IT WAS DARK, WHEREVER IT WAS. And cold. Dark and cold, cold and dark.

Which was strange because she clearly remembered sleeping in her own bedroom last night. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had died. Maybe this had been one of Meowth's pranks, though she had sworn the cat Pokémon had never had any moves like this in his moveset.

She was floating, Yuu realized quickly. In what, though, was a different matter completely. The darkness was endless, boundless. And even though she seemed to be underwater, she wasn't drowning.

Tendrils of ink emerged from the depths to grapple and prod at her legs in an effort to dredge her into its abyss. She gaped her mouth in a silent scream and struggled to kick them away, to no avail. Even as she continued thrashing, more thick strands of tar latched on her body and welded effortlessly into her skin.

A lovely and noble flower of evil... You are the most beautiful one of them all!

A masculine voice that was most definitely not hers rippled around the ink, cold and ominous. It startled her so much that she completely forgot to move. I— What?

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall... Who is the one that will...

The voice kept on fading in and out of her hearing. She yelped, a silent scream, when an inky tendril curled around her ankle and yanked her whole body backward.

Craning her neck up at the murky waters and the harsh sunlight filtering through the surface, Yuu desperately tried to pinpoint the source of that voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of a large and ornately decorated mirror floating in the water. It quickly burst into green flames, sparks bursting through the glass despite being underwater.

She was beginning to suspect that this wasn't a dream after all.

O, One who has been guided by the Dark Mirror. As long as thine own heart desires, take the hand that appears in the Mirror.

Yuu gaped in horror as she found her arms reaching out for the mirror on their own accord. The Mirror seemed to pull at her and her body obeyed it like some kind of magnetic force. No, no, she most definitely did not desire whatever this was.

Flames that can even turn tomorrow into ashes. Ice that can freeze time in its place. Earth that can swallow the sky!

But you, O Guided One, already know of this power beforehand, do you not?

Her body seemed to be pulled forwards against her will and she began to panic. It was the silent dread type, the one that overcame her senses and paralyzed her to the very core. As if reading her thoughts (and it probably could), the voice rang clear and deep in her head again.

Show no fear of the power of darkness. Come now, show me your power.

Her brows furrowed. For the first time, her vocal cords came back to her. "But why?" Her voice was a little waterlogged when she spoke, but it still carried throughout the darkness.

You are destined! The voice boomed, causing the ink to ripple around her. Both you and the power of thy kin. Not one without the other, together you shall make things right.

What was this thing talking about? Before she could ask any further, the tendrils of ink swarmed around her like Venomoth to a flame. In between the thrashing and screaming, she could hear the voice declare somberly.

And at no cost must you ever let go of that hand.

THE LAST TIME YUU HAD A HEADACHE THIS TERRIBLE, she was Headbutted by a Bagon. She was eight years old and it hurt badly. Then again, last time she wasn't confined in a box of some sort. Her head felt heavy; just what had happened to her before she came here? When she racked her memories to try and come up with some sort of answer, nothing came to mind.

She couldn't remember anything. Why couldn't she remember anything?

Yuu entertained the thought that she might've been kidnapped— but no, that couldn't be possible given the inside of whatever she was in was lined with something velvety and soft. Kidnappers didn't have time for things like that.

The girl heard a couple of hurried footsteps on the other side of the box, far too light to belong to any human. Probably a Pokémon, she presumed. Good— perhaps it could bust her out of here.

There was tugging on the other end of the box followed by low grunting. The walls around her began to shake as whatever being outside tried to pry the lid off its hinges.

"Grrr... this lid isn't budging at all!" Okay, so not a Pokémon. Whoever it was, his voice was raspy and high-pitched with frustration. "Okay then, I didn't want it to come to this, but... Time for my secret move!"

Her panic spiked up when she heard the familiar burning, crackling noise that could only belong to fire. All at once, there was a large roar and the object that had been obscuring her vision was blown away and fell off the door with a clatter. Now fully awake, she rolled out of the way just in time to miss another— What was that, a Flame Burst?!

The perpetrator had seemed to be a raccoon-like Pokémon. It looked rather surprised to see her, its blue eyes wide with alarm. "Whaa—?! Why are you up?!"

