Archive of Our Own

Work Text

[𝕐/ℕ] [𝕃/ℕ] RACE: HumanGENDER: FemaleAGE: 16HEIGHT: [Y/H]HAIR COLOR: [H/C]HAIR LENGTH: [H/L]HAIR TYPE: [H/T]EYE COLOR: [E/C]SKIN COLOR: [S/C]TATTOOS: Any, you can choose! They need to be on the arms, covering the whole length though. This will be a thing brought up minorly in the story, but it is still brought up nonetheless. 𝔸𝔽𝔽𝕀𝕃𝕀𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ𝕊 Champion of KalosChampion of AlolaChampion of GalarCHAMPION NAME ||JerichoSong writer & ProducerMUSICAL INDUSTRY NAME ||MC DiariesPokemon Performer 𝔼ℚ𝕌𝕀ℙ𝕄𝔼ℕ𝕋 MEGA STONES || Altarianite & LopunniteUsually wears a single one at a time on the collar wrapped around her neck, but for outfits like her vacation attire, she occasionally wears them both as earrings. Z-CRYSTALS || EVERY CRYSTAL IS COLLECTED.Eeveenium-Z is set as the default most of the time, but can be switched to any other.Z-ring is kept in bag when is not currently residing in places where it is used locally, but carries it around for precaution. TMs || EVERY TM IS COLLECTED.They are stored in binders, organized by type. In between every type, discs are also stored in alphabetical order. POKEBALLS || Pokeballs.Great balls.Ultra balls.Premier balls.Usually stocks up on a large amount of several types of pokeballs since she had nothing to do with the enormous amount of money she kept winning in the Galarian Star Tournament. HEALS || Potions.Super potions.Hyper potions.Max potions.Revives.Max revives.Seems to never run out on any of these items with how difficult it is for any to wipe out her pokemon, unless she's trying to catch something that is being particularly difficult. OTHER || PokedexShiny charmCatch charmExp. CharmMega braceletZ-RingDynamax bandCamping gearReins of UnityRotom catalogZygarde cubeLaptopHeadsetMicrophone ℍ𝔼𝔸𝔻ℂ𝔸ℕ𝕆ℕ𝕊 Quite short compared to most if not all of the Night Raven students.Loves to farm, learned this when she went to Akala island to meet a wonderful family that lived at their own farm.Despite being the champion in three regions, [Y/N] prefers a calmer life, like some of the other roles she has: Pokemon performer & music producer. However, she wouldn't even mind tending to Furfrou and styling their fur for a living.[Y/N] was taught to be massively polite, but she often lets it slip up since she has minor anger issues. She tries her best to show kindness, even to someone who treats her like garbage. However, if any finger is laid, someone is going to end up knocked on their behind. She also enjoys chaos, but of course as champion there are high expectations of her so she hardly has any opportunity to have her own fun.Any sense of completion is something [Y/N] longs for, and as a bonus, the praise for that completion. That is the reason why she is the champion of multiple regions. In doing so, she has completed her pokedex and is trying to complete the shiny pokedex, as well as collecting a region's local gimmicks. EX: Mega stones, Z-crystals.Very lovey-dovey with her pokemon. No matter if the pokemon is entering their senior stages in life or just evolving, she will always refer to them as babies, her babies.Surprisingly easy to fluster, hardly has any romantic experience besides random kids telling her that she was pretty when she was in elementary. Finds it difficult to respond to positive comments depending on the amount of affection in the compliment since she hadn't got many- not to her face.Enjoys putting pieces of fashion together, having quite the knack for it- as shown on her regular outings with her friends and attire for concerts and performances. However, she doesn't put it into work for a career since she finds music and performing much more soothing. ℙ𝕆𝕂𝔼𝕄𝕆ℕ EVERY POKEMON WAS COLLECTED, BUT MANY WERE LEFT IN SYCAMORE'S LABORATORY TO OPEN UP SPACE IN HER BOXES. SHE KEPT HER MAIN, SHINY, CURRENTLY TRAINING AND INACTIVE POKEMON TO CONSTRUCT BETTER TEAMS FOR HER FUTURE CHAMPION BATTLES AND/OR FOR PERSONAL MATERIAL.CURRENT LIST OF POKEMON BELOW THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE: MAIN TEAM || Eevee (SHINY)AegislashEiscueGarchompLopunny (SHINY)Altaria (SHINY) BATTLE READY || LuxrayChandelurePrimarinaGreninjaCharizardNinetales (ALOLAN)Calyrex (SPECTRIER)CinderaceZoroarkOrbeetleLilligantWeavileJolteonFlareonEspeonAlcremieLaprasGoodraLycanroc (DAY)AudinoWalreinKeldeoZeraoraGranbullDiancieHydreigonPikipekRaichu (ALOLAN)XerneasMagearnaNihilegoKartanaSerperiorShaymin CURRENTLY TRAINING || LittenApplinEspurr (2)ShellosVulpixKlefkiJangmo-oMudbrayHaunterFeebasGothitaRioluRockruffTyruntAmauraShinxEevee (2)BounsweetFennekinSpewpaPurrloin SHINIES (AND/OR) BATTLE READY || GardevoirBewearSwampertMeowstic (FEMALE)CombeePonytaPhantumpDittoAbsolDratiniGyarados INACTIVE || FurfrouSkiddoCottoneeWhimsicottEldegossRibombeeCaterpieWooloo (2)JigglypuffMiltankButterfreeRotomFlabebe (WHITE FLOWER)Mareep (SHINY)MorelullAS STATED BEFORE, ANY OTHER POKEMON THAT DON'T APPEAR IN THE LIST STAY IN SYCAMORE'S LAB, POKEDEX IS CLEARED.I can't guarantee I'll use all of them, but they're nice to have in case I choose to have them make an appearance 💔💔 •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• Emojis surrounding the chapter titles will signify where we are at with the story.🟤 PROLOGUE 🟤❤️ A ROSE-RED TYRANT ❤️💛 THE USURPER FROM THE WILDS 💛🤍 THE MERCHANT FROM THE DEPTHS 🤍🧡 SCHEMER OF THE SCALDING SANDS 🧡💜 A BEAUTIFUL TYRANT 💜💙 THE WATCHMAN OF THE UNDERWORLD 💙💚 THE LORD OF MALEVOLENCE 💚💖 SPECIAL CHAPTERS 💖 •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• 
"Your familiars are.. friendly, no?"

I felt a smirk creep onto my face. "When I tell them to be."

HISSSS
 ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ One last thing before we get started, at the beginning of every chapter of each season, I will include lyrics of songs. The song will change each season, and will possibly foreshadow the story. THIS SEASON'S SONG:𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 by Surfaces

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

♫ ⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 ⋙ ♫
Another wave of floatin' through the same thoughts

Are we the past or in the current still lost?
♫ ⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙ ♫   "Chip, would you please stop playing with the boxes-? I'm trying to pack so we can go home!" I pleaded, trying to get a hold of the white blur pouncing in and out of the boxes. It popped its head out of one to my attention, only for it to fall over and let the small Evolution pokemon come tumbling to my feet. I let out a sigh, picking her up and placing her beside the doorstep and pointed to some of my other pokemon playing outside. "Why don't you go and play with the others? I need to finish up here. We'll head out soon, okay?" I suggested, to which I earned a cheerful "Vee!" from, and watched the fox-like creature scurry outside.Taking another look at both empty and filled boxes around the open area, I grabbed a pokeball that hung on my waistband. I gently tossed it upward, a splash of light jumping from the ball as it fell back into my palm, my pink and mocha colored Lopunny standing before me. It stood straight, brushing its ears back with a trill as its wind chimes sounded out with the mega stone dangling from it, matching with my mega stone earrings. "Would you please help me out with the boxes? I would ask Bullet, but he's a little too big to fit in here." I asked, pointing to the many clumped piles of cardboard laying around.She nodded, a happy expression laying on their features. "Punny!" she cooed, walking over to the boxes and looking back at me, waiting for instructions. "I need to fold up the empty ones to give back to Kukui since he gave me a little too many.. Then the packed ones we'll stack outside so it's easier to get into the moving van later." I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked over to the empty ones, sitting down to start folding them up neatly. "It sure was nice of Kukui to let us use these, huh? We should send him a gift from Kalos! Or maybe I could make him something here..? Oh, how about homemade pokepuffs? Yeah, I think we should do pokepuffs- what do you think, Houdini?" I spoke out loud, turning to Houdini with a giddy smile.It covered its mouth with a light smile, letting out a small laugh at my antics. It nodded, balancing a tower of three boxes on one arm, taking them outside as told. I pulled out my Rotomphone, looking up the pokepuff recipe I had saved a while ago. Once found, I held the phone up, and it started floating on its own. "Rzzzt! Good morning, Miss [Y/N]! I see you're looking at a recipe for pokepuffs! Would you like me to read them out to you?" it beamed, the eyes above the screen buzzing to life. I shook my head, grabbing the boxes and flattening them. "Not yet, Ro'. When I'm finished we can bake them." I responded, piling them on top of eachother."Understood! Rzzzt! Daily Reminder: Log notes for possible future songs. Do you have any you would like me to write down, Miss [Y/N]?" it asked, getting closer to my face, of course making me uneasy with the proximity. Looking down in thought, I turned away and tied the folded pieces of cardboard together so they wouldn't fly away. "Yeah, uh- nothing's come to mind lately. Could you go ahead and turn off that reminder for a couple days?" With the stress of trying to pack up on time for the flight that was planned for me instead of doing it myself, I hadn't had much time to sit back and daydream. I did that often and sometimes came up with the wildest, yet amazing ideas for my music at random, so I made a daily reminder to write it down."Rzzzt! As you wish, Miss [Y/N]." with that, it slid into the space in between the waistband on my shorts and belt, shutting itself off. Picking up the folds, I walked outside to meet Houdini, who was taking out the last of the storage. As she set it down, she skipped over to me happily, to which I brought my hand to her forehead and gave her some scritches. "Thanks hon, if you want we can go play soccer in the woods when we get back to Kalos! We can make it a no-bounds match, too." I offered, watching her grow excited at the mention of soccer. She did small hops in place, sounds of joy escaping her. "Lopunny, lopunny!"She ran off, going to do Arceus knows what. I trust her enough, and she's one of my highest trained pokemon. She knows her way back, she'll be fine.At that moment, Chip came back up to me. I tilted to the side, letting my arm hang down so she could climb up and sit on my shoulder as she usually does. Cuddling up to my cheek, I let out a soft laugh. "Looks like we need to go to the store, bud. Me and Houdini thought that we could make some pokepuffs for Kukui!" She wagged her tail, pawing at the Rotomphone on my waist. "Eevee vee!" she exclaimed, looking at me with pleading eyes. I sighed, already used to what she meant since she's asked for this many times over. She was asking for Minimo, her Flareon friend, to come with us.I took the Rotomphone from the belt, and let it float again. "Rotom, could you show me the portable PC Sycamore gave me?" It showed me an emoji with a wide smile before opening the app, and I switched out Excalibur, my Aegislash, for Minimo. As soon as I pressed save on the party, I watched Aegislash's pokeball on my belt glow, for the light to boom and reveal Minimo's ball. Grabbing it from the assortment of pokeballs, I held it in my palm and watched as it opened to let out a beam of light. From the particles, Minimo appeared and I smiled with relief."Flareon!" he bubbled, making Chip hop down from her personal pedestal and nuzzles into his fur, earning some from him as well. I walked past them while placing his ball back on my belt, calling for them to follow. "Come along, we need to get to the store before it closes! Geez, so much to do in a day." I muttered, bringing a finger to my chin and murmured to myself. "Buy the ingredients, bake the food, get to Kukui's to give him the sweets, be back on time for the moving truck to get my stuff somewhere that can ship it back to Sycamore's lab. Ouhh.. It's alright, I think we can do all of that. Right guys?" I asked, to which they cheered along to get my spirits up. To be honest, even just watching them scurry with their little pawsies was enough to make my mood a little brighter.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Now with bags hanging from my arms, I make my walk back with my eager pokemon who are running ahead not too far from me as they play. As we walked, I noticed that a man was walking beside me now- to say I was spooked was an understatement. I tried not to say anything since I was trying to be polite, and maybe by coincidence we were walking the same direction, who knows? At some point, I could tell he noticed that I was a little bothered since he appeared right beside me. A thing that I noticed myself was that he kept eyeing Chip. I could feel the sweat drop from my cheek, but I didn't want to cause a ruckus, so I minded my business. His eyes wandered to my face lazily, speaking up. "Is that your Eevee? Quite the catch, I must say. Not many shinies are seen around." Then, he turned his face so that I could see the growing smirk he had. "I heard they have a fair price in some places. You ever think about sellin' it?" he asked. I felt a scowl crawl across my face, but I was keen on getting out of this without much of a problem."..Can't say that I have, sir. My Eevee's been with me for a number of my adventures. Even has a few titles on her name." I had no idea if this man knew who he was dealing with, but I just wanted to test the waters to see if he would realize if he hadn't. Then again, not that many people are as interested in sports and championships. He hummed, folding his hands behind his back. "Really? What titles might those be?" I closed my eyes, calming my nerves and gaining the confidence I could handle myself just fine with my words. "Champion of Kalos, Alola and Galar. Same titles a few of my other pokemon have as well." I opened them back up to side eye him, not missing how his smirk had faltered. "You sure you want to step to me?" I taunted, to which he growled. "You're bluffing!" he shouted, pulling his arms from behind his back to reveal an ultra ball in his hands.By now, both Minimo and Chip have noticed that we were about to be assaulted. All of us know he's at a disadvantage. How? Because he's dumb. The three of us backed up on the dirt road, and stood with our guards. Both of them were about to approach the oncoming battle, but I held an arm out to stop them. "He doesn't deserve your wrath." I whispered. He raised the ultra ball, throwing it to reveal a Meowscarada. "I challenge you to a battle! If I win, you hand over that sack of cash!" he shouted, making me frown very deeply- it was very sickening to think of a pokemon just as something to be sold and auctioned off to the person who's willing to pay the highest.Just to spite this man, I grabbed the great ball on my belt and tossed it, to bring out an Eiscue. The block of ice on its head shone as it let out a cry. To this, the man sneered. "What's wrong? Too afraid I'll be ya? Why don't you fight me with that Eevee!" I stuffed my thumbs in my pocket, leaning back slightly with a carefree expression. "Because some smuggling degenerate isn't worth my Eevee's time." I responded, and took the chance to move first. "Mochi, do me a favor and use belly drum, would you?" I asked, to which she complied.The Penguin pokemon started slapping its smooth belly, emitting a sound and halving its health to boost its attack to the max. The other trainer shouted something to his Meowscarada, but I wasn't paying all that much attention. The Magician pokemon charged towards Mochi, attacking it with what looked like night slash. As expected, Mochi wasn't affected in any way other than the cube on its head being shattered.I smirked, shouting out another command. "Mochi, hail!" The pokemon did as told, spreading out its fins and called to the sky, summoning thick clouds above us. Soon enough, the air became chillier and I could see my own breath as small rocks of ice pelted downward. I returned both Chip and Minimo back to their pokeballs to prevent them from being damaged. Thanks to Mochi's ability, Ice Face, the block of ice reformed on its head with hail again. I could hear my opponent groan out of frustration, but of course I paid no mind. "Good job, now use rest."Growing drowsy, the Eiscue stumbled and sat down, slouching as you can practically see the Z's emanating from her. From the distance, I hear him shout "leafage!" which of course, still has no effect on Mochi because of the ice cube. The helmet combusts again, revealing her sleeping blue face. Now that everything is set, my plan of attack has now begun.As the Meowscarada ahead was about to launch yet another leafage, I gave another order before it could. "Sleep talk." In doing so, the moves sleep talk allowed Mochi to use was surf and icicle crash, surf clearly being the chosen option based on the massive wave rising from the ground and encasing the jesting cat. It wasn't very effective, but thanks to the belly drum it did a decent amount of damage. The Meowscarada got up from laying on the soggy dirt, almost slipping in the process, and managed to land a quick attack. Mochi still hasn't woken up, so I shouted out the same command again, although this time it used icicle crash, the move I was hoping for.The spikes of ice hit the panicking cat dead on, earning a pained yowl as it flew back, displaying the swirls on its eyes, showing that we managed to knock it out.At this point, Mochi had woken up and was now jumping for joy and flapping her fins. "Eiscue cue!" she shouted, running back to me and hugging my leg. I couldn't help but smile and give her headpats. She was always ecstatic whenever she knew that she came out on top since she used to live with degradation. Our opponent seethed, holding up yet another ultra ball after the Meowscarada was called back. "I ain't done yet, so quit yer cheerin!" pelting it towards the make-shift battlefield to let out a Tyrunt, its roar visibly sending chills down the ice-type's back, which was saying something, but she stood her ground anyway.It started sprinting toward Mochi, its jaw hanging open. "Use bite!" I heard the trainer shout, a transparent bear trap-looking set of teeth appearing in front of the Tyrunt's snout about to chomp down on the penguin. Thankfully, she managed to dodge at my command, and I had her direct another icicle crash since Tyrunt was also dual-type, dark and dragon. It hit, but it didn't seem like it did the amount of damage that I thought it'd do. In fact, what surprised me was the fact that the next move that it pulled off was extrasensory. All right, something was up, and it's not my opponent's cockiness. The next second later, I could see a light consume the Tyrunt, and it transformed into Zoroark, the Illusion Fox pokemon.My shoulders slumped, slightly disappointed. "That's it?" I asked, to which made my opponent scowl. "What do you mean 'that's it?!'" I sighed, looking more bored than when the battle started. "I thought you had some sort of genetically enhanced Tyrunt, which would have been really cool, and I hardly have a challenge anymore. I'm just saying it would be nice to have something out of the ordinary, right?" I replied, somehow only making him angrier. Geez, this guy needs to lighten up. Of course, he only had his pokemon use the next move which was a shadow ball. It just barely hit Mochi, but it stunned her from using her next move. Springing up from the dust cloud that emerged, the Zoroark threatened Mochi with its teeth bared, readying another shadow ball at its paws."Oh yeah? Let's see how ordinary Zoroark'll be when it pummels you into the ground!" he shouted, purely confident that it was about to K.O. Mochi then and there. But of course with our regular training, the Penguin pokemon leaped upward, dodging the close range projectile just as the hail subsided, perfect. Before she touched the ground again, I gave the order for Mochi to use hail once again, successfully repairing its cubey helmet thanks to Ice Face. Both of our attention chasing up to the now midair battle that was draped in cold weather.Icicle crash would probably be the best choice right now since I doubt that surf could reach that high, it was amazing how much Mochi's little legs could launch her, all through hard work. With my thoughts gathered, I followed through with the move, it worked as planned. Only around half the amount that were shot out actually hit, but something is better than nothing. I continued to barrage my opponent's pokemon with the ice type move, finding it the safest option until they hit the ground. In doing so, the Zoroark dashed around, shooting a flamethrower in every direction, hoping to hit something in a panic and melt the oncoming attacks.I was sure that by now the Illusion pokemon was almost done for, so I decided to end the battle since I needed to hurry home and tend to the shipments to be made. "Mochi, let's finish this with surf!" I called out, the Eiscue sending me a determined nod. It lifted its fins for the final time, summoning a wave of water that quickly overpowered the Zoroark, sending it back to its trainer's feet with swirls in its eyes. He balled his fists, his eyes narrowing toward the singular pokemon that wiped his team, who was cheering to itself, hurriedly waddling back to me. When it reached my boots, it reached up to me with its clapping fins, prompting me to hug her and squish my cheeks against the freezing cold ice cube, showing her my affection.He left without a word, extremely embarrassed with the turnout of his night not ending how he had hoped. Of course, I hadn't said a word about or to him, only cooing to the Penguin pokemon in my arms. "You did amazing tonight, Mochi. Thanks for stickin' it to this creepo." It cheered once more, reducing itself to a blob of light and returning to her pokeball after I grazed the button with my finger. Taking a glance at the time, I quickly turned on my heel and sprinted back to the house. Why, you may ask? Because the moving van was going to be arriving at my now empty house any minute, and it would drive off if no one was there.As the house came into view, my eyes caught sight of a van heading the opposite direction. It was leaving! I sighed and slumped my shoulders, not bothering to hurry home anymore. What else could go wrong? I was assaulted for my Eevee, I missed the moving truck and now there's no time for me to bake anything for Kukui.I climbed the porch, sitting on the edge and resting my head on top of my knees. Noticing a mocha and pink rabbit coming my way. I sighed, leaning back and letting my palms hold me up. "Looks like I couldn't make it, huh? Ouhh.. Damnit, we need to delay the flight now.." I spoke, staring down defeated. "I wouldn't say that," someone drawled. Turning around, I spot Kukui of all people! Shirtless as ever, but I've gotten used to it.I jumped up, facing him and giving him a hug. "Hey! What're you doing here? I thought I would swing by tomorrow to say bye." I said, retracting from him, having to slightly crane my neck to look at him. He held the brim of his cap, a light grin spreading across his face. "Well, I was actually gonna come over to do that since I might not be in tomorrow, and I know your flight leaves early. I've gotta be at the pokemon school real early, so I didn't think I'd see you." chuckling, he shifted his weight to one leg and held up a hand, gesturing to Houdini."Wasn't until I saw the moving truck roll in, and I offered to help Lopunny here load up. I see it's been quite a day for you, huh? Something on your mind?" he asked, to which I hardly registered his question due to the tension in my stomach releasing at hearing they managed to meet the truck when it came. I sighed with relief, hugging my arms around both Kukui and Houdini's shoulders with cartoon tears practically flowing out of my eyes. "Ohh, thank you both! I thought I'd hafta rebook, which totally sucks! That, and I miss home, but rebooking is worse!" I sobbed, Kukui letting out a nervous chuckle.He rose from out of my arms, letting me cling onto the Lopunny that was patting my back softly. He rubbed the back of his neck, assuring me everything was taken care of. "Good thing I came right on time then. Don't think we missed any boxes, so you'll have everything when you get home. You ready for the flight tomorrow?" I looked down, a little upset my vacation was ending. Then again, I can always go on another. Sitting back down in a criss-cross, holding a finger to my chin in thought, I spoke slightly strained. "Well, I suppose so- but I was planning on making you pokepuffs as a thank you, but I need to get to bed.. Sorry about that."His smile widened, a soft look resting on his features. "You don't have to thank me for anything! Just think of it as a favor for helping out with the crazy stuff that's been happening around here." he said enthusiastically, giving me a thumbs up. I reciprocated his smile, fiddling with the bow on my waistband. "I suppose that's true. I'll still be sending you something from Kalos, though!" Ruffling my hair as a response, he walked down the steps of the porch and lifted his hand into a wave. "Well, I've gotta head out. Burnette is gonna kill me if I'm not home in time before Munchlax eats all the dinner. Safe travels, [Y/N]!" and just like that, he ran off into the distance where I couldn't see him.Looking back at Houdini, I gave her a quick pat on the cheek as I pressed on her pokeball's button to return her into it. As she disappeared, I took the time to organize my team once more, my Rotomphone buzzing to life while I switched my most trusted pokemon into my party. With that, I left to gather the very last of my things such as my travel bag and my usual set of clothing.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Now in the chestnut colored bodysuit, I slipped on the rest of my clothes such as the pants, jacket, accessories and shoes. I slid the belt onto my hip, hooking my pokeballs onto it, feeling the warmth of them as they soothed me. Giving them a quick pat, I hooked my travel bag over my shoulder, making my way outside to sit on the porch's steps once more. The whole time, I only stared forward, just daydreaming about all the stuff I could do again once I got back home. I could start performing and now I can finally keep working on my abandoned music projects- since now I have thought of ways to bring them back, hence the note logging on my phone.Before I could think about it any further, a few sparks jolted in front of me out of thin air, startling me to my feet and instinctively hovering my hand over my set of pokemon. This was all too familiar, and I will admit, I was caught off guard. Just as I thought, a small wormhole started to form in front of my own home, my figure and the area around me drowning in its bright, swarming colors. Expecting a never-seen before pokemon to fall out of it, my body was starting to gravitate towards the portal instead!"What the-?! Shit! This isn't supposed to happen!" I shouted, trying to grasp the supporting pillar on the porch, only to slightly graze it and be pulled into the wormhole. I started to squirm and hyperventilate in a panic, trying to grab onto literally anything, but it was no use. It was too late, and I felt the nauseous sensation take over me as my eyes fluttered shut, making me feel like I was going to pass out.Black was all I could see. I couldn't feel anything, not even my own body. I was really hoping I wouldn't cross one of these again, the feeling all too familiar from the dimensional hopping. I'm in for a bit of a hoop, aren't I?  ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

