YUU DIDN'T THINK SHE HAD EVER SEEN Riddle wearing... whatever kind of expression he was wearing right now. It was more comical than anything, something halfway between pissed beyond belief and that "Aha!" moment like when you've just caught a thief red-handed. She didn't want to be whoever was on the receiving end of his wrath. It was almost strange, because she had never seen that anger directed at someone that was not her, Ace, Deuce, or Grim before.

"I knew it! I knew I wasn't going crazy. No one would believe me until this, but I was right!" Hysterical.

"What do you mean by that, Riddle-senpai?" Yuu asked, slightly perturbed. He did not answer, too caught up in the supposed confirmation of whatever conspiracy he had.

"I knew something was bothering you these past few weeks." Trey pried him off of her shoulders and helped him sit down. "Okay, let's just calm down, alright? I think you're scaring the first-years."

The conversation topic was absolutely lost to her.

"See? He's just like a nanny, isn't he?"

"Wouldn't you say big brother in this situation, Ace?" Trey corrected blithely.

"So just what exactly is goin' on?!" Grim whined, addressing the very obvious Cufant in the room, "Why is Cater sayin' we never met him when we remember doing that? My head hurts..."

"I'm telling you guys, I was at the Light Music Club the entire time!"

"So then who were we talking with then, senpai?"

"That's what I'd like to know!"

"Alright, enough. I understand this entire situation is putting us all on edge," Riddle said pointedly, putting an end to Cater and Deuce's exchange. He took a deep, labored breath, before announcing, "There is an imposter lurking inside Heartslabyul."

"..."

"...That was really cryptic."

"Ace, I'm serious about this. So I need you all to stay with me here." She didn't know a voice could sound so tired.

Cater raised a brow. "So, an imposter in Heartslabyul? Riddle-kun, how'd you come up with that conclusion?"

"I started suspecting them... A week and a half ago, I'd like to say? I collared a student for... Ah, an improper appearance..." There was regret in his tone as he recalled the memory. "Then, he lunged at me."

"Ah, I remember that," Trey mused. "I don't know if I should call him gutsy or what."

"Oh yeah! I was telling— I was telling Yuu, Ace, and Grim about it on the second day of school."

"What you don't know, however, is that I caught the same student later in the afternoon without his collar. I was so infuriated— How could he take it off? How dare he?! ...The student told me he had overslept that morning and didn't even show up for roll call. The nerve! ...I ended up collaring the boy again."

That's Riddle for you. At least he sounded guilty about it now.

"That doesn't make sense. How did he take it off? Your magic is impossible to remove," Yuu said, "And believe me, we've tried—"

Ace and Deuce visibly cringed. Grim shuddered from where he was on her lap.

"...It is impossible to take off without my will, though I suppose I must commend you for trying," He chuckled, sounding quite proud of himself.

"If it was illusion or shape-shifting magic, it should have poofed away immediately, right?" Cater questioned, looking quite shaken, "Sow how— Who was that?!"

Trey winced. "Riddle, Cater, I already told the first-years about this... But, uh, last week I was doing our weekly patrol of the gardens and... Well, I saw you eating steak right in this spot."

There was a terrible gasp from both him and Cater.

"Oh my Sevens—"

"Look, I know it sounds bad. I couldn't believe my eyes—"

"I never eat steak in the gardens, you all know that! Which— Which troublemaker dares to tarnish my reputation?!" Riddle bolted right out of his seat, his scepter in a deadly grip. "These— The Queen of Hearts' own rules!? Why, I should have him beheaded when I find him! Mark my words—"

"Now, now, Riddle-kun," Seeing that he was working himself into a blind fury all over again, Cater and Trey eased him back into his seat. "Deep breaths, deep breaths, okay? You're resorting back to your old ways."

"Ah. My apologies, you three."

"It's alright," Yuu dismissed. "If you ask me, this student seems to have it out for you... Maybe, um, he's not over the fact that he got collared?"

"I hate to say it, but that sounds about right," Trey agreed, shaking his head.

"Well, then why would he target me too?" Cater wailed, "I mean, I didn't do anything wrong, right?"

"Directly, maybe not," Grim snorted.

"Actually... There were some weird rumours going around the students. That you guys don't know about." Ace confessed. At his words, Deuce also stiffened. "Uh, well..."

Riddle crossed his arms, impatient. "Well, spit it out. How bad is it?"

