UH. HI. FIRST AND FORMOST, please accept my apologies for being late by like... [proceeds to check the date...] SIX WEEKS. remember when I said I'd update on the 30th? the 30th of last month? yeah, I'm super sorry. Please accept my most sincere apologies, guys. 

[more information regarding my long ass hiatus in the end!]

IT WAS SAFE TO SAY ACE PROPERLY LOST HIS SHIT when he found out Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder later that night. At first he didn't even believe it, not until she popped out of her Pokéball in all her sparkly new glory.

"Practically reborn," he had shrieked, pointing at the creature like she was some sort of otherworldly eldritch being. Which she wasn't, but the look on Ace's face said he thought otherwise. Calming him down took a large deal of explaining and answering questions.

"Fletchinder, huh? Like... cinders, right? Nice wordplay," He said at last, eyeing the bird (who preened) up and down in a stunned fashion, "I still can't get over evolution, man. How can they just change?"

"Well you're gonna have to," Yuu quipped, letting Fletchinder perch on one of the couches in the lounge, "Most Pokémon can evolve."

"For real?" Deuce pointed to Milcery, who was sloshing around playfully in the bowl, "So you mean Milcery can evolve too? What about Noibat or... Sandslash?"

"What about Meowth? I don't want him to get bigger than me," Grim grumbled and crossed his arms. "Or Audino! She's already scary and rude enough, bah!"

"Wait." Ace gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. He whispered quietly, as if he was scared to say it aloud. "What about Mamoswine?"

Grim and Deuce froze. Fletchinder, on the other hand, hooted with laughter.

She wheezed at the terror-stricken expression on all three of their faces. "Okay, okay! Wipe that look off your faces, you're making us crack up. Milcery can evolve, so can Noibat and Meowth. But don't worry— Sandslash, Audino, and Mamoswine can't evolve any further."

They collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can kind of tell, you know? Since they both look more... Mature would be the best way to put it. That being said, I guess you can say that's why Fletchinder still has one more evol to go."

"She's not DONE?!"

Later, after dinner and showering, Yuu brought up the idea of having a sleepover in the lounge. And why not? The room was rather clean after she took the time to sweep the floors and remove some of the clutter last week. Ace was opposed to the idea until she said he would have to help clean up a room for Deuce to stay in.

Sleepover in the lounge it was.

They hauled three mattresses to the lounge and laid them in a large clearing on the floor. Deuce brought up the Mont Blanc tart and cut it up into six nice slices. She released her team out and they briefly rejoiced in Fletchinder's evolution. They were introduced to Milcery, who was welcomed with open arms.

The team enjoyed the tart (most of them, anyway), making satisfied noises as they ate. Really, Trey was some kind of god. Sandslash took one bite of his and decided he didn't like it. He was never one for sweets anyway. Grim and Meowth both called dibs and argued over the slice before Yuu suggested they split it between them.

(Later, she would go outside to summon Mamoswine in the backyard to feed him a slice. It was a tiny slice for someone of his stature, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. She let him roam around and browse on the shrubs for a while.)

The rest of the night consisted of card games, which Ace had brought along with him. They decided on playing Old Maid since it seemed easy enough for Grim to grasp. He had never played before. Yuu thought it was neat that Twisted Wonderland had some of the same card games as her homeworld. Perhaps this world wasn't as different as she had initially thought.

To his chagrin, Grim kept a consistent losing streak every single round. He insisted on playing the same game until he won (he never did). Fletchinder and Meowth had a healthy rivalry together, as did Ace and Deuce. Noibat, Sandslash, and Milcery were just happy to be along for the ride.

The true, unrivaled MVP of the game had to be Audino. She won so many times with her acute hearing that it sent Grim and Meowth into an accusatory outrage. Ace demanded they switch positions after she picked off every single card of his that was not the Queen.

Sleep did not come as easily to Yuu as it did for Grim or the rest of her team. In the dark of night, she could hear Ace call out to her.

"Hey. You're still awake?"

"Yeah."

"And I thought I was having trouble sleeping." She was reminded once more of the collar around his neck.

"Yeah, I was just... just thinking." She closed her eyes and sighed. His silence prompted her to continue. "About Milcery and Misdreavus and what I'm going to do with both of them. And how am I gonna break it to Crowley if another one shows up?"

There was a bout of silence before Ace said, "Remember, the Headmaster can't get mad at you 'cause it's not your fault. I can tell you're stressed about getting kicked out, right?"

How could he tell?

"—Well, don't be. Crowley said it himself," She could still hear his chuckle over Grim and Meowth's light snoring. "Your average mediocrity is the very thing to push this school in the right direction! So relax. You'll be fine."

"I still can't believe he said that about his own school."

Surprisingly enough, she discovered a different side to Ace she had never seen before. A softer side to him that she didn't mind (not at all). They shared one last laugh before sleep washed over her.

Once again, Yuu dreamt of something strange and almost... almost malicious. Again, there was that recurring theme of cards and roses and... just red. Lots of it. And the briefest appearance of a very angry lady. What she was angry over, she couldn't quite remember. The dream left a sour taste in her mouth nonetheless.

A hand nudged her softly. Once, then twice when she didn't respond. "Yuu."

"Wha?" Came her mumbled reply. She put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the morning sun.

"Today is the Unbirthday Party, remember?" Deuce was already folding his blankets. He placed it neatly on his pillow. How kind of him.

Why have a party so early in the morning, she would never understand.

During breakfast, her team started to wake up one by one until they were all seated. They had a terribly mediocre meal (bland, non-perishable food and the like), which must've added on to Ace's groggy mood. That collar must have taken a toll on him.

Unfortunately, Milcery didn't have a Pokéball to reside in. Yuu's team was already full, but she couldn't just leave her alone at Ramshackle... The ghosts always seemed to appear in and out of reality, so they weren't too dependable either. Sandslash and Fletchinder volunteered to look after their new friend.