♫ ⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 ⋙ ♫
Help me, I'm lost in open water

Tell me, is it even tangible?
♫ ⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙ ♫  Maybe one day, I could wake up in the soft, puffy cloud of comforts that I've come to know as my bed after so many exhausting adventures. Don't get me wrong, they're some of the best thrills I get around here, but y'know- sometimes I'd like a moment where my entire body feels like it's about to give out as my soul leaves my body. Well, guess what? This isn't that day.The stinging cold of metal was all I could feel, my bones sore from resting on such a seat. I let out a soft mumble, rubbing at my temples as I accidentally shoved my bag onto the floor after trying to sit up.Now that my eyes have cleared up, I can finally get a better look at my surroundings. Which... weren't much.I was sitting in what seemed like a subway train, except... When I looked out the window, it was all fuzzy, with foreign creatures flowing about in perfect sync. There was no sound, so I could tell it wasn't moving, otherwise the train would be shaking and letting out a loud grinding noise.But.. there wasn't anything outside. I mean, there were many figures on the outside, and they all formed wonky, glitching lines that slightly formed a metro. I could only see it if I squint really hard, but it fits into the picture.Next thing I knew, a thick mist was hugging the ground, and I instinctively clamped a hand over my nose and mouth to shield myself from whatever toxins it may have. After a few seconds of awkward silence, it was clear that the mist was staying at calf-levelIt was cold, but the more I trudged my feet through it, the more it felt like I was pushing my boots through a cloud, one that was strangely lacking opacity.Suddenly, the mist started to rise, but only in certain parts of the train, forming odd shapes. The more it molded together, they seemed like transparent images of my team, all in one purple color.This was extremely strange, to say the least. I would assume I'd be dreaming, but I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing. On one hand, the entirety of this place is just a dream and a joke, but on the other, I must've been knocked out when the ultra wormhole took me.Wait..Feels like I'm missing something here.The Ultra Wormhole! Holy crap, I was sucked into the wormhole, and now I have no idea how to get back. This hasn't happened before, except for the time I willingly jumped into one- but that time I had a dimensional crossing lion, that was three times my height and is the embodiment of the sun.This is bad. I highly doubt that this is the destination, since there's no ultra beast around, and the doors are sealed shut. That, and it's a train.Maybe if I could get to my Pokemon, I could try and pry them open. I reached for the pokeballs on my belt, grabbing the ball that was coated in black and had red and gold engravings. I tossed it up, expecting my massive Mach Pokemon to appear.But the pokeball never opened, and it hit the ground.My head whipped around to the misty figures laying around, while latching the pokeball back on my belt and trying to shake Houdini by the shoulders, but my hands phased through her.I stared at her in shock, retracting my hands after waving them through her face to no avail. She walked over from her current place, and took her spot leaning against one of the poles beside a sleeping Mochi.Upon turning around, I saw the Pokemon I was trying to summon standing against the door and crouching slightly so that he wouldn't bump his head on the ceiling.I stood in front of him, trying to get his attention by waving my arms around. "Bullet! We need to try and get these doors open! Can you hear me?! Bullet..?" I shouted, but shook my head and deemed it no use as I let my arms fall to my sides.I went back to sit down where I first woke to see Chip sound asleep inside the battered bag I had brought around with me so much.I sighed and shook my head, taking a seat beside her and staring out the slim glass window, tracing my finger along the shape of some small, frillish-looking creature that was stuck to it.Looking up from the glass, I noticed that there was a small panel above the door to the next cart, which was now flashing with words.Of course, they had to read someplace that I was absolutely unaware of, meaning I was going no place near home.The pixels swiped left and right, spelling out "Next stop, Twisted Wonderland: Night Raven College."My head flung back as I let a loud, raspy groan out. I let my arms fold over themselves, my posture seeping down as I let my legs lay wide open and spread my feet far and waited with a pout.Can't I have a moment where I can go home and just sit my ass down? I'm so tired..•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Black.That was all I could see.I tried to bring my hand to my face to forcefully open my eyes, just to learn I was in an extremely cramped space. The confinement shook, and I heard a high voice on the outside."I better hurry up and get that uniform before someone spots me... Ouuh.. This lid weighs a ton!"I tried to push out the supposed wall in front of me, but it did in fact, weigh a ton.The person outside, now frustrated, shouted aloud to himself."Try this on for size! Mya-ha!"My confinement rocked, and the front flew open with blue flames licking at the black wood. I immediately pushed myself out of the coffin-looking confinement, landing far ahead of the hazard."Hey! Watch who you sic your Pokemon on, huh?" I said, turning, only to see a small.. creature..? It looked sort of like a Litten, except it had fire coming out of its ears, a tuft of fur on its chest, a trident for a tail, and.. it was standing on its hind legs.I stepped forward, crouching in front of the cat-like creature and placing my palms on my knees. "Hi baby, you have a trainer?" I cooed, looking around for anyone else."Ehhh?! 'Baby?' You ain't s'posed to be awake!" it shrieked, much to my surprise. I backed up lightly, a little taken aback at how it spoke. "Wow, okay, not what I expected. I mean, I have had my fair share of encounters with a talking Meowth, but I thought he was the only talking Pokemon. Besides Pokemon that can speak telepathically," I rambled, completely ignoring how the creature seemed to be getting angrier by the minute.It let out a low yowl, trying to get my attention as I continued to speak. "Huh. You look much more like a fire-type, though. What kind of Pokemon are you..?" I asked myself, tilting my head. "I- I am no Pok..i..man..? I'm Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire!" it beamed pridefully, placing its paw on its chest.It scoffed, rolling its beady blue eyes. "Tch, whatev. You..! human! Just gimme your uniform, and be quick about it!" it demanded, pointing its paw at me. "Cuz if you don't, you're gonna regret it!"At this point, I looked down since I highly doubted my usual travel outfit was anywhere near a uniform, but came to find out I was draped in long robes that fell from my shoulders and hid my body under it. It felt like a massive cape, and I was honestly feelin' it.Immediately, I searched and patted down my figure, feeling my usual outfit just under, along with my bag and pokeballs hanging snug in their respectful places. A sigh escaped my lips, and I turned my attention back to Grim, my cloak closing off and hiding my features, only my head and legs visible...."..Nah.""'Nah'?!""Nah."The cat quickly puffed up its cheeks and spewed more of its blue flames at me, and I instinctively grasped at my pokeball, tossing it out of the cloak. The crimson sphere shot far out, its black engravings becoming more apparent as it opened up to reveal a bright light.As soon as the beam of light hit the ground, it formed my most trusted companion, Chip. It spawned in a battle-ready stance, her usual confident smile apparent. Grim freaked out, flailing his arms around and looking like he had seen a ghost."Fnyaa?!! That thing came outta nowhere! What kinda magic is this?!" he shouted, carelessly spitting out more flames at his surroundings. While he was distracted, I parted my robes and opened the latch of my bag, gesturing for the white Evolution Pokemon to hop in.It did so, sitting contently in the absurdly big amount of space with a content sound. "Eevee!"I bolted, running through halls and rooms, not taking much time to look around as I was still trying to lose the psycho-extraordinaire.Eventually, I ended up in someplace that seemed to be a library. Ah. glad to see there's still something in this place I'm familiar with. I stopped to catch my breath, a light pant escaping me as I parted my robes once more, Chip's head popping up curiously."Sorry 'bout that, bud. I needed to get away from that creature. I'm not exactly sure where we are, though.. Just stay in my bag for now, please don't make any noise." I told her, to which she nodded quickly and hid back into the bag."Geez, that was rough. I need to figure out how to get out of here.. Or for starters, where I am." I continued, looking around to have my gaze trace over the books, and now the door that burst open with a familiar blue heat.Grim passed through, a smirk on his furry face. "Foolish human! Did you really think you could slip away from me?! Now, unless you wanna be cooked to a crisp, take off that- me-YEOW!" he threatened, but was cut off by a loud crackling sound that cut through the air, whipping him. "That hurt! What gives?!"I turned, to see an oddly lanky man with.. a stranger choice of fashion. "Consider it tough love." he continued, the gold dots in the void of his mask's eye holes relaxing. "Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.I was about to deny, but he cut me off. "My, were you ever eager to make your debut." I simply squinted and raised a brow, a deep scowl on my face. "Sir, I-""And bringing a poorly trained familiar with you? That is a clear violation of the school's rules." he interrupted yet again, crossing his arms. Grim spoke up again, now constricted by this man's whip. "As if I'd serve this lowly human! Now lemme go!"The masked man however, was not having it. "Yes, yes. Rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet for a bit, won't you?" he said, raising a part of the whip so it covered the cat's mouth. To be honest, watching it be constricted like that made my stomach churn."Sir, if you'd listen," I started, but was yet again talked over. "Dear me. Of all the students I've dealt with, you're the first with temerity enough to open their own gate and step out of it." I shut my mouth, mentally preparing myself to lose my free will. "Does the very notion of patience elude you?"He sighed, his shoulders slumping as his eyes closed. "No matter. your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the mirror chamber." He guided me along the halls, dragging Grim behind him. I followed behind, confused as ever."What do you mean.. student, sir? This is a school?" I asked, desperately wanting to catch up with the lack of information I had. "You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not? All of the students here at campus arrived by passing through such gates." He answered, eyeing me suspiciously."Although, typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up." I nodded, my brows furrowing lower. "So.. the freaky coffins were supposed to be those gateways..? A little too edgy if you ask me.." I fiddled with the strap on my bag as I spoke, our walking pace steady.He cleared his throat, a fist to his lips. "I will have you know young man, the design is intended to symbolize a parting with your former world, and rebirth into a new one." At this comment, my eyes widened and my fingers grasped the strap impossibly tight, my knuckles turning white."You're saying I can't go back? I'm stuck here..?" I asked with a trembling voice, staring forward at the carpet that covered the halls. "Where even is here?" I followed up.He shook his head, my worried tone flying over his head. "Nonsense, our dear Dark Mirror is capable of sending someone back to their former world at any possible time. But now is no time for such prattle, you've a student orientation to attend!" He said carelessly, ushering me forward. "Go on, now. Make haste!""Alright, watch it weirdo- before you push me anywhere, I want you to tell me who you are." Pausing in my tracks, I turned to face him after shrugging his hands off my shoulders.He looked minorly offended, the gold specks under his mask looking slightly bothered. "Hm. Quite a rude one you are. Have you not fully regained consciousness? The timespace teleportation must have addled your memories.." he mumbled to himself more than me, bringing a hand to his chin."Well, these things happen I suppose. I shall explain it to you while we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless." he said, his golden eyes turning upward and a toothy smile adorning his features.This guy is awfully suspicious.. Smile looks fake as hell. What's he up to..?Now outside, the man cleared his throat. "Ahem.. This is Night Raven College. It is an institution for students the world over who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic." As he spoke, his posture and expression turned proud as the feathers on his shoulders and cape puffed up."It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland. And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with its care by the chairman, I serve as headmage." As he rambled, he hardly took any breaths, and I could tell he was a narc- he really liked to listen to his own voice.I looked up at him with curiosity, tilting my head. "There's magic here?" I asked, but my voice lowered to a mumble. "Where are all the Pokemon.."He nodded, staring dead ahead. "Only those who the Dark Mirror perceived as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through those "gates," which can appear anywhere."So.. was the Ultra Wormhole that took me supposed to be one of those gates? This is all way outta wack.. There's magic here? What am I doing back in school?!I let my hands fall limp beside me, staring at the ground for fear of the answer I might get. "Mister Crowley, uh- where are all the Pokemon?" I asked, finally. He perked up, his gaze turning to me questioningly."Pokemon? What in Great Seven's do you speak of? I have no knowledge of such things." he answered, making my eyebrows curve upward.There's no way. Not a single Pokemon? Not one ever seen? That can't be.If this was just a school as he says it is, there would be Pokemon everywhere, at least in the skies if they weren't allowed in. There truly was no such thing as Pokemon here? I need to be sure."Y'know.. pocket monsters? The creatures that live alongside humans on the land, in the sky and in the sea?" I continued, hoping it would ring a bell. "Um, much like this one." I stopped in my tracks and parted the uniform, revealing Chip as he popped out of the bag once more."Eevee!" Cheered Chip, looking gleeful as ever, while on the other hand, Crowley was shocked as he took a short step back. "What in- This creature looks nothing like our usual familiars.. What in blue blazes is this critter?" he quizzed, leaning forward to get a better look.I myself took a step back, while Chip wasn't so shy. "This is Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon. I've named her Chip. This Pokemon isn't all that easy to find, but it is a common Pokemon people are aware of." I said, hoping he might be pulling my leg.He shook his head, tapping his clawed finger on his chin. "I cannot say I've ever heard of such a beast. Although, I would like for you to tell me more about the concept of.. Pokemon." he inquired, staring down at the furball in my bag as we continued to walk.I rubbed the back of my neck, folding my hands in front of me. "Well, the basic stuff is that.. they serve as our magic holders, I guess? We don't have magic in our world, but Pokemon have abilities that sort of resemble magic in some way. We can catch and bond with them, and as a fun sport, we have them battle. But, that's the stuff every trainer knows. Pokemon are everywhere, but based on your lack of knowledge and the fact I see none but my own, I don't think your world has any." I rambled, and for once the masked man seemed to listen.He nodded and hummed. "And from my understanding, your unawareness of our magic suggests.. You come from a different realm entirely. This is quite the predicament." he stated, landing right on the nail.I nodded, patting at the top of Chip's head. "Yeah, a wormhole opened up right in front of my face, and usually it sends a Pokemon out, but this time it sucked me in, and I have no idea how to get back." I added.He looked down at you with shock. "A wormhole? Our black carriages that serve to fetch the students usually do the job. And the last thing you remember is waking up in the gate?" I nodded once more, tilting my head."Black carriages..? Doesn't matter. Point is, I'm not supposed to be here, but I am. I've traveled into a world with magic, and come with pocket monsters. Can you help me get back? Will you? A-are you even able to?" I rambled quickly, looking up at him with pleading eyes.He raised his hands to stop my questions, a nervous laugh emanating from him. "We will answer all those questions in a moment. There must be a reason why you are here if you were pulled into this world from your own.. Perhaps if there is, we can sort you into a dorm! From there, we can-.."He continued to speak about how I should stay to find out why I'm here, and I stared with a baffled look. Was he not paying attention to the conversation that he was literally participating in? I want to go home. Sure, there may be a reason, and the most likely one would be an Ultra Beast's doing.One problem: There are no Pokemon anywhere. I haven't seen an ultra beast at all, and I highly doubt Grim would be anywhere close to that category.I spared a glance at his wiggling figure, trying to break free from the confinement of Crowley's whip with a growl. I shook my head, and turned my gaze to the masked man, interrupting him myself."Sir? Mister Crowley-""Once the reason is discovered, we will sort out the problem and assist you in your safe return back to your home. Oh, how splen-""Crowley!"His feathers puffed up, and he stared at me, slightly annoyed. "Yes, young man?" he inquired. The term flew right over my head, and I placed my hands on my hips, a firm glare sent at him."I'm not staying. I highly doubt there's any reason I was brought here, it could've been a cosmic fluke. There might be a beast running loose in my world because of that wormhole, and I need to get back to make sure everything is okay. You're helping me get home, and that's final."Putting my foot down, this was it. He was helping me get back, and I saw him nod. "Very well. I insist you continue to follow me, we must attend to your orientation!" he said enthusiastically. I sent a harsher glare than before at him, and he smiled sheepishly. "-Because that's where the Dark Mirror is located, of course. The Dark Mirror is what we need to get you back home."I nodded, and let the robe close up around me again. While we picked up our pace, I let my hand rest on Chip's tuft of fur for hair at the top of her head, giving her soft scratches.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•As we approached what seemed to be the final door, I noticed that it was the very same door I rushed out of when I first woke up. I could hear many voices inside, making me shiver with nervousness.Some stuck out more clearly than the others."Some headmage he is..""-Maybe he had a tummy-ache?At that moment, Crowley reached the doors in time to slam them open, shouting out to the crowd of people. "I most certainly did not!"At this point, I pulled my hood up and over my eyes, keeping my head down in reaction to the eyes that were over both of us- which seemed to be everyone in the room. Wait, there was one that wasn't- oh, nevermind now it's everyone.One of the six hooded people (one being a tablet) beside the mirror spoke up, placing his hand on his hip. "Ah, speak of the devil."The headmaster huffed, unimpressed. "If you must know, I was searching for the new student who'd failed to show for orientation." he said, prompting me to look up at him through my hood, giving him a foul look."You are the only one who has yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror, and be quick about it. I'll watch your weasel." he continued, making my head whip around at him after I was pushed forward."But-!" I started, but was cut off by his shooing motion, and the stares I was getting from the figures that had their attention locked onto me. "Go on, now." he ushered.Suddenly, the mirror's glass lit, a green flame and a mask with intricate black engravings around its eyes spoke out to me. "State your name." I was slightly taken aback, but I walked closer and did as told, barely above a whisper."[Y/N] [L/N].""[Y/N] [L/N]... The nature of your soul is..."I watched with furrowed brows, a deep scowl on my features...."..Unclear to me."Now beside me, the headmage crossed his arms, his pale skin somehow growing paler. "I beg your pardon?" he mumbled, to which the Dark Mirror revised his previous comment."I sense no magical power from this one. Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant. Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate."For some reason, a wave of relief washed over to me, and I tilted my head. Magical power can have sound, color and shape..?"Are you suggesting that the student retrieved under your choice cannot even use magic? But that is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence!" the headmage croaked, continuing to speak to himself over the whispers of the students behind him. "How could this have happened..?"Suddenly, the growls of Grim became much more, as he mumbled and broke free from the restraints. "Mmmph! Mmmn-" He gasped loudly as he managed to breath properly. "Me! Let me have this student's seat!" he declared."Not so fast, you hyperactive weasel!" Crowley yelled, out of his disturbed stupor. Grim brushed his words right off his shoulder, a sinister smirk appearing. "Unlike that human, I can actually use magic! So let me be a student here!"He parted his legs, puffing up his cheeks. "Look, I'll show you! My spells're the cat's meow!"Both the red-headed boy from before and I shouted out to the crowd, him sparing a split-second glance toward me."Everyone, get down!""Watch out!""Myaaaah!"One of the other hooded figures beside us yelped and started to shriek, and I turned to face him, only to see that his behind was up in flames. "AHHH! Hey, I'm on fire over here! Someone help-!"Mentally going through my Pokemon, I reached for my belt and pulled the great ball from it and quickly tossed it forward toward the boy. He looked perplexed at the fact I was tossing a ball at his face, but it quickly formed an expression of awe as it opened to send out a beam of light."Surf!" I shouted, the Penguin Pokemon doing as told and sending a massive wave toward the boy. He was now drenched, but the fire was successfully put out, and some more of the blue embers now eating at some carpets and coffins were also extinguished.The Eiscue landed in front of me, a triumphant huff leaving her. Ice may not be the best matchup against fire, but she was my best bet since none of my other pokemon could use water-type moves. Hurricane was an option that came to mind, but it was overkill and would also fuel the flames.The crimson-eyed boy stared with wonder and amazement, his eyebrows curling upward the longer he stared at Mochi. "Awww! What a cute little penguin! Where did it come from?" he asked, his face beaming as he neglected the current problem at hand."Sorry, can't talk- gotta help with the fire! I'll catch you later!" I said quickly, turning to run toward the source of the flames, Mochi not far behind.While I was doing that, the rest of the hooded figures behind me were having a conversation and taking their sweet time to do something. Upon closer inspection, they were all guys- but that didn't matter much right now."If none of you are up to the task of catching a small animal, I will accept the responsibility." Said a boy with glasses. A tablet flew up beside him, a hoarse voice sounding from it. "Way to go, Azul. Rackin' up those participation points.""I'm sorry, were my instructions unclear?!" Crowley all but yelled, his glare meeting the tired eyes of a boy with lion ears.He sighed, crossing his arms. "Preeetty sure you can handle catching one mangy weasel all on your lonesome there, headmage."Grim stopped spitting fire for a moment, turning to them with a hiss. "How many times do I gotta say it? I'm Grim, spellcaster extraordinaire- NOT a weasel!"The boy now known as Azul spoke up, unimpressed. "Aren't you a spunky little fellow? Riddle, would you be so kind..?"The redhead from before spoke up, malice in his tone. "Furry miscreant. I will abide no rule-breaking. You will be judged by my hand."At this point, I stopped listening and started sprinting at the sight of Grim's cheeks puffing up once more. "Enough! While you degenerates are having your leisurely chat, I'll get the cat!" I spat, opening the slit between my robe and letting Chip hop out of the bag and stand beside Mochi.Most of the boys looked extremely unpleased with my comment, but I couldn't give one finger-licking fuck. I pointed to the flames, directing my attention between both my pokemon. "Mochi, use Surf and douse as many fires are you can, Chip, I'm counting on you to grab that Grim!"Both of them nodded, Mochi hurriedly waddling off to do as told, the Eevee standing not too far ahead of me. Grim turned to us, yowling at Chip. "Myaah! It's you two again! I ain't scared o'ya, you just caught me by surprise the first time!"I gave a curt nod, letting him believe what he wanted. "Very well. Then you'll have no problem facing off against us, you've probably earned yourself a break after all this. Now come over here.. so we can break you." I said, a long, sinister smile spreading ear to ear.He shuddered, a fearful expression taking over him before he shook it off and stared ahead, only to see that the Evolution Pokemon's tail was glowing, and was encased in iron, swinging it down at him. That small distraction was all I needed, and you wasn't going to let him off the hook for it.He shrieked, missing the strike by the fur standing on the back of his neck. "Fnyaa!! Wh- that was dirty! Ouugh.. I'll show ya!" he puffed up his cheeks, blowing out flames from his mouth and chasing Chip."Chip, use Quick Attack to dodge the fire! Watch for when he takes a big breath, that's when he'll blast at you!""Vee!"Grim looked angrier than before, not paying much attention to my words and more at the fact he wasn't able to land a hit. "Ughh.. Just stand still, ya dumb fox thing!""Chip, use a Shadow Ball at the ground to blind him, then use Iron Tail again!" She did as told, a small ball of void being formed in front of her, and she smacked it down with her tail, now coated in the cold metal."AHH! I can't see! Damnit, cowards!" he shouted, and the smoke cleared up just before Chip's tail hit the ground, yet again narrowly missing the flaming cat. Much to the irony of his words, Grim turned tail and started sprinting across the room."Hypocrite!" I shouted, running after him alongside the Eevee. Eventually, Grim tried using his claws to climb a banner that was draped over some sort of balcony. I groaned through my teeth, and looked down at Chip.I reached out to her, and nodded over to the banner. "I'll toss ya, try and cut the banner or get him down." She nodded, climbing up my arm and readied herself for when I held her in my hands and threw her up.I may have tossed her a little too high, but it wasn't a problem since she managed to cut the banner with Iron Tail, knocking Grim down to the floor and on his back. He was now cornered, and I had long since caught Chip in my arms again."See what happens when you run your mouth? You're cooked, kitty.""Eevee vee!"The boys from before, Azul and Riddle, had finally caught up to me. The former was panting, while the latter shouted and waved a wonky looking pen around. "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" he shouted, an oversized heart-shaped collar clamping itself around Grim's neck.Grim panicked, putting his paws up, meanwhile I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the fact they disregarded our work while they were only chasing us around. "Myaah?! What're you doing?!" he shouted."The Queen of Heart's rule twenty-three: "One must never bring a cat to a formal affair." Your very presence here is a violation of order. You will vacate these premises immediately." he said, his voice stern and lacking emotion. I raised a brow, a little disturbed.Grim's paws flew up, and he hissed once more. "But I ain't a cat either!" I walked over to him, picking him up by the collar and handing him to Riddle. "Then what are you?" I asked, tilting my head. Chip climbed up my arm and back into my bag, avoiding the glare of Riddle.Grim yowled, trying to break free out of Riddle's awkward hold. "I'm Grim, spellcaster extraordinaire- I'll burn this collar right off... Uh, what gives?! My fire- mmph!" The redhead slapped his palm over Grim's mouth, sighing.I let out a similar breath, seeing how Grim was like an NPC.The redhead continued to speak, shutting his eyes with a sly grin. "Until I deign to remove that collar, you won't be using any magic. You're naught but a pet cat now."The gray cat growled and tried to kick and claw at Riddle's palms, but his nails were too short and had no effect. "The collar will disappear once you're removed off campus," he concluded.The white-haired boy beside us laughed, smiling brightly, though I couldn't help but glare at how it seemed to be missing its positive demeanor. "Good show as always! Your signature spell locks down any magic, it's quite handy."His expression darkened, as did his volume. "I've just got to have it- Ahah, I mean- I've just got to have respect for it." he said, his smile returning. This didn't go unnoticed by me, and I decided I should keep my distance from this man.Both of them turned to me, and Riddle bowed almost immediately. "I thank you for retrieving this delinquent hairball, I apologize for not taking action and having to rely on you." My eyes widened slightly, and I backed up subtly. "..No worries. Although, I must admit you were taking a little long to do something." I replied.Now, the small penguin I sent off waddled back to my side, having only slight burns here and there. It looked up at me, and I could practically see its beaming expression from under its cubic helmet. I let out a soft chuckle, and crouched down to grab her fins with my hands."Nice job, Mochi! Not a spark in sight, solid work. You've earned a rest." I praised, lightly circling my thumbs over the burns. She trilled, hopping with delight. I stood back up to face the boys again, bowing myself."It was nice to technically meet you... Azul and Riddle, right? I'm [Y/N]. Thanks for taking him, he might've spit fire at my face if you didn't collar him." Riddle nodded, and Azul laughed a little, placing a hand on his chest."I'm plenty confident your familiars would have kept you from harm, your commands reach them thoroughly, I can tell they're trained well. Although... they don't seem like our average familiars." he said, raising a brow. I tensed, remembering that Pokemon didn't exist here. I'd have to get used to that."Uhh... I-"Crowley walked up behind them, saving the day- that is until he decided to open his trap. "[Y/N]! Was I not clear that you are expected to take responsibility for your familiar? Now discipline your-"I growled to myself, the veins on my forehead surely visible. "You need to shut it, Crowley. Y'know why? Cuz I've been trying to tell you this whole time that he's not mine! Notice how my Poke-.. er, familiars are well-trained, unlike Grim! But nooo, you had to keep interrupting me!" I rambled.Crowley looked massively taken aback, as did the two boys, both of them staring with wide eyes. Although I was It was clear my anger was five times my size, and scaring the hell out of them, especially with my choice of words toward the headmaster."It's... not yours...?" Crowley said, a little embarrassed. I crossed my arms with a huff, glaring up at him. "What do you think?"He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck and smoothing his feathers. "Th-then I shall have it expelled from campus. I shall even spare it from being served as dinner." he declared, making my nerves spike with worry. He was going to make him food...?"My, but I am kind. ..Someone take this away please." he finished, Riddle holding him tighter in his arms and walking off.Grim shrieked and protested the whole way out, but no one paid him any mind."Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas." The headmage continued, earning a deadpan from me while I pulled my hood down lower, Mochi latching onto my leg. "I hereby declare that orientation is concluded. Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms."Everyone else left to another conversation about not inviting some other rando, but I blocked out their words and stared at the Dark Mirror, still awkwardly standing at the pedestal."Well, [Y/N], this is an unfortunate turn of events. It seems you will not be attending Night Raven College after all." Crowley came up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder as the rest stared. I noticed that some people had exited the room, but I paid it no mind.I shrugged off his hand, sending a harsh stare at him. "I never wanted to. You said the Dark Mirror could send me home, so send me home. Now." I demanded, absolutely furious that he tried to enroll me instead of helping me get home.He placed his hands cautiously in front of him, trying to ease the situation. "Easy now, I assure you that the Dark Mirror will safely send you home. Now, step into the gate, and visualize the place from whence you came." he said, lifting his hands outward.I nodded, stepping before the mirror and closing my eyes to better imagine Kalos, my room, and my marshmallow-soft bed. It would be easier if I imagined that since I wasn't about to pay and wait for another flight.The skies filled with Fletchling and Vivillon, the forests flush with Flabébé and Pancham. Seaking and Clawitzer swimming in the pristine waters. The Rhyhorn racing, the Pokemon Performances, the battles..."O, Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!" he stated quite loudly, and I peeked through the slit of my eye, just to see nothing happening."Ahem- let us try this again. O, Dark Mirror! Return this soul-!" he tried again, but was interrupted by the voice in the mirror."There is no such place."