from the entrance ceremony that can use magic, right?" The bespectacled stranger observed, "I heard all about it from Riddle and Cater."

"Yeah. She is." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Who're you, anyway?"

"Oops, my bad. My name's Trey, Trey Clover. I'm a Heartslabyul third year alongside Cater," He said with a pleasant smile, turning to her, "And you must be the new student currently residing in the.... unused dorm, correct?"

"That's right. You can call me Yuu," She nodded along, "Nice to meet you, Clover-senpai."

"Just Trey is fine."

"I'm surprised you can live in a place like that," Cater wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye, "It's dark and dingy and scary things can pop out~ And no wifi, either... Our poor Yuu-chan's got it so hard."

"I mean... it's not that bad."

"Yes, it's that bad." Deuce put in, "I still can't believe the Headmaster threw you in there."

"Ours?" Grim whined, "Since when was he yours? This is my henchman, mine!"

"Again with the henchman? Grim, I thought we talked about this."

"Hey, now that I think about it..." Cater leaned across the table with a grin, "I haven't seen this guy before. Yuu, Deucey! Who're you hiding there?"

Both he and Noibat stiffened. "I...! Um!"

"This is Noibat, another one of my friends," Yuu tried to coax the creature forward, "He's more timid out of the two. Come on, babycakes! Say hello to Cater and Trey-senpai."

"B-Babycakes?!" Ace and Grim sputtered together. She ignored their knee-slapping laughter.

Noibat glanced up at the two older students and squeaked out something unintelligible before ducking his head back into her chest. She stroked the fur on his head, laughing sheepishly, "I'm sorry about him."

"Ah, don't worry about it." At least Trey and Cater weren't offended by it.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Ace prodded at last, "Sitting casually next to me like it's nothing..."

"Come on~ We're in the same school so we should get along, right?" Cater winked and pulled his phone out. "Hey Yuu, mind giving me your number?"

The only device she had that was even remotely close to a phone was her Pokédex. None of them needed to know that existed. "Ah. Well, I don't really have a phone."

"Really? For real? How is the Headmaster making you live?" He gaped, looking as if he just witnessed a confession to a murder. Yuu couldn't understand what was so wrong.

"I manage."

"It's a wonder how he's still up and kicking. No food, no clothes, barely any running water," Deuce said after chewing on a meatball. (Rude.) But it wasn't a wonder at all. They all knew who was the real reason Yuu was still surviving: her Pokémon.

"It's terrible," Grim mumbled into the table, "Meowth said he won't share his stash of gold with me! I mean, how cruel is that?"

"We'll manage," She repeated before anyone could even think of questioning who Meowth was, "I think I do need a phone though."

"Why don't you and I go shopping together?" Cater suggested gleefully, leaning closer, "I know some great places where we can get the latest models for cheap. Neat, right?"

"Ah." She stammered, leaning back and holding up Noibat (who squeaked) to create some distance, "Well, I don't— I don't really—"

"It'll be a date! Hey, you can even bring Fletchling and Noibat-chan with you."

"Alright, alright." Trey came to her rescue, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Cater, can't you see the first-year's shying away? His bat is trembling."

"Ah, my bad, my bad."

"You see... the problem isn't money," Yuu sighed, pulling a single gold coin from her pocket and placing it on the table, "There's nowhere on campus where I can find a bank to trade this stuff in for Madol."

Grim perked up at the sight of money.

Ace stared at her, then at the coin. "What? So how have you been eating for the past week?"

"Crowley's been stopping by to drop off breakfast and dinner every few days." She remembered how soggy his face looked when he complained that she and her Pokémon were making his wallet cry. Guilt traces her brow line.

Deuce pointed at her fruit salad. "Then how did you pay for that?"

"One of the ghosts at the cashier has been letting me slide, actually. At first, he declined," She explained, "But then I asked him where I could exchange them for some Madol, so I could actually eat, right? He just went quiet and told me to grab a tray. Ever since, I've been paying in coins."

"Is that real gold?" Trey asked, examining the coin.

She let him.