"Last week, three or four students in our class were saying they saw you lurking around the campus courtyard in the afternoon. I thought that was weird since you always had your afternoon tea parties or whatever."

"I do."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying! That's why we all thought they were lying. And then supposedly, Trey-senpai was caught sneaking in some sweets after lights out—"

The two of them looked absolutely mortified with his words. "Is that why they've been calling us hypocrites lately?!"

"Uh... Might not wanna answer that."

Deuce nodded along. "We were all thinking, Trey and Riddle-senpai wouldn't do that. Which is why we didn't think too much of it."

They took a moment to process the information.

Yuu pursed her lips. "I guess this imposter is out for the three of you, then. You three always hang around each other's company."

"Not entirely true. Over the course of these past few weeks, I've noted several other students and their whereabouts that didn't quite add up," Riddle told her, frowning.

"A student who was taking care of the hedgehogs has also been seen taking part in club activities at the same time. Another student promised me he was in class all day even though I've received a complaint that he was caught skipping."

So that's what Trey was talking about in the library when he said Riddle was under a large amount of stress. It was all starting to make more and more sense now.

"So this guy's targeting all of Heartslabyul?" Grim questioned, "That's rough."

Trey nodded, saying, "Seems likely. There's one whole extra entity lurking around Heartslabyul, right?"

"I didn't know that Riddle-senpai noticed this kind of stuff, actually. It's impressive."

"Naturally, of course. I'll have you know, I make it a point to memorize Heartslabyul's entire student roster. What kind of Dorm Leader would I be if I can't even do this?"

"That's Riddle-kun for you," Cater laughed.

"So, what do we do now?" Deuce asked, biting his lip, "Do we report this to Headmaster Crowley?"

"Of course not," Riddle dismissed the idea almost immediately. "This is a matter of Heartslabyul. Who has ever heard calling the Headmaster for just an unruly student? At best, this is probably just some student messing with Professor Crewel's shape-shifting potions."

Squinting, Ace crossed his arms. "...Okay, so what now, then?"

"It's simple, right?" He crossed his arms, an air of finality around him that couldn't be denied. "We snuff the imposter out. Mark my words, no one makes a fool out of Heartslabyul and gets away with it."

AS ONE OF THE ONLY FEW PEOPLE AWARE OF THE IMPOSTER'S PRESENCE, Yuu remembered to keep an eye out for any "suspicious activity," as Riddle and Trey had put it. She had valuable information to give, after all, so apparently the two of them intended to keep her close. Strangely enough, she let them.

She didn't know why she invested so much into their following investigations. A part of her, the morbid curiosity part, wondered who it was behind the string of attacks that terrorized Heartslabyul. Or rather, terrorized Riddle. Just who exactly out there held no fear for the Red Ruler?

Which led her to here, the very next day, talking to this purple-haired student. When Riddle and Trey had asked them about any misbehaving students, any misconduct, one student came to mind.

Yuu remembered him distinctly— Shaggy violet hair, lanky stature, a red heart on the left side of his face. The reason she remembered him so well was because he was the one who went and threw an egg at his Dorm Leader. If that wasn't misconduct, she didn't know what was.

"Hey, do you have a second?" When they approached him in the school halls that day, the boy froze in his place.

She had a feeling why. Cater and Riddle stood beside her on each side, with Ace and Deuce at their respective clubs and whatnot. These two decided to accompany her today.

"D-Dorm Leader Rosehearts! Cater-senpai! Oh, Greats— I'm not in any trouble, am I?"

Riddle crossed his arms. "Calm down, you're not." Not if he was the imposter, at least. He very well could have been, for all they knew.

"We'd just like to ask you some questions," Yuu said. Grim, who watched the interaction, sat quietly in her arms.

"Oh, you're that transfer student? Trappola's buddy, with the pets, right?" The student eyed Grim, who stuck his tongue out at him. "...Okay. How can I help you?"

"Were you the student who threw an egg at me a week ago?"

"What?!"

The boy stumbled back, looking ever so terrified for his life. His eyes kept on darting to the magical pen that sat menacingly in Riddle's breast pocket. Even though the Dorm Leader had apologized to every student for his behavior, it was only obvious that he still had a certain effect on them.

"I would never. I would never! That wasn't me, I swear, Dorm Leader! I was at the Library— ...Oh Greats, is this about the rumors goin' around about the doppelgangers? Because I don't know a thing! You have to believe me."

In this case, it was scaring the living daylights out of them.

"Whoa ho ho, okay!" Cater cut in, laughing nervously. This student looked just about ready to high-tail it outta here. "Riddle-kun didn't mean that, we're not accusing you of anything! We just wanted to establish an alibi for you."

And confirm whether you had been targeted or not, Yuu added inside her head. Which, it was clear as day that he had been.

"I promise, I promise, I was nowhere near Heartslabyul at the time. I really wasn't there— I was at the Library for a study group, you can ask my friends. Just please don't collar me. "

"Not without reason." Riddle pursed his lips. Innocent until proven guilty, right? "Don't worry, I believe you. Anyways, thank you for your time."

It should have been some sort of new world record, with the way that student disappeared from their sight so quickly.

Grim muttered something along the lines of, "Well, that was a bust."

It was, and her suspicions were correct. This additional incident just further underlined the fact that something was amiss with the students of Heartlabyul. Not to mention, the regular student body was starting to notice the traces of this imposter, and they were all getting antsy about it... Better snuff this guy out before he can cause any more trouble.

Everyone ended up pooling everything they knew of the situation, and across the course of three days, after-school meetings in Heartslabyul became habitual.

They had this long list of incidents and targets, and yet, no leads or suspects. Ace had suggested maybe it was some student messing around with Crewel's shape-shifting potions. That one was shot down when Trey realized that man always locked up his potions, always, especially after the... Science Club Electrical Explosion?

Yuu didn't know what that was, and she didn't want to ask.

Cater suggested that with Magift Season coming around the corner (whatever the heck that was), and with the competition looking extra tough this year, there could be a dorm spy among them.

Pokémon weren't exactly out of the question either. They had considered it, Yuu especially, but it had been shut down after they realized Pokémon couldn't talk. Meowth being the only exception, for all she knew. But with the recent influx of Wild Pokémon from who knows where, she was beginning to second-guess herself.

Legendaries could talk in the myths, granted most of the taking was done using telepathy. By Arceus... She hoped, prayed they didn't have a Legendary Pokémon in their hands right now. She might just faint on the spot.

As for now, a troublemaker with shape-shifting magic was the best bet they had.

When they weren't actively searching for the the imposter, the five from Heartslabyul found themselves coming over routinely to visit Milcery and the rest of her Pokémon team. Riddle and Trey had been the most put-off by the state of Ramshackle, blurting out "You live here?!" when they came upon it for the very first time.

"Well, sorry the Headmaster never gave me more than this." She waved a cobweb out of the way. "Anyways, make yourselves at home. I'll call everyone out so you can meet them."

"This really won't do." Riddle placed a finger on his chin as he observed her moth-eaten living room. "Just what is the Headmaster doing to you? Perhaps we should submit a request a Dorm Transfer."

"What? Why?" Her head popped out of the kitchen and she blinked owlishly at him. "For who?"

"You, of course!" Ace came over and messed up her hair, sending strands flying. "Come on, I've been saying this the whole time. Look at the place, it's a freakin' mess!"

"I see what this is. You feel bad for mistreating a girl, right?" Yuu shook her head, "Well, too bad. I'm not gonna take you on that little offer of yours. I don't think my gender should change anything. Trey-senpai, you understand, right?"

"Tell that to Deuce," Ace whispered with a cackle, which earned him a well-deserved smack (or three) from her. "Hey, would you stop that?!"

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea, gender aside," Trey only said, to her dismay. "Yuu, here, would fit right in with all the flamingos."

"Trey-senpai!" She gasped, feigning heartbreak from his apparent betrayal.

The three of them shared a chuckle, which she really thought was no laughing matter. But even after they caught their breaths, they continued to look and smile at each other.

Yuu felt almost... almost important when they listened to what she had to say, stories and entries about back home. It was kind of sweet. Endearing, even. Ace's favorite part would have to be the battles, the entire concept of dueling for entertainment or money. Imagined the thrill it could have brought, the fun he could have had.

Riddle said he wondered how that wasn't illegal or something, but even he seemed to appreciate how Pokémon were so integrated into the community she knew and loved.

Pokémon Showcases and Competitions were Cater's favorite (she really shouldn't have been surprised). In his words exactly, "Just think of the views you would get!" Trey said he wondered what sort of role would Pokémon take in the kitchen alongside their partners.

The culture clash between them really was astonishing.

Deuce still kept the interactions to a minimum (and trust her, they were) throughout it all. If the rest of his friends noticed anything about his strange behavior, which they probably did, they did not say a word about it around her. She caught Cater and Ace trying to hype him up in the mirror but when he came face to face with her he kind of... fell apart.

"Nice going. You had one thing to say," She would hear Ace remark later. "Just one! Ask her how her day was! Good afternoon! Just one thing. One!"

"Oh no, I can't do that. You just don't understand— But he— Her being a girl changes everything. I want to start talking again, I really do! I don't know what happened, but when I look at her I just— Ugh, forget it."

"Oh, I got it! Just pretend she's your mother, man!"

"What? Yuu? My mother? Are you sure that would even—"

She would be lying if she said it didn't sting. Just a bit.

But he was trying, he really was, and she could see that. So she would wait, she told herself. But it was about two weeks since Riddle's Overblot. Perhaps he was still angry that she hid her identity from him for so long. Perhaps she needed to apologize. Yes, apologize! Sincerely. That'll surely do the trick.

"Deuce! Deuce, I need to talk to you."

When she caught up to him, he looked quite startled to see her. Understandable. He whipped his face around and paused. "Oh. Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it is. Listen, I know you might not want to talk to me right now, but could I borrow some of your time real quick?" She blurted out before he could refuse or protest, "It'll just take a minute for me to clear things up and you won't have to say a thing. Just hear me out, please."

He opened his mouth and closed it before opening it again. "Ah... Alright."

She didn't even bring Grim along with her this time, handing him off into the arms of Ace. This was important, so she needed to make sure her point was being carried across. Yuu led him into a secluded section of the Rose Hedge maze before taking a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry."

"Whoa, whoa— Hey, you don't have to do that!" Deuce tried to get her to lift her head, stammering, "It's really fine, okay? I'm really fine."

"No, you're really not." She moved to take hold of his arm before realizing that was probably a bad idea and he would not appreciate that, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about my gender until recently. I had no idea it would impact you like this. You have every right to be mad at me."

"No, I totally get it."

"If you want to stop being friends, I really— Wait, what?" She gaped at him, finally lifting her head. As if her ears had betrayed her, she repeated, "You do? You get it?"

"Yes. You had your reasons, didn't you? And I... I respect that. Don't think too much about it, alright? Yuu... I'm still your friend." Deuce nodded quickly, "Now, I really need to get somewhere— My club activities... Track and Field, remember?"

"Oh, thank Arceus. I didn't expect you to be so understanding, let alone even talk to me, haha..." She said, exhaling a sigh of sweet relief. "This must be really uncomfortable for you. You can keep on thinking of me as a boy, if it helps. The only thing that matters is that we're still friends."

If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed he wanted to get out of her direct vicinity.

...Did he?

"Perfect. I'd like that, actually."

"It seems we've come to a consensus," Yuu laughed and stuffed her worrying thoughts to the back of her head, where she hoped they would never resurface again. "Good talk, Deuce. Oh, and don't be late to the meeting tomorrow, alright? I think Riddle-senpai is losing sleep over snuffing out this imposter. We're so close!"

"Really, now?" He gave her a look of interest and mild concern. "I do hope he's alright. Where's the meeting again?"

"The Heartslabyul lounge, like always. Don't be late, alright? You know how Riddle-senpai is." She gasped. "Oh, shoot! Your club! Ah, don't let me keep you behind. Go, go go go!"

"Alright," He chuckled, letting her push him in the direction of the Maze's exit and she finally felt like they were getting somewhere. "I'll be leaving, then!"

Yuu waved goodbye to him, truly grateful that their interaction turned out smoothly. In the end, it was a wonderful idea to search him out. He was gone now so he couldn't see, but she was smiling to herself, from ear to ear. She couldn't have hoped for a better outcome!

—Wait a minute.

Wait a damn minute.

"ALRIGHT. IS EVERYONE HERE? LET'S TAKE ROLL CALL, SHALL WE?" Riddle swore, he has never been this stressed in his life. If he were an inferior Prefect (which he wasn't, mind you) he would have lost track of all the leads and students flagged down as suspects. All those red herrings and dead ends might have discouraged any other person. But he wasn't any other person, was he?

He was Riddle Rosehearts, and he was so close to snuffing out this imposter once and for all. Their activity seemed to be at an all-time high lately, and it would only be a matter of time before they slipped.

Apparently, his Overblot couldn't be the only dirty mark on his reputation at Night Raven College, one he worked so painstakingly hard to uphold. Oh, why did all the misfortunate things have to always come together in groups?

His steel grey eyes scanned the room. Everything was in order. Or rather it seemed to be in order. With the recent doppelganger incidents that have plagued Heartslabyul, he couldn't be too sure.

Trey, present. Cater, present. Ace, present. Deuce and Yuu, present. Grim, by the looks of it bored out of his mind, but still present. Milcery, tagging along with Trey because she didn't want to be left alone.

If anyone were to walk in on Heartslabyul's lounge meeting right now, they would see nothing short of a scene taken straight from a detective movie. Many Manila files and documents were strewn about upon a large table. Cater said something about how hard it was to get those. He had his ways, whatever they may be, so Riddle wouldn't ask. Behind them stood a large cork board, a wall of controlled chaos that featured photos of suspects, targets, victims and the like, all interconnected with red strings and sticky notes. Dubbed the "Crazy Board" by Cater and Ace.

(Riddle was quite proud of that board. He compiled it himself.)

"Ah, Ace, glad to see you're here." Riddle twirled his pen deftly around his fingers. "I assumed you'd be late since you had club activities today."

"Oh, about that. Yeah, I changed my mind." Ace leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I asked Coach Vargas to let me out early today. Since we're so close to snuffing this guy out, right?"

"Right," He hummed. He would have to ask Coach Vargas to confirm this fact. Call him paranoid or obsessive or whatever you want, but these past few weeks have trained him to be on high alert and vigilant.

Speaking of high alert, he did not miss the... peculiar way Yuu had been acting today. Her eyes kept darting back and forth, as if anyone might come bursting through the window. She fiddled with those strange— what were they called again— Pokéballs that she always carried around. And she wouldn't stop staring at Deuce.

That turned his attention to Deuce. His demeanor was quite similar to hers, though he supposed the boy had always been like that since they discovered Yuu's gender.

"Yuu, are you alright?" He couldn't help the concern that found its way to his face, even when he knew full well he could have been talking to the doppelganger. As much as he disliked it, the only person he could trust was himself. That much was true, a lesson learnt several days ago when he talked with Trey in the cafeteria and later found out he was actually talking to the fake.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Her eyes darted to the door a couple of times when she spoke.

He could not trust her, not entirely.

This headache of a fake— They knew exactly what they were doing. Why else would they go out of their way to watch Heartslabyul squirm? Watch him squirm? Make a fool out of him in front of his own students? But surely they wouldn't be so bold to show themselves here. Surely they wouldn't. What was one student against six?

Riddle swears, once he snuffs this person out— He wasn't sure if the Headmaster himself could save them from his collars. Goodness, it better not be one of Azul or Leona's.

"Alright," Trey cleared his throat, "Now that we're all here, the meeting can start."

"Alright, alright~" Cater swiped a croissant from the table, courtesy of Trey. "A little while earlier, I finally came up with a solid plan to tell apart our perp from the rest of our students. Here me out— We know the perp is collared, we just can't see it around his neck... for whatever reason. It's gotta be some kind of unique trait of his."

Strange. Did Cater always eat croissants?

Ace hummed. "So what's your point?"

"I'm saying, why don't we have Riddle-kun un-collar the students directly? Any student without a visible collar, of course. If they never had one in the first place, they won't notice anything, but if they do—"

He stopped talking when his phone buzzed.

Riddle paused to check his own; there was a message sent in a group chat Cater had made. They were all in it, sans Yuu, since she didn't have a phone.

Acey [delivered 3:49 PM]: yah srry guys I'll be late to the meeting, something came up during practice today ://

Acey [delivered 3:50 PM]: fill me up on anything that comes up, okay?

[ Trey, Deucey, and Cay-kun are typing... ]

He might have gotten whiplash from the way he snapped his head up to stare at Ace. There was no emotion that can perfectly describe the way he felt when his eyes landed on the text message. There was a prolonged silence in the room as they stared at the boy currently sitting in Ace's seat.

"What's up?" He only blinked, feigning innocence. The nerve.

"You." Riddle slammed his scepter to the floor with a thunderous noise that silenced the entire room. Gritting his teeth, he rasped out, "You punk. You absolute punk. Just who do you think you are?!"

He only shrugged, his lips twisted into an infuriating little smirk. "I guess you got me. The gig's up, right?"

"Get him!" Like a switch was flipped, the whole room was thrown into disarray. The imposter (whoever he was) immediately bolted out of his seat, scattering several documents fluttering around. Grim and Milcery lunged for the boy. They missed, but Riddle could commend them for trying.

"Fgnaaa! What the heck? He was right there!"

"Milcery?!?"

"I knew it!" Yuu hollered all at once, standing up and reaching for something in her pockets. The look on her face rivaled his. "You, you're the one who talked with me in the garden, aren't you?! Ugh, I can't believe I—"

"Yeah? Cry about it, why don't you?!"

Before anyone else could move, the imposter made a mad dash for the two double doors leading out of the room.

"Block the exits! Do not let him leave!" Riddle hissed, throwing his hand out commandingly. Who knows how much longer it would take to track him down if he were to escape these walls?

Trey regarded him cautiously. "Ace— Whoever you are, just stand down, alright? We don't want to hurt you, and I'm sure you don't want trouble with the Dorm Leader or the Headmaster."

"Nah. I don't really like your Dorm Leader anyway." Not-Ace jumped out of the way of a quick stream of Deuce's ice magic. "Whoa-ho-ho! If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!"

"That's a Pokémon," Yuu said almost immediately, then paleing afterwards when the words sank in, "Oh my Arceus, that's a Pokémon."

Riddle felt his anger fizzle down, just the slightest bit, quickly being replaced by a growing sense of confusion (and dread). That— That was a Pokémon? She meant to say that this entity, the source of his anger and turmoil for three weeks, was a Pokémon? Not even one of Leona and Azul's (he briefly shuddered at the thought) men?

"Are you serious?" Cater had all but screamed, pointing at the unknown boy— Pokémon— Whoever it was that stood in front of them in that moment. "How can you be so sure?"

"I've been living here in this world for three weeks and not once does anyone call—" She gestured at the room and everyone in it, "—this... a battle. No one. I should've realized this earlier, but no way a human would have pulled a stunt to this degree!"

"I thought Pokémon couldn't speak," Riddle said with wide eyes, "Well, other than Meowth. How is it possible that this one can?!"

"To be honest, I dunno— Audino, Take Down!" The shiny red Pokéball, which had been sitting in her hand the entire time, was promptly thrown across the room. Audino, if Riddle was correct, popped out and landed a(n admittedly impressive) headbutt on the perpetrator.

He stumbled back and staggered into the wall, coughing and gasping for air. But the imposter would not be bested a second time, swiftly weaving in and out of all their spells and attacks. Riddle was left confused and slightly irritated at how his spells would never land. It was strange, like some sort of afterimage or illusion that toyed with his senses. Wait. Is that how—?!

"It's a Zorua, I'm sure of it," Yuu hissed after Audino threw a Drain Punch in the wrong direction at the wrong person, "It's running circles around us."

What in the world was a Zorua?

As if reading his mind, she explained briefly (and Riddle wanted to die all over again), "Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. They're known as mischievous little Pokémon that can use illusions to hide their true form— You know what, I'll show you on my Pokédex later."

(He found it quite hard to believe this... heathen... was actually a fox in disguise.)

Deuce keeled over in pain from Audino's blow and the imposter would have landed a good hit on him if Milcery hadn't Tackled [1] him out of the way.

"That was a perfect Tackle! Follow up with Sweet Scent, Milcery!" To his surprise, the voice giving out those commands was not Yuu's. It was Trey. And she— Milcery— she actually listened to his words. From her body came out a sort of pinkish gas that fizzled out into the room.

Riddle blinked. "Trey..."

"Oh my Greats/Arceus," He, Yuu, and Cater exclaimed at the same time, followed by his follow-up question, "Trey, Trey, how did you do that?!"

"I... don't know, actually." He looked every bit as surprised as they were. "Yuu once said Sweet Scent was a status move that decreased evasiveness... And I— I guess it just came to me that we needed that right now."

"Yuu said that? Really? When?" Deuce scrambled to his feet once more, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Ah— Thank you so much, Trey-senpai."

This time, Trey wore a rather satisfied expression. "What, you think you and Ace are the only ones who visit Ramshackle?"

Yuu might have looked even prouder than he did.

She gasped all of a sudden, pointing behind them. "Crap, crap! He's escaping!"

When Riddle whipped his head around, he saw Not-Ace by the doorway, one hand already clamped around the handle. The devious smirk he wore was definitely one the real Ace would wear, and that infuriated him even more. "No! Don't you dare! Come back right now, I demand you!"

The nerve he had to stick out his tongue at him. Him, Riddle Rosehearts, Heartslabyul's Dorm Leader? How dare he?

"See you later, Dorm Leader! Or maybe not. Hopefully never—!"

"—YOOOOU'RE SO BUSTED, YOU HEAR ME?" Ace, who had arrived just in the nick of time, had slammed the door open at an alarming speed. Riddle (all of them, really) had barely registered it when it crashed into the perpetrator's face. The blow was strong enough to send him down like a sack of onions, hitting his face on the checkered floor.

"Oh. Oh, wow. I didn't mean to do that."

Audino and Milcery shared a wince.

"Hn." He had never been so happy to see his face before, Riddle silently admitted in his head. "Talk about great timing. I suppose I'll have to excuse your tardiness, just this once."

"What? I literally told you all beforehand! And besides, don't I deserve a thank you for taking out this guy?!"

"Oh, please." The six of them (nine, if they counted Grim, Milcery, and Audino) crowded around the body splayed about the floor. If they squinted, they could see parts flaking off— The illusion was dissipating.

"Oh, Arceus," Yuu whispered, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Whoa, whoa, whoa—"

They watched with morbid curiosity as the illusion gave way to a large creature. True to her words, it was indeed some sort of Fox-like Pokémon. It had a dark grey (almost black) and red coat, along with the largest mane of fur that Riddle had ever seen. What unnerved him the most was the sheer size of it. Why, this one was as tall as he was. Oh... Oh Sevens.

"What even is that?! Is that— Is that a freaking bear or something?!"

Grim screeched, jumping right onto Yuu. "Henchman, that thing's huge! What is that?! don't let it eat me!"

"Gah— Would you get off of my face, please?!"

"Hey, Yuu," Cater laughed nervously, eyeing those sharp red claws. "Didn't you say this guy was little? He's kind of on the larger side, isn't he?"

"I thought it was a stage one Pokémon. O-Obviously not." Prying Grim off her face, she took one, three steps back. "That's... That's an entire Zoroark."

(It was quite funny how she referred to it as an entire Zoroark, as if there was a possibility that a fraction of it wasn't one.)

The room was silent.

Deuce pressed his lips into a thin line. "Now, can we report this to Headmaster Crowley?"

THE FIVE OF THEM DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH AN OVERGROWN FOX IN THEIR LIVING ROOM, and unfortunately, Yuu didn't either. What she had been expecting was just a little Zorua. Zorua, she could understand. They were small, cute, and hell of a lot easier to keep track of rather than a fully evolved Zoroark.

A Zoroark, for fuck's sake.

When she found out the boy she spoke with in the garden was not Deuce, naturally the first thing she did was freak out. She had just given the perpetrator information about Heartslabyul's whereabouts, and she knew Riddle would have her head when he found out.

"You mean if he finds out." Ace was wearing a thoughtful look when she told him about it, the person she turned to.

"If. If is good." Together, the two of them had conspired a secret little plan for that day— Not even Grim or the rest of her Team would know.

It went like this: Since the Heartslabyul students sat in one general area in the cafeteria, that would be where Ace would make a big show about missing that day's meeting. There was a high chance the imposter would see him there— who couldn't resist attending a meeting about themselves— and would sneak in... by taking Ace's place. Then he would notify the group chat, and burst through the doors just in time to catch the imposter. It was a foolproof plan.

Only that the two of them hadn't accounted for the fact that the imposter wasn't human (Yuu did, at least, although all too late), a Zoroark nonetheless— Which might have been why Ace slammed the door in on its face. He would later swear it was an accident.

Is that why they were standing so shamelessly in front of Headmaster Crowley right now? "What did I say? What have I been saying for the past few days, actually?" He looked so exasperatedly agitated that it was almost funny. "Haven't I told you to come to me for one of these matters?"

Cater came forward, laughing nervously, "Actually, Headmaster, we didn't know it was a Pokémon until fifteen minutes ago, so..."

The man peered over the said monster, blinking curiously. The Zoroark could be seen baring its teeth, even after it had fainted. "My, what a beastly creature. Yuu, do the people of your world just let such monsters roam about?"

"Jeez, that's harsh... Zoroarks... well, any final-stage Wild Pokémon are quite rare," Yuu explained, "I didn't even know myself that they could mimic human speech... And be so good at it, too."

"Goodness. Though I suppose I can't do anything about it; we have... yet another Pokémon in our hands." He sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be doing that a lot nowadays. She had the feeling that this wouldn't be the last of it. "Roshearts, Diamond-kun."

The two stood at attention. "Yes, sir?"

"Clean this up, if you will. Leave no trace of a Pokémon in these walls. I'm certain our students are not yet ready to learn of such a thing, yes?" He bit his lip, "And, erm, keep the collar on, please. Do not let it leave your sight until I return."

"Yessir."

"Wait," Deuce blinked, "Return? Where are you going, Headmaster?"

"I'm going to have a talk with you." At the paleing of their faces, he clarified, "Oh no, don't worry, you're not in trouble right now. I'd simply like to have a talk with you, Trappola and Yuu-kun."

Yuu nodded. "Alright. Hopefully it won't take long. Audino, I think I'd be best if you stayed here, gave Riddle and Cater-senpai a hand. Or just in case our... new friend wakes up. Is that okay?"

"Audin." Great. Sounded like a yes to her.

Crowley paused like he had just remembered something. "Ah, one more thing. Clover-kun."

"Yes, Headmaster?" Trey responded at the mention of his name, albeit rather confusedly.

"You are a part of the Science Club, if I remember correctly?" Science Club? Now that she thought about it, She remembered him bringing it up in the past once or twice. It would make sense for him to be a part of it, actually.

"Yes, that's right."

"Perfect! Then I must request your audience as well." Crowley clasped his hands together. Gesturing around the rubble of the room (books and documents littered across the floor, as well as several chairs toppled over), he said, "Then I leave it in your hands, Rosehearts and Diamond."

"What for, anyway?" Grim wrinkled his nose. He blinked, grinning. "Oh, you're finally gonna give me that canned tuna as a reward for helping out the other day, right?"

"Not quite."

The cat scowled and proceeded to grumbled things about how everyone around him was thankless and no one appreciated his efforts. Yuu exchanged confused looks with Ace and Trey, the latter who shrugged before following Crowley out of the room. Milcery floated after him like a lost Ducklett.

Finally deciding they didn't have all day, she followed soon after.

UNEDITED

[1] Tackle — Here's something to note. Pokémon moves are imbued with energy, which I guess justifies why some moves make certain body parts glow when they're used? Anyways, that's why humans can't mimic Fighting-type moves like Karate Chop or Low Sweep. I just wanted to make the distinction that this is not any regular tackle, no sir!

Other Pokémon terms mentioned in this chapter include:

Cufant — The Pokémon equivalent for an elephant. A steel type, and very cute! This Pokémon is mentioned in one of my word plays and replaces the saying, "Elephant in the room."

Take Down — This is a Normal-type move that Audino can learn via leveling up.

Drain Punch — Not sure if I already included this move before, but this is another move Audino can learn via TM. Fighting-type move that deals damage and heals the caster a percentage of that damage.

Ducklett — Again, the Pokémon equivalent of a duck! A Water and Flying-type, cute little things that Yuu uses to describe the way Milcery follows momma duck Trey out of the room.

(So sorry! I meant to publish this at the beginning of the month, but totally forgot about it until now.)

Oh wow. To be honest, I don't know how I felt about this chapter. I thought it was kinda all over the place— but I hope the big reveal wasn't underwhelming or anything. Speaking of reveal, who'd have thought the imposter would be a Zoroark?! (Not AO3's readers, that's who. 🤭) I mean, you guys weren't way off the mark but in a way, I Still Fooled You in the End! Muwahaha. 😈 If I remember correctly, there were two whole readers who guessed it'd be an actual Zoroark and both of them are on Quotev. Props to you guys, wherever you are!

The reason this update took so long was because I kept on rewriting the damn chapter. 😟 Even now, I'm not quite satisfied with it. I couldn't figure out at what point the Zoroark would be figured out— A confrontation in the garden or in Heartslabyul's lounge? So I kept on writing paragraphs and deleting them.

Oh and please, all comments are appreciated! I'd like to know what you guys thought about this chapter specifically.

AND WITH THAT, ESTEEMED INDIVIDUALS, MARKS THE END OF THE HEARTSLABYUL ARC. SAVANACLAW, HERE WE COME