..."Ehh?!" I shrieked, my eyes now fully opened."There is no place in this world where this one. None." it finalized, disappearing once more. My breath hitched and I grabbed at the rim of the glass, seeing a shadow of my reflection."Wh- yeah, this world, but what about mine..?!" I whisper shouted, gritting my teeth together.Crowley was having a crisis of his own beside me, burying his face in his clawed hands. "How can that be..? My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena!"I shrunk into my robe, pulling the hood impossibly lower and hiding myself in it, and hoping that somehow, someway, I could wake up from this. I hoped this was all just some dream, my chest tightening.Mochi looked up at me, the worry emanating from her. I couldn't bear to make eye contact with anyone, I just stayed facing the mirror and screwing my eyes tightly shut.Crowley continued to whine, bringing his hand to the core of his forehead. "Not once has the mirror fetched a magicless student!"I sighed, and picked Mochi up into my arms, keeping her close as I walked off the pedestal and out the door, avoiding the gazes of the primary seven that remained beside the mirror.After some walking, I found myself back in the library and set the Penguin Pokemon down. "I've got to find a way back.. If both the mirror and Crowley won't do anything, I sure as hell will. Oh, Arceus- why me?" I spoke, my hand digging deep to my scalp and pushing my hair back."I know I kept saying I needed more excitement in my life, but this isn't what I meant at all!"I looked around at the titles of books, but before I could find anything, the door opened, to reveal Crowley and the boy whose butt I put out earlier. I gave the headmage a dirty look, and kept swiping out books before pushing them back into their place."Buzz off, big bird. If you aren't gonna help then get lost." I insulted, my colorful comments ruffling his feathers as he let out a low groan. "I insist you take a kinder tone with me. Nevertheless, me and Mister Al-Asim will assist you in.. whatever it is you're searching for."The boy in question smiled, and waved enthusiastically, earning a quizzical look from me. "Fine. You have any books on inter-dimensional travel, wormholes or anything about my familiars..?" I asked, my shoulders slumping when the white haired boy flicked his wrist and smiled. "Nah, I doubt it."He quickly noticed my disappointed look, and apologized quickly. "B-but that doesn't mean we can't try and look! I'll search this area!" he turned around, going to a different area of the library with an enthusiastic step to him.Crowley sighed and shook his head, speaking up. "I'm afraid he may be right. There is a low chance you will find what you are looking for, but we will try our best to find anything that might help you."I looked away from him, continuing to skim over titles.At some point, I ended up at another side of the library to see Al-Asim looking through books as well. He had a few under his arms, and skipped through some others.With how distracted he was, he almost bumped into me- but I placed a hand on his chest to keep him from doing so. He jumped slightly, but beamed when he saw it was only me."Hey! I see you've found a few of your own. I think I've got plenty, right?" he said, showing off the amount of books he carried. I hummed, nodding in response. Before I could turn away, he grabbed my arm to keep me in place.I quickly shoved it off, facing him with a sour look. "Sorry- I just wanted to talk to you. Thanks for putting out the fire, specifically the one on my butt!" he said, a little bashful as he scratched the back of his head.I shook my head and gave him a small smile. "No sweat, you're good." Before I could walk off, he began to talk again. "And about that monster that put it out- it was so cute! Do you mind if I see it again? Where is it?" he asked, looking around for her.I took a step back, trying to create some distance. "She's back at the table we're bringing the books back to. You wanna see her?" I asked, to which he nodded eagerly.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•After everything, the boy I now know as Kalim met Mochi and they hit it off really nice. We've established that my home is nowhere, I have no hope of getting back, and me and my Pokemon are completely foreign to this world.Kalim ended up having to know about how I was from another world and that I had pocket monsters up my sleeve, or rather, belt in order to help us. That, and he wouldn't stop asking why we were grabbing so many books.Of course, we (I) made him swear to secrecy by shaking his soul out of his body.I ran a hand through my hair, following Crowley yet again around campus. Kalim ended up having to bounce since he had to tend to his new dormmates, but it was fun nonetheless, he did all the talking for me.He said he couldn't leave me on my own without someone to contact and not being old enough to be alone, so the headmage is bringing me to a building that has apparently been vacant for a while and could serve as a place to stay.We walked down a stony path, the crops and plants around being more withered away as we made our way. Now, a building has come into sight, and it was ghastly. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a ghost pokemon just so happened to be there.I closed my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line and inhaling through my nose. "Crowley, you better say you're fucking with me, cuz if your goofy ass is about to tell me that I'm staying here-""Isn't it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. In you go." he pushed, entering with me as we continued up the hill to the grimy and battered dorm.Now through the door, my scowl grew impossibly deeper as I saw the inside. Dust and cobwebs everywhere, sheets draped over furniture, paintings tilted out of place, the list could go on forever.He stepped around with his hands on his hips, seemingly unbothered, but I knew he was just as grossed out as I was. "This should keep the elements at bay for the time being. Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourself." After being said, he tried to scurry out the door for fear of what I'd do to him."Crowley, hold up. About my Pokemon- uhh, I've got a much larger amount than you think I do." I called after him, making him turn back around to face me. "Just thought you should know." He stood in place, and sighed."Just how many are currently in your possession..?""Uhhh... Eighty-eight total, I think..? It may be eighty-nine if I counted wrong."He sputtered, almost falling over from pure shock. "Ninety-one?! You- Just-'' He sighed, composing himself and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Very well. Do not let me catch you or them wandering around campus, please. Ta!"My brow raised. That's it? No questions? Not that I'm complaining, but it was a little confusing.He shut the door, and left me to myself. I turned back to the ruined interior, and sighed. I'm going to need some major help. Physically and mentally.Just before drizzle pattered on the ceiling, I tossed my pokeballs upward, all of them opening simultaneously to reveal my companions while Chip stared at the floor in disgust from my bag.They all let out their own sounds of discontent as I placed their pokeballs on a counter by the entrance, and I chuckled dryly. "We've got some work to do, huh?"The yellow bird with clouds for wings quickly flew up to the corners of the house, trying to rid it from cobwebs with said wings. I scolded him, hissing with my words. "Clive, wait until I get a bucket of water, dammit! I know it's dirty, but you're not going to get far without cleaning the dirt outta your wings."The Altaria huffed, floating back down beside the rest of my Pokemon with a trill. Then, I could hear a faint voice resonating from the door."Ugh! It's pouring out there.."It was Grim! He managed to sneak back onto campus, surprisingly.I minorly flinched, a brow raised. "Ha! Scared'ja, didn't I? MYAH?! Why are there so many monsters in here?!" he shrieked, clearly more frightened than I ever had been since I had literally spawned in this world.Immediately, Excalibur slammed its blade down into the wood floor, slicing a single hair off of Grim's cheek as its one eye stared menacingly into Grim's. He gasped, and looked like he was about to pass out.Scratch that, he just dropped to the floor.I slapped the hilt of the Royal Sword Pokemon's body, picking up the gray cat. The rest of my Pokemon stood on guard, sharing a spite for the feline, especially after the events or orientation."Relax, he's practically harmless- he needs us. Cal, as funny as it is, I'mma need you not to scare the living daylights outta him." I said, pulling the sheets off a couch.The Aegislash hummed, giving a nod as it floated in place. To be honest, sometimes I forget that Pokemon are omniscient when in their pokeballs. Just makes it easier for me I guess, don't have to recap on anything."Bullet, could you find a bucket somewhere..? I doubt there's one here, but it's worth a check." I said, to which he nodded and walked off. "Gar."I turned to Clive, nodding my head to the couch. "For now, can you just clean the top? I need to put Grim on something." I asked, earning a trill and did as asked. "Cal, guard the building. I'd rather there be no more surprises."Excalibur hummed, sliding through the cracked opening of the door. I looked over at Chip, Mochi and Houdini, thinking hard. I could get Mochi to use hail and get some ice stuck into the cracks of the wood and melt it using Grim's fire if he's willing to cooperate to get water and wash the floors and walls.Then again, I have no idea if this place is going to collapse on us at any second, so that's not much of an option. Maybe if I brought out a Pokemon that could use Bubble Beam?I grabbed at the end of my sleeve, tugging at it in a way that looked like I was adjusting it. My Rotomphone whizzed out, its eyes lighting up. "Up and at 'em, Rotom." I encouraged, grabbing at its sides and pulling it closer to my face.Its wide grin flashed, but it immediately flicked downwards when it was able to see past my face. "Good evening Miss [Y/N]. What wou-" it let out a loud buzzing sound, cutting itself off."Goodness! This place is a mess! What a dump." it said, the screen flicking through different apps as I opened up my boxes.Brushing off its words, I was more absorbed in my own thoughts to try and figure out the best combo to help us clean. A few more moments of eyeing the selection, I dragged two Pokemon I plan to put on cleaning duty, and three others to help with heavy lifting to my party.Closing the app, more pokeballs appeared on my belt since my previous team's pokeballs were set on the counter. Grabbing them off my sash, I walked outside and threw all the balls in the air once again.One by one, every beast that I had chosen appeared before me. Each of them had a very similar reaction to me when I came up to the doorstep, and I chuckled dryly. "Heh, don't worry, it's way worse inside." earning dirty looks from them, Rina the most."Ohh, don't give me that look, you guys. C'mon, if we put more than our backs into it, it'll be super cozy." I said, opening the door to make way for my companions. From Flareon to Espeon, Zoroark, Zeraora and Primarina had all scooted inside in that order.Needless to say, as expected, most of the Pokemon weren't exactly thrilled, but Rue and Zephyr weren't all that phased either.I sighed, turning to face them. "Alright, we should do this quickly because I'm too tired of being awake right now, today's been a rollercoaster of emotions. Rina, use Sparkling Aria and then use Aqua Jet to drench the walls. When that's done, use Icy Wind to freeze it."I turned to both the Eeveelutions, cradling Grim closer in my arms. "Minimo, when the walls, ceiling and floor are all frozen, use Ember to melt all of it. Willow, using your Psychic, you can help Rue and Zephyr move the busted furniture outside." I commanded, earning a nod from the Sun Pokemon."You've all got your jobs, let's get to work." I said, all of them letting out a cheer of their names. Soon enough, Clive was finished dusting off the couch, and quickly set Grim on it as he started to stir.I scratched under the Altaria's chin, praising him. "Good work, bud. Before you dust anything else off, I want you to wait for Bullet to come back with a bucket so you can wash off the grime." He trilled, and turned to grim, sticking his beak awfully close to the cat's face.Now that his eyes were open, he let out a shriek and stuck himself against the back of the couch. "EEK! What kinda bird is that?! It's huge!" I chuckled, exchanging glances with Clive. He wouldn't survive a day in a world with Pokemon."Relax, he's making sure you're okay. Besides, if you're not ready for him, you're not ready to meet the rest of my Pokemon." I said, allowing him to see past both me and Clive's head, revealing some more of the Pokemon that were keeping to their work.He shivered, a deep frown showing on his features. "Ehh.. They.. don't bite?" he asked, looking between Rue and Zephyr, who were both glaring at him menacingly.I chuckled, turning to them and shooing them away as they carried a demolished dresser in their arms. "Only if you bite them.""I'd introduce you to all of them, but there are a lot to name, so I guess just these will suffice for now." I said, as he hopped off the couch and grimaced at the slightest of dirt that was left. "There's even more? Just how many of these monsters do you have?!" he asked, earning a scoff from me."Pokemon. A lot more than you think. This is about a tenth of what I got, I need to ask the headmaster if it's cool to make something out back for the rest." I explained as he kicked aside the empty bucket Bullet brought back.The Garchomp glowered down at him, making Grim back up. "Fnya! Fine, just keep 'em outta my way!" he shouted. I shook my head, picking him up and holding him gently as if he were a Vulpix.He hissed and scrambled out of my arms, making me raise a brow. "Speaking of which- Why'd you come back? Besides my Pokemon, there's not a single non-human being in the place from what I can see." I asked, making him put his paws on his hips and smirk."As if I wouldn't just sneak back onto campus the second I escaped pryin' eyes. You all got no idea what I'm capable of!" he said confidently. "I ain't givin' up on goin' here just 'cause I got kicked out one measly ol' time. And if you think otherwise, you don't know Grim!"I rolled my eyes, sitting down on the couch where he once rested. "Why do you wanna be here so bad? Are you just that ornery?" I quizzed, getting comfortable."Isn't it obvious?" he asked, before raising his arms up with a wide smile. "I was born to do this! I'm a magical prodigy who's got the makin's to become one of the greatest mages who ever lived!""So I've been waitin' and waitin' for that black carriage to come for me. And yet.." His mood suddenly grew sour, and his ears drooped before coming back up with determination."Hrmph! That Dark Mirror's got no eye for talent! That's why I took the initiative and came here myself. You humans don't understand what a mistake you're makin'!" he shouted, fairly proud."Not lettin' me in is a great loss to the world!" he finished, earning a soft clap and smile from me. "You got some moxie, Grim. I'll give ya that. I was the exact same way when I was trying for the gyms back at Kalos."He quirked a brow, before a drop of water from the ceiling sprinkled onto his fur. "Mrrao! C'mon, scoot over! I'm gettin' dripped on here! Mya! Another hole in the roof! These flamin' ears are my trademark, y'know? I can't let 'em get doused!" he screeched, hopping onto the couch and hiding under my arm.In some ways, he seemed exactly like a cat and even made similar sounds, but he keeps denying it. He will die from being stubborn, I see it now. Arceus help me."Relax, there's no hole, my Pokemon are cleaning the place up for us." I said, and he scowled. "I dunno why ya couldn't have just done it yourself. With a whip of some magic, you could have it fixed in half a jiff."He then smirked, furrowing his brow. "Ahhh, right. You can't use magic at all. Pffft. Man, you're useless." I pushed him away from under my arm, making him yowl."If you're so useful, do it yourself." I said, venom in my tone. I was just as capable as my pokemon, especially thanks to Grant, Kalos' Rock Type gym leader. Because of him, I had no problem with stamina, especially when climbing since I visited often- that, and I took athletic classes on top of that."Heh- You want me to help you? Ha! You got the wrong idea. I'm just a stranger takin' shelter from the rain. You ain't the boss of me." he said, putting his paws on his hips once again."If ya had some cans of tuna to trade, well, that'd be another story. But I don't work for free."I glared at him, standing up and picking up Mochi. "You see this tiny penguin right here? If you don't pull your weight around here and expect to freeload, I will sic her on you. You will be drenched, your trademark ears will be put out. You saw how she put out your fires back at orientation."He stared at her in fear, subconsciously pulling his ears down. "Your payment is being able to stay here."Meanwhile, the Penguin Pokemon was idly kicking her webbed feet.He grumbled, keeping his gaze on her while I put her back down and she waddled off somewhere. "Fine! The Great Grim will do all the work while all of you slack! Thank me later." he announced, an Ember just barely missing his face and hitting a clump of ice on the wall.I picked him back up, one arm under his front appendages and the other arm scooping his hind legs. I nodded over to Chip, Mochi and Houdini, calling them over. "What do you guys say we go check out the next couple of floors? We need to pick somewhere to sleep, after all."They each let out a cry of their name, and we started to climb up the stairs. As we made our way up, I heard a soft whisper behind me, and turned to face it. There wasn't anything there, but I could see my Pokemon were tense, which means they must've heard it too.I put Grim down, and he let out a sound of confusion. "Eh? Why're we stopping?" he asked, standing up on his hind legs."We're not alone." I answered.Soon enough, a cackling sound echoed through the halls, and three ghosts appeared before our group. I narrowed my eyes at them as they giggled."We haven't had visitors in ages!" One said.Another spoke up. "Oh, I'm just itchin' for new friends!"They cackled once more, now much clearer. I backed up, my Pokemon stepping forward. My face only had a smidge of surprise in it, but only because I was used to seeing ghost Pokemon, not people.On the other hand, Grim was absolutely losing it."AAAAAH! GHOSTS! GHOOOSTS!" he shrieked, making me scowl with his volume."Shut it, furball!" I yelled back.One ghost decided to cut through our bickering. "All the people who used ta live here got scared of us and ran away." The ghost that looked the most plump of them spoke up. "We just want a new ghost to play with! What do you say, buddy?" it said.I raised a brow, and Grim was still whimpering beside me. I whistled at a piercing volume as Grim tried to scare away the ghosts with just words. "I'm a master sorcerer! I ain't afraid of any dumb ghosts! Myahaa!"He puffed up, and spit out his blue flames. The skinniest of the ghosts hardly had to dodge, and decided to taunt him. "Nuh-uh. Not even close!""Over here! Ahahaha!"Grim hissed, puffing out more fire. "Argh! They keep disappearing and reappearing!" I picked him up and held him close in my arms. "Stop setting this place on fire! I don't want Crowley bitching at me later when he sees this place has collapsed 'cause of you!"I looked at the broken window beside us, seeing a shiny projectile coming at us at breakneck speeds. "Besides, Excalibur won't miss." The ghosts sounded their confusion, just about to get their grubby hands on us before the said Pokemon fired in and sliced at them.All of them cried out, including the gray cat in my arms at the Aegislash's sudden appearance."Where the heck did this thing come from?!""Is it a sword?!""Is it alive?!"I smirked, setting Grim back down. "Actually, it's dead. Grim, I'mma need you to work with me here and stop aiming with your eyes closed." He stuck his arms out, a scowl on his face as his cheeks filled again."Shaddup! I don't need any lip from you, human!" he retorted, about to blow."I will stab you with your tail." I said, making him pause and literally swallow his fire back down. "Myah..? Hmph.. I'm Grim, Master Sorcerer! How come I can't even hit one of these little-"The ghosts cackled again at how Grim failed to land a strike, but quickly cowered when Excalibur swiped at them."Ha! Ganging up on us... Yer a buncha cowards!" he said, still missing horribly."Hey, I said work with me! Not just fire anywhere. Listen, Chip and Excalibur can fight them off with Shadow Sneak and Shadow Ball. Meanwhile you and Houdini use your fire and Triple Axel when they come back up from hiding. Mochi, put out any fires he doesn't hit." I strategized, all of them nodding but Grim."Whoa whoa, watch it human! No one just orders me 'round!""Then you better make sure your will is up to date!"He grumbled, standing and facing away from Houdini, back to back. "Hmph. Fine! Just tell me which way the ghosts 'r comin' from!"The battle now ensued. With my guidance to both Grim and my Pokemon, we were able to defeat the ghosts without much of a problem at all."I- I'm actually hitting them! Nice, this is actually working!" Grim cheered, returning to my side."Hwaahh! We gotta get outta here! Before we disappear for good!" one of them shrieked, finally shrinking out of our sight."We.. we won?" Grim managed, stunned while my pokemon came back up to me."Good work, gang! You really showed those pests, huh? Glad to know we can still hold our own in another world." I praised, giving each of them headpats, minus Excalibur of course since it was a sword.Grim however, wasn't paying attention. "Aw, geez, I was scared outta my- I mean.. They didn't faze me one bit!" he smirked, putting his paws on his hips. "Just a walk in the park for a mage of my caliber! Whaddaya gotta say now, ghosties? That's right!"Suddenly, downstairs we could hear the door open, and a wide array of different kinds of growls. And a scream.Rushing down the steps, it turns out Crowley was standing at the doorway with grocery bags, with Rue, Zephyr and Bullet all baring their teeth at him.Both the Zoroark and Zeraora were not letting the bird-man out of their sight, while the Garchomp turned to usher me back up the steps."Wha- Bullet, relax! Get your claws off me, you dope. Guys, stand down, he's totally harmless." I said, making my way to the door and pushing their snouts down.Crowley let out a dry laugh at how I practically insulted him. "Haha. Yes, completely harmless. Ahem- Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinner.""These are more of your beasts, I assume?" he said, scanning around the room, his eyes landing on Grim. "Wait. That's the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is it doing here?!"Grim crossed his arms, a grin flashing across his face. "Takin' care of yer ghost problem, that's what. You're welcome, by the way!" he answered, real smug.I sighed as the bird-man turned to me. "What is the meaning of this, Mister [Y/N]?"My shoulders slumped, and I made myself comfortable on the couch before yapping to him about the entire ghost-issue while we were cleaning, and ended up side-tracking about how I was panicking with having to figure out how to feed all of my Pokemon.Crowley interrupted me, not hearing anything else that he deemed important. "But you know, on that topic, I do seem to recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem." he said, making my anger flare up."And you didn't think to warn me?!""Ah yes.." he continued, ignoring me. "That's why it was abandoned, in fact. The ghosts scared away all the students. And you're saying that you two joined forces to drive them away?"Grim crossed his arms, indifferent to the conversation. "'Joined forces' ain't exactly how I'd describe it. More like I drove 'em away, and the human watched. And I only did it 'cause I wanted to see another day." His eyes widened with realization."Hey.. Wait a minute! Was that will thing a thr-"Almost instantly, Houdini decided she had heard enough, walking forward and kicking him aside as she flipped her ear out of her view like it was hair. "Lop, Lopunny."I could almost immediately tell she would've said something like "that's enough out of you."The headmaster didn't bother to notice this, and held his clawed fingers to his chin in thought. "Would you two be so kind as to demonstrate your ghost-eradication methods for me?""One, no, 'cause I- ow! We already wiped 'em all out. And two, no, 'cause I want some sorta payment!" He received another kick from the Rabbit Pokemon, but nevertheless continued with his protest.Crowley brushed this aside, pulling out a vial of some sort of glowing liquid. "I will play the part of the ghosts. As for the payment, you'll receive it when you defeat me. What say you to a few cans of tuna? Oh, what generosity, Crowley..""Now, to chug this transmutation potion!" He grinned, gulping the substance quickly.The cat groaned, his entire figure drooping. "Ah, you gotta be kiddin' me. I gotta work together with the human again?" he grumbled.I leaned over slightly to whisper to him. "If you do this and he's impressed, he might let you enroll.""Hrmph. All right, but this is the last time. And I better be up to my jowls in tuna afterwards!" he declared, standing behind Lopunny once more.The process repeated, and Crowley was quickly defeated no later than the ghosts from earlier. He did play a little dirty and spawn some of his own ghosts during the battle, but we handled them just fine.Grim was out of breath, panting soft sparks of fire. "How.. how's that..?"Now in his regular form, the headmaster stared at us with admiration. "Incredible.. I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have. I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after that brouhaha at orientation, Mister [Y/N]."He continued, deep in thought. "I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y beast master-ish quality to you. Oh, yes. That said, I..." he shifted to a mumble, and I was giving him a blank stare."Yes, I tend to give off that vibe because my job, hobby and world's occupation selection involves training Pokemon. Anyway.. Sir, Grim really wants to be here, to go to this school. Would it be possible if he could stay with me?" I said, picking up Grim like a Vulpix once again."What?! A monster, stay here?" I deadpanned, and thought he must've forgotten he's standing in a room filled with Pokemon."Please, sir. He's very determined to be here, and my place is already soon to be littered with more Pokemon, so what's one more monster?" I argued, stepping closer."Human..?" Grim mumbled, completely shocked."Hmmm.. I suppose I cannot deny your plea. Very well." his expression changed to that of thoughtfulness, much more formal.The gray cat threw his arms up, ecstatic. "Myah?! Really?"Crowley's gaze came up, switching between both me and Grim. "Let me be clear! Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror- especially not a monster!" he announced, placing his hands on his hips."Nor do I intend to allow you, Mister [Y/N], to freeload until you're able to return home." At this, I narrowed my eyes at him, but nodded. No, it's not like we just got rid of your ghost problem and are cleaning the place up for you."Hrmph. Never shoulda got my hopes up." Grim mumbled, shifting his attention to the creaky floorboards.Crowley spoke up once more. "Now, allow me to explain. It was the Dark Mirror that transported you here, therefore this school does bear some responsibility for your well-being. So, if you can pay it off, I will allow you to remain in this dorm, or, if you will work as the school's handymen, you can stay here free of charge."I perked up. So, clean up a school filled with hormonal teenagers, only boys no less, or pay it all off in one go with my endless amount of money?Whatever will I choose?"However, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals. As to how you will do so, penniless as you are... Ah. Ah ha. Yes, a fine plan." he continued, making me squint. If he assumes I'm broke, maybe I can trick him into giving me money just to screw him over.In case you can't tell, I really don't like this guy.I raised a brow, leaning back nonchalantly. "If I decide to be your handyman, what exactly are you going to have me do?" I asked, making him put his arms out to calm me."You needn't seem so alarmed. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus. From what you've done here, Mister [Y/N], I can tell you and your beasts know your way around a broom. So, what do you say to you two, along with your monsters working together as a janitorial team?" he answered, asking a question of his own."If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus. I'll also allow you use of the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home. How boundlessly charitable I am." he concluded with a smile. "Ah, but only when your work is over, of course!"Grim spoke up from my arms, now finally free of having to listen to Crowley's yapping. "Whaaat? What kinda deal is that?! I wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people's junk!" he complained, crossing his arms."If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again.""Myah?! ...All right, fine! Let's do it.""Sir, if I may ask, what if I were to pay my fee for staying here, say today or tomorrow?" I asked, putting the gray cat down.The headmaster chuckled, and soon broke out into a full-blown guffaw. "I- Please, Mister [Y/N], I do not mean to demean you or offend you- but how can you possibly pay off this debt to your name? I think you and your beasts may be better off with the easier task."I scowled deeply, narrowing my eyes at him. "You say you don't mean to offend me, but you are giving me quite the disrespect, 'headmaster.'" He paused in his laughter, still slightly entertained."I can pay this place off faster than you can find a bitch, given you've stuck me in this dump and think so highly of yourself for it. No matter, I'll just come right back to you in twenty-four hours with the fee paid. That's a promise." I said, effectively shutting him up. I walked closer to him, making him inch backwards until he was out the door.Once he was on the stone steps outside, I gave him a harsh look before slamming the door. "Goodnight, Crowley."Grim was beyond shocked, sitting down on the couch. "Wow, human. I didn't think ya had the guts to be so hardcore! You showed him!" he cheered, flashing me a toothy smirk."Shut it, flare bear. You're getting up tomorrow and you're going to clean that school so good that I need to be able to see my own reflection on the ground. I'm paying that bill, and I'm paying it now." I said, straightening my jacket and grabbing my bag.He yelped, quite offended at my nickname. "Myah?! Flare bear- You got a lot of nerve, human!" Before he could finish protesting, I was already giving my Pokemon the last job of the day."Sorry guys, I'm heading out real quick. Nice job with the place, but I need one more thing- Could you clear out the attic for me? I saw it before the ghosts came up and it looked super cozy, it had some bookshelves and a nice bed. I'll be back." I said, whistling distinct tunes to call a specific Pokemon to my side.Excalibur came to me, and we both walked down the stony path that led to a dark-looking shop along the way. Crowley mentioned it when he was first walking me to the 'Ramshackle' dorm, and we ended up passing by it.He told me it was the local shop around here, and no doubt that I could find 'anything my heart desired.' I highly doubted that, but it was worth the look.That, and I assumed it was where I could pay off my debt since it was a store, and had 'anything my heart desired.' What's to say it doesn't have someone who can take some treasures I have and convert it to this place's local pay?Strolling up to its doorstep, I knocked on the door and stepped inside after hearing no reply. Once inside, I noticed that the entire store was purple-themed, and was very dim besides the green glow the lights gave it.There were many trinkets and exotics around, but not much I had any interest for. Suddenly, a man popped up from behind the counter, and he had a sly grin on his face. "Hello, my little imp. Trouble looking for something? I'll have it for you in the blink of an eye."I wasn't all that spooked, but Excalibur had a different take. It held the blade of its body forward, threatening the man. I didn't do anything to signal it away, but now he was frozen stiff and I got a good look at him.He kept a cool head, but he was slightly shaking and his grin started to twitch. "My friends on the other side tell me you're looking for something." His dark skin was well complimented by the dark circles encasing his eyes, his black and purple dreads standing out of his stitched top hat.I pulled the Royal Sword Pokemon back by its hilt, allowing the man to relax. "Welcome to Mister S's Mystery Shop. Must be a new face around here? No matter. Tell me, what is it you seek, little imp?" he said.I scowled and took a step back, still holding at Excalibur's hilt. "To convert treasures into a paycheck for the headmaster. If you know I'm looking for something, perhaps your friends on the other side can tell you how much the bill is?" I asked, gripping my bag's strap.He nodded, his smile growing sinister. "Ah, yes. I can have that for you right away. If you're willing to show me these treasures you speak of, I will arrange for you to have the receipt in a blink." I nodded, rummaging through my bag and pulling out a few gold nuggets."Will this do? I have actual cash, but I highly doubt you'll be able to convert that since.. Let's say it's not from anywhere you've heard of." His eyes widened at the sight before him, his magenta eyes becoming more apparent.He nodded, picking up one of the nuggets and inspecting it. He let out a soft laugh as his shadow moved irregularly, in a way that his own body wasn't. "Yes. Yes, this will do just fine." From behind the counter, he pulled a check with the exact amount of money the nuggets would regularly be worth in my world written on it. How..?"If you sign over these lines respectively, then I'd say we are good to go. Say.. it's awfully strange to see someone here so late in the evening." he said, trying to engage in a conversation.I signed on bits of the paper with a pen he also pulled out of nowhere, and kept from divulging information. "Tell me about it. Don't want to be here, either, but this is the hand I was dealt." I answered, keeping my eyes down as I folded the check and stuffed it into my bag.He swept the gold nuggets away, and the glint in his eye became more mischievous. "You know.. I could arrange something for you, your desires-" before he could finish what he wanted to say, I walked off and checked out the rest of the store.He appeared beside me in an instant. "If you're so desperate to leave, perhaps I can suggest-""I'd like to buy these, please." I cut off, holding up some fairy lights.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Now back at the Ramshackle dorm, I pat Excalibur by the hilt as we walk inside. "Thanks for coming along, 'Cal." I said, the first thing my eyes landed on was a lot of sleeping Pokemon as the Aegislash hummed.I stepped over their sleeping figures, some of them cuddled up together. Rue and Zephyr were a slight struggle to get by, but I managed to pass them nevertheless.Climbing up many flights of stairs, I made it to the attic. It was everything I hoped for and more. Perfectly clean and cozy, the bed was set and the bookshelves were lacking the dust and spiderwebs from earlier. There were a few books, but I hadn't bothered to pay much attention to them.Both Grim and Chip were sound asleep on the bed, the gray cat and Evolution Pokemon snuggled up against each other. I set the bag of fairy lights down, taking them out and strewing them about the attic. They weren't on and there wasn't anything to plug them into, but I had Electric type Pokemon, so it was fine.Gently lowering myself onto the bed, I watched as Excalibur set itself down in the corner beside the door, shutting its eye. Maneuvering my legs around the sleeping duo, I curled up into myself while laying my head against the window beside the bed.This... is going to be an awful adventure. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