The latter couldn't be seen in public anymore, unless they wanted to stir up suspicion. No doubt people would question how a bird miraculously tripled in size overnight. Could she perhaps, say it was the work of an aging potion gone wrong?

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. "I'll get the door," She quickly said, before Audino could. The last thing they needed was another repeat of the Ace incident.

Her jaw went slack at— lo and behold— Cater, waiting on their porch with a charming smile. "Nice to see your pretty face so early in the morning, Yuu-chan!"

Her mouth went dry and she thought back of the entire party of six Pokémon residing in her living room. Along with Mamoswine and Misdreavus, that was eight Pokémon.

"Ah. Um. Good morning to you as well, Cater-senpai."

She stood rigid at the doorway and he went to peek over her shoulder. Which wasn't a hard feat, considering she was only five feet and three inches tall. And he was half a foot taller than her. "Hey, where's Acey and Deucey?"

She realized all too soon that he was looking forward to meeting the other residents of Ramshackle Dorm.

"They'll... be out in a minute." Would it be possible to stall for time? She wasn't stupid, she knew what he was looking for: a glimpse of her Pokémon. She, Grim, and Deuce haven't exactly been tight-lipped about it. 

Nevertheless! Even if she had broken her promise to Crowley, Yuu would still like to cling onto whatever scraps of information she had left.

Cater wasn't stupid either, because he quickly caught onto what she was trying to do. "Come on, Yuu-chan, won't you let me inside? I just wanna say good morning to everyone!"

He batted his eyes prettily and she pursed her lips. Would it really be alright? Well... he already knew her biggest secret already, the appearance of random Wild Pokémon. As long as he didn't find out about the Pokéballs, shouldn't they be fine?

(For a brief moment, she wondered if his pretty face was playing a part in her decision-making.)

"Alright, then." She said, and he cheered. "But you can't tell a single person about this, alright? Not Trey-senpai, not Rosehearts-senpai." Especially Rosehearts-senpai! What would he do to her precious friends? Would he order her to dye them strange colors and swing them around like whack-a-Diglett?

"Not a single soul!"

She led him into the dining table, where everybody had just finished up throwing away the wrappers of their bland breakfast. She seriously needed a stove. And a fridge. Or just a working kitchen. She silently thanked him for not bringing up the state of the dorms, even after her cleaning.

"Ah, Cater-senpai." Deuce greeted when his head popped into view, tailing behind her.

"G'morning!" He sent him a wink. "So how was yesterday's sleepover~? Was it a fun night of pillow fights and card games?" Yuu could see his eyes widen as they swept across the room, silently counting the number of creatures that inhabited the dining table. Six... Six plus grim, that was seven...!

Milcery zipped across the room to greet him with a happy trill, hovering around him. He chuckled, giving her a quick pat. "Ah, the Milcery from last night? How are you~?"

"Yeah, we played a couple of cards." Ace snickered, "Grim didn't know the rules so he kept on picking old maid."

"Damn it! I couldn't win at all, it's not fair!" He cursed, whipping around to point accusingly at Audino (who stuck her tongue at him), "I dunno what kind of witchcraft she pulled, but she never lost even once!"

"Tell me about it," Ace complained dryly. He shook his fist, still in a sour mood at the unfair advantage she had, "You walkin' lying detector."

"Your face completely gives it away when you get the joker card, you know?" Deuce told Grim, "It's no wonder. Audino didn't even have to listen."

Sandslash shrugged and said something from where he was, seated at the table. Meowth translated for him. "Even if you got ya' best poker face on, it ain't got nothin' against her." He added his own words, "She's really a monster, y'know?"

She smacked him on the shoulder. "Au. Dino."

He gasped, offended at her insult (whatever it was). "You take that back right now!" Ace, Deuce, and Grim couldn't understand what exactly Audino had said, but everyone who did started to snicker.

"It's really a party in here, huh?" Cater whistled, laughing. His eyes landed on the new creatures he didn't recognize— Audino, to Meowth and Sandslash to the red bird in the front who shared an uncanny resemblance to Fletchling.

"Right. You haven't met these three yet, senpai," Yuu said, motioning to each creature as she spoke. "As you can already tell, that's Audino. The two who are sitting next to her are Meowth and Sandslash."

"Ah, so that's Meowth-chan? He can talk?"

"Sure can, buddy."

"Ah, that's cool! A talking cat, like Grim, right?"

"Don't compare me to that guy, damn it." The two protested together, looking aghast as they pointed at the other.

"Sure, sure." Yuu dismissed them. She pointed to Noibat, who perched beside Deuce, "You remember Milcery and Noibat, of course."

"So you were lying to me about the mammoth! Not cool, you four!"

"Yes, that was a joke," Deuce said stiffly.

Cater shrugged and leaned toward the red bird seated on the table. She instinctively leaned back, squawking. He placed a finger on his chin, humming, "Ah... this is a new face! Are you related to Fletchling, maybe? Are you her mother?"

Ace and Grim immediately smacked their hands over their mouths to refrain from cackling. Deuce coughed not so discreetly into his fist.

An enraged squawk tore from Fletchinder's mouth. 

YUU APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY TO CATER, who ended up learning about one more new thing that day— Evolution. She, Ace, and Deuce explained it to him during the walk back to Heartslabyul. She decided that evolution shouldn't be some sort of secret, especially since it was known by everybody in her homeworld. He had already seen Fletchinder try to attack him so there was little anyone could do to cover it up.

The bird in question was told to apologize to him before they left the house. She and Sandslash stayed home to keep Milcery company. Yuu kept Audino and Mamoswine with her, stowing the former into her pockets only when she knew for sure that Cater was waiting out in the yard with everyone else.

Before long, they arrived at Hearslabyul's dormitory once more. It was still just as splendorous as the day she set foot inside. Once again, the flowery scent of roses hit her nose. Noibat, who had never seen Heartslabyul's interior before, marveled at the magnificence of it all.

Cater led them past the rose maze, where a student intercepted them. "Hey, you're finally here! What took you so long, me?"

"So sorry for the wait, me! I got a little sidetracked meeting Yuu-chan's little roommates, but I'm here now!"

To her surprise, that student happened to be a carbon copy of Cater himself, down to the very last detail. The only real difference between the two was their outfit; the new Cater was wearing the gym uniform instead of the standard one.

Deuce pointed between them, spluttering wildly, "There are two Diamond-senpais...?!"

"You have a twin?!" Ace exclaimed after, taking a step back.

"Oh no. I'm the only male sibling," The Cater beside them waved flippantly, "This is my unique magic, 'Split Card.' I can make clones of myself using magic! Don't worry, I'm the real Cater."

Grim grumbled from where he was, inside her arms. "So that's how we weren't able to beat that guy the other day."

"You got to see Yuu-chan? No fair!" Other Cater pouted, crossing his arms. Yuu inspected him. So it seemed his clones were sentient, each with their own will. And judging by the way he interacted so freely with them, he didn't seem to be merely a copy or an illusion. So this wasn't Double Team at all.

"Don't worry!" The real Cater winked at his clone, "I'll tell you allll about it after the Party."

Noibat shook his head and let out a panicked cry.

"We'd rather you not," Yuu translated calmly, "I don't want people to find out. More people than there already are, I mean. Sorry... Other Cater."

The copy put a hand over his heart. "Cross my heart, I won't tell anybody!"

To their surprise, another head of orange hair popped out between the hedges. Then another, then another.

"Our lips are sealed!"

"We're really reliable, you know~?"

"There's even more of him?!" Ace spluttered, his eyebrows shooting up past his hair.

Definitely not Double Team.

Instead of perfect copies, the clones wore different outfits— like the ceremony robes, or even the lab coat. The original Cater led them to a rosehedge clearing similar to the one they first met him at (with the clones following in tow). He sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Anyways, cloning myself takes a lot of time and energy... Let's not waste any more time. It's off with our heads if we're late!"

He turned to them once more and handed Yuu and Ace (who made a face at him) a paintbrush. "Come on, give us a hand, please! This time, I really will take you to Riddle after we're done."

"Is that a promise, Cater-senpai?" Yuu asked doubtfully.

"Come on, don't you trust your beloved senpai?" 

"You're gonna make us paint them again?!" Grim cried, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

Deuce shook his head and sighed. "You really are shameless, senpai..."

He ignored their comments, only continuing to smile. "No really, I'll take you! Let's just get started, alright?"

At least they were making progress faster than last time, Yuu thought as they continued to paint the roses. One would assume Cater would have finished painting all of them, since he started last week. Then again, the thorny expanse of the hedge maze had extended all the way out into the horizon.

Noibat, who couldn't do magic, hung around them to observe. Like Fletchling— ahem, like Fletchinder— he was fascinated with how magic was able to change the colors of an object so easily.

They finished painting the clearing significantly faster, especially with the help of the Cater clones. Grim and Deuce, who mastered painting with their magic, made minimal mistakes. Before long, the last rose in the clearing was painted red.

"We... haah, did better than yesterday," Deuce panted at last, having spent a large chunk of his magic. Grim was left in a similar state, draping himself over Yuu's arms.

"That was tough, but we're finally done!" Came his feeble cheer. She smiled and pat his head to congratulate him.

"You all did great!" Lab Coat Cater grinned, slinging an arm around a tired-looking Ace. "Thank you for all the hard work, freshies!"

"Gold stars for all of you~!"

"Faster than expected, right? How hardworking~ We're impressed!"

"Okay, stop repeating after each other," Ace shrugged him off his shoulders, making a face, "It's getting creepy."

"Rude!"

The original Cater laughed and turned to his little entourage of clones. "Oh, it's almost time. Me army, we're done for the day! Head out!"

"Aye, aye, sir~!"

She blinked, and they were gone in a cloud of smoke. With three extra Caters gone, Noibat could now breathe easier.

"Hmm..." He looked them all up and down after a minute, placing a finger on his chin. "There's no way I can let you in the Unbirthday Party looking like that."

"What? But you promised—!"

Yuu drowned out Grim's protesting to survey her own clothes. They were the ones she had to fish out of Ramshackle's dusty old closets. It was good that the ghosts didn't mind her borrowing them, they were bulky and outdated. (The newest item was probably her windbreaker, but even then it was still old and worn.)

She fiddled with her sleeves. "I mean— I know I don't even have a uniform, but you don't have to rub it in my face, Cater-senpai."

"The Headmaster didn't even give you a uniform, huh... But that's not what I meant," He shook his head, "The Queen of Hearts states that a dress code is necessary on any party day, after all. Which means I should probably get changed too."

With the flick of his magic pen, his uniform was replaced with something entirely different. Yuu, along with the rest of them, had her jaw go slack.

A white blazer replaced his previous one, worn over a red embroidered waistcoat. The sleeves were asymmetrical, one done up in a checkered pattern while the other was left a plain black. Yellow stripes ran up the side of his (also white) slacks. The asymmetrical theme carried over to the rest of his outfit— from the bicolored heart-shaped lapels of his blazer, to the belt that dangled to one side on his hip. A single white rose, dripping with red paint, sat on his lapel. There was something about the outfit as a whole, so imperfectly perfect, that was so pleasing to look at.

So that was another thing Pokémon moves couldn't do, it seemed. Change your clothes in a flash, that was new.

Cater put his hands on his hips and struck a cutesy pose. "It's trendy and fashionable, right? You could totally put this on Magicam!"

"Whoa!" Grim's mouth hung open as he pointed. "Look at that get-up, that's so cool! How come our dorm doesn't have a uniform?"

"I'm kind of jealous." Yuu understood where his displeasure came from and silently agreed.

And those high-tops! She always had an appreciation for high-quality shoes and hats and the like. If Cater had Pokéballs slung around that striped belt of his, she would have assumed he was a very well put-together Pokémon trainer.

"D'aw, you don't have to be," He said, those peridot eyes shining with mirth. "I'll coordinate your outfit as a reward for today, alright~?"

He waved his pen at their group and Yuu watched with wide eyes as their clothes began to change before her eyes. "Whoa..!"

In an instant, she, Ace, and Deuce had their clothes replaced with that of Heartslabyul's. She noticed that Ace's waistcoat matched Cater's red one, while hers and Deuce's was black. To her relief, her Pokéballs stayed intact.

She looked down at Grim, whose collar was now replaced a checkerboard pattern. Noibat adorned a bandana of the identical pattern, only his was fastened with a pendant. A bold, capital H was embroidered onto it with gold thread.

Ace felt along the inside of his blazer, his eyes widening. "Dude, this is really nice!" He talked as if he couldn't believe it himself.

Yuu fiddled with the embellishments on the side of her blazer; a rose, Heartslabyul insignia, and joker card were stitched on so seamlessly.

Deuce played with the rim of the fedora that sat on his head, a white one with a striped band running around it. He raised a brow. "Not that I'm not grateful, but why the hat?"

He shrugged. "You just seemed like a hat kinda guy!"

"I'll take it if you don't want it," Yuu said hopefully.

"Oh, you will? If that's the case, then..." He took his hat and placed it on her head. She smiled delightedly and thanked him.

"Yuu-chan, do you like wearing hats?" Cater inquired. "You're kind of like Trey-kun in that sense, don't you think?"

"It's more of a force of a habit, really," She chuckled sheepishly, fixing the fedora into place. It was soft, high-quality. "I worked in the sun often back at home, so I always wore a hat. Now I feel weird without something on my head."

(That, and Pokémon moves to the head were more common than one would expect. Head protection was always a plus, wasn't it?)

Ace pointed at her. "So that's why you let Grim and the others hang around on your head. Must be heavy, dude."

"You're heavy," Grim shot back, not taking too kindly at being insulted.

"Behave like Noibat," Yuu warned, directed at him rather than anybody else. He, in turn, groaned.

"I am, so lay off, won'tcha?"

"What a lively group you guys are," Cater laughed good-naturedly. He began to lead them deeper into the maze, presumably to the venue of the Unbirthday Party, not before reminding Ace, "Don't forget to offer Riddle-kun the tart, got it? Alright, then it's off to the party!"

"Got it, got it. I'm definitely gonna take this collar off now!"

It was a couple of turns before the hedges opened up to a beautiful clearing and Yuu nearly dropped Grim in her awe.

They had hung banners and lanterns above their heads, warm and whimsical in shades of yellow and blue. True to Cater's words red roses had bloomed across the whole venue, lush and full, not a single white petal in sight. Each table was decorated wonderfully with desserts and the like. Some, she could recognize as popular Kalosian dishes. Others, she had never seen in her life. And Cater said Trey had baked all of these?

Perhaps all of the scenery was rendered irrelevant once she laid eyes on the single creature in the back, standing tall and majestic. Yuu gasped softly, her eyes blown wide with wonder. "Is that— ...Oh my goodness, is that the elusive flamingo I've heard so much about...?"

Ace snorted from beside her. "He's fallen in love, ladies and gentlemen."

She ignored him because nothing else mattered now.

Oh, how majestic it was! Look at that sheen, that color! Such a gorgeous pink. Look how regal it stood on one single leg, the curve of its neck, that wonderful and prominent beak! She had only read about it in books since the "discovery," but Yuu would have never imagined its feathers to be so stunning.

It was like Christmas day all over again.

"He's really an animal lover through and through," Deuce commented after waving his hand in front of her face. She looked straight through it as though it was transparent.

Grim and Noibat swatted her, the former shaking his fist, "Hey! Don't get any ideas, you hear me?"

"Earth to Yuu-chan~ Hello, anyone home?"

"I'm— I'm alive!" She blurted quickly, blinking.

Before any more snide remarks could be traded, the blaring fanfare of trumpets were heard.

(Amongst the crowd of Heartslabyul residents, she could see some collars dotted here and there.)

"Make way for our Dorm Leader, the Red Ruler: Riddle Rosehearts!"

Yuu looked in the direction of the noise to see the— true to his name— Prefect Riddle. This time, he sported attire not unlike the ones she was wearing. His outfit was even more extravagant than those around her, from his extravagant high-heeled boots to the cape that was draped over his left shoulder. If that was not enough, a shiny gold crown sat on his head, further enforcing his superiority. He was just as put-together as the day before, sporting that cold and calculated expression.

Those steel grey eyes scanned the area, searching for something. It was almost as if he wanted to catch a slip-up, a student making a mistake.

Yuu noticed Trey trail behind him and they met eyes. He sent her a polite smile which she felt obligated to return.

"Three cheers for Dorm Leader Riddle!"

Without missing a beat, the Heartslabyul residents around them began to clap and whoop. She, Ace, and Deuce joined in on it, though Ace was rather reluctant to.

(Noibat noticed how strange it was that the applause was so perfectly timed, all the way from beginning to end. It was so precise. Perhaps too precise. If he listened closely, and he did, he could pick up the strain in each student's voice— that automated, fake quality. These things, his trainer did not notice. But he did.)

Yuu watched as he took his seat at the largest chair there, an extravagant heart-shaped throne that couldn't fit him any better. Taking into his moniker and wardrobe, was he some sort of royalty?

With that stoic expression (unbefitting of a cute face such as his), Riddle's gloved hands brushed across the tablecloth. The rest of the students let out a quiet, collective sigh when he nodded in approval.

"Indeed. The roses are red and the tablecloths are white. Truly a perfect Unbirthday Party." He turned to Trey and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "The Doormouse is sleeping inside the teapot just as planned, correct?"

Yuu's eyes bulged out of their sockets and Noibat nearly let out a scream.

"Of course. The jam to put on its nose is also ready."

"Well done."

"What in the name of Yveltal is wrong with this dorm?!" She tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible despite her immediate distress and abhorrence.

"I understand the people of this world love their meat, but... Are we boiling mice alive? Is this what we're doing now? That is the cruelest, most inhumane punishment I've ever—"

Cater slung his arm around her shoulders to shut her up. He laughed airily and dismissed her, "Not so loud now, okay? Don't worry, don't worry. That little guy's one-hundred-percent there for the aesthetic!"

"In what world?" She made a face and shrugged him off. "I can't tell who is being treated worse, the students or the animals. You are all terrible people for doing this."

"Come on now, don't be like that."

"Don't lump me in with all these guys," Ace grumbled.

Each student took their place at their respective tables, and so the Unbirthday Party began to commence. Yuu tried to not feel so out of place, especially since she was not a true Heartslabyul student, and quietly played along. Tea was poured and sweets were brought out, which Grim and Noibat came to appreciate.

All heads turned to Riddle, who raised his porcelain teacup into the air. His eyes swept around the area, his voice carrying clearly as he spoke. "Let's toast before we proceed with the croquet match. Does anyone have their teacups ready?"

Collectively, instantaneously, all the cups were raised into the air.

"Now then, a toast to a day without birthday parties. A toast to the Unbirthday party!"

An automatic "Cheers!" came from the rest of the students around her.

Cater swatted Ace's shoulder from where he was, pointing at the Prefect. "Acey, now's your chance. Look."

"Alright." He must have been too focused on ridding himself of the collar that he chose to ignore the nickname. Yuu watched as he slinked to the red-haired boy, porcelain dish in hand. On top of it sat a Mont Blanc tart, flawless and perfect like they had made the day before.

"Um... Prefect..." His voice was airy and light. Behind him, Trey nodded at him with silent encouragement.

He acknowledged Ace curtly in turn. "Ah, the first-year who stole my tarts."

"That's me, haha... Um... I was thinking of apologizing for what I did so I, uh... " Ace scratched his head sheepishly before presenting the dish forward, "I made a new batch of tarts for you."

Riddle's eyes landed upon the tart and he kept his face carefully still. He examined it carefully as if it was some sort of lab experiment. "Hm, is that so? I'll ask just to be sure, but what kind of tart is this?"

"Thank you for asking!" He flashed him a wonderful grin, "It's a Mont Blanc tart made with plenty of chestnuts!"

"Did you just... Did you just say a Mont Blanc tart?! I can't believe this!"

Riddle's face instantly morphed into one of outrage as his gloved hand quickly moved to slap the entire dish away. Yuu and Deuce, along with everyone else, gaped as the tart fell onto the grass with a splat.

Ace stared at the ruined tart, before lifting his head to stare at him with wide eyes. "Eh?!"

"Rule #562 of the Queen of Hearts: 'One must never bring Mont Blanc tarts to an Unbirthday Party.'"

He was glaring at the poor boy as if he had committed a heinous felony. He might as well have, judging from the look Riddle was giving him. "You've violated an imperative rule. How could you do something like this?! You've wasted a perfect Unbirthday Party!"

Deuce nearly dropped his teacup. "R-Rule #562?! Five hundred, you said?"

"Just how many rules are there?" Yuu gasped, refusing to believe what she was hearing.

"There are a total of 810 rules and I have memorized all of them. A small feat for a Dorm Head, I must say."

There was pride in his voice when he spoke, she could tell. 810 wasn't too far off from 898, the total number of Pokémon species there were. Even Yuu, who had been tasked to memorize and recognize them, could not recall them in order or off the top of her head as he had done. What a scary feat.

Cater had visibly paled slinking back to Trey. She could barely pick up their rushed conversation. "Oh, man... We're so screwed... Did you know about this, Trey?"

He very well could have, for all they knew. Yuu remembered how he had so easily deceived her and Audino yesterday and narrowed her eyes.

He averted his gaze and frowned. "I've only managed to memorize until Rule #350. I completely let my guard down... To think there'd be rules about the kind of tart..."

"Audino." Yuu whispered, clenching her Pokéball in hand. "Let me know if he's lying."

No response. He must have been telling the truth. Immediately, she felt guilty for doubting Trey and Cater's motion and let go of the capsule.

"I'm sorry? Did you say something?"

"It's not important, sorry."

"As Heartslabyul's Dorm Leader, I simply cannot turn a blind eye towards this insulting behavior, this rule-breaking!" Riddle's lip curled upward and he waved a hand through the air. "Dispose of this Mont Blanc tart away at once! Throw these rule-breakers out!"

Before she could even blink, several Heartslabyul students surrounded Ace and the table she and Deuce occupied. Noibat let out a warning snarl.

"Wait a damn second!" Ace continued to stand, tall and defiant. "As if I'm gonna listen to some stupid rule like that!"

Around him, the other students watched on fearfully.

"He's right!" Grim scowled, climbing atop the table, "If you're gonna just toss it, I'll eat 'em then!"

Yuu looked at him. "Off the ground? Again?"

"My deepest apologies, Riddle." Trey stepped forward in an attempt to appease him. "I was the one who suggested we should make Mont Blanc tarts for the party."

Perhaps he really did mean well, since he was owning up to his faults.

"E-Exactly!" Cater added, sporting a grin that looked more concerned than anything. "We didn't think there'd be a rule for something like that."

"The fact that you made them isn't the problem!" Riddle's voice was tight with fury. "My issue is the fact you brought them here! On this day, the Unbirthday Party!"

She couldn't tell the difference, though?

Yuu glanced between Ace's deep frown and Cater and Trey's panicked expressions. It just... didn't make any sense anymore! How could one single tart be of such punishable offense? It wasn't like it was putting him in any immediate danger, so why would...

"Isn't that a rude thing to say to someone who did his best to make that for you?" What a waste of a perfectly edible tart. Her entire team would have enjoyed eating it.

"He's right." Ace crossed his arms. "I'm done with hearing all these ridiculous ass rules. Aren't you acting stupid right now?"

"Stupid, you say?"

"Hey, stop! That's an absolute taboo word...!" Cater interrupted with haste. His eyes were blown frantically wide, a bead of sweat running down his neck. He looked up at the Prefect and tried to mask his distress.

"R-Riddle-kun! These guys are just some freshies who don't know what they're saying!"

"I know exactly what I'm saying. Only an idiot would listen to a rule about tarts. Don't mess around with me."

"I agree with Ace." Deuce stood up and crossed his arms solemnly, "Of course, rules are meant to be followed, but... This is too much already."

"How mad do you have to be to administer such rules?" Yuu asked afterward. She couldn't help herself, not after what she had seen today. "Do you, perhaps, go around whacking small rodents with birds on a daily basis? Do you know how horrendous that sounds on paper?"

A few students nearby that happened to hear her started choking on their tea.

"Mad?" Trey repeated disbelievingly, "Did you just call Dorm Leader Riddle mad—?!"

Riddle raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Oh? How bold of you to barge in here and question the Queen of Heart's Rules. You've got quite some nerve." His eyes narrowed into slits and she almost flinched. "Don't you know that breaking a small rule will spiral into a larger problem in the future?"

She bit back her tongue this time to refrain from another retort, to refrain from saying something that could not be taken back.

Ace, however, did not possess such restraint. He waved to the sea of students and shouted, "You think it's just me, or what?! Everyone else is just too scared they're gonna get collared, but they're all thinking the same thing!"

"We, uh...!"

The other boy directed his attention toward the crowd, who all visibly stiffened under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Heh, is that so?"

"N-No, it's not true, Prefect Rosehearts!" A student stammered, "We do everything we can to follow what you say, of course!"

"Ye— Yes, we're all perfectly content!"

Shit. None of the other students dared to defy him. It seems their Dorm Leader had a heavy influence on them, so much they would rather suffer than speak out.

"N-No way!" Grim exclaimed at their behavior.

"Running away, huh?" Ace scoffed, "How lame."

Riddle's frown twisted into a scowl as he regarded them. "Listen to me. Ever since I became the Dorm Head, there hasn't been a single student who has been expelled or held back. Only Heartslabyul can say that." His harsh voice, now raised, echoed throughout the maze.

"If you do not obey me, then it's off with your heads!"

Deuce balked and stumbled back a couple of steps. "That's just—!"

"Silence. I am the most exceptional and the strongest. That is why I am always right! There is nothing wrong with what I say!"

Yuu and Noibat shared a dubious look. "Actually—"

"I refuse to hear it from you... From a magicless student, out of all people. Do you think I do this because I enjoy it? Aren't you lot the ones at fault for breaking the rules?"

"Can't you find it in yourself to be a little bit reasonable?" She persisted, "How could we know that there was a rule about tarts? All we're asking for, Dorm Leader, is for your understanding. Is this how you treat the creatures here too?"

Riddle's eye twitched and all at once, she knew she struck a nerve.

"Now, everyone." Cater's hand clamped down on Yuu's shoulder, his brows drawn downwards in a silent warning. "Repeat after me: 'Yes, Prefect~'"

"As if!" Grim hollered. She and Deuce and Ace followed in tandem.

"Sorry, senpai, but I can't stand for this."

"Me too."

"I've had enough playing along with this selfish tyrant!"

The air was cold as Riddle spoke. "What did you just call me...?"

Noibat sensed the change in air and stiffened. Grim, on the other hand, who held no fear, said, "He said what we're all thinking! You're an irritable, selfish little tyrant who's unreasonable with meaningless things like food!"

Deuce whirled around to face him, stammering, "H-Hey, you didn't have to say it outright like that!"

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

The effect was instantaneous as five collective screams were heard. Yuu felt a weight around her neck and looked down to see the all-too-familiar collar clamped around her. She looked to the side and saw Deuce and Grim in the same state as she.

"This collar again?!" The latter whined incredulously, groping at his collar.

The former followed in a similar fashion, his teeth ground together. "Damn it... I can't take it off...!"

Yuu turned around far too late to see Noibat, who stared unbelievably at the collar around his neck. His form trembled with wide eyes, and he sucked in a large breath before letting out the highest pitched screech she has ever heard in her life. The intensity was loud enough to shake the very sky above them.

She struggled to calm him down, forcing him into her chest in an attempt to muffle his screech.

Amongst the chaos, she managed to find her anger. Her throat went dry as she turned around to face Riddle.

"Did... did you just collar him? How could you?! Noibat has done nothing wrong, what did he do to deserve this?! He has no magic, no—"

Riddle's anger was just as intense, if not even more. His enraged voice tore through the air, even above Noibat, as he slammed his ornately decorated scepter to the ground.

"ENOUGH. Trey! Cater! Throw these nuisances out!"

The air was deadly silent now. She desperately turned to the two upperclassmen, who did not dare meet her eyes.

"...Yes, Prefect."

Deuce's eyes widened as he stumbled back, staring at the two with disbelief. "Se— Senpai...?!"

"So sorry, but we can't go against the Prefect," Cater said apologetically, his smile taking on a strained sort of turn.

"I'm sorry," Trey said one last time (did he really mean it that time?) before whipping out his magic pen in the circumstances that they fight back. And knowing Ace, he probably most likely would, even without magic to aid him. 

"Oh, that right?! I'll take you both on, damn it!" 

HER TEAM WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT BE MEETING ANY MORE CRAZY HEARTSLABYUL RESIDENTS, Yuu decided immediately. Not Cater again, not Trey anymore, and certainly not that Riddle Rosehearts.

"Who plays croquet with animals anyway?!"

In the end, she found herself standing just outside Heartslabyul territory, a defeated feeling in her chest. It was rather humiliating, having been thrown outside not unlike the way a bouncer would escort unruly guests outside a club.

Ace and Deuce, who had tried their very best against Cater and Trey, met their inevitable defeat. Battling those two without magic was like bringing a knife to a gunfight; even then, at least a knife was something to fight with. They didn't have anything anymore.

Yuu didn't remember much, but one moment she was standing in the hedge maze and then the next she was by Heartslabyul's exit mirror.

Ace was shaking his fist at the two upperclassmen, his face screwed up with fury.

Yuu stayed quiet and furrowed her brows as she looked down at Noibat. A sense of dread sunk its way into her stomach, mixing with the defeat and frustration and anger she felt.

No one just goes and tampers with another trainer's Pokémon! That was just common sense!

How could he? How dare he?

She would understand if Riddle had just collared her and her only— That boy could do whatever he wanted to her, but to an innocent bystander—! To Noibat, who wouldn't (willingly) even hurt a Cutiefly. And everyone around him just let him?

The poor creature couldn't even fly anymore, let alone use his moveset, for Arceus' sake. The damned collar was far too heavy and weighed him down. She couldn't imagine the unbelievable stress he was under, not being able to access his moveset.

Cater and Trey had left them outside of the dorm's premises, standing defeatedly in front of Heartslabyul's mirror. Yuu and Deuce finally understood what Ace had to endure for the past two weeks, each having bulky collars clamped around their necks.

"Alright, Acey and friends. See you soon~"

If it weren't for the downturned quirk of his eyebrows and the strain in his voice, she would have assumed that Cater was actually happy about this whole ordeal.

Trey's troubled gaze flickered down to her arms, where Noibat cowered. He was trembling— big fat Krookodile tears threatening to fall from his beady eyes. He made a garbled noise that came across as a mix between a snarl and cry.

"You let us back in there!" Grim demanded from where he was, also nestled in her hold. The flames in his ears were flared higher than she had ever seen them before.

Trey's jaw was set as he regarded the group. How he could still remain calm was beyond her. "Look, I'll try to calm him down so you guys can come back and apologize again."

It was ludicrous how Riddle expected an apology even though they were the ones in collars right now. It was downright unfair. Especially to Noibat, she amended silently.

Ace, however, started shouting quite vehemently at their retreating backs. By the time he had finished his spiel they were already gone. "Damn it, I'm so pissed off! That little red-haired menace!" He scowled, crossing his arms, "Does he plan on turning into the Queen of Hearts herself or what?!"

It was silent once more in the hedge maze.

"This should be considered some sort of animal abuse or something," Yuu mumbled dejectedly, breaking the silence. She fumbled with the lock around Noibat's neck. "I'm so sorry I roped you into this, bud."

He whined and buried his head to her chest.

Grim tugged at his own, to no avail. "Guuuh, this collar's so suffocating and it hurts..."

"Getting thrown out for disobeying the Dorm Leader..." Deuce lamented somberly, "I'm slowly drifting away from becoming an Honors student..."

The best she could do was to pat his shoulder in her condolences.

She never meant for it to come to this, to her Pokémon getting caught up in the crossfire. What would the rest of her team have to say about it?

"What's up with all of ya~? Wearin' those matching collars like that~"

Yuu's soul nearly shot out of her body as she registered the new voice behind her, and the bodiless head that it belonged to. "Gah! Who—?!"

"WHA—?"

Grim and Noibat let out twin screams and clung to her. "GYAHHHH! A FLOATING HEAD! A GHOST!"

There was a cheeky smile hidden under wild locks of purple hair and choppy bangs. Lavender locks stuck out wildly, somewhat resembling that of stripes on a Litten. A pair of feline ears sat on top of this floating head, adorned with several earrings.

(There was someone watching them? What a close call, Yuu barely avoided sending Noibat into his Pokéball in front of a stranger.)

She blinked and two yellow, very much cat-like, eyes met her gaze. The head looked down at where it's (his???) body should have been and blinked. "Oops. I forgot to bring out my body."

The way he said that made it sound as if it was a daily occurrence, the fact that one just nonchalantly forgets to bring their body out with them. They gawked as the boy revealed the rest of him— a half-buttoned blazer draped over his shoulders and navy blue slacks.

"What— What the—" Deuce tried to regain himself and coughed into his fist. "So you actually have a body. Who are you?"

"I'm Alchemi Alchemevich Pinka," He put a hand on his hip, "I'm a enigmatic, mewsterious guy with both kitty and human magic."

What a mouthful. Who named this boy?

Ace was still reeling from the pronunciation of his name. "Alche— What'dya say?"

"Everyone just calls me Che'nya," The boy giggled, now known as Che'nya. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back, a lax grin gracing his lips. "At the very least... I'm way different from those guys in there~"

Yuu stared at the ring on his fingers that resembled a goofy, cartoonish smile. Her eyes trailed to the rest of his outfit and she raised an eyebrow. "Are... you from around here, Che'nya-san?"

"Try guessin' what dorm I'm from," Came his cryptic reply.

Grim slapped her arm lightly like a buzzer. "Oh, oh! I know! You've got cat ears, so you must be from... Banana— Savanya Dorm!"

"Savanaclaw Dorm," She softly corrected.

"Don't you know there are plenty of Beastmen in different dorms?" Deuce chided him.

"Boo, boo, wrong~" Che'nya stuck his tongue out, "Do I look like a bananya to you? I'm a cat, you know, not a fruit. I guess all these collars have got you guys going batty~"

Those amber eyes flicked down to the bat Pokémon in her arms. Yuu, who understood his little pun, snorted. The other two rolled their eyes.

"I'm already in a bad mood thanks to this crazy absurd situation that little tyrant put us in," Ace clicked his tongue and waved him off, "Get outta our way and leave us alone."

"Riddle? Being a tyrant? Well, mew're not wrong, in a way..." Yuu chose to pay no mind to his quirky way of speaking. He giggled once more, "That guy's been a stickler to the rules since he was little."

Deuce blinked at him. "Do you know something about him?"

"I guess you could say I do? But at the same time, I really don't~ You know?"

Noibat made some sort of defeated noise and Grim rolled his eyes, growing rather impatient. "What's with this guy? Spit it out already."