"People who go walking around with literal gold in their hands are gonna get mugged," Deuce cautioned, "You should put that away."

She did. "That's why I want to trade it. But none of the ghosts from the kitchen would tell me where to."

"How'd you even... If that really is a gold coin, it's gotta be worth a lot," Cater whistled lowly, "The ghosts were probably doing you a favor, Yuu-chan. The only establishment on campus that has enough money to trade you would be..."

He and Trey shared an uneasy look.

"What?" Yuu prodded, interested. "Who?"

"Listen up, Yuu." Cater came closer and dropped his voice. He continued smiling despite the slightest hint of foreboding that laced his tone. "This school is a place for good magicians, but not good people, you know?"

He just insulted Night Raven College? Just like that?

Then again, there was a scrimmage in the courtyard the other day as a testament to that. A scrimmage... over an egg yolk. The two Heartslabyul upperclassmen that had their dishes "ruined," demanded a fight. Fletchling was more than happy to engage in her first mock-battle, if that's what they wanted. The only good thing that came out of it was Ember, a new move learnt that replaced Peck. As nice as the boost was, Yuu couldn't say the same for battling against other people.

Not only that, but Crowley would be absolutely furious if he found out her Pokémon were actively trying to harm more students.

"Seriously. Even I know that," Ace snorted at the bewildered look on her face, "There's a whole lotta ways to end up dead here. Or worse."

Deuce stared at him. "What could possibly be worse than death?"

He gave him a blank stare and silently gestured to the bulky half-red-half-black collar around his neck.

"You're exaggerating," Yuu said, "It can't be that bad, right?"

"Seriously, Yuu," Trey spoke earnestly, "It'd be best for you to continue the way you are... —Actually, Grim, you said you wanted to know about the dorms, right?"

"Yeah! But Yuu's been too busy with the rest of the monsters to actually explore campus," He complained.

"The rest of them?"

"Start with Heartslabyul first," Ace prodded, crossing his arms, "I've been here for a week and these rules or whatever still don't make any sense."

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Queen of Hearts, right?" The group collectively nodded. Trey continued, "In order to establish absolute law and order, she created severe rules to oppress the eccentric citizens of Wonderland."

"It's part of our traditions to adhere to the Queen of Hearts' rules. Out of respect for her, the students wear red and black in order to represent the dress she wore," Cater added. Yuu noted the red and black armbands they all wore. It must have been mandatory if every student in the cafeteria donned some sort of variant of it.

Grim wrinkled his nose. "Sounds rough." Fletchling and Noibat nodded in agreement.

Cater offered the robin another piece of his muffin (to which she happily obliged) while he talked, "Adhering to the rules is one of our current Prefect's whims. The previous one was pretty chill about it."

"Comparing to the other students, Riddle Rosehearts is a little more serious," Trey shrugged with an easy smile, "That's why he's always trying to keep to our traditions."

"How annoying..." Ace grumbled.

"Hey, so what kind of places are the other dorms?" Grim asked, now fully invested in the conversation.

"Just like Cater said before, this school has seven dorms dedicated to the Great Seven," He explained. "First we have our dorm, grounded on following the Queen's Laws with our entire being..."

Ace rolled his eyes.

"Then there's Savanaclaw that's grounded on the fortitude of the King of the Beasts. After that, we have Octavinelle, based on the Sea Witch's benevolence."

Yuu thought back to her and Ace's first meeting on Main Street, where he had clearly said that the Sea Witch could make anyone's desires come true, no matter what they were. Did Octavinelle work like that too?

"And then we have Scarabia that was formed from the careful planning of the Sorcerer of the Desert."

Fletchling perked up.

"Scarabia!" She blurted, and suddenly Kalim and Jamil came to mind.

"Hm? You know about them, Yuu?" Trey asked.

"Ah, that's right. Senpai, you might not know about this but Fletchling got sorted into Scarabia during the entrance ceremony," Deuce said, "I didn't even know that was possible."

Cater stared at him, then at Fletchling in disbelief. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously," Ace snickered, "Yuu here almost got sorted into Scarabia. Turns out the Dark Mirror read Fletchling's soul instead and made a mistake. Oh man, the look on the Headmaster's face was hil-arious."