♫ ⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 ⋙ ♫
I feel the stars dancin' on the same gloss

Is it space or the years that we still haven't crossed?
♫ ⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙ ♫  I felt a tugging at my pillow, and groaned as I shooed away who I assumed was Chip. "Chip.. Stop pullin' the pillow before I put ya in a plant pot.." I mumbled, only for my hand to graze something far colder.My eyes shot open to see the skinniest of the ghosts that we fought, and I immediately threw my fist at it to punch it out of instinct."Gyah! You sure pack a lotta force in that little body, huh? Hee hee hee.. Aren't the two of you supposed to be off cleaning the school today?" it asked, backing up after I managed to land the hit.The gray cat that was still somehow asleep stirred, stretching out. "Mmn.. Five more minutes, Ma.." he grumbled.The other two ghosts floated closer to him, and I pulled both Grim and Chip into my arms. "Go ahead, sleep the day away. And you might not eeever hafta wake up again." one taunted, a sinister smile on its pale face."Just like us!" the plumpest of them cackled.Grim was now fully awake, and shrieking. "Myah?! The ghosts are back! Hey, [Y/N], up and at 'em!" •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• After another round of commanding the monsters, albeit lazily, I could tell that the ghosts didn't put much effort and were a little shocked that we (mostly Grim) chose to attack them."So I hear you'll be living here from now on? Hope you like pranks as much as we do! Hya haha!" the skinniest said.Grim on the other hand, still held a grudge. "We gotta get rid of these things for good!" he spat.The door downstairs opened, and I made my way down groggily without a word. Seeing the all-too-familiar headmaster, I let go of my anger for now since I was too tired to care."Good morning, [Y/N]. Did you sleep well?" he asked, but was cut off by me holding up a slip of paper to his face. The paycheck of the fee that I fished out of my pocket, and he took hesitantly."You managed to pay it off?! How could you have paid a debt that steep?" he asked, absolutely shocked. I sighed, pushing my hair back by the front. "I told you I'd come back to you in less than twenty-four hours with the paycheck, didn't I?"Grim couldn't care less about the conversation we were having and directed his attention to the first question that he asked."I slept horribly! I fell through the floorboards when we were fighting the ghosts! Exactly how ramshackle is this dorm?" he complained, being picked up into my arms."And worse yet, we got woken up by ghosts!" he continued, making me sigh. "That you attacked immediately when they were trying to wake us up."Crowley brought his hand to his chin, looking down in thought. "Well, it's understandable to be anxious after being pulled into such an unfamiliar place. But the world can be cruel sometimes, so suck it up and move on!" he scolded.I was now fully awake- and if I was before now, I would be fuming. "Now, speaking of moving on, let us discuss Grim's assignment for today since you have so graciously paid off your fee." he said, making me sink with relief."Your job today is to clean the campus. That said, the campus is vast, and without magic, it'd be quite a Herculean task to clean it all."I rubbed one of my temples with a hand, now preparing myself too late for Crowley's yammering."Therefore, today I'll have you focus on the area spanning from the front gates to the library." He crossed his arms, directing his attention to me."Now, Mister [Y/N]... I do expect you'll keep a close eye on Grim, lest he cause another incident like yesterday." he said, earning a nod from me."I'll try my best, but I can't make any promises." I responded, standing back up and grabbing my bag."Do not fail me. You may take your lunch in the cafeteria. I eagerly await the fruits of your labor." he concluded, but now going over a more pressing matter."Mister [Y/N], if you are going to bring your.. Pokemon, then I must ask you limit the amount of that which you bring, and if possible, perhaps smaller ones? I wouldn't want to frighten the students." he said, getting another nod from me.I looked over at my still snoozing team, and back at him. "You got it, sir."With that, he left the dorm. Grim scoffed in my arms, crossing his own. "Hrmph. I ain't cleanin' nothin'! I'm here to study magic so I can be blastin' off spells left and right! Like BAM! POW! FWOOM!" he said, throwing his paws through the air.I set him down, sifting through my pokeballs. "Sure, bud. I told you I need to see my reflection in the marble and I meant it." I said.Picking up Excalibur's pokeball, I set it on my belt since I trusted it would protect me at all costs. Looking through the rest, I picked up Mochi's, Bullet's, and three others that I decided to bring out with me since I didn't feel like keeping them in their confinements much longer.The pokeballs shook with warmth, emanating comfort as I glanced at the door. "We should head out. Chip, I'm leaving you here for now, 'kay? Till I get back, Clive's in charge." I shouted out, The Pokemon in question looking more than okay with my decision.I turned to the pouting cat, and held a hand to my lips in thought. "Hey, Grim. Say, would a penguin or a wolf be more common to see around here? I don't wanna attract any unwanted attention, but I want a Pokemon by my side in case some shit go down." I said, making him shrug as he crossed his arms."Neither. But penguins 'r usually up in the colder places, so an overgrown dog's your best bet." he answered, now curious."Why? You've got one of those slobbering pooches?" he said, walking beside me as I closed the flimsy door behind us.I chuckled, grabbing the pokeball off my belt and tossing it up, a full-fledged day form Lycanroc coming out in a curtain of sparkles."Roc!" she barked, rubbing up against me. "You could say that." I said, picking him up from his shook state."Oy vey.. I'ma have to get used to that, don't I?""It's this or there are going to be so many Pokemon around that you won't be able to step anywhere." •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• Everywhere I seemed to look, there was marble. From the entrances to the dorm, which was quite polished, unlike our dorm."Wow, so this is Main Street, huh? This is incredible!" Grim perked up, beaming from my arms.Kai beside us agreed, her features looked more impressed than excited. "Lycan, roc."As we walked, we came along seven statues, each of them holding a figure on a pedestal with words engraved on it. I walked forward to take a closer look, Grim doing the same as I set him down."I didn't get to see much of it yesterday. What's the deal with these seven statues? All their faces look pretty scary." he said.I nodded my head to the side, indifferent. "Meh, when you've stared death in the face, you tend to not get spooked by these things." I replied, walking closer to a lady with a very puffy dress, holding a heart by the fingertips."Like, this lady here looks like she's got some reeeal anger management issues." he blurted, sweat dropping.A new voice came up from behind us, making me whip around just as fast as Kai. "You guys don't know the Queen of Hearts?" he asked.She growled lightly, making the boy take a quick step back. He had ruffled red hair, going every which way. He had crimson red eyes, with a red heart painted around his right to match. His smile seemed off, but it was nonchalant nonetheless. Honestly, he was kinda cute."Queen of Hearts? Is she some kinda big deal?" Grim asked, prompting the boy to continue. "She was a queen who lived in a maze-like garden of roses long, long ago.""She was a strict woman who prized order above all. She wouldn't tolerate a rose being off-color, or her playing-card soldiers being out of step. She basically ruled over a kingdom of madness, but not one of her subjects dared to defy her."Suddenly, he got in our faces, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You wanna know why? 'Cause the punishment for breaking a rule was immediate decapitation!" he beamed, and I took a cautious step back.Kai nuzzled the spikes in her fur against my legs to sooth me, which did sting a bit, but I kneeled down and scratched under her chin anyways."Wah! That is seriously messed up!" Grim said, utterly shocked. I nodded along, my brow furrowing. "Tell me about it. No one ever did anything about it?" I asked, looking up at the boy who was smiling widely down at me."Nah. Pretty cool, right? I'm a big fan." he bubbled, his toothy grin showing. "I mean, who would bother to obey a queen that was kind all the time?"Grim, now out of his bothered stupor, mirrored his smile and placed his paws on his hips. "Yeah, true. A leader needs to be strong. But puttin' that aside... Who're you, now?" he finally asked.The redhead scratched the back of his head, a charming smile now adorning his features. "Name's Ace. I'm a first-year student here, as of... today! Pleased to meetcha!" he finally announced, allowing Grim to do the same."I'm Grim! I'm a prodigy who's plannin' to be, like, the greatest mage who ever lived. That there's my far less interesting hench-human and her dog." he said, gesturing up to us with his beady blue eyes.I rolled my own, standing back up and fidgeting closer to Ace, holding a hand out. "Her name's Kai, Grim. Sorry 'bout him. I'm [Y/N]. Say hi, Kai." I introduced, but said Wolf Pokemon wasn't budging, only narrowing her eyes at Ace as she stayed by my legs.This was... quite strange considering she was a very lovey Pokemon. Usually my Pokemon's instincts are correct, so I decided not to get comfortable around this guy.Ace took my hand, shaking it, still holding a smirk that was starting to become unsettling. "No worries! I'm glad we got to meet, either way." he said, tearing his hand away from mine after shaking it.Now drifting off into a conversation about the rest of the statues, we've established that each statue has its own great story behind it, with strange figures leading them. From a lion to a sea witch, a sorcerer, a fair queen, a king to an underworld, and lastly, a thorn fairy.Some of them clawed their way up from the bottom, granted wishes, became a sultan, had a knack for making potions, literally being dead, and being the strongest, or in other words, being able to turn into a dragon.The last one was the main one that had my interest, especially since I adored dragon types. She was in fact pretty, but she looked like she had a darker demeanor to her. Much like the redhead beside us who spoke up once again."Pretty cool, huh? Not like some piddling weasel." he said, his smile losing its warmth and growing sinister.Grim's paws immediately flew up and shrieked. "Myah?!"Ace soon broke out into a hunched-over cackle, making me glare at him as I tried to smooth Kai's fur down, shushing her growls."Pffft- bahaha! I can't hold it back anymore! Come on, you're the ones who turned orientation into such a fiasco, right?" he chuckled, raising a brow.He kept talking, irritating the gray cat by my side. "The guy summoned by the Dark Mirror who can't even use magic, and the monster no one summoned at all. It took everything I had not to burst into laughter right in the middle of the ceremony!"His eyes closed upward, looking fully entertained. "H-hey! You don't gotta be a jerk about it!" Grim interrupted, but was ignored completely."So in the end, neither of you got admitted, and now you're janitors? Ahaha! So lame!" he continued, his laughter now compressed to a few giggles."What did you just call me?!" Grim yowled, but only tempted the redhead with bedhead to do more. "And you're both so clueless you don't even know who the Great Seven are. Not a one of them!""Maybe before you try getting into the academy again, you ought to take a second crack at kindergarten?" he concluded, before bursting into another fit of laughter.I sighed as Grim let out a low growl. I was entirely too exhausted for this."Anyway, just thought I'd tease you a bit. And man am I glad I did. It's been a blast! Unlike you, I actually have classes to get to, so I'll let you get back to picking up trash. Bye!" he beamed, walking past us.Before he could get far, I grabbed him by the collar of his blazer, and gave him a wide grin with a taunting warning."Run."He looked a little confused, but quickly understood when Grim began to speak with a hiss. "Myuh-uh! You ain't walkin' away from me! It's too late for that! Myaaah!"Ace yelped, and shielded his face with his arm. "No one makes fun of Grim, Master of Fire! I'm gonna make that explodey-head of yours explode all over again!" Grim huffed."Explodey-head?!" the redhead exclaimed, now seeming to be bothered. "You wanna throw down with me, shorty? You got some guts. You wanna talk hair, huh? I'm gonna shave you like a toy poodle!"The gray cat only spat out more fire as a response, making Ace chuckle as a gust of wind flew by him. "How do you like that?"Grim fumed, standing his own on one side of the path. "H-hey! His magic winds are blowin' my fireballs off course! No fair!""Awww.. Can't hit me with your little fireballs?""Grrr... You better believe I'm about to!"By then, a crowd had started to form around the four of us. Before I could begin to shoo them away, I noticed that Ace was very carelessly directing Grim's fireballs away.It seems that he didn't care where they went as long as they didn't touch him, and it became very apparent that me and Kai would have to step in after all.I sighed, facepalming. "Kai, I trust ya. If the flames get anywhere close to damaging something, I want you to use Stone Edge to block it.""Roc." It nodded, staring back at the battle and circling around the supposed battlefield.After a few more flames were shot, the Wolf Pokemon went and did its job to keep the school buildings from being singed. While that went on, I noticed that she was still setting up another wall of stone far-off while Grim was puffing up another attack.I've learned that Grim is absolutely garbage at aiming, and without assistance he won't get anywhere with his powers, and it was shown with how he was aiming at the Fairest Queen's statue.I groaned loudly, and ran into the line of fire to grab grim and cover his mouth with my hand, the thin-cloth of my glove not doing much to protect my skin.Ace assumed he'd have to defend himself again, and in doing so, he sent a gust of wind, successfully knocking me against the Queen of Heart's statue with Grim tightly cradled in my arms.I let out a quiet hiss with the pain that struck my back, the burning in my palm not as agonizing. "Shit!" I could hear the redhead say, and he rushed over to me."Shitshitshit- that was my bad!" he panicked, a little stiff as he stood above us, not being much of a help.Grim scrambled out of my arms, trying to pull me up by them. "Yeah, it is! You shoulda just let me burn you to a crisp earlier!"I finally got over my pained status, shaking my head as I harshly grasped onto Ace's forearm, pulling myself up with a crack of my back, almost pulling him down in the process."Who in their right mind would ever do that?!" he struggled out, balancing himself as I stood upright."Just shut it, both of you! Wow, that actually did wonders for my back..." I mumbled, feeling less ache than before, but now the burn on my hand demanded to be acknowledged."What is going on here? Cease this at once!" a new voice shouted, making my expression sink. After balancing myself, I let Ace out of my vice-like grip and turned to see the bird man himself."Oh no! The headmage!" Ace shrieked. "Not more lashings of love! We gotta get outta here!" Grim followed up.Both of them were caught immediately, letting out cries of pain."As if the likes of you could ever flee from me!" yelled Crowley. He let out a dry laugh, a stern look meeting my eyes. "Did I not just warn you, 'no more incidents'? And now you've ruined my perfectly paved path with these.. Rock spikes..?""It's almost as though you want to be expelled!" he spat."No, forgive me!" Ace spouted."And you, Mister [Y/N]. You were specifically told to keep Grim under control!" he scolded, and I raised a brow, deciding to get my nerd on."Erm, acshually-" I began, my stern look twitching as I tried to hold back a grin. "Grim was teaching this boy some manners since he failed to exhibit such behavior. And the 'rock spikes' were my doing, only to keep your school property charred. I can have 'em down in a jiff."He hummed, raising a brow and sighing. "This will not do. And you! State your name and grade.""Ace Trappola... Freshman." he mumbled, absolutely dejected and giving us a foul glare."Then listen well, Trappola. You too, Grim and [Y/N]. As punishment for today's infractions, you are hereby ordered to wash a hundred windows!" he declared, crossing his arms as if to finalize his words.Kai had returned to my side, nervously trying to sooth the wide-smile and wide eyes I was staring at Crowley with. It was clear that this expression was all too familiar to Kai with how I had to scold my Pokemon."Myah?! That's what you get for makin' fun of me! This is all your fault!" Grim stated, absolutely furious. Ace was beyond confused, which of course, made me angrier with his next words- but I bit my tongue and pressed my lips into a thin line."Whaaat? I have to do it too?!""Of course you do. You will meet in the cafeteria after class. Are we clear?" he said, his feathers puffing up."Yes sir." both "victims" said.I stood in front of the headmaster, obstructing his view of Ace and Grim. "Crowley, no real damage was done and I can get rid of the edges. Maybe a hundred windows is a little much..?" I said, trying to sway him into cutting us loose.He shook his head, sighing. "Very well. I suppose you can clean fifty windows instead. And please, do not stir up any more trouble." he said, walking off.I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it back with a deep scowl. "That's still awful, but it's the best I'll get. Kai, Accelrock on the Stone Edges, please." I groaned out, stuffing my hands in my pockets."Ugh, I just can't catch a break!" Grim complained, earning a foul look from me. "Hey, I just got us half-off cleaning this maze, so zip it, fur ball." I retorted, seeing Ace walk up to me."What is this, a clearance aisle deal?" he said, scowling. He looked down hesitantly, keeping his gaze away from my eyes."