Yuu, who felt rather frazzled, did not answer and let her eyes adjust to the light. The room around her was dark but elegantly decorated, chandelier and candles illuminating the room in a vibrant purple and green. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about the room had been the coffins just floating about. And with no Pokémon in sight to assist, just how was that possible?

Her inquiries were cut short when the unidentified Raccoon Pokémon stomped its foot on the ground impatiently. "Anyways, that's not the point. Give me your uniform now!"

This— This talking Pokémon was none like any she had seen before. Strange. Was he a different breed of Meowth? Or an Alolan Marowak? Which region was she in right now?

Yuu recognized that it was speaking the Common Language of her world and switched over from her usual Kalosian[1].

"I've never seen a Pokémon like you before," she said rather dumbly, peering down at it for a closer look, "How did you learn to talk?"

The Pokémon looked rather insulted by her strange query.

"The way everyone else does, are you dumb? Obviously, I'm the Great Grim!" There was an air of pride in his voice when he spoke, sticking his nose up smugly.

"Grim... Huh. Well, what do you know... Are you sure you're not a Pokémon?" The dual tufts of fire sprouting from his ears and the pitchfork tail seemed to tell her otherwise.

In all her years of working at the Pokémon Center, she swore she had never seen a Pokémon even close to who Grim was. Was he a new species? If so, that would be revolutionary—

"I don't know what Pokemen or whatever you're talkin' about are— Bah, whatever. That's the Great Grim to you, human," He corrected, not before pointing at her. He only stood up to her calves at his full height.

Not very intimidating to Yuu, who lived and worked around fiery and most oftentimes temperamental Pokémon her whole life.

"Now hurry and gimme those clothes, or else I'll roast ya!" Before she could react, he sent another burst of fire right in her direction. Startled, she tumbled out of the way before her hair could catch fire.

It was only now that she realized what she was wearing: Expensive-looking black and purple robes, embroidered with gold thread. She found it clunky and rather difficult to move around in.

"Whoa! I'll gladly help you find some clothes, so there's no need to get violent!"

Her stomach dropped like a stone at the prospect that somebody must have dressed her in her sleep.

"Are you looking down on me?!" Grim bristled at how carefree her words were and did not cease fire. Blue flames continued to spew from his mouth, scorching the tile floor and a few nearby coffins.

Wait a minute.

Her hands instinctively roamed down to her waist. Her belt, where was her belt? There was no way she could stay here with a fire hazard. Not by herself, at least.

Well, she did offer to help him. "Sorry, being Flame Bursted to death by a Raccoon Pokémon just isn't on my agenda today."

"I told you, I'm the Great Grim, not some raccoon— Oi. Oi, where are you going?!"

Pushing herself to her feet and ignoring his exclamations of shock, Yuu sprang past him towards the nearest door on her right. The room she previously resided in led to a large, open hallway with large arches that opened up to a view of a well-kept courtyard. It was nighttime.

That was strange because she remembered it was only evening before she was transported to this new location. There were, suspiciously, no Pokémon to be found at all. Perhaps this was a closed-off area, Yuu considered.

Either way, it was bad because she had no way to tell which Region she resided in right now.

She continued to run— any direction was fine if it meant getting away from Grim, or whatever he called himself— only to pause when she realized the pockets of her robe were heavy and weighed down.

She frantically fumbled around with them and pulled out the first thing she touched, nearly sobbing with joy when a Pokéball, came into view.

Pressing the button in the center of it, the ball enlarged to fit snugly inside the palm of her hand. It felt good, felt familiar.

"Oh my Arceus, I thought I lost you guys," So overcome with relief, she gave the ball a quick kiss before throwing it up into the air. "Fletchling, come on out!"

The Pokémon appeared out of the ball in a flash of blue light. The bird-like creature was of small stature— red, black, and white feathers glossy in the night— and adorably so. She perched onto Yuu's shoulder, nuzzling into her cheek affectionately with an excited chirp. "Fletch! Fletchling!"

"Yeah, it's nice to hear your lovely voice too," She laughed and let her head, letting her Pokémon do so.

Grim charged through the door with a roar before she could sort out the rest of her team. He looked even more enraged than before. "Don't you dare try to run away from me, you pathetic human!"

"If it's a battle he wants, a battle he'll get. Fletchling," She nodded at her Pokémon, who listened intently, "Razor Wind. Don't knock him out though, I don't want to compensate his Trainer for any injuries."