"No it wasn't. Do you know how many people were watching?"

"What are the other dorms? There's more, right?" Grim asked, eager to hear more.

"Right. There's Pomefiore, the house grounded on the altruistic efforts of the Beautiful Queen," Trey continued, "Then there's Ignihyde, whose foundations lie on the perseverance of the King of the Underworld. Lastly... We have Diasomnia that was founded on the graceful spirit belonging to the Queen of Thorns."

By the time he finished, Grim's head was spinning with all the names and their hallmarks. "All of their names are freakin' long! I can't remember all of that!"

(In all honesty, they kind of sounded like Pokémon names. Yuu, who had been taught to memorize hundreds of Pokémon species, thought seven was a measly number.)

"Don't worry," Cater laughed, "That's completely okay! You'll remember them even if you don't want to."

Noibat said something unintelligible and Yuu was promptly forced to translate for him. "What's that supposed to mean? Is what he asked."

"So, you've seen how the Mirror decides on students' dorms by looking at their soul," Trey said after taking a bite of a sandwich, "I guess you could say that the dorms really reflect a student's character."

"Character...?" Deuce questioned, not quite understanding.

"For example, look over there."

They each followed the line of his finger. Yuu turned around and gasped— sitting behind them, a couple tables away, was a boy with a wild head of grey hair... and the most majestic canine ears she had ever laid eyes upon. He wasn't facing them, but she could see his strong profile, beautiful tanned skin, and those distinctive canine ears.

"Oh my Arceus." She gaped at the boy, absolutely entranced with how well-groomed, how fluffy his ears looked. Were they on par with Audino's? Were they even softer than that?

"Whoa, he's got dog ears!" Grim exclaimed with wide eyes.

"That's something you don't see every day," Ace commented.

She continued to stare with parted lips. "I don't think you understand— Those ears."

"He's in his own little world now," Ace snorted, "Hey, next thing you know he'll be prancing over there asking to feel them."

"You think he'd let me?" She asked, eagerly.

"I see that look in your eye. You better not," Deuce said, turning around to face his food again. "That guy looks like he could maul you."

"Judging by his appearance, he looks like he's from Savanaclaw," Trey explained. It seems he was correct— When the boy with the canine ears stood up to throw his trash away, she could catch a glimpse of the black and yellow armband that decorated his left arm.

"Totally! They look like a dorm of athletes and guys that're good at scuffles~" Cater grinned, "They're pretty bulky? Actually, the right word to describe them would be buff. Yeah, everyone there is all pretty buff. Either way, Savanaclaw's colors are yellow and black."

"Dorm of athletes... Good at battles..." Yuu repeated. Did they use some sort of Fighting-type magic or something? Good lord, Audino would have an absolute field day wrangling with those types of students. Knowing her, she might even come out on top with some of them.

Right on cue, Audino's Pokéball vibrated exuberantly and Yuu's panic spiked.

"Battles... I guess you could put it like that, yeah," Cater shrugged.

"Anyways, Octavinelle corresponds with light purple and Scarabia with maroon and gold."

Trey waved to another table where a large group of posh-looking students sat. The way they carried themselves was flawless, from their crisp uniforms all the way to their table etiquette. "Those ones over there are from Pomefiore, whose colors are purple and red."

"They're practically sparkling," Yuu said, admiring the feathery hat of one student. She wondered if there was a place on campus that sold hats. Or gloves. Or any trainer gear, any at all would suffice.

Grim jumped out of his seat and pointed to a student with remarkable lavender purple hair. "Wha—?! There's a girl sitting over there!"

"Who? Where?" She asked immediately, glancing around the area. Perhaps there was a chance that Night Raven College was a co-ed school after all?

"What?" Deuce stammered, stiffening up. "Even though this is an all-boys' school?!"

Ace looked at him like he was crazy. "No, you idiot. As if they'd let a girl pass the sorting ceremony of an all-boys' school."