..Sorry about.. Throwing you against a statue. And, thanks for trying to get us out of being housemaids. But it can't be helped, I suppose." he said, which clearly got my attention.The sour look on my face disappeared, and I gave him a subtle smile. "No problem. You owe me, now- so next time, maybe don't thundercunt me into a wall or something, huh?" I teased, making him chuckle softly.He put on a sly smirk as he looked up, but he glanced down at my burned hand once or twice. I covered it with the other appendage, trying to hide the inked markings over my skin."It's fine, if you're worried." I said, making his eyes lock onto mine. "Tch.. who said I was worrying?" he scoffed, walking away from us. "I've gotta bolt, catch ya later."I shook my head, trying to pull the parts of my sleeve that wasn't burned to a crisp over the back of my palm, shoving it into a pocket. •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• I sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria, my back facing the table as I hunched over and leaned my elbows on my knees as my hands fell loosely.After the fiasco with Ace and Grim, a ghost showed both me and Grim around whilst guiding us to a storage area, where we found brooms and other things alike. We grabbed enough for the two of us, but of course the cat hardly did any of the work. It was slightly more draining with him complaining as well, but I paid him no heed.I know I paid off my fees and didn't exactly want to work either, but the fact that Grim was doing nothing and there was so much grime, my own disturbances got the better of me and I went to work.Now, my back was sore, as well were my legs from standing for so long. Kai huffed as she laid under me on the seat, resting her snoot beside my right foot.Grim dragged himself over to the table across from us, climbing onto the seat and facing us in a similar position to mine. "I'm already exhausted from a full day of cleanin'." he said, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes."I can't believe we still gotta wash fifty windows!" Leaning down a little further so that my hand could reach the Lycanroc, I gave her soft scratches behind her ear, which of course occasionally flicked from the action.I sighed, standing up and arching my back while sprawling my hands through the air, hearing it pop a few times. "Relax, we were able to clean from the front gates to the library, just as Crowley told us to. That's one out of two tasks out of the way, so we're almost done." I said, trying to get him to see it from a different perspective."Hmph. What's buggin' me is, Ace ain't even here yet! To make us wait, after what he did... Grrr!" he said, planting his paws on his hips with a pout.With my back feeling slightly less like a wringed-out towel, I mimicked him and placed my hands on my hips as well. I knew immediately that Ace wasn't coming, it was a pretty obvious guess to have judging his character.After a few moments of silence besides Grim's occasional grumbling, he practically snapped. "...And now he's super late! I bet he up and bailed on us."A tired smile made its way to my face as I dragged my wrist across my forehead and jerked my head to the side, signaling for Kai to get up. "Thanks for noticing. D'ya wanna go look for him? I wouldn't mind cleaning the windows myself, y'know." I offered, but he brushed off the comment."Ain't no way am I doin' his punishment for him! C'mon, [Y/N]." He rose to his feet, pumping his tiny fist into the air. "I don't care if we gotta drag him kickin' and screamin', he's washin' those windows!" he exclaimed.Shrugging to the Wolf Pokemon, I followed behind the overly-energetic cat.After searching through a few classrooms, Grim was growing more agitated by the second and yelled out into the next one. "Hey! Ace! Get over here! Try to hide from me, will ya!"Hearing no response, the cat sweatdropped. "Huh... Maybe there's really no one here?" he asked, and was then startled by a speaking painting on the wall not too far behind him."Oh, I wouldn't say that. I'm here." he said, successfully gaining a shriek from Grim. "Bwaaah! That painting just talked!"I gave nothing more than a twitch of the brow, facing the painting with curiosity."Yes, and...? Is a talking painting really such an oddity at this school? The lady in the portrait on that wall talks too. As does the gentleman in the portrait on this one." he explained, his eyes wandering to each framed image he spoke of."As long as a painting has a mouth, why wouldn't it be able to talk? Is that really so strange?" he asked, seeming slightly offended."I suppose not, but it certainly is incredible." I said, walking forward and bowing slightly. "Apologies on the behalf of my friend here, we were just in a bit of a rush." I could feel my formal stature kicking in, which I had grown used to when speaking to elders or people I hadn't known.The man in the painting smiled, nodding in acknowledgement. "Ah, what a kind young man. I should be apologizing as well, since I startled your familiar."Grim crossed his arms, puffing his cheeks. "Not his familiar. How many times do I gotta say it?""Now, you seem to be searching for someone." the man continued, looking down at Grim inquisitively. The cat nodded, eager to find the boy that had skipped out on an evening with two oddities in cleaning a large array of glass panes. Why would he ever?"We're lookin' for this guy called Ace. He's got messy hair and a heart drawn on his face." he said, hopes high. The man nodded, and now we finally had a lead."Ah, I know the one. A new student, I believe? Today was his first day at school. I think he went back to his dorm a while ago." he said, calm expression unwavering.Grim let out a low growl, looking back at me with a replenished fervor, though I highly doubt it was a good thing. I, on the other hand, slightly brightened up, but for a different reason. I just wanted to get this all out of the way and go back to the dorm with my Pokemon."Myaaah! So it's true! He's tryna ditch us!" He hissed, looking back to the painting. "Do you know which way he went?!"The man nodded. "The door to the dorms is in the Eastern building." he confirmed. Grim, not even sparing a thanks, hurried out of the door. "Let's chase after 'em, [Y/N]!" he shouted.I sighed for the nth time that day, and turned back to the man and bowed lightly once more. "Thank you for your help, sir."He hummed, a small smile on his smudged features as I rushed after Grim.Now sprinting down the hall, Kai was directly behind me as I caught up to Grim, the occasional huff escaping her. Grabbing the cat by the scruff, I placed him on my back as he yelped."Hang on tight, Grim!" •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• We were entering through the doorway of the Eastern building, looking over a sea of students and spotting the familiar, messy tuft of orange hair. Navigating through the people and getting closer, we could hear him speaking."Yeah right, like I'm gonna wash fifty windows. I'm just gonna go back and-" he said, before he was cut off by Grim's loud words-which were right in my ear-making me scowl and squint an eye."AHA! Gotcha, punk!" he said, making the ginger panic. "Shit, they saw me!" he said, a little high pitched. He turned tail and took off in the opposite direction, prompting Grim to keep shrieking right in my ear."Stop right there, pal! No fair gettin' a head start! Wait up!" he said, making me speak through gritted teeth as I hurried my steps as well. "Stop yellin' in my ear, fleabag!"Ace snickered, a sly grin on his face as he shoved past students. "Who in their right mind would ever wait?! Seeya!" he shouted, not a care in the world with who he bumped into."No way are you gettin' out of this! You think I wanna wash windows?!" Grim continued, and I just gave up with him at this point."Trappola, get back here or you'll have more to wash than just windows!" I shouted, making him flinch slightly. "The hell's that supposed'ta mean?!" he said, making me involuntarily smirk. "Don't let me catch ya, unless you wanna find out!"Growing more alarmed, Ace was getting a little more desperate to get away. "Outta my way!" he yelled, shoving aside a boy who got caught in the crossfire.The boy stumbled, turning to face the retreating figure. "Hey! The hell was that for?!" he shouted, then turned to see what he was running from- and his eyes met mine as I was catching up to him."Hey, can you stop him for me-?!" I said, almost out of breath. His eyes widened, and he was taken aback. "Y-you want me to cast a spell to stop him? Like, freeze his legs? Or bind them with a rope? Or maybe I could.. Mmn.. No..."As he faded to mutters, I scowled as I interrupted his thoughts. "Don't care what, just knock him on his ass!" Grim followed up, using his claws to hang on for dear life to my vest. "Something! Anything!""Anything?! Anything, huh... Alright! Here goes anything! I summon thee... something heavy!" he shouted, waving around a pen he grabbed from the breast pocket on his blazer.A massive cauldron formed a few ways away from Ace, falling on him at the moment he crossed its landing zone. I heard an audible clang! as there was some debris that flew up from the ground.Screwing my eyes shut to keep them from stinging, I opened them a second later to Ace's pained shriek. "Shit! The fuck- a pot?!"I skidded to a stop beside him, Grim quickly scurried off my shoulder and beside the ginger's head, doubling over with laughter. "Bahaha! Look, [Y/N], look!" he said, absolutely content with his demise.I couldn't help but let a small chuckle leave me, trying to mask it while holding a fist to cover my grin. The redhead looked up at me in a flustered state when he heard, but quickly turned the other way out of embarrassment and tried to get the cauldron off him."That flake got crushed beneath a giant cauldron! It squashed him flat! Aha ha ha!" he continued, Ace visibly deflating and avoiding our gazes, was rendered useless since he was laying on his stomach. So, he just grumbled while resting his head on his palm, his other hand tapping impatiently against the cold tile.By now, the other boy had run up to us and placed a hand to his chin in thought. "A cauldron?! I wasn't expecting that. I may have overdone it this time..."Ace was still groaning with discomfort, but I turned to the boy, now taking in his features since I wasn't chasing some degenerate. Blue hair, soft aqua eyes and a spade design drawn over the left. All in all, he was beautiful.Offering him a smile, I thanked him while Kai walked over to Ace, sniffing his head and barked, nuzzling her wet nose against his cheek- which he didn't appreciate at all."So sorry about that, thanks for catchin' 'em for us, sir." I huffed, folding my hands in front of me. He turned slightly red, rubbing the back of his neck as he stuttered."N-no problem.." he said, a sheepish smile on his features to reciprocate my own.
I'm keeping him.
"What are you bothering me for? You guys coulda just banged out the work yourself!" Ace said, fed up with how Kai wouldn't leave him alone.I shook my head, sighing as I pushed the pot off him with a strained groan. He turned over and sat there, rubbing his back. "It's fifty windows, what do you think we're gonna do? Your fault for tryna skip out on your maid work."The blue-haired boy spoke up, beyond shocked. "You have to wash fifty windows as punishment? The hell did you do?!"Ace crossed his arms, huffing as he tried to undermine the situation. "I was just screwing with that furball a little." he said, making me glare down at him with my hands on my hips."...Okay, we almost destroyed the Queen of Hearts' statue. Sue me." he caved in, taking the hand I offered after he admitted while I hoisted him up."Maybe I will." I said, a small smirk on my face as he narrowed his eyes and wiggled his hand out of my grip. "Ha ha, very funny."The dark-haired boy was a little less laid-back than we were. "You almost damaged a statue of the Great Seven?! No wonder he flew off the handle at you!" He shook his head disappointedly, closing his eyes."After you managed to get into this school, how could you get in trouble on the very first day?!" he continued, making Ace let out a low growl. "Zip it. Who even are you?"The boy huffed, crossing his arms. "My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade. Don't you remember your own classmate? Uh.." he hesitated, making the ginger beside him scoff."You don't remember my name either, do you?" he asked, making Deuce speak up again. "That's not the point! You shouldn't try to shirk an order from the headmage!" he lectured, the two going back and forth as I was petting Kai's belly while kneeling.The Lycanroc was making "rarara" sounds as I scrubbed her torso, hardly contributing to the conversation, but still listening nonetheless as I was looking up at Deuce with a blank face and wide eyes."Yeah, yeah, message received... Fine, let's bang out the windows already." Ace finally said, scratching the back of his head. At this point, the dark haired boy noticed me staring and raised a brow nervously. "Uh- and you must be...""[Y/N] [L/N]." I said, smiling up at him as I stood up again, looking [UP/STRAIGHT/DOWN] at him. Kai recovered, rubbing herself against Deuce's legs while he shifted awkwardly."And.. this is your familiar? What's its name?" he asks, kneeling down and smiling softly as he pat her head.I folded my hands behind me, enjoying how the Wolf Pokemon was warming up to Deuce, far more significantly than when she first met Ace. The ginger in question crossed his arms, rolling his eyes at the interaction."Her name's Kai, and you're stunning." I responded, making his head snap to me. He was bright red, his lips curling between a smile and a frown, it was hard to tell- but I could tell he was having trouble believing he heard what I said. "Ehhh?!"That comment was totally uncalled for, but I've got this bad habit of making sure people know they look good.Ace huffed, clearly disturbed. "I don't mean to be a cockblock, but THE FURBALL'S GONE!" he interrupted, pointing to Grim sprinting down the slightly emptier halls.Deuce of course was still recovering, if not turning redder, and I turned to face where Grim would've been, but alas, he was indeed gone.Ace was shouting after the cat, but I had no doubt he was too far to hear. "You caught me so YOU could run away yourself?! Hey- uh, Juice-""My name isn't "Juice." It's Deuce! With a D!"Ace rolled his eyes, brushing him off. "This is partially your responsibility, you know! So help me catch that furball!"Deuce crossed his arms and held an annoyed look. "How is this my responsibility?!""Grim's useless janitor friend can't use magic. That means this is up to you and me!" he exclaims, making my shoulders square back as I scoffed.I kneeled beside Kai and pointed to Grim after letting out a sigh through my nose, having no faith in this boy who was now dead to me."Fetch, girl.""Roc!" she barked, sprinting down after the cat. I chased as well, but not as well as the Wolf Pokemon. Both boys were stunned, but quickly followed after us.As we gave chase, we heard the occasional shriek, and the occasional howl far ahead. Now ending up in the school's cafeteria, we saw Grim climbing the banners draped along the walls, with Kai standing and barking on top of a table to try and grab him.. With her teeth.We all skidded to a stop, Ace trying to reach up the banner. Grim, of course, wasn't having it and was digging his claws into the cloth and climbing higher."Damnit! Get back down here, flea bag!" Ace shouted, making Grim do the exact opposite and chuckle cockily. "Heheheh! See if you can get ta me from down there, ya wimps!"Kai growls, making Grim swallow his words and jump onto the chandelier out of fear. I come up next to her, patting down her snoot and gesturing for her to back off, because obviously some shit about to go down.She walks off the table, sitting down like a model citizen at one of the tables far off. From there, Deuce calls out to the cat. "No fair climbing onto the chandelier, you coward!" He began to mumble, grasping his pen tightly in his hand. "I haven't really learned flight magic yet...""What could I summon to hold onto him...? Hmm.. Oh! That's it!" he said, pointing the gem-tipped tool at the ginger beside him and took a step back.Ace, who I was trying to guess the price of the coffin for, turned to him and immediately paled. "What? Didya figure somethi- Hey- yoyoyoyoyoyo what're you doing?!" he hurried to say, his words almost jumbled together."Why're you pointing your pen at me?!" he asked, bringing his hands in front of him, like "yeah, that'll stop him." Deuce straightens up, a very subtle grin on his lips."Because I'm going to launch you." he said, making me snort involuntarily and slapped a hand over my face when Ace turned to glare at me.Standing back as the ginger started to float, I was snickering the whole time as he called out. "Are you shitting me?! Hey! Put me down!""What a waste of a pretty face." I said, crossing my arms as he flailed his own. "Shut it! Seriously, do not launch me! Abort! ABORT!""Just make sure to grab him tight." Deuce said, now making a motion to throw the poor guy.A toothy grin showed on my face as I tried to get Ace to panic more."So Spade, how's he coming down?""...Shit.""WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SHIT?" IF I DIE I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"Before Deuce can stop his motion of throwing Ace, he was already gone. He was flung at the chandelier, and that's when I knew there was no fall-back plan."BWAAAAH!""MYAAAAAAAH?!"The chandelier came loose, and was crashing down. I could hear Kai's panicked barks as I sprinted across the room, narrowly getting crushed by the decoration as I ran to Deuce, effectively placing my hands on his back and under his knees.With him in my arms, we rushed out of the way so that we wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.Now that the massive pendant was crushed on the floor, Ace was coughing and hacking as Grim lay near unconsciousness on its branches."Ouhh.. There's no fuckin' way you just did that.." Ace mumbled, waving away the dust. Deuce shook his head, coughing lightly himself. One hand gripped his pen, the other hooked around my shoulder to keep him steady."I probably shoulda come up with a way to soften your landing after you caught him.. My bad." he admitted, looking around confusedly before his eyes widened as he stared up at me.The longer I held him, the more his blush grew. I huffed, setting him down as he stuttered to get absolutely nothing out. "You're goddamn right "my bad."" I said, walking over to Ace and helping him up."You complete and total fuckhead! We got Grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this-" he started to rant, but was cut off by.. Um... the Headmage."If I find out about... what, dear Ace?" he said, making Ace's panic rise again. "Ah! Headmage Crowley!"Crowley's voice boomed, and I shrinked in response. "YOU. THREE. AGAIN. What have you done this time?!" I may despise this guy, but I only lash out when I had every right to- this time the tables are flipped.Despite how much it may seem I disrespect people like Crowley, I do it to put them in their place. You think you're better than me because your father knocked your mother way earlier than mine did? Think again.However, now that I was in genuine trouble, I knew there was nothing I could say. Both of these twinks are sweating their balls off and this flaming toilet brush is unconscious."Myaah... Everythin's spinnin'..." Grim mumbled, making the Headmage ever angrier. "Almost burning a statue isn't enough for you? Now you've destroyed a chandelier?!"He sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Enough. All of you are expelled." My head shot up, my brows furrowed upward...Bwuh?"HAAAH?!"Deuce immediately came up to the bird man, interlocking his fingers together. "Headmage, please! Give me a second chance! I can't get expelled from this school!" Poor baby looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I need to be here!"The Headmage only crossed his arms, sticking his plague mask's beak high. "Then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior."The dark-haired boy was persistent though, he kept begging. "I'll pay for the damages! However much it costs!"Crowley shook his head, still stern. "That chandelier is no mere light fixture. It is a magical chandelier. Its candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity." he yapped."It was created for us by a legendary artificer. Possibly their finest creation. It has been here since the school was established, and I imagined it would be here forevermore." he continued, bringing a finger to his chin. "Considering its historical value, I would estimate its worth to be no less than a billion thaumarks. And you intend to repay that sum?"Both Ace and Deuce stand there shocked, but I personally couldn't relate. "A... A billion marks?!" Deuce exclaimed. "B-but I'm sure with your magical talent, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!" Ace followed."Even magic has its limits. Furthermore, its magestone-the figurative heart of any magical artifact-is cracked. A magestone cannot easily be replaced." he says, shutting down their hopes."I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again." he finalized.The boys beside me looked down in shame, absolutely crushed. "This is bad..." the ginger muttered.Meanwhile, Deuce was in his own bubble of panic. "What am I going to do..?! How am I going to tell my mother...?"I frowned, feeling genuinely bad for the boys, especially since I was supposed to watch Grim. I turned to Crowley, stepping forward and giving him the best solemn look I could give that would get anyone to muster up some empathy."Sir, we got into this mess because I failed to make sure Grim wouldn't get into any trouble. If anything, it was my mistake, they were just trying to help me fix it." I said, fiddling with my fingers. "You're certain you can't give atleast just these boys a chance..? I would rather you kick me out than expel them."To top it off, I bowed my head, folding my hands together in front of me.I couldn't see Ace and Deuce's reactions, and I personally, didn't want to. Although I meant every word, I was pretty embarrassed to beg to a man who dresses like a vintage bird as if Halloween was his last name.He sighed, tapping a knuckle against his lip. "...There may be one way. One tiny sliver of a chance to repair this chandelier."My head shot up, and I fought off an excited smile. With the boys, I shouted in surprise. "There is?!""The magestone that powered this chandelier was mined from the Dwarf's Mine. If you can acquire a magestone with the same properties, it may be possible to repair it." he said, giving us this chance.Deuce came up beside me to my left, holding up a fist while giving me a look of thanks and determination. "Then I'll go find a magestone!" he declared.I reciprocated the smile, reaching back and grabbing Ace's to pull him forward to my right. "We'll go find a magestone. Right, Trappola?" Ace gave me a weird look as he scrunched up his nose and nodded. "Yeah, totally.""With your permission, sir." Deuce added. "I should caution you that I cannot promise there yet remain magestones to find." Crowley said."The mines were closed quite some time ago. It is quite likely that all of the magestones have already been mined." he warned. I shook my head, standing up straight. "It's one tiny sliver of a chance, right? I'll take that chance." I said.He nodded, crossing his arms. "Hmm.. Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night. But if you fail to return with a magestine by morning, then all of you are expelled." he clarified.Deuce nodded quickly, stiff as a board with how much he puffed his chest out with pride. "I understand, sir. Thank you very much for this opportunity."Ace sighed, not as pumped as the two of us. "Fine, then. Let's hurry down there, find a magestone, and get this whole thing over with.""You should be able to reach the Dwarf's Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber." Crowley added, which Deuce and I hummed to. "Yes, sir!""Myah! Wh- Where am I?!"Ah, I almost forgot about him.
No the fuck I didn't.
I grabbed him by the back of his scruff, holding him in front of my face and whisper-yelling through my gritted teeth."You're in a heap of shit is where you are. You are cooked when we get out of this, do you hear me?!"Crowley was gone by this point, and Kai had come out of hiding. She was unsure if he would've freaked out more than he had, and she made the right choice in my opinion.
The incorrect choice was Grim thinking he could wake up and escape my wrath.
   ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