If he even had one. Whenever she met them, she would be sure to give them a good lecture about how to properly tame and look after rowdy Pokémon. And especially not to let them roam about outside their Pokéballs.

Fletchling heeded her words and burst forward with a rather confident look. A series of crescent-shaped blades of wind were sent down the hall, spot-on in Grim's direction.

"Hey, what—!?" He was thrown back with a yelp.

Fletchling returned back to her side. She grimaced at the aftermath of the Razor Wind— the rug adorning the halls now had several cuts running along it. She hoped it wasn't too expensive.

While Grim was sprawled about the floor, Yuu immediately spun on her heel and sprinted down the halls. Her Pokémon followed quickly after.

"I know for sure we're not in Dendemille anymore," she explained after she was confident the cat was far enough away, "Fly up, girl. Try to find out where we are or at the very least, an exit. Please."

The robin nodded very dutifully and flew out into the courtyard and higher up until she was just a tiny speck in the night sky.

"Hah, I don't know what the heck that weird bird thing was... But you can't get rid of me so easily, human! You really think you could run away from my nose?" She spun around to find the persistent cat... Pokémon... Not-Pokémon— Honestly, at this point, she didn't know anymore.

Finding her sternest voice, she crossed her arms and looked down at him disapprovingly. "These are the only clothes I have! I'd like to have a nice chat with your trainer, you know."

One talking cat, Meowth, was enough. She didn't need another one, a Fire-type to top it off, tailing her around as well.

"What are you talking about? No one trains me!" He sneered, "You better hand over your clothes unless you want me to— Ouch!"

Before he could pounce at her and possibly set anything else on fire, a thin leather cord shot out of the dark. They both flinched as it curled around Grim's torso. His cut-off scream was the last thing she heard as the cord was pulled back and easily yanked Grim's tiny body along with it.

"Hey! What's with this cord?!"

"This is no mere cord. This is a Lash of Love!"

This voice was a new one, and Yuu quickly realized this new person was the one who had properly apprehended Grim. As he stepped out into the light, she took notice of his flamboyant appearance. The man easily stood out in the hallways, even in the dark. The coat he wore over a neat vest had been decorated generously with gold embellishments and black feathers.

The top hat on his head made him seem even taller than he already was and the mask he wore held that uncanny resemblance to that of a Corviknight. They even had the same glowing pupils, she secretly realized with awe.

She briefly wondered if he had a Corviknight on his team. Then, she wondered if she could meet it. Pokémon in the Galar Region had always been a fascination to her, considering she stayed in Kalos most of her life.

Yuu tried reaching out to him in Kalosian at first, only for him to stare at her and cock his head strangely. That kind of reaction must have meant she wasn't in the Kalos region anymore. She tried again in the Common Tongue.

"Ah, sorry. Excuse me, sir. Do you mind telling me what region we're in right now? Perhaps, Kanto or Johto?"

"Excuse me?" The man looked at her even more strangely than he did before. Then, he explained, "We're at Night Raven College, an academy for magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic."

She has never heard of such a thing yet nodded politely anyways.

He scrutinized her very closely. "I've found you at last. Are you one of the new students?"

...What.

"What?"

The girl was left bewildered. In a College? She had never heard of a Pokémon College before. He never even answered what region they were in. Before she could ask any further, he faced her abruptly with a very stern look.

"You shouldn't do things like that, young man," The well-dressed stranger reprimanded, crossing his arms, "Of all things! Leaving the Gate on your own! Not only that, but you have yet to train your familiar."

She gaped at him. "Excuse me?"

His golden eyes narrowed behind his mask. "He has broken a whole slew of school rules, I'll have you know."

Yuu didn't linger too long on what a familiar was, craning her neck to look past this man to squint at the sky. Where was Fletchling? She shouldn't be taking too long. Of course, she trusted the Pokémon to take care of herself, but... the sky was empty. Where was she?

Grim continued to thrash about in his confinements. "Let me go! I'm not his friggin' familiar!"

"Sure, sure, the rebellious ones always say things like that. Just quiet down for a moment, will you?" The man dismissed Grim offhandedly before clamping a hand over his mouth, causing him to struggle even more.