"Don't call me an idiot, you frickin'—"

Damn. Yuu deflated and Noibat and Fletchling shook their heads in understanding.

"What? Were you really looking forward to all the girls?" Cater took notice of the disappointment on her face and his grin grew wider. "You know, Miss Rosalia's portrait in the West Building isn't half bad. I can introduce you if you're interested~ Want me to set any of you guys up?"

Noibat and Fletchling paused at the name.

Her name... Like the Pokémon?[1]

"No need!" Ace sputtered, shaking his head, "Even if she's cute, she's not really... three-dimensional."

"What was her name again?"

All around the table, everybody collectively stared at her. Deuce nearly dropped his fork. "He's actually considering it?!"

"Whoa. I mean, I offered, but I didn't think anyone would actually accept!"

"It's not like that at all! She just sounds like someone I knew!" Yuu clarified, waving her hands defensively. She immediately tried to change the subject, coughing into her fist. "A-Anyways, you were saying about Pomefiore?"

"Ah, that's right! Pomefiore's filled with pretty faces who take their beauty routines seriously," Cater explained, humming delightfully, "Their Prefect's a pretty famous influencer with over 5 million followers on Magicam!"

He pulled out his phone to show the feed of an unfairly beautiful blond man. She couldn't tell which was prettier— his face or his hair. How'd he get it to fade into purple like that?

"Oh, I know about him," Ace pointed, "That Vil guy, right? He's crazy popular."

"Hey, don't judge them by face value alone," Trey put in, "Pomefiore's got a lot of students who excel at alchemy and charms."

"Aha, that's right! Then we have Ignihyde, and they wear blue and black, but," Cater squinted at the masses of students, not a single speck of blue to be found. "You don't really see them a lot. They're all pretty private, so I don't really have friends there either."

"So what you're saying is, they're just a bunch of hermits?"

"Grim!" Yuu chided.

"Whaaat?"

"Don't be rude."

"Though it's true that they all seem pretty reclusive and quiet," Trey said, giving him a meaningful look, "They've got a lot of members who have great magical energy. Plus, they're pretty techy."

"Techy." Yuu leaned closer, her interest sparked, "What's the extent of their expertise? Do you know what kind of stuff they make? Do they take requests? Is there such a thing as spatial magic here? If so, do they work with stuff like that?"

"Whoa, slow down there," He chuckled, putting an end to her barrage of questions, "If you could somehow track 'em down, some probably would. For a price."

Which she would be willing to pay.

"What's with the sudden interest in tech, anyway?" Cater jokingly asked.

"Just curious. I like technology." Pokémon technology, especially.

"Then, the last one's... Diasomething, right?" Deuce guessed.

Ace squinted at him. "Don't act like you got that one right, man. It's Diasomnia, got it?"

"I just bit my tongue!"

"Diasomnia is... Oh, there." Cater pointed to a table of students with vibrant electric green in their uniforms. Yuu zeroed in on the smallest figure, the one with magenta streaks running through his hair. She recognized him as the man (boy??) from the entrance ceremony.

"They're kinda— How do I put it?" His smile took on a bit of a grimace. "Crazy popular? They've got this kind of aura that makes it hard for us everyday people to approach. Their Prefect's super hard to grasp..."

How bad could he be? Yuu wondered.

Ace pointed at the same man from the entrance ceremony. "Oh, they've got a kid with them."

She turned her attention to Trey once more, who explained, "Grade skipping is allowed here, so that's possible. But he's not a child."

Grim crossed his arms. "What? He's not?!"

"Looks can be deceiving. He's a third-year, like us. His name is—"

"—Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge."

All at once, Ace and Deuce and Noibat and Grim let out shrill screams. Fletchling immediately shot across the table and back to Yuu. Even Trey, who seemed like the most grounded out of all of them, was startled enough to nearly drop his sandwich.

She craned her neck to look up. Floating upside-down in midair was the same man from the ceremony. His pretty hair dangled loosely and yet the blazer of his uniform remained snug around his shoulders.

"This guy just teleported here!" Grim shouted, pointing.

"Oh my. Are you interested in my dorm members?" He asked, chuckling to himself. He placed a hand on his chest, "Fufufu. Well, it is true that I might resemble a sprightly and endearing young boy. However, just like Trey has previously mentioned, I am a child no longer."

"Sprightly..." Trey repeated bemusedly.

(Both Fletchling and Noibat craned their neck up to stare at him as he talked, fascinated with the way he hung in the air like that. Like a bat.)

He noticed their staring and smiled.

"Why, if it isn't the little bird from the entrance ceremony. Hello, little one." His attention moved to the other, more timid creature. "It seems you have another little friend with you today."

Fletchling chirped in response and Noibat nodded meekly from where he was.

"Why not approach us instead of watching from afar?" Lilia regarded the whole table this time. The bow around his neck dangled as he talked. "Are we not comrades from the same school? We from Diasomnia will welcome you anytime."

He gestured to a table across the cafeteria, where a pair of stone-faced individuals sat, who had already been staring at her table. Their hair colors stood out to her the most, a pastel hue of green and a pretty silver.

Grim shuddered.

"Those two look like they don't want to be bothered at all though," Deuce murmured.

He chuckled again. "Fufu. Pardon me from appearing above you while you dined. We will be taking our leave now." She blinked and the man (well, he wasn't a boy now) simply popped out of existence. All at once, the group of individuals stood up and filed out of the cafeteira.

Ace, who was now sure they were all out of earshot, whispered, "Our seat was practically twenty meters away from theirs. You're telling me he heard us at that distance?"

(It had to be good hearing, Noibat assumed. Like a bat.)

Grim shuddered. "Scary..!"

"W-well... That's how it is," Trey coughed into his fist, "Diasomnia's got a lot of gifted members. Their Dorm Leader, Malleus Draconia, is said to be one of the five greatest sorcerers of our world."

"Seriously?" Deuce gasped.

Malleus... Malleus Draconia. Now that's a name she hasn't heard before. And that last name— Draconia? Yuu wondered if he had some affiliation with dragons.

"To be honest, Malleus is, like... up there, you know. His magic's crazy strong," Cater winked, "But that's not to say our Prefect isn't dangerous too!"

"You're telling me! He puts a collar on someone just for eating his tart?!" Ace raved with much conviction, "He's the worst, no doubt!"

"Hm~? The worst?" A new voice drawled out, deceptively calm.

Everyone at the table collectively froze.

Yuu lifted her gaze up from her food to see— Lo and behold, Heartslabyul's Dorm Leader standing directly behind Ace. She nearly choked. Ace did not notice, only waving his hand flippantly, "Yeah, the worst! Gimme a break. Only a tyrant would keep up with those kinda rules. That guy's crazy."

(With each word he spoke, Noibat could feel the soul leave his body. Fletchling began to pray for the poor boy's life.)

"A-Ace, look behind you!" Deuce wheezed.

He did, and they could all see the color leave his face. "Gah! Pre— Prefect!"

"Hey there, Riddle!" Cater quickly amended in an attempt to diffuse the situation, "

You're looking crazy cute today, as always!"

So this was Riddle Rosehearts. Yuu hadn't been able to get a good look at him during the entrance ceremony, but he was really... really pretty, almost doll-like. He had such shiny red hair that framed his face so nicely; it made his last name fit him remarkably well. "Hmph. Cater, if you talk too much, it's going to cost you your head."

"Come on now, gimme a break!"

Grim clung onto her, wrinkling his nose. "That's the guy who put that weird caller on me during the ceremony!"

"You two are the ones who caused a ruckus a couple of days ago, aren't you?" Those keen, grey eyes of his swept the table, lingered on Yuu and her Pokémon, before landing on Grim. He crossed his arms and said, "Could you refrain from referring to someone's Unique Magic as weird?"

(Fletchling had heard about him from Ace— he simply wouldn't stop ranting about him every chance he got. Too bad he couldn't keep his mouth shut this time, poor guy. )

When he talked, Yuu couldn't help but notice how he held himself with such grace. Maybe it wasn't grace, but more like arrogance? No, he wasn't looking down on them. Or maybe... Pride. She saw the way his brows furrowed when his Unique Magic was called weird.

"Grim's just in shock. Sorry about him," She apologized. This boy was one to be respected, especially if he was a Dorm Leader, right? Even if Heartslabyul's animal-caretaking traditions were... questionable. She refrained from asking him outright how the animals at Heartslabyul were treated.

"It's nice to meet the Prefect I've been hearing so much about. My name is Yuu."

"Ah, the fabled boy with the many companions. I can see you have manners. That's something we don't see often, hm?" He hummed with what seemed to be approval. Across from her, Ace and Grim stiffened.

Riddle continued, "Good grief, the Headmaster is too soft. Letting someone off the hook for not following the rules will break the entire foundation. Anyone and everyone who doesn't follow the rules should just say goodbye to their heads."

Ace mouthed something along the lines of, "Those words don't match his cute face at all." He was damn lucky the Prefect couldn't see his face right now.

Deuce, who could see him, mouthed back, "Shut up!"

"The Headmaster may have forgiven you, but next time you break the rules, I won't let you off so easily."

What foundation? Society? Yuu and her Pokémon shared a look. Yuu now understood what Trey meant by serious. How many times had he just mentioned the word rule just now?

"Um... By the way, Prefect... Is it possible for you to remove this collar?" Ace gingerly turned around with a sheepish look on his face. Noibat and Fletchling watched the interaction fearfully.

"I was thinking of removing it once you've repented, but judging from what you said a while ago, it seems you have yet to do so. I think I'll have you walk around like that for a while longer."

He continued despite the miserable look on the boy's face, "Oh, but you don't have to worry. The first-years' lessons are more focused on classroom learning rather than magic training. If you can't use magic, then something like the ruckus from the other day should be impossible. It's perfect, isn't it?"

Ace looked like he wanted to say something, yet kept his mouth carefully silent. They all did.

"Now, if you're done eating, hurry up to your next class. Rule #271 of the Queen of Hearts: 'You must not spend more than 15 minutes sitting at the table after you've eaten.'" A cold, almost cruel, smile came upon Riddle's lips. "You know what happens when you break the rules, don't you?"

Ace sighed and muttered under his breath, "Another weird rule..."

(Noibat began to say his prayers for the boy.)

He was not so lucky to have gotten away with another snide remark. All at once, Riddle shouted loudly, "Answer me with 'Yes, Prefect!'"

"Yes, Prefect!" Yuu and Deuce had been so startled by his commanding voice that they ended up joining Ace in his little chant.

"Good."

(How did a voice like that fit in a little body like that? Fletchling would never know. Then again, she had lived with Noibat for many, many years.)

"Now, now," Trey laughed in an attempt to diffuse the tension, "I'll see them off, so don't worry."

"I expect nothing less. You're the Vice Dorm Leader, so you better do your job properly."

Pause, wait a minute. Trey was the Vice Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul? "He is?"

"Aha, I am. Did I forget to mention that part?"

Either Riddle did not notice the dumbstruck look on her face or he did not care. "As stated by the Queen of Hearts' Rule #339, 'After-meal lemon tea should have no more than two sugar cubes in it.' In order to protect that rule, I shall need to buy more sugar cubes from the student store. I'll be taking my leave now."

(As he went on his way, Noibat could briefly pick up him muttering under his breath, "Good grief, the sugar pot running out of sugar cubes should be a capital crime.")

With his disappearance, the whole table let out a breath of relief. Noibat and Fletchling could finally rest easy, both of them returning out to perch on each of her shoulders.

"Man, that was scary..." Cater sighed, scratching his head.

"He's seriously lookin' like a bad guy now, you know?" Grim remarked warily.

"Hey, that's very rude!" Deuce and Yuu shouted.

All around them, she could hear several Heartslabyul students complaining and whispering amongst each other. One of them had asked fearfully, "Did the Prefect leave yet?"

"I completely forgot to follow Rule #186: 'Never eat hamburg steak on Tuesdays...!'" A second one said, "If he found out, he'd kill me!"

"Giving us a bit of freedom wouldn't hurt him, you know?"

Cater and Trey shared an uneasy look before the latter sighed. "The Dorm Leader managed to become the leader only one week after getting into the school. He's a little bit sharp-tongued, but he's only got the dorm's best intentions in mind. He's not really a bad guy."

(Fletchling furrowed her brows. A little bit would be considered an understatement. She'd hate to be caught in any of his collars. If he had gained the title of Dorm Leader after only the first week of school, he had to be some sort of prodigy, right?)

Grim crossed his arms and huffed. "People who think like that don't just put collars on others."

"Ahaha..."

Yuu sighed and Fletchling narrowed her eyes at him. "It's your fault for going wild during the entrance ceremony, Grim."

He ignored both of them. "What's a Unique Magic anyway, huh? I heard that guy mention it."

"Of course Grim wouldn't know it," Deuce shook his head, earning a scoff from the cat, "Think about it. Unique Magic, right? That must mean it's only exclusive to the Prefect, right?"

"Right," Trey nodded, "Putting aside all the other magic in the world, magic that can only be used by one person is called 'Unique Magic.' I think you'll learn about it in detail later in class."

"Unique Magic," She repeated, remembering Meowth's Payday, "So like, his signature move, right?"

"...You could put it like that, yes."

"Riddle's Unique Magic is the ability to seal off another person's magic for any given time," Cater explained, "It's called, 'Off With Your Head!'"

So that's what it was, Yuu mused, recalling that phrase he shouted at the entrance ceremony. His Unique Magic worked a bit like Torment or Disable, both moveset-restricting Pokémon moves, only on a larger scale. It completely blocked all magic, even lasting out of "battle."

"Even the name's scary!" Grim shrieked, clutching his neck fearfully.

"Magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having their head chopped off, right~? That's why, as long as you're in this dorm, it's better not to go against Riddle."

She wondered if it worked on Pokémon as well and frowned at the thought. But he wouldn't use it on them, right? ...Wait, no. Grim was already collared once, who's to say her team wouldn't be susceptible?

"Oh yeah, am I gonna be chased out again if I don't come back with that tart?" Ace asked after a moment of silence.

"Pretty much. That's what Rule #53 says, after all~" Cater shrugged unapologetically with a smile, "Oh, and since Riddle was looking forward to getting the first slice of that whole cake, he probably won't forgive you if it's not whole.."

"You said you wanted to get along, but now you're pulling this?!"

"This and that are different, you know?"

"Still, isn't a whole tart a little bit expensive?" Deuce put in.

"Ugh, I don't have that much money though. And I still don't wanna give that guy the satisfaction," Ace groaned, throwing his head back. He immediately sat up straight again and leaned across the table to face Yuu, as if remembering something. His lips were curved up into a big fat grin.

"Wait! Yuu, lend me a few coins, will you? You have a lot, right? You won't mind losing a couple, right?"

"Like hell!" Grim seethed, pointing at him, "How am I supposed to pay for my canned tuna now?"

"You two are both horrible people."

Yuu shook her head before any of them could reply to Deuce's comment, "I'm lucky just to get a meal every day from the ghosts. No way to convert the gold, remember?"

"For real?" Ace mulled it over, "Then why don't we just visit Octa—"

"—Or we could just make some!" Cater cut in with an airy laugh, patting the other boy on the back, "Those tarts were all by Trey here, you know?"

"He can bake?" Yuu gasped and leaned forward, amazed, "An unexpected talent!"

Ace recalled the three tarts and looked at Trey in a similar manner. "You made all that, Trey-senpai? Amazing! It tasted way better than what they sell here!"

He chuckled at the praise. "Thanks, you two. I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here... But I won't simply just offer you my services." An expectant smile came over his face.

"What? You're gonna ask us to pay you?!" Ace's eyes widened and he frowned, "Hey, Yuu, help a friend out here."

She snorted. "You're so shameless, you know that?"

"Alright, enough of that. There's no way I could extort money from a couple of juniors," Trey laughed, explaining, "The next tart that Riddle wants to eat required a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some for me?"

"Even if I pay you or not, either way is a pain," He remarked, yet he knew there was no other way to remove the collar. "How much do you need anyway?"

"It's going to be used for the Unbirthday Party, so about two to three hundred will do?"

"That much?!" The four of them exclaimed at once with wide eyes.

"I'll have you help me with roasting them and peeling them," Trey stated.

Having lost interest, Grim groaned and tugged on the sleeve of her jacket. "Can we go back home now? I'd rather talk to Audino than this."

"Me too," Deuce coughed into his fist, "I just remembered I have a bit of studying to do."

"You traitors!" Ace scowled, turning to face Yuu and the rest of her Pokémon, "You and Fletchling won't leave me, right? The rest of these guys are the real horrible people."

She briefly considered it. If Noibat and Fletchling didn't mind, maybe making tarts would be fun. She did dabble a bit in baking, after all.

"You know," Cater winked, "Making them together and eating them together makes it more delicious! You want to make memories in your first year here, right? Who knows, you might even make your debut as a food blogger."

"Who cares about that? Henchman doesn't even have a phone. Man, I'm outta here."

Trey fixed his glasses into place. "Keep this a secret from the Prefect, but a freshly made Mont Blanc tart tastes the best. The only ones who get to try some are the ones who helped make it."

"Mont Blanc!" Yuu blurted with a perfect Kalosian accent, her eyes widening with delight. She recognized that name, it was a popular Kalosian dessert. What a pleasant surprise that this dessert existed in this world as well.

"Ah, Yuu, you know of it?" He blinked surprisedly at her, "Wow, that Franse [2] pronunciation was perfect."

Franse? Was that Twisted Wonderland's equivalent for Kalosian? "Uh, yeah! I've had it a couple of times before. They're pretty popular where I come from."

"Ooh, ooh! That settles it then!" Grim hollered, punching the air wildly, "Hey, you boys! Let's get a move on! We're gonna pick all the chestnuts we can!"

"Seriously? This guy's only motivated by food," Deuce sighed. 

"It's not my fault that the food Headmaster gives us doesn't taste good! I'm a growing monster, I gotta eat!"

"Wow, you change your mind fast," Yuu whistled lowly, "I guess it's settled, then. Where can we find the chestnuts?"

"There should be plenty of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school's botanical garden," Trey stated, crossing his arms in a pleased manner.

"Alright then," Ace said determinedly, "Let's gather in front of the greenhouse after school. Three o' clock, remember? Don't miss it."

Deuce shrugged. "You're dragging us down with you? That sort of mentality..."

"Free food is free food, right? Besides, don't you want to try it?" Yuu suggested. If Ace said it was that good, maybe he could lend her the recipe while he's at it. Maybe if she asked nicely Trey would let her take a few pieces home for the rest of her team.

"Go, go~!" Grim cheered happily. Noibat and Fletchling joined him, flapping their wings fervently. "We're going chestnut picking! Yahoo!"

[1] Rosalia — Since Miss Rosalia sounds so much like Roselia, the Thorn Pokémon, Yuu was briefly confused.

[2] Franse — A little bit of worldbuilding here! Japanese will be considered the main language in TWST. Everyone refers to it as the "Common Language." French is referred to as "Franse." I wanted to keep the languages the same, but Japan and France don't exist in TWST. So I just gave French a fake name. Japanese = Common Language. Kalosian = French = Franse.

Other Pokémon terms mentioned in this chapter:

Double Team — A move that lets the user create multiple copies of itself, increasing its evasiveness. Think Shadow Clone Justus!

Ember — Small flames, Fletchling's first Fire-type move. It replaces Peck, so her moveset is now... Air Cutter, Tailwind, Aerial Ace, and Ember. I'll be updating each moveset as the story progresses.

Decided to post this today instead of tomorrow because I'll be studying all day for finals. I hope you enjoyed the early update. Oh! by the way, did you know Deuce's birthday is on June 3rd? I'll just say happy early birthday to him while I can, haha. Hope you guys enjoyed reading!