♫ ⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 ⋙ ♫
Move me, the moon is playing author

Show me, is this what I'm lookin' for?
♫ ⋘ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! ⋙ ♫ 
I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS STORY BESIDES [Y/N] AND A FEW CHARACTERS. OCS IMPLEMENTED WILL BE CREDITED TO THEIR OWNERS.
Now, we stood inside the Mirror Chamber. I let the boys guide me and Grim, mainly because I didn't know my way around this campus, and mentally thanked myself for grabbing a full team. Then again, who in their right mind wouldn't leave their house with a full team?Especially since I wasn't ready to explain why there was a mass array of beasts in our dorm.If I went back, at least one would have to come with so I wouldn't get lost, preferably Deuce, ahem- but thankfully, that wasn't the case. Instead, the case we do have is going to find an abandoned mine where incredibly small people used to be.
Wonderful.
Ace had a similar take, groaning to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Maaan... How did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck.""We don't have time to complain. Let's go." Deuce said, approaching the Dark Mirror. "Dark Mirror! Take us to the Dwarf's Mine!" Ace slumped his shoulders in response, crossing his arms as the image in the mirror rippled into a forest-looking background."C'mooon, cut me some slack, will ya? I've been through a lot today!" he said, being overly dramatic. He turned to me and the two "familiars," Grim in my arms and Kai sticking close to my legs. "You've gotta back me up here." he said, and I scoffed.It was almost as if he thought we were doing this to him on purpose- but we were roped into this too! Grim had a similar reaction to mine, his tiny hind legs kicking loosely in this Vulpix-style carry."Can it, leaf blower! You think you're the only one bustin' out their back?! Onward, henchman!" he pointed to the mirror, Deuce long gone."Aye aye, master sorcerer." I said, a small smile on my face as I stepped forward. Ace raised a brow at the insult, grinning lightly. ""Leaf blower?" is that the best you can come up with?" he asked, but I stepped through the mirror before anyone could say anything else.I was a little paranoid when walking up to it- even though I saw the dark-haired boy go through, I was a little nervous I was going to bang my head on it and embarrass myself. However, I walked through what should've been stained glass, the feeling leaving me slightly nauseous since we were literally walking through a man-made threshold of space, which is not always reliable when man-made.Stumbling on a dirt path, I found my footing as Deuce came up to me. "A-are you alright? You might be a bit dizzy, but you'll get used to the feeling." he reassured, earning a nod from me. "I'm fine, thanks." I replied, and he sighed through his nose while Ace followed not too far behind me."Yeah, I'm fine too thanks for asking. Me 'n Kai are feelin' a little unloved." Ace said, crossing his arms with a deadpan look. At this, I raised a brow as I shifted my gaze to Kai- who looked the complete opposite of Ace's description. Little puppy was wagging her tail and gave a bark after the ginger's words.I leaned back nonchalantly, putting on a mock-sympathetic look and pouted my lips as I teased him. "Daww, do you want me to do your hair and dress you up like a doll?" I earned a flustered scowl as he subconsciously raised a hand. "...Preferably not." he said.I smirked, tilting my head as I walked beside him. "Why nooot? I thought you'd like the attention. Wouldn't you want me to pull your hair so far back that you'd look like a rooster?" I cooed. He was about to retaliate, but Deuce cut us off."You guys, we shouldn't be messing around at a time like this- we have a deadline!" he scolded, crossing his arms. I huffed through my nose, the ginger rolling his eyes. "Geez, loosen up, juice."This made the dark-haired boy whip around, a deep frown on his features. "I told you it's Deuce-" he started, but was interrupted by the ginger. "I know, I know! I'm just fuckin' with ya." he said. Looking down at Kai, she stared back at me as I shrugged and walked ahead of them.Eventually, we all reach a small cabin that was covered in moss and looked battered up. It was dark and quiet around the area, which is something that unnerved me since I was used to forests buzzing with some sort of Pokemon-life, even when untouched by the hands of man."So this is the Dwarf's Mine... Long ago, this mine was flush with magestones." Deuce said, having caught up to me a while ago. "Urgh... Who knows what lurks in there now?" Grim muttered, sweatdropping.Ace smiled, pointing to the house. "Let's see what the people in there have to say." he said, earning a head tilt from me. "Crowley said this place may not have anymore magestones right? What makes you think there'll be anyone here?" I asked, placing Grim down.He shrugged, watching as Deuce marched forward and knocked on the door. "Worth a check." he replied."Hellooo? Is anyone home...? Must be empty. It looks like it's been abandoned." Deuce said, making me look at Ace with squinted eyes and a shit-eating grin. He rolled his eyes, pushing past me and having to crouch slightly since the doorway was small, and built for small people."You sure you don't live here?" he teased, reciprocating my shit-eating grin."I will kick your fuckin' ass." I said in a whisper, narrowing my eyes with a ghost of a smirk. He looked at me with a dopey smile, rolling his eyes playfully. "Alright, alright! Don't get so pissy about it." he gave in.Our attention was drawn to Grim, the small cat pawing at his face with disgust. "Bwah! I got a spider web on my face! Ptooey! Ptooey!" he shrieked. I chuckled softly, crouching in front of him and picking at the web and ridding it from his fur.Ace walked further into the household, taking a look at the dusty furniture that was flipped over and beaten. "Look how tiny these desks and chairs are. Is this the size of the furniture in your house, [Y/N]?" he asked, holding a toothy grin.I squinted, fighting off my own smile as I stood straight and made my way over to him. "One, two... Seven! It's like a clown car in here. ACK-" he commented, but quickly choked on his words when I placed the webs I picked off of Grim in his hair. "Ah, I imagine this "clown car" to be no different than your usual habitat." I said, standing beside Deuce with my hands folded behind me.He sighed, looking at me with slightly intimidated look as I watched Ace ruffle his hair aggressively to get the spider silk out of his red locks. "When the mine was flourishing, this house must have been a lively place." the dark-haired boy said.Ace looked back up, his hair somehow even more tussled than it was before. "Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. If we're gonna find a magestone, it'll be inside the mine. Let's head inside and take a look." he spoke, prompting me to look back at the other rooms left unchecked.Kai was sniffing around, having a similar idea to me, using her wet nose to push aside anything like books and such on top of the small tables."I'mona take a look at the rest of the house right quick, make sure there's no loose magestones, yeah? I'll catch up." I said, already walking off to see the other rooms. Deuce looked hesitant, but Ace was already heading out of the door. "Kay, seeya."
Damn, fine.
"You'll both be okay, right?" the dark-haired boy asked, seeing Grim leave alongside the ginger. I nodded, showing a soft smile. "For sure. You best catch up with 'em before they ditch you." I replied, pointing out to the two outside the window. He hummed, leaving as well.Opening a door, it creaked very loudly as it revealed yet another room with ruined furniture. I pulled out drawers from dressers, a desk, bedside tables- yet there was nothing. The Wolf Pokemon came up beside me, looking up at me blankly as if to say the whole place was empty.I sighed as I looked down at her, patting her snoot. "Nothing, huh girl? We should get outta here then." Her tail flicked behind her as she turned, fitting herself through the doorway. "Roc."
"BWAAH! THERE IT IS!"
We heard from afar, and we exchanged glances before sprinting out of the cabin and down the path.Now that we were closer, the words were louder- but not from a voice I recognized."Stooonesss...nevvva give stooonesss...!" the voice slurred, which prompted me to push my legs to go faster. "Shitshitshit- c'mon, faster! I leave those twinks for two seconds!" I shouted, the rails leading into a cave coming into view.We could hear more screams over our breaths, and I seriously thought they were being pulled apart by now. "-stone or we'll get expelled! I'm going in!" I heard a voice shout, making it out to be Deuce's."Are you outta your mind?!" came next, followed by a "I won't be expelled! No matter what!""Begone! Begone! BEGOOONE!" a loud voice boomed. Me and the Wolf Pokemon ran deep enough into the cave after some time, finding the three in quite a hoop. A massive monster with an.. ink vial for a head. I wasn't one to judge, but DAYUM this thing was ugly.As the dark-haired boy pulled out his pen, the monster swung its massive pickaxe down at him, and before he could react, I shouted at the top of my lungs."Stone Edge!"Kai immediately jumped into action, howling as a mound of hardened stone rose from the ground and striking the ink-monster dead center at its chest. "Rrroooarrrgh!"It groaned in pain, and I tackled Deuce out of the way as the pickaxe cut through the stone effortlessly after the beast recovered. The boy shrieked, lying frozen against the ground out of fear as I covered him from being struck by debris.Once the dust cleared, I turned my head, watching as Kai picked up Grim in her teeth and brought him to the side, however Ace was easily swatted to the walls behind him after trying to deal with the monster himself. "Oof!"Grim was flailing, desperate to get out of Kai's biting grip. "The hell was that?! I didn't know this mangy mutt could do that!" he gasped, breaking free and scurrying off a ways away from her.I rolled my eyes, removing myself from over Deuce and pulling him up, running over to Ace while avoiding the swinging lantern the monster held. "She has before, you were too busy being insecure to actually notice!" I shouted, crouching beside the boy as he winced and tried leaning himself against the mine's wall.He coughed, a few drops of blood spilling out of his mouth. "H-hey..." he hacked out, clearing his throat to rid of the raspiness, but to no avail. "Behind the monster..! There's somethin' sparklin' back there!" he pointed out, and I looked in the direction he was gesturing towards.There was indeed something sparkling, and it stood out from the rest of the unmined gems around. "Could that be a magestone?!" Deuce suggested.The ink-monster looked visibly triggered at his words, swinging its pickaxe around violently. "GWAAAAH! Nooo giiive yooouuu stooooone!" it dragged out, its movements inaccurate and random."[Y/N], we need to book it, and fast! That thing's gonna pound us into tuna paste!" the cat shouted, quickly learning that his fire didn't even make the monster flinch. I started breathing a little quicker, and stared down at Ace's struggling form in a panic.I groaned annoyedly, yet another boy ending up in my arms. Slipping my hands behind his back and under his knees, I carried him bridal style as I shouted back to the other three while he was trying to protest, but was too weak to fight out of my hold."We've gotta scram, then! Fall back!" I ordered, following the rails on the floor out of the mine, the ginger wrapping his arms tight around me so he wouldn't fall."GRRRAAAWRRR!"Now, we sat behind some boulders and bushes in the forest and started to regroup. "This should be far enough, I think..?" Grim whispered, for fear that the monster might hear us. "Shiiit.. What was that thing? No one said there'd be anything like that!" Ace huffed, a deep scowl on his features."That was no normal ghost, that's for sure. Also, [Y/N]- would you mind explaining-" Deuce started, but was cut off by Ace. "Let's just give up and go home. I'll happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again."The dark-haired boy crossed his arms, looking positively bothered. "What?! Nuh-uh, not happenin'! I'd rather die than get expelled from Night Raven! How can you give up when the stone is right there?" he sputtered."Pfft. Big talk from someone who's not even half the mage I am. You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself. I'm out." he replied, making me furrow my brows."Big talk for someone who's being a pussy and chickening out. You call yourself a mage?" I responded, making him look back at me with a passive-aggressive smirk. "Big talk for someone who's still holdin' me. You're shakin' in your boots, aren't ya?" he asked, making me deadpan and drop him on his ass as he yelped."Ack- You can't be serious. This is a total joke!" He said, making Deuce ball his fists and stare down at him furiously. "Oh, yeah?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!" he spat, his voice getting rougher and way louder. It was a miracle that the beast hadn't found us.Grim, ever so startled, stared up at Deuce nervously. "Whoa, Deuce... Is it just me, or did you, like, turn into a totally different person just now?" he asked, making Deuce choke on his spit and cough into his fist nervously."Huh?! Sorry.. I lost my composure." he muttered, and I pat him on the shoulder before crouching down and using my gloved hand to gently wipe away the semi-dried blood on Ace's lips as he grumbled."It's alright to feel upset, especially with somethin' like this goin' on right now." I comforted, making his shoulders less tense. Since the ginger was being difficult, I brought my other hand to keep his head facing me. At this moment, I noticed the charred threads on my glove, and stared at it blankly.The burning feeling had mostly subsided a while before we chased Ace down, and I had completely forgotten about how it stung, or how their tempers led to us getting into this mess. And now they're clashing- egos and all.After a moment, Ace removed his chin from my grip and stood up, wiping any remaining blood with the sleeve of his shirt. Kai came to my side, resting her head on my lap as I lazily dragged my feet over to a boulder, taking a seat on it as the boys continued their conversation."Can't you guys just blow that thing up with magic?" the cat asked, making Deuce shake his head. "Using magic at a greater scale, or using different types of magic- those things require training." he said.Ace nodded along, waving his hand through the hair with his pen as a light exaggeration to his words. "Yeah, that's why magic academies exist. It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic." he clarified. "The more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes."My palms propped up my head by the cheeks as I hunched over, my elbows leaning on my knees. "Really? It's not natural..?" I asked, slightly curious.Ace shook his head. "Nope, although if magic's your specialty, you can use it more intuitively." he said, making me nod as Deuce piped up again. "Anyway- we need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the magestone."I groaned softly, letting my head sink. As tired as I was, I knew we'd have to return to the school by the time the sun rises with this dumb stone, or else the boys would be expelled, that and Crowley would kick me out.My chances of going off on my own were around fifty-fifty, especially since I have no idea how this world works besides no Pokemon, only magic and weird beasts here and there. The feeling of unsureness and fear started to settle in my chest, making me feel slightly heavier. I haven't had the time to let the reality fully sink in, and I don't plan to. I'm going to hold it off for as long as I can, even if it comes back to bite me in the ass with big crocodile tears.I miss the rest of my Pokemon, my home, my father figures- everything. I wish I was safe, back in the comfort of my thick, marshmallow sheets. Now wasn't the time to dwell on these things though, especially since I always handle it, I'll be fine- I've saved Pokemon and human-kind several times, and this issue wasn't even world-threatening. I'll make it back, no problem.But... how..?I've traveled inter-dimensionally before, but that was the doing of Ultra Beasts, plus I managed to tame the variety of them and I always ended up back home.This time? I wasn't quite sure what the issue was or what brought me here, but I'll kick its ass.I could feel the homesickness bubbling in me, and it was shifting into anger the longer I listened to the boys bicker, their pettiness getting in the way of the task at hand."Yeaaaah. Just like with the chandelier, eh?" Ace mocked. "We fought that thing, and it creamed all over us! We go back in there, and we're cooked. So what's your big plan, smart guy? 'Cuz improvising ain't your strong suit, that's for sure!" he hissed.Deuce looked defensive, his brows furrowing as his scowl deepened. "What?! You got us into this shit in the first place!" he shouted."Oh, did I?!" Ace said. Soon, their barking became all but white noise, and I huffed heavily through my nose as Grim let out an annoyed grumble at their bickering.The longer it went on, the tighter I pulled at my hair. The Wolf Pokemon looked up at me with big doe eyes, a soft whimper escaping her at my stressed state. After a while, the boy's words started to register once again."Admit it!" Deuce breathed. "If you hadn't been such an insecure jackass, we wouldn't be here right now!" he spat, making Ace quite agitated. However, before he could retaliate, I brought my head up from my palms and shrieked- quite fed up with their yapping."ENOUGH! Quit your bitchin', dammit- I really don't need this shit right now!"My voice boomed surprisingly loud, successfully startling all present. The three in front of me let out a gasp. I gripped at the hair on my scalp, speaking quickly through gritted teeth. "Of course, I get sent to a different world where Pokemon don't exist- and I have to round up the most bad-tempered of creatures!""Fuckin' teenage boys.." I sighed, making Grim come over to my legs as I pulled my hair to curtain my face. "Damn, that was kinda loud- where the hell did that come from?" he muttered."A different world..?" the ADeuce duo repeated at the same time. Dragging my fingers down my face, I pulled at the bags under my eyes as I could feel the stress pile up. It was clear that these two dopes knowing about my situation weren't the biggest of my problems, in fact- it might clear up a few."Yeah, different world. Lots to unpack. You guys are killin' me with your pettiness." I clarified. Ace waved his hands in front of him, a small grin on his face. "Hold on- back up. A different world? You can't be serious, right?" he chuckled. Deuce on the other hand, was struggling with pronunciation. "Pok..i..man?"I looked back up at the ginger tiredly, making his grin fall into a nervous frown. "Pokemon, Spade. That's what Kai is- she's a Pokemon, not an actual wolf. That's how she was able to use that move back in the mine." I said. Their gazes went back to the Lycanroc, who was staying by my side without a peep."You see, my world doesn't have magic, but we have Pokemon. They have abilities, and have attacks we call moves. To make it simpler, it's like they can use your world's magic- but it's a lot more natural." I explained, leaning down and petting Kai as she laid against my ankles."No magic..? At all?!" Grim questioned, and I nodded in response. Ace hummed, walking over and squatting in front of the Wolf Pokemon. "Huh. So.. were the beasts we saw at the orientation ceremony also.. Pokemon?" he hesitated.I hummed a confirmation, patting my hand on the belt around my waist, revealing a set of six pokeballs from behind the jacket I wore. "Mm-hmm. Pokemon are basically pocket monsters, hence the name. I've got a few more with me, and we're going to use them to help us get that magestone."Deuce sputtered, a little nervous at the idea of having more beasts around, magic-wielding ones no less. "A-are you sure? We don't even know how strong that monster in the mines is!" I chuckled, grabbing two pokeballs off of my belt and standing up- my chest feeling far lighter now that I managed to let go of some tension."Which is why we'll need a plan."Ace scoffed, shaking his head. "A proper plan? Like some kinda buddy move?" he laughed, crossing his arms with a toothy grin. "You're serious? I don't understand how you can spit garbage with a straight face."Deuce nodded along, looking at the ginger with disgust. "Agreed. You won't ever get me to work with this bum." Grim looked down, a little upset as his words showed disappointment. "Yeah, but... Gettin' kicked out on the first day?""Not exactly ideal- maybe worse than teaming up." he said. A hush fell over the group, and my pokeballs rumbled comfortingly against my palms and belt. "W-well..." Ace started, but nothing else came out while Deuce pouted.Looking back at them, I gripped the containments tighter. "So will you be willing to do this my way?" I asked, and they begrudgingly agreed. "Ah, fine. Let's just get this over with, then. Alright [Y/N], let's hear it." Ace gave in.