She stared at him, slightly horrified. This kind of treatment to a Pokémon... was that sort of thing allowed?

"My goodness. It's unprecedented for a student to leave the Gate on their own." The man sighed resignedly and massaged his temples. "Augh... how impatient could you be?"

Yuu, who was pretty confident she had done nothing wrong (except ruin the carpet, but that was only because Grim had attacked first), felt rather miffed. "I'm sorry, sir, but I think you've misunderstood. I'm not a student here."

He blinked owlishly at her. She felt like she was the one who should have been doing that.

"Of course you are. You are wearing the ceremonial robes, are you not?" He clapped his gloved hands very suddenly. "Alright! We've done enough dilly-dallying as it is, hm? The entrance ceremony is well underway. Let us head back to the Hall of Mirrors, shall we?"

Without giving her a chance to speak, he tucked the squirming cat into his side like a basketball and turned in the same direction he came from. Yuu watched him walk off.

After a few seconds, he whipped around again to give her a look. "Well, come on then. We haven't got all night."

"Oh. Okay." Since he was the only source of information, she supposed she would have to follow him. "I'm sorry— Hall of Mirrors? May I ask who you are, sir?"

The man, whose name she had yet to know, had looked rather surprised at this. He paused, peering down at her. "What's this? Had the teleportation magic left you disoriented, young man?"

She furrowed her brows. The mere mention of magic was enough for her to quickly disregard being misgendered. "What magic?"

"Oh my. The magic has hit your head harder than I thought. No matter, it happens often enough," He waved, placing a hand on his chest, "I am Dire Crowley, the headmaster of this establishment, appointed by the board chairman."

They kept on walking as the man— now dubbed as Dire Crowley— explained about the Hall of Mirrors or whatever it was. Apparently it was the room that she awoke in.

"The Dark Mirror selects students it deems as worthy to attend this school. The chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from all over the world."

He turned around to look at her suspiciously, a finger placed in his chin. "They must pass through one of those doors to arrive here. Usually, the doors must be unlocked with a special key, but..."

"His Flame Burst must have blown the lid off then," Yuu muttered.

"So in the end, the culprit seems to be this familiar." Crowley paused in his walking to look at her disapprovingly. She felt as if he was barking up the wrong tree. "If you're going to bring it with you, you must take proper care of it."

That was supposed to be her line. "This one isn't one of mine, sir."

Crowley checked his watch and gasped. "Oh my! No time to be long-winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let's get a move on, shall we?" He made a turn around the corner and cut through the courtyard.

Yuu had no choice but to follow. She had so many questions, none of them even close to being answered.

And Fletchling was still nowhere to be found.

"IS THAT ALL FOR FIRST-YEAR DORMITORY ASSIGNMENTS?" A voice asked. It could still be heard well above the chatter of the other hooded students in the room. "Listen up, new students. Here in Heartslabyul, I am the rules. Break them and it's off with your head."

"Ugh... This stuffy ceremony is finally over," A different voice groaned, much deeper and much more tired than the previous one. "We're going back to the dorm. Savanalaw, follow me."

"To all new students, congratulations on entering the academy. Empty your life here to its fullest," Another voice declared, formal and polite, yet not quite welcoming. "As the dormitory leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my ability."

"By the way, where did the Headmaster go?" A fourth voice asked, exuding elegance just as he spoke. "He flew out right during the middle of the ceremony."

"Abandoning his post..." This voice was hushed. Digital, almost a robotic quality to it.

The sixth voice had been a stark contrast to the previous ones, cheerful and vibrant. "I think he got bored."

The second yawned. "I wouldn't blame him."

"Fletchling," The... seventh chirped exuberantly.

There was a silence from the other five as they stared at the sixth and his new bird companion with bewilderment-borderline-repugnance.

"I don't even," The fourth voice sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I don't even want to know why or how you picked up that bird."

"What? The little guy's cute! I think I'm gonna name him... Toby! Whoa, whoa— Ahaha— I get it, I get it! Not Toby, so please stop pecking me! ...Maybe Jamil will help me come up with a good name for you, then?"

The first tapped his foot on the floor. "Where could the Headmaster possibly be?"

"Maybe he got a stomachache or something?"

"Most certainly not!" The said man barged through the door with a flourish, causing the room of people (including the five gentlemen, plus tablet, plus robin-creature) to turn their heads in his direction.