"What? So you guys wanna know about Riddle-kun, right?"

"It certainly would help," Yuu said, "Every type and move has got to have some sort of weakness. Surely Riddle isn't an exception. I've seen him deactivate his own Unique Magic several times, but ... Is there really no other way to get rid of them? No time limit?"

"Straight to the point, huh?" Deuce mused, nodding, "I almost forgot that you're supposed to be a strategist."

"Well, just trying to bounce ideas around."

"How'd that guy even become a frickin' tyrant like that?" Ace's eyebrows wrinkled and his nose scrunched up with distaste, "Who even raised their kid like this?"

"Go ask that glasses guy if you want to know," Che'nya hummed, his eyes looking down at them with a sparkling mirth.

Deuce looked at him curiously. "Glasses guy— Ah, do you mean Trey-senpai?"

He nodded sagely and said, "That guy's known Riddle since he was a kid. If I were you, I'd probably go ask him if I wanted to know more about Riddle~"

"So then they're childhood friends...? I never would have assumed so. The Dorm Head is usually so..."

"Cold?" Yuu supplied for Deuce. She'd probably believe it. Trey seemed to care for him (but perhaps he did for everyone), or at least, regarded the boy with a high sense of respect. Childhood friends didn't seem too outlandish.

"Yes, exactly!"

"Evil, more like it," Grim mumbled over to Noibat, who snickered lightly.

"Evil, cold, whatever... If that's what you think, then that's what he is~" Che'nya waved a lazy hand through the air, shrugging. "You five look like you got it covered, so I'll be going now."

"Hey, wait—!"

They watched, wide-eyed and open-mouthed as he started humming and his body started to fade into thin air. Just as he came, the boy had disappeared in the same fashion.

Grim crossed his arms over his chest. "What a weird dude."

"We can't continue much longer with these collars on." Deuce sighed and ran his hand through his hair, most likely out of stress. "We should ask Trey-senpai about this as soon as possible."

"Definitely," She agreed, fishing out her Pokéball. She sighed and pressed the button, "Noibat, return."

He never seemed more eager to comply than now, hopping back into his ball to be put out of his misery.

"Well then, that's that."

"What do you mean, that's that?!" Ace crossed his arms, scowling fiercely. "Like hell I'm gonna apologize again. You guys and that little rager have got to be crazy if you think I'll set foot in 'Labyul ever again."

"Yeah!" Grim hollered, raising a fist, "That's one mean man!"

"So you're telling me we're just going away with our tails tucked between our legs?" Deuce shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"Hell no, there's just got to be another way!"

"What other way? What else can we do in this situation?!"

"That has got to be the lamest idea ever. What would groveling in front of Trey do, huh? You think he'd actually bend the rules for us?"

"Oh, well it'd be sure of a hell lot better than just— I don't know, agreeing to never talk to the Dorm Leader again?"

"Not this again..." Grim let out a rather displeased whine at their bickering, and Yuu realized all at once that this was a repeat of the cave incident.

"Stop it, stop."

She pulled them apart to face her. She was probably wearing some sort of exasperated expression or something of the like, because it was enough to shut the both of them up. "As much as I really would rather not associate myself with your... cruel-and-unusual-punishment-like Dorm anymore, I'd be damned if I let us all suffer longer than we need to. You know how it is, don't you, Ace? You've been in that thing for long enough."

He nodded stiffly in agreement.

Pity wasn't what he needed or wanted right now, Yuu decided, so she tried to leave no trace of it on her face. Regardless, it still leaked through her voice when she talked.

"I'm going to find Trey-senpai after school, and you're all welcome to come. I... I understand if you don't want to, we're all butt-tired. I don't like Heartslabyul," She lifted her chin, "But I'm going to get answers and results, even if it means groveling at the likes of them both."

If one listened closely enough, they could hear the traces of thinly veiled anger. Originally, she never wanted to get this involved, but...

Why would she let somebody mess with her Pokémon and then get away with it?

Krookodile — The Intimidation Pokémon. As its name implies, this reptilian Pokémon is based on the crocodile. Krookodile Tears is a subtle nod to the real phrase, "crocodile tears." Just a little bit of wordplay!

Cutiefly — The Bee Fly Pokémon. Nothing too remarkable, I'd say, I just like adding Pokémon references here and there.

Litten — The Fire Cat Pokémon! The Fire-type starter of the Alola region. I understand its stripes don't exactly match Che'nya's hair stripes but I still wanted to compare it to something, haha. 

[deep breath] Okay. I know I already apologized, but I felt like I had to do it again for disappearing off the face of this earth for six whole weeks. Let's talk. (You can skip this if you're not interested, by the way, but I'd prefer if you didn't.)

I'll be frank, I was losing my motivation to write. This chapter was difficult to write for me because I wasn't sure where I wanted to take the story from there. I rewrote it like, four times actually,  because I was deciding how I wanted to approach the ending of the Heartslabyul Arc. (ShadowHope, wherever you are, thank you.)

But I found my motivation again (and what a time to find it, especially when I'm supposed to be on a vacation) so here I am. I just started picking up this work a week ago so please bear with me.

I understand that I must have lost a lot of readers while on my hiatus. It's actually quite embarrassing to ask, but ... It would really boost my motivation if some of you guys continued to comment. Please! [sob] Maybe I'll see some familiar names. I'll respond quickly and frequently, I swear!

Anyways, I'm back and kicking! ... But I only have written up to Riddle's Overblot (one chapter draft) so I can't say I'll be on the same update schedule as before. Perhaps, another update per 20 days instead of 14.

OH AND ONE LAST THING. I'VE DECIDED TO CHANGE SOMETHING. Instead of Pokémon learning 4 moves at a time, I've decided to make it unlimited. I heard the anime works this way? Oh well. Tomorrow I'll be editing the fic to adhere to this new change.

But please stay tuned for the next two chapters because I have a ton planned and I wanna move on to the Savanaclaw Arc! [muahahaha]

Truly, thank you for reading.