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Coming out from our "hiding spot," we trudged back to the entrance of the mine. "[Y/N]... You're totally sure this is gonna work? Like, a hundred percent?" Grim asked, then twiddled with his little paws. "I'm kinda nerv- eh, hungry! Hungry, that's it. I gotta be well-fed if I want my flames to be at full metal-melting power, y'know?""Don't worry, kitty. Just don't let up, kay? We've only got one shot, and we're gonna make it count." I smiled, and Deuce held up a fist determinedly. "You bet we will. Let's go, [Y/N]!" he said.I nodded, tossing up the pokeballs and watching as beams of light shot out, forming two figures. "Before we get a move on, we'll be working with these puppies. Diancie and Token will help you with the distraction while Kai and I go get the stone." I said.Both boys watched with amazement as they appeared, Grim not so impressed since he's seen it before. The Jewel and Mouse Pokemon, now fully formed, stood by my side. "Rai rai!" Token cheered, flashing a toothy grin as Diancie nodded in acknowledgement. "Greetings!" it spoke.Ace backed up a little, a nervous smile on his face. "..What did the floating rat say?" he asked. I shrugged, looking down at the Raichu who hovered over to him on her tail. "Not exactly sure, but I know it was a greeting. Pokemon don't exactly talk, but they communicate by pronouncing their species' names." I said.Deuce looked back at the floating diamond, walking a little closer out of interest. "But this one- Diancie, right? It spoke!" he pointed out. It smiled up at him, speaking further. "That's because some Pokemon can speak using telepathy." it clarified, only making Deuce more curious."We can go over the basics later. The sun'll be coming up soon, and we need to get back by then." I said, turning to both of the Pokemon. "You can freestyle as much as you like, but I need you to stay with them and keep the monster distracted till we get back out, got it?"Token, who was circling Ace and making him dizzy, nodded and squeaked. "Chu!" Diancie and her spread out a little more, forming a semi-circle with the other three. "As you wish." said the Jewel Pokemon.I looked down at Kai, motioning for her to follow. We scurried over to the side of the entrance, climbing a few boulders and thick tree roots so we were just above the entrance. I held a thumbs up to the group below us, and Grim stepped forward."H-hey, monster! I'm, eheh- I'm right over here!" he shouted. As if on cue, the thumps of the monster sounded and came waltzing out of the mine, leaving a thick trail of ink behind. "Grrraaawrrr! BEGOOOOONE!" it bellowed.Grim stiffed, putting his paws up. "He's comin' our way! Guys!" he panicked. Deuce and Ace called out, gaining the monster's attention. "Grrurgh? Thieeef thiiis waay toooo.. Neeevva giive stooones! Neeevvvaaa!" it repeated.Token swiftly hovered over its head, gaining its attention while Diancie stayed far back, hoping to confuse it for a regular stone. The monster swiped up at Token with its pickaxe and lantern, varying between the two."Eep! If it lands one of those hits, we're done for!" Grim yelped."Begooone! BEGOOONE!""C'mon, we've gotta get him farther away! One extra-large gust 'o wind, comin' up!" Ace said, pulling out his pen and sending wind at the monster, agitating it and making it chase him. The ginger froze for a moment before running off and letting out a string of curses.Deuce let out an annoyed groan. "We're supposed to keep him distracted, not make him madder, you idiot!" he scolded. Ace huffed, narrowly dodging the lantern it swung around. "Why don't you try doing this, then?!"Diancie, from afar, used Dazzling Gleam to shine brightly and shift the monster's attention away from the fleeing boy and to it. It let out a growl, walking to it and trying to cover it, as if to protect it from the rest of the boys."Neeevva! Give.... Huhhh?" it slurred, then realizing the Jewel Pokemon had a face, and was floating on its own. "Thiiieeef!"Diancie frowned, a circle of pink diamonds appearing behind it. Firing off a Diamond Storm, it drifted away to make some distance. "That's quite selfish! You should learn to share!" it chastised.Grim looked back at me and the Wolf Pokemon, calling out to us. "We got 'em a good distance away! Hurry up!" he said, before shrieking as a pickaxe narrowly missed him.I nodded, hanging off the top of the entrance and dropping down as Kai simply hopped to the ground. Just before we went in, we witnessed both Grim and Ace's attacks combining and making a massive firewall, fully separating the monster from us."Grrraaahh?!"We entered, sprinting down the mines and following the rails to the area where we first encountered the beast, and saw a positively thick and colorful stone glowing like no other. This was no doubt what made such a gleam earlier, and I pointed to it while standing to the side."This is it, girl. Could you claw it out? We can't damage it, but it's way too deep into the wall." I commanded, and she went up to the stone and scratched at the dirt surrounding the gem. "Roc!"After some time, I was able to pull the stone out of its place. Opening the bag hung around my shoulder, I set it in the pocket where I usually keep my treasures and gave Kai a quick pat. "Nice job, let's get outta here. Hopefully, they're holding up well.""-You gotta add more weight!""Y-you mean something heavier?""HURRY! It's almost free!"Outside, the wall of fire had been reduced to small sparks on the charred grass. The monster was lying on the ground, its head facing the mine while being held down by a cauldron. If they hadn't trapped it there, we probably would've been.. um... cooked."Ah! Uh, I summon a... Cauldron! And also, uh... Um... Another cauldron!" Deuce yelled, getting increasingly stressed. "And a cauldron on top of that! All the cauldrons!""Nnngaaaah!""Dude, is that the only goddamn thing you can think of?!" Ace asked, making Deuce get defensive. "Shut up! I'm worked up enough as it is!" he replied."Look! They got the stone!" Grim shouted. At this, the monster grew very, very angry."MY STOOONE!"In its fit of rage, it pushed off the mound of cauldrons Deuce laid on him. Before it could fully rise, both me and the Wolf Pokemon hurried across the clearing, and bounced off the vial of ink on its head to rejoin the group.Skidding to a stop, Kai stood in front of me, ready for battle. "Are you fuckin' serious right now?! How'd it push all that shit off?!" Ace gawked. "Ouhh... Giiive it baaaack!" it demanded.Now that the beast stood, the others turned tail and ran. Token came by me and Kai's side, and Diancie followed the boys since it wasn't much suited for battle, which I can understand. "It's way too strong, we've gotta get outta here!" the ginger yelled."There's no way- wh- [Y/N]! What the hell are you doing?!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed, turning around and stopping."We've gotta get rid of this thing. It could follow us, or someone else might run into it." I replied, widening my stance in case I needed to move out of the way. "Uuughh! Fine! Try not to piss your pants, Deucey!" Ace taunted, running back to my side."Kai, Bulk Up! Token, Grass Knot!" I commanded, watching as the Wolf Pokemon increased in size, steam rising off her as the Mouse Pokemon pulled strands of grass into knots, tripping the monster over its thick, gooey substance for legs. Leg-? Legs? I don't know.The monster groaned, falling down and cracking the vial for a head on the ground. I furrowed my brows at the sight, an idea coming to mind. "Guys, try to target the ink bottle! I think if we break it, we get rid of this thing for good." I said, my team nodding.Deuce and Ace seemed to get the message, but Deuce shrieked out in astonishment. "Did Kai just get bigger-?!" I groaned out, avoiding the monster's swinging lantern. "I told you, we can talk about it later!"I looked back to Diancie, motioning it forward. "I know you might not believe in your abilities, but I need you!" I called out, and earned a hesitant nod from the Jewel Pokemon as it hovered forward."Token, I need you to try and get an opening for Kai by using Nuzzle. Hopefully it paralyzes, and then I want Kai to use Psychic Fangs!" I barked, the Mouse Pokemon immediately directing the monster's attention to herself as she rubbed at her cheeks and threw herself at its figure.Sparks of lighting went off, shocking the bottle and leaving particles to flicker around it as the monster found it difficult to move. "Nice! Get in there, Kai!" I said, the Wolf Pokemon growling as a barrier shaped in purple fangs bit down on the vial."GraaahghhH! Giiive... STOOOONEEE!"The crack slowly grew bigger and bigger, and I reached my hand out to the monster. "Diancie, you're up. Use Bulldoze!" It nodded, charging forward with an orange aura surrounding it as it rammed its body head-first into the glass and quickly retreated back to my side.I pat its jeweled head, seeing as the bottle was so incredibly close to being destroyed, I looked back to the boys who were watching with awe, pointing at both Grim and Ace. "We need another firewall! The same one you did when I was entering the mine." I ordered, and Ace stepped forward."Don't gotta tell me twice! Hurry up and get over here, Grim!" he said, to which Grim wasn't too pleased with. "Wha?! But I'm exhausted... I can't blow that much fire again!" he retorted, and I kneeled beside him."Trappola will fan your flames for you. I just need you to try once more, kay?" I assured, and the ginger spoke up again. "Yeah, remember how I can make your weak-ass fumes into a whole fuckin' forest fire." At this, the cat hissed out at Ace."Hey! I'm the strongest mage in the world, I don't need any assistance! ...But I'm hungry, so I'll allow you to help me." he announced, spitting his blue flames. Ace responded by immediately pushing out a gust of wind with his pen.The small flicker quickly became a massive storm of fire, landing a direct hit onto the bottle of ink, successfully doing the last of the damage needed to destroy the glass. The crack burst, the black substance spilling and leaking down as the monster groaned out in pain."Ouuughhh... NOOooo...!" it cried, slowly melting into the floor, the ink dissolving into the grass and fading out of existence.Grim panted as we watched the monster basically disappear. "Is it... is it over?" Ace asked, Deuce following up. "I think... we won? We fucking won!" he cheered, the other boys doing the same as they huddled closer and high-fived. "Holy shit, I thought we were cooked!" Ace said, letting out an exasperated laugh as he placed a hand on Deuce's shoulder.Token quickly bumped into Diancie, pushing it over to me as Kai ran up and all knocked me over as they themselves cheered. I let out a yelp as I was tackled into a crouch, but quickly laughed aloud as I stabled myself and they cuddled up to me."Oh, shit- Bahahah! Guys, c'mon-" I struggled to say, giving them quick pats as I stumbled to my feet. "You guys did an amazing job. All of you." I complimented, looking at the boys as well. "Glad to see you guys are capable of letting go of your hatred."All three of the boys immediately backed away from each other after hearing my words, eyes wide as they scowled. "Uh- I don't think that had anything to do with it." Deuce muttered, his brows furrowing."Yeah! Spare us the cliches, [Y/N]!" Ace said, rolling his eyes. "These dweebs hardly did anything! We won 'cause of me!" Grim shouted, crossing his arms. "This is all from me bein' a magical genius!"The boys shook their heads, growing to tolerate the cat's constant claims of being the best. I made a weird face, frowning as I scoffed and turned back to my Pokemon. I crouched down and mumbled to them. "Pokemon are so much better than people."They nodded along, and Ace seemed to loosen up a little. "Y'know... I hate to admit it, but... We mostly won because of your plan, [Y/N]." he said, Deuce following up with a sigh. "For sure. If you hadn't managed to keep your cool and tell us all what to do, we never would have got this magestone."His shoulders slumped as the blue haired boy let out a weak chuckle. "Now I won't get expelled... And wow, is THAT a relief!" My facial expression noticeably relaxed, standing straight again as I picked Grim up."Realest. Nice to see no one was snapped in half. Now we can get back and shove this shit in Crowley's face." I said, pulling out the magestone so everyone can see."Yeah, yeah, we're all okay, lessons were learned, yadda yadda. Let's get the fuck outta here, yeah? My whole body's sore." Ace butted in, a bored smile spreading on his lips. I rolled my eyes, planting a lighthearted punch to his arm."Usin' all that magic made me hungry!" Grim complained. Grim's ears flew up as he seemingly spotted something. "Huh? Wassat?" he asks before jumping out of my arms and picking it up. "Is that part of the monster we just beat?" Deuce inquired."It looks like... a magestone? But it's black as coal! I've never seen one like that before." he continued. Grim sniffed it, smiling curiously. "What is this? It smells amazing!"Ace looked disgusted, his face scrunching up. "Are you insane?!" he shouted, but Grim paid him no mind. "Must be some kinda fancy monster candy that it was hidin' from us!""If this tastes half as good as it smells..." He placed it in his mouth, and his blue eyes were blown wide. I gasped, kneeling beside him and patting his back and holding my palm face-up under his chin. "Ah- hey! Spit it out! Bad kitty, spit it out!" I hurried to say, but he's clearly already swallowed it.He scrambled away from me, stopping in his tracks as he shrieked. "Myaaah!" Deuce came forward, shocked. "Are you okay?!" Ace shook his head, sighing. "That's what you get for eating some shit off the ground!"The cat groaned, curling up a little before abruptly pumping his fist into the air. "That... was amazing!" The ADeuce duo were once again bewildered. "What?!" they gawked, meanwhile I raised a brow with a deep scowl."Rich in flavor and full-bodied... Like sweet, fragrant flowers burstin' into bloom on my tongue. A whole field of 'em! Right in my mouth!" he gushed, and I just stood back up as my face crinkled together. "Who the fuck are you? Gurdurr Ramsey?"The boys gave me a weird look, but not as weird as they were staring at Grim with heavy judgment. "Disgusting. Monsters must have real weird tastes." Ace said, Deuce following up. "Discovery of the century.""Most humans don't take random stuff they find on the ground and just pop it into their mouths..." he says. I shrugged, starting to get over the situation. "Back home, there was one Pokemon that would feed on gems." I said, resting a hand on my hip as I shifted my weight over to one leg."Myah ha ha ha! Man, was that great! Don't worry about me. I don't got a weak stomach like you humans do!" Grim announced. Ace shook his head again, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Hah. We'll see if you've got that shit-eating grin when you feel like you're dying later tonight."Deuce changed the topic, not wanting to waste anymore time. "Alright alright, c'mon! We need to get the stone to the Headmage before sun-up." he said, getting the rest of us in the right headspace.I nodded, pulling two pokeballs that belonged to the Mouse and Jewel Pokemon. "We've gotta get going. Thanks for the help, you guys." Token grinned, lifting a paw into a salute. "Raichu, Rai!" Diancie hummed, giving me a subtle bow. "It was a pleasure to serve you."Both of them were engulfed in beams of light, dissolving into them as the pokeballs opened and closed. Hanging them on my belt, I turned to Ace and Deuce. The ginger blinked as his brows raised, sighing as he started to walk."We are so continuing our conversation after all of this, by the way!" he shouted from along the path, and I smiled to Deuce as Kai rubbed herself against his leg. "...Th-this is normal, right?" he asked. I let out an airy laugh, leaving his question unanswered as I broke into a sprint."Race you back to the mirror!"•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•"Pardon?! You're telling me you actually went to the Dwarf's Mine in search of a magestone?" the bird-man asked. As soon as my foot hit the step in front of the mirror, the first thing I heard was Crowley's voice. Although it wasn't pleasant, I was slowly starting to get used to it.The boys behind me looked shocked about the fact that the Headmage hadn't believed we would. "Uh..? Yes?" they said simultaneously, and Crowley crossed his arms in thought."I didn't expect that you'd seriously do it. And never in my wildest imaginings did I think you would actually return with a magestone!" he said, his beady yellow eyes behind his mask staring down at us with shock."And here I spent all evening preparing your expulsion documents." he added. And I sighed through my nose. "Thanks for the benefit of the doubt." I said monotonously, walking past him with the posture of a shrimp."Are you serious?! While we were fightin' some crazy monster for you, you were expelling us?!" Grim shrieked. The Headmage tilted his head, crossing his arms in thought. "Monster...?" he repeated.Ace scowled, stepping forward. "Yeah, there was a monster, all right. A big, nasty one. It nearly killed us!" Crowley hummed, looking between the five of us. "Would you kindly relate this story in full?"At this I groaned audibly, my head flying back as I stuffed my hands in my pockets and continued to walk.•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•Now in Crowley's office, we recited the story in full. Including the parts where I blabbed about my very mild issue. The boys sat straight out of respect, Deuce stiff and Ace with his arms crossed. I meanwhile, had Grim sitting on my stomach as I sank very deeply into the chair while my legs were spread out lazily on the carpet, Kai under them.I think we can tell who the most feminine one of us is.The Headmage hummed, his hand brought to his chin. "So a mysterious monster was living in the mines. And the five- seven of you worked together to destroy it, and then brought its magestone back to me?" he summed up.Ace scratched the back of his head, his eyes gazing around the room cooly. "I wouldn't exactly call it "working together.." Deuce nodded, sitting back in his chair. "It was more like we just happened to share the same goal at the same time..."I let out a loud scoff in the form of a short laugh, my head turning to face the wall to my right. Suddenly... the Headmage started fucking crying. I mean bawling."Oh, gracious!" he sobbed, burying his face into his golden-tipped fingers. I stared at him uneasily with wide eyes, raising a brow. "What is this guy's deal?! Burstin' into tears in public at his age?!" Grim asked, as shocked as the rest of us."In all the decades I've worked at this school..." he started. "The day has finally come when the students of Night Raven College have joined hands together to defeat a common foe!"Deuce immediately went on the defensive, sneering. "Whoa! No! No way would I join hands with that guy!" Ace's eyes were blown wide as he cut off Deuce. "Okay, one, there was no joining of hands- gross."I butted in, giving Grim soft scratches behind his ear as he quietly purred, but still paying attention to the conversation. "He meant figuratively, you cocksuckers." I said, earning a dirty look from every other human in the room, Crowley included. Although, I'm sure Crowley only looked up because I cursed."Two- exactly HOW old are you, Headmage?" Ace continued, ignoring me. Crowley, who went back to sobbing, shook his head. "At this moment, I am moved beyond words. This incident has proven my hopes were justified.""Mister [L/N], my doubts are allayed! For you... You possess the talents of a beastmaster!" he declared, but I was unimpressed. "...It's sort of included in my career as a Pokemon trainer." I said, not very entertained by the conversation."My students have all been selected by the Dark Mirror for their exceptional talent and potential. But great talent begets great pride and big egos." he began, insulting Ace and Deuce right to their faces."Most are so self-reliant and self-centered that they never even consider cooperating with others." he said, earning a long, mocking laugh at me as I subtly glanced over to the ADeuce duo, who were deadpanning at me.Nevermind, I'm very entertained.Crowley crossed his arms, looking back at me sternly as my laughter died down. "But you, Mister [L/N], possess no magic. Yet in spite of that-or perhaps because of it-you were able to convince those who can use magic to work together for a common goal.""The everyday, humdrum mundanity you possess may be exactly what Night Raven College needs!" he beamed, and I could hear snickering from my left as my brows raised and I held a dry smile."Thanks, Headmage." I thanked sarcastically, and Ace piped up while fighting off a smile. "But- none of those words were good things?""Mister [L/N]... I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. My educator's intuition tells me so. Trappola, Spade- I hereby revoke your pending expulsions!" he proclaimed."Huh. Did your educator's intuition also tell you to dress like that every morning?" I asked, catching everyone off guard. I raised a hand, my lips pressing to a thin line. "My bad. I start insulting people when I get nervous."Crowley, who probably didn't even hear my subliminal dig on him, raised his hands to his hips as he puffed out his chest. "Furthermore, [L/N]... I am granting you the qualifications necessary to attend school at Night Raven College!" he announced.Everyone but me and Crowley screamed out in shock."WHAT?!"I wasn't all that shocked, in fact this is what I was nervous about. I could smell it coming from last week."Of course. This is extraordinarily kind of me." he preened, a wide smile showing under his mask's beak. I just stared, unsure of how to respond. "However, there is one condition. Your inability to use magic is, for a mage, unacceptable. You would not be able to adequately pursue the school's curriculum!""As for you, Grim... Your actions today have made it clear that you possess sufficient talent to become a mage." He said, turning his attention to the cat on my lap. "In light of the total sum of your respective circumstances, you and Mister [L/N] will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College."Grim's face lit up, and he stared at the Headmage with awe. "I... I'll get to go to this school...? As an actual student? Not a janitor?!" he asked, and Crowley nodded. "Correct. However! There must be no further incidents like the one that occurred today. Are we clear?" he finished, a stern look on his face.The cat on my lap began to break out into a sob. "Myah... Myah... [Y/N], I- I finally..." he began, and pumped a little paw into the air. "MYAAAAH! I finally did it!" I was happy for him, but it was also nerve-wracking because it meant I had to go too.Crowley turned to me, a little confused. "...You seem troubled, Mister [L/N]. Should you not be jumping for joy at this opportunity?" he questioned. I shook my head, watching as Grim bounced off my lap to dance around my seat."I don't know- I... I just don't think I'll be a good fit here. Especially since I'm from a different world, which I would hope to get back to." I replied."Joining this school means it would be an obstacle for me in order to get back to where I'm supposed to be." I looked up at him, my expression much softer than the usual glare I usually give the bird-man. "I'm not supposed to be here."He nodded, bringing his clawed fingers to his chin. "I can see why you might be hesitant to take my offer... But wouldn't you say that this school would give you a place to find refuge, and the resources necessary to search for a way to return to your world?"I pursed my lips, my head dipping to the side slightly. "I suppose that's true..." Ace and Deuce kept staring at me expectantly, which made me even more anxious about how to reply. Grim climbed up on my lap again."If you join, then you can watch the Great Grim grow stronger every day and go on grand adventures as his henchman!" he said, seemingly panicking about my inability to decide."Contain yourself, Grim. Mister [L/N] has not yet accepted or denied this offer. What say you, [L/N]?" Crowley interrupted. Grim looked back at him, before looking at me with big doe eyes as they started to water. I could tell he was trying to hold his tears, but he's been dreaming about going here for as long as he could remember.I couldn't take this away from him. I can't do that to him.I inhaled through my nose, planting my hand on the cat's head as I scratched it. "Alright, count me in." I finally decided. "Splendid! Do not fret, [L/N]. Should you not find the time to search for a way home, I will be assisting you by foraging through books in the library." Crowley assured.I nodded, smiling up at him while Grim started cheering again. "Myahahah! I'm finally gonna get to wear the sweet uniform, and cast spells left and right!" he bubbled. Crowley spread his arms out, light flecks of gold encasing his tipped fingers."Accordingly, I will now