Yuu, who stood behind the man, gaped at the sheer number of people in the room. She started to appreciate that the hood of her robes was obscuring her face.

"Ah, he's here," A young boy with striking red hair in the back of the room had said.

"I just cannot believe you all. We had one missing student, so I went to find him." Crowley let out a sigh and made his way across the room to the raised platform in the back where a redheaded boy and four others (plus a blue Rotomdex?) had stood. The students in the middle of the room had parted like the seas when he walked.

She didn't know what else to do, so Yuu followed him up onto the stage.

The familiar ornate Mirror floated eerily in the center of it. Her line of sight wandered over to the six and zeroed in on the particular bird sitting on the head of a kid with pretty white hair.

You left me for this? Yuu wanted to say, yet carefully bit her lip.

Fletchling lowered her head shamefully under her gaze. From the side, a boy with glasses and wispy gray hair (it reminded her of a Malamar), eyed her bird.

"You," Crowley whipped around to face her, "are the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over your raccoon, so please step in front of the Dark Mirror."

Grim continued to struggle, still muffled. She pursed her lips but did as told, considering there were other people watching.

As she bypassed the five men, Yuu let out a sharp whistle and raised an outstretched arm. The reaction was immediate— To the surprise of everyone else, the robin immediately swooped around to perch on her forearm.

From a few paces away, Crowley looked absolutely dumbstruck. "What?"

"Good girl," Yuu cooed, scratching the Pokémon's neck. Fletchling let out a pleased trill at this.

The white-haired boy gaped at her. "Wait. That's a lady bird?!"

A few other students in the crowd snickered.

Yuu stayed silent and stood directly in front of a Mirror, staring into its empty, devoid reflection. She watched as a haunting face appeared in the green flames, sunken face morphed into a frown.

"State thy name."

"My name is Yuu." She didn't really have a surname— only the rich people had those where she came from. Most people just... stated what town they hailed from or their profession. So for extra measures, she quickly added, "Yuu the Caretaker."

There was a beat of silence.

"The shape of thy soul is... Scarabia." The face in the Mirror kept on staring at her, its face scrunching up like a paper ball.

Yuu's expression was starting to match it as well. "What's a Scarabia?"

The same white-haired boy from earlier let out a cheer and Crowley clapped his hands jovially. "That does it! Now the entrance ceremony can come to a close—"

The Mirror started to glare at her. "Wait," It cut in, making the man pause, "It seems I have read the shape of thy bird instead. The shape of the human is... I do not know."

A wave of murmurs rippled throughout the rest of the students. She saw the expressions of the five men beside her change into varying degrees of shock. The boy, in particular, seemed to deflate.

"Come again?" Crowley's smile dropped instantly. From how appalled he looked, it was as if the Mirror had declared Yuu a serial killer instead. "You just said Scarabia, did you not?"

Under her breath, she whispered, "Is Scarabia a Pokémon?"

The dark-skinned, tired-looking man raised a wary eyebrow at her.

The Mirror continued. "Unlike the bird, this one has no magic. Not a single spark. The color, shape, all are nothing. Therefore, I recall my prior judgment. This one cannot be suited into any dormitory."

"There has never been a mistake in the student selection in 100 years." The Headmaster was rather shaken by this news, more so than anyone else in the room. "An Ebony Carriage would absolutely never meet someone who doesn't possess magic! For his bird to possess more magic than him himself..."

Yuu felt rather insulted, even if it was true. Okay, no more time for mind games— What kind of lunatic region was this anyway?! What kind of freaky-deaky roleplay was she taking part in right now?

Quite fed up, she stepped forward and pointed furiously at Crowley's chest. "Alright, I need answers immediately, sir. You tell me right this instant— What region are we in right now?"

He made a weird face, startled by her outburst. "Haven't I told you already, young man? We are at Night Raven College, located in Twisted Wonderland."

It was time for Yuu's face to fall. "Come again?"

Grim, who had taken this time to wriggle free out of his captivity, burst forward with much fervor. "Then I'll take his place! If the dumb bird can be sorted, why can't I? If you need proof, I'll show you right now!"

Yuu could recognize such a look like that anywhere, immediately diving for the floor. Fletchling understood as well and zipped towards the ceiling. "Everyone, get down!"

There was a surge of panic among the crowd. Many bodies hit the floor just in time to avoid the flames exploding right above them. The white-haired boy wasn't so fortunate as his peers.

"Hot! My butt's on fire! Hot hot hot!"

"At this rate, the school will become a sea of fire!" Crowley declared amidst the cacophony. "Somebody, catch that raccoon!"

"Che! Suck ups."

The man with the platinum blonde hair eyed his tired-eyed friend. "Hmm? I thought you were good at hunting. Doesn't it look like a nice, plump snack?"

"Why me? Do it yourself."

Yuu couldn't believe what she was hearing or seeing. Why wasn't anyone sending out their Pokémon to fight the rogue creature? And what was this Magic they spoke of? If they were so enamored with it, why wasn't a single person using it?

"Crowley-sensei, leave it to me." The man with the glasses and the gray hair placed a hand on his chest, "I'm sure others wouldn't be able to stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will do it myself."

"That's Azul for you. Always trying to earn himself points," The Rotomdex spoke.

"Umm, hey, could someone please put out my fire already?!" The poor boy asked, attempting to fan his smoldering robes.

"Fletchling, give him a good Tailwind," Yuu said, deciding to put him out of his misery, "Are you alright? Are you burnt anywhere?"

"Thanks so much," He breathed out with a sigh of relief, dusting himself off. He sent her a thankful grin. "I'm Kalim Al-Asim. Nice to meet you!"

"Same here." She found herself smiling back. Now here was one person in the building with a bit of sense in him. "My name is Yuu, but I think you might already know that. I kind of wish we met in better conditions, though."

"Nah, don't sweat it." Kalim, as she now knew him, laughed it off and pointed to Fletchling curiously. "This bird here is yours, right? She's so cool! Sorry I mistook you for a guy, haha."

Fletchling seemed to puff up at the praise. "Thanks, later I can let you pet her. Maybe our Pokémon can meet each other." What a sweet boy.

Kalim blinked at her, still keeping his amicable smile— although now it was a rather lost one.

"Our what now?"

"Could someone get a hold of that raccoon, please?!" Crowley's voice rose over the noise of screaming kids and flickering flames. "Are you all even listening?!"

"Maa... Just do it yourself, why don't you?"

"Hold on, we still need to focus on the task at hand—" Yuu dismissed Kalim's strange reaction. She turned to Grim, who was still setting the venue ablaze. "Fletchling, throw him off with a Razor Wind, then finish with an Aerial Ace!"

The robin nodded enthusiastically and sent a series of blades of wind towards the ravaging cat. He, who learned his lesson from before, nimbly dodged them with a cackle. The blades left nicks into the tile floor upon impact.

"Haha! Missed me, you dumb bird! Hey, wait, don't come any closer—"

With the increased speed boost from the Tailwind from before, Fletchling plummeted downwards in a blur of light to deliver a consecutive string of attacks and sent Grim flying backwards.

It was almost silent now, the only noise being Grim's groans from where he was on the floor. Crowley, Kalim, the red and the gray-haired boy had their lips parted speechlessly. The beautiful man's perfectly arched eyebrows shot up in surprise. Suddenly, the tired-looking man didn't look so tired anymore.

The Rotomdex was the first to speak. "...Oh my Sevens, the bird really does know how to use magic."

Yuu crossed her arms. "Alright, someone needs to do something about their Pokémon."

The boy with the red hair regained his bearings first. He stepped forward and pulled some kind of pen-looking object out of his sleeve, pointing it at the cat. "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, a heart-shaped collar appeared around Grim's neck and clamped shut around it. Yuu's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. What did she just witness? Did that boy just use a Move?

"Fletchling, are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?"

"Fletch..."

Grim was startled back into consciousness, peering down at his neck. "Gyah! Is this seriously a collar around me right now?!"

"Laws of the Queen of Hearts Number 23: One shall never bring a cat to a festival," the redhead stated, striding forward with quick steps. "You being a cat means you've broken a rule. I shall have you leave at once."

"I'm not a cat!" Grim protested, attempting to pry the thing off, "You know what, fine. I'll just burn this collar off and... Eh?! Why can't I use my fire?!"

"Hmph! You won't be using your magic anytime soon, that's for sure. Not until I take that collar up," He stated coldly, an unmistakable smirk on his lips, "You'll just be an ordinary cat."

"What?! I'm not some pet!"

"Don't worry, I'd never keep a pet like you. I'll take it off anyway when you get thrown out."

Just what in the world... She understood that it was a temperamental Pokémon, but to go as far as to throw it out—

"Wow, as wonderful as ever. Any and all magic gets sealed by your unique magic, Riddle." The boy with the glasses had said, sporting a smile that made her feel sort of uneasy. He continued muttering something else that Yuu couldn't quite catch.

The other boy, now known as Riddle, merely crossed his arms and huffed. "Oh, please."

Crowley walked up to Grim and picked him up by his collar. He whipped around and faced her sternly. "You must do something about this! It is your familiar!"

Yuu could feel her eye twitching.

"How many times must I tell you?! He is not one of mine!" she hissed, patience quickly running thin. She let out a quick whistle and Fletchling immediately returned to perch on her forearm.

"Excuse me?"

"See this? See my lovely Fletchling?" She raised her arm to the Headmaster's height. The bird nodded fervently along with her words, preening at the praise. "Well-behaved, good-mannered! She's with my team."

"A-Ah, you did?" The Headmaster stepped back, his eyes wide with surprise. He glanced awkwardly at the squirming cat in his hold. "Well. Anyway, we must kick you out. You won't be turned into stew, for I am gracious."

Yuu nearly screamed with fright right then and there. She could only hope that he was only saying that to scare Grim.

"Someone help me, please."

Riddle, the one who had put the collar on him in the first place, sighed and received Grim from Crowley. Yuu watched with a grimace as he was dragged out of the Hall of Mirrors, desperately screaming his protests. "Gyah! Let me go! I'm going to... Become the greatest magician!"

The doors slammed shut.

"Wow. Brutal, don't you think?"

"Merely a minor inconvenience, is all." He turned to the sea of students before him, then to the five men. "That settles it, then. We had a bit of trouble along the way, but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close."

"Oh, thank the Greats," The Rotomdex sighed.

"Wait a moment!" She watched Crowley look around for a few seconds. "Hm? Now that I think about it... I don't see Mr. Diasomnia, the leader of Diasomnia around at all..."

The tired man yawned for the nth time that night, rolling his eyes. "That's no different from usual, isn't it?"

Kalim looked around. "What? Did no one tell him about the ceremony?"

The pretty blonde man crossed his arms. "If you're going to complain, you should have done it yourself."

"Hmm? But I don't really know him that well..."

All around her, the other students had begun to break out into whispers again at the sound of Mr. Draconia.

"Hey, by Draconia... Do they mean that Draconia?"

"Who else but him? Is he seriously attending this school?"

"Scary..."

"It seems I was correct." Yuu jumped at the appearance of a new character— just how did he appear where was, anyway— beside her. The boy was of small stature, his magenta-streaked hair cropped in an eye-catching. His cat-like, red eyes scanned the room thoroughly before narrowing at the five men.

And like all the other people she had seen today, this man was also, inhumanely good-looking. Good Arceus, she was starting to feel quite drab beside all these people. "I thought he might come, but he really didn't. It seems the invitation never arrived again."

"My deepest apologies," the boy with the glasses said, though it was noted that he actually didn't sound very sorry, "I promise we didn't intend to exclude you."

"His aura makes it hard to approach him," Riddle tried to supply, a strange look of remorse and discomfort on his face.

"It's fine. I hope this doesn't upset him, is all." The newcomer sighed and faced the rest of the students in the center of the room. "Members of the Diasomnia Dormitory, come with me." It slowly dawned on Yuu that the people around her were some sort of dormitory leaders, because they followed in suit.

"It's best we leave as well. It's getting late, after all. Heartslabyul students, come along."

"Fine, then. I've had enough. Savanaclaw, you're with me."

She watched the students file out with their respective dorms after the five men plus strange-looking Rotomdex.

Before she knew it, it was only her, Fletchling, and Crowley left in the room.

"Ah, I'm afraid it has come to this." The lattermost turned to her, shaking his head somberly. "Those without any talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend here— even if your bird does possess it, you do not."

"Yeah, I kind of assumed so..."

"I'm terribly sorry about this, but we must have you leave this school."

And good riddance, too. She had just about enough of this lollygaggery, with strange people and creatures who literally harnessed the power of Pokémon. And wouldn't shut up about Magic. This wasn't normal, and she wanted no part of it.

"Don't be." After a pause, she added for good measure, "Thanks for your time, sir. I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused."

"Yes, yes. There is no need to worry, Yuu," Crowley dismissed, ushering her to the Mirror, "The Dark Mirror will send you exactly from whence you came."

She looked at him weirdly. "What? It can?"

A curt nod.

"You sure you can't just, I don't know, give me a monorail ticket?" She bargained.

He shook his head. "No monorail can reach where we are residing currently. I assure you, this is the most efficient way to return to where you belong."

Yuu squinted confusedly at him before shrugging. If he said so, then she would take his word for it. She fished out the vacant Pokéball from her pocket. "Fletchling, you did a great job today. Return!"

With one last chirp, the robin returned inside the capsule in a bright flash of light. Crowley's eyebrows shot up behind his hair at the sight, yet he did not comment on it.

"Now, enter the Gate and picture your home clearly in your mind."

Stepping in front of the Mirror once more, Yuu closed her eyes and recalled her hometown. Dendemille Town, famous for its windmills, nestled humbly between the cliff sides and mountains of Kalos' highest peaks. Her dinner, still hot and ready inside the microwave.

Crowley's voice boomed loudly. "Oh, Dark Mirror, Guide this one back to the place they belong!"

Silence.

Yuu cracked an eye open. "No offense, sir, but... This is the part where something is supposed to happen, right?"

"It is nothing," Crowley dismissed, "Once more! Dark Mirror, guide this one back—"

"It is nowhere," It quickly cut in.

"Eh?"

"The place they exist is nowhere in this world. It does not exist."

"It does not exist? This has got to be some sort of joke, right?" Yuu's face felt red and hot. She pivoted around to face the man. "Mister Crowley, please tell me this is some kind of sick joke."

"No... this can't be. This is unbelievable!" He only looked as distressed as she was, peering down at her. "Then again... the unbelievable has been on parade today. Tell me, where do you come from?"

"Dendemille Town? From the Kalos Region? Surely, you've heard of it."

"I, despite my great and vast wisdom, have never. I have a general grasp of where all students come from but even I have never heard of that name before," Crowley murmured, placing a finger on his chin. "Come, let us do some research in the library."

Yuu, who found that she was quickly running out of options, decided to follow him. "Alright. I sincerely hope you can help me."

"I do, too."

She could only pray that this man, including all the other inhabitants of Night Raven College, were just amnesiacs. Or highly delusional. Or both.

EDITED 12/21/21, 6444 words

[1] Kalosian — A little bit of worldbuilding here! Japanese will be considered the main language both in TWST and in the Pokémon world. Everyone refers to it as the "Common Language."

It is the main language spoken throughout all of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh regions. 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 the Common Tongue since TWST is spoken in Japanese.)

Other Pokémon Terms mentioned in this chapter include:

Venomoth — The Poison Moth Pokémon. This Pokémon is attracted to bright lights, hence the comparison. This is a Bug/Poison-type, introduced in Generation I.

Mamoswine — The Twin Tusk Pokémon. This Pokémon is 8'02" tall and is often used to transport Trainers to and from Dendemille since the snow was always piled so high. Ice and Ground-type, this Pokémon was introduced in Generation IV.

Marowak (Alolan Form) — The Bone Keeper Pokémon. Due to its similar coloring and use of blue fire, Yuu briefly mistook Grim for one. Introduced in Generation I, it gets an Alolan Form in Generation VII.

Corviknight — The Raven Pokémon. Yuu noted that Crowley looked eerily similar to this Pokémon when she first meets him. This is a Flying/Steel-type, introduced in Generation VIII.

Rotomdex — A Pokédex that has been possessed by a Rotom (also a different kind of Pokémon)! This device is found in the Alola Region, used to identify Pokémon. Since it has been possessed by a Rotom, the Pokédex is enhanced and will even talk to the Trainer!

Malamar — The Overturning Pokémon. A squid-like entity with incredible Psychic powers. Yuu used it to describe Azul's hair. It is a Dark/Psychic-type, introduced to the game in Generation VI.