PERHAPS THE "EGG DISCOVERY" WAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR DEUCE TO HANDLE, because he was still out of it even as they returned to the school kitchens. He looked more shocked than when he discovered Pokémon Evolution existed. He walked despondently, with dragging feet and glazed eyes. Yuu was beginning to regret telling him.

(Grim was grumbling on the way back, muttering about how rudely he was woken up from his nice nap.)

Ace shot both of them a weird look when they came back. He asked why Deuce was acting so strange and she merely shrugged and told him to leave it alone. Trey, who noticed that Fletchling was missing, asked where she went and Yuu had no choice but to say she wasn't feeling well. 

(Ace had sent her a wary look then, knowing for sure there was no way Fletchling was sent home.)

At last, Trey dusted his powdery fingers over a few tarts. "Alright, we just need to sprinkle the powdered sugar on the last of this batch..."

"And we're done!" Grim, Ace and Yuu cheered happily, followed by a sullen "hooray" from Deuce. The poor boy, was he really that shaken?

Ace pointed a thumb in his direction. "Seriously, what happened to you guys while you were shopping?"

She and Grim shared a look. "More than you'd like to think."

Deuce groaned and shook his head dolefully. "Just what in the world did I believe for sixteen years?"

Yuu took a couple of steps back to admire the fruits of their labor— A fresh batch of Mont Blanc tarts sitting prettily on the counter. She wasn't that well-versed in making tarts, but the results turned out better than expected. Trey's baking skills and guidance were not to be underestimated. He was a person she was starting to respect more and more.

"Who knew that making desserts could take so long?" Ace wrung his hands and looked out the window at the now milky purple sky. "Man, I'm so exhausted."

"Nice work! Did you guys finish all the tarts?" Just then, Cater's head poked through the doorway, causing her to jump. He smiled jubilantly as he bounded through the kitchen.

Ace, who was just as startled as her, exclaimed, "Hey! Where were you this whole time?"

"You know, here and there doing club activities," He dismissed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and snapping a few pictures. "Whoa, these decorations are so cute~ I could totally post this on Magicam!"

"We have Yuu to thank for the decorating work." Trey looked rather satisfied. "He has really steady hands."

"That means a lot coming from you, Trey-senpai."

It was to be expected, since Yuu grew up baking and decorating Poképuffs (funnily enough, the only thing she achieved full mastery on). Kalos wasn't continentally famous for its desserts for nothing. They practically invented baking.

Cater laughed and slung an arm around her and a still-somber Deuce. "I came to check on my cute little juniors, working so hard. Ahaha, you guys look dead tired!"

"Doing things you're not used to can be draining. Sweets are the solution for a tired body, right?" Trey started cutting the tart into perfect slices and passing out the forks. "Dig in! You deserve it after all your hard work."

They all cheered (and Deuce brightened up), each reaching for a slice. Ace eyed Cater with a raised brow and said, "You only came here to help us eat it, huh, Cater-senpai?"

He only laughed flippantly. "Now, now. Don't say that, let's just enjoy it~"

"Whoa... It smells so good. The chestnuts on top are so smooth and the cream is so fluffy!" Grim stared down his slice with a watering mouth. "I'm gonna dig in now!"

The rest of them followed suit, each taking a bite of their slice. Once she did, Yuu's eyes widened with delight at the unexpectedly rich flavor of the chestnuts. This tart was better than any of the ones she had back home! That settled it, she would need the recipe.

"Trey-senpai." Between the noises of satisfaction from all around her, Yuu sighed dreamily and leaned over the kitchen island. "I would be able to die happily if this was my last dish. What a wonderful way to go."

He laughed mirthfully. "High praise."

Ace reacted in a similar manner, looking down at his slice with wide eyes. "Holy crap!"

"This is so good~! Expected of Trey-kun, right?"

"Amazing... It's better than the ones you can buy at the store!" Deuce exclaimed with wonder.

"It's sweet, but not super overpowering. The base is super rich and creamy, wow!" Grim got onto his feet, practically bursting at the seams with energy. "My mouth feels like it's in a field of chestnuts, you know?"

She had no idea when exactly he became a food connoisseur, but his commentary was surprisingly well put-together and descriptive. Actually, he was like that in the woods with the monster stone too, right?

"Is that a compliment?" Trey asked, smiling (confusedly) nonetheless.

"Oh, yeah." Cater blinked with realization. She noticed that he had only taken a bite of the crust on his slice. "Do that thing for them, Trey."

"That?" He blinked back. "Oh, you mean that thing."

Ace gave the both of them a questioning look, asking immediately, "What's that thing?"

Trey didn't answer yet, only asking, "Everybody, what are your favorite foods?"

Grim started off with canned tuna before trailing off with a whole list of other different foods. Deuce said he liked omurice, something Yuu recognized as a popular Hoennian dish. Having Hoennien heritage [1], it pleased her to know that kind of cuisine still existed in this new world. Then Ace mentioned cherry pie and hamburgers. And Cater followed with some type of grilled lamb and diabolo sauce.

She didn't know what a diabolo sauce was, but she nearly forgot that meatatarians existed again. Lambs... Like Mareep and Wooloo? In the end, Yuu offered up a Lumiose Galette, a local specialty of Lumiose City. They were so popular, shipping their product continent-wide. She loved those.

"Alright, here we go." Trey flicked out his magic pen and waved it around the air. "Doodle Suit!"

There was a flash of light and the tarts glowed briefly. So he was performing magic!

Deuce looked down curiously at his tart. "This is..."

"What did you do?"

He kept his easygoing grin but did not answer her question. "Try it for yourself— go ahead and take another bite of the tart."

Their group was met with astonishment once they did. Yuu recognized the taste instantly, the raspberry flavor of the galette filling.

Ace took a bite and kept on chewing, his expression gradually morphing into surprise. "Hm...? This is a Mont Blanc tart, but I can taste cherry pie!"

"This is canned tuna!" Grim shouted, before taking another forkful, then another. "Now it's a cheesy omelette! Grilled chicken and then... Pudding!"

"It's interesting, right?" Cater winked while taking his own bite, "If you did this trick at a tea party with girls, don'tcha think they'd be impressed?"

"It's amazing!" Deuce blurted, "Is changing something's flavor your Unique Magic, Trey-senpai?"

Well, Yuu was already impressed, girl or not. "I didn't even know this kind of stuff was possible. My favorite food was a dessert unique to the region I came from... From the other world, so I didn't think it'd be replicated."

"To be more precise, it's the ability to overwrite things with what you imagine," Trey laughed politely, "As long as that flavor is what you imagined it'd be, you'd be able to taste it too. I can also do it with color and smell too, not just taste."

Again, there was that concept of imagination relating to magic.

Yuu thought back and tried to remember if there were any Pokémon moves that worked like Trey's Unique Magic. There was one? Kind of. Sketch, exclusive to Smeargle, acted somewhat like that. It was the only move she could think of that changed to become another.

"Whoa, so you can toy around with the sensories. Is it permanent?" She asked, recalling how Sketch was a permanent move that couldn't be redone.

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. It wears off after a while, so it's sort of like a sketch. That's why I named this magic Doodle. It's only sketching."

That couldn't be a coincidence. Trey just referred to it as a sketch himself!

And with the Smeargle species, who had paint brushes for tails— some sort of reference to painting the roses red— Wasn't that just appropriate? Funny, either Trey or Cater might have enjoyed having a Smeargle around.

"If we use your Doodle Suit magic..." Grim's face broke out into a grin and he licked his lips. "That must mean having all-you-can-eat canned tuna isn't just a dream, then! It's way better than the magic Riddle uses to bully people!"

"Grim," Yuu warned.

Trey shook his head and lost his smile. "No... My magic's nothing more than child's play compared to his. Our levels are too different."

Yuu blinked as his easygoing demeanor came back, quick as a flash.

"Anyways! It's getting late. Let's give the tart to the Dorm Leader tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow is the Unbirthday Party. You know what happens if you're late, right?"

"...Then it's off with our heads," They all chorused solemnly.

Oh! I nearly forgot.

"Trey-senpai," She called. "Would it be alright if I bought a portion home for Fletchind— I mean, Fletchling? She'd love to have a taste."

"Ah, that's right. Of course she can." He smiled. "I'd feel bad after she helped us out so much. "

"Wait, she was here?" Cater asked, pouting. "Aw man, I wanted to see her again."

"These are for the Unbirthday Party," Trey told them, waving at the batch that sat atop the counter. He decided to move the entire tray to the fridge. "But I made extra tart shells just in case a few turned out bad. We still have leftover filling, so let me whip up one real quick before you go."

"Hey," Grim pawed her arm from where he was. "Those tarts are pretty big. If your team doesn't finish it, I can do it, right?"

"Sure," Yuu laughed.

Ace snorted incredulously. "Is food seriously all you can think about, furball?" However, judging from the hungry look in his eyes, he seemed he wanted in as well.

Trey shrugged at their antics and grabbed a pair of mittens, opening the hatch to the oven. Once he did, another fragrant buttery kind of aroma wafted around the already fragrant room. Yuu couldn't see what Ace had against his own dorm anymore; the Heartslabyul students must have been lucky if they woke up to this wonderful smell so often.

Her train of thought was cut off by a scream behind her. Grim was screaming. Deuce and Ace were screaming. 

Why were they screaming? 

Her eyes darted to Cater, whose eyes were frozen open and Trey, who dropped the tart he was holding.

She craned her neck up, for there was a ball of literal white liquid swirling in the air. Her eyes widened comically. Grabbing Grim off the counter, she immediately dove for the floor and hollered, "Everybody get down!"

The ball began to spin wildly before exploding abruptly. The entire kitchen was sprayed, sopping wet. Through the noise of the explosion, she could make out the unmistakable shrill cry of—

"Miiiiilllcery!"

No doubt about it now. Crowley was going to absolutely skin her alive.

"ACE, DEUCE. SHUT THE DOORS," Yuu commanded almost immediately, her eyes trained on the Milcery that decided to stick itself up on the ceiling. She couldn't blame it... Imagine being born and the first thing you get are five teenage boys in your face.

After the two did not respond, she snapped her head around. "Ace, Deuce! Shut the doors. Quickly!" The two of them snapped out of their dazed stupor and wordlessly raced to close the kitchen doors. Arceus forbid more people to find out, five were already enough.

Grim tried to shake the milk out of his fur. "Aw, man! I'm all wet now! My ear fire's gonna go out!"

Yuu wondered if he worked like a Charmander... If his flame goes out, would he too, die? It was unpleasant to think about, so she purged it from her mind.

"What is that thing and why is it here?!" Ace pointed frantically at the creature floating in the air, a mere splash of... milk that hovered high in the air. Really, the whole situation in itself was ludicrous. How was there a Pokémon based on milk, of all things? He thought they were all animals! How was it floating like that?

"Another Wild," Was all she could manage.

And from the Galar Region, too! She'd always wanted to meet one in person— What rotten luck that it had to be like this, in a different dimension where Pokémon weren't supposed to even exist. Impossible! ...Though it seemed that the impossible was indeed becoming possible lately.

"What do you mean, another one?" Deuce took her arm, whispering vehemently, "I thought you introduced us to the rest of your team already. Do you know how that Pokémon got here?"

"I don't know... I never..."

"Hey— Hey, Yuu-kun," Cater froze with surprise, torn between looking at her or up at the ceiling, "Is that one yours too?"

"You guys, let him breathe," Trey crossed his arms and examined her closely. He was surprisingly calm despite the situation they were all in. "Has this happened before?"

"Thanks, Trey-senpai," Yuu said, and she meant it. She swallowed thickly after a couple seconds. "...No, it hasn't."

"The truth, please."

It must've taken a liar to catch a liar. He snuffed out her little white lie pretty quick.

Yuu felt terrible once she had been caught. She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry. Once, it happened one time. But just once, I swear! ...It appeared along with the rest of the ghosts back at Ramshackle. I thought it was some sort of coincidence back then."

"Wait," Ace cut in, his jaw going slack, "You're telling me that was Misdreavus? You told me— You told us it was a part of your team!"

"I know I told you that, but how would you and Deuce react if I told you otherwise?" She ran a hand through half-soaked hair. "Grim and the others were the only ones who knew. Headmaster Crowley doesn't even know!"

"She's not that bad," Grim shrugged, "Plus, that prank she pulled on Ace last week was pretty funny. Me 'n Meowth were laughing about it for days!"

Deuce gave him a look. "How do you know it's a she?"

"Who's Meowth?" Cater asked abruptly.

"Another Pokémon of mine. But that's not the point. The point is," Yuu inhaled deeply through her nostrils, pressing her hand to her mouth. She regarded the whole room with complete seriousness when she spoke. "You can't tell a single soul about this. Please. Crowley told me not to stir trouble, but here I am..."

Evolving Pokémon, making them battle, bringing them to class.

"Wouldn't it be better to let him know?" Ace suggested, "He could help control the situation, right?"

"I'd rather not." She pleaded, hoping they would go along with her ludicrous antics tonight. Take some sort of pity and keep whatever was left of this terrible lie intact. "He's already done so much for us. My team, we... He told us to keep a low profile. What if he expels me for this? Where would we go? What would happen to my Pokémon?"

"Yeah, right," Grim rolled his eyes, "He shoved us into that sorry excuse of a building! And I need more canned tuna from him!"

"You don't know for sure he wouldn't kick me out. I can't risk it. So please, keep this a secret. I can't let word get out about this. Please..!"

"This is not a wise thing to do." Deuce told her unsurely, furrowing his brows.

"I'll do anything. Please." Was she groveling now? "You have to keep this a secret."

The rest of them looked between each other, sharing a couple of meaningful looks. Finally, Trey sighed and pushed the glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Alright. What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen."

"You have my word," Cater winked, making a zipper gesture in front of his lips with his fingers. "Don't worry, your senpai Cater will keep your secret real safe!"

(The other three had their fates practically sealed the moment they saw her Pokémon come bursting out of a Pokéball anyway.)

"Yuu, this is a pretty serious situation. You're going to have to tell him one way or another, so better do it now before the situation escalates."

"I will, I will, I just..." Want to secure my position as a student so that my team never suffers from this. "Want to wait for a better time. Ace still has a collar, so..."

Yuu chose to leave out the details about the Pokéballs, and trusted the other three to be the same. She couldn't risk any more information getting out, any more than there already was.

There were many layers of information regarding the world Pokémon, and she had no intentions of discussing them all at once. Sure, perhaps Trey and Cater knew about the appearances of Pokémon now, but they didn't know about the Pokéballs. Leona and Ruggie (??) knew, but not about their sporadic appearances. Ace and Deuce knew almost everything, but even then the former did not know evolution. Even Headmaster Crowley did not know.

Regardless...

Even Deuce and Grim, who knew the most out of everybody, did not know about Dynamaxing... or Mega Evolution... or Evolution Stones. Yuu doubted these last few secrets would get out easily (not unless she was being careless). It would be some horrific miracle if any display of Battle Enhancements, any sort at all, were shown.

Show your cards too early and they'll fear you. Fear them. Hurt them.

"Now," Ace huffed, turning around and waving at the liquid-like creature who watched their interaction closely, "What are we going to do with that?"

"Milceries don't really like to cause trouble, so we should be fine. Back in my homeworld, they were super popular with the kids." Yuu fumbled around with her pockets before pulling out her Pokédex. Best to add Milcery to the Dex while she was at it.

The device lit up with a cheerful chime when she turned it on.

Cater winked playfully in an attempt to lighten the situation. It eased her, even if just by a little bit. "And the girls too, right? —Whoa, Yuu-chan! So you do have a phone!"

"Cater-senpai!" Deuce stammered.

"It's not a phone. ...But more like an encyclopedia for Pokémon?" She told them with a shrug, pointing the Dex up at the Wild Milcery. It wasn't attacking or anything, so that was a relief.

A female robotic voice chimed aloud, "Milcery, the Cream Pokémon. This Pokémon was born from sweet-smelling particles in the air. Its body is made of cream. Fairy-type."

Cater nodded and brought a finger to his chin. "Ah, so that's how the little guy got here!"

"I'm never going to get over how advanced your technology is," Deuce told Yuu, his lips upturned to show a quizzical-looking kind of smile. "How does all that just fit into the palm of your hand like that?"

"I had no idea it could do that," Ace remarked, "I thought it was just a really high-tech phone."

"That's Ignihyde-type level technology," Trey whistled, thoroughly impressed.

"What's this about Fairy-type? Now that really sounds like magic," Grim drew his brows together, "I didn't know about that. You never told me about it!"

"Were you paying attention? I was talking to Ace and Deuce about all the type matchups the other day in the Library."

"It should be common sense that water beats fire and fire beats grass, y'know," He complained dryly, dismissing her with a wave.

Yuu shook her head at him with an exasperated smile. She turned to the Milcery who hung above them, who was looking between all of them with curiosity in its beady eyes.

"I can't just leave it here overnight. ...Maybe the best idea would be to take it home with me. I'll deal with the specifics tomorrow."

"You're bringing another one with you?!" Ace, Deuce, and Grim exclaimed altogether, looking at her as if she just admitted to a murder confession. Was the idea that ludicrous? It was hard to understand.

"Just how many Pokémon do you have?" Trey asked warily.

Grim shook his head. "You don't wanna know."

She tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "He's exaggerating. It's a reasonable amount. Ah, Cater-senpai, you're tall. Do you mind helping me up the counter?"

Good, start switching the topic.

"Sure, Yuu-chan. But it's wet, okay? Be careful not to slip." ...What a gentleman.

She took his hand to steady herself as she hoisted herself over the kitchen island. The milk sloshed around onto the floor and she made a mental note to help Trey clean it up later.

"Is that really the best way to go about it?" Deuce pursed his lips, "If you fall, Yuu..."

"How about you just make him levitate like last time?" Ace snickered.

"I— I thought we agreed to never mention that again!"

Trey and Cater paused. "You what?"

Yuu ignored them and looked up at Milcery, whose beady white eyes blinked down at her. Their species could be rather timid, so she couldn't risk the chance of it escaping. So, as slowly as she could, she raised her arms up to coax the creature closer. With her best baby voice, she cooed gently, "Hi, Milcery.. I'm Yuu. Would you mind coming down from there?"

The Pokémon hovered lower, closer, just out of arm's reach. Good. That was a start.

"It must be a little intimidating, waking up in a strange room filled with people you don't know. But don't worry, we're not here to hurt you. I've got a couple friends at home who would love to be your friend. We'd all love to be your friends."

A curious glance. "Mill?"

"This dude's kind of a natural, isn't he?" Ace whispered from below her, "As expected from animal boy."

She chose not to comment on that ridiculous nickname.

Yuu spied Cater's tart on the counter, which was barely touched. Strange, for how much he said he liked it. She snatched it up and declared, "I'm taking this."

Cater didn't even get to protest (not that he seemed to mind, anyway).

The room watched silently as she turned to the Milcery, Mont Blanc tart in hand. She hoped she appeared as harmless as possible. "You're hungry, right? If you come down from there, I promise you can have this. Trey-senpai's tart is the best."

Her sweet words seemed to do the trick, because the creature floated down into her hand. It was strange, getting to touch a Milcery— a weird sensation that felt like liquid in anti-gravity. Droplets of milk sprang from its crown and coated her fingers, some falling to the floor.

Cater helped her down from the counter, where she squeezed some excess liquid out of her clothing. The room watched with silent fascination as the Pokémon seemed to absorb the whole slice into its body.

"Strange how it can just float like that," Deuce observed with wide eyes. "To think there would be a Pokémon for milk... I thought they were all animals of some sort."

"But now that it's up close..." Cater brought a finger to his chin, grinning delightedly, "Isn't that little guy really... adorable?"

The others didn't say anything, but they knew he was very right.

"Milcery's actually a female-exclusive species," She informed smartly as the creature hobbled forward at Trey the way a child learning to walk for the very first time would. Which was strange, because Milceries didn't have feet.

Trey backed nervously into the kitchen counter as the Pokémon made grabby hands at him with her stubby little arms. They all let shocked noises as the Milcery attached itself to his hand. All the while, his arm and sleeves were getting soaked. He didn't seem to mind.

"Ah—" He noticed the white powder that dusted his hands and put two and two together. "She's eating the sugar."

"Whoa, looks they're getting along so well already!" Cater applauded, "Seems like she has a sweet tooth. Haha, isn't that too fitting?"

"Be careful, they can smell fear," Ace joked.

Deuce eyed him. "Hanging around his Pokémon for a week and all of a sudden you're an expert, huh?"

"Shuddap."

Trey's free hand hesitantly stroked the top of Milcery's crown with the gentleness of handling a bubble. Unexpectedly, she sat idly and let him. His eyes widened with pleasant surprise at the foreign consistency of her liquid body. Grim raised an eyebrow when it drifted away from his hand and started to orbit around Yuu's head instead. "Hah? What's goin' on?"

There was not a single person who didn't scream as the Milcery plastered itself to her forehead, nearly enveloping half of her face.

"Gah—! Yuu-chan?!"

"It's eating him!"

"Grim, no she's not!"

Yuu kept still as the creature made a few burbling noises. It's body was a strange sensation she had never felt before— A warm blob of milk. A warm water balloon? She couldn't see anymore, but at least her nose and mouth were kept uncovered so she could breathe.

Even still... What was it doing? As experienced as she was with Pokémon, she had never come into contact with Galarian Pokémon, not unless they already had a trainer.

After five incredibly long seconds of silence, Trey stepped forward with a tight smile (not that she could see it, anyway), "Yuu... Are you okay? What's happening right now?"

"—Don't worry, I promise she's not trying to eat me."

"I know that, but—"

"Should we just yank her off?" Grim suggested.

He and Yuu blanched. "Absolutely not."

The room stiffened when Milcery broke off her face with a pop. Yuu's face was drenched, not that she really cared. "Some kind of greeting?" She hypothesized, wiping the liquid dripping off her chin. "She doesn't mean harm. I've always known Fairy-types to be affectionate."

"What did she do to you?" Trey asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. He handed her a napkin and she thanked him quietly.

"Nothing much, really. Skinship, maybe? Like I said, they're affectionate creatures." Strong as hell, too.

She looked up just in time to see Milcery latch herself onto Ace's cheek as he tried not to squirm. With slightly flared nostrils, he said, "This is the weirdest frickin' thing I've ever been through."

Cater laughed, repeating his previous phrase, "Be careful, Acey. They can smell fear."

She and Ace both snorted. The latter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now help me get 'em off."

Yuu didn't need to. Unbothered by his words, the creature popped away from him and wobbled through the air over to Deuce. They watched as she latched onto his neck and the boy tried his very best not to move. Was he... holding his breath?

Was he being considerate of the Pokémon or just straight up terrified. It was quite hard to tell.

She floated around the room, from Cater's shoulder to Grim's backside (to which he complained about very dearly) and back in Trey's hand. He lightly bounced her up and down in his hand with a subtle smile. "Sticky fingers, huh?"

"I'm gonna need to shower, damn it," Grim commented dryly.

"Well, we're all going to need it." Deuce surveyed the puddles of milk on the counter and the floor, then their dampened clothes.

Yuu winced and grabbed a spare bowl, gently coaxing Milcery into it to prevent any more spillage. She was easily moved into the container. "I'm really sorry about your clothes... and the mess. I'll clean up the kitchen right away, Trey-senpai."

Before she could go off looking for the broom, he stopped her, pulling out his magic pen out of his pocket. "Magic, remember?"

"Ah, I keep on forgetting about that."

"You really aren't from this world, huh?" Cater mused.

Trey rubbed his neck tentatively. "I'll feel bad if I hole you up in here any longer, since it's so late. All five of you should head home now." He was right, it was dark outside. "Don't worry about the mess, it's nothing a little magic can't fix."

He flicked it around a couple of times and Yuu watched with parted lips as the puddles around them started to evaporate into the air. Her hair was dry now, too. Even Pokémon moves weren't instantaneous like this.

(Grim hummed in a satisfied manner. From inside the bowl, Milcery gasped wondrously.)

"You really are a reliable senpai. Like a big brother," She blurted without thinking, because that's what he was like— in a way, he really resembled her older brother. They even had that short and spiky, tousled hair. If he could see her now, what would he think?

Trey only laughed and gave her head a pat, and suddenly Yuu remembered where she was. "Back to your dorms, everybody."

Grim clambered up her shoulders. Yuu let him; she was far more than used to it by now. Trey packaged the tart nicely in a box for her and she adjusted both it and the bowl in her arms. Deuce offered to hold it for her in the end and she happily obliged, thanking him. He was good at carrying heavy loads, she remembered.

Ace placed his elbow on her shoulder, nearly throwing her off balance (and causing Grim to shriek and Milcery to slosh around). When she looked at his face properly she could see he was pouting like a child. "Hey, Yuu! You're gonna let me sleep over again, right? It seems like our bully senpai won't let me in again~"

The accused boy gave him a honeyed smile and an airy laugh that had a little bite to it. "Oh my~ What passive aggressive wording!"

"You're so petty, Ace," She commented with mirth, "Why are you acting like I'd deny you a room after a whole week of you crashing at Ramshackle?"

Deuce gave him a stern look, shaking his head disapprovingly. "You rely on him and his Pokémon way too much."

"You're just mad they like me better than you."

He looked offended. "Lies!"

"Stop talking like you're still not in hot water with Audino," Grim snickered (what a hypocrite). He abruptly pointed at Ace, narrowing his eyes. "And you! Don't think I would let you get away without paying me my canned tuna! You owe me ten— no, a hundred!"

"Whaaaat? How am I gonna afford that?! Are you telling me to sleep outside?"

"What if I am? Audino'd like that, wouldn't she?"

Yuu chuckled, shaking her head. She did not miss Deuce's tight-lipped expression from earlier, his slightly deflated features. It was subtle, but it was still there. Was it that... he wanted to come over?

"Deuce," She called his name and he turned to her. "Why don't you come too? The more the merrier, right? I'm sure we'd all enjoy your presence."

"Really?" His face brightened up a considerable amount and he turned around to look expectantly at Trey.

"I don't see why not." He crossed his arms with a pleasant chuckle. "Ace can be a handful—"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"—So it'd be nice to have you around to keep another eye on him. I'll give you permission as Heartslabyul's Vice Dorm Leader."

They both thanked him, not after Cater cut in with a childish pout. "Aren't you being too soft on him, Trey-kun? How nice of you~"

She watched as his expression morphed into a wide grin in a flash. "Hey, I know! Yuu-chan, Yuu-chan. I can stay with you guys, right? I wanna say hello to his other friends!"

She, along with Deuce and Ace, balked.

Trey came to their rescue, crossing his arms. Even he seemed rather curious, yet showed some restraint. "You're not included."

"Stingy!"

Yuu wondered if they would ever meet her friends. Well... they had already seemed a third of them, so the idea wasn't too Farfetch'd. Perhaps they would get along, since Trey had that... certain quality about him that drew people closer. Hopefully Audino wouldn't be too off-put by his flawless lies, should they ever meet in person.

"Sorry, Cater-senpai," She winced, "It's not like I don't like having you around— A-And I do, honest! It's just, uh, I made a promise with the Headmaster to keep the existence of Pokémon as obscure as possible..."

"How sweet of you, but don't worry!" He laughed, not too offended by it. Winking, he said, "It's like Trey said, right? What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen."

"Right. Thank you both, really."

"I should be thanking you instead. I'm sorry for leaving these two in your care again, Yuu." Trey gave her an apologetic smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're a good kid— So I'm sure I can leave them in your hands. See you tomorrow then, everyone."

Milcery let out a bubbling noise.

"Ah, yes. Goodnight to you as well."

"Tomorrow is the Unbirthday Party so I'll definitely make him remove this damn collar then!" Ace shook his fist in the air. "Just you wait, Dorm Head Riddle!"

They chuckled at his high-spirited resolve that did not diminish, not even in the dark of the night. 

[1] Heritage — For future reference; Japanese is the main language spoken throughout all of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh regions and will be referred to as "Gengo." It just translates to "language" in Japanese.

As you may or may not know, the Hoenn region is based off of modern-day Kyushu, Japan. Yuu is half Hoennian, half Kalosian. This is virtually half Japanese, half French. She can speak both languages, yes! (But she sticks to Gengo since TWST is spoken in Japanese.) One more time! Gengo = Japanese = Common Language. Kalosian = French = Franse.

Other Pokémon terms included in this chapter:

Lumiose Galette — A popular treat sold in Lumiose City. They resemble some sort of cookie or biscuit.

Sketch — A Pokémon move that allows the user to permanently copy the last used move of its opponent. Yuu notes the similarities between it and Trey's Unique Magic.

Farfetch'd — Bird Pokémon whose name is too good (or bad, however you look at it) to not include. It's the bird that always carries a leak around. Pokémon names are actually pretty fun to replace in real-life phrases and idioms.

OH MY GOODNESS I ONLY COVERED ONE (1) EPISODE IN THIS UPDATE. This whole chapter was only episode 14? (I guess that explains why it's shorter than usual, sorry for that)!?! I hoped you liked it nonetheless. Anyways... If you guessed Milcery would come up, you were right! What do you think of our second Pokémon appearance? I'm actually running pretty behind on my chapter drafts so expect the next update to be on the 30th of this month.