present to Grim the magestone that is issued to every student here." he smiled, a purple gem hanging from the collar that held Grim's bow not even a second later. "It is typically attached to the "magic pen" that each student uses. But I suspect your paws cannot handle implements." he clarified."Therefore, I have a custom solution for you! Is it possible that I am, in fact, too kind?" he asked himself, and I rolled my eyes as Grim looked down at the stone. "I look awesome! A magestone collar, to be worn only by the legendary archmage, Grim!" he bragged, and Crowley deadpanned."You're not listening to anything I say, are you?" he grunted, and I scoffed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. "You're no different."He seemingly ignored me, and started to wrap up the conversation. "[L/N]. As you can plainly see, Grim remains oblivious to the customs of human society. You are to keep a tight rein on Grim, and ensure there are no further incidents!" he scolded, and I stood up from my seat, Grim in my arms."Sure thing, boss." I replied, and Ace and Deuce seemed to be welcomed into the conversation again. "Wow, that's quite the promotion. From janitor to student to prefect, all in the span of a day." Ace inquired, his lazy grin adorning his features."Oh, I see. So if your dorm is just you two... And the Headmage is putting you in charge of Grim, that makes you... the dorm prefect." Deuce said, mirroring Ace's expression with a smile of his own.Ace sat straighter in his chair, giving me a close-eyed smirk. "Well, that's gotta be a Night Raven first! A magic-less prefect? But sure, why not? Whatever works!" he humored."Good luck to you, Prefect. Let's see that same spirit you showed us in the Dwarf's Mine!" Deuce congratulated.I shrugged, shifting my weight to one leg. "Thanks, Spade. I'm pretty confident in my abilities to tame ornery, irritable beasts who constantly go after other's throats. Like I did with you guys!" I said, intentionally insulting them with the widest smile.The ginger let out a puff of air as his cheery expression faded rather quickly, while the blue haired boy chuckled nervously as his brows furrowed."Ah, yes. I suppose that does make you a prefect. I just so happen to have a job for you, and that title will make it all the easier to foist... er, I mean, congratulations!" Crowley sweatdropped, trying to disregard the way my head slowly turned to him with an unnerving smile."Now, I have something for you." Crowley said, handing me an antique-looking camera. "This is called a ghost camera." I held it in my hands, turning it certain ways, analyzing it. "Ghost camera?" I asked.Ace leaned closer, trying to get a good look as well. "Ooh, my grandma's told me about those. Those are, like, super old magic items, right?" The Headmage seemingly choked on his spit, and crossed his arms."I would hardly consider them "super old..." ahem. But it may indeed have been invented when your great or great-great-grandmother was a child. It's a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic." he retorted.He veered the topic away from the camera being old, and more to its function. "It enables the user to photograph not just the subject's physical form, but parts of their soul itself." he clarified.Deuce squinted, taking the camera out of my hands and examining it himself. "Wait, that sounds... sketchy." he said, and I nodded along. "Seems a little Scooby-Skiddo." I added.They raised a brow at me, but Crowley continued his yapping. "They're called Memories. Here's the thing: when the soulbond between photographer and subject deepens... The Memories captured in this magic camera's photos come jumping out!" he further explained.I hummed, muttering to myself. "So it's sorta like Mega Evolution for photographers...""When the photographer and subject grow closer, their photographs grow animated like videos... And sometimes the photographs take on corporeal form and slip out." he followed, smiling widely. "Is that not what you youths would call "wicked keen?""Deuce handed the device back to me, looking back up at the bird-man. "That almost sounds like ghost photography!" he said. I clicked my tongue, mumbling to him. "I mean, it's called a ghost camera...""I understand it was developed as a more vivid way to capture moments in time, in an age before video. As Spade observed, in days of yore, when people saw Memories jumping out of photos they would get spooked and yell, "Ghost!" the Headmage crowed.The bird-man smiled, which was slightly odd with how underwhelming this was. "I've heard many a tale of people who were deathly scared of being photographed by such cameras." Ace groaned slightly, shaking his head. "This tech sounds like way more trouble than it's worth.""[L/N]. I would like you to photograph Grim and the other students with this camera, and make a record of your campus life." Crowley requested, and I carefully placed it into my bag, in the pocket where I usually kept my key items."I suppose it's the least I can do to repay you were allowing me to stay here." I said, taking up the task. Grim laughs confidently, his flailing his paws around from his place on my shoulder that he climbed up to earlier. "Myah ha haaa! Sounds like the perfect way to immortalize all my finest moments!"Crowley turned stern, placing his hands on his hips. "Ahem... Make especially certain to capture the mischief caused by certain students who struggle with impulse control." he spoke. "Keeping a photographic journal sounds far less tedious than writing me lengthy reports, wouldn't you agree?" he asked.I rolled my eyes, watching as Ace and Deuce started to rise from their seats. "As a prefect, consider it your duty to maintain a sharp eye on your surroundings and record them. Note how generous I'm being in providing a rare magical item that even someone like yourself can use." he concluded. "Is my kindness not beyond all reckoning?"Now our time here was coming to an end, and we would soon be going back to our dorms. Thank ARCEUS."The hour has grown late, so further details shall have to wait till the morrow. You are all dismissed, return to your dorms." he said."Good night, sir!" all boys said, Kai staying ever quiet as she stretched from under my chair. Before they could leave, I spoke up again. "Actually Crowley, I need to talk to you about something before I go. You guys are free to go back to your dorms if you don't want to wait up."Ace tilted his head, Deuce freezing as his hand touched the door. "Alright then- don't take too long." Ace said, Deuce giving me a small smile as the ginger and the grey cat left the room. "We'll wait up for you." he assured.It was just me and the Headmage now, and I crossed my arms. "Hmm? What is it you'd like to speak to me about, Mister [L/N]? I'm sure you have plenty of your beasts to tend to." he questioned."That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, sir. I'm sure you're aware I have a wide array of Pokemon, and the dorm isn't suitable for most, if not all of them." I replied. He folded his hands as he scooted his chair closer to his desk, nodding."You are saying you need permission to revamp the dorm to make it more habitable for your Pokemon, are you not?" He guessed, and I hummed. "Yes, sir. And if you have it, a garden to plant my own crops." I added."I'm sure the crops I have aren't local, and my Pokemon are accustomed to it- while I can also trust the ingredients I use and their effects." I clarified.I know I was probably asking for too much, but I tried to butter the bird-man up a little to heighten my chances. "Since you're so kind, I'm sure you can spare some space for me. And in repayment to your generosity, I can share with you some of the crops I grow."He sighed, bringing a hand to his chin in thought. "Well... There is a place that comes to mind. We have a botanical garden on campus for students and staff to gather resources." he confessed, but seemed to come to better senses."If you're going to share a sum of your intake, then I suppose we can add it to a few of our cuisines in the lunchroom. How much of a quantity would you say you would be willing to share? Just so I have an idea." he said, entertaining the idea.Thinking of the portions I usually feed to the amount of Pokemon I have, plus the supply I already have, I came to a suitable amount to please the both of us. "I'm thinkin'... twenty to thirty percent. I can give you a list of what I'll grow, plus their flavors and effects." I answered."...Very well. I give you use of your own section in the botanical garden, as well as the capability to shape your dorm to your liking, under the condition that it stays within the dorm's perimeter." he caved in, and I smiled brightly.I nodded, reaching for the door. "Thank you sir, you are far too benign compared to the rats you have to deal with here!" I complimented, heading out the door as he started to speak to himself. "How right you are, Mister [Y/N]. How right you are."As soon as the door clicked shut, I looked at you, and grinned. "I meant Google's second definition for benign."I heard a voice from beside me, and looked to see the boys with questioning looks. "Who the fuck're you talkin' to?" Ace asked.The ginger and grey cat were the most disturbed, but the blue haired boy was currently petting the Wolf Pokemon's belly. I shook my head, my grin growing wider. "What do you mean? I never said anything." I said.Ace sighed, coming off of the wall he was leaning on. "...I'm sure you might need some medication." he mumbled. I scoffed, putting on a mockingly snooty look as I whispered loudly. "Whatever, I'm not real. Just watch me and Deuce disappear after you take your old people pills." I retorted.He rolled his eyes, unsuccessfully fighting off a smile. Deuce stood back up on his feet, Kai doing the same as they sauntered over. "As amazing as it would be to fade out of existence, I'm just glad that we managed to avoid expulsion. That was way too close." he said, changing the topic."For sure..." Ace agreed. Down the hall, Grim was skipping away as he sang to himself. "Lalala la la! I'm a student at Night Raven College! La lala!" he bragged. "I'm gonna be the top mage on campus in no time. Enjoy eating my dust, boys!""Big talk for a sentient pile of lint who's literally only half a student." the ginger insulted, receiving a strike of the elbow from me. "Ack- Still... Good for you."Deuce chuckled, standing beside me while Ace was on my other side. "I guess we're schoolmates now. Welcome to Night Raven, guys." he welcomed. I shrugged, folding my hands in front of me. "Who knows? Maybe this'll be relaxing for me." I said.At least there won't be mountains of challengers and paperwork up my ass.His brows shot up, eyes slightly widening. "Wh- relaxing? You squared off against that monster with what looked like no effort, and that's relaxing to you? That takes a whole lot of guts." he questioned."Ehh. Y'know, before I got here, I was supposed to be going back to my home-region from vacation." I said. Ace gave me a look. "Vacation?"I nodded, crouching and holding my arms out for Kai to come over. "Yeah, to Alola, one of the most tropical regions around. I guess me going to this school is kinda extending it, I suppose." I elaborated. The Wolf Pokemon had her tongue sticking out at she panted, rubbing the rocks around her neck against my own.It stung a little, but I knew she meant well so I just laughed it off. "Well hey, with steel nerves like that, you'll be fine- even in this school." Deuce comforted."Say, what's the deal with you sometimes talking like a punk, anyway?" Ace asked, a little disturbed as he turned to Deuce. The boy in question seemed to tense up, tripping over his words. "Huh?! D-do I? I think I talk pretty normal." he replied.I squinted, and so did the ginger- but he couldn't care less. "Whatever. Let's just get back to the dorm. After nearly getting expelled, the last thing we need is a curfew violation." Ace said, brushing off Deuce's defensive state.Deuce turned to me, Grim returning to my side after he started paying attention again. "We're from Heartslabyul House, by the way. What dorm are you guys in?" he asked, and I pressed my lips into a thin line."The dorm we're in has been abandoned for years... We've taken to callin' it "Ramshackle House." The ol' dump is literally full of ghosts." Grim complained, and I flicked the tip of his ear. "Well, I'm fully confident in my Pokemon's ability to fix it up, just wait." I said."Yeesh. Y'know, you can bunk with us any time you like~" Ace suggested, a wide shit-eating grin on his face. I rolled my eyes, knowing he was only joking. "You fuckin' wish, Trappola," I replied, and Deuce sighed exasperatedly.Deuce looked over at me, crossing his arms. "I've been meaning to ask you... How come you've been referring to us as our last names?" he asked, tilting his head. Ace nodded along, pursing his lips. "Yeah, it's a little weird."My expression seemed to have turned more sheepish as I looked up at the boys. "Have I? Shit, I have- that's my bad, habit I've got. I'm used to quick, formal introductions." I apologized, earning a weird look from the ginger. "Who the fuck do you talk to in your world?" he inquired.I let out a sigh, shaking my head slightly. "People who are closer to the end of their lives than I am." I answered, making him snort a little."Alright, say bye, baby," I said to the Wolf Pokemon, earning a small whine from her before she left my arms. She went up to Deuce, standing on her back paws while using her front paws to balance herself as she placed them on his chest, rubbing the rocks on her neck affectionately against his before doing the same to Ace."Huh. Can't wait to get back onto the bed and take a fat nap..." Grim grumbled, crossing his arms as he paid no mind to Kai saying her goodbyes. I rolled my eyes, standing up and stretching my back. "You're just going to sleep on my neck. Or my belly," I replied."Ack-" Deuce groaned out. "That stings a bit..." he mumbled, while on the other hand Ace laughed a bit as the Lycanroc did so. "It's how Lycanrocs show their affection." I clarified, earning a small, content bark from her."Sooo... I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. I was terrible at any sort of goodbye, and I'm sure they could tell. Kai came back to my side, and I began to walk off in one direction, the boys walking down the other.Ace shouted over his shoulder as he and Deuce walked back, a small "Night," leaving him. Before they turned the corner, I could hear their light conversation in the distance."Kai is awfully sweet." Deuce said, his voice getting farther. "Hah, you're funny. She wouldn't stop growlin' at me when I met [Y/N] earlier." Ace replied, folding his arms behind his head."Maybe it's cuz you're terribly unlikeable.""Wh- What the fuck is your problem?!"I chuckled a bit as their voices died off, Grim still walking beside me with a smile that had a brightness that could rival the sun. "I can't believe I finally did it!" he cheered, hopping around."I'm proud of you, kitty. Let's get a good rest, kay? We've got a big day tomorrow." I grinned, my shoulders slumping at the idea of having to go to school again. Both the cat and the Wolf Pokemon gave me a light affirming response, taking our sweet time as we walked. •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• I knocked on our dorm's door, Houdini opening up to greet me. "Lopunny!" It beamed, stepping aside to let us in. "Thanks, girl." I cooed, giving her soft scritches under her chin."Mrow... This place looks great!" Grim proclaimed, his blue eyes going wide at the sight of the interior.Grim was right, the place looked amazing. Every speck of dust and cobwebs were removed, every piece of broken furniture nowhere in sight. Every unaligned wooden board was straightened or repaired, the holes in the ceiling repaired.The only things left to do were to fix the plumbing and electricity, replace the glass on the windows and decorate. Not bad."Wow... You guys did an amazing job! You all deserve a break." I spoke, giving Rue and Clive head pats when they came up to me.Willow followed up, standing at my feet. His eyes and gem turned a bright blue, signaling he wanted to speak to me. Using Psychic, he reached into my head.I kneeled down when he did, his voice ringing in my head. "Welcome back, [Y/N]. I'm happy you're pleased with our work." he said softly, rubbing his face against my knee."How could I not? You've all exceeded my expectations and more." I smiled down at the Sun Pokemon, watching him rub his face and cheeks against my knee like a cat. Grim gave me a weird look, clearly judging. "Who're you talkin' to?""Willow. He speaks using telepathy." I responded, to which the Espeon turned to Grim, letting out a small "Espe."Grim shrugged it off, walking over to some other part of the dorm. I gave Willow a quick pet, standing up. "Rotom." I said suddenly, my phone whizzing out of my sleeve."Present!" It said cheerfully, and I knew it was teasing me. "Stawp it." I muttered, furrowing my brows. "Kehehe, I couldn't resist! Going back to school tomorrow? Willingly?" it continued, floating around my head.I waved my hand, signaling for it to come closer. I scrolled through some apps after I set the pokeballs I had down on the table where the others were. I selected a few more Pokemon to join my party, the containments appearing on my belt.I sighed deeply, closing the app and watching Rotom's smirking face fill the screen. "Believe me, I wish I wasn't. And now, since I have no record of education in this world, I gotta try extra hard. Ain't know way I'm gonna have my first report card in this world come out with Cs and Ds. Embarrassing."Dancie came up to me, tugging on my sleeve. "Miss [Y/N]?" it asked, looking up at me with big eyes. "Yeah, D?" I answered, patting the gem on her head."I've noticed you haven't been correcting people when they've been calling you "Sir" or "Mister..." May I ask why?" it questioned, folding its small hands together.I laughed a bit, rolling my eyes. "Cuz if these guys knew I was a girl, I would be totally cooked. It's easy to see that this place is an all-boys school, and I'd rather not have some sort of harassment issues, or worse... Awkward exchanges."It nodded, giving me a small smile. "I see. I'll be sure to refer to you as a male when we're surrounded by your peers." it reassured, floating off.I suddenly clapped my hands together, gathering the attention of my Pokemon as I released the last few still contained in their pokeballs."Alright! Thank you guys for cleanin' the dorm, and I want you to relax for a day or two. But then, we're gonna hafta set up some sort of area behind the dorm that has a place for every one of my Pokemon, including you guys.""It's gonna take a lot of work, but it'll be damn well worth it since I'm pretty sure we're staying here for the long run." I spoke out, making sure every beast could hear me. They each gave a call of their name, going back to their business.I huffed, looking down at the pokeballs I had just acquired and smiling softly. I tossed them up, releasing a Gardevoir, Haunter and Meowstic."Voir." The Embrace Pokemon said softly, giving me a small nod as a greeting. "Hey, girl." I cooed, smiling at Haunter and Meowstic after, the two of them floating near my face."You guys can hang with this dorm's ghosts, get to know 'em a bit and keep 'em entertained so they don't disturb any of the Pokemon's sleep." I said, to which they nodded and wandered off. I had plenty of experience with Ghost-type Pokemon tormenting us at night, and I wasn't very fond.Magnolica on the other hand, my Gardevoir, usually liked staying out of combat and taking care of me and the other Pokemon. Strangely, she gave off a sort of motherly vibe, always being soft and kind with all of the other Pokemon. Even the easily aggravated ones loved her.She would easily be a caretaker, she would even be great in Pokemon Centers, no doubt.We did what we usually did as a show of affection, pressing our foreheads together for a moment. When we pulled away, I let out a deep breath. "You have no idea how exhausted I am...Magnolica's eyes began to glow a bright blue, speaking to me the same way Willow did. "We should get you to bed then. You best be fixing your sleep schedule now that you're going to be attending school again." she coaxed, patting my back."No, can't yet... Gotta feed the Pokemon..." I mumbled, looking as if I was going to collapse and fall asleep on the spot.She grabbed my arm, the other hand nudging me toward the stairs. "I'll take care of it for you, you go upstairs and get in your hours." she offered, walking me up to the attic. I gave her an appreciative smile, walking where she led me."Thanks, Maggie... You're too kind." I chuckled, opening the door to the attic. I noticed how the fairy lights were lit, my shoulders un-tensing after I realized Zephyr came up to give them a spark.Magnolica smiled, letting me go. "Just taking care of you, [Y/N]. Goodnight.""Mm... Leave the door cracked so Chip 'n Grim can come in later" I whispered, dragging myself forward and falling onto the bed. •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• I was wakened from my sleep, my voice groggy as I moaned a bit from the disturbance. Chip was draped over my neck like a scarf, Grim curled up next to my side as he mumbled occasionally.I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before gently grabbing the Evolution Pokemon by the torso and setting her beside Grim. I sat up, dry-washing my face. I could feel the eye bags on my face, and it wasn't very pleasant.Aegislash was awake in the corner of the room, as it usually was. It always stayed by my side while I slept, acting as some sort of knight to guard me. It grunted to gain my attention, floating toward the door.I shook my head, waving it off at if to tell it to stand down. "Just stay here, Cal. It's fine..." I whispered, pushing my messy hair away from my face and standing up before stretching. I lazily made my way down the stairs, barely able to see in the darkness of the dorm.Once again, I had to step over the snoozing forms of scattered Pokemon, making my way to the dorm. The knocking grew more insistent, and a bit louder.Haunter and Meowstic were still awake, which wasn't very surprising. They both didn't pay me any mind, floating about. "It's me, Ace! Just let me in, all right?""Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'..." I hissed, the knocking a bit more aggressive. I finally made it to the door, swinging it open. "Guh...?"I looked [UP/STRAIGHT/DOWN] at the ginger in front of me, my brow raised as I looked at him through hooded eyes."I can't go back to Heartslabyul House. I'm joining your dorm. For good."  ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

•┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈• 
The ginger held his hand up to his face in a peace-sign, winking. "You can call me Cay-Cay if you're cray-cray~!"
 
"...If you ever. In your life, say that again, you better pick a God and pray."
 ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 
THIS SEASON'S SONG:

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆 by Green Day